Labor
It’s not just Zuni: Many Bay Area restaurateurs are ending tipping as they reopen
San Francisco Chronicle 6/6
Other notable restaurants, such as Reem’s, Cotogna, Rintaro and Spruce in San Francisco, also have added automatic service charges, and more plan to soon. Other restaurateurs are experimenting with different models, from pooling tips equally among workers to systems based on experience.
This nonprofit is the face of restaurant worker equity. But ex-staffers say it’s discriminatory
San Francisco Chronicle 6/5
Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, the nation’s biggest restaurant worker nonprofit, is being sued for discrimination by former employees, including in Oakland.
Restaurants Turn to On-Demand Hiring Apps During the Labor Squeeze
NBC Bay Area 6/5
Almost half of restaurants are operating with 20% less staff than usual, according to the National Restaurant Association. As restaurants struggle to find workers, some managers use on-demand hiring apps to cover short-term staffing needs.
Food Industry Policy
Franchise restaurant owners sigh in relief as California’s FAST Act fails
FranchiseWire 6/5
If state legislators had approved the bill and it became law, it would have given rise to an appointed Fast Food Sector Council that could create new workplace policies in the state’s quick-service restaurants. It also would have established joint liability between franchisors and their California-based franchisees.
Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other gig companies said California’s Prop 22 would create opportunity for workers of color. A new study says it ‘legalized racial subordination.’
Business Insider 6/3
But a forthcoming research paper by UC Hastings law professor and gig economy expert Veena Dubal argues that, despite the companies’ promises that Prop 22 would help achieve racial and economic justice for their workers, the law has had the exact opposite effect. The new category of workers created by Prop 22, Dubal wrote, “is best understood as a new form of legalized racial subordination—lower wages and benefits for a people of color and immigrant workforce.”
On the Side
Plant Power Fast Food plans more local sites after recent Sacramento debut
Sacramento Business Journal 6/6
Robert Betz, the franchise owner for the new Sacramento location of Plant Power Fast Food, said he expects to open two additional locations over the next three years.
McDonald’s Drive-Thru Plans Need to Factor In Franchisees
The Spoon 6/6
Separate from the technical feats the system must accomplish, there is also a huge number of franchisees to consider in the process of a wide-scale implementation. There are currently 38,000 McDonald’s operating across roughly 115 countries. The majority — 93 percent — are franchisees. Getting them onboard may be no small feat, either.
