Ken Garen, CPA, Co-Founder and President, UBCC

Delivery boom is changing everything about the restaurant business Charisse Jones, USA TODAY Published 2:01 a.m. ET April 24, 2018 | Updated 10:28 a.m. ET April 24, 2018 NEW YORK - Micha Magid would prefer that guests grab a table to enjoy the sweet corn fritters, chicken wings and "brontosaurus" ribs served at Mighty Quinn's Barbecue, his restaurant chain.   But so many diners want their food delivered to their front doors instead, the eateries have to carve out valuable space solely dedicated to fulfilling those orders. "If we have our preference, everyone would come to the restaurant,'' says Magid, one of Mighty Quinn's co-founders. "You get a much better experience when food doesn't have to travel for 15 minutes. It's hotter and better . . . But if someone wants to stay home and get great barbecue, we want to deliver that.’’ The growth in the restaurant industry is coming from those who are dining at home. Custom...

Finland's basic income trial falls flat By Laurence Peter BBC News 23 April 2018 The Finnish government has decided not to expand a limited trial in paying people a basic income, which has drawn much international interest. Currently 2,000 unemployed Finns are receiving a flat monthly payment of €560 (£490; $685) as basic income. "The eagerness of the government is evaporating. They rejected extra funding [for it]," said Olli Kangas, one of the experiment's designers. Some see basic income as a way to get unemployed people into temporary jobs. The argument is that, if paid universally, basic income would provide a guaranteed safety net. That would help to address insecurities associated with the "gig" economy, where workers do not have staff contracts. Supporters say basic income would boost mobility in the labour market as people would still have an income between jobs. Finland's two-year pilot scheme started in January...

Thank streaming: Global music sales jump 8.1 percent 2017 was the third consecutive year of music sales growth after 15 years of decline, as the world's total music subscribers surged by more than half. Spotify is the world's biggest streaming music service by users. By APRIL 24, 2018 5:00 AM PDT Thanks to streaming, the global music industry is thriving. Revenues to $17.3 billion, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, or IFPI, said Tuesday. It was the third consecutive year of growth following 15 years of decline and was driven by a 41.1 percent leap in revenue from streaming, according to the recording industry's worldwide trade group. It was also the highest rate of growth since 1919, almost a century ago when popular movies were still silent. For the first time, streaming was the single largest revenue source for music globally, at a 38 percent share. Paid subscriptions -- the source of most of the revenue growth   -- j...

Robots greet customers at world's first personless bank branch where humanoids manage EVERYTHING The branch is run purely by technology - with virtual reality, artificial intelligence and facial recognition all playing a part By Kelly-Ann Mills 12:21, 24 APR 2018 A bank has opened a branch run entirely by robots, who greet customers and manage accounts, in a world first. The Shanghai branch of the China Construction Bank (CCB) is run purely by technology - with virtual reality, artificial intelligence and facial recognition all playing a part. CCB, which is China's second biggest bank, already has 360 branches across the city, with smart machines appealing to its tech-savvy customers and slashing of staff costs making it a winner for bank bosses. According to the South China Morning Post walking through the front door at the Jiujiang Road branch, users are met by a friendly looking humanoid that answers questions using voice recognition. The store ...

Sanders to announce proposal promising jobs to all Americans By JOHN BOWDEN - 04/24/18 08:49 AM EDT   Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is set to announce a federal jobs proposal that would guarantee a job with at least a $15-per-hour wage and health benefits to every adult American “who wants or needs one,” The Washington Post reports. The senator is still in the early stages of crafting the plan, according to the Post, which would provide a job or required training for any American. Sanders's office has yet to release the details of the plan's funding, but previous large-scale projects proposed by the Vermont progressive have involved ending tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and large corporations. The Vermont senator joins two other possible 2020 contenders, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who have also expressed support for similar proposals in recent weeks. “The goal is to eliminate working poverty and involuntary unemp...

Amazon Has a Top-Secret Plan to Build Home Robots Prototypes can navigate from room to room like driverless cars Company hopes to start testing bots in homes later this year By Mark Gurman and Brad Stone April 23, 2018, 4:00 AM PDT Updated on April 23, 2018, 8:22 AM PDT Bloomberg’s Gerritt DeVynck reports on how Amazon may be trying to build a robot for the home. Ten years ago, Amazon introduced the Kindle and established the appeal of reading on a digital device. Four years ago, Jeff Bezos and company rolled out the Echo, prompting millions of people to start talking to a computer. Now Amazon.com Inc. is working on another big bet: robots for the home. The retail and cloud computing giant has embarked on an ambitious, top-secret plan to build a domestic robot, according to people familiar with the plans. Codenamed “Vesta,” after the Roman goddess of the hearth, home and family, the project is overseen by Gregg Zehr, who runs Amazon’s Lab126 hardware researc...

Construction robots weld, bolt, lift to beat worker shortage By YURI KAGEYAMA April 23, 2018 TOKYO (AP) — Robots that can weld, lift and bolt are being developed to help bridge labor shortages at Japanese construction sites, though their use will be limited to night shifts when no human workers will be nearby due to safety and regulatory concerns. Major Japanese construction company Shimizu Corp. showed off several robots Monday, including one already in use at construction sites that picked up a big pile of boards and took them into an elevator. The Robo-Welder and Robo-Buddy, with twisting and turning mechanical arms, will be deployed at construction sites later this year, the company said. Japan’s construction sector is booming but contractors are struggling to fill labor shortages — a problem playing out in other parts of the world, including the U.S. The robots demonstrated at a Shimizu test facility in Tokyo can reduce the number of workers needed fo...