Labor
As Restaurants Reopen, Many Are Struggling to Find Employees
Eater 6/26
Worries about the pandemic, slow business, and fewer jobs for servers are all creating obstacles to rehiring.
Food Industry Policy
Newsom orders bars closed in California counties where coronavirus is spreading fast
San Francisco Chronicle 6/28
Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered seven California counties where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly to close their bars Sunday. He also recommended but did not require that bars close or remain shuttered in eight other counties, including Santa Clara and Contra Costa in the Bay Area.
In an Abrupt About-Face, San Francisco Will Not Reopen Bars As Planned
Eater, San Francisco 6/26
Less than a day after San Francisco’s Director of Health triumphantly announced that bars in the city could reopen for outdoor drinking on Monday, the city’s mayor has pressed pause on the plan, saying Friday that a statewide increase in cases of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) means that any San Francisco reopenings will not move forward.
Redwood City devotes downtown streets to open-air restaurants
The Mercury News 6/26
Redwood City is joining the street dining crowd. A new initiative called “Eat, Sip & Be in RWC” will allow businesses in the city’s restaurant-rich downtown to expand to the streets and sidewalks with tables for open-air dining.
Local Restaurants Get Creative To Meet State’s Reopening Requirements
CBSN, Los Angeles 6/26
With a slew of new guidelines from the state in order to reopen safely, some restaurants around L.A. County have had to get creative.
On the Side
Things you’ll probably overhear while dining at a restaurant during a pandemic
San Francisco Chronicle 6/29
“I’m so sick of eating my own food. Even if they put Costco pizza on a platter here, I would be so happy.” “You guys are heroes, you know that right? Thank you for your service.”
Our Ghost-Kitchen Future
The New Yorker 6/28
Last fall, walking down Mission Street, in San Francisco, I noticed a new addition to an otherwise unremarkable parking lot at the base of Bernal Heights Hill: a large, white trailer, about the size of three parking spaces, plastered with a banner that read “food pick up here.”
I ate at Olive Garden, Applebee’s, and Chili’s to see how going to casual dining restaurants has changed during the pandemic
Business Insider 6/28
There is a comfortable consistency that comes with dining out at popular chain restaurants. The neon lights, massive menus, and endless ’80s playlist make them predictable, no matter where you’re dining in the country.
Some Sacramento bars are closing, this time voluntarily, as coronavirus worry spreads
The Sacramento Bee 6/27
Two nightclubs are shutting down just a week after reopening, citing concerns over a patron who tested positive for the coronavirus, as other midtown Sacramento bars are closing their doors amid a surge in reported cases statewide.
Welcome to Applebee’s! Can I Get You Started With Some Disinfectant?
The New York Times 6/26
Go right ahead and leave a cash tip for Debi Kane, a waitress at a TGI Fridays in Corona, Calif. She’ll appreciate the money, but there’s a catch.
