Latest / Restaurant Business with Fexingo: Food Service, Hospitality, and Independent Operators
Inside the Restaurant Unionization Wave of 2026
Lucas and Luna dive into the surge of union organizing at fast-casual and independent restaurants in 2026. Lucas walks through the data: union election petitions at food service companies are up 42% year-over-year so far in 2026, according to National Labor Relations Board filings. They focus on the recent campaign at a 12-unit Portland ramen group, where workers voted 87 to 34 to join a local affiliate of the Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union. Lucas breaks down the economics—how wage floors, tip pooling, and scheduling rules change the unit-level P&L. Luna challenges whether the model works…
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