Recap of July 14, 2023: Guy Fieri vs Trump UFC Title Card, Restaurant Service Fees, The Bear Emmy Nominations

Welcome to Restaurant News Roundup, your go-to source for the latest updates and happenings in the restaurant industry. In this special recap article we roundup stories on guacamole robots at Chipotle, cuts to SNAP benefits, Waffle House strike, AI in Restaurants, Ben & Jerry’s 4th of July tweet, and more. Our mission is to bring you a rapid-fire of the ten top stories covered in under ten minutes. We strive to keep restaurant professionals informed of the current affairs of the industry.

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1. Trump’s encounter with Guy Fieri at UFC fight sparks mixed reactions by Oliver O’Connell - The Independent 

Donald Trump photographed shaking hands and speaking with celebrity chef Guy Fieri at a UFC event in Las Vegas. Guy Fieri has long been able to stay fairly apolitical. Is that still the case? Trump supporters saying that it made them respect Fieri more. Detractors of Trump criticized the meeting, with some saying that it ruined Fieri's reputation. And some just found it amusing, with memes about the two men's going viral. 

Quote: "Trump in Flavor Town" - Benny Johnson, Turning Point USA chief creative officer, in a Twitter post about the meeting.

Question: Does this hurt or help Guy Fieri within the restaurant industry?

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2. Leveraging AI, RestoGPT Builds Restaurants Online Ordering Storefronts in a Flash by Bernadette Heier - Food on Demand

RestoGPT by Orderbyte is an AI automation platform founded by father-son duo Gary and Vincent Chaglasyan. Orderbyte automatically processes online orders across sales channels in one screen, and assigns on-demand delivery to drivers while integrating with third-party APIs and point-of-sale systems. RestoGPT can generate an online ordering storefront within two hours, providing all the necessary back-end tools, including built-in payment processing, menu management, marketing tools, customer reviews and an AI order delivery manager.

Quote: "AI is making it easier for restaurants to sell food online, and this is a trend that is only going to continue in the future."

Question: How is your restaurant currently utilizing AI? Or are you not adopting the new technology?

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3. DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats Sue New York City Over Minimum Delivery Pay Increase by Aneurin Canham-Clyne - Restaurant Dive

Judge grants temporary injunction against NYC delivery driver pay rule. The wage rule requires delivery firms to pay workers $19.96 an hour by 2025, the latest development in regulatory battles between aggregators and the city. 

Quote: "The delivery companies argue that the law is unfair and will hurt their businesses. They say that the law will force them to raise prices, which will lead to fewer customers."

Question: Will the Third-Party Food Delivery platforms have to raise their fees if these regulations go through?

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4. Tyson Drops 'No Antibiotics Ever' Labeling on Chicken Products Due to Resistance by Chris Casey - Food Dive

Tyson Foods, the largest chicken producer in the world, says that it is doing this because the labeling is no longer accurate as some antibiotics will be used in its chicken, but only to treat sick animals. The decision comes amid calls for greater transparency in the poultry sector, after last year's highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. The outbreak led to the culling of nearly 60 million flocks, and it raised concerns about the use of antibiotics in poultry production.

Quote: "We believe this is the best way to ensure the health and well-being of our chickens and the people who eat them."

Question: Do you think it is important for chicken products to be "No Antibiotics Ever"?

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5. Ben & Jerry's customers call for boycott after woke ice cream maker's July 4th message demanding the US return 'stolen indigenous land' starting with Mount Rushmore to the Lakota by Stephen M. Lepore - Daily Mail

Quote: "This 4th of July, it's high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it,"

The tweet sparked immediate backlash from many who accused Ben & Jerry's of being anti-American and of disrespecting the country's founding fathers. Further criticism has come citing that Ben & Jerry’s own headquarters is on native lands. Praises have come from Native American groups and other liberal organizations referring to the company's willingness to speak truth to power. 

Question: What are the advantages or disadvantages of food companies making political statements?

