Labor and Policy: Page
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Hurricane Isaias' impact on restaurant sales hint at what to expect this winter
During the storm, which hit the East Coast during the first week of August, regional restaurant sales dropped by 11%. Connecticut, New Jersey and New York were the most impacted states.
By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 4, 2020 -
Getty Images
Restaurant owners growing restless with disparate state opening plans
California and New Jersey just released new reopening plans, while New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio promises to have an answer within the next few weeks.
By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 3, 2020 -
27 Black former franchisees join racial discrimination case against McDonald's
The amended complaint now contains 77 named plaintiffs and includes nearly 300 stores with compensatory damages averaging between $4 million to $5 million per location.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Nov. 18, 2020 -
New York, Los Angeles extend delivery commission fee caps
With the pandemic complicating reopening plans, these two cities are lengthening their timelines until restaurants are able to operate at 100% dine-in capacity, plus an additional 90 days.
By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 31, 2020 -
Eden, Janine and Jim. (2020). "Miss Lily's Jerk Shack" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Chicago outdoor dining challenge to help restaurants survive winter
The city is crowdsourcing design ideas for outdoor seating to help restaurants as winter approaches and the pandemic stretches on.
By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 31, 2020 -
Deep Dive
Sex, lies and the C-suite: How McDonald's clawback battle highlights need for strong misconduct policies
Corporate ethics experts feel the chain isn’t doing enough to establish a zero-tolerance policy following news of ex-CEO Steve Easterbrook's inappropriate relationships with female employees.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Aug. 26, 2020 -
Alabama Extension. (2020). "The Image" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Judge OKs lawsuit by businesses seeking COVID-19-related insurance claims
In a first, restaurants and other businesses hit by pandemic shutdowns can move forward on legal efforts to get insurers to pay on business interruption policies.
By Robert Freedman • Aug. 25, 2020 -
Gov. Cuomo mulls ending outdoor dining as NYC restaurants' frustrations grow
Operators have also threatened legal action if plans for a phased return to indoor dining are not made.
By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 21, 2020 -
Retrieved from Chipotle on July 15, 2020
Chipotle managers refused nursing mom pumping breaks, class-action suit alleges
The plaintiff alleged the managers told her she "should have managed her time better before coming into work," in refusing her break time on one occasion.
By Lisa Burden • Aug. 20, 2020 -
Easterbrook fights to keep McDonald's severance, claims company knew of inappropriate behavior
The former CEO's attorney argues that because McDonald's had possession of his emails in October, the restaurant doesn't have grounds to accuse Easterbrook of breaking his deal with the company.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Aug. 17, 2020 -
Julie Littman/Restaurant Dive
Potbelly reverses course and snags $10M in last-minute PPP funding
Despite its decision to return a Paycheck Protection Program loan in April, the sandwich chain has now opted for a small business loan at the risk of attracting renewed criticism.
By Rosie Bradbury • Updated Aug. 17, 2020 -
Taylor McKnight/Restaurant Dive
Lyft, Uber ordered to reclassify California drivers, putting all eyes on Prop 22
The ruling puts added pressure on a state ballot measure that would classify app-based drivers as independent contractors.
By Kate Tornone • Updated Oct. 23, 2020 -
Florida restaurant workers can get back to work sooner after COVID-19 infections
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order last week stating that restaurant employees no longer need to prove two negative COVID-19 tests before returning to work.
By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 10, 2020 -
64% of diners say staff wearing PPE is most important when eating out, survey shows
Consumers say restaurant staff taking safety precautions is a higher priority to them than efforts to add hand sanitizer and single-use menus at tables, according to a Toast report.
By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 7, 2020 -
Seattle study finds race discrimination in restaurant hiring
Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and the Seattle Office for Civil Rights found that people of color are more likely to have low-wage, back-of-house jobs.
By Sheryl Estrada • Aug. 6, 2020 -
Alabama Extension. (2020). "The Image" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
83% of New York City restaurant owners couldn't pay full rent in July, report shows
The NYC Hospitality Alliance survey also found that 71% of landlords would not waive portions of rent because of COVID-19.
By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 5, 2020 -
"Protest against police violence in Minneapolis, Minnesota" by Lorie Shaull is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
45% of consumers less likely to order from Starbucks because of initial BLM policy, study finds
Nearly 21% of consumers said they will actively try to avoid buying from brands that restrict employees from expressing support for the movement, and 51% said they are less likely to buy from these companies, according to DealAid data.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Aug. 5, 2020 -
NRA: 55% of restaurants can't access second PPP loan under Senate plan
The association is urging Congress to lower the proposed Heals Act revenue loss threshold, which determines a business' eligibility for a second loan, from 50% to 20%.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Aug. 4, 2020 -
Texas bars could reopen as restaurants under modified licensure rules
Establishments could qualify as restaurants if alcoholic beverages made up less than 51% of their sales since April 1, per the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
By Julie Littman • Aug. 3, 2020 -
12 North Carolina McDonald's restaurants fined for alleged child labor law violations
It’s not uncommon for fast food chains to face allegations of such missteps, and others like Qdoba, Chipotle and Wendy's have paid similar fines in the past year.
By Katie Clarey • July 31, 2020 -
Taco Bell operator sued for withholding overtime pay from misclassified employees
The assistant general manager position required "housekeeping, customer service, cash handling, food preparation, and other non-exempt work," according to the lawsuit.
By Lisa Burden • July 31, 2020 -
As Congress considers $1T stimulus package, restaurant groups push for targeted relief
The GOP-proposed package would include additional funding for a new round of PPP loans, but the qualifications would leave a lot of restaurants behind.
By Julie Littman • July 29, 2020 -
Courtesy of McDonald's
McDonald's pauses dining room reopenings, will require diners to wear masks
The chain's new face covering requirement will be effective Aug. 1 in its nearly 14,000 U.S. restaurants, and its dining room reopening plans have been delayed to Aug. 23.
By Alicia Kelso • July 27, 2020 -
NRA urges local leaders to keep restaurants open
In a letter to governors and mayors, the National Restaurant Association writes that "bad actors" do not represent the industry and closing restaurants down again hinders its recovery.
By Julie Littman • July 27, 2020 -
Black business owners discouraged from applying for PPP loans, study says
Roughly 75% of all PPP loans did not include any demographic information because that information was not provided by the borrowers, but 41% of Black-owned businesses shuttered operations between February and April.
By Sheryl Estrada , Emma Liem Beckett • July 24, 2020
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