1 In 6 Restaurants Has Closed, Says National Restaurant Association
Image Source: Dapiki Moto
According to a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry has experienced 100,000 closures since the start of the pandemic. From March through July, the industry lost $165 billion in revenue. According to the report, 40% of restaurateurs say it is “unlikely their restaurant will still be in business six months from now if there are no additional relief packages from the federal government.”
Federal Judge Rules In Favor Of Fast-Food Employees In Labor Dispute
Image Source: Paul Sancya/Associated Press
A federal judge has overturned a prior ruling that made it difficult for employees to win lawsuits against companies for violations made by franchisees or contractors. The prior rule effectively shielded parent companies and prevented workers at franchises like McDonald’s and Burger King from winning cases regarding minimum-wage law infractions and overtime infractions. More than 15 states disputed the rule, and last week, Judge Gregory H. Woods of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan stood by them, overturning the prior Labor Department ruling.
James Beard Award Finalists To Receive $3,000 Grants From LEE Initiative
When the James Beard Foundation decided not to announce the winners of this year’s restaurant awards, the decision sparked controversy. The winners had already been chosen, so why not give them some good news in one of the worst years in the history of the restaurant industry? In response, the LEE Initiative has decided to award $3,000 grants to all restaurant award finalists listed by the James Beard Foundation this past May. During the pandemic the LEE Initiative, which is led by Louisville chef Edward Lee and Maker’s Mark, has helped provide widespread relief to the restaurant industry, distributing food and resources to more than 500,000 restaurant workers in 19 cities across the U.S. “While a grand celebration isn’t top priority this year,” said Lee, “we still want to honor these nominees and their work, and we hope that all of the chefs will continue their education and support of their communities and keep their restaurants alive.” .
Restaurant Menu Exhibition Reveals 100 Years of American Dining
In the United States, restaurant menus only came into general use around the 1840s when hotels began to replace the old inns and taverns in which daily meals were determined by whatever the proprietors had on hand. While most hotel menus were meant for short-term use and not meant to be saved, others were carefully crafted by high-society stationers such as Tiffany’s and Dempsey & Carroll. Even when briefly kept as personal mementos, many menus were tossed out by later generations. To help preserve this bit of American cultural history, Henry Voigt curated 100 years of such menus from the 1840s to the 1940s. He had planned to open the exhibition to the public this September at New York’s Grolier Club, a 135-year-old society for bibliophiles and graphic arts enthusiasts. Due to the pandemic, the menu exhibition is now online. Some of the exhibition highlights include rare menu examples from Edgar Allan Poe, from Mark Twain’s seventieth birthday party at Delmonico’s, and from a reception for French zoologist Paul B. Du Chaillu in the New Mexico Territory. Like other cultural ephemera and artifacts, part of a historical restaurant menu’s appeal stems from the belief that its survival is improbable.
Michelin Delays Latest U.S. Restaurant Guides Due To Pandemic
For many restaurateurs, achieving and maintaining Michelin stars is an honor worth working toward. Michelin-starred restaurants also attract a large volume of visitors. During the pandemic this year, the Michelin organization has tracked how many of its starred restaurants have been open at any given time. In late April, only 13% of them operating around the world. In early September, the number increased to 83%. However, in the United States, only 27 Michelin-starred restaurants are open. Unlike in some other countries where Michelin stars are nationally awarded, the U.S. Michelin guides only pertain to four major cities in the country: California, Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C. Of course, these locations have all had strict lockdowns in place since last March. While Michelin inspectors have visited restaurants in each of these cities during the pandemic, many establishments are not open. As a result, a Michelin spokesperson confirmed last week that all four 2021 U.S. Michelin Guides will be delayed. “Official timing will be announced as the pandemic recovery takes shape,” said the spokesperson in a statement. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, however, Michelin inspectors have finished their work for the unreleased 2020 guide. Theoretically, a 2020 announcement of Michelin stars could still be made and a 2020 guide could still be released.
McDonald’s Tests Reusable Returnable Coffee Cups
Early next year, McDonalds in the U.K. will offer customers the choice to buy beverages with reusable plastic cups and lids that are later sterilized for another customer. McDonalds is the first food service company to partner with Loop, a company that created a system of reusable packaging for consumer products such as ice cream and shampoo. The pilot program will determine whether or not Loop is effective in the fast food sector. Most McDonald’s restaurants in the U.K have already started to recycle paper cups and deliver them to recycling centers. With the new Loop program, customers who use a reusable cup pay a small deposit, and if they stay in the store, they can leave the cup in a Loop bin and get their deposit back. If customers leave with the cups, they have the option of returning the cup another day or returning it to another Loop site. Loop brings the cups to a cleaning facility to be sterilized and hygienically sealed. Then the cups are returned to the restaurant. McDonald’s had already partnered with another reusable cup company, ReCup, in Germany. The Loop pilot program hopes to capitalize on ReCup’s success and expand the reusable cup program internationally.
New York City Resumes Indoor Dining At 25% Capacity
New York City restaurants will be able to open for dining indoors at 25% capacity again starting September 30th, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. The city’s restaurants are among the last in the nation to reopen for indoor dining. All customers must have their temperature taken at the door, and if contact tracing information is needed, at least one member of each party will be asked to provide it. “This may not look like the indoor dining that we all know and love, but it is progress for restaurant workers and all New Yorkers,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. Customers will not be allowed to sit at bars, owners face harsher filtration and ventilation restrictions, tables will be distanced six feet apart, and customers must wear masks when leaving the table. “Restaurants are essential to New York’s economic and social fabric, and indoor dining is a key component to the industry’s recovery,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance. Nearly 1,000 of NYC’s 50,000+ restaurants have closed during the pandemic, so the reopening is welcome news. However, for many restaurants, opening at 25% capacity is neither profitable nor sustainable. “I doubt I’m going to open at 25%,” said Amanda Cohen, chef-owner at Dirt Candy. “Without more federal or state aid, maybe I can last for a month.” Governor Cuomo hinted that if infection rates hold steady, restaurants may be able to open at 50% capacity on November 1. But many restaurateurs say that what’s really needed is more government aid.
