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☆ Restaurants fight back against the FTC crackdown on 'junk fees' as diners balk at new charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Leopatrizi | E+ | Getty ImagesLawmakers want to crack down on "junk fees," but restaurants are trying to stay out of the fight. The Biden administration has broadly targeted so-called junk fees, like an undisclosed service charge for concert tickets or unexpected resort fees when checking out of a hotel. The Biden Administration is attempting to crack down on so-called "junk fees" in retirement accounts with a rule prosed by the U.S. Labor Department. Lobbyists vs. legislatorsOn the state level, restaurants have already had some success in getting excluded from the fight over junk fees. California's SB 478 law would ban so-called "junk fees".

Persons: Birkin, Biden, Joe Biden, Chip Somodevilla, Biden administration's crosshairs, Sean Kennedy, Kennedy, Andres Clavero, Clavero, Galit, Peter Demetri, Tai Huh, Huh, CSHG Organizations: Getty, National Restaurant Association, Federal Trade Commission, White, Biden Administration, U.S . Labor Department, National Women's Law, Cambridge Street Hospitality Group, Health, Restaurant Association, California's Locations: Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington ,, New York, Denver, Asian, Massachusetts, California, –, Oakland , California

☆ AI drive-thru ordering is on the rise — but it may take years to iron out its flaws
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The drive-thru menu at a McDonald's restaurant showing various meal options and promotions, in Buttonwillow in Kern County, California, on 23, 2024. This year, 16% of restaurant operators plan to invest in artificial intelligence, including voice recognition, according to a survey from the National Restaurant Association. Then Covid came, which not only accelerated labor costs but also led to a shift away from dining rooms and toward drive-thru lanes. Then there's Presto Automation , the AI drive-thru technology company which disclosed last year in Securities and Exchange Commission filings that it uses "human agents" in places like the Philippines and India to complete orders. This time, McDonald's likely won't be the first mover.

Persons: Covid, McDonald's, Gee Lefevre, T.D, Cowen, Andrew Charles, That's, Uber, Charles Organizations: National Restaurant Association, IBM, Securities, Exchange Commission, Presto Locations: Buttonwillow, Kern County , California, Philippines, India

☆ Food experts say these restaurant trends are dominating dining out — from mashups like birria ramen to ever-spicier dishes and the rise of 'swicy'
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Mashups involve combining two or more dishes — sometimes a mixture of sweet and savory or a fusion of cuisines. They can provide a twist on a classic and sometimes generate social media buzz. And they've been appearing more and more frequently on restaurant menus. Birria — a Mexican beef stew — has been served in the form of quesadillas, poutine, pasta, tacos, and ramen, including at sit-down restaurants as well as at taco chain Del Taco. In a report from November, the National Restaurant Association called birria a "social media darling" and said diners should expect to see it on menus in creative applications.

Persons: they're smartly, Nancy Kruse, they've, —, IHOP, Think, Mashups, Lizzy Freier Organizations: taco, National Restaurant Association Locations: Mexican

☆ When Kevin Tien's Washington, DC, restaurant abruptly closed, he took reopening it into his own hands
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Jessica Van Dop Dejesus | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

His restaurant Moon Rabbit abruptly closed in 2023 when its landlord decided not to unionize, something the hospitality staff was pushing for. Tien opened Moon Rabbit again in the Penn Quarter neighborhood a year later — this time, as the chef/owner of the restaurant. Advertisement"We used our savings and everything we had to open Moon Rabbit. Look for community resourcesTien contacted his friends in the tight-knit Washington, DC, restaurant industry to learn best practices in opening Moon Rabbit. For AAPI entrepreneurs looking to lay their financial groundwork for starting a business, Tien suggests leaning into your local community.

