labor costs

D.C. restaurants reel from a triple dose of woes

By Peter Romeo on Nov. 16, 2023

Eating places are closing at the rate of one per week because of the one-two-three combination.

D.C.'s Clyde's group is sued for charging a service fee

By Peter Romeo on Nov. 09, 2023

A travelers' advocacy group is accusing the multiconcept operation of violating truth-in-pricing rules and wants the surcharge dropped.

Workforce

California's wage law could pave the way for $18 Big Macs

By Peter Romeo on Nov. 06, 2023

Working Lunch: A McDonald's in Connecticut is already charging that much for a combo featuring the signature sandwich. Might that become the threshold in the industry's largest restaurant market?

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Food

Want to power menu profits? Take a hard look at your recipes

By Patricia Cobe on Oct. 26, 2023

Recipe documentation is key to menu profitability. It factors ingredients, labor, yields and waste into pricing. Food costs alone no longer cut it.

Operations

FTC looks at regulating restaurant service fees, delivery charges

By Peter Romeo on Oct. 11, 2023

The regulatory agency is seeking another round of public comment on what rules should be adopted to combat "junk fees."

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Emerging Brands

With the tip credit disappearing, this fine-dining chef sees a more fast-casual future

By Lisa Jennings on Oct. 10, 2023

Matt Baker of the full-service Gravitas in Washington, D.C. is stepping on the gas to grow his limited-service Baker's Daughter, an upscale bakery-cafe.

Workforce

The Biden administration wants to raise the threshold for overtime pay

By Peter Romeo on Aug. 30, 2023

The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing to make salaried employees making less than $55,068 eligible for overtime pay, up from $38,568. The threshold would change every three years.

Workforce

What restaurants can expect under California's resurrected plan for setting restaurant wages

By Peter Romeo on Jul. 21, 2023

Working Lunch: The Industrial Welfare Commission has until October 2024 to issue its recommendations for changing pay within specific trades. Here's how that process will work.

Workforce