All Episodes
The Working Lunch — 399 episodes
Episode 403 - One Fair Wage Hearing the Chicago Blues
Episode 402- Steak n’ Shake Goes Full In On MAGA & MAHA
Episode 401 - DoorDash Grandma Crashes Oval Office Meeting
Episode 400 - New RFK Battle Brewing. The Secretary Turns His Focus To Plastics
Episode 399 - Will Restaurants Ultimately Pick Up The Tab For Packaging Waste?
Episode 398 - Industry Impacted By Recent Labor Union Developments
Episode 397 - RFK, Jr. Calls Out Individual Brands Over Sugary Beverages
Episode 396: Not Much on The Menu for Operators in State of the Union Address
Episode 395: Industry Gets Big Wins In Court On Both Interchange Fees and EPR
Episode 394: RFK, Jr. Blames Big Tobacco For Ultra-Processed Foods
Episode 393: Operators and Brands Caught In The Crosshairs In Minneapolis
Episode 392: Trump Drops the Hammer on Swipe Fees
Episode 391: The Food Pyramid Just Got Turned Upside Down
Episode 390: The Best & Worst of 2025 And A Look Ahead to 2026
Episode 389: Using The Big Tobacco Playbook, The City of San Francisco Sues Big Food
Episode 388: Hey Brother Can You Spare The Penny?
Episode 387: Restaurant Industry Notches Some Surprise Wins On Election Night
Episode 386: Universal Child Care Has Arrived! What Impact Could It Have On Reversing COVID-era Workforce Losses
Episode 385: One Fair Wage Enters The Political Fray & Establishes a Super PAC
Episode 384: Is The New York City Mayor’s Race Reviving Socialism In America?
Episode 382: One Industry CEO Publicly Attacks Another Industry CEO. Is This An Anomaly Or The New Norm?
Episode 381: American Franchise Act Introduced To Codify Joint Employer
Episode 380: McDonald’s Leaves NRA Due To Association’s Support Of No Tax On Tips, Tip Credit
Episode 379: The Cracker Barrel Beatdown: A Cautionary Tale?
Episode 378: Restaurateur or Recyclers? Operators Facing Increasing Responsibility For The Waste Produced In Their Businesses.
Episode 377: Tip Credit Repeal in DC. $30/hr Wages in LA. Major Metros Take Center Stage In Minimum Wage Wars
Episode 376: Big Beautiful Bill Threatens Industry Food Donation Programs
Episode 375: Can Retailers Issuing Their Own Stablecoins Threaten the Visa & Mastercard Duopoly?
Episode 374: To Raid or Not To Raid? Recent Immigration Directives Confusing Operators
Episode 373: Really? A Republican Senator Introduces $15/hr Minimum Wage Legislation?
Episode 372: The Future of Food Policy and the Restaurant Industry
Episode 371: Navigating the Tax Bill and What it Means for Restaurants
Episode 370: MAGA Trade Associations? The Trump Team Takes On Traditional Norms Of Lobbying
Episode 369: Big Beautiful Tax Bill Has a Full Menu Offering for Operators
Episode 368: One Fair Wage Throws A Hail Mary in New Jersey
Episode 367: Supreme Court Leaves NLRB Without A Quorum - For Now
Episode 366: Chairman Chat: Talking Tariffs With Fat Brands’ Andy Wiederhorn
Episode 365: Mountain MAHA: West Virginia First to Embrace RFK.Jr.’s Food Agenda
Episode 364: Independent Restaurant Coalition Agenda for 2025
Episode 363: Industry Takes On Visa & Mastercard Over Interchange Fees
Episode 362: Some Major Brands Make Trump’s Target List Over DEI
Episode 361: What Immigration Compliance Looks Like In The New Normal
Episode 360: Industry Navigates Tariff Chaos
Episode 359: Mayhem At The NLRB & The EEOC
Episode 358: Industry Prepares For Trump’s Immigration Roundup
Episode 357: Starbucks Bathroom Policy Once Again Changing With the Times
Episode 356: SEIU Comes Back Into the AFL-CIO Fold
Episode 355: Starbucks Workers United Plays The Strike Card
Episode 354: Biden’s NLRB Getting Run Out Of Town
Episode 353: Labor Secretary Nominee Well-Known By Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association
Episode 352: Is Trump’s Nominee For Labor Secretary Actually Pro-Union?