Persons: —, Kevin Tien, Tien, that's, Judy Beltrano, Susan Bae, Alan Vo, Lean Organizations: Service, Business, we're, Insurance, Washington, Mayor's, Asian Affairs, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington Locations: Washington, DC, Louisiana, Southern, Penn

☆ Overtime pay: Millions more salaried workers will be eligible under final Biden administration rule
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Millions of salaried workers will soon qualify for overtime pay under a final rule released by the US Department of Labor on Tuesday. The new rule raises the salary threshold under which salaried employees are eligible for overtime in two stages. About 4 million more workers will qualify for overtime when the rule is fully implemented in January, the agency estimates. “Too often, lower-paid salaried workers are doing the same job as their hourly counterparts but are spending more time away from their families for no additional pay. The salary threshold will be updated every three years, starting July 1, 2027, the agency said.

Persons: Julie Su, Trump, Obama, “, ”, Ted Hollis, Brady, Sean Kennedy, DOL, Ben Brubeck, Barack Obama Organizations: CNN, US Department of Labor, Labor, Quarles, National Restaurant Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, Labor Department Locations: South, Texas

☆ New Migrants Get Work Permits. Other Undocumented Immigrants Want Them, Too.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Miriam Jordan | Lydia Depillis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sam Sanchez, a Chicago restaurateur, was incensed when President Biden announced last September that his administration would extend work eligibility to nearly half a million Venezuelans, many of them migrants who had recently crossed the border illegally. What about his undocumented employees like Ruben, a Mexican father of two U.S.-born children who has been in the United States since 1987, and Juan, another Mexican worker, who has trained dozens of new hires at Moe’s Cantina? “It’s offensive that my employees and other immigrants are being leapfrogged by new arrivals,” said Mr. Sanchez, who is on the board of the National Restaurant Association. Having built lives and families since entering the country unlawfully many years ago, they have been waiting for Congress to give them a path to work legally. “For those of us here a long time trying to do everything right, it’s just not fair that we are forgotten,” said Juan, 53, whose last name was withheld out of concern about his immigration status.

Persons: Sam Sanchez, Biden, Ruben, Juan, “, ”, Sanchez, it’s Organizations: National Restaurant Association Locations: Chicago, Mexican, United States, Moe’s

☆ California just hiked minimum wage for fast food workers. Some restaurants are replacing them with kiosks
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —California just raised the minimum wage for the state’s fast food sector workers by $4 to $20. And, although many casual observers disagree, higher wages for fast food workers could actually help fast food owners, Dongoski said. The employment level in fast food restaurants still hasn’t reached pre-pandemic levels. This has nothing to do with minimum wage.”However, the minimum wage increase serves as an accelerant, Brown said. The changes are necessary, said Ghai, who employs 3,700 fast food workers in California.

Persons: ”, Rob Dongoski, Dongoski, hasn’t, ” Dongoski, McDonald’s, Katie Fogerty, “, David Paul Morris, Burger, Marbue Brown, we’ve, ” Brown, that’s, Brown, “ It’s, Taco, Ghai, “ Everyone’s, ” Ghai, he’s, Harsh Ghai, Condie, ” Condie Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bloomberg, Getty, Burger, Taco Bell, CNN, California Restaurant Association Locations: New York, California, Kearney, Larkspur , California, New York City

☆ Hungry at 3 am? You’re out of luck now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Not even all of 24 Hour Fitness’ gyms — the promise is right in its name — are 24 hours. The city that never sleeps, New York, has lost 13% of its 24-hour restaurants. Around half of IHOP’s 1,800 locations are back to being open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday, at the very least. Ed Endicott/Alamy Stock Photo/FilePete’s was open 24 hours, seven days a week from the 1990s until the pandemic hit in 2020. Despite the signage, Mi Tierra is no longer open 24 hours in San Antonio, Texas.

