Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Today's Specials:
WATCH: Trump's Apprenticeships Explained [Under 60 Seconds]
President Trump has signed an executive order which more than doubles funding for apprenticeship programs designed to fill the "skill gap" the hospitality and restaurant industries. Here is the rundown of how they work.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Why I Only Sleep with Bartenders
People in the industry can relate on many levels. It’s also easier to hook up with other people working in restaurants due to similar schedules. According to one bartender, every person she’s slept with is a narcissist with a drinking problem because she only sleeps with bartenders.
Search Engine Bias
Google has been hit with a record $2.7 billion fine from the EU after the company “abused its power” by showing their products before all others in a Google search. Google’s shopping comparison service provided an unfair advantage over all other competitors.
Coffee > Traffic Ticket
An 81-year-old Texas woman led police on a “slow-speed chase” because she wanted a coffee. The women allegedly drove 25mph down a one-way street and would not stop when police attempted to pull her over. Granny needs her morning joe.
YES, FOR EVERYONE BUT LGBTQ
Why it matters to you: Human rights have been problematic in the United States.
Starbucks is usually a very progressive company when it comes to issues of employee benefits and equality for their staff. Two Starbucks baristas from Los Angeles are pushing for the company for more equitable parental leave. Both employees, one gay and one transgender, have delivered more than 30,000 signatures to Starbucks petitioning that LGBTQ families are treated unfairly by their parental leave benefits. Currently, Starbucks’ parental leave policy does not provide paid leave for employees who are adoptive parents (many of which are in the LGBTQ community). In response to the petition, Starbucks will expand their parental leave policy to include adoptive and foster parents starting in October.
On the other side of the spectrum, in Colorado, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from the owner of a bakery who refused to create wedding cakes for same-sex couples back in 2012. The owner of the bakery said same-sex marriage goes against his religious beliefs, therefore, he has a right to refuse to sell to the LGBTQ community. Overall, human rights have been a growing problem in many communities including the restaurant industry. Luckily, most restaurants have policies in place that allow equal rights for all employees no matter what race, gender or sexual orientation. These select cases most certainly translate to a violation of human rights which do not represent the entire industry.
DOESN’T ANYONE KNOW THE ANSWER
Why it matters to you: We can all learn from Seattle’s experience in raising the minimum wage.
When Seattle embraced the escalation of its minimum wage in 2015, there were lots of opinions on both sides of the issue. With academic research and a couple of years of data, nothing has changed. The University of California-Berkeley and the University of Washington Seattle arrive at differing conclusions regarding the ongoing implementation of a $15/hour minimum wage. Currently at $13 and slated to get to $15 by 2021, both universities studied the impact of the current increases. UC Berkeley concluded that there wasn’t much to see here. Their study concludes the new minimum wage has not reduced employment and it’s working as intended.
Conversely, UW Seattle’s research has found that while employment has grown, the total number of hours worked has dropped translating into a reduction of $125/month for the minimum wage worker. The NRA and Seattle Restaurant Association both lauded the UW Seattle research as confirming that they already knew that an increase in minimum wage hurts those it’s intended to help. However, the UW Seattle study concludes that things aren’t as bleak as they first projected. You can draw your own conclusions, but it’s likely you will be dealing with these increases in your market before too long. It appears Seattle’s restaurant scene hasn’t imploded…yet.