Episode 351: RFK, Jr. Taking Dead Aim At The Food Industry
Episode 350: He’s Baaaaack. What The Industry Can Expect in Trump 2.0
Episode 349: Election Preview Pod
Episode 348: Donald Trump As Fry Cook? The Former President Ups The Ante At A Pennsylvania McDonalds
Episode 347: One Fair Wage Gets “Wicked” Blindsided by Massachusetts Governor
Episode 346: One Month Until Election Day
Episode 345: Industry Goes Toe To Toe With One Fair Wage In House Hearing
Episode 344: Vice President Harris and One Fair Wage Continue Their Cozy Relationshi
Episode 343: 80 /20 Rule Gets 86’d
Episode 342: Credit Card Companies Panicking Over Industry Progress At The State Level
Episode 341: What Does Brian Niccol Going To Starbucks Mean For The Largest Unionization Campaign?
Episode 340: A Comprehensive Look at Taxation of Tips, Corporate Tax Legislation, and More
Episode 339: Election Interrupted. What The New Election Environment Counld Mean For Operators
Episode 338: Republican National Convention Has Strong Anti-Corporate VIbe
Episode 337: RNC adopts “No Taxes on Tips” As Part Of Its Official Platform
Episode 336: Republicans Double Down on Trump’s “No Taxes on Tips” Campaign
Episode 335: Trump Tackles Taxes on Tips
Episode 334: Another Big Industry Ballot Win On Minimum Wage
Episode 333: Union Organizing Campaigns Hitting Fine Dining Segment
Episode 332: The Cemex Decision Has Found Its Way To The Restaurant Industry
Episode 331: Prison Labor Issue Part of Larger Southern Strategy To Organize Industry
Episode 330: How Did The Industry End Up In The Middle Of It All?
Episode 329: NRA’s Sean Kennedy Joins Working Lunch to Talk All Things Washington
Episode 328: Buckeye State Ballot Initiatives Could Be A Fatal Blow For Many Operators.
Episode 327: DoorDash Portable Benefits Pilot Could Permanently Alter Delivery-App Business Model
Episode 326: Like Their Fees, The New Settlement Agreement With Visa & Mastercard Is Junk
Episode 325: Texas Hold’em: A Federal Judge Reins In The NLRB’s Joint Employer Rule
Episode 324: The SEC Pulls Back On Scope-3 Emissions Reporting Requirements
Episode 323: If Possible, Even More Political Hijinks In California
Episode 322: The Campaign Against Starbucks Heats Up!
Episode 32I: US. House Pressures Internal Revenue Service To Investigate One Fair Wage’s Tax Status
Episode 320: Could The Senate Actually Sink The Tax Bill?
Episode 319: New Report on Prison Labor Abuses Could Cause Major Headaches For Large Brands
Episode 318: President Of National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation Joins Working Lunch
Episode 317: Labor Department Finalizes Independent Contractor Rule
Episode 316: The Battle With The FTC Over Service Charges Is Escalating
Episode 315: Starbucks Faces The Music On Its Response To Ongoing Unionization Fight
Episode 314: The Industry Teams With Organized Labor To Take On The Credit Card Companies
Episode 313: One Fair Wage Pulling Out All The Stops in Massachusetts
Episode 312: Election Recap: The Blue Team Has a Big Night
Episode 311: McDonald’s Changes the Wage Conversation in California
Episode 310: The Labor Community Celebrates The New Joint Employer Standard
Episode 309: Industry Makes Another Strong Statement in Maryland
Episode 308: The Federal Trade Commission Comes After Restaurant Service Charges
Episode 307: NYC Restaurant Chain To Be First Industry Test of New Organizing Rules
Episode 306: Critical Labor Coalition addresses manpower shortage
Episode 305: The Great Chicago Dumpster Fire of 2023
Episode 303: The NLRB May Have Just Made Your Employee Handbooks Obsolete
Episode 302: The NLRB Goes Super Size: Is Card Check Basically the Law of the Land Now?