Persons: hasn’t, Waffle, ”, Alex Barakos, Ed Endicott, Pete’s, Barakos, “, Hudson Riehle, Edward Hopper’s, Harold, Kumar Go, Stephen Zagor, Pete Cortez, Michael Silver Geo, “ There’s, ” Cortez, ’ ” Cortez Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walmart, Hollywood, Alamy, Bureau of Labor Statistics, “, National Restaurant Association, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, Columbia Business School, of Locations: New York, Covid, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, White, ”, New York City, San Antonio, Mi, San Antonio , Texas, Tierra, tuxedos

☆ Forget Recession, New York City Is Entering a Wild New Gilded Age
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

In a country roiled by recession worries, those at the top of New York City — for better or worse — couldn't give a single gilded shit. For New York City, a brush with death called for a time of decadence. "New York City's restaurants and bars are experiencing an uneven pandemic recovery nearly four years after COVID-19 struck our city," Andrew Rigie, the executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, said. AdvertisementIf a pandemic can't defeat New York City, a little inflation certainly isn't going to do it. And what that looks like is the affluent in New York City eating caviar, and poorer Americans eating cereal.

Persons: Steve Jobs, it's, Jennifer Saesue, Saesue, Fish Cheeks, Z, bistros, James Murphy, us Carbone, Casas — Cruz, Cipriani, Jean, Georges Vongerichten, Bongo, Andrew Rigie, Corey Mintz, we're, WK Kellogg, Gary Pilnick, Gary Pilnick's Organizations: Grand Prospect Hall, New, New York City, Apple, Mastercard, Chefs, Casas, Soho House, Bangkok Supper, Village, IBA, Hospitality Alliance, Nationwide, National Restaurant Association, Nasdaq, The University of Michigan Consumer, UBS, New York Locations: New York City, New York, Rome, Xinjiang, New, Manhattan, Coqodaq, Las Vegas, York, Bangkok, Hell, TouchBistro, Brooklyn, The Bronx

☆ Berkeley Will Repeal Its Landmark Ban on Natural Gas in New Homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Brad Plumer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The city of Berkeley, Calif., has agreed to repeal a landmark climate rule that would have banned natural gas hookups in new homes, throwing into question the fate of dozens of similar restrictions on gas in cities across the country. The city settled the lawsuit last week by agreeing to immediately halt enforcement of the rule and eventually repeal it altogether. “To comply with the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, we have ceased enforcement of the gas ban,” Farimah Brown, the city attorney for Berkeley, said in an email. However, she added, “Berkeley will continue to be a leader on climate action.”The decision could have widespread ripple effects. Many of those efforts are facing fierce resistance and legal challenges from the gas industry, restaurants and homebuilders.

Persons: ” Farimah Brown, “ Organizations: California Restaurant Association, United States, Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Berkeley, New Locations: Berkeley, Calif, “ Berkeley, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle

☆ Restaurants Across America Are in Crisis Because of Stubborn Diners
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Corey Mintz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Unlike most in rich countries, American restaurant servers depend primarily on tips for their income. You might not know “dynamic pricing” by name, but if you’ve ever booked a flight, hotel room, or gone to the movies on a Tuesday, you understand it intrinsically: Dynamic pricing is when the price of goods or services fluctuates based on demand. “When confronted with dynamic pricing, customers react negatively,” a 2022 study said . In late 2023, after 35 years, Bayless decided to try dynamic pricing, raising the dinner menu on weekends from $165 to $185. Nick Kokonas, who cofounded Toast, also uses dynamic pricing at his Chicago restaurants.

