Labor
Exclusive: Chipotle, fast food brands set for new wave of hiring
Reuters 8/3
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc wants to hire another 10,000 employees in coming months as its sales rebound, an official said, one of several big restaurant chains looking to add staff in an economy otherwise dimmed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Jobless Restaurant Workers Now Receiving Sub-Minimum Wage Benefits as $600 Aid Checks Expire
Eater, New York 8/3
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said he’s “not optimistic” on a short term solution for a new federal stimulus.
LA City, County Lead the Way on Minimum Wage Increases
Los Angeles Business Journal 8/3
Workers in the city of Los Angeles and in unincorporated areas of L.A. County got a bigger paycheck last month.
Food Industry Policy
Urban Design Critic Says SF’s Outdoor Dining Spaces Are ‘Accidents Waiting to Happen’
Eater, San Francisco 8/3
Since San Francisco launched outdoor dining in June, hundreds of parking spaces across the city have turned into dining areas.
Restaurant group presses Congress to back off certain PPP changes
The Hill 8/3
The National Restaurant Association is calling for Congress to back off imposing new restrictions to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that would include a revenue reduction threshold in the next coronavirus relief package.
There’s a Serious Problem Brewing with the Second Stimulus Act
FSR Magazine August 2020
While a potential second stimulus package remains in flux, there is concern brewing for restaurants. One of the main levers for operators is another round of the Paycheck Protection Program. The Senate HEALS Act—in current form—allows small businesses with fewer than 300 employees and that can demonstrate a 50 percent loss in quarterly gross receipts over the previous year to apply for a second loan.
On the Side
The Relative Safety of Outdoor Dining
Eater 8/3
Oster’s take is that dining outside is riskier than taking a socially distanced walk, but safer than many other scenarios. You would need to have a fairly prolonged and mask-free interaction with a restaurant worker or fellow customer to give it to them (or get it from them) outside.
Beyond the Pandemic: Why Technology Will Play a Large Role in Restaurant Culture Moving Forward
Modern Restaurant Management 8/3
There is no doubt that the restaurant-going experience is in need of change in the wake of the global pandemic but for that change to be meaningful, it must be long-term and safe for patrons, staff and management alike.
How food delivery upstarts are fighting the tyranny of Grubhub
Fast Company 8/3
“The pandemic really just crushed us,” says Sean Li, cofounder of CaterCow, a platform that partners with restaurants to deliver big batch buffet-like food options primarily to offices and event spaces across eight major U.S. cities.
The one thing you may never see at a McDonald’s again
Mashed 8/3
Get ready for a big tray of some greasy, deep-fried nostalgia. For years, McDonald’s and their chaotically fun PlayPlaces have served as a kid-friendly fixture for families.
