The Working Lunch

Early and mail-in voting has started in Georgia and the stakes are high. Both parties are putting all they have into the races that will control the U.S. Senate. We are joined by our friend Joe Binns, a Principal at Chism Strategies in Atlanta and a longtime political operative in Georgia who will give us the lay of the land and share his observations from the ground level. And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation made some important news this week, releasing a report linking the availability of childcare for working parents to the viability of businesses and the economy. We’ll discuss how not only is the nation’s leading business advocacy organization equating childcare and paid leave to business vitality and sustainability, it could also be politically stranding industries and companies that have been resistant to paid leave, either by government mandate or corporate policy. We will dig into that. We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The states can’t wait any longer for the Feds to get their act together and are having to step in and take charge of both employee and consumer safety as well as industry relief. As usual, California and Oregon are out front. We talk to both Matt Sutton, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Policy at the California Restaurant Association and Bill Perry of Balance Point and the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association and lay out what’s coming for operators and how their states are a likely blueprint for an incoming Biden Administration. We also discuss how states - and increasingly cities - are developing their own relief programs to support employees and operators in their efforts to stay afloat. We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Vaccines appear to be on their way and governments at every level are discussing the logistics and prioritization of distribution. Restaurant workers have been dubbed “essential” throughout most of the pandemic but will they be considered the same way when it comes to vaccines? We’ll discuss the dynamics around this important issue. And in numerous states across the country, the restaurant industry is saying,”we’ll see you in court”! Some state restaurant associations are suing governors and states in an effort to pushback on reclosing restrictions. We’ll discuss whether that's a good idea in the short term as well as in the long term. And our longtime friend Matt Haller, the Senior Vice President of Government Relations & Public Affairs from the IFA joins us to talk about their ongoing litigation in California as well as their legislative agenda for 2021. We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

We’re going to do a deep dive into the labor community and discuss their agenda and how they are approaching 2021. Mike Saltsman from the Employment Policies Institute joins us to discuss what’s ahead for organized labor and how the pandemic is helping them achieve their political, policy and organizing goals. And in response to alarming increases in COVID-19 infections, governors across the country are reluctantly closing down parts of the economy in their states and many are starting with restaurants. We’ll discuss the dilemma facing governors and mayors with Susan Connelly, the Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer for Darden Restaurants and get her insight on how best to work with those chief executives and help them better navigate these difficult waters. We’ll discuss all of this and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The restaurant industry once again finds itself in the middle of the American cultural wars, with new attention given to an index highlighting the differences between Cracker Barrel voters and Whole Foods voters. How do operators navigate a landscape where their very brands become litmus tests for voter identification and tribal loyalty? We’ll take a look. And the Biden transition team is taking shape and being populated with a lot of folks that don’t have a whole lot of sympathy for the restaurant business model. Is this a precursor to how a Biden Administration will approach labor issues? We’ll discuss that as well. We talk about all of this and wrap it up with a special guest helping me run down the legislative scorecard.

We’re going to do a deep dive on the election results and drill down on what happened, why it happened, and what operators need to know going forward. Additionally, we will be joined by my old friend and colleague Gerard Dehrmann, the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and State & Local Government Relations for Walmart and get his insight on how the world’s largest company is viewing the political, legislative and reputational challenges - and opportunities as well - that lay ahead for employers. We discuss all of this and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The election is finally here and we’ll discuss what we see as the likely outcomes at the federal, state and local level - including a few very important ballot measures that will significantly affect P&Ls. We’ll also talk about the election aftermath and the potential for social unrest that could portend a significant security risk for small business owners, employees and customers. We discuss all of this, the road ahead for operators, and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

This week, the nation’s mayors sat down with the restaurant industry to discuss ways in which mayors and their cities can help restaurants and their employees survive the pandemic and its aftermath. Sean Kennedy, the Executive Vice President for Public Affairs for the National Restaurant Association, who oversaw that meeting, stops by the pod to tell us what happened, what we learned, and how we can keep the conversation going. And as states and cities face unprecedented budget deficits as a result of the pandemic, they will be looking for revenue anywhere they can find it. We sit down with the tax experts from MultiState to understand what may be coming down the pike in 2021 and how operators should prepare. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Yelp is in the news this week as the crowd-sourced restaurant review platform announced it will include accusations of discrimination or alleged instances of racism by a brand in their restaurant listings. We’ll discuss this potentially seismic development and the boon it could be for anti-industry activists and detractors. And the private sector continues to advance the portable benefits issue down the field. We’ll take a look at Mastercard’s benefit initiative for independent contractors and the impact it may have on the employee marketplace. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Restaurant relief appears to be dead for now. This week, the President abruptly cancelled negotiations on a stimulus package that included many industry priorities leaving thousands of restaurant operators and other small business owners to fend for themselves. And the associations that represent them in Washington, DC were not shy about showing their displeasure. We’ll discuss the bleak situation restaurants find themselves in both economically and politically. And the 2020 election is just three weeks away and we’ll do a deep dive into the Presidential race, the race for control of the senate, and what is happening at the state level across the country - especially with an eye toward the 2021 state legislative agendas. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.