Persons: Toast, they’re, Tipping, Michael Lynn, Zachary Brewster, Lynn, L’Oca, “, ” Adam Orman, we’ve, haven’t, Crudo, you’ve, Sherri Kimes, Rick Bayless, Bayless, It's, ” Bayless, ”, Roger Yang, Nick Kokonas, Ari Weinzweig, ” Weinzweig, Yang, Corey Mintz Organizations: National Restaurant Association, Bureau of Labor Statistics, waitstaff, Cornell University, “, Michelin Locations: America, Italian, Austin, Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Ann Arbor , Michigan

☆ The Super Bowl menu has changed. Here's what people are buying and how much they're spending.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In total, American households are expected to spend a total of around $86 on average for their Super Bowl necessities. The National Restaurant Association said that Super Bowl food habits are shifting a little this year. For example, Kennedy said that women, by a sprawling margin, view chips and salsa as Super Bowl must-haves and feel similarly about nachos. While Super Bowl ticket prices have fallen a bit heading up to the Super Bowl, they opened on the day after the AFC and NFC Championship games at some of the highest levels in history. They are predicting a record TV audience for this year's Super Bowl because of her impact.

Persons: —, “, ” Sean Kennedy, Taylor Swift, Kennedy, it’s, Swift, David Steinberg, Clark Hunt Organizations: Service, Super, National Retail Federation, Business, National Restaurant Association, Super Bowl, of Commerce, Seton Hall, Poll, AFC, NFC, Zeta Global, CNBC, Chiefs, Bowl LIV, 49ers

☆ Ghost kitchens were supposed to revolutionize restaurants. They’re crashing
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But ghost kitchens are now crashing. Ghost kitchens are stripped-down commercial kitchens with no dine-in option. Sometimes called cloud kitchens, dark kitchens or virtual kitchens, ghost kitchens fulfill online orders from delivery apps like Grubhub and Uber Eats. Ghost kitchens also offered big chains a way to test new menu concepts, items and brands at lower rents and with less labor. So restaurants have shut down their ghost kitchens and funding for the concept has dried up.

Persons: Uber, Pat Greenhouse, ”, John Gordon, ” Wendy’s, Travis Kalanick, Applebee’s, “, Stephen Zagor, ” John Gordon, Tiffany Hagler, Wendy’s, Kalanick’s CloudKitchens, ” Gordon Organizations: New, New York CNN, Big, Kroger, Reef Technology, Boston Globe, Technology, Wings, Columbia Business School, National Restaurant Association, Geard, Bloomberg, Getty, Butler Locations: New York, South Boston, Dobbs Ferry , New York, U.S

☆ Millennials and Gen Z are driving demand for experiences. It could be a great industry to stake your career on.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Cooks at restaurants are expected to increase 20% between 2022 and 2032. Employment is expected to grow from 1.36 million in 2022 to 1.64 million in 2032, which represents an over 20% increase. As of May 2022, restaurant cooks make about $34,000 a year, or $16.40 an hour. Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Nevada have the largest concentration of restaurant cooks, while the Northeast and West Coast have the highest average salaries. However, the number of fast food cooks is projected to fall by over 101,000 by 2032 as fast food establishments continue to reduce staff or close locations.

Persons: —, Disney, Bruce Grindy, Grindy, It's, there's Organizations: Service, Employment, Restaurant Industry, National Restaurant Association, Student, Entertainment, BLS Locations: Hawaii , Rhode Island, Nevada, Northeast, West Coast, United States

And now Ben Hammou faces another blow as the German government moves to end pandemic-era tax breaks for the hospitality industry. The fiscally hawkish FDP party, which has control of the finance ministry in the three-way ruling coalition, backs letting the tax break expire, calculating that it would cost 3.3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) to keep it going in 2024. Many restaurants operate on tight margins, which makes them quite sensitive to tax increases. In Spain, Italy and France, the VAT on restaurants is at 10%, considerably lower than the expected 19% in Germany from 2024. The question is whether German restaurants are still struggling or have recovered well enough from the pandemic to withstand having the tax break removed, according to Tomas Dvorak, senior economist at Oxford Economics.

