BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: Risks and rewards when breweries take social stances.

1989: Capitalists in a Commie joint. 

Bryan Roth is a fine writer and this is a thought-provoking piece.

To be honest, I'm conflicted. There is a big part of me that hasn't moved past my "these machines kill fascists" period, and yet also a feeling of dismay at the seeming inevitability of placing breweries, pubs and hospitality-oriented establishments into political categories.

A Show of Hands – Breweries Take Political and Business Risks Mixing Beer and Social Stances, by Bryan Roth (Good Beer Hunting)

Political stances are nothing new in the generally progressive world of beer, but as companies across all industries step deeper into the political fray leading up to the 2020 election, a new question arises: is taking action inevitable?

"We are more aware and more comfortable doing these things that show our ideas and values," says David Faris, an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and host of the Electing to Drink podcast. "When the president himself gets involved in deeply divisive cultural-political issues and won't let them go, he forces people to take into consideration actions they never would have thought about before."

There is wisdom in NYC restaurateur Danny Meyer’s post-election letter to his employees.

Time to get off my ass.

Democracy, listening, love, acceptance, routine and resiliency are among the bullet points as a prominent restaurateur addresses his legions.

I'm reminded that during those crazy days following the 9-11 attacks, the Public House fulfilled its founding promise as a place designed to encourage thinking and togetherness. By contrast, on Wednesday this week it felt as though I had no place to go to begin plotting a future course.

By the end of the day, it was becoming very clear to me that I need another space -- another soap box, another "poor man's university" -- with good beer, of course. It's time to get going on that. If there is to be a principled opposition, it needs to have a place to relax.

Danny Meyer has good things to say in his letter, and it's worth reading in its entirety. He closes with a brief outline of "enlightened hospitality," which once might have struck me as corporate gobbledygook, but now bears an element of pro-activity. You don't wait until hard times to practice it. Rather, you do it all the time, every day.

Read Restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Post-Election Letter to Employees, by Whitney Filloon (Eater)

As America simultaneously celebrates and mourns Donald Trump’s presidential victory, chefs and restaurant owners are also split on how to feel ... following Tuesday’s surprise election results, restaurateur extraordinaire Meyer penned a lengthy letter to employees of Union Square Hospitality Group — which is made up of more than a dozen restaurants including Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern — attempting to make sense of things, and to figure out where to go from here.