Labor
California Entrepreneurs Unfazed by Pandemic as New Business Licenses Jump by Nearly 22%
Times of San Diego 2/8
So, in October — amid rising coronavirus cases and a 9.3% unemployment rate — father and son opened their delivery-and-pick-up only restaurant in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood. Now, Zhao’s got two jobs: product manager by day and owner of Cozy Wok, an Oakland-based vegetarian Chinese restaurant, by night and on weekends.
Black restaurant employees hurt the most during pandemic, report says
The Grio 2/7
A recent report shows that Black workers in the restaurant industry received less tips than other racial groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to CNBC, nearly 90 percent of Black workers said that their tips declined by 50 percent or more. Overall, 78 percent of workers said their tips declined similarly.
Food Industry Policy
Danville restaurants staying in business through aid and innovation
Danville Register & Bee 2/8
Fortunate, blessed, tired and stressed are all words Danville restaurant owners are using to describe their businesses at this point of the pandemic. Cautiously optimistic as customers are returning to indoor dining, the owners are seeing innovations to their service and seating begin to pay off.
It’s still safest to avoid indoor dining, even if more states are allowing it
ABC57 2/7
Despite the high number of cases, more states and cities are letting restaurants open their doors to diners, albeit with limitations. Last Friday Los Angeles said its restaurants could reopen for outdoor dining with restrictions and 50% capacity. Chicago reopened with rules that encourage physical distancing and masks. New York announced restaurants could reopen at 25% capacity just in time for Valentine’s Day.
On the Side
Adults with COVID-19 twice as likely to have dined in-person than those without: CDC
KRON4 2/7
Adults with COVID-19 were twice as likely to have dined in-person at a restaurant than those who tested negative for the virus, according to the CDC. As restaurants begin opening for outdoor dining in San Francisco, officials encourage residents to be mindful.
2 El Monte street vendors arrested after compliance check turns violent
KTLA5 2/7
“During the complaint investigation, the unpermitted food operators at this location became aggressive and physical with the inspectors and law enforcement, which resulted in multiple arrests,” county officials told KTLA in a statement. “One inspector was kicked by one of the food operators while being arrested and was treated on scene. No other inspectors were hurt.”
