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Disgraceful Fine Dining Restaurant Willows Inn Permanently Closes
More than a year after allegations of a toxic workplace culture surfaced, one of America’s (seemingly) most idyllic restaurants has closed. The Willows Inn property, one inspiration for the recent chef-y horror film The Menus, has been donated to a non-profit, The Seattle Times reported on Monday.
Since the restaurant opened on Lummi Island in 2010, a flood of diners from around the world made the two-hour drive and ferry ride from Seattle, Washington, for a taste of its rustic-chic menu and lush surroundings. But over the past five years, the Willows Inn has faced a series of lawsuits, plus an April 2021 New York Times investigation outlining accusations of wage theft, sexual harassment, and racist bullying. Despite the allegations, droves of employee resignations, and various protests by locals, the restaurant managed to stay open until November of this year, finally serving its last meal the week before Thanksgiving.
The new owner of the property, which is valued at an estimated $2 million, is the Christian nonprofit Lighthouse Mission Ministries, located in the nearby city of Bellingham. Previous owners Tim and Marcia McEvoy donated the sprawling hotel, farm, and dining room to the social services organization, which primarily seeks to end homelessness, according to The Seattle Times. It’s still unclear if and when the Mission will seek a new owner for the property, but the sale could theoretically raise a lot of money for its work. “It’s too early to know if a potential new owner would want to operate the restaurant and hotel rooms in a similar manner,” the organization said in a statement.
The restaurant gained esteem in its early years, mostly for its hyperlocal menu from former Noma chef Blaine Wetzel, which earned rave reviews on virtually every national best-of restaurant list (including a 2013 mention by Bon Apétit). Yet the Willows Inn has been clouded in controversy for the past half-decade. Here are some of the reasons why:
- In 2017, the restaurant was ordered to pay $149,000 in damages and unpaid wages to kitchen employees. According to a 2017 Eater report, the Inn required its entry-level employees to work a one-month long unpaid trial. Once hired, they were allegedly paid daily rates as low as $50 with no overtime and 14-hour shifts.
- In early 2021, the restaurant paid $600,000 to settle a class action lawsuit riddled with similar accusations. At the time, Wetzel denied any wrongdoing.
- Later that same year, a New York Times investigation uncovered allegations from 35 employees of verbal and sexual harassment, brutal 16- to 18-hour days, and sexist and racist bullying by Wetzel and manager Reid Johnson. According to the Times, workers accused Wetzel of pressuring young female employees “to drink alcohol, use illegal drugs and have sex with male kitchen staff members and visiting chefs.” The piece also alleged that the restaurant was passing off store-bought ingredients as being island-harvested. The owners denied the accusations then; the resulting class-action lawsuit, featuring 137 former employees, was settled this year for $1.37 million.
- According to The Seattle Times, the Willows Inn also faced three other individual civil cases of over wage theft and wrongful termination this year. the New York Times reports that those have since been resolved.
Capital One Venture X to lose Priority Pass restaurants and spa services as of Jan. 1, 2023
If you have the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, we have some bad news for you. While the Venture X card continues to provide fantastic lounge benefits, its Priority Pass benefits are being reduced next year. As of Jan. 1, 2023, Venture X cardholders will no longer have access to participating restaurants, spa services and shopping benefits across the Priority Pass network.
Here’s what cardholders need to know about these modifications.
Priority Pass: More than just lounges
When you think of Priority Pass, you likely think of its network of more than 1,300 airport lounges. That’s a core part of what Priority Pass is, but there are other uses of Priority Pass memberships. These include select airport restaurants (where you can enjoy $25-$30 per person in complimentary food, depending on the location), spa experiences, sleep rooms and more.
Related: The $112 secret Priority Pass restaurants don’t want you to know
Venture X Priority Pass changes
As of Jan. 1, 2023, Venture X cardholders will no longer have access to non-lounge Priority Pass benefits. This means those who get their Priority Pass membership through this card will continue to have access to the range of Priority Pass lounges but will not be able to use the non-lounge benefits, such as restaurants, spas and suites. This mirrors the 2019 removal of non-lounge elements from Priority Pass access through American Express cards.
At the time of writing, this update isn’t prominently visible on the issuer’s main lounge access page. There’s even conflicting language in the Frequently Asked Questions section of that page. One of them includes this note:
What is Priority Pass and how do Venture X cardholders enroll in it?
