INTERVIEW — GEORGE PAGONIS – DC celebrity chef and partner at Kapnos and Kapnos Taverna, and a Top Chef finalist

• Preview Restaurant Week: DC-area restaurants gearing up for Restaurant Week. By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Restaurants in and around Washington are gearing up to offer special meal deals for Restaurant Week. Monday is the start of Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week, where multi-course meals at participating restaurants cost $22 for lunch and $35 for dinner. More than 200 area restaurants are offering special meal deals through Aug. 23. Online: http://www.restaurantweekmetrodc.org/
• Restaurant Robots: Minimum Wage Increase In Washington, D.C. Could Lead To Automated Workers. Restaurants may opt to automate more of their workforce if minimum wages increase across the nation. A new ballot for a wage increase in Washington, D.C. could expedite the rise of an automated workforce for resturaunts like McDonald’s. A ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour is gaining steam in the District, and workers across the nation are taking a stand for more fair wages, according to the Washington Post. Thirty percent of restaurant costs go toward employee salaries, so if the minimum wage rises, the cost effectiveness of robot workers becomes that much more enticing.