Episode 301: Supply Chain Facing Changing Legal & Political Landscape Going Forward
Episode 300: No Summer Vacation: The Battle in California Rages On
Episode 299: AI Brings New Legal & Policy Challenges Hiring Managers
Episode 298: SEIU Ups The Ante in California By Exhuming the Industrial Welfare Commission
Episode 297: Republican Attorneys General Take Aim at Fortune 100 on Hiring
Episode 296: Potential Backlash on Service Charges Could Be Coming Soon
Episode 295: Lawmakers Get The Message: The Public Loves Alcohol-to-Go
Episode 294: Wage & Standards Boards Are Forcing Collective Action Without Collective Bargaining
Episode 293: Chik-fil-A Gets Attacked Politically…. From the Right!
Episode 292: Industry Opponents Ramp Up The Pressure on Child Labor
Episode 291: Independent Contractors Make Gains Toward Right to Organize
Episode 290: Supreme Court Affirms California’s Humane Pork Law
Episode 289: Child-labor violations are giving restaurants an even darker black eye
Episode 288: Could Amazon and Google Union Woes Open Joint Employer Doors?
Episode 287: Campaign to Eliminate Natural Gas in Restaurants Flames Out
Episode 286: Corporate Sustainability Initiatives - Good PR Today, Good Business Tomorrow
Episode 285: The Political Dynamics Of Tipping May Be Going The Wrong Way
Episode 284: Mr. Schultz Goes To Washington
Episode 283: Starbucks Union Unveils Contract Demands
Episode 282: Credit Card Interchange Fee War Hits State Capitols
Episode 281: It’s Official: Schultz vs. Sanders
Episode 280: Sanders To Subpoena Howard Schultz
Episode 279: The Wall Street Journal Hits Back On IRS Tipping Proposal
Episode 278: The Internal Revenue Service Joins The Campaign Against Tipping
Episode 277: One Fair Wage Turns Up The Heat On The Industry
Episode 276: States Start Rolling Out Fast Act Copycats
Episode 275: What the New York Times missed in its story on ServSafe
Episode 274: 2023 Outlook: The NRA’s Sean Kennedy Discusses The FAST Act Litigation in California
Episode 273: What Did The Industry Learn From The Minimum Wage Ballot Initiatives
Episode 271: The Election is Here! We Discuss the Key Races Issues and Initiatives
Episode 270: Industry Preparing For Battle With The Booze Lobby
Episode: 269: SEC Climate Rule Nears Finalization. Big Companies Beware.
Episode: 268: New Study Shows Increasing Political Tension Inside Workplaces
Episode: 267: Starbucks Finally Comes To The Table. Or Do They?
Episode: 266: Conservative Activist Investors Target “Woke” Corporations
Episode: 265: FAST ACT Fallout: Which States Are Next?
Episode: 264: Interview with Fat Brands CEO Andy Wiederhorn and NRA's Michelle Korsmo
Episode 262: Window for Comprehensive Data Privacy Legislation Closing Quickly
Episode 261: Industry Notches Big Win in California Pay Disclosure Battle
Episode 260: Industry Continues to Flex its Muscle in Washington, DC.
Episode 259: Republicans Up Their Attacks On Woke Investment Firms
Episode 258: Critics Opening Up Attacks on Chipotle over Recent Closures
Episode 257: The CEO Interview: Lance Trenary Joins the Working Lunch Crew
Episode 256: Employers Prepare For A Post Roe V. Wade World Full of Landmines
Episode 255: GOP Escalates Family Feud With Corporate America
Episode 254: Starbucks Workers United creates million dollar fund for striking baristas
Episode 253: SEC Moves Forward With Aggressive Climate Regulations
Episode 252: Amazon & Starbucks Take On The White House
Episode 251: The Industry Fights Back Against The Credit Card Companies
Episode 250: More Brands Find Themselves Facing Organizing Activity
Episode 249: The Growing Rift Between Republicans And Corporate America
Episode 248: NLRB Working to Establish Defacto Card Check
Episode 247: Starbucks & Amazon Considering Major Pivots In Union-Pushback Strategy
Episode 246: Unions Flex Muscles This Week With Big Wins Against Starbucks & Amazon
Episode 245: Boston Becoming Next Major Battleground For Starbucks
Episode 244: Kevin Johnson's Abrupt Departure as Starbucks CEO
Episode 243: McDonald’s Takes Bold Stand in Russia
Episode 242: The Labor Department Announces Bold Plans To Beef Up Wage & Hour Audits
EP 241: Surpassing The 100 Store Mark, Starbucks Finds Itself Fighting Both Their Unions, The NLRB
Episode 240: The NRA Has New Leadership.
