This toolkit is the culmination of over 16 months of:

• Focus group conversations (we call them Experimental Salons) and 1:1 interviews with owners and operators of hospitality businesses in gentrifying neighborhoods of New York City and Los Angeles;
• 1:1 interviews with neighborhood stakeholders such as real estate developers and brokers, community organizers and activists, local nonprofit and community-based organizations, city officials and agencies, as well as subject matter experts such as researchers and professors focused on gentrification and urban land use;
• A nationwide ☑️ Community Survey on the sentiments of residents in gentrifying tracts;
• Small-group brainstorms and an industry Town Hall with food and beverage media representatives covering hospitality businesses in gentrifying areas

All of the above conversations were organized over the course of 2021 and 2022. Read more about our think tank’s methodology for research here.

Additionally, the structure of this final toolkit is also the result of these above conversations, as many interviewees expressed a desire for something akin to a “resource hub” instead of a more traditional written report. We found a Notion page to be the most suitable for addressing this need while allowing us to operate within our own resource constraints.

Focus Group Questions

During our focus groups and interviews, we posed questions such as:

Business Owner Specific

• What experiences have shaped your understanding of gentrification, in particular how it pertains to hospitality businesses like your own?
• What do you believe you, your employees, and your business have the power to do about issues like gentrification and displacement in your community?
• A recurring theme we’ve heard is the idea of acquiring and building community buy-in and trust. How do each of you define or understand ‘community trust?’ How do you test and measure this?
• What are some specific barriers that you are experiencing that prevent you from engaging with your community in ways you may want?
• What are some of the metrics of success you would goal your initiatives around? What feels realistic and attainable? What would you feel encouraged to be evaluated on?

Food & Beverage Media Specific

• How is gentrification discussed in your organization or company, and what experiences or conversations led to this understanding of the term?
• What are some of the systems that enable your organization to look at people and places for coverage, even if they are not popular or new or attracting existing attention?
• How do you approach covering areas, neighborhoods, and cities you may not be familiar with? In particular, what do you see as the appropriate way to address areas that have historical significance?