Tag Archives: restaurants

Steak ‘N Shake To Close Dozens Of Outlets For Good

The Washington Post reports: The impact of the coronavirus on businesses has prompted the parent company of the fast-food restaurant Steak ‘n Shake to close 57 of its stores for good. Biglari Holdings will close 51 corporate-owned locations and six franchise locations, according to its first-quarter report. Net sales decreased nearly 37 percent during the first quarter of 2020 compared …

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National Buffet Chain To Close All Outlets Permanently

The San Diego Tribune reports: Souplantation, the popular buffet-style dining brand founded in San Diego 42 years ago, is closing all of its restaurants permanently, a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic that is likely to be the death knell for all self-serve eateries. The permanent shuttering of the 97 restaurants, including 44 in California, was announced Thursday following weeks of …

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REPORT: 20% Of Wendy’s Outlets Currently Out Of Beef

CNN reports: The national meat shortage has come for Wendy’s. The fast food chain says some menu items are unavailable, and one analyst estimates nearly one in five of Wendy’s restaurants are out of beef. Around 1,000, or 18%, of Wendy’s 5,500 US restaurants are not serving any hamburgers or other meat-based items, according to an analysis of online menus …

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Steak House Chain To Return $20M Bailout After Furor

ABC News reports: Ruth’s Chris Steak House will return the $20 million coronavirus small business loan it procured from the government’s $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program, the company announced Thursday. The PPP was designed to throw a financial lifeline to the millions of small businesses who have seen revenues plunge due to social distancing lockdowns — but the hastily conceived …

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McDonald’s Offers Free Meals For Frontline Workers

USA Today reports: McDonald’s is introducing free “Thank You Meals” for first responders and health care workers serving on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, the fast-food giant announced Tuesday. Starting Wednesday and through May 5, health care workers, police officers, firefighters and paramedics can get a free meal at participating restaurants nationwide available at the drive thru or …

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DC Tightens Restaurant Restrictions: Take-Out Only

Washington DC’s WTOP reports: As of 10 p.m. Monday, restaurants will only serve carryout or delivery, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced at a news conference Monday afternoon. There will be no dining in or drinking. Gyms, theaters and massage businesses will also be closed under a new order from the D.C. Health Department. Bars will be allowed to serve on …

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DC Restaurant Group To Defy Mayor’s Restrictions

The Hill reports: A group that owns several restaurants in Washington, D.C. has come out against new restrictions on bars and restaurants announced by Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) amid the coronavirus outbreak, saying its locations will remain open. In a statement that appears to have been shared on Facebook and was captured by Washingtonian food editor Jessica Sidman, the Hill …

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Illinois Gov Closes Bars, Restaurants To Be Takeout Only

Peoria’s CBS News affiliate reports: The latest victim of the COVID-19 coronavirus are bars and restaurants. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced Sunday afternoon they are to be closed for two weeks. This closure is for dining in and details are being worked out to keep the kitchens open for delivery or carryout meals. He went on to say there are …

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Virus Fears Crater Business At US Chinatown Eateries

USA Today reports: At Shabu House in Houston’s Chinatown, Asian comfort food is on the menu, including hot pots of steaming soup filled with the customer’s choice of meat and vegetables. Since the coronavirus began to grab headlines, the restaurant has been at least half-empty. And Shabu House is not alone. “Pretty much all the restaurants in our entire shopping …

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Chipotle Settles Class Action False Ad Suit For $6.5M

Courthouse News reports: Under a settlement approved by a federal judge, Chipotle will pay consumers $6.5 million to settle claims that it ran a misleading ad campaign pledging to serve only non-GMO food. Through ads using phrases such as “G-M-Over It,” the fast food chain touted itself as the first in the United States to use only ingredients derived from …

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New York City To Join Ban On Cashless Businesses

Eater New York reports: NYC restaurants and stores not accepting cash will soon be a thing of the past. The New York City Council is finally set to pass a bill later today that will prohibit all city businesses from refusing cash payments from its customers. NYC businesses that go cashless “effectively discriminate against customers who lack access to credit …

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Farmers Warn Of Possible French Fry Shortage

Bloomberg News reports: Potato processors are rushing to buy supplies and ship them across North America in order to keep French fries on the menu after cold, wet weather damaged crops in key producers in the U.S. and Canada. Cool conditions started to hit growing regions in October, lashing potatoes with frost. Farmers in Alberta and Idaho were able to …

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New York City Council Bans Sale Of Foie Gras [VIDEO]

Gothamist reports: Earlier this year, we reported that the city council was considering a bill banning the sale of foie gras in New York City on the grounds that it’s cruel to physically pump fowl full of feed before leading them to slaughter. Today, with over one hundred animal rights activists waiting outside, the New York City Council passed the …

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Beyond Meat: KFC To Test Vegan Fried “Chicken”

CNBC reports: Colonel Sanders will soon be serving vegan fried chicken to see if customers think it’s finger lickin’ good. KFC will start testing plant-based fried chicken from Beyond Meat in an Atlanta restaurant on Tuesday. The test makes the Yum Brands subsidiary the first national U.S. fast-food chain to introduce a Beyond chicken item, beating Popeyes and Chick-fil-A. The …

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Grubhub Under Fire For Making 34,000 “Copycat” Sites That Masquerade As Homepages For Restaurants

The New York Post reports: Grubhub has created thousands of Web sites that masquerade as the sites of restaurants — a practice that can jack up prices for hungry customers, The Post has learned. The online food-ordering giant, which also owns Seamless and Menupages, has scooped up more than 34,000 URLs since 2010 with names that are similar to restaurants’ …

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McSiri: McDonald’s Tests Voice Recognition Drive-Thru

The Wall Street Journal reports: McDonald’s is testing voice-recognition software at a drive-through in suburban Chicago. Inside the restaurant, a robot also tosses chicken, fish and fries into vats of oil. Both technologies are meant to shorten customer wait times that executives acknowledge have grown in recent years. McDonald’s also has stopped serving some burgers and given franchisees more control …

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Burger King Launches Vegetarian Whopper [VIDEO]

The New York Times reports: Would you like that Whopper with or without beef? This week, Burger King is introducing a version of its iconic Whopper sandwich filled with a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods. The Impossible Whopper, as it will be known, is the biggest validation — and expansion opportunity — for a young industry that is …

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Trump Eateries Cited For Filth, Vermin, Sewage Issues

The New York Daily News reports: Their namesake is a Mr. Clean freak, but some Trump-branded eateries are just plain dirty. Mice in the kitchen, filthy food prep areas and broken sewage systems are on the list of recent stomach-turning health code violations at number of Trump-branded restaurants in the city, the Daily News has learned. Health inspections at Trump …

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Dunkin’ Donuts To Drop “Donuts” From Name

CNN Money reports: Starting in January, Dunkin’ Donuts will drop the “Donuts” from