Episode 239: Democratic Governors Bail On Biden
Episode 238: The Heat Turns Up On California FAST Act
Episode 237: Infrastructure Spending Could Further Tighten Labor Market
Episode 236: Are the Labor and Supply Chain Issues Scaring Off Industry Investors?
Episode 235: SCOTUS Sidelines the Administration’s Vaccine Mandate
Episode 234: Industry Legislative Agenda for 2022
Episode 233: Boston is the New Battleground for Starbucks
Episode 232: Introducing Starbucks’ New Business Partner in Buffalo: The SEIU
Episode 231: Starbucks Unionization Campaign Spreading to Other Markets
Starbucks Workers Start Casting Ballots For Unionization
Episode 229: OSHA Issues Final Vaccine Mandate - What Does It Mean For Operators?
Episode 228: In-N-Out Pulled Into Political Fray on Vaccines
Episode 227: Restaurant Brands International Commits to Net-Zero Emissions
Episode 226: REEF Technology Is Delivering Structural Change To The Industry
Episode 225: Retailers Winning Battle For Top Employees
Episode 224: SEIU Organizers Steering Union Campaign Against Starbucks Units
Episode 223: Unions Leverage Health And Safety Concerns In Successful Organizing Drive
Episode 222: For Big Labor It’s “Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss”
States & Cities Requiring Masks & Vaccination Passports Turning Restaurants Into Compliance Officers
Episode 220: NRA’s Sean Kennedy Discusses the Impact of the Infrastructure Bills on the Industry
Episode 219: Delta Variant Threatens Restaurant Recovery Process and Poses New Risks for Industry
Episode 218: Core Industry Issues Front And Center in Washington, DC This Week
Episode 217: European-Style Recycling Program Makes Its First Arrival In The U.S.
Episode 216: NRA Policy Head Breaks Down SBA Logjam
Episode 215: Politics Threaten Money Distribution From SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund
Episode 214: Congress and State Legislators Get Serious About Labor Shortage
Episode 213: New NRA Executive To Streamline State & Federal Coordination
Episode 212: Masks, Protests And Relief Funds - Restaurants Continue To Drive News
Episode 211: Heightened Focus on Critical Race Theory Provides New Challenges to Employers
Episode 210: Labor Shortage Developing Into Political Challenge For Industry
Episode 209: Biden Makes His Case For Significant Federal Expansion
Episode 208: Sens. Manchin & Sanders Face-Off at NRA Public Affairs Conference
Episode 207: California Takes Aim At Quick Service Restaurant Sector
Episode 206: “Woke Corporations” Face Republican Backlash
Episode 205: Darden Sets New Marker In National Wage Conversation
Episode 204: Biden Administration Ramping Up Scrutiny Of Corporate Sustainability Exposure & Risk
Episode 203: The PRO Act, Labor’s Ultimate Wishlist, Passes the U.S. House
Episode 202: Universal Basic Income Back In The News
Episode 201: DC Takes Aim At Restaurant Business Model
Episode 200: NRN Publisher Talks State of the Industry’s Reputation
Episode 199: Animal Welfare Groups Escalate Attacks On Major Brands
Episode 198: COVID Relief Passes Congress: Restaurants Win Big, Bernie Sanders Loses Big.
Episode 197: House Leadership Takes Aim At Tip Credit
Episode 196: NRA & DoorDash Discuss National Policy Framework On Third Party Delivery
Episode 195: Joe Biden And Fight For $15 Call Upon Congress To Enact $15/hr Minimum Wage
Episode 194: First Days of 2021 Present Political Challenges For Industry
Episode 193: The Latest on The GA Senate Races & the US Chamber’s Pivot on Paid Leave & Childcare
Episode 192: West Coast Provides Workplace Protection Roadmap for Biden Administration
Episode 191: Are Restaurant Workers Essential When It Comes To Vaccines?
Episode 190: Industry Pushes Back On Shutdowns
Episode 189: Team Biden Takes Shape - and May Be Taking Aim
Episode 188: The Election Recap: Impacts To The Industry?
