California is once again complicating the political realities facing restaurant companies nationwide, but this time by serving as spoiler on a type of legislation the business community had hoped to push into law.
The initiative would have provided a single national standard on protecting personal data that’s collected from customers, possibly including the information that’s generated through guest-loyalty programs. Ultra-progressive California already has a law addressing the issue.
Businesses would prefer a single set of federal safety regulations over a patchwork of state requirements and rules. But California’s commitment to its approach has largely sapped the momentum behind the U.S. plan, according to this week’s edition of Working Lunch, the podcast hosted by veteran government-affairs specialists Joe Kefauver and Franklin Coley.
The longtime lobbying veterans were joined this week by Brennan Duckett, director of technology and innovation policy for the National Restaurant Association. The three examine how a rule that could affect the way loyalty programs are managed and secured is being undercut by California’s effort to ensure the primacy of its rules.
Download this and every week’s installment of Working Lunch wherever you get your podcasts.
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