New Start for World Trade Centre Workers

Staff from the Windows on the World restaurant, which was at the top of one of the World Trade Centre towers, were last night celebrating a new start with the opening of Colors in Manhattan's East Village. Colors is owned and staffed by former Windows employees who lost 73 colleagues in the 9/11 attacks. Only those who were not working at the time survived.

"This is something to pay tribute to our friends who died. It is something to remember them by," said Magdi Labib, the dining captain (maitre d') at Colors, who had the same post at Windows.

The destruction of the restaurant struck a chord with Americans even amid the horrors of the terrorist attacks. It was one of the most famous restaurants in the world and its mainly immigrant staff came to symbolize the multicultural backgrounds of those who died on September 11.

Many of the survivors from Windows faced destitution. Though they thought immediately of opening a new restaurant, few people were willing to fund it. Eventually the Restaurant Opportunities Center came up with $2.2m (£1.25m) from more than 20 sources, supplemented by contributions from employees, all of whom are part-owners.

Colors will pay a minimum $13.50 an hour, far more than other New York restaurants, many of which are notorious for paying low wages to a mostly immigrant staff.