Labor
For The New Year, New (And Higher) Pay Thresholds In California
JD Supra 1/4
Each new year brings a further increase to California’s minimum wage – and 2021 is no exception. For the New Year, the new state minimum wage for employers of 26 or more employees is now $14.00 per hour, and the state minimum wage for employers of 25 or fewer employees just increased to $13.00 per hour.
DOL Issues New Tip Regulations: Will 2020 Be The Last Year Of 80/20?
Lexology 1/4
The regulations codify the abolition of the 80/20 tip credit rule and guide the circumstances in which “back-of-the-house” employees can be included in tip pools. The regulations explicitly exclude managers and supervisors from taking a share of employee’s tips. In 2021, hospitality employers will have to watch how the courts interpret these regulations.
Minimum wage is up again, while tip credits are changing
WBFO 1/4
The minimum wage is now higher in Western New York. And for some who earn tips as part of their income, there are changes in their employers’ tip credits.
Food Industry Policy
6 restaurant trends that will shape 2021
Restaurant Dive 1/4
Managing virtual brands and stabilizing labor forces could be challenging in the new year, but curbside, drive-thru and ghost kitchens hold strong growth potential, analysts say.
Contactless ordering forcing restaurants to adopt 9 tech strategies in 2021
Fast Casual 1/4
Although we are still in the middle of the chaos, we’ve already seen several trends emerge. Some will fade out as we leave COVID-19 behind, but one major player — contactless ordering — is not only here to stay but is driving restaurants to embrace nine specific technologies and strategies in order to adopt the service model.
Oregon legislature approves cocktails to go, but restaurants divided about new opportunity
Statesman Journal 1/4
The Oregon state legislature’s recent passage of Senate Bill 1801 in December’s special session, sets the stage Oregon bars and restaurants to sell cocktails, mixed drinks, and single-serving glasses of wine for off-site consumption as part of take-out and delivery orders. Drinks must be packaged in sealed containers and no more than two may be ordered per “substantial” food item.
On the Side
Meet the person who transformed Knott’s Berry Farm into a food festival venue
The Orange County Register 1/4
John Storbeck’s reinvention of the Buena Park theme park as a socially-distanced food festival venue kept thousands of employees working while serving hundreds of thousands of customers.
The pandemic dashed his restaurant dreams, so a fine-dining chef is taking his fried chicken to the streets
Los Angeles Times 1/4
After eight years cooking at some of L.A.’s finest restaurants, Ronnie Muñoz took a leap of faith. Last January the 25-year-old chef quit his job at Craft, the Century City restaurant run by “Top Chef” judge Tom Colicchio, to focus his energy on Ronnie’s Kickin’, the spicy fried chicken sandwich pop-up he launched out of his South L.A. home.
Underdogs Tres Opens in the Inner Sunset, and More Bay Area Restaurant Openings
Eater SF 1/4
This is a curated list of the Bay Area’s most notable restaurant and bar openings, with new updates published once a week.
