Treat Staff Fairly: Pizzeria Gtalia Da Filippo

“At Gtalia, we believe that sustainability starts with valuing people,” says Masakazu Iwasawa, Owner of Pizzeria Gtalia da Filippo. “Especially in the food and beverage industry, behind every dish is a person — someone growing vegetables on a farm, preparing food in the kitchen or welcoming guests in the dining room. If these individuals do not feel respected and valued, it becomes impossible to offer heartfelt service.” 

Having worked for years on the front lines of the hospitality industry, Masakazu witnessed first-hand how hard work often goes unrewarded. “The foodservice industry tends to be plagued by long hours, vague evaluation systems and voices that go unheard,” he says. “At Gtalia, we question that norm and aim to create a workplace where everyone is equally respected and can work in good health.” 

Treating staff fairly at Gtalia 

This philosophy is reflected in the restaurant’s daily operations and in how they communicate with staff. “Every choice — from word selection to the design of work styles — is guided by a people-centred approach.” 

EMPLOYEE EVALUATIONS

They facilitate job satisfaction and personal growth by using employee evaluation standards that aren’t tied strictly to numbers or job titles. “We aspire to create a culture that rewards those who empower others, not just those who meet managerial expectations,” says Masakazu. Through one-on-one sessions, they align self-evaluations with managers' perspectives based on four pillars: behaviour, learning, challenges and contributions. “These are not binary assessments, but reflective conversations that value intent and personal growth.”  

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Training plays a key role in this development. For new, mid-level and leadership staff, Gtalia offers not only skill development but also emotional and interpersonal growth through agricultural experiences, local visits and inter-store exchanges. “This serves not just as skill-building, but also as a place to learn about the intersection of food and society,” Masakazu explains. Alongside this continuous development, team members are empowered and encouraged to make contributions to how the restaurant operates, with mechanisms in place to bring field-level ideas to management meetings.  

RECOGNITION AND REWARD

Frequent verbal and written affirmation and appreciation are highly encouraged. For example, they have implemented a "Thanks Card" system, designed to amplify voices and recognise staff members — particularly those who are not managers.  These cards, which allow staff to acknowledge one another’s good deeds regardless of age or position, are collected and shared internally and are considered in evaluations and when deciding on bonuses. “This year, for example, award winners received product vouchers and a rare whiskey from a distillery visit, along with special prizes from the local business association.” 

EATING TOGETHER

Staff meals are a particularly important part of the culture at Gtalia. “We treat staff meals not just as a benefit, but as a system to support the health and learning of our team,” Masakazu explains. These meals are no afterthought: with a certified nutritionist on staff, they prepare three-part, plant-forward meals centred around a weekly theme vegetable, creating opportunities to learn about ingredients and seasonality. “Cooking responsibilities rotate between kitchen and service staff, ensuring everyone's personal touch is reflected,” he says.  

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Masakazu explains that — in stark contrast to traditional hospitality — they’ve designed their employment style to reflect diverse life needs. “We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all work environments, but instead strive for life-respecting employment. For example, we are working towards offering morning shifts for working parents; language and lifestyle support for international trainees; and flexible schedules for young chefs pursuing their dreams.” Looking ahead, they’re also considering a four-day work week to better support health, family and personal dreams. 

Much of this goes beyond internal culture, formalised in a written policy based on the belief that ‘workers are the creators of the future’. “This is not merely an evaluation system but a cultural shift we aim to embed in daily operations,” he says. “These initiatives are not just policies: they reflect our core belief in respecting humanity. The common thread across these efforts is our belief that understanding must precede evaluation. Fairness comes not just from standardised rules, but from a respectful recognition of each individual’s life.” 

The business benefits of treating staff fairly 

“We believe that changing how workers are treated can transform the foodservice industry,” says Masakazu, sharing that they’ve seen both quantitative and qualitative outcomes — including a dramatic drop in turnover. “In the past, we lost over 10 people per year. Since 2020, annual departures have fallen to 2–3 or fewer. Especially among younger staff, there’s growing desire to stay long-term, leading to stable mid-career development.”   

Their initiatives have garnered external recognition, too. Google reviews and surveys make frequent mention of how cheerful and sincere Gtalia staff are. “This shows that our team now operates in an environment where they can interact genuinely as human beings,” he says. The restaurant also won the ‘BEST Social’ award at the Food Made Good Japan Awards (2023, 2024), prompting industry visits and direct job applications from those who resonate with their values. “These results confirm our belief that people-first management benefits workers, customer and society alike.” 

Challenges of people-first management

Masakazu says the biggest challenge has been bridging the gap between industry norms and our ideals. “The food industry still assumes long hours, low wages and rigid hierarchies. For young or inexperienced workers, it's hard to see foodservice as a path to growth and happiness.” To combat this, they created a "Pride in Food Work" Handbook with their staff members, with the goal of making the value of restaurant work visible and shareable. This is used in onboarding, recruitment and internal communications to deepen understanding of their social contributions and investment.  

