The Working Lunch

This weekly podcast comes from Align Public Strategies, a full-service public affairs and creative firm that helps corporate brands, governments and nonprofits navigate the outside world and inform their internal decision-making. #WorkingLunch #Align

The Working Lunch is a business podcast hosted by Align Public Strategies, with 406 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Align Public Strategies hosts The Working Lunch, a business show with 406 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  The Working Lunch

  Episode 409 - Did Pricing Strategies During COVID Ultimately Change The Minimum Wage Debate?

  Aug 1, 202655 min

  We start off the podcast this week with an update on what's happening in Washington on the hemp beverage front and whether forces in Congress and the White House can agree on a framework for this emerging industry product line. And then we are joined once again by Michael Halen, Senior Restaurant Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence to talk about the state of the industry, the financial health of the larger players, and whether competition between industry business models is infusing new energy into intra-industry policy debates. We'll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

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  The Working Lunch

  Episode 408 -  State Attacking Industry Leaders With Fair Share Healthcare Proposals

  Jul 23, 202652 min

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  The Working Lunch

  Episode 407 - The NRA Tells Congress To Be Smart When It Comes To Hemp Beverages

  Jun 27, 20261h 17m

  As we reported last week, the National Restaurant Association sent a letter to Congressional leaders asking them to delay by two years the forthcoming hemp product ban to provide the predictability operators need and to allow Congress the time to rethink its approach for a regulatory alternative that responsibly meets consumer demand. We are joined once again by Mike Whatley, the Vice President of State Affairs & Grassroots Advocacy at the National Restaurant Association to walk us through the issue and what the industry needs for our elected leaders. Additionally, Mike will stay with us and give us his take on the first half of 2026 and how the industry fared managing their issue portfolios across the fifty states. And we had another round of primary elections this week and the big winners were socialists - yes, you heard that correctly, socialists. Has NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani entered the arena as another political kingmaker? We’ll discuss. We'll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

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  The Working Lunch

  Episode 406 - Legislation to Quicken Union Election Process On The Brink Of Passage

  Jun 22, 20261h 3m

  Legislation is pending in the U.S. Senate that would drastically speed up the process for organizing unions in the workplace. The bill has already passed the Republican-led House and could be on the senate floor any day. We’re joined once again by Ed Egee, VP of Government Relations and Workforce Development at the National Retail Federation to analyze the bill and the threats it poses to the industry as well as the broader shift of Republicans to more pro-labor policies. And Oklahoma voters fairly easily rejected a ballot measure this week to increase the minimum wage to $15/hr by 2029. At the center of the debate? The negative impact the measure would have on inflation and affordability. Could the table be turning on the narrative surrounding a key industry issue. We’ll discuss. We'll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

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  The Working Lunch

  Episode 405 - Industry Faces Significant Setback On Credit Card Relief

  Jun 12, 20261h 1mS0

  <p>The industry has had a tough couple of weeks regarding its long-running feud with the banks and credit card companies coming up on the wrong end of a highly anticipated court decision and the veto pen. We’re joined once again by Dan Swanson, Counsel to the Merchants Payment Coalition to tell us what happened, why it happened, and more importantly, where do we go from here. And a few states held primary elections last week - most notably in California, Texas, Maine and Iowa. We take a look at the winners and losers and what it means for th...

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