Labor
Help small businesses recover by pausing the annual minimum wage hike
Fox & Hounds 7/20
Small businesses have suffered a severe setback from the recent, understandable public health actions by state and local leaders to reimpose restrictions on commerce involving public gathering.
Did baristas lose their jobs because of COVID-19 or because they tried to unionize?
Los Angeles Times 7/19
On July 4, the company announced the immediate shutdown of its five locations and laid off 54 employees, just a week after workers announced they planned to become one of the few unionized coffee shops in the U.S. Father-and-son owners Andy and Austin Amento blamed the demise of their business on the economic and health ravages of the coronavirus.
Food Industry Policy
Enforcing Bay Area health orders: Thousands of complaints, many warnings, few citations
San Francisco Chronicle 7/19
In the first weeks of the Bay Area’s coronavirus shutdown, callers flooded Santa Clara County’s hotline for reporting rule-breakers, with most complaints focused on businesses flouting the health order and staying open.
Mid-Market restaurants sue San Francisco over homeless encampments, alleging negligence
San Francisco Chronicle 7/17
The coronavirus, combined with sprawling tent encampments in San Francisco’s Mid-Market, has created an untenable situation for the neighborhood’s restaurants that the city needs to fix, argues a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court.
A New Sticker Aims to Signal Safe Dining in the Pandemic
The New York Times 7/17
For a fee, the nonprofit Safe Eats will help restaurants with health guidelines and reassure customers. But so far, there’s no guarantee that members will follow the rules.
On the Side
Sacramento chef launches Michelin Minivan, a ‘Michelin-quality’ food delivery service
The Sacramento Bee 7/20
J.D. Snead calls the Michelin Minivan a “quarantine baby.” Before the pandemic started, Snead cooked at Kasbah — a Middle Eastern eatery in midtown — and bartended at the Shady Lady saloon. But like many workers in the restaurant industry, he was out of a job once the stay-at-home order arrived in mid-March.
No grand opening: Why the pandemic has been extra hard on Sacramento’s new restaurants
The Sacramento Bee 7/20
The coronavirus pandemic has stripped Sacramento’s restaurants of their dining rooms and has many struggling to keep the lights on. For those that have yet to get their feet settled, it’s especially hard.
Op-Ed: As a restaurant server, I’m risking my life to serve you during the pandemic. Please remember that
Los Angeles Times 7/19
While describing the dessert selections through my mask and face shield for the guests at a table for four, a customer mimicked my face coverings while mocking my muffled voice. “I can’t understand you through your welding shield,” he said with a chuckle. I pointed out that while this might be funny to him, I was risking my life to be here — and serve him.
COVID-19 clears a path for more restaurant robots
Restaurant Business 7/17
The pandemic has transformed the industry, creating a space robots appear uniquely suited to fill.
Pandemics alter restaurants forever
The Boston Globe 7/17
Some places will do away with seats or automate the kitchen. Are they in danger of losing ‘that human touch’?
