Labor
How One Multi-Unit Franchisee is Producing More with Less Despite the Pandemic
QSR Magazine 10/28
A new labor management solution is made by a franchisee, for other franchisees.
‘They might run somebody over’: Humans sound-off on fast food robots
QSR Web 10/27
A number of QSR brands have already started on their path to robotic futures and customers’ themselves feel fast food robots are an inevitability. But operators should not simply interpret that acceptance as carte blanche approval for the machines. Recent research shows diners have very definite opinions about all things “restaurant robot.”
Food Industry Policy
Protect Your Restaurant’s Data
Restaurant Business Online 10/28
The National Restaurant Association has adapted keystone data safety precautions—developed by the National Institute for Standards and Technology—specifically for the restaurant industry.
Bay Area Diners Up Tips For Sit-Down Service, Takeout and Delivery Not So Much
Eater SF 10/27
After seven months in the pandemic, 1089 Bay Area diners told Eater SF that they had increased the amount they tip to reflect the challenges the industry faces, while 639 (36 percent) say they they’re tipping the same amount that they did before the pandemic began. Forty diners (2 percent) say that the tight times mean they have to tip less than they did before, and 25 diners told us they they don’t tip on meals, at all.
On the Side
Panera Bread adds pizza to menus as customers order more delivery and takeout
CNBC 10/28
Panera Bread just added flatbread pizzas to its national menus as the coronavirus pandemic has pushed more of its customers to order carryout and delivery.
The Bay Area’s Only Ohlone Restaurant Unveils Its First Ever Takeout Offering
Eater SF 10/28
Taken all together, the meal kit includes everything needed to prepare a multi-course Ohlone feast at home — even down to a curated playlist of music enjoyed by members of the Ohlone community.
San Jose partners with food truck company to launch COVID Food Relief Program
KRON 10/27
Off the Grid, a Bay Area food truck and catering company has partnered with the city and awarded $2,313,360 for grocery delivery and $622,400 for meal deliveries to homes to at-risk populations. The company will provide free, high quality locally sourced groceries and prepared meals to the doorstep of families and individuals impacted by COVID-19.
McDonald’s franchisees are more optimistic than they’ve been in years, as analysts predict 20% of independent restaurants will close across America
Business Insider 10/27
Even when they’re open, customers are more likely than ever to pick McDonald’s and other chains over mom-and-pops. Drive-thrus, as well as tech investments, put fast-food chains like McDonald’s at an advantage over the average sit-down restaurant, especially one without online ordering or delivery partnerships.
