The Working Lunch

Hosted by Align Public Strategies

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401

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Jun 2026

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About the show

This weekly podcast comes from Align Public Strategies, a full-service public affairs and creative firm that helps corporate brands, governments and nonprofits navigate the outside world and inform their internal decision-making. #WorkingLunch #Align

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June 12, 20261 hr 0 min

Episode 405 - Industry Faces Significant Setback On Credit Card Relief

The industry has had a tough couple of weeks regarding its long-running feud with the banks and credit card companies coming up on the wrong end of a highly anticipated court decision and the veto pen. We’re joined once again by Dan Swanson, Counsel to the Merchants Payment Coalition to tell us what happened, why it happened, and more importantly, where do we go from here. And a few states held primary elections last week - most notably in California, Texas, Maine and Iowa. We take a look at the winners and losers and what it means for the industry. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

May 30, 20261 hr 7 min

Episode 404 - California Gubernatorial Election This Week Has Huge Consequences For The Industry

The primary election for Governor of California is next Tuesday and it's anyone's guess which two candidates will emerge to face off in November. We are joined by Nikki Laurenzo, the host and Executive Producer of Inside California Politics and the evening anchor of Fox40 News in Sacramento to give us the lay of the land and what we might expect from the results. And speaking of California, what ever happened to the Fast Food Council that captured so much industry attention not too long ago? It’s been fairly dormant this year but the pending election might spark its rebirth in 2027. We’ll discuss. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

May 13, 202650 min

Episode 403 - One Fair Wage Hearing the Chicago Blues

The industry got an unprecedented win in Colorado over the banking and credit card lobby with passage of legislation to prohibit interchange fees on sales taxes and tips. The bill is now on the governor's desk but its future is uncertain. If signed, could the momentum in this long-running battle have finally shifted? We’ll take a look. And the city of Chicago does a remarkable backtrack on its law eliminating the tip credit putting a two year freeze on further implementation. We’ll discuss how and why this happened and what impact it may have on the broader issue in other jurisdictions. And redistricting is at a fever pitch across the states as the US Supreme Court has effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act. What impact will this have in 2026 and beyond. We’ll discuss. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

April 30, 202651 min

Episode 402- Steak n’ Shake Goes Full In On MAGA & MAHA

Steak n’ Shake, never shy when it comes professing their admiration of the Trump Administration, upped the ante last week when it appointed a new Chief Make America Healthy Again Officer. We’ll discuss the political and policy impacts that this may have for other large brands as well as the industry itself. And the tough economy has emboldened the restaurant industry to enter into legislative frays that previously might have been seen as politically dangerous. But tough times call for tough measures and a new industry coalition is taking on the Administration on immigration as well as looking to lower - yes, lower - server wages in Denver. We’ll take a look. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

April 26, 20261 hr 19 min

Episode 401 - DoorDash Grandma Crashes Oval Office Meeting

To showcase his no tax on tips victory, President Trump leveraged Tax Day to have a “DoorDash Grandma” deliver McDonald’s right to the door of the Oval Office. Shamelessly staged event? Of course. Perfectly executed? Of course. We’ll discuss his ongoing infatuation with The Clown and his efforts to woo working class voters. And Ed Egee from the National Retail Federation stops by to discuss the legislative responses being floated by progressives to combat the "affordability gap” - namely Fair Share health proposals returning to the forefront. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

April 15, 202655 min

Episode 400 - New RFK Battle Brewing. The Secretary Turns His Focus To Plastics

Over the last week, RFK, Jr. and his MAHA movement have been all over the headlines. From his national road shows to his new attack on microplastics to his new podcast, he has become a one-man news cycle. We’ll discuss how the industry should be viewing these developments and hopefully getting ahead of these issues. And we’re only six months away from the mid-term elections so we’ll do a deep dive on the current political environment and try to forecast as best we can how things might shake out in November. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

April 8, 20261 hr 9 min

Episode 399 - Will Restaurants Ultimately Pick Up The Tab For Packaging Waste?

We sit down once again with the team from Washburn Consulting, advisors to many key industry brands and associations, and get an update on the state of play with regard to Extended Producer Responsibility. Michael Washburn and Chloe Kapanen will stop by to discuss new proposals in state capitols, ongoing rulemaking and compliance challenges throughout the states and even chat about pending litigation. And the NLRB surprised many observers this week by siding with the Amazon Workers Union and their Teamster sidekicks and ordering - yes ordering - the company to the bargaining table. Maybe the Melania movie didn’t get enough traction. We’ll discuss the interesting politics in play. And many in the industry are nervous about Sysco Foods and their acquisition of Restaurant Depot. We’ll talk about potential market shares, increased leverage over operators and whether the Federal Trade Commission should step in. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

March 30, 20261 hr 3 min

Episode 398 - Industry Impacted By Recent Labor Union Developments

There is a potential supply chain disruption looming for operators caused by a work stoppage at one of the largest beef processing plants in the country. We are joined by Phil Wilson, the CEO of the Labor Relations Institute, to help us understand not only what’s going on at the JB Swift plant in Greeley, Colorado but the overall union organizing environment relative to the restaurant industry. And One Fair Wage continues to lose battle after battle across the country and have set their sights on other issues outside of the industry. Are they done? Reevaluating? Or just waiting for a better environment for them? We’ll take a look. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

March 11, 202638 min

Episode 397 - RFK, Jr. Calls Out Individual Brands Over Sugary Beverages

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. took aim at two prominent restaurant brands last week – namely Dunkin and Starbucks - over the amount of sugar in some of their drink offerings. Recently he escalated a conversation over ultra-processed foods. Now it's over sugar. Who or what will be his target next time? We’ll take a look And what comes around, goes around. Fair Share healthcare legislation, largely dormant for a decade, has reared its head in Washington, California, Oregon and Colorado. Is this an anomaly or are we looking at the next big battle? We’ll discuss. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

February 27, 202638 min

Episode 396: Not Much on The Menu for Operators in State of the Union Address

The President delivered his State of The Union Address this week and outside of the predictable antics, was there anything substantive in there for restaurant operators? We’ll take a look And Washington state has rolled out a golden oldie, taking another run at “Fair Share” health legislation which is another way of saying per employee head tax. We’ll dive into what’s going with that bill and the potential for copycats in other states. And the streets of Minneapolis are much calmer now but has the local pushback on ICE abated as well? We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.