OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A Kalamazoo-area brewery announced on Wednesday it will be offering full health care benefits with no premium deductions from employee paychecks.

Latitude 42 Brewing Company will be providing the perk starting Nov. 1 at both of its locations in Oshtemo Township and Portage.

Monica Lane is the front of house manager at the brewery’s Oshtemo Township restaurant and is thrilled to hear about the new benefit.

“It’s huge for my team. It’s huge for myself. It makes our job no longer a job, it makes it a career,” Lane said. “Now it’s kind of a little bit of validation knowing that the company, the family ownership team, loves us and cares about us to this caliber is amazing. It’s very overwhelming actually.”

Dental plan premiums will also be fully covered, along with a life insurance policy.

“I think it’s unheard of from a lot of companies. I don’t know a lot of people who have full coverage like this that there’s no monthly premium,” Lane said.

  • Beer from Latitude 42 Brewing Company.
  • Taps at Latitude 42 Brewing Company.
  • The Latitude 42 Brewing Company.

Brad Bishop, the president of restaurant operations, says the perk is very rare especially within the hospitality industry. The move is meant to show appreciation to employees who have stayed with the restaurant during the pandemic. 

“We’re very thankful to them first and foremost and we also see the evolution of the restaurant industry as a whole,” Bishop said.

The benefits will be available to any employee working more than 30 hours per week who has been with the company for six months. The hope is the perk will also help fill any open positions.

“We’re very excited to be able to have that opportunity to get more career focused individuals to join our team,” Bishop said.

Bishop says the restaurant is fortunate it can provide these benefits after the challenges the industry has faced over the past year and a half. The brewery has distribution of its beverages, which helped keep it going through the height of the pandemic.

Latitude 42 is also offering a sign-on bonus for back of house positions.

For more information on openings, visit the Latitude 42 website.