The Working Lunch

In a historic first, San Francisco's city attorney has filed a lawsuit against some of the largest U.S. manufacturers of ultra-processed foods that he says have made Americans sick. Chiu argued the foods have created a health care crisis that has led to serious chronic diseases, which ultimately places a burden on U.S. cities. Chiu claimed the companies have copied the "addiction science and marketing techniques that filled the big tobacco playbook. Is this a harbinger of other lawsuits to come? We’ll take a look.And One Fair Wage unveiled new polling on Capitol Hill this week showing broad voter support for raising the federal minimum wage to at least $25/hr, underscoring how affordability and wage concerns are poised to shape the 2026 election cycle. We will dig into that as well.We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Well, it’s official - the last penny has come off the assembly line and has been assigned to the dustbin of history. But what about the millions of pennies still in circulation? How should consumers and operators alike be viewing this space? Is the nickel next? We’re joined by Sean Kennedy, EVP of Public Policy for the National Restaurant Association to help us sort it out and manage the expectations of operators going forward.And we have a special edition of the legislative scorecard with Mike Whatley of the National Restaurant Association as our guest host this week.

We are joined by Mike Whatley, Vice President of State Affairs & Grassroots Advocacy at the National Restaurant Association to analyze this week’s election results, what they mean for the industry, and what they mean for next year’s legislative agenda.And Big Food is in the news this week as a new coalition has been organized to push back against-state level MAHA copycat legislation and push the federal government for preemption over ingredient laws for manufacturers.We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Robby Starbuck - yes the very same Robby Starbuck that goes after corporate DEI programs -  is on the agenda this week at the Society of Human Resource Management’s big pow wow in Louisville and numerous corporate HR execs are boycotting the meeting all together. Is this an acquiescing to the MAGA universe or an opportunity for HR professionals to get it all out in the open. We’ll discuss. And this week, New Mexico will become the first state in the country to offer free universal child care. Will this impact the ability for new parents, particularly women to either stay or re-enter the workforce and reverse significant COVID-era losses? We’ll take a look. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Local residents and small business owners have begun pushing back on the Administration’s crackdowns on major American metros. This week, restaurant owners in Chicago began posting signs announcing that ICE agents were not welcome to dine in their eateries. We discuss the pros and cons of those actions and the likelihood that the industry could once again become a political football.And One Fair Wage has entered the political fray, officially establishing a political action committee to advance candidates endorsing high minimum wages and tip credit elimination. We’ll discuss what this means for local politics in big cities and for the industry.We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.