To encourage open dialogue between staff and management, they hold monthly dialogue meetings and one-on-one sessions. These allow staff to voice concerns and surface subtle discomforts. Masakazu is also quick to point out the need for empathy and patience with managers and owners who have spent most of their careers working hard under outdated norms and who may struggle to adapt to this new vision for working life. “Through industry talks and social media, we avoid guilt-driven messaging and instead highlight the joy and pride possible in this work. We even share ideas via blog posts for staff who prefer reading at their own pace. By reframing these challenges as dialogue opportunities, we’ve broadened mutual understanding inside and outside our company.” 

Changing industry norms 

“Our goal is not just to improve our own workplace, but to elevate the entire industry into something we can all be proud of,” says Masakazu. “We strongly believe that the entire food service industry must share a common language when it comes to sustainability and fair workplace environments in order to progress to the next stage.” As part of creating this ripple effect, he points to the need for more open dialogue and knowledge sharing. “Even if individual restaurants or businesses make excellent progress, industry-wide structural change won’t occur unless those efforts are shared.” To support this, Gtalia has previously co-hosted study sessions and dialogue events with other local restaurants on the topic of working styles, sharing the tangible impacts of creating a people-focused culture. “These spaces reassure others that this isn’t just idealism — it’s actually doable, and give them courage to take action,” he says. 

They also spread the message by working with farmers and local communities to create spaces where ‘working equals living’. "By connecting city-based restaurants with rural producers, we offer both staff and customers opportunities to engage with new values and perspectives. This helps expand the professional potential of the foodservice sector as a whole."

For Masakazu, it’s all about collaboration. “Going forward, we need systems where people doing the right thing aren’t left isolated. Platforms like The SRA play a critical role in connecting and recognising those working on meaningful change. We’re proud to be part of that network and want to continue contributing.” 

Food Made Good at Pizzeria Gtalia da Filippo

The restaurant took their first Food Made Good Standard in 2023, earning a three-star certification in their very first assessment. “We wanted to go beyond doing good things intuitively and make our efforts visible through a global benchmark,” says Masakazu. “In Japan’s food industry, the ethics of craftsmanship are often passed down by word of mouth or experience. While that has value, it limits reproducibility and accountability when viewed through the lens of sustainability.” 

“This Standard serves not merely as a checklist for evaluation, but as a lens for re-examining the entire operation of a restaurant,” he continues. “What impressed us most was how the Standard brings structure to subjective concepts such as social justice and team care. It helped us to realise that what we consider common sense may not be so for everyone.” 

Since they completed their first evaluation, the team has seen concrete internal and external benefits. Masakazu points to a tangible shift in mindset as a notable difference. “After sharing the full scope of the standard, our team moved from a ‘there’s no point in trying’ mindset to one of ‘this matters and has long-term value’,” he says. From 2022 to 2024, internal training participation rose from an average of 80% to over 120%, with even part-time staff joining proactively, and he tells us that more staff members are now able to articulate the social value of their work.  

The second benefit has been noticeably easier recruitment. “More applicants — especially students and young workers — are now applying to our restaurant, saying they want to work at places that engage in initiatives like Food Made Good, choosing values and experience over salary,” he continues. “Our social media and note blog audience grew, too, with our Instagram followers increasing by 30% since we completed the Standard.”  

Thirdly, being part of the Food Made Good network has encouraged more collaborative work and knowledge sharing. “Our work has led to collaboration with SRA Japan and other sustainable restaurants, creating opportunities for shared projects and information exchange. We’ve also started building connections with sustainability-focused chefs and journalists abroad.” 

What does the future hold for Pizzeria Gtalia da Filippo?  

The work is far from finished at Gtalia. They continue to refine their flexible employment models, offering work environments where people with different life stages and values can thrive.  This includes shift systems limited to specific times for working parents as well as tailored job design for senior citizens and people with disabilities. “This is not just a labour shortage solution — it’s about deepening team resilience and strength,” says Masakazu. 

Another goal is to create a co-learning workplace for future generations. “We want younger people to envision a career in this industry,” he says. Plans include internship programmes for local junior and senior high school students, free pizza-making classes for children from economically disadvantaged families; and a ‘design your future self’ programme for young internal and external staff. “We believe the foodservice industry should be a place where people’s lives are truly inspired.”  

“Our wish is for Gtalia’s practices to become so common that they’re no longer seen as special,” says Masakazu as we wrap up our conversation. “We aim to build that future by steadily accumulating small efforts, sharing them and collaborating with our peers. Sustainability isn’t about grand gestures — it’s about the sum of small, everyday choices. We’ll continue making those choices alongside our team.” 

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