June 7, 2022

Your treasure hunt detective work has been enough to bring a tear to Nic Cage's eye. Last week, 45 of you guessed the correct answer (winners below). Also, a new hunt begins today with these prizes: 1) MacBook Pro; 2) AirPods; 3) $100 Denny's gift card. Only one can end in a Grand Slam.

In today's edition:

• 4-day workweek
• New clue!
• Story of Guinness, Pt. 2

 Lunch on Roca

Everyday this week, we are giving a $15 giftcard to one person who refers someone to this newsletter by 1 PM ET (within 2 hours of this going out). Just share your unique link, and when someone signs up, you'll automatically be entered to win lunch on Roca.

 Key Stories

Boris Johnson Survives No-Confidence Vote

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a vote that would have removed him from office

• The vote was within Johnson’s Conservative Party, some members of whom worry Johnson is tarnishing the party’s brand. 41% voted to remove him. If a simple majority (50%+) of the party’s lawmakers had voted to remove Johnson, he would have been taken out of office
• Johnson has faced calls to resign over parties he hosted in violation of lockdown policies
• Before the vote, Johnson – who calls the scandal "partygate" – said that voting for him would “put an end to the media’s favorite obsession”

• Johnson has also fallen afoul of his party for raising taxes and for his handling of the economy. UK inflation is currently among Europe's highest, and some project it will hit 10% later this year

Researchers Test the 4-Day Workweek

The largest-ever 4-day work-week study will take place in the UK over the next 6 months

• Researchers from Oxford, Cambridge, and elsewhere are organizing the study, which has 3,000 participants from 70+ companies
• Workers will receive 100% of their weekly salaries but work 80% of the traditional time. Some workers will work Monday to Thursday; others from Tuesday to Friday
• The researchers will work with the participant companies to measure changes to productivity, well-being, and gender equality

• Do you think you would be more or less productive with a 4-day work week? Let us know in today's poll of the day!

Restaurant Fees on the Rise

Restaurants are tacking substantial fees onto bills to offset rising costs

• Per the Wall Street Journal, restaurant service fees jumped 36.4% from April 2021 to April 2022. New charges include “noncash adjustments,” “fuel surcharges,” and “kitchen appreciation” charges
• Data suggest that restaurant costs are up 17.5% since last year; however, customers are only spending 5% more
• Similar trends are happening elsewhere: In March, Lyft and Uber both added $0.45 - $0.55 “fuel surcharges” on all US rides

Cancer Study Sees Universal Remission

A study found that a new rectal cancer drug led to remission in all the participants who took it. “I believe this is the first time this has happened in the history of cancer,” the study’s author wrote

• The study involved 12 patients whose cancers had a rare mutation. Without the treatment, they would have faced highly toxic chemotherapies
• In follow-ups between 6 and 25 months after the study, no patients saw progression or recurrence
• “This is the first time I know of in solid tumor oncology where we’ve had a 100% complete response,” said a doctor who designed the study

• Side effects were also surprisingly limited. GlaxoSmithKline sponsored the study, and the drug is called Dostarlimab

Treasure Hunt #2 Winners

• I̶ ̶h̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶,̶ ̶b̶o̶s̶s̶: The new Apple iOS will allow users to edit text messages. iOS 16 is slated to become available to the public this fall
• Phillip of Arabia: Phil Mickelson will play in the first event of the Saudi-backed golf league. His compensation has not yet been disclosed
• 47 reasons to panic: Buzzfeed's stock plunged 40% on Monday, putting it 80% below its June IPO valuation of $1.5B

 What do you think?

See yesterday's results below the Wrap!

 Roca Wrap

Beer drinkers know a Guinness from a mile away: The dark ruby color; a velvety thickness; its rich, aromatic scent.  

When Arthur Guinness died in 1803, he was bringing that beverage experience to the world. His breweries in Dublin were rapidly growing, eating the market share of his rivals in England, where the porter – the roasted-barley-based beer class to which Guinness belonged – originated in 1722. 

Guinness brewed one type of porter for those close to Dublin. For those further away, he concocted the West India Porter, which had a higher alcohol content to help it survive travel to British colonies in the Caribbean and elsewhere.

When Arthur Guinness died in 1803, his son – Arthur Guinness II – took over and expanded further. He created a product specifically for Brits: The Extra Superior Porter, which was a bit stronger than other Guinness brews. 

It was a tough time, though: From 1815 to 1820, Ireland fell into a deep depression after the Napoleonic wars, causing beer sales to fall by half. To sustain the business, Guinness sold flour made by mills at the brewery. 

But the business survived, then rebounded. By the 1820s, Guinnesses were shipping across Europe and to the US, Caribbean, and Africa. By 1830, the main Guinness facility in Dublin was Ireland’s largest brewery. Later that decade, Arthur II passed control of Guinness to his son, Benjamin Lee.

Under Benjamin Lee, Guinness expanded further, and the company’s success made Benjamin Ireland’s wealthiest person and one of Dublin’s most prominent politicians. It was under Benjamin Lee that Guinness took the branding by which it’s known today: A harp, Arthur Guinness’ signature, and the word “Guinness.” 

Guinness, the company, was becoming a force: To ensure deliveries, it helped finance the construction of Irish railways. By the 1860s, it owned the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars in train lines. 

And that trend continued for the remainder of the century: Benjamin left Guinness to his son, Edward Cecil. Under him, Guinness became the largest brewery in the world, producing 1.2M barrels of beer yearly. It also became the first brewery to incorporate, and in 1886, to list on a stock exchange. 

By the end of the century, Guinness controlled 60 acres in Dublin, and had its own railway and fire brigade. In 100 years, Guinness went from being a beer company to the beer company, and it wouldn’t stop there.

 Roca Clubhouse

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 Final Thoughts