Labor
Is Now the Time for Mandatory Gratuity to Make Its Move?
Dallas Observer 8/13
Ah, tips. The bellwether of decency when eating out. That fickle territory where the customer squares up with a server. Or not.
Coronavirus Has Created 40 Percent National Unemployment Within Hospitality Sector
Eater, Los Angeles 8/13
A study by the U.S. Travel Association reports the hospitality and leisure industries have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Food Industry Policy
Proposed COVID-19 Surcharge Could Be A Lifeline For Struggling Palo Alto Restaurants
CBS, SF Bay Area 8/12
Restaurants in Palo Alto struggling to keep their doors open during the coronavirus pandemic could be getting a lifeline.
On the Side
What is deep cleaning and how restaurants are doing it during the coronavirus pandemic
Orange County Register 8/13
These days, Wilson Creek Winery is going through disinfectant in 65-gallon containers. The Temecula Valley winery is getting weekly disinfectant sprays by workers wearing uniforms with “Ghostbuster”-like backpacks, according to Bill Wilson, chief executive officer.
Koreatown’s Outdoor Dining Is Starting to Resemble Seoul’s Iconic Tented Street Food Stalls
Eater, Los Angeles 8/13
LA’s Koreatown combats the pandemic with pojangmacha-style covered tables and sizzling Korean barbecue on butane burners.
Uber’s California Shutdown Threat Won’t Impact Its Real Money Maker: Uber Eats
Eater, San Francisco 8/13
A fight over worker classification could prompt Uber to “shut down” in the state of California, company CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a TV appearance. That might sound like a big deal, but there’s an aspect to this threat worth noting: Uber has no plans to cease California operations of Uber Eats, a spokesperson confirms to Eater SF.
Burger King Parent to Close ‘Several Hundred’ Restaurants
QSR Magazine 8/13
Restaurant Brands International isn’t abandoning its ambition to hit 40,000 restaurants in the next decade. It’s taking a year-long pause to grapple with COVID-19 and brace for a wide-open real estate market.
6 delivery-only restaurants that customers probably don’t realize are owned by massive chains such as Chili’s, Chuck E. Cheese, Applebee’s, and Dog Haus
Business Insider 8/13
They’re invisible, yet they’re all around us. And their numbers are growing. The pandemic has spawned a new species of restaurant: the virtual restaurant. Unfortunately, we’re not referring to nifty 3D virtual reality recreations of the dining out experience, although those exist too.
San Francisco’s Lazy Bear rose out of a recession. Can it survive coronavirus?
San Francisco Chronicle 8/13
In a sense, Lazy Bear looks more like a typical restaurant now than it ever did.
Volunteer Delivery Group Helps Troubled SF Restaurants
The SF News 8/12
A volunteer delivery organization, North Beach Delivers, has been delivering food for North Beach neighborhood restaurants each week free of charge.
