Why we close twice a year.

Humans need rest. And yet, in the US we have the least vacation in comparison to other wealthy nations. Even worse, when Christmas falls on a Sunday, many workers won’t get that extra time to rest and connect with family. 

We think work needs to always be tied back to human beings, and as such, try to accommodate basic human needs. We close twice a year for a full week (in summer and winter) with mandatory time off.

Paul Krugman illuminates the status quo in his New York Times piece “Happy Holidays. Now get back to work.” (Published Dec 20, 2022):

“I haven’t managed to find data on how many workers get to take the next day off when a major holiday falls on a Sunday. What we do know is that Christmas is one of only five paid holidays available to a majority of U.S. workers. And it’s not as if Americans have many other opportunities to spend time with their families. Compared with many other wealthy countries, we stand out as the no-vacation nation.

Partly this is a matter of law. We’re unique among high-income nations in having no legal requirements that employers offer paid leave and paid vacations; most European countries require that jobs come with at least a month of paid vacation. Japan offers somewhat less — but on the other hand it has an unusual number of required paid holidays, so the Japanese still get quite a lot of mandatory time off.”

That said, we'll be closed until the New Year. The hotshop goes cold on Friday, Dec 23. We hope you have a chance to rest too.