Insider Retail: Stores suppress news of workplace COVID-19 cases, sneakerheads flock to Discord, and Ruby Tuesday stops paying pensions

Wake up! September is officially over!

Happy first Friday of October. Congrats, it is now acceptable to actually drink your PSL in public, even though you've probably been doing so since Starbucks launched it in August. (Shade.)

I'm happy to bring you another week of Insider Retail, Business Insider's weekly round-up of everything that's happening in restaurants and retail. If you haven't already subscribed, click here to get me, Shoshy Ciment, and my colleague, Kate Taylor, in your inbox every Friday.

Here's what you need to know:

Ruby Tuesday stopped paying pensions to more than 100 retirees

Irene got the inside scoop on Ruby Tuesday abruptly stopping pensions payments to more than 100 retirees, a move that left many scrambling during the pandemic as the chain continues to struggle.

According to documents, Ruby Tuesday advised its trustee, Regions Bank, to halt payments in July. Regions Bank filed a lawsuit against Ruby Tuesday on Monday to determine if the chain's actions were legal or not.

"What are we supposed to do, get a job at Starbucks?" Mark Potter, who retired in 1999 after 28 years at the company, told Irene.

Read Irene's full scoop here.

"Gag orders" force employees to stay silent about COVID-19 cases in the workplace

Aine and Catherine dug into a current issue among retail workers regarding "gag orders" from employers, which require employees to stay silent and not discuss positive COVID-19 cases with staff.

While frustrating, such orders are considered legal, so The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which protects workers from unsafe work conditions, can't do much about these rules.

Read Aine's and Catherine's full investigation here.

The sneakerheads are flocking to Discord

This week, I took a deep dive into Discord, the messaging platform that has become an unlikely hub for the sneakerhead community.

I traced the platform's history, from gaming haven to alt-right hangout to now a sneakerhead hotbed. Today, the platform resonates with more mainstream collections of interests, connecting more than 100 million monthly active users.

Check out my full story to see why why sneakerheads are flocking to Discord.

A 'disappointing' IPO for a major avocado distributor

Mission Produce, a major avocado distributor went public on Thursday, with shares priced at below what the company initially expected.

While CEO Steve Barnard called the $12 share price "disappointing," he said the company will target sales of its Hass avocados in international markets like Europe and Asia.

"We were a little disappointed in that, but for every problem, there's an opportunity," Barnard said.

Read about the avocado company's plan for international expansion here.

What's happening in fast food and dining?

The state of the restaurant industry is in constant flux. Here were some of this week's stories:

• OpenTable released a new feature that lets restaurants measure their performance against other OpenTable restaurants in their area.
• Outdoor heaters are the future of pandemic dining.
• Starbucks is selling a vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte in the UK.

A strangely political week for McDonald's

Whether for its wildly popular Travis Scott meal or its Spicy Chicken McNuggets, McDonald's was on everyone's minds this week. Here's are some headlines the chain made:

• McDonald's will emerge as a pandemic winner, analysts predict.
• The chain is selling out of Spicy Chicken McNuggets, Mighty Hot Sauce, and the Chips Ahoy! McFlurry.

And in political news ...

• President Trump credited his lack of hair loss to McDonald's fries.
• An ex-Obama advisor was just hired to lead the company's new team focused on "positive change."