Labor
The Rise Of Restaurant Robots Amidst Pandemic Measures
Forbes 9/27
Robot waiters, although not a new phenomenon, are making headlines around the world again, but this time with a socially distanced twist.
Finding A Recipe For A More Equitable Food And Restaurant Industry
Forbes 9/27
Even when restaurants reopen slowly, they often do so with limited capacity in line with physical distancing guidelines and uncertain consumer demand. What is clear, however, is that women in the industry are likely to be among the hardest hit.
S.F. goes begging to fund crucial COVID-19 program that pays essential workers to quarantine
San Francisco Chronicle 9/26
The city’s widely hailed Right to Recover program is supposed to allow those who test positive but don’t have paid sick leave to quarantine for two weeks.
Food Industry Policy
SF Officials Reverse Position on Capacity Limits for Indoor Dining
Eater, San Francisco 9/25
On Friday, officials with San Francisco’s Department of Public Health (DPH) shocked restaurant owners by announcing that when indoor dining resumes in the city at 25 percent capacity, that 25 percent would include restaurant workers… But a day later, city officials are saying that they’ve changed their minds, and that workers wont’s be included in that count, after all.
CDC’s recent moves have the industry scratching its head
Restaurant Business 9/25
Recent pronouncements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), usually the nation’s superhero in combatting public health dangers, have left the legions dependent on its scientific guidance with more confusion than clarity. Count the restaurant industry squarely among them.
California requires delivery companies to have agreements with restaurants before serving their food
San Francisco Chronicle 9/25
In an effort to protect restaurants from potentially being exploited by delivery apps, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Thursday that requires delivery companies to have an agreement in place with a restaurant before they can take their food to customers.
On the Side
The end of Top 100 Restaurants as we know it
San Francisco Chronicle 9/28
Here it is, the Top 88 (née 100)! Putting this list together was one of the wildest games of leapfrog I have ever played in my life: The minute I thought I was done updating each entry to reflect its pandemic-era manifestation, several restaurants would close or change their hours or build up new outdoor seating structures overnight.
You’re generating so much waste with your food deliveries. What if it came in reusable containers instead?
Fast Company 9/25
Dispatch Goods is a new zero-waste container system for restaurants. Get your food delivered in a metal container. They’ll come pick it up, clean it, and bring it back to the restaurant.
Bay Area chef feeds homeless during pandemic
KRON 4 9/25
A Bay Area chef has spent time during the COVID-19 pandemic by feeding the homeless on the streets of San Francisco.
In California’s High Desert, One Restaurant Group Rethinks Its Business Model
Eater, Los Angeles 9/25
Red Dog Saloon, which opened in late August, is the first in what is likely to be a new crop of hospitality options to go live in the high desert of San Bernardino County in the coming months and years
