Both of 2 Chainz‘s Escobar Restaurant and Tapas locations in Atlanta have officially reopened for dine-in service, and they’re taking extra precautions to ensure everyone’s safety. The decision to reopen his dining establishments to the public was a difficult and controversial one for the rapper. He initially planned to start up again a few weeks ago, when Governor Brian Kemp gave non-essential businesses the go-ahead to reopen despite the rampant coronavirus pandemic.

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However, Chainz had a change of heart a few days later, choosing instead to use his facilities to feed the homeless rather than open his doors to the general public. It looks like he’s got money on his mind again, though, because on Tuesday (May 5th), both Escobar locations were open and hoppin’.

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While they may be offering dine-in service now, tons of new safety measures have been put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among staff and patrons. This includes limiting sections to parties of four or less, serving all food in to-go boxes, offering masks and gloves free of charge, and instructing customers to wash their hands immediately upon arrival. They’ve also opened their patio section, so that tables can be more spread out. The volume of staff has also been limited to keep capacity low. Perhaps the most controversial choice the Escobar team has made is to continue offering hookahs to patrons. All hookah users will be provided with a disposable hose, and all devices will be sanitized after each and every use. 

Despite all these safety efforts, though, many patrons don’t seem to be following the new guidelines too closely, according to TMZ. Some clips posted on social media at Escobar show folks dancing in very close quarters. Bentley Didier, a spokesperson for Escobar, says that employees, friends, and customers have admitted that they’ve been dealing with depression due to self-quarantining and social distancing, and just want to let loose. Regardless, there should still be respect for the safety measures in place.

2 Chainz is making the very controversial decision to re-open all of his Atlanta restaurants for dine-in service, following Governor Brian Kemp’s decision to allow non-essential businesses to get back to work.

Everything has been shut down for the last month and a bit as we have been flattening the curve by social distancing and remaining at home. Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia made the very shocking decision to allow non-essential businesses to re-open the economy, which Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is against. Still, 2 Chainz has decided to side with Kemp, opening up the doors to his ATL restaurants next week.

Starting Monday, 2 Chainz’s Escobar Restaurant and Tapas locations in Atlanta will be offering dine-in service. Safety precautions will reportedly be at the top of management’s concerns. In the report by TMZ, it says that employees will have their temperature taken before each shift, with single-use paper menus being given to clients, gloves for all employees, and masks for the cooks. 

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If an employee is showing coronavirus symptoms, they will be asked to stay home and self-isolate for fourteen days.

The restaurants will also reportedly be bringing back hookahs, which clearly causes a safety concern.

Sales at both locations of 2 Chainz’ restaurants have been down 95% during the pandemic, and the majority of the staff had to be furloughed. During the COVID-19 quarantine, Escobar locations were doing only take-out orders.

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Uber Eats is attempting to provide aid to local restaurants and citizens by waiving their delivery service fees in the United States and Canada amidst the coronavirus outbreak. With government officials taking extreme precautions in the attempt to contain the highly-contagious virus, closing schools, limiting restaurant capacity, and closing all recreational businesses, some citizens are struggling to obtain a decent meal. Fortunately, delivery services like Uber Eats are stepping up to the plate and doing something thoughtful for the sake of humanity.  Rick Kern/Getty Images

The app-based food delivery platform released a formal statement email and an in-app notification for both their consumers and restaurant clientele that partially reads:

“We will also launch daily dedicated, targeted marketing campaigns — both in-app and email — to promote delivery from local restaurants, especially those that are new to the app,”

Uber Eats also revealed to their clientele that they would be able to pay their restaurant fees daily, instead of the current weekly cycle. 

The company’s direct competitor, Seamless, emailed customers over the weekend to announce they’re suspending commission fees for independent restaurants to allow them to rebound from the business they’ve lost due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Since President Trump has declared the coronavirus a national emergency, small and independent businesses have taken a huge hit leaving business owners and entrepreneurs not only concerned about their health and well-being but wondering how they’re going to make ends meet if they are forced to close their businesses temporarily. The Head of State has hinted at providing citizens with a stimulus package, but that is only a temporary fix to a much bigger problem. 

Hopefully, more major corporations and businesses continue to be as innovative as Uber Eats and Seamless to ease the distress of the masses during such trying times. 

With the economy in good standing at the moment, Taco Bell is attempting to change the culture and mindset of employment in the fast-food industry. In an announcement yesterday, Taco Bell released a statement revealing that they will be increasing the base annual salary for their general manager employees to $100,000 at select locations in the Midwest and Northeast region of the country. 

With the current annual salary for the general manager position ranging from $50,000 to $80,000/per year, some of their employees will be doubling their income this new year. However, this isn’t the only improvement Taco Bell has committed to improving within their work environments. The Mexican-inspired fast-food chain will also provide at least 24 hours of paid sick leave per year for their employees beginning Jan. 1, and will also be experimenting with new roles for employees who want to gain leadership experience but don’t want to the title of becoming an official manager. 

Taco Bell’s commitment to their improvements come in response to the low unemployment rate. According to the BloombergQuint, unemployment fell to 3.5%, the lowest its been since 1969.

With Taco Bell also offering vegetarian menu items, giving out free tacos, and utilizing sustainable and recyclable packaging, is it time to ask if Taco Bell is hiring?