What’s with the Pineapple?

Things are getting weird and we aren’t just talking about the three month hiatus of What’s with the Pineapple. Justin and Emily kick things off celebrating National Slap Your Coworker Day (HR would like a word) and their Halloween costumes of choice. The pair dives into McDonald's unexpected political spotlight, Massachusetts giving Michigan a master class in common sense on tip credit, the cage-free egg law scrambling industry preparations for 2025, and Michigan hotels earning their Michelin Keys. Speaking of industry excellence, congratulations are in order for a long list of plaudits covering every corner of the mitten. Breaking records (on the) left and right, political strategists Adrian Hemond and John Selleck make their three-peat appearance in the second half of the episode to break down Michigan's role as the ultimate battleground state. The powerhouse pair lay out the stakes for the presidential, senate, and congressional races while attempting to untangle Michigan's increasingly complex political web. As promised in the title, the weirdness gets profound: from tip credit to turnout, demographics to Doritos, and the very real possibility of a deadlocked legislature in 2025. This episode covers what the hospitality industry needs to know as Michigan heads into what could be its weirdest election yet. Who will be given their flowers in November? Less than two weeks left. 

You may be feeling the need for a “sleepcation” at this point in the summer, but you don’t want to sleep on this episode. The MRLA’s Content Room is breaking records with the most in-person contributors as Justin, Emily, Johnny Mac and Producer Joe circle up to deep dive, evaluate, analyze and argue about season three of The Bear while sporting matching BERF t-shirts. Before the arguments start, the group volleys topics back and forth from hotel must-haves, the relevance of the Olympics, Matty Matheson (also known as Fak) coming to Michigan, and some subtle shade (again) towards Ohio. The group also discusses successes with the budget for Pure Michigan – referred to as a legislative symphony – and short-term rentals regulation developments. One non-negotiable on this podcast: no one is going to completely agree about anything but it will always be an environment that encourages razzle dazzle in the dream weave.Presented by the MRL Fund. Find more information at mrla.org/mrl-fund.html

Grace Keros, co-owner of American Coney Island, joins What’s with the Pineapple and not just for a call-in interview. In true Grace-level of dedication she joins Justin and Emily in-person for all of the segments to add an operator perspective and, well, some tell-it-like-it-is truth. The three talk about the prospect of Michigan losing the tip credit – better referred to as careening off a cliff into the abyss – a new app that allows restaurants to sell leftover food instead of throwing it out and the new City of Detroit health inspection color coding ordinance and way more before getting into Grace’s story. As a family-owned business since 1917 and a Detroit staple, Grace talks about her family story, what makes American Coney stand out, her innovation into Coney Kits, and relives the NFL Draft experience. Justin and Grace are also both confused and concerned for the future of America after Emily illuminates the concept of coastal grandma aesthetic. Grab a coney and listen in!

Today’s episode is a true fruit salad of topics as Justin and Emily talk about the upcoming National Restaurant Show, the new season of The Bear, chocolate chip cookie preference, and proposed smoking fee laws. Emily also finally finds her platform to vent about the state of construction in Michigan. (Hint: she’s angry). As the cherry on top, Kat Paye who eats, sleeps, works and lives all things cherries as the Executive Director of the National Cherry Festival, joins the podcast. She shares what to expect in Traverse City next month, how restaurants can incorporate more cherries into their dishes, and the other events that support the foundation! To learn more and plan your experience, visit https://www.cherryfestival.org. Presented by the MRL Fund. Find more information at mrla.org/mrl-fund.html.

After a short break, What’s with the Pineapple is back on the saddle. There are a lot of new regulations, or landmines, on the horizon for the hospitality industry and luckily we have Mickey Chichester with Littler, the MRLA Legal Center partner that specializes in labor and employment law. Mickey is here to help listeners navigate the new overtime rule, how to start preparing for the July 1 change, the ban on non-compete agreements, and the new test for independent contractor classifications. Beyond Mickey’s irreplaceable expertise, Justin and Emily are being outshined this week as they welcome a third host to the show. Everyone, meet Rodney. The new co-host helps the host recap the NFL Draft, discuss the growth of hotels in the U.S., talk about the new (celebrity) Board Member targets (hint: Mom’s Spaghetti), and provide updates on the budget placeholders including Pure Michigan funding for 2025.

The world’s first-ever CVB, Visit Detroit, is reporting into the game and joining today’s episode to talk about the NFL Draft coming to town in just a few weeks. As the city prepares for hundreds of thousands of visitors and a tourism-funded boost to Michigan’s economy, Claude and Chris are here for the assist to discuss what operators can expect, how they can best prepare, and how a touchdown success sets the stage for more largescale events to come to town. Did someone say NBA All Star Game? Well, Justin did and he’s laser focused on making that happen. In a new tradition enjoyed pretty much exclusively by the hosts, Justin and Emily talk national day-of holidays (vegan corndogs, anyone?), throw shade at Ohio (technically the moon is throwing the shade), swipe left on MasterCard and Visa temporary swipe fee reduction, and set an ominous tone for the preparation on what’s to come for Michigan’s tip credit. Listeners are finally getting what they’ve been demanding too: a full review of the Starbucks Oleato coffee.  Presented by Fahey, Schultz, Burzych, Rhodes PLDC. Find more information at https://fsbrlaw.com/.