Episode 187: The Election Forecast Edition - Things Operators Should Watch For
Episode 186: The NRA’s Sean Kennedy Talks Restaurant Recovery With The Nation’s Mayors
Episode 185: Yelp Uses Platform To Highlight Allegations Of Racial Discrimination By Restaurants
Episode 184: Business Groups Fire Back At Trump On Stimulus Retreat
Episode 183: Relief Bill Exposes Rift In Restaurant Industry
Episode 182: Conservatives Rethink Approach To Labor Organizing
Episode 181: NRA Public Affairs Chief Discusses Industry Pandemic Relief Strategy
Episode 180: UNITE HERE Winning Streak Continues in Minneapolis
Episode 179: Workers at Minneapolis Bar Unionize, Citing COVID-19 Concerns
Episode 178: Independent Restaurant Coalition Cofounder and Labor Activists Share Stage at DNC
Episode 177: Industry Pushes Back On Pandemic Data
Episode 176: Delivery Platforms Turn On The Charm For Lawmakers And Industry
Episode 175: Operators in Limbo as Coronavirus Relief Legislation Stalls in Congress
Episode 174: Pandemic Hastens Arrival of Restaurant Robots
Episode 173: Union-backed Black Lives Matter Strikes Gaining Traction
Episode 172: Unions Call For Black Lives Matter Strikes At Restaurants
Episode 171: Consumers Themselves Pose Biggest Challenge to Restaurant Reopenings
Episode 170: Restaurants Operators Play Major Role In Navigating Social Unrest
Episode 169: Financial Update: Some Companies Are Prospering While Others May Be Disappearing
Episode 168: Widespread Social Unrest Poses Unique Challenges To Industry
Episode 167: Can The Restaurant Business Model Survive Social Distancing Restrictions?
Episode 166: Independent Restaurant Coalition Makes Political Waves
Episode 165: Colorado Poised To Adopt Obama-Era Joint Employer Standard
Episode 164: COVID-19 Upends 2020 Election Cycle And Restaurants Are On The Front Lines
Episode 163: Strikes, Liability and Supply Chain Issues Cloud Re-Openings
Episode 162: SBA Moves the Goalposts on Ruth’s Chris and Others
Episode 161: The Industry Fights Back Against Insurers and Delivery Platforms
Episode 160: Bernie Out: The Industry’s Top Antagonist Ends His Presidential Ambitions
Episode 159: SBA Loan Programs Go Live: What Operators Need To Know
Episode 158: Economic Relief Package Passes Congress
Episode 157: Industry Political Agenda Being Redefined by the COVID-19 Outbreak
Episode 156: States and Brands Leading Coronavirus Response
Episode 155: Industry Response to Coronavirus Important to Policymakers
Episode 154: Unions Targeting National Restaurant Brands at Airports
Episode 153: California Eyes Large Scale Commercial Property Tax Increase
Episode 152: Industry Fights Back Against Third-Party Delivery Platforms
Episode 151: President Endorses Bi-Partisan Paid Leave Bill In Senate
Episode 150: All Eyes On Iowa: Democrats Begin The Process Of Finding A Nominee
Episode 149: Why Restaurants Should Care About China’s New Plastics Policy
Episode 148: Governors Reach Out To Industries For Workforce Development Partnerships
Episode 147: Industry Leader Lays Out 2020 Agenda
Episode 146: The 2020 Elections - What to Watch For
Episode 145: New Study Shows Economic Damages of Wage Mandates
Episode 144: McDonald’s Finally Prevails in Landmark Joint Employer Case
Episode 143: 2020 Legislative Outlook
Episode 142: The Business Case for Scheduling
Episode 141: Conservatives Shake Up Scheduling Conversation
Episode 140: Election 2019 Impacts: A New Ball Game in Virginia
Episode 139: Starbucks Makes Innovative Investment in Chicago Neighborhoods
Episode 138: Portable Benefits for Employees Earning Bipartisan Support
Episode 137: MUFSO Recap - Convenience And Its Policy Implications
Episode 136: How Employers Should Prepare for Union Organizing Drives
Episode 135: SEIU Confirms Signed Union Cards In 50 NYC Locations
Episode 134: Younger Workers Are Choosing Purpose Over Paycheck
Episode 133: 2019 Election Forecast
Episode 132: California Declares War on Franchise Business Model
Episode 131: Working Families Party is Pulling Democratic Agenda Further to the Left
Episode 130: Franchise Business Model Under Assault in California
Episode 129: Unions Demand Candidates Force Collective Bargaining of QSRs
Episode 128: Media Executive Threatens to Fire Workers Considering a Union
Episode 127: Main Street Retailers Find Themselves In The Middle of National Gun Debate
Episode 126: Labor Activists Suffer Big Loss At NLRB
Episode 125: Burger Chain Defeats Union in Precedent-Setting Election
Episode 124: Major Brands Getting Caught Up In Ongoing Political Battles
Episode 123: U.S. House Set to Approve a $15 Minimum Wage
Episode 122: Obamacare, California-Style
Episode 121: Industry Getting Caught in Packaging Squeeze
Episode 120: Operators Embracing Labor Department Apprenticeship Program
Episode 119: Politicians Working Overtime To Hammer The Industry On...Overtime
Episode 118: Restaurant Company Turns Tables on Union
Episode 117: ROC and AOC Team Up to Batter Industry
Episode 116: Presidential Candidates Join Fight for $15 Protests at McDonald’s
Episode 115: Data Shows Unions Likely Pulling Back From Corporate Campaigns
Episode 114: Franchisees Caught Between Trump And The State Of California
Episode 113: Trump Resort Being Investigated For Wage Theft
Episode 112: How Irrelevant is the Federal Minimum Wage?
