Labor and Policy: Page 29
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NRA: 55% of restaurants can't access second PPP loan under Senate plan
The association is urging Congress to lower the proposed Heals Act revenue loss threshold, which determines a business' eligibility for a second loan, from 50% to 20%.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Aug. 4, 2020 -
Texas bars could reopen as restaurants under modified licensure rules
Establishments could qualify as restaurants if alcoholic beverages made up less than 51% of their sales since April 1, per the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
By Julie Littman • Aug. 3, 2020 -
12 North Carolina McDonald's restaurants fined for alleged child labor law violations
It’s not uncommon for fast food chains to face allegations of such missteps, and others like Qdoba, Chipotle and Wendy's have paid similar fines in the past year.
By Katie Clarey • July 31, 2020 -
Taco Bell operator sued for withholding overtime pay from misclassified employees
The assistant general manager position required "housekeeping, customer service, cash handling, food preparation, and other non-exempt work," according to the lawsuit.
By Lisa Burden • July 31, 2020 -
As Congress considers $1T stimulus package, restaurant groups push for targeted relief
The GOP-proposed package would include additional funding for a new round of PPP loans, but the qualifications would leave a lot of restaurants behind.
By Julie Littman • July 29, 2020 -
McDonald's pauses dining room reopenings, will require diners to wear masks
The chain's new face covering requirement will be effective Aug. 1 in its nearly 14,000 U.S. restaurants, and its dining room reopening plans have been delayed to Aug. 23.
By Alicia Kelso • July 27, 2020 -
NRA urges local leaders to keep restaurants open
In a letter to governors and mayors, the National Restaurant Association writes that "bad actors" do not represent the industry and closing restaurants down again hinders its recovery.
By Julie Littman • July 27, 2020 -
Black business owners discouraged from applying for PPP loans, study says
Roughly 75% of all PPP loans did not include any demographic information because that information was not provided by the borrowers, but 41% of Black-owned businesses shuttered operations between February and April.
By Sheryl Estrada , Emma Liem Beckett • July 24, 2020 -
Coronavirus exacerbates racial wage gap for tipped workers, report finds
Black women tipped workers make almost $5 less than white men tipped workers in the U.S, a One Fair Wage study shows.
By Emma Liem Beckett • July 24, 2020 -
McDonald's franchisee settles claim that 'people manager' harassed 16-year-old employee
The agreement also requires Par Ventures to revise its policy on sexual harassment and conduct training for all employees.
By Lisa Burden • July 24, 2020 -
Pret A Manger accused of daily use of racial slur by manager, co-workers
After complaining, the Black employee said she was given reduced hours and passed over for promotions.
By Lisa Burden • July 22, 2020 -
Danny Meyer's restaurant group eliminates no-tipping policy
Union Square Hospitality Group is moving away from its controversial "Hospitality Included" model amid the pandemic so employees have the chance to access extra compensation from diner tips.
By Alicia Kelso • July 21, 2020 -
96% of restaurants require staff to wear masks
Restaurants are increasingly mandating employee temperature checks, requiring staff to wear gloves and installing plexiglass shields, says Black Box Intelligence, but these features can be costly while sales are down.
By Alicia Kelso • July 20, 2020 -
Small PPP loans should be considered for automatic forgiveness, Mnuchin says
If loans of under $150,000 were turned into grants, this would impact 86% of the nearly 4.9 million PPP loans issued as of July 17, and roughly 27% of the $520 billion lent through the program.
By Emma Liem Beckett • July 20, 2020 -
Prioritize restaurant workers for testing and vaccination, NRA says
The National Restaurant Association says its recommendation will safeguard the industry's productivity as the pandemic holds strong.
By Emma Liem Beckett • July 16, 2020 -
Opinion
Do we need to shut down again? What to do when employees get COVID-19
Restaurants need to establish systems to inform staff and guests if a worker contracts the virus and ensure health screening compliance to avoid outbreaks, attorney Arif Virji writes.
By Arif Virji • July 16, 2020 -
California recloses all indoor dining
Restaurants can continue to offer outdoor dining, takeout and delivery, but brewpubs, bars and breweries must cease all operations.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated July 14, 2020 -
DoorDash to reimburse restaurants after violating San Francisco's 15% fee cap
The company told the San Francisco Chronicle that fewer than 10 restaurants were charged higher fees, but at least one operator said he still hasn't received a refund.
By Alicia Kelso • July 9, 2020 -
Major Wendy's franchisee accused of PPP fraud
A former employee claims that Starboard Group received a $9 million loan, but ordered her to tell business partners it couldn't meet payment obligations because it didn't receive federal funding.
By Alicia Kelso • July 8, 2020 -
P.F. Chang's, Ruby Tuesday scored millions in PPP loans, according to SBA
Nearly 50,000 restaurant companies received loans of more than $150,000, and more than two-thirds of these PPP loans went to full-service restaurants, Small Business Association data shows.
By Emma Liem Beckett • July 7, 2020 -
California, Chicago escalate response to COVID-19 violations
As of Monday, the multiagency task force created by Gov. Gavin Newsom said it issued 52 citations after warning 483,000 businesses of potential consequences, as Chicago and others clamp down on noncompliance.
By Alicia Kelso • July 7, 2020 -
President signs PPP extension into law
President Donald Trump signed an application extension of the Paycheck Protection Program into law on July 4, pushing the deadline to Aug. 8.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated July 6, 2020 -
McDonald's puts reopening on hold for 3 weeks as COVID-19 spreads
Roughly 2,200 of the chain's U.S. locations are open for limited dine-in service, and the fast food giant said operators can continue to let diners eat inside if local municipalities allow it.
By Emma Liem Beckett • July 2, 2020 -
PPP's quick rollout, rule changes, few safeguards are fraud risks, GAO says
More than $100 billion in loan money is still available through the program. The SBA plans to stop taking new applications Tuesday.
By Dan Ennis • June 29, 2020 -
Chipotle ranks No. 1 among QSRs for COVID-19 safety measures, report says
McDonald's and Starbucks ranked among the top for health and safety compliance as well, according to Ipsos research based on in-store visits from mystery shoppers.
By Alicia Kelso • June 24, 2020