Labor
The pandemic’s great divide: Twelve hours in an L.A. restaurant
CALmatters 5/29
Restaurants are a microcosm of American inequality. The pandemic has deepened the economic divisions between owners, managers and minimum-wage employees. But no one is unscathed.
Food Industry Policy
Already hit by pandemic, SF restaurants now forced to close early — or entirely — for curfew
Hoodline 5/31
Protesters have taken to the streets around the country, demanding justice for George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minneapolis, and for other African-American victims of police violence. In response, Mayor London Breed has enacted a nightly curfew for the city of San Francisco — 8 p.m. until 5 a.m., starting tonight.
Marin County to reopen outdoor dining, office space on Monday; park restrictions lifted
San Francisco Chronicle 5/29
Marin County’s office space, outdoor retail and outdoor dining are among the new economic sectors allowed to resume operations on Monday as the county takes another step to reopen, officials said Friday.
On the Side
Bay Area catering companies must feed on fresh ideas to survive
San Francisco Chronicle 6/1
Hidden in the rubble of the Bay Area’s collapsing catering scene is the industry’s future, and it’s one shaped by months of shelter-in-place orders, closed tech offices and millions in lost revenue.
5 innovations that have helped restaurants cope with coronavirus shutdowns
The Press Enterprise 5/30
When the novel coronavirus pandemic shut down dining rooms in March, restaurants were forced to get creative on the fly.
Survey finds hygiene focus when eating out after COVID-19 lockdown
Food Safety News 5/30
Three quarters of respondents to a survey in the United Kingdom say good hygiene will be more of a factor in choosing a restaurant than before the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Dine Brands Global hires search firm Spencer Stuart to replace CEO Steve Joyce
Nation’s Restaurant News 5/29
Dine Brands Global Inc., parent company of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar and IHOP, has hired executive search firm Spencer Stuart to find a successor for CEO Steve Joyce, whose employment agreement with the company expires on Feb. 1, 2021.
Bars bring live music to San Francisco’s streets with socially distanced concerts
Hoodline 5/29
Honky-tonk duo Nashville Honeymoon has played a lot of Bay Area venues: bars, nightclubs, even a farmers market. But last Saturday may have marked the band’s first performance in the back of a pickup truck.
Here’s What it Was Like to Actually Dine Inside a Restaurant Again
Eater, Los Angeles 5/29
With masked servers and a fraction of its tables occupied, Selanne Steak Tavern in Laguna Beach was one of the first restaurants in Orange County to reopen its dining room.
Sports Bars in San Francisco Are Drafting New Game Plans
Eater, San Francisco 5/29
As bars and restaurants across California begin to slowly reopen, sports bars remain sidelined: Unlike other drinking establishments, many of which are generating (some) income with to-go drinks, the business model for sports-specific spots is predicated on the camaraderie that comes with the shared experience of a live sporting event — and with those on hold, so are the futures of many sports bars.
