The Working Lunch

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.

The Independent Restaurant Coalition is emerging as a force to be reckoned with. We discuss how and why the group got started, how effective they’ve been, whether or not their agenda is a good or bad thing for the industry, and whether they are in it for the long haul. And there’s growing bi-partisan consensus on the changes that need to be made to the Paycheck Protection Program, especially with regard to loan forgiveness. We’ll take a look at that. And the COVID epidemic has turned the traditional politics of alcohol upside down presenting new opportunities for the industry - especially when it comes to off-premise sales and home delivery. We’ll discuss how the industry needs to engage in this important space. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The state of Colorado is attempting to codify some significant joint employer liability into their labor code and this could have major ramifications for employers. We’ll talk to Jeff Hanscom from the International Franchise Association to better understand what is happening and how employers should engage. And Republicans on Capitol Hill are fighting for a business liability shield for employers against Corona-related claims from either employees or customers. Troy Flanagan from the American Hotel & Lodging Association joins us to give us the latest on what is happening in Washington, DC on this important issue. And reopening is underway and we’ll update you on the latest and greatest facing operators across the country. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned everything upside down, including the 2020 election cycle. We’ll discuss the volatile political environment heading into 2020 and what operators need to prepare for. And the industry has seemingly found itself in the middle of every debate during this pandemic - essential businesses, essential employees, the food supply, blowback from the loan programs - you name it. Now restaurants are center stage for the over-politicized social distancing wars. We’ll discuss that dynamic and how operators and brands need to navigate it. And the conversation around “Hazard Pay” is front and center at the state and local level and now even in Congress and the presidential race. We’ll take a look on what impacts that could have on the industry as well. We’ll have those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.