Labor
Is This the End of Tipping?
The New York Times 2/21
The restaurant industry is in crisis. But some see how bad things are for servers — including “maskual harassment” — as a unique chance to make life better.
Washington, DC, restaurant owner: ‘Our business has changed forever’
Fox Business 2/21
“Our business has changed forever and it’s going to take the government’s help to get it back and get it right,” Mark Bucher, owner of Medium Rare, a restaurant in Washington, D.C., told “America’s News HQ” on Sunday. “We’re a huge employer in this country, but they need to invite us in,” he continued, stressing that input from small businesses is needed in the next coronavirus stimulus package.
Food Industry Policy
COVID-19: Can S.F. startup’s subscription model save Bay Area restaurants?
The Mercury News 2/22
Would you pay a monthly fee to sip wine with a sommelier from a Michelin-starred restaurant, or for guaranteed access to the hottest new pop-up — without having to troll Instagram or wait in line? Those are some of the perks of supporting restaurants through The Third Place, a retention engine for restaurants and related small businesses, like bars and tea shops. San Francisco founders Glen Wang and Vivien Sin launched the platform in November to help restaurants create new revenue streams during COVID-19, while regaining direct relationships with loyal regulars lost to aggregator apps like Door Dash and UberEats.
Ghost Kitchens: A New Era of Restaurants
QSR Magazine 2/19
The pandemic has accelerated delivery trends, as restaurants were forced to comply with occupancy restrictions, limited operations, and in some cases, closed locations. Even before the virus, online delivery trends were revolutionizing the restaurant industry. As a result, restaurants are looking for ways to capture more off-premises business, directing national chains and mom-and-pop restaurants to ghost kitchens.
On the Side
This restaurant owner spent $2,000 from his advertising money to promote his competitors
WRCB 2/21
A Wisconsin restaurant owner is using his own money to help struggling local restaurants during the pandemic. Adolfo Melendez, owner of Tex-Mex restaurant El Mezcal in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, has bought more than $2,000 in gift cards to restaurants in his community to raffle off to his customers. “If you help one person and another person helps another, that will help a lot,” he told CNN affiliate WKOW.
Orders for soothing homestyle foods surge in local eateries
The Fresno Bee 2/20
Sometimes, Darity said, people treat his menu, packed with recipes handed down for generations, as a genuine revelation. That’s particularly true for those who have never had anything but stovetop mac and cheese, as sometimes happens with northern-born tourists. Others say southern soul food reminds them of home, as was the case with one man who ordered a fried fish plate with double macaroni and cheese and devoured it in his car.
