View Entire Post ›

New York-based burger joint Shake Shack came under fire recently for gobbling up $10 million of the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program. The $349 billion program was designed to help small businesses pay their workers and keep operations going during the COVID-19 shutdown.

The program ran out of money after just two weeks, leaving many small businesses without any funding options and their workers without paychecks.

Shake Shack was able to get the loan because the program covers any company with fewer than 500 workers at a single location. Shake Shack has 8,000 people at its 189 locations.

“Few, if any restaurants in America employ more than 500 people per location,” Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti wrote in a statement. “That meant that Shake Shack — with roughly 45 employees per restaurant — could and should apply to protect as many of our employees’ jobs as possible.”

Shake Shack currently has over $104 million in cash and liquid assets.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House ($20 million), Potbelly Sandwich Shop ($10 million), and Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc ($10 million), the owners of Taco Cabana, have also been criticized for taking up large chunks of money intended for small businesses.

The public pressure caused Shake Shack to give back the $10 million dollar loan. In a statement posted to LinkedIn, Shake Shack noted that small businesses were shut out of the program and that was the fault of the government.

“Late last week, when it was announced that funding for the PPP had been exhausted, businesses across the country were understandably up in arms,” Garutti wrote. “If this act were written for small businesses, how is it possible that so many independent restaurants whose employees needed just as much help were unable to receive funding?”

It then announced it had received alternative funding and will return the $10 million to the Small Business Administration.

“We’re thankful for that and we’ve decided to immediately return the entire $10 million PPP loan we received last week to the SBA so that those restaurants who need it most can get it now,” Garutti continued.

via Lukas Richarz / Flickr

Garutti ended the statement by suggesting some positive steps that Congress can take to help all restaurants across the country.

“We urge Congress to ensure that all restaurants no matter their size have equal ability to get back on their feet and hire back their teams,” he wrote. “We are an industry of 660,000 restaurants with nearly 16 million employees.”

The lockdown has put a lot of America’s businesses in peril. So it’s our job as consumers to try and support those businesses as best we can to help them get through the crisis. Americans should take note of which ones are being ethical during the pandemic and support them as best they can.

It may have been wrong for Shake Shack to take funding that could have helped countless businesses make it through the crisis, but at least they’re owning up to their decision. Hopefully other businesses who’ve been criticized will follow suit.

The flirting on the Scrabble app has got to go.

View Entire Post ›

The world needs more of this.

View Entire Post ›

These masks are up to the task.

View Entire Post ›

The White House’s plan for states to reopen their economies sidesteps the desperate need for greater testing, public health experts say.

View Entire Post ›

During our lifetimes, the US has always felt like it was in crisis. I talked with nine young millennials and Gen Z’ers about what the coronavirus pandemic means for their futures.

View Entire Post ›

Last week, Drake’s TikTok hit “Toosie Slide” debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, relegating the then-former No. 1 track, The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” down to No. 2. However, that didn’t spell the end of The Weeknd’s time at No. 1: On the new Hot 100 chart dated April 25, “Blinding Lights” has reclaimed the top spot, forcing “Toosie Slide” down to No. 2.

This is the third week at No. 1 for The Weeknd’s single. The return to No. 1 follows The Weeknd releasing a new remix for the song, which was crafted by Major Lazer.

It’s all good news for The Weeknd right now: This announcement comes shortly after it was revealed that After Hours sits atop the Billboard 200 chart for a fourth consecutive week. Coincidentally enough, the last album to spend at least four straight weeks at No. 1 was Drake’s Scorpion, which spent its first five weeks on top in 2018.

Although “Toosie Slide” is no longer king of the Hot 100, Drake still has plenty of reason to celebrate: “Toosie Slide” is apparently making TikTok history, as it reportedly became the fastest song to reach a billion hits, doing so in just two days.

After Hours is out now via Republic Records. Get it here.

Hugh Jackman recently revealed the inception of his faux “feud” with Ryan Reynolds, and now, they’ve pulled the figurative rug out from underneath us by declaring the whole thing moot. At least, Reynolds and Jackman have declared a temporary “cease fire,” which I never saw coming because these two enjoy ribbing each other so much. If anything can mute the memory of 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine fashioning Deadpool as a Merc With No Mouth, it’s their wonderful continued barbs, but I guess we can give up some nice things. And this ceasefire is for a good cause.

Reynolds shared the news on Twitter with a jointly (yet separately) filmed video that confirmed, yes, “our feud” is on hold, so that the pair can channel energy toward the #ALLinCHALLENGE for pandemic relief to feed frontline workers, elderly, and children. The pair will come together and run a lemonade stand for one randomly chosen bidder, and they also asked Drew Brees, Mariska Hargitay, and Peter Hermann to commit to this cause as well. If there’s really a lemonade stand, I want Mariska in on it also. And I want her to challenge Chris Meloni, and then someone should get Ice-T in on this thing.

Before we get too carried away with dream challenges, here’s the video proof in case Reynolds and Jackman forget to get along.

The #ALLinCHALLENGE has drawn quite a few celebrity supporters, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, who are offering an honest-to-god walk-on cameo for Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Is that more or less enticing than a lemonade stand run by Deadpool and Wolverine? If costumes are involved, that’s a no-brainer.

As the coronavirus pandemic forces businesses to close and many find themselves out of work, musicians across the globe have stepped up to offer support any way they can. Lady Gaga recently raised over 100 million dollars with the Together At Home livestream concert that featured Lizzo, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish. Now, the organization The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative is tapping popular musicians to perform for a charity concert that benefits the LGBTQ community.

The Stonewall Gives Back concert aims to help vulnerable populations that once sought security at now-shuttered LGBTQ-friendly bars and restaurants. Featuring performances by LGBTQ musicians and allies, the livestream will see sets by Troye Sivan, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Petras, Allie X, Muna, Kristin Chenoweth, and many more.

In a statement, the show’s producer Erich Bergen said they are responding to the virus by bringing people together through music. “I think this pandemic has made it even more clear just how vulnerable some of our communities actually are,” Bergen said. “We are coming together to respond to this crisis in a collaborative way, through music, which is the great unifier.”

CEO of The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative Stacy Lentz detailed the livestream’s goal in a statement: “In general, LGBTQ bars and nightlife have been decimated due to the mass closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are the original safe spaces for our community, which often makes us feel less alienated and alone. They are a true refuge where we can be ourselves. This industry is now gone and employees of those bars, venues and event spaces are struggling. They rely on tips and gig work and are no longer able to make ends meet. We need this moment to come together as one and help those who keep the LBGTQ nightlife industry thriving.”

The Stonewall Gives Back concert is streaming live on 4/23 at 8 p.m. EST on World of Wonder’s YouTube channel WOWPresents. Watch it here.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.