Labor
‘Least of my worries’: Minimum wage hikes in Bay Area add to costs, could boost spending
San Francisco Chronicle 7/1
The coronavirus pandemic has torn the economy down, but across the Bay Area, the hourly minimum wage is still going up. Several cities are sticking with plans to raise the hourly wage floor Wednesday. Across much of the Bay Area, the local minimum wage is higher than California’s, which is going up in annual steps to $15 an hour by 2023.
Minimum Wage Increases Face A New Challenge From Coronavirus
WAMU 6/30
Advocates who fought for a $15 minimum wage couldn’t have predicted a threat like the coronavirus.
Food Industry Policy
Plastic waste surges as coronavirus prompts restaurants to use more disposable packaging
CNBC 6/30
As the country re-opens after months of lockdowns, consumers and restaurants have become more dependent on single-use plastic bags, containers and utensils due to health concerns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
On the Side
More than half of US restaurant closures are permanent due to coronavirus: study
New York Post 6/30
Main Street USA is on life support. Restaurants and retail shops have been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Country Garden Opens Restaurant Operated Completely By Robots
Forbes 6/30
Country Garden, a property developer in China, revealed that its subsidiary Qianxi Robot Catering Group (Qianxi Group) opened a restaurant complex operated completely by robots.
I’m Not Ready to Go Back to Restaurants. Is Anyone?
The New York Times 6/30
Last week, a worker at one of my favorite bakeries in Los Angeles tested positive for Covid-19.
Fear Of Eating Out: Anxiety In Restaurant Dining During COVID-19
Forbes 6/30
As I write this column, the news is changing hourly as some states pause or reverse their reopening of restaurants and bars.
When It Comes to Reopening Restaurants, the Customer May Not Always Be Right
Eater 6/30
Navigating the coronavirus pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge for restaurant owners. Shutting down their restaurants due to government mandates and health concerns was hard — but for some, reopening is even harder.
These Are the Food and Drink Innovations We Should Keep When the Pandemic is ‘Over’
Eater, San Francisco 6/30
The coronavirus crisis has devastated the restaurant industry, putting the lowest paid workers at the highest health risks, and threatening to close half of the food businesses in this city.
The optional surcharge of Trust Restaurant Group
San Diego Reader 6/30
Since dining rooms reopened with a ban on re-usable menus, a few of our city’s savvier restaurants have replaced them with tech.
