Joanna Fantozzi - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 12

5 min

Why Virtual Dining Concepts and Blackbird Labs have entered the food tech solutions space for the first time

📈 Global restaurant digitization market expected to reach $29.6 billion by 2032. Virtual Dining Concepts introduces Linked Eats, a suite with 12 tech tools for real-time analytics. Blackbird Labs, backed by American Express, launches Blackbird Pay, a Web3 restaurant rewards app and payments platform. Despite numerous SaaS solutions, one in five operators feel overwhelmed by tech stack choices. New entrants continue to innovate, leveraging AI and data analysis to create niche software solutions for internal and market needs.

3 min

Rainbow Cone is expanding nationally for the first time after almost a century in business

🍦 Founded in 1926 in Chicago, The Original Rainbow Cone, known for its five-layered ice cream cone, was purchased by Buona Beef in 2018. By summer 2022, they began franchising, expanding to 21 locations with 30 more units in development. Their first out-of-state venture opened in Valparaiso, Ind., in May. A deal was signed to open 10 dual-branded locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The brand targets smart growth, focusing on local market knowledge and customer service values.

3 min

California Supreme Court upholds classification of delivery drivers as independent contractors

💸 The California Supreme Court unanimously upheld Proposition 22, which classifies drivers for companies like Uber and DoorDash as contractors, not employees. The decision, confirming a previous appeals court ruling, maintains the outcome of the $200 million lobbying effort by delivery apps for the bill passed in November 2020. This follows the AB5 bill, effective January 1, 2020, which aimed to consider such drivers as employees. Critics argue this contractor status denies drivers employee benefits, while proponents cite work flexibility. The recent ruling is seen as the final say after over four years of legal battles.

2 min

Lawmakers want to create a federal food safety agency

🍝 U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Rosa DeLauro introduced legislation to establish the Federal Food Administration, transferring food safety oversight from FDA. Hazel Analytics data from 2023 shows increased food safety violations post-pandemic. In 2022, the CDC reported a rise in consumer risk to foodborne illnesses. The new agency would include FDA's current food programs and operate under the Department of Health and Human Services. The initiative aims to prevent illness and death from contaminated food.

3 min

Here’s what the Republicans’ ‘no tax on tips’ proposal could mean for restaurant workers

💸 Sen. Ted Cruz and others introduced the “No Tax on Tips Act,” exempting cash tips from federal income tax starting in 2025. President Trump, at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, endorsed the act, citing a Nevada server's complaint about tax on tips. This act could impact restaurant industry employees, as tips comprise 71% of their minimum wage. Critics argue that about half of tipped workers don't earn enough to pay federal income taxes, and the act doesn't exempt employer payroll taxes or state taxes on tips.

2 min

The National Labor Relations Board dropped its appeal of the joint employer ruling

📌 The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) withdrew its appeal of a federal judge's ruling against the broadened joint employer rule in May. The rule, expanded last fall and struck down by multiple government branches, could have held franchisees and franchisors equally liable for labor terms. The NLRB still supports the legality of the rule despite the blocked appeal, which leaves the possibility of a future challenge open.

2 min

President Biden wants to phase out single-use plastics by the federal government

This article was written by Restaurant Hospitality. Click here to read the original article The Biden- Harris administration announced that it will be phasing out single-use plastics by the federal…

3 min

By Chloe founder Chloe Coscarelli opens a new restaurant years after forced exit from her company

🍳 Chef Chloe Coscarelli, formerly of By Chloe, is opening a new vegan restaurant, CHLOE, in New York City at 185 Bleecker St., Greenwich Village. By Chloe began in 2014, but after a 2017 legal dispute with ESquared Hospitality and CEO James Haber, Coscarelli was forced out. By Chloe filed for bankruptcy in December 2020, was acquired and renamed Beatnic in 2021, and sold again to Inday in December 2023. CHLOE offers vegan classics and operates Tuesday-Sunday, noon to 9 p.m.

2 min

The Ohio tip credit continues as the $15 minimum wage movement dies

💸 One Fair Wage's initiative to raise Ohio's minimum wage to $15 and eliminate the tip credit failed to secure enough signatures for the November ballot. The constitutional amendment proposed a minimum wage increase to $12.75 by January 1, 2025, and $15 by January 1, 2026. Tip credit, which allows payment below the minimum wage to tipped workers, is a divisive issue. As of 2024, seven states and cities like Chicago and Washington, D.C., have abolished it. A survey revealed 91% of tipped workers in Ohio are satisfied with the current system.

3 min

How Michelin-recommended Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings became an emerging East Coast restaurant brand

🍣 Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, after being a single-location, Michelin-recommended eatery in Flushing, Queens for 16 years, has expanded to 11 locations, including markets outside New York City like Boston and Philadelphia. Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, they adapted their soup dumpling recipe for freezing and distribution. The brand offers full-service and express restaurants, with sizes of 1,200-1,500 square feet for express outlets. They launched an app for ordering and promotions, and have begun franchising, with the first franchise in Boston and others underway in Houston and North Carolina. They aim to reach every major U.S. city. A commissary in New Jersey was established to maintain dumpling quality for all locations.

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