restaurant bars

Who Would’ve Thought This NJ County Had So Many Restaurants To Try

MOUNT HOLLY —  Burlington Restaurant Week returns this summer, slated to become the county’s biggest business promotion yet, according to the Burlington County Commissioners and New Jersey Senator Troy Singleton.

Restaurant Week will kick off Sunday, Aug. 14, and continue through Saturday, Aug. 20.Many participating restaurants will have special offers, fixed-priced meals, and other discounts throughout the week, as well as some special menu items.

Restaurant Week is a way to help promote the county’s food establishments and their employees while showcasing their menus, dishes, and specialties.

“Close to 50 restaurants participated in our third Restaurant Week last year, making it one of our biggest business promotions,” said Burlington County Commissioner Director Dan O’Connell.

This year, he hopes to build on that success and make the fourth Restaurant Week even bigger and better with more restaurants participating. He said it’s important to help these establishments continue to rebound from the challenges they faced the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Restaurants are places where friends and family come together to enjoy great food and company, and by patronizing them, we help support our own neighbors, friends, and communities,” said Singleton.

Interested restaurants should complete an online form seeking basic information and any specials or discounts they plan to offer during that week in August.The form is available here.

All participating restaurants will receive table cards and posters highlighting the event. They will also be highlighted on the county’s social media platforms and the Burlington County website. An interactive map will also display those restaurants.

For a full list of participating restaurants, visit the Burlington County Restaurant Week website at http://www.Co.Burlington.Nj.Us/1844/Restaurant-Week-2022.

Come hungry!

Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at jennifer.Ursillo@townsquaremedia.Com

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Franchisee Of Several Lehigh Valley Wendy’s Restaurants Violated Child Labor Laws, Feds Say

A Wendy’s franchisee has been fined more than $15,000 for violations of child labor and safety laws in five restaurants in Lehigh Valley and Pottstown, the U.S. Department of Labor reports.

The franchisee allowed 14- and 15-year-olds to work more than 18 hours a week, more than three hours on a school day and more than eight hours on a non-school day, the department said Tuesday in a news release. The franchisee “endangered minor-aged workers” by allowing 15-year-olds to manually place and remove fry baskets, the department said Tuesday in a news release.

By law, 14- and 15-years-olds can only operate deep fryers that automatically raise and lower the baskets, the department said. They can only can only work specific limited hours, according to federal child labor regulations, the department said.

The investigation was handled by the department’s Wage and Hour Division, the new release said.

The franchisee of the targeted Wendy’s restaurants in the Easton area, Allentown, Whitehall Township and Pottstown is listed as “Philly LIV Bacon LLC and three other corporations” in the news release. The franchisee has agree to “take corrective action” at all 83 of its restaurants in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, the department said.

The franchisee has already paid the $15,449 in civil penalties, the department said.

The “employers” are working with the department to “initiate an enterprise-wide review of the workplace practices at all of their 83 Wendy’s locations” in the three states, the news release said.

The four corporations have agree to do the following to avoid violating child labor laws in the future, the department said:

Training supervisors and managers on child labor requirements

Providing child labor publications to all current and new workers under age 18

Establishing an internal number that allows workers to report child labor violations anonymously

Providing workers under the age of 16 with a different color name tag than those worn by older workers

Posting information about child labor hours’ limitations in a conspicuous place.

Placing signage on equipment that 14- and 15-year-old workers are prohibited to use.

Posting a “STOP” sticker on all equipment the department considers hazardous for use by minors.

“Employing young workers offers valuable work experience and that experience should never come at the expense of their safety or education,” said Wilkes-Barre based Wage and Hour Division District Director Alfonso Gristina. “The actions taken by Philly LIV Bacon LLC will help ensure minors they employ gain the benefits of real-life work experience without putting them at risk.”

A phone number for Philly LIV Bacon LLC was not immediately available. A Wendy’s spokesperson did not immediate return emails seeking information on the franchisee and possible comment. A department spokeswoman said she would pass on a request for more information to the “appropriate contact at the franchise organization.”

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How Restaurants Are Dealing With Continued Inflation

While it’s no great revelation to today’s consumer, restaurants continue to raise prices and find ways to cut costs. In May, the food away from home index rose 7.4 percent year-over-year—the largest 12-month increase since the period ending November 1981. 

For casual dining, menu prices climbed 9 percent compared to last year, while quick-service meal prices hiked 7.3 percent. May marked the third consecutive month the cost of full-service items increased at a higher rate, year-over-year, than limited service. Before, it hadn't happened since March 2020. 

According to a recent Simon-Kucher 2022 Restaurant Study shared with QSR, inflation is the lead culprit, pushing brands’ expenses up 11.7 percent year-over-year. 

Restaurants experienced the largest price increases in raw materials and labor.