Persons: Omar Ben Hammou, Ben Hammou, Christian Lindner, Guido Zoellick, Thijs Geijer, Ingrid Hartges, DEHOGA, Steffen Marx, Tomas Dvorak, Maria Martinez, Christian Kraemer, Tanja Daube, Ulrike Heil, Belen Carreno, Giselda Vagnoni, Thomas Leigh, Matthias Williams, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Restaurant Association, ING, Reuters, Oxford Economics, Thomson Locations: Bavaria, BERLIN, Berlin, Russia, Ukraine, COVID, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Munich, Madrid, Rome, Paris

New York CNN —California is raising the minimum wage for fast food workers, marking a hard-won victory for those workers and union organizers. The state’s current minimum wage is $15.50 an hour and will increase to $16 an hour on January 1. The new hourly wage for fast food workers will take effect on April 1 of next year. In that period, only the council may set wages for fast food workers. “We are confident that what’s outlined is going to dramatically improve conditions for the state’s half million fast food workers,” Henry said.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Terry Chea, Newsom, ” Sean Kennedy, Mary Kay Henry, “, ” Henry, Henry, ” Anneisha Williams, Jack, Williams, it’s, “ I’m, …, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Service Employees International Union, Employees, California State Capitol, National Restaurant Association, SEIU, CNN Locations: New York, California, Los Angeles , California, Sacramento, Calif

☆ The era of America's subminimum wage for tipped restaurant workers may be ending
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

After a months-long public campaign that began shortly after Mayor Brandon Johnson (right) took office in May, advocates reached a deal with restaurant industry lobbyists to phase out the tipped-minimum wage over five years. "The closest pending victory is in Chicago," said Saru Jayaraman, founder and president of the advocacy group One Fair Wage. Three-fourths said they would reduce the number of tipped workers on their payroll, and nearly half said the cuts would be significant. The $9.48 an hour wage most workers got cost the restaurant $5,449.61, he said, a fraction of the $17,198 in tips workers earned. That's one reason why the restaurant industry engaged in a kind of bidding war against itself, to find a compromise solution that politicians like Alderman Carlos Ramirez Rosa, Johnson's floor manager in the City Council, would buy.

Persons: Brandon Johnson, Scott Weiner, Covid, Hornick, Danny Meyer, Meyer, Chicago –, Saru Jayaraman, Michael Hornick hasn't, Callahan, That's, Weiner, Rick Rick Bayless, Topolobampo, Bayless, He's, –, We've, We're, Johnson —, Democratic Socialist Alliance —, Alderman Carlos Ramirez Rosa, Sam Toia, Rosa Organizations: U.S . Department of Labor, Chicago, Illinois Restaurant Association, City Council, Chicago's, Wrigley, Farm, Frontera Grill, Michelin, Covid, Bar, Frontera, Frontera Group, Democratic Socialist Alliance, Chicago Sun, Times, Times , Illinois Restaurant, CNBC, Sun Locations: downtown, Chicago, York, Covid, Lakeview, Evanston, Frontera, Johnson's, City, Times ,

☆ McDonald's franchisee group says new California fast-food bill will cause 'devastating financial blow'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Kate Rogers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

After California lawmakers passed a landmark fast-food bill, an independent advocacy group of McDonald's owners is pushing back against what it says will be a "devastating financial blow" to its franchisees in the state, according to a memo to its membership viewed by CNBC. It includes a wage floor of $20 for California workers at fast-food chains with at least 60 locations nationwide, starting April 1. The National Owners Association, an independent advocacy group of more than 1,000 McDonald's owners, projects in the memo the bill will cost each restaurant in the state $250,000 annually. McDonald's sent its own letter to its restaurant system on Monday, which was viewed by CNBC. The new legislation eliminated the threat of joint franchisor-franchisee liability, which McDonald's said would "destroy the franchise model in California and strip thousands of restaurant owners of the right to run their business."