Episode 111: Restaurant Workers Experiencing a Purple Haze
Episode 110: CEOs Jump Into the Minimum Wage Mix
Episode 109: New Joint Employer Standard Provides Clarity The Industry Was Hoping For
Episode 108: McDonald’s Splits With The NRA Over Minimum Wage
Episode 107: Unions Pick Off Another Restaurant Company
Episode 106: New California Delivery Law Could Have Joint Employer Implications
Episode 105: Pay Disclosure Regulations Back In Play
Episode 104: Restaurant Industry Finds Itself in Data War
Episode 103: Anti-Corporate Activists Notch a Big Win
Episode 102: Uber Founder Moves Into Food Delivery
Episode 101: The War On Tips. How’s That Going So Far?
Episode 100: Schultz Drags Restaurant Business Model On To National Stage
Episode 99: Once a Server - Now a Congresswoman: Can “AOC” Change the Model?
Episode 98: Democrats Introduce Federal Minimum Wage Legislation
Episode 97: Restaurant Operators Get The Shutdown Squeeze
Episode 96: The ACA Takes a Hit - What’s Next for Operators
Episode 95: Future of Work Issues Provide Political Opening
Episode 94: Republicans Not Going Away Quietly
Episode 93: Capitol Hill Takes On The Minimum Wage
Episode 92: The Future of the 80/20 Tip Credit Rule
Episode 91: Bernie Sanders Attacks Large Employers - Again!
Episode 90: Election Analysis - What Operators Can Expect In 2019
Episode 89: Midterm Elections - They’re Finally Here. What Can Operators Expect?
Episode 88: Business Preparing For Post-Blue Wave Investigations
Episode 87: Trump Releases His Regulatory Agenda for 2019
Episode 86: Starbucks Pads Their Lead in the Benefits Game
Episode 85: Major City Bans Food Waste
Episode 84: Supply Chain Politics. Could New Advances In Technology Bring New Political Problems?
Episode 83: The Fight for $15 Sexual Harassment Campaign Likely to Spread Beyond McDonald’s
Episode 82: McDonald's Is In Another McFlurry With The SEIU
Episode 81: Jeff Bezos Is Feeling the Bern
Episode 80: The Return of the Equal Rights Amendment & the Looming Conversation Over Women’s Rights
Episode 79: Hardball: The Impact of a Wounded President on The Business Agenda
Episode 78: Franchisees Targeted by Proposals to Address Wage Stagnation
Episode 77: ICE Continues High Profile Raids, Indicting Employers
Episode 76: Upside Down Politics: Dems Repeal Minimum Wage While Repubs Call for Paid Leave
Episode 75: Minimum Wage Ballot Initiatives and Lawsuits Lead the News
Episode 74: Chicago Considers a Universal Basic Income
Episode 73: Servers could dip into Social Security for paid leave under fed proposal
Episode 72: Industry facing single-use plastic bans
Episode 71: Industry escapes ballot measures on both coasts
Episode 70: Political fight over tipped wages to re-emerge in DC and nationwide
Episode 69: "Unprecedented" NYC proposal threatens joint employer model and 100s of brands
Episode 68: Gov’t stats flip gig economy narrative on its head
Episode 67: Massive 50k worker strike threatens Vegas economy and employers
Episode 66: Fight for $15 targets restaurants over sexual harassment
Episode 65: Blueprint set for future policy efforts after menu labeling win
Episode 64: Trade and joint employer experts reveal what's next for key business operator issues
Episode 63: DOL secretary open to easing marijuana testing policies for workers
Episode 62: Union advancements face pushback from Congress
Episode 61: Tight labor market gives workers upper hand
Episode 60: Ryan's exit deals blow to Main Street business agenda
Episode 59: First QSR in the nation set to unionize
Episode 58: Feds pour millions into study linking obesity to low minimum wage
Episode 57: Wave of labor and tech developments cap busy week in industry news
Episode 56: Tipped wage debate pulled into #MeToo movement
Episode 55: McDonald's logo flip serves up fresh meat to critics
Episode 54: "The future of franchising is at stake."