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6. Death by a Thousand Service Fees by Amy McCarthy - Eater

Service Fees, Extra Charges, and Tipping are Confusing customer’s on what their meal actually costs. Sticker shock from Restaurant Bills has become an issue for consumers. Many like restaurateur Danny Meyer and Chef Corey Lee have strong opinions on the matter. Does this mean federal laws regulating service fees need to be in acted? Amy McCarthy argues that Restaurants should be more transparent about how they use service fees, and customers should be aware of how these fees are used.

Quote: "Restaurants are one of the only industries in which customers are responsible for ensuring that all workers in an establishment are paid a fair wage at all."

Question: Are service fees the answer for higher costs, tight margin and a need for employee benefits?

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7. Waffle House employees in South Carolina go on strike over dangerous working conditions by Joanna Fantozzi - Nation’s Restaurant News

A Waffle House restaurant in Columbia, S.C. supported by the Union of Southern Service Workers is demanding higher pay, better working conditions, and fairer scheduling. Waffle House has declined to address the strikers' demands directly. The strike is part of a growing movement of restaurant workers organizing to demand better treatment from their

Quote: "We are working for scraps and pennies," Waffle House server Naomi Harris told The Post and Courier. "We can barely buy the basic necessities that we need to live off of, we can barely take care of ourselves."

Question: How many employees are needed for an official “strike” to take place?

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8. SNAP Cuts: What Drastic Measures Are People Taking After $23B Reduction? by Josephine Nesbit - Yahoo Finance

Summary: The SNAP Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits boost that was put in place during the pandemic has expired, resulting in an annual $23 billion reduction in food and beverage aid. SNAP participants are taking drastic measures to make ends meet, including reducing their spending on non-food items and turning to fast food and junk food options.

Quote: "Over the coming months, SNAP households may reduce their discretionary spending more than they have to date to free up dollars for food and beverage purchases," said Alastair Steel, executive of client engagement at Circana. "The SNAP benefits cuts are still likely to impact food and beverage spending for these consumers in the months ahead."

Question: Does this help the big food corporations by driving poor people to have to consume more cheap and low quality foods just to survive?

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9. Chipotle tests robot that can prepare avocados to make guacamole faster by Amelia Lucas - CNBC

Chipotle has developed a robot called Autocado that can cut, core, and peel avocados used in its guacamole. The robot could cut the prep time in half and save the company millions of dollars on avocados annually. Chipotle is also testing out other automation technology, such as Chippy, an autonomous tortilla chip maker. Robots have been touted for improving worker safety by reducing the risk of injuries from tasks such as knifework. 

Quote: "Preparing avocados for guacamole routinely ranks as one of employees' least favorite tasks," said Chipotle CTO Curt Garner. "It's also one of the most dangerous duties in Chipotle kitchens, sometimes resulting in knife injuries."

Question: Is Chipotle's use of robots in the kitchen a sign of things to come for BOH labor?

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10. The Bear Breaks Through with 13 Emmy Nominations for Season 1 by Stacy Lambe‍ - ET Online

The Bear, has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Leading Actor in a Comedy Series for Jeremy Allen White, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Ayo Edebiri, and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Ebon Moss-Bachrach, as well as nods for Jon Bernrhal and Oliver Platt. 

Quote: "The Bear is a show that has captured the hearts of critics and audiences alike," said FX Entertainment President Eric Schrier. "We're thrilled that the Television Academy has recognized the incredible talent of this cast and crew, and we can't wait to see what they do next."

Question: Are the nominations deserved? Any snubs? Why is The Bear categorized as a Comedy, not a Drama?

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Thanks for joining us for this week's recap from Restaurant News Roundup. We hope these summaries keep you informed about the latest industry updates. Remember to follow along with our fast-paced show every week, where we deliver ten stories in under ten minutes. Fridays at 8am EST on Best Served Podcast Facebook and YouTube pages.