Are foodservice operators being asked to foot the bill for years of municipal neglect? That’s what Halifax, New Scotia, restaurateurs, and the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association are claiming.The CRFA is appealing to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board to reject a proposed hike to water rates that would hit the region’s restaurants with…

Hundreds of foodservice workers and supporters protested in New York City and other cities on April 4 outside restaurants to demand higher wages. Demonstrators, chanting “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Minimum wage has got to go,” voiced demands that quick-service restaurants pay $15 per hour, almost double the current hourly average of $8.25. New York City…

A bipartisan bill introduced in Congress April 10 would reform the Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires that large quantities of corn be diverted for use in the production of corn-based ethanol. Opponents of the standard argue that the government’s policy of fostering the use of corn, the chief ingredient in U.S. livestock feed, as a…

Speakers of a distinctly political hue are in the spotlight at the National Restaurant Association’s 27th annual Public Affairs Conference in two weeks. The April 17-18 conference in Washington, D.C., will see more than 500 restaurateurs from across the country convene for presentations from U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy, majority whip of the U.S. House, as…

Operators in the country’s most populous state can get a close-up look this month at implementing the nation’s ongoing healthcare reform. “Health Care 201: Implementing the Affordable Care Act,” is going on the road this month, courtesy of the California Restaurant Association Legal Center. The CRA presentation will tour California with a line-up of national,…

More comprehensive menu labeling is on the legislative docket in Nevada. A bill has been introduced in the state legislature that would require eateries with 10 or more locations to post nutritional information in a conspicuous place. Under the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration already is crafting regulations requiring restaurant chains…

It looks like it’s going to be a while until chain operators have to follow the mandate to post calorie counts on their menus. The Food and Drug Administration says it’s finding the task of writing up menu-labeling regulations to be a very tricky one. The requirement to include calorie counts on menus and in…

The New York City bill banning supersized sugary drinks might have gone down to judicial defeat last week, but the state court ruling was only the tip of the iceberg in an attempt at reining in government interference in the foodservice industry. The Mississippi Legislature has passed a bill stating any law that might restrict…

Menu labeling, healthcare regulations and food costs are among the top issues that the National Restaurant Association’s newly launched Pizzeria Industry Council will bring to the discussion table. The group is modeled after the association’s Fast Casual Industry Council, established in 2009. Both councils address priority issues for their specific industry segments and underscore the…

On the last day of January, six months after the Chicago City Council legalized cooking onboard food trucks, the city issued its first license for on-site food prep and cooking. The city has been under fire from food truck operators and prospective customers for its lengthy and contentious approach to curbside, mobile foodservice. It took…