The Working Lunch

Virginia and New Jersey will hold gubernatorial and legislative elections this week that not only will be a good indicator of the national mood but will have major impacts on key industry issues in those states. We’ll discuss those dynamics and even make some predictions. And In-N-Out Burger has rolled right into the culture wars becoming a national poster child for employer pushback on vaccine ma...

Restaurant Brands International took a huge industry-leading role in the sustainability space with their announcement that they have set substantial new climate-related targets on greenhouse gas emissions, pledging to cut their emissions in half by 2030 and be net-zero by 2050. We are visited by the team that led this effort - Becky Hall, Director of Global Sustainability & Natalie Pecile, Senior...

The times they are a-changin’ in the restaurant world as changes in consumer preferences and advances in technology are drastically altering business models and restaurant operations. We sit down with one of the leading drivers of change in our industry, REEF Technology, and their head of communications Mason Harrison, to understand the changing environment and how REEF looks at their role in that...

Another group of coffee shops - this time in Cambridge, Massachusetts - has filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board seeking union representation. This is the latest example of the uptick of grassroots-based union organizing campaigns currently underway in the industry. We'll discuss this effort, update you on the ongoing Starbucks effort, and what may be next for the industry. And...

Starbucks is facing a significant union organizing effort in Buffalo, but unlike recent campaigns, this one is not run by a local independent union but by allies of the SEIU itself. Phil Wilson, President & General Counsel of the Labor Relations Institute, joins the pod once again to walk us through what is happening on the ground in Buffalo and why it matters to all employers in the market. And t...

The unions had a big week as a Midwest chain of coffee shops lost a close union vote this week, the latest in a series of successful organizing campaigns in the upper Midwest blue wall states. Is the health and safety crisis we are facing just what the doctor ordered for the labor community? We’ll take a look at the opening the pandemic has provided. And some new data from the Bureau of Labor Stat...

The AFL-CIO makes its choice today to name Richard Trumpka’s interim successor and all indications are that Liz Shuler, Trumpka’s loyal right hand, will get the nod making her the first woman to ever lead the nation's largest union. Mike Saltsman, a frequent contributor to the pod and a partner with Berman & Company joins us to share his expertise on what the future looks like for Big Labor and wh...

More cities are requiring vaccination passports and masks for indoor dining with one state even bringing back dining restrictions. It feels like we are going backwards quickly and companies are increasingly enacting their own policies. We’ll discuss the increasing pressure on operators as the virus continues to rage. And the Democrats find themselves with their bench thinning as Andrew Cuomo is fo...

Masks and vaccinations are the story of the week with Governor’s squabbling with the President, Governor’s squabbling with each other, attorneys general squabbling with Mayor’s and once again, operators caught in the middle of both a health crisis and a political food fight. The two largest cities in America are soon to be mandating vaccination records to eat indoors and major companies are starti...

The Delta Variant is threatening to significantly disrupt the economy again just as the industry was showing signs of a meaningful recovery. And with it will bring new public affairs and employee relations challenges for operators including masks, immunizations and potentially the return of dining restrictions to name a few. We’ll take a look at what might be in store for restaurant owners both op...

This week, Washington, DC was a hotbed of legislative activity critically important to restaurant operators. Hearings on the nominations of industry adversaries, pieces of the PRO Act potentially being passed through reconciliation, the infrastructure bill and the fate of paid leave and child care are just a few of the issues in play during a busy week in the nation’s capital. We will dive into al...

Maine is about to enact the most far-reaching product stewardship law in the country dramatically redefining how traditional recycling plans have been structured. Following models in Europe and Canada, everyone along the supply chain - including restaurants and retailers - will have significant new responsibilities in handling waste and other packaging as well as bearing the cost of recycling. We...

The SBA has rejected yet another pool of Restaurant Revitalization Fund grant applicants because of pending litigation against the agency over their racial and gender preferences in distributing initial grants. As a result, thousands of restaurant owners still find themselves in limbo. We sit down with Sean Kennedy, EVP of Public Affairs for the National Restaurant Association to get the latest on...

The Small Business Administration has been sued - ostensibly by restaurant owners in Texas and Tennessee over loan preferences for traditionally disadvantaged business owners, namely minorities and women with regard to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Behind the scenes however, the lawsuit is one among many begging choreographed by Trump Administration alumni to call out preferential treatment...

Congress and state legislators are beginning to get serious about the labor shortage facing employers. Discussions around tax incentives, government-funded hiring bonuses and other remedies are at the forefront of the conversation. We’ll discuss the state of play of this important issue and what operators should expect. And Walmart is the latest company to get a visit from activist shareholders de...

One Fair Wage Hits the streets for another round of worker protests, strikes and walkouts targeting high end restaurants in major metros. Their new message - “it’s not a labor shortage, it's a pay shortage” seems to be taking hold in some quarters and the press this week seems to be gobbling it up. We’ll take a look at this new dynamic in the wage conversation. And Emily Williams Knight joins us t...

Fight for $15 took to the streets this week targeting McDonald’s workers in 15 cities across the country organizing strikes and walkouts. This was staged on the same day as the McDonald's shareholder meeting to sync with shareholders and other activists calling for change. We’ll discuss, in light of the pending legislation in Congress, whether this moves the needle on the issue and whether they ca...

The political food fight around systemic racism and its potential causes and remedies is putting employers in an increasingly difficult spot. A major national employer was involved in a significant backlash this week and we’ll discuss what implications their experience can have for other employers. And the national conversation around the labor shortage got supercharged this week as the US Chamber...

The labor shortage continues to challenge the industry and operators are struggling to keep doors open. Data continues to emerge putting more and more context around the complexity of the issue and what challenges are short-term and which are likely chronic. We’ll take a look at some polling data from a leading university-based restaurant and hospitality management program that examines worker att...

The Biden Administration concluded their first 100 days in office with a speech before a joint session of Congress. We'll take a look at what he said and how it impacts the industry as well as discuss how successful his first 100 days have been. And the Restaurant Revitalization Plan goes live this coming Monday. We are joined once again by Aaron Frazier, Director of Healthcare and Tax Policy at t...

The National Restaurant Association made major news this week as Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema participated in their annual public affairs conference and laid out their visions on many key restaurant issues, not the least of which was minimum wage. These two senators will have an oversized role in how this issue plays out and we’ll discuss their message to the industry and what it means. An...

California is heating up in a big way and the SEIU appears to be in the driver’s seat. We will be joined by Jeff Hanscom, Vice President of State Government Relations and Public Policy for the International Franchise Association, who will walk us through comprehensive labor legislation that could permanently alter how the quick service sector, and potentially all restaurants, do business in the st...

The American Rescue Plan is in full swing and restaurant owners across the country are, as of this week, taking advantage of the new loan programs. We sit down with Aaron Frazier, the Director of Healthcare & Tax Policy at the National Restaurant Association and get a full debrief on the programs, how to access the loans, and how the Industry is working to make the programs successful. And the cor...

Darden Restaurants made news this week with a major announcement on wage increases, including tipped workers and millions of dollars in bonuses for hourly workers. We’ll take a look at its impact not only in the employee marketplace, but in the national political dialogue on wages. And the Restaurant Recovery Fund is ready to launch. We’ll discuss the program, the timelines and what operators need...

The Securities & Exchange Commission has begun the process of engaging Corporate America on climate change and laying out the rationale for future oversight. At the same time, major investment firms like BlackRock are pressuring companies on their environmental records and not necessarily from a typical environmental angle but from a financial one, namely mitigating risk. We interview Scot Case, t...