Priority Pass is a program that provides access to airport lounges worldwide. Effective January 1, 2023, Priority Pass non-lounge airport experiences (such as dining, retail shopping and spa discounts) are not part of the Visa Infinite® benefit program for Venture X cardholders.
However, a later question includes the following:
As a Venture X cardholder, how do I access Priority Pass benefits, such as exclusive discounts on in-airport dining, retail and spas?
Once you’ve enrolled for your complimentary Priority Pass membership, you’ll get access to more than 800 exclusive discounts on in-airport dining, retail shopping and spas.
Unfortunately, a spokesperson for Capital One has confirmed these changes.
“We are currently notifying Venture X customers that as of Jan. 1, 2023, access to Priority Pass non-lounge airport experiences will no longer be part of their membership program benefits.”
However, it should be noted that other Venture X lounge privileges are not changing at this time. That includes access to Capital One lounges and Plaza Premium lounges, in addition to continued access to Priority Pass lounges. The only update is related to non-lounge elements of Priority Pass.
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It’s also worth noting here that the Venture X card launched in Nov. 2021, so this change comes at a time when many are paying the annual fee for year two. If your renewal is coming up, be sure to consider how frequently you used these non-lounge Priority Pass locations over the last year to consider whether the $395 annual fee is worth it.
Related: The 10 best Priority Pass lounges around the world
Bottom line
Starting Jan. 1, Capital One Venture X cardholders will lose access to non-lounge benefits through Priority Pass — including participating airport restaurants and spa services. This is similar to the restrictions on Priority Pass memberships included on select American Express cards.
The other interesting piece of this news is that the removal of the benefits is announced as a change related to Visa Infinite benefits — which is the same card type as the Chase Sapphire Reserve. We have reached out to Chase to ask if this change will affect Priority Pass memberships through the Sapphire Reserve and will provide updates as needed.
World Food Prices Fall to Levels of a Year Ago, UN Says — WSJ
By Yusuf Khan
Food prices fell for the eighth consecutive month in November to levels just above those of a year ago, according to a report published Friday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The FAO’s food-price index, a closely watched barometer of global food prices, averaged 135.7 points in November, marginally down from the October reading of 135.9. Prices hit an all-time high in March when the index reached 159.7.
Prices are now sitting just 0.3% ahead of where they were in November 2021, led by easing cereal, meat and dairy prices, the UN body said Friday.
The UN FAO’s cereal price index averaged 150.4 points in November, down 1.3% from the October reading, though this still remains 6.3% higher than November 2021. Wheat prices fell 2.8% on month, dragged by Russia agreeing to renew the Black Sea Grain initiative , allowing for food to pass safely out of Ukraine despite the war.
Rice prices, which have been broadly steady despite the worries over grain supply this year, inched up 2.3% in November, influenced by currency appreciations against the US dollar for some Asian suppliers, the UN FAO said.
The UN FAO cut its forecast for world cereal production in 2022 by 7.2 million metric tons this month and is now pegged at 2.756 million tons, 2% lower on year, on poorer corn harvest prospects in Ukraine.
Vegetable oil prices rose by 2.3%–its first increase in seven months, driven by higher palm and soybean oil prices amid concerns over palm growing in South East Asia and strong biofuel demand soy helping to raise levels.
Dairy prices had their fifth consecutive monthly decline as they fell 1.2% from October. Prices are still 9.2% higher than they were a year ago, although supply pressures in Europe for milk powder and milk have eased.
Meat prices averaged 117.1 points in November, down 0.9% from October–a fifth consecutive monthly decline, on high bovine meat supply from Australia and Brazil. However, poultry prices rose as bird flu cut supply in producing countries.
Harvesting delays in India and higher ethanol prices in Brazil pushed sugar prices up 5.2%, their first rise in six months.
Despite the fall in commodity food prices, experts have warned that consumers are still likely to face higher prices because of volatility in key markets.
“What we’re seeing suggests that prices will stay relatively high and volatile, and that’s because supply is still constrained,” Sophia Murphy, executive director at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy said in a call.
“If demand doesn’t change then suppliers can expect prices to be higher, and then inevitably, more volatile and this sort of reinforces itself,” Ms. Murphy said adding that uncertainty over the shipping corridor in the Black Sea was of major concern.
Last month, the Black Sea Grain deal was renewed, but prices had rallied and dropped as news emerged from discussions on which way the deal would go, with a high degree of uncertainty as to whether Russia would agree to the safe passage of food again.
Write to Yusuf Khan at [email protected]