Labor
Santa Clara County seeks temporary wage hike for front-line workers
Palo Alto Online 2/3
Not everyone was thrilled with the proposal. Katie Hansen, speaking on behalf of the California Restaurant Association, said restaurants have bent over backwards to follow public health orders and have spent thousands of dollars on staff training and safety-oriented building upgrades. Picking on some segments of the industry — in this case, fast food chains — ignores the “tremendous costs” that have been placed on restaurants, she said.
New York Restaurant Workers Now Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine
FSR Magazine 2/3
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that restaurant workers in the state are now eligible to receive the vaccine. Cuomo said local governments can add restaurant workers, taxi drivers, and workers at developmentally disabled facilities to Phase 1b if it fits into their prioritization.
Food Industry Policy
A Recipe for Trouble? Reversal of California Outdoor Dining Ban Has Heads Spinning
California Healthline 2/3
Outdoor dining is resuming in California under state and local orders issued last week — but with COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths still far higher than they were when the bans took effect, restaurant owners and workers are wary of reopening their patios and parking lots.
Restaurants Push Back on Berkeley Plan to Ban Gas
Courthouse News Service 2/2
Representing the California Restaurant Association, attorney Courtland Reichman said the city’s ordinance is preempted by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, which regulates energy use by appliances. Since the law forbids states and cities from banning appliances based on the type of energy they use, the city’s ordinance restricting the use of natural gas in new buildings amounts to an end-run around the EPCA.
On the Side
The Great Global Reset is Happening for Restaurants
QSR Magazine 2/2
Segments are shifting with the consumer, and brands betting on convenience engineering as well as an elevated experience are outpacing and outliving more traditional large players. Fast-casual operators have helped quick-serves with regard to “premium-ization” and leading to a greater tolerance for higher per-person spend.
Closing time for Fresno brewery as economic impact of COVID-19 continues
Your Central Valley 2/2
Downtown Fresno’s Zack’s Brewing Company announced on social media its “heartbreaking decision” to shut down operations. But the Fresno chapter presidents of the California Restaurant Association says there will be more to come.
