Labor
Restaurant Recruitment and Retention in the Post-COVID Labor Crunch
FSR Magazine 5/12
As happy as operators are to see more people returning to bars and restaurants, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find enough people to staff each shift. The industry is facing a nationwide labor crunch that is making it difficult to meet customer expectations and renewed demand for indoor dining.
LA chef fights for social, economic justice in restaurant kitchen
Spectrum News 5/11
The chef believes if people get paid a living wage and are given paid sick leave, they’re more likely to stay, work hard and pursue opportunities within the business.
Food Industry Policy
LA City Council votes to make outdoor dining program permanent
Los Angeles Daily News 5/12
The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to begin steps to make its COVID-19 al fresco outdoor dining program permanent. The program, which began in May 2020 to help restaurants safely serve guests during the COVID-19 pandemic, streamlines requirements and approvals across multiple city departments for outdoor dining on sidewalks, parking lots and streets.
Santa Barbara County supervisors OK microenterprise home kitchens over cities’ objections
Santa Ynez Valley News 5/11
Despite objections from cities, chambers of commerce and restaurant owners, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance to allow microenterprise home kitchen operations in a split vote Tuesday.
Masks optional for guests, staff at these Fresno restaurants. Owner says it’s common sense
The Fresno Bee 5/11
Face masks will no longer be required when eating, or working, at Pismo’s Coastal Grill. The policy change affects all guests and employees of Fansler Restaurant Group, which also includes Yosemite Ranch and Westwood BBQ and Spice Company. A notice was posted across all of the restaurant’s social media sites on Monday.
On the Side
The Unique Challenge of Reopening a Massive Restaurant Space
Eater 5/11
Like many restaurant operators, George Chen faced one obstacle after another this year trying to keep his business afloat. But running what he deems the country’s largest mom-and-pop — the 30,000-square-foot Chinese food emporium China Live in San Francisco — came with some fairly unique challenges. And getting it back open again, keeping in mind the different requirements and interest in food halls, fine dining, events, retail, and bars, is its own unique challenge.
Restaurant Group Loses Challenge to Cuomo’s COVID Restrictions
New York Law Journal 5/11
Progress toward rolling back the restrictions, and recent actions in Albany to curtail Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s emergency powers did not moot the plaintiffs’ claims. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty said that the “dispositive fact” of the situation still remained and that curbs could be reimposed at a future date.
