The Working Lunch

Episode: 264: Interview with Fat Brands CEO Andy Wiederhorn and NRA's Michelle Korsmo by Align Public Strategies

The business community’s efforts to enact a federal law on data privacy instead of a patchwork of state laws appears to be running out of steam. And ironically, we may have the leading data privacy state, California, to blame for the loss. We are joined once again by Brennan Duckett, Director of Technology and Innovation Policy at the National Restaurant Association, to give us the latest and greatest.

And a judge pumped the brakes on Gov. DeSantis’ signature, “Stop Woke Act” which would significantly affect employers’ ability to offer DEI and other trainings. We’ll discuss what this could mean for employers.

And it was a very busy week on the union organizing front with big news out of Starbucks, Amazon, Trader Joes and others. We’ll get our arms around the week that was.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The industry gets a big win in California on legislation mandating disclosure of pay and gender equity data but the issue will continue to resonate with labor-friendly legislators across the country. We are joined by Matt Sutton, the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Policy for the California Restaurant Association to walk us through the issue and likely outcomes.

And speaking of big wins, the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and four of its New England counterparts convinced the Commonwealth to delay enforcement of a state law requiring pigs be raised humanely at least until the U.S. Supreme Court can review the constitutionality of a similar law pending in California. We’ll take a look at that as well.

And a busy week on the union front with Austin, TX now becoming the hotbed of pizza sector organizing and employees at Minneapolis Trader Joes notching a big win. We’ll bring you up to speed on the labor front with, of course, an update on Starbucks.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The industry has been enjoying a nice run of political success lately with the National Restaurant Association staring down the Small Business Administration over restaurant relief funds and the International Franchise Association basically determining who is and is not acceptable to run the Labor Department’s Wage & Hour Division. To what do we owe this burgeoning political power? We'll discuss.

And it's do or die time in California as the FAST Act takes center stage. We’ll take a look at what industry leaders need to do this week to have a chance of winning.

And the primary election train keeps on rolling and we’ll discuss the results that could have oversized impacts on the industry - namely Michigan and Kansas.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The War on Woke heated up this week with Republicans in many states upping the ante and announcing their states intention to stop dealing with banks and investment firms that use Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance (ESG) standards as criteria for investments. Is this bad financial management or good politics? We’ll discuss.

And Build Back Better seems to have had a rebirth this week with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia appearing to agree to a deal. Haven’t we been here before? Can you say Lucy and the football? We take a look at what it may mean for corporate tax rates.

And it was a busy week on the unionization front. We’ll update you on the latest as well as discussing the differing approaches companies are taking to respond.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Chipotle Is feeling the heat as criticism piles up on their decision to close a store in Maine that had voted to organize. We take a look at that situation and try to be predictive of how the National Labor Relations Board will react.

And speaking of the NLRB, the the Board has signed yet another Memorandum of Understanding will a fellow federal agency to work collaboratively against employers on issues of employee misclassification, discrimination and union organizing among others. We’ll discuss the impact of this unprecedented level of federal coordination and what it means for the industry.

And the primary season is in full force with Maryland having well publicized contests and Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin in the next few weeks. We’ll take a look and see what trendlines are unfolding.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

We are visited by Lance Trenary, the CEO of Golden Corral and if that’s not enough, the Chairman of the Board of the National Restaurant Association. Lance stopped by the pod to share his experiences on leading his company out of the pandemic, how that changed his outlook as a leader, and his vision for the National Restaurant Association going forward. It’s a fascinating conversation and worth listening in.

And restaurant owners are being increasingly manipulated by bad actors using the prospect of poor Google reviews to shake them down for cash. Besides the illegal nature of this activity, are their reputational and public policy concerns at play here as well? We’ll discuss.

And activists are paying bounties to restaurant servers and bartenders to give them notice when a prominent pro-life advocate comes into their restaurant so that they may descend on the unknowing public official while they are dining. Brett Kavanaugh got the treatment last week at a Morton’s Steakhouse in Washington, DC. Is this a new trend in activism? We’ll take a look.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

We’ll talk about the ramifications of the repeal of Roe v. Wade and what employers not only may be facing from an employee relations and benefits perspective but pressures from elected officials, the media and even customers. We’ll discuss the sticky situation that employers are facing in the near future.

And at the halfway point of the year, we’ll take a look at the state of the industry’s relationship with the third-party delivery platforms, especially as we face the prospect of more policy and regulatory tussles during the upcoming 2023 legislative sessions. Joining us on the pod is Joe Guzkowski, Senior Editor for Restaurant Business who covers the industry’s technology issues to help us sort out where we stand and where we’re going.

And Uber came to a landmark agreement in Australia with the country’s transportation unions to create an all-new, government-funded independent regulatory body, which would be responsible for rolling out a new minimum wage “safety net” for gig economy workers and offer them a framework to launch workplace disputes. Could this model be exported to America? Maybe it already has. We’ll take a look.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The GOP’s war on the United States Chamber of Commerce escalated this week as Republican House members welcomed a new, upstart chamber called The American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce to push back on “woke” Capitalism. Could this DC gamesmanship eventually put corporate leaders in a political tug of war with Republicans? We’ll take a look.

And the California FAST Act advanced out of its first committee stop - and not unexpectedly - but the restaurant industry performed admirably. We discuss whether the industry showed well enough to dampen legislative enthusiasm for the bill.

And Starbucks hit another milestone this week surpassing 150 units that have voted for union representation. We’ll update with the latest and greatest from the coffee giant.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Inflation is putting additional pressures on restaurant margins and some operators are adding additional fees right on the receipt. Good idea or bad idea? We’ll take a look.

And another celebrity chef has publicly criticized the tipping system. Will celebrity chefs be able to change the conversation on this issue? We’ll discuss.

And McDonald’s announced, per a shareholder resolution, that it will undergo a civil rights assessment to highlight opportunities for improvement within their system. Is McDonald’s just a first step in the process for anti-industry activists?

And a respected industry leader and brand has stepped into the national conversation over gun violence. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of brands taking on issues - and the politicians that drive them

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.