As voters went to the polls on Election Day, many restaurant marketers were following one issue more closely than the congressional contests: an effort by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to override Mayor Gavin Newsom’s promised veto of a proposed ban on restaurant toys.


Called the Healthy Meal Incentive legislation, which closely resembles a ban already in place in unincorporated Santa Clara County, Calif., the law would restrict restaurants from using toys to market meals to children, unless those offerings met stringent nutritional requirements. 


While San Francisco’s proposal to restrict the use of toys and other “incentives” in the sale of restaurant kids’ meals may not see formal hearings until next month, agitation within some foodservice industry quarters is already running high.

San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar and two colleagues submitted this month a draft ordinance that in many ways mirrors a law in nearby Santa Clara County, restricting marketing through children’s meals that do not meet specified nutritional guidelines.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is considering a fee on the sale of alcohol designed to help cover what the city said is a growing cost of addressing health and criminal justice problems associated with drinking.

The proposed fee is opposed by the California Alliance for Hospitality Jobs, a coalition group that includes restaurant and bar operators, beverage companies such as Diageo, hotels and the California Restaurant Association.