Episode 215: Politics Threaten Money Distribution From SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund

The Small Business Administration has been sued - ostensibly by restaurant owners in Texas and Tennessee over loan preferences for traditionally disadvantaged business owners, namely minorities and women with regard to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Behind the scenes however, the lawsuit is one among many begging choreographed by Trump Administration alumni to call out preferential treatment for minorities across various agencies of government. We’ll discuss the implications of all this for the industry both operationally and reputationally. And the industry is getting caught up in the Tech-lash wars as traditionally business-friendly Republicans take aim at big tech and employers are finding themselves as collateral damage in an ideological political battle. Brennan Duckett, Technology & Innovation Policy Director for the National Restaurant Association stops by the pod to help us to sort it all out and help operators understand how they are impacted. And Maine is on the doorstep of a first in the nation environmental law that fundamentally shifts the financial responsibility of recycling programs from taxpayers to manufacturers and distributors of the products themselves - such as restaurants. We’ll discuss the ramifications of this effort and what it could mean for operators. We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.