Episode 53: Wage theft laws ignored and a scandal emerges at the DOL
Episode 52: Anniversary show - Feds target business operators in sanctuary cities
Episode 51: Rubio leads GOP charge into paid leave
Episode 50: Fight for $15 protests return with ties to the civil rights movement
Episode 49: Burger King risks the wrath of Trump over policy beef
Episode 48: "Hell hath no fury like a server scorned" - A national movement over the tip credit
Episode 47: 7-Eleven hit first by ICE raids on employers in 2018, more coming
Episode 46: Political threats and opportunities ahead in 2018
Episode 45: Year-end show names Wendy's and Trump 2017's big winners
Episode 44: Trump's NLRB dismantles Obama-era regs
Episode 43: Bernie Sanders calls out restaurants over sexual harassment
Episode 42: Immigration enforcement raids looming for foodservice companies
Episode 41: A "chaos strategist's" view of the future workforce and private equity influence
Episode 40: Paid Leave gains traction, even with the GOP
Episode 39: Election 2017 results -- Bad outcomes for operators
Episode 38: How Employers Should Address Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Episode 37: HotSchedules' CEO on optimizing operations and staff engagement through technology
Episode 36: New push for portable benefits could be costly for employers
Episode 35: Wage-shaming bill reaches CA governor's desk for possible signature
Episode 34: Ben & Jerry’s deal with activists signals new pressures on supply chains
Episode 33: The motivation and impact of Target's $15/hr wage hike
Episode 32: $19M TGI Fridays wage theft settlement signals more industry scrutiny
Episode 31: What the Trump-Dem Alliance Means for Operators
Episode 30: Labor union popularity on the rise; highest since 2003
Episode 29: Operators face second wave of challenges post Harvey
Episode 28: Tech threats to business models call for shift in policy debates
Episode 27: Trump’s chaos agenda topples business priorities
Episode 26: Feds threaten to pull $87M over soda tax
Episode 25: Recorded LIVE from the FRLA Marketing & Operations Summit
Episode 24 - Industry loses in immigration conversation, AGAIN
Episode 23: Silver lining emerges for employers as dysfunction clouds DC
Episode 22: High stakes debate over minimum wage report rattles labor groups
Episode 21: New scheduling mandate could have national impact
Episode 20: The minimum wage report that “broke” the internet
Episode 19: Emboldened GOP heads toward Obamacare repeal vote
Episode 18: Bipartisan federal paid leave policy emerges
Episode 17: Firehouse CEO Don Fox's competitive advantage
Episode 16: Labor shortage disrupts policy and politics
Episode 15: Key wins for business operators start the summer
Episode 14: Big city push for menu labeling enforcement ahead of fed requirement
Episode 13: Big Businesses Seek Federal Preemption on Paid Leave
Episode 12: Health politics: Trumpcare, menu labeling and sugar taxes
Episode 11: 100 days of POTUS Trump for Restaurants
Episode 10: Servers protest to save tipped wages
Episode 9: Immigration crackdown impacts restaurants
Episode 8: Puzder's back while Carl's Jr. explodes old image
Episode 7: New Facebook Option Links Brands and Activists to Lawmakers
Episode 6: Cracker Barrel Versus the Internet
Episode 5: Restrictive Scheduling and The Final Four
Episode 4: GOP Healthcare & Preemption Challenges
Episode 3 - "Ivankaleave"
Episode 2 - Red on Red
Episode 1: Puzder Out, Acosta In