Every week we’re rounding up some of our favorite articles with trends and tidbits from the world of restaurants. Tell us: what made your reading list this week?
Outdoor Dining Has Become a New Lifeline for Struggling Restaurants. Here’s How They’re Making It Work – Los Angeles Times
Early this month, Los Angeles restaurants were permitted to create new seating areas on sidewalks, in alleys, and in streets. From patio constructions and courtyards to parking lot shrimp boils, learn how chefs and operators are getting creative with space to keep serving guests.
James Beard Employees Demand More Diversity in Leadership, Salary Transparency in Internal Letter – Eater
A group of anonymous employees from the Beard Foundation asked its leadership to “take real action and institute lasting proactive change,” starting with these five demands: diversify the senior leadership team; diversity the board of trustees; incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion goals into events and programs; offer full salary transparency with a roadmap for merit-based growth; and hire a an HR representative focused on community culture.
The Pandemic Could End the Age of Midpriced Dining – The New York Times
In Melbourne, Australia, restaurants navigating the coronavirus pandemic have adopted to-go menus and delivery models as well as pricey tasting-menu formats, finding the extremes more profitable than the middle ground. Can upscale casual, midpriced dining survive COVID-19?
Who Gets to Take Credit for Recipes? – Plate
Plate editor Chandra Ram weighs in on the debate over recipe ownership, citing the recent controversy at Los Angeles’ Sqirl as a case in point. Asking whether individual restaurants, chefs, or line cooks should be credited, she writes, “I have a tremendous amount of respect for leaders who share the spotlight and credit with their team.”
Striving Toward Purpose – Gravy
Writer and restaurateur Patric Kuh describes fulfilling takeout orders at the steakhouse where he worked as General Manager in the early days of the pandemic, contrasting “the practical and the lyrical roles of restaurants.” When the work demands efficiency and cost control on one hand, and hospitality and community on the other, what’s the future of the business?
