The Working Lunch

The Labor Department proposed their long-awaited regulation on joint employer liability potentially clarifying the law for many employers. Matt Haller from the International Franchise Association stops by the podroom to shed light on what’s happening. And the City of Chicago held runoff elections this week and the progressive wing of the Democratic party did very well - including winning the mayor...

McDonald’s has single-handedly turned the minimum wage issue on its head with its announcement that it will no longer oppose minimum wage increases. We’ll have a long discussion getting to the bottom of why they did it, how they did it, and what it means going forward. And the gig economy employers are on the move. Uber and Lyft are literally driving the future of work conversation and traditional...

The unions are back at it. Another chain of burger joints has been targeted in Oregon. We’ll discuss the ramifications for the rest of the industry. Shake Shack is running a test in markets across the country, examining the pros and cons of moving to a four-day work week. We’ll take a look at how that may play out and potentially impact other brands. And we’ll talk to Jeremy Bess from Revenue Mana...

California is looking to require food handler certification for third-party delivery drivers and there are all kinds of implications, not the least of which is joint employer liability. And cities are increasingly getting into the anti-corporate game. We have two cities that are attempting to influence who your suppliers are. And how are we doing on the minimum wage front and what does a win look...

It’s baaack. The dreaded EEO-1 form that companies have to submit to the EEOC divulging pay and gender data has been revived by a federal judge. What does this mean for companies and can the Administration do anything about it. And it's International Women’s Day and we’ll discuss the current state of play on gender issues relative to the industry. And it looks like another activist attorney genera...

The war for control of data is raging and restaurants are finding themselves in the middle of it - especially when it comes to third-party delivery. We’ll discuss what’s happening and why it matters. Also, legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate that establishes pilot programs regarding portable benefits. We’ll discuss the implications. And artificial intelligence is working its way through...

Notch a win for the anti-corporate crowd. Amazon’s decision to pull out of New York City gives momentum to the populist wave sweeping both political parties. With Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks and now Disney in the crosshairs, could traditional restaurant brands be next? And speaking of Starbucks, we’ll discuss how his campaign is going so far and whether the business model is feeling the effects. An...

The restaurant industry is about to get Uberized. Travis Kalanick is launching Cloud Kitchens, a worldwide network of food delivery kitchens. We’ll discuss the impacts to the traditional business model. Also, New York City is becoming a labor organizers dream. Now they are proposing legislation making it harder to fire employees. And lastly, this was a tough week for retail. The worst sales in 9 y...

Format bans are in the news again. This time New Hampshire is going after chains but instead of taxing them, they are trying to repeal local preemption laws to outright ban them. We’ll take a look at that. Also, efforts are underway in states to eliminate the tip credit. We’ll assess how those efforts are going and who is winning that battle. And lastly, as we have been predicting for some time, a...

Howard Schultz is running for President. Herman Cain may join the Federal Reserve Board. Are these the Glory Days for the restaurant industry or are we running headlong into a public examination of our business model? We’ll kick that around. And Republicans out West - in Wyoming of all places - are going after big companies. Does populism have Corporate America in its sights? And this is the 100th...

The brightest new star in the democratic congressional galaxy is a former server and bartender and her agenda is becoming the party’s agenda. We’ll take a look at what impact she may have on her old employers and colleagues in the restaurant industry. And under the heading “no good deed goes unpunished”, we’ll discuss the events that led to Starbuck’s new needle disposal program and what may lay a...

The Democrats have introduced their long-awaited legislation to raise the minimum wage to $ 15/hr. We’ll discuss its prospects, particularly against the backdrop of the federal shutdown impasse. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce made news this week announcing that they will begin to rate lawmakers based in part on their bi-partisanship and willingness to compromise. We’ll take a look at how that might...

The government is shut down leaving a lot of issues affecting operators in limbo. We'll look at the politics around the shutdown, how long it will go, and what this means for operators. And joint employer is back in the news both on Capitol Hill and in New York City. We’ll get our arms around what operators should expect. And our friends in California and New York are at it again - this time compe...

The Affordable Care Act suffered a significant blow this week as a federal judge ruled against its individual mandate. We’ll discuss how this impacts the issue , the political process, and most importantly, operators. Also, immigration is back in the news and it’s not just about walls and migrant caravans. some are saying that the immigration situation is negatively affecting food safety. Also, th...

If the employer community ever wants to “win” on workplace issues, they have to reframe wages, scheduling and paid leave as components of the workplace of the future where flexibility is paramount. We’ll discuss how operators could approach those issues in a way that improves their political fortunes. Additionally, we’ll take a look out continued post-election fallout and how brands can protect th...

Republicans in some key states are having some post-election meltdowns and take a look at whether that makes for smart politics and how it could impact operators. We’ll also discuss how cash may not be king for very much longer as more restaurants are considering only accepting credit or debit cards and we’ll take a look at the possible political ramifications. Jeff Hanscom from the International...

On this episode of Working Lunch, we’ll do a deep dive on the minimum wage covering what is suddenly happening on Capitol Hill today, when the new Congress convenes in January as well as in some key states. We also have two interviews with business leaders in both Illinois and Maine discussing the prospects for anti-business legislation in those two states. We’ll talk about those stories and more...

On this episode of Working Lunch, we are joined by Jeff Brecher of JacksonLewis, one of the most prestigious law firms in the country, to explain the Department of Labor’s recent action on the 80/20 rule, and more importantly, what operators can expect with regard to this issue going forward.

On this episode of Working Lunch, we discuss corporate activism and a potential presidential run by former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. We’ll also discuss Bernie Sanders latest attack on the entry-level business model and steps companies are taking to diffuse some of those issues. We’ll talk about those stories and more plus the weekly legislative scorecard.

On this episode of Working Lunch, we analyze the midterm election results and discuss how the playing field - especially at the state level - will look very different in 2019. We’ll take a look at and how operators will be impacted and more importantly, how they should prepare. We’ll talk about those stories and more plus the weekly legislative scorecard.

On this episode of Working Lunch, we look one last time at the upcoming election, focusing on ballot initiatives and Attorneys General races. We’ll also look at the employee walkouts at Google and discuss the modern state of employee activism. And in the ongoing competition to attract and retain the best employees, McDonald’s has added a new employee benefit - career counseling. Will that move the...

On this episode of Working Lunch, we examine how many prominent political players in the business community are preparing for a new environment in Congress - one where a Democratic House can launch lots of investigations. Also, we will take a look at the upcoming elections, especially from the perspective of Governors and state legislatures. And a new update to the ongoing minimum wage study regar...

On this episode of Working Lunch, the Trump Administration has released its unified agenda for 2019. We’ll discuss what that means for operators. We'll also take a look at a new study from the Pew Research Center which examines the real economic value of a $15 wage in communities across America. And a settlement in a customer-focused sexual harassment suit at Costco could begin to redefine employe...

On this episode of Working Lunch, Starbucks has done it again – this time adding an additional benefit for child and elder care. Could this lay down a new marker for the industry? The election is only a few weeks away. We’ll check in on some key states important to operators as well as examine the political positioning of the industry post-election. We’ll talk about those stories and more plus the...

On this episode of Working Lunch, Austin, TX has banned restaurants from disposing of food waste and trash - forcing them to recycle. Could other cities soon follow? Amazon has disrupted the labor market again – this time setting a wage floor of $15/hr for their workers. And the Fight for $15 lost a major legislative battle this week. We’ll talk about those stories and more plus the weekly legisla...