Delivery Platforms are under the gun across the country as policymakers are significantly altering their business models. We’ll discuss how they have tried to change the conversation, their reputation and their role in the industry. And states are stepping into the health and safety space that critics feel has been abandoned by the federal government and mandating significant COVID-related worker protections. Virginia has been leading the way in that area and Christopher Lloyd from the McGuireWoods law firm in Richmond walks us through what his state has done and why other states may follow. And the Business Roundtable continues to jump in the fray on contentious issues but. We’ll discuss the impacts of their engagement - if any - and the potential for blowback. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The next Coronavirus relief package seems to have stalled in Congress leaving displaced workers and business owners in a precarious position. Matt Walker, Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Restaurant Association joins us to sort it all out and help us understand what’s ahead. And as a result of the uncertainty facing workers right now, operators need to be extremely cognizant of the labor relations environment and the tremendous pressure that many of their workers - and customers as well - are currently feeling. We’ll take a look at how they should navigate that space. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Of all the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the labor model, one of the more lasting ones may be the acceleration of the adoption of technology. White Castle is aggressively experimenting with a robot named, “Flippy” that can handle a lot of the back of the house duties. We’ll discuss what this could mean going forward. And speaking of labor, the pandemic may have also but the nail in the coffin of the no-tipping movement. This week, Danny Meyer of the Union Square Hospitality Group pulled the plug on their no-tipping policy and instead will move to a more traditional tip sharing model. We’ll take a look at how that will impact the national conversation on tips. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Media coverage around Monday’s “Strike for Black Lives” continues to intensify signaling that the unions and their labor community allies will be pulling out all the stops to ensure a signature event. We will bring you the latest on that and how operators should prepare. And the politics of masks took a significant turn this week as major retailers took unilateral action and mandated that customers wear masks in order to enter their stores. We’ll discuss the potential political impacts for the restaurant industry which has resisted taking similar actions. And we’ll update you on the week that was in the political world and who’s up and who’s down as a result. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The Black Lives Matter coalition in partnership with major labor unions and other advocacy organizations is planning a major day of action on July 20 focused on quick service restaurant, gig economy and healthcare workers. We’ll discuss how the Strike For Black Lives as it is called has the potential for major workplace interruptions and how operators should prepare. And the labor community has unveiled a new strategy on the health and safety front pressuring localities to mandate significant COVID-19 safety procedures that will protect workers and consumers, but also result in significantly increased hours for workers - obviously another labor priority. We’ll discuss that as well. And we’ll take a look at the detente reached this week by Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders as they came to agreement on policy and political priorities. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

A number of states including New York and Kentucky went to the polls this week for their primary elections. We’ll discuss the winners and losers and what it all means - if anything - for November. And states across the country are reacting to what’s happening - or in their opinion not happening - at OSHA with regard to worker protections and are empowering their state agencies to fill the void. We’ll discuss what that could mean for operators. And a definitive new study was released by a team of Harvard researchers that analyzes the role of the industry in the recession, the impacts of federal stimulus dollars and what the long path to recovery may look like. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The restaurant and retail space has found itself literally at the center of the national conversation on systemic racism and the spark that set off both the police-related incidents in Minneapolis and Atlanta was lit in a convenience store and quick service restaurant, respectively. How frontline managers and employees handle these incidents at the beginning can determine how events can be set in motion. We’ll discuss the difficult position operators find themselves in. And individual companies are facing tough decisions themselves on if, when and how to allow political expression by their employees. We’ll take a look at how some companies are trying to navigate that space. And lastly, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling this week on workplace discrimination. With one of the most diverse workforces in the country, what implications does this have for the industry? We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The delivery space blew up this week with significant developments in courtrooms, statehouses, city halls as well as in social and cultural activism. All in one week. We’ll try to get our arms around it and what it all means for operators. And Michael Halen, Senior Restaurant Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, stops by the pod once again to discuss the state of the industry’s finances and what the next few months of reopening may look like for operators both big and small. And the CEO of Uber got together with the President of the Rockefeller Foundation this week and co-authored a piece advocating a national portable benefits program. We’ll talk about this unusual partnership and what it means to the broader conversation. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The country finds itself mired in widespread protests and social unrest and corporate brands are under pressure to engage in the conversation. We’ll discuss the corresponding expectations as well as the potential pitfalls facing operators. And the campaign to modernize alcoholic beverage law regarding off-premise alcohol sales - namely to-go beverages and home delivery - is hitting its stride. We’ll talk to Mike Whatley of the National Restaurant Association who is the industry’s point person on this effort and get the lay of the land. And a number of states have restaurant industry relief packages of their own under consideration. We’ll talk to Steve Clark of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and get the latest on what’s happening with his legislative efforts in Boston. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Without the ability to operate at full capacity, many restaurants may not be able to go the distance and survive the reopening process. We’ll discuss what lays ahead for operators. And the war on single-use plastics has come to a screeching halt and in fact, has retreated as the CDC and other health experts are calling for their use in stemming the tide of the pandemic. We’ll take a look at that phenomenon and what’s coming next. And delivery is now king. But can the industry put together a cohesive strategy to protect the gains it has made in this space and shape the future conversations? We’ll kick that around as well. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.