5 must-know restaurant news stories: April 28, 2014

Shareholder group takes aim at Chipotle executive pay (Denver Post)
Just as Chipotle Mexican Grill prepares to raise prices to deal with higher food costs, a shareholder group is raising questions about the extraordinarily high compensation the Denver-based chain pays its top executives. Five executives at the helm of Chipotle were paid about $67.3 million last year — more than top execs at Coca-Cola and nearly matching that of global conglomerate General Electric. In a filing Friday, CtW Investment Group urged shareholders to vote no on a “say-on-play” measure at the company’s annual meeting in May.

—Lisa Jennings

Burger King to reprise Subservient Chicken campaign (NPR)
When Burger King hatched the “Subservient Chicken” campaign in 2004, it was hailed as one of the restaurant industry’s first breakthroughs for the “viral video” as an advertising tool. Several Web videos, including “Whopper Freakout” and “Whopper Virgins,” followed and became a cornerstone of Burger King’s marketing during its long relationship with agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Now the Miami-based chain will unveil a sequel Subservient Chicken campaign Wednesday, with a “documentary” chronicling what the chicken has been doing for the past decade. Burger King still has no lead agency after calling for a review in January.

—Mark Brandau

Seattle waiters, bartenders make the case against a $15 minimum wage (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Fearing a dip in their tip income, some restaurant and bar employees are telling local politicians they’re just fine with the status quo.

—Marcella Veneziale

NYC Desi Shack restaurant owner planning to pay $10 an hour wage gets call from White House (New York Daily News) 
Restaurant owner Yasmin Ibrahim had low expectations when she wrote President Barack Obama about her plan to boost workers’ pay to $10 an hour. Last week, she received a call from the White House, followed by a Saturday mention in the president’s weekly national address. “It was a huge honor,” she said. “We’re extremely excited.” Ibrahim opened Desi Shack near Grand Central Terminal in late 2011, two years after she came to New York from Egypt.
 
—Ron Ruggless

Dominique Ansel's latest creation (Wendy Williams/YouTube)
In case you're wondering what Cronut creator Dominique Ansel is up to, here he is on The Wendy Williams Show, introducing his new “Waffogato” — vanilla ice cream mixed with tapioca pearls, shaped into a waffle and drenched in maple syrup and coffee.

—Bret Thorn