According to new data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics earlier this month, the leisure and hospitality industry brought back 271,000 jobs in October – over 70 percent of which were at bars and restaurants. Furthermore, the unemployment rate for the hospitality sector of the economy dropped from 19 percent in September to 16.3 percent. Equally noteworthy, new data from the University of Michigan reveals that consumer sentiment in October rose to 81.2, a jump of just under a point (0.8) compared to last month. The modest increase followed a more than 6-point rise in September. For those who couldn’t attend the virtual Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Workshop on the Franchise Rule held on November 10, the discussion was video recorded and that recording is available on the FTC website here.