labor costs

The nation's worsening drug problem is spilling into restaurants, and that's not the only negative carryover from other realms. Overtime lawsuits are proliferating while new regulations are on hold. But there is some good news among the week's most noticeable developments.

Public comments on a proposal to allow tips to be shared with back-of-house staff have been plentiful and negative. There are also allegations the Department of Labor hid a damning projection of the rule change's impact on servers' income.