The Working Lunch

The Independent restaurant Coalition has remade its Board Leadership and is looking to reingage in conversations Important to the industry. Is this a help or a hindrance to the industry’s national issue agenda? We’ll take a look. And this week the President released a target list - his words - of companies that his administration will be going after over their DEI-related policies and a couple of...

We sat down with Davis Bae, the Managing Partner of the Seattle Office of Fisher & Phillips to talk about the immigration issue and how operators need to prepare for the foreseeable future. Is this a passing fad or the new normal? We’ll discuss. And we take a few minutes to discuss a future business model that includes cloud kitchens and what Travis Kalanick of Uber fame is up to in that area. We’...

We sat down with Jonathan Gold, the Vice President of Supply Chain & Customs Policy at the National Retail Federation to talk about the President’s tariffs policy and its impact on the industry and the broader economy going forward. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

In an unprecedented move, President Trump fired two members of the National Labor Relations Board as well as the General Counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo. While removing the GC is permissible, the removal of Board members without cause is legally tenuous at best and most likely not legal at all. We take a look. And the no taxes on tips conversation is raging at the state level with a number of states tac...

Well it was a rock’em sock’em first week for the Trump Administration as countless executive orders, pardons and personnel changes have been executed in only the first four days. At the forefront of all this is the White House’s determination to begin large-scale immigration raids any day now. We’ll take a look at this fundamental threat to the industries’ workforce, what may happen over the next...

The portable benefits issue is back in the news as DoorDash strikes another agreement - this time with the state of Georgia - to pilot a portable benefits program for its drivers. There is growing consensus within liberal and conservative circles that portable benefits regumes are here to stay and a plausible solution for millions of gig economy workers without traditional benefits. We’ll discuss...

After a nearly 20-year separation, the SEIU and the AFL-CIO have kissed and made and now are back on the same team, joining forces just before a potentially union-hostile administration takes office. We’ll discuss the volatile history of the two organizations, why they reunited, and what it could mean for the industry. And this week, the U.S. Surgeon General called for expanded warning labels on a...

Starbucks is back in the news this week as their Workers United union has voted to authorize a national strike at any moment. What’s going on behind the scenes? Is this a bargaining ploy as both slides sit down at the negotiating table this week or is it for real? We’ll discuss. And we are joined by Maggie Gentile, a partner at Food Directions and a consultant to the National Restaurant Associatio...

It was a tough week for the National Labor Relations Board with the Senate failing to confirm Pres. Biden’s nominations to the Board. This clears the decks for the incoming Trump Admnistration to remake the Board much quicker than anticipated. And just down the street, the agency lost a major court battle that could dramatically alter the roles - and tenure - of Administrative Law Judges. We’ll di...

We have a conversation with Greg Astley, Director of Government Affairs for the Oregon Restaurant Association, about Oregan Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer and his team’s working relationship with the new Cabinet member. What has been her record in Congress? What are her priorities? And what’s her relationship with the Teamsters? We’ll get the view from back home in Oregon. And then we’ll talk about anot...

In yet another surprise appointment, President-Elect Trump has nominated an outgoing member of Congress, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon, to run the Labor Department. Ironically, she is one of a small handful of Republicans to vote for the PRO Act, organized labor’s signature piece of legislation in years. To say the least, the nomination is causing significant consternation in the business com...

The President-elect has been shocking allies and foes alike with his nominations for cabinet posts. While some will have more impact on the industry than others, the nomination of Robert F Kennedy, Jr will likely cause shock waves up and down the food supply as he goes after processed food, sodium, sugar and other additives. It’s going to be a wild ride. And we are joined by David King, the Guidan...

It’s finally over. In a surprise for most, Republicans have a huge night sweeping Donald Trump back into the White House. We’ll discuss what happened this week both at the federal level as well as in the states and take a look at what the industry can expect going forward. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Well, the election is finally here and it can’t come fast enough. While we don’t know the outcome yet, we do know that it will be razor-close and legally contested. To help us sort it out, we’re joined by our good friend Sean Kennedy, Executive Vice President of Public Policy for the National Restaurant Assocation, who will help us get it all sorted out. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it u...

McDonald’s was all over the news this week for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was a visit to a Pennsylvania restaurant by none other than The Donald himself. Besides his work at the fry station and his voluminous lunch order, what was the key takeaway politically from his visit, both for himself and for the industry? We’ll discuss. And the Gallup organization released survey data reg...

The very liberal governor of Massachusetts made a splash this week when she came out strongly against Question 5, the pending ballot proposal to eliminate the tip credit in the Bay State by 2029. The former server demonstrated her first hand knowledge of the issue and its ramifications for both workers and operators. This is a huge deal and could have implications for how the industry manages the...

We do a deep dive into next month’s general election and discuss not only the top of the ticket, but of importance to operators, what is happening at the state and local level that may impact their bottom lines. And Jeff Hanscom, Vice President of State & Local Government Relations & Public Policy for the International Franchise Association, stops by the pod to talk about a big win in California a...

This week, NRA Board member Tom Boucher, along with other panelists, testified before a Congressional Subcomittee egarding the labor community’s efforts to eliminate the tip credit as well as the onerous complications from the Administration’s 80/20/30 rule. Also on the panel was One Fair Wage head Saru Jayaraman. Let’s just say Tom had a better day. We’ll dive into that. And former President Trum...

We’ll discuss how One Fair Wage, despite their abysmal record on getting legislation passed and ballot initiatives certified, continues to knock it out of the park when it comes to headlines and influence. Just this week, Vice-President Harris announced her economic plan which includes elimination of the tip credit. How is One Fair Wage doing it? We’ll discuss. And we’ll have a quick recap of the...

Just when we thought we were done dealing with the Joint Employer issue, it pulls us back in - this time it's the NLRB saying Amazon is a joint employer with a third-party delivery service. We are joined by Ed Egee, Vice President of Government Relations and Workforce Development for the National Retail Federation who will walk us through that situation and highlight what operators need to know. H...

The credit card interchange fee issue is raging right now as the news cycle is full of stories about all-time high ATM fees, all-time high debit card fees and accordingly, all-time high bank and credit card industry profits. Yet at the same time, the banks and credit card companies are crying poor mouth and pretending that any restrictions on their business practices will be the end of the republi...

We’ll talk about the economic plans released this week by both presidential candidates and discuss the prominence of the tip taxation issue in both agendas. Is the tip issue just populist rhetoric or a legitimate policy proposal? We’ll dive into that. And the Wall Street Journal published a major piece this week regarding the political program at McDonald’s and their large investment in local poli...

We are joined by Sean Kennedy, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for the National Restaurant Association to give us the latest from Washington, DC on our ongoing national conversation around taxation of tips, corporate tax legislation, the upcoming Democratic convention and more. And we do a deep dive on Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ new running mate, and examine his record on core business mo...

We are joined by Colm O’Comartum, the co-founder of public affairs firm 50-State and the former head of the Democratic Governors Association to get his take on the new dynamics of the presidential election and what that means for the top of the ticket as well as Congress, Governors and state legislatures. I think you’ll enjoy his perspective. And the courts - whether Supreme, federal, or district...

The Repubican National Convention is in full swing and while there aren’t a whole lot of surprises, there has been a decidely anti-corporate feel to it. Should large companies in general, and their CEOs in particular, be worried about this. We’ll take a look. And with most Republican elected officials in Milwaukee all week, there hasn’t been much opportunity for policy making so we will wrap it up...