Labor
Bartaco’s Whole-Team Approach to COVID Survival
FSR Magazine 2/4
Importantly, however, the pivot brought forth labor questions. Could bartaco piggyback COVID reactions into a more efficient model? Lawton thought so. The brand became more team-like in its approach. It started to pool tips for the entire restaurant, including the back of the house, and put all staff on minimum wage instead of a taxed tip wage.
California’s Employment Hazard
The Wall Street Journal 2/3
Take California, where Democrats have already enacted a statewide $15 minimum wage. But now, even as businesses struggle with declining revenue from pandemic lockdowns, the state’s big city Democrats are mandating that employers increase pay for grocery and other frontline workers to $20 an hour or more.
Food Industry Policy
Outdoor Dining not Enough for Service Industry
SF Weekly 2/3
Everyone seems to agree on the solution — more direct financial aid — but the money is still not reaching restaurants that need it.
How Will Restaurants Approach Employee Vaccinations?
QSR Magazine 2/3
According to an operator survey from insights platform Black Box Intelligence, 39 percent of restaurant owners plan to recommend employees get vaccinated without an incentive. Thirty percent said they don’t have final plans, while 28 percent noted they will recommend the vaccine with an incentive. Two percent said they’ll mandate the vaccine, and another 2 percent said they won’t encourage or require it.
On the Side
San Francisco’s Cliff House likely returning as a restaurant after all, landlords say
San Francisco Chronicle 2/4
A National Park Service spokesperson confirmed that the federal agency plans to do so soon — and that the goal is for the building to house a restaurant once again, reversing a previous stance that a restaurant might not be a viable tenant for the property due to the state of the food industry.
California court denies lawsuit challenging Prop 22’s constitutionality
KTLA 2/3
The California Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit Wednesday that sought to overturn a ballot measure that makes app-based ride-hailing and delivery drivers independent contractors instead of employees eligible for benefits and job protections.