There’s a lot to celebrate on this episode: Women’s History Month, Pi(e) Day, National Potato Chip Day, Producer Joe being back for the first time this year… and he’s engaged! Justin and Emily also celebrate International Women’s Day by welcoming Katy McBrady, President of Atwater Brewery, to discuss the second annual limited time launch of Ping Gang IPA which is a woman-powered brew crafted to celebrate the hard-working women in Michigan. The three also talk about how Katy’s career brought her back to Michigan from Southern California, her insight on the next generation of drinkers and the perfect Double IPA to have in hand. After discovering differences in chip and pie preferences, the hosts talk non-alcoholic drink trends in Detroit, Zoup’s rebrand, the new Independent Contractor Rule and Joint-Employer updates.Presented by Fahey, Schultz, Burzych, Rhodes PLDC. Find more information at https://fsbrlaw.com/.

This episode hits different… as Justin and Emily assume the kids of today would say. Brad Keen, Chief Operating Officer of Boyne Resorts, joins the call today to talk about his career climb from line cook internship at Boyne Highlands to his role today overseeing five full-service, four-season resorts. The three reminisce on the pathway to merging lodging into the association and Brad’s leadership in his two orbits through the executive track at the MRLA to serve as Chair in 2013 and 2017. Brad shares his insights on the impacts of Pure Michigan, his approach to retaining a strong workforce and even the magic (read: science) behind snowmaking. Before hitting the slopes, Emily tries to convince Justin that Leap Day should get more attention, the two do a deep dive analysis of the National Restaurant Association’s State of the Industry Report, and update listeners on new H2B Visa proposals and how to take the Pure Michigan Pledge.Download NRA’s State of the Industry Report: https://bit.ly/3OZVNeXTake the Pure Michigan Pledge: themichiganalliance.org/pledgePresented by Fahey, Schultz, Burzych, Rhodes PLDC. Find more information at https://fsbrlaw.com/.

We’re back with a vengeance in today’s episode after our brief stint on Zoom. We kick off the show with an overview of the newly-formed Michigan Hospitality & Tourism Alliance assembling 11 of the state’s leading advocates for our industry to share a unified voice. The first all-call: $50 million for Pure Michigan funding. Your hosts also deep dive into the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act (HR 7024) and the state of the industry reports from our national partner associations, the National Restaurant Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, outlining themes of growth, competition, shifts in consumer behavior and more. We know you’ve been wondering Starbucks’ olive oil-infused coffee since it was mentioned a year ago and we have that update for you! HR complaints are filed due to not getting Team MRLA into Miles Teller's recent visit to Crunchy's in East Lansing and we explore AHC Hospitality's expansion into the vibrant Muskegon market. All of that before welcoming industry titan Jeff Lobdell to delve into his remarkable journey from a bagel bakery and coffee shop to owning over 20 restaurants and 2 hotels. Jeff shares his vision for the National Restaurant Association as the newly elected Chairman for 2024, insights on fostering industry unity, and his passion for advocating for both his communities and fellow restaurant owners. Make yourself Jeff’s favorite cocktail, sit back and tune in! Presented by Fahey, Schultz, Burzych, Rhodes PLDC. Find more information at https://fsbrlaw.com/.Black Manhattan2 ounces of Old Forester Rye Whiskey1 dash of Angostura bitters1 ounce Punt e Mes vermouthOrange peel garnish 

To kick off the new year, Justin is carrying today’s episode just like the Detroit Lions are carrying Michigan (hopefully) to the Big Game as Emily calls in remotely from the ice storm. But nothing – not even awkward streaming lags – will stop them from getting a new episode to listeners! Main topics of discussion include restoring the roar at Ford Field and beyond as the hospitality industry benefits from a successful football season, population growth or lack thereof (again), Burger King franchisees not having it their way and more. The hosts also welcome back Franklin Coley of Align Public Strategies, a return guest all the way from the beginning, to talk about the what’s the horizon for 2024 with regulations, rules and other policy issues. Franklin breaks down labor organizing, tip credit elimination impacts, industry standards boards and beyond with a view from the national scope. What’s your new year’s resolution? Ours is more dad-jokes. Check out Align Public Strategies podcast, Working Lunch, at https://alignpublicstrategies.com/working-lunch-podcast/. Presented by Fahey, Schultz, Burzych, Rhodes PLDC. Find more information at https://fsbrlaw.com/.