Persons: Gavin Newsom's, McDonald's, Roger Delph Organizations: CNBC, Gov, Labor, National Owners Association, National Restaurant Association, International Franchise Association, IFA, [ Service Employees International, America, Team, Industrial Welfare Commission Locations: California

☆ A fight between fast-food chains and unions in California is over, for now – what to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Gavin Newsom's office, also creates a nine-person council that will decide on future wage hikes for the fast-food industry in California through 2029. The deal will mean a wage floor of $20 for California workers at fast-food chains with at least 60 locations nationwide, starting April 1. The council will include four representatives from the fast-food industry, four from the workers' side and one neutral party who will serve as chair. But the fast-food industry was attacking the bill before it even made its way to Newsom's desk. Fast-food workers employed by affected restaurants will see pay increases of as much as 25% hit their paychecks starting in April.

Persons: Mario Tama, Gavin Newsom's, Mark Kalinowski, Newsom, Joe Erlinger, Erlinger, Jan, What's, Joe Pawlak, Technomic, they'll, Joe Pawlak Technomic, Pawlak, Mary Kay Henry, it's, Sean Kennedy, Burger Organizations: Getty, Gov, Equity Research, Democrat, FAST, Yum Brands, Restaurant Brands, McDonald's, Citi Research, Service Employees International Union, SEIU, California State, CNBC, Walmart, Target, Food, National Restaurant Association, Delta Airlines, Los Angeles International Airport Locations: Boyle, Los Angeles , California, California, McDonald's U.S, Minnesota, New York, —

☆ From taking orders to cutting avocados, AI is solving the labor shortage problem for fast-food chains
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Checkers & Rally'sLast year, Checkers & Rally's became one of the first big chains to implement widespread use of AI-powered voice assistants. Out of the 803 Checkers and Rally's restaurants, voice AI was live in 390 as of August. AdvertisementAdvertisementSoundHound, best known as a music-recognition app, has spent years perfecting its conversational voice AI bots. Sister burger chains Carl's Jr. and Hardee's also announced plans to test Presto's AI voice bots this year. Hardee's and Carl's Jr. are also testing voice AI bots by OpenCity.

Persons: DoorDash, Deloitte, Keyvan Mohajer, it's, Mohajer, Schier, Rally's, Domino's, ConverseNow, SoundHound, SoundHound's Mohajer, Beef, Chippy, Rebecca Harrington, McDonald's, Carl's Jr, Del, Carl's, Hardee's, Presto, Taco, Chris Turner, Turner, Taco Bell Organizations: Service, Chipotle, Industry, National Restaurant Association, Deloitte, Wingstop Tech, Anthony's, Slim, Dialog, Taco Bell, Taco, Yum Brands Locations: White, Wall, Silicon, McDonald's, Texas, California , Texas, Florida, Chicago, Thai, Newport Beach , California, Del Taco, Mexican, Southern California, Taco Bell's

The mandatory raise would apply to all fast food restaurants in California that are part of a chain with at least 60 locations nationwide. The agreement ends an tense standoff between labor unions and the fast food industry that started last year when Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law creating a Fast Food Council with the authority to raise wages of fast food workers up to $22 per hour. In exchange for a $20 minimum wage, labor unions have withdrawn their legislation to make fast food companies liable for their franchise operators' labor violations and lawmakers have stripped funding for the Industrial Welfare Commission. The Fast Food Council created in the original legislation would still exist, but it would only have the authority to set wages, not workplace standards.

Persons: Ingrid Vilorio, ”, Vilorio, Gavin Newsom, Newsom, Kathy Fairbanks, Sean Kennedy, Joseph Bryant, Olga R, Rodriguez Organizations: San Francisco Bay Area, Democratic Gov, Food, Democratic, Industrial Welfare Commission, Food Council, National Restaurant Association, Service Employees International Union Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, California, San Francisco Bay, U.S, San Francisco

☆ Americans are being asked to consider tipping, but is it really required?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Mingrone pays her kitchen staff between $20-25 an hour, well above minimum wage. Comparatively, her front of house staff — servers and bartenders — make the state’s tipped minimum wage of $6.38 an hour. Eight states have abolished their tipped minimum wage. One Fair Wage, the group leading the movement, wants businesses to be required to pay employees the state’s minimum wage, plus tips. The federal tipped minimum wage is $2.13 an hour and has been frozen there since 1991 — and many states default to that.

Persons: ”, Carly Cullen, ” Cullen, Emily Mingrone, aren’t, Mingrone, —, I’ve, Danny Meyer, “, pushback, Sean Kennedy, Destiny Fox, Georgetti’s, Coco Pazzo —, She’s, Fox Organizations: New, New York CNN, Purdue University, Temple University, Co, Square Hospitality, Nation Restaurant Association, National Restaurant Association Locations: New York, New Haven , Connecticut, State, Chicago

☆ Many Maui restaurants were destroyed in the fires. For those that survived, their future remains uncertain
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

An aerial view of destruction on Front Street on August 11, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii. In Lahaina, a historic area and popular tourist destination that was hit particularly hard by the fires, restaurants are big business. Restaurants are an important part of the tourism sector, which is responsible for 75% of all private-sector jobs in Maui. Their restaurants survived, but their future is uncertain. In Kula, about an hour’s drive from Lahaina, fires damaged the Kula Sandalwoods Inn & Cafe, which has been in Monica Loui’s family for decades.

Persons: Qiana Di, Di Bari, ”, Di Bari’s, Pepe, …, Di, ” Di Bari, Justin Sullivan, Baris, Sheryl Matsuoka, They’re, Javier Barberi, Barberi, Robert Gauthier, Barberi couldn’t, Hana Hou, “, it’s, Monica Loui’s, you’re, ” Loui, she’s, Caleb Hopkins, We’re, Hopkins, he’s, “ We’re, Hou Hospitality, Josh Green’s, Hawaii Josh Green, Rick Bowmer, Barry Allison, Kihei, we’ve, —, Catherine Thorbecke Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hawaii Restaurant Association, Los Angeles Times, Hawaii Gov, FEMA, ” Locations: New York, Maui, Qiana Di Bari, Lahaina, Italian, Di Bari, Lahaina , Hawaii, United States, Kahului, “, Kula, Loui’s, GoFundMe, Hawaii

☆ Three ways Covid changed the restaurant industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Now, over three years later, the restaurant industry is back. In the early days of the pandemic, people got used to eating their restaurant food at home. Too many jobs, too few workersEarly in the pandemic, many restaurant workers got laid off. Now, over three years since the pandemic hit the US, some restaurant jobs remain unfilled. But many of these have at the same time vehemently opposed proposed legislation that could raise the minimum wage for fast food workers.

Persons: Anderson Cooper, Bobby Flay, Esther Choi’s, we’re, ” Choi, Mŏkbar, ”, Choi, Esther Choi, Masaharu Morimoto, Roy Rochlin, Joe Pawlak, Carbone, Covid, Chris Kempczinski, Taco, Spencer Platt, “, Uber, Doordash, Bonnie Morales, Leah Nash, Israel Morales, Flay, ” Donna, ” Pawlak Organizations: CNN, New, New York CNN, National Arts Club, Getty, National Restaurant Association, Washington Post, Bonnie Locations: New York, Manhattan, New York City, Israel, Kachka, Portland , Oregon, Portland

☆ Another robot will take your order now. White Castle joins 7 other fast-food restaurants using AI at the drive-thru — see the full list.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

AI-powered voice bots are gaining steam among fast-food chains. White Castle is rolling out SoundHound's bots to 100 drive-thru lanes by the end of 2024. Here are 8 fast-food chains adding drive-thru voice bots amid labor challenges. White Castle said this week it was rolling out SoundHound's AI-powered voice bots to 100 drive-thru lanes by the end of 2024. The fast-food burger chain, which has been experimenting with AI-powered drive-thru tech since 2020, joins seven other national chains using conversational bots to process drive-thru orders.

Organizations: Service, National Restaurant Association Locations: Wall, Silicon

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