Continued push for ignition devices for DWI offenders

New York Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland), the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, will be introducing a bill next week that would push states to require the use of ignition interlock devices for a minimum of six months for all convicted drunk driving offenders. States would face a reduction in federal transportation funding if they do not change their laws by October 1, 2014.

Push for more scheduled health inspections and less surprise visits

The National Restaurant Association believes the FDA Food Code should support more scheduled health inspections by state agencies for foodservice establishments. (In New York, these would primarily be the County Health Departments and the State’s Agriculture and Markets Department.) Advocates argue that scheduled inspections, as opposed to surprise inspections, give restaurateurs and health inspectors more opportunities to work together to educate business owners and their employees to prevent problems.

Is Your Beer Menu Politically Correct?

We all hear that 1 in 4 people on earth is Chinese, but have you thought about how that impacts the beer market? Are you surprised to learn that the two most popular beers in the world are Snow Beer and Tsingtao, both Chinese brews?  Third place is Budweiser which sells about the same volume as China’s Yanjing. Rounding out the global top 10 are Bud Light, Corona Extra (Mexico), Skol (Africa and South America) Heinekin (Netherlands), Coors Light and Brahma (Brazil).

Despite declining beer preference, craft breweries continue to pop up

As of 2013, just 36 percent of Americans say they prefer beer (35 percent% prefer wine). Sales figures bear this out, revealing a decline in beer sales and an increase in sales of both wine and spirits over the past decade.

Should Cooks Be Tipped?

Amidst the national discussion about the wages of tipped employees, other restaurant employees are crying about wage inequality. Chefs argue that wage inequality in restaurants goes farther than just tipped employees. They point out that waiters in upscale restaurants are making far more than those in the kitchen who prepare the food. Other back of the house staff are similarly situated in positions that pay minimum wage. Some innovative restaurants have tries to eliminate tips entirely, going to a business model that pays full wages to employees and increases menu prices to include the labor costs in lieu of the traditional tipping convention.