Starbucks Workers United wins first store election outside of Buffalo

With national political momentum and more than 100 stores organizing, Starbucks Workers United's movement continues to grow after a location in Mesa, Arizona, voted yes. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Feb. 25, 2022

California's $15 minimum wage begins this year. Debate on the next increase has already begun.

Advocates say the change is needed to keep up with living costs, but one management-side attorney said municipal governments may struggle to adapt.

By Ryan Golden • Feb. 25, 2022

Checkers & Rally's to deploy Valyant AI at franchisee drive-thrus

Valyant's conversational artificial intelligence, called "Holly," is currently used at 12 of the chain's franchised restaurants. The chain will deploy Presto's AI at all of its corporate units. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Feb. 23, 2022

Chipotle hikes executive pay ties to DEI, environmental targets

Annual bonuses will be impacted by up to 15%, up from 10% in 2021.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Feb. 23, 2022

Starbucks union drive tops 100 stores, Arizona ballot count postponed

The Starbucks Workers United movement is still too small to bring corporate to the bargaining table on a national scale, experts say, but its momentum may spark change.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Feb. 17, 2022

White Castle brings cooking robot to 100 more restaurants

The burger chain will soon use Miso Robotics' Flippy 2 robot, which can perform the work of a whole fry station, at nearly one-third of its units. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Feb. 15, 2022

91% of NYC restaurants say permanent outdoor dining is 'very important' to future survival

Mayor Eric Adams and the NYC Hospitality Alliance, along with nearly 70% of the city's residents, support creating a permanent outdoor dining program, a NYCHA survey finds. 

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 14, 2022

7shifts raises $80M to grow workforce management tech

The company will use the latest round of funding to double the size of its team and build more products to support and expedite restaurant HR processes.

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 11, 2022

California reinstates COVID-19 leave for workers, promises $150M in restaurant grants

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills into law on Tuesday, granting workers access to 80 hours of paid COVID-19 sick leave and offering eligible restaurants up to $25,000 in individual grants.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Feb. 11, 2022

Burgerim sued by federal government in wake of franchise infractions

The suit, filed Monday in California, claims Burgerim's inaccurate franchise disclosure documents and refusal to disburse promised refunds left franchisees with "substantial debt or ruined credit."

By Emma Liem Beckett • Feb. 8, 2022

Despite January job gains, the restaurant industry continues to struggle

Foodservice saw the largest net jobs gain of all sectors in January. But the leisure and hospitality sector's unemployment remains about double the national unemployment rate.

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 7, 2022

The Restaurant Dive Outlook on 2022

Restaurants are investing in labor-saving technology, wage hikes and new delivery strategies to prepare for a year that may still be squeezed by labor, supply chain and inflation pressure. 

Feb. 4, 2022

Starbucks union organizing reaches 60 stores in 19 states

The union drive is small compared to the coffee behemoth's roughly 9,000 U.S. corporate stores, but the movement may still mark a milestone for organized labor.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Feb. 1, 2022

TGI Fridays offers general managers up to $2,500 in vacation reimbursements

The casual dining chain is also giving these employees bonuses to help cover health insurance costs to boost retention, Bloomberg reports. 

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 27, 2022

The restaurant labor crisis won't end in 2022. But it's improving.

Quits are high, but hires are higher, signaling a slow recovery this year for restaurants who can offer competitive pay, benefits and culture.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 27, 2022

Pret a Manger settles Illinois suit challenging use of fingerprints for timekeeping

State law strictly limits employers' use of biometric technology.

By Kate Tornone • Jan. 26, 2022

OSHA pulls temporary vaccine rule, says permanent mandate is in the works

At the agency's request, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed challenges to the emergency temporary standard as moot.

By Kate Tornone • Updated Feb. 18, 2022

NRA: Refilling RRF would boost restaurant staffing amid omicron challenge

Eighty-eight percent of restaurants report declines in on-premise diner demand due to the COVID-19 variant, pushing 51% to reduce hours, per a National Restaurant Association survey.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 24, 2022

Starbucks union drive reaches 33 stores in 14 states

As voting begins in Mesa, Arizona, and at a second round of stores in Buffalo, New York, Starbucks maintains its opposition to the campaign. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Updated Jan. 24, 2022

Starbucks scraps vaccine, testing requirements for US employees

The coffee chain is still encouraging workers to get inoculated and has increased precautions, including new quarantine measures.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Jan. 20, 2022

SCOTUS upholds stay on OSHA's vaccine mandate

Some restaurant chains have already changed COVID-19 requirements for employees in anticipation of the original Feb. 9 deadline.

By Ryan Golden , Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Jan. 13, 2022

Second Starbucks store wins union election after NLRB sustains ballot challenges

The union victory at the Genesee Street store in Cheektowaga, New York, adds momentum to a campaign that has spread to 17 stores in 10 states, but the coffee chain may appeal the decision.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Updated Jan. 11, 2022

Checkers & Rally's to deploy AI tech at corporate-owned drive-thrus

The chain's rollout of Presto's artificial intelligence-based voice assistant will mark one of the widest deployments of such a solution by a QSR.

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 10, 2022

New York Gov. Hochul wants to make to-go drinks permanently legal

The process to pass the law could take months, but could be a critical lifeline for revenue-starved bars and restaurants.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 6, 2022

Texas law bars delivery apps from adding restaurants without their consent

The legislation, which took effect Jan. 1, will enable restaurants to file suit if listed by third-party delivery aggregators without a written agreement.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 5, 2022