NorCal Coffee Shop Tells Workers They’re Not Allowed to Wear Protective Masks

A Sacramento coffee shop chain enraged workers and patrons by forbidding employees to wear masks.

Temple Coffee, a Sacramento-based chain of nine shops that also sells coffee at area supermarkets, sent a message to employees Wednesday that said that employees are not allowed to wear masks — widely recommended for use to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) — as they violate the company’s dress code.

The message, which was widely shared to social media, was sent by Will Talbot, the company’s office manager, SN&R Extra reports. Though Temple’s creative director announced Thursday that the email “included misinformation and miscommunications, and it was not approved by Temple Coffee Operations,” there seems to be more to the story: CapRadio reported Thursday night that Temple founder Sean Kohmescher sent a subsequent email to staff saying “The email should never have been sent out, and I had it sent out without consulting anyone” (emphasis added).

As a result of the furor, Kohmescher said that he would be “‘stepping aside’ from his role in the company.” Via Instagram, Temple has since announced “Our company supports our team members’ choice to wear face coverings and will be providing face coverings for team members to use while working.”

And in other news...

• The office of California state Senator Scott Wiener sent a press release Thursday that announced that he would be “personally” delivering pizzas from Tony’s Pizza Napoletana to ICU workers at SF General on Friday. part of a New York-based relief effort called Slice Out Hunger.
• Soy burgers from local fake meat startup Impossible Foods will be available at NorCal Safeways as of today. A 12-ounce package of the concoction will go for between $8.99 and $9.99, depending on the store. [SF Chronicle]
• Napa-based restaurateur Guy Fieri previously announced that his show Diners, Drive-Ins, And Dives would resume remote production from inside his goat-laden compound, and it’s now been revealed that the show will include a cooking segment in which Fieri will make diner foods from home. [Deadline]
• A’s outfielder Ramón Laureano served hundreds of meals from Brenda’s Oakland and Sunnyside Catering and Biscuits to healthcare workers and firefighters this week. [NBC Bay Area]
• The student journalists of UC Berkeley give high marks to Super Duper, Tacos Sinaloa, and many other local restaurants as part of their school paper’s “best of” list. [Daily Californian]
• As if these SF restaurant layoff numbers weren’t depressing enough, here’s an even more comprehensive list of major Bay Area restaurant group job cuts. Bay Area-wide, the Cheesecake Factory was behind the biggest losses, with 1,344 people laid off across the region. [SF Business Times]
• Here’s a roundup of where to get free and low-cost food in Berkeley, Oakland, and other nearby cities during the coronavirus crisis. [Berkeleyside]
• Redwood City-based transportation company Zum, which used to ferry kids to school or activities, has pivoted to delivery of school lunches for Oakland students. [NBC Bay Area]
• Outer Sunset sports bar Underdogs Too managed to score a $200,000 PPP loan, which is enough to allow them to hire back staff for the next eight weeks. [SF Business Times]