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Starbucks and the National Labor Relations Board faced off Tuesday at the U.S. Supreme Court hearing of Starbucks vs. McKinney, which will determine the scope of the National Labor Relations Board’s power in stepping in to resolve labor disputes. Starbucks argued before the Supreme Court against a previous district court order that had ordered the coffee chain to reinstate seven previously fired workers in Memphis, Tenn., who were terminated in 2022 during an attempt to unionize the store.
According to the legal representation for Starbucks, the highest court in the land should reconsider the district court decision in part because the NLRB’s request for a temporary injunction was approved on the grounds of a two-factor test, even though other circuit courts use a more rigorous four-factor test to determine if the injunction will be granted.
Bankruptcy filings, no matter the industry, are the result of a thousand cuts.
This month has produced filings and rumors of more to come in the pandemic-shaken restaurant industry.
Maitland, Fla.-based Tijuana Flats Restaurants filed for Chapter 11 protection in the Florida Middle District Bankruptcy Court after closing a total of 40 restaurants this year, 11 of them last week.
And, while Tijuana Flats is in the fast-casual segment, North Aurora, Ill.-based Oberweis Dairy filed April 12 for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization at the 43-unit dairy and retail concept.
And Bloomberg reported April 16 that Orlando, Fla.-based Red Lobster, a stalwart in the casual-dining segment, was talking with experts about a possible bankruptcy filing. The company named Jonathan Tibus, known for his restructuring expertise, as CEO in late March.
Senior editor Ron Ruggless helps us make sense of it all.
Who has power in the restaurant industry? What does power really mean when it relates to one of the largest industries in the country, one that employs more than 12 million Americans this year and will achieve roughly $1 trillion in annual sales?
The answer is always shifting, and Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Power List has evolved alongside it, recognizing everyone from chief executives to tech entrepreneurs to general managers. This year, though, a clue can be found in the official definition of power: “possession of control, authority, or influence over others,” according to Merriam-Webster.
Influence. With influence comes power, and increasingly a horde of social-media users are gaining power by capturing consumers’ attention and driving their purchasing decisions.