Labor
‘It’s No Windfall. It’s the Law’: Court Rules Against Outback Steakhouse in ‘Tip Credit’ Case
Connecticut Law Tribune 4/27
“The takeaway for employment attorneys is that the service employees in our state still have the right to enforce the prior versions of the tip credit regulations,” said employment attorney Thomas Durkin, plaintiffs counsel in McCants v. Outback Steakhouse of Florida LLC. “The changes made in September 2020 make it harder for workers to win their cases, but employment attorneys can still bring suit under the prior regulations until the statute of limitations expire.”
Labor Advocates Allege Powerful Restaurant Lobby Is Depressing Wages in Massachusetts
Eater Boston 4/27
A new white paper from One Fair Wage and Corporate Accountability alleges that lobbyists affiliated with the Massachusetts Restaurant Association made well-placed campaign donations to keep restaurant owners from being forced to pay higher minimum wages.
Food Industry Policy
L.A. reopening fast: What yellow tier means for restaurants, bars, amusement parks, gyms and more
Los Angeles Times 4/28
Restaurants are no longer capped at 200 people, as is required in the orange tier, but must still keep its venue at no more than 50% of capacity. As in the orange tier, the limit can increase to 75% if all guests show proof of full vaccination or of a negative coronavirus test.
Can Co-ops Save Restaurants?
Mother Jones 4/28
What if Edwardsen passed on the restaurant to his workers? Restructuring would take the load off a sole proprietor, and each worker-owner would be more invested in the business’s well-being. A 2016 meta-analysis of more than 100 studies across several countries linked employee ownership to better productivity, organizational stability, and business survival. In times of crisis, co-ops have been shown to be more resilient than traditional enterprises and less likely to lay off workers.
On the Side
Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate Expands To-Go Dinner Series To San Francisco And Beyond
Forbes 4/27
What’s one of the best ways to bring people from all walks of life together in the name of social justice? Good food! Founded by Chefs Kevin Tien of Moon Rabbit and Tim Ma of Lucky Danger, Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate was created in response to the increasing number of anti-Asian hate crimes and xenophobic attacks on the Asian American community across the country.
SF New Deal survey finds 60% of San Francisco restaurants are in debt
San Francisco Business Times 4/27
The average debt load held by the city’s restaurants has nearly doubled since the start of the pandemic to $114,000, according to the survey.
