McDonald’s Faces Wages Lawsuit in Wake of New Labor Laws on the Horizon

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Photo source : Joe Brusky/Flickr

We all know about the infamous lawsuit against McDonald’s about the hot coffee. Well now, the chain has a new lawsuit on it’s hands; this one regarding employee wages. It is no secret fast food employees have been demanding better pay and fighting for an increase in minimum wage. Now, one franchise owner in California is facing a federal lawsuit claiming he cheated his employees out of wages and overtime. The employees are claiming the franchise owner violated labor laws by not paying them minimum wage, failing to pay overtime, and incorrectly recording time cards. McDonald’s has agreed to settle the case for $3.75 million. However, this case is bringing a different subject to light besides the unlawful treatment of employees. By McDonalds settling the case, they are perhaps taking some responsibility for the conditions in which the franchise runs. A separate case has also emerged with the National Labor Relations Board arguing that McDonalds should be considered a joint employer. To read more about the case click here .

Williams-Sonoma Joins Meal-kit Business Competition

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Williams-Sonoma has partnered with San Francisco-based startup Sun Basket to offer organic, non-GMO meal kits. The meal kits will come bundled with Williams-Sonoma kitchen tools and will be at a slightly more expensive price point than the current market frontrunners Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. Sun Basket, which launched two years ago but only recently reached a national audience, is currently available in 86% of zip codes and hopes to reach 98% next year. The quickly growing meal-kit industry is expected to be worth $3 billion to $5 billion within the next 10 years. Whole Foods is also looking to capture market share in the meal-kit space; they are currently testing a meal-kit service called Purple Carrot at a store in Dedham, Massachusetts.

You can learn more about the growing meal-kit industry here.

Zagat Changes Scoring System in 2017 New York Guide

When Zagat’s New York Guidebook is published tomorrow, two things will be different: it will have a brighter cover, and the rating system will have changed. For more than 35 years, restaurants were graded on a scale from 1 to 30. However, starting tomorrow restaurants will be graded on a scale that runs from 1 to 5 and includes decimals. The spokeswoman for Zagat – now owned by Google – said that this change was made to make the system simpler to understand. What has not changed in the Zagat guide is the top rated restaurant; for the sixth year in a row, Le Bernadin will hold the top spot in the rankings with a 4.9 score.

You can read more about this change in the New York Times.