FEDERAL COURT REAFFIRMS 80/20 RULE FOR DETERMINING SERVER PAY

Source: https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/ By Peter Romeo Jan. 14, 2019 A U.S. court has upended the new federal standard for determining when restaurants can count tips toward servers’ wages, reopening the door to employee litigation pivoting on the so-called 80/20 rule. Under the 80/20 standard, which the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) essentially scuttled in November, restaurants…

Wine and Spirits Distributors of Illinois Appoints Jeremy Kruidenier to serve as General Counsel

Appointment complements Kruidenier’s current role as WSDI Vice Executive Director Source: Res Publica January 3, 2019 Wine and Spirits Distributors of Illinois announced today it has appointed Jeremy Kruidenier, Vice Executive Director of WSDI, to also serve as General Counsel to the executive leadership team. In this expanded role, Kruidenier will continue to lobby and…

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Appoints John Acott to Vice President — General Market of Illinois

Source: https://www.winebusiness.com/ January 02, 2019 Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (“Southern Glazer’s”)- the world’s pre-eminent distributor of beverage alcohol-today announced that it has appointed John Acott to the position of Vice President – General Market of Southern Glazer’s Illinois. In this role, Mr. Acott will oversee sales for the Chicagoland Wine and Spirits General Market,…

Utah: This skier spends up to $15K to bring his family to Utah for Christmas. He says with the new tough drunken driving law, he won’t be back next year.

Source: https://www.sltrib.com/ By Courtney Tanner January 2, 2019 Snowbird Resort . Michael Donoghue has vacationed in Utah to ski and snowboard for the past three Christmases. Next year, though, he doesn’t plan on coming back here. He might go to Sun Valley in Idaho instead. Or maybe Mammoth Mountain in California, about a five-hour drive…

For Teens: Vaping Up, Opioid and Alcohol Use Down

Source: https://www.webmd.com/ By Dennis Thompson December 17th Vaping among American teenagers increased dramatically in 2018, with nearly two of every five high school seniors reporting they’ve tried an e-cigarette during the past year, a new survey reveals. There was a bit of good news in the report, with teens reporting decreased use of alcohol, tobacco…

Beer distributor fined in pay-to-play case

Elgin Beverage negotiated a $325,000 fine with federal regulators who say the Bartlett firm improperly paid retailers, seeking preferred placement of its products. Source: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/ H. Lee Murphy December 13, 2018 Elgin Beverage, a Bartlett-based beer distributor, has been fined by federal authorities for making improper payments to retail accounts seeking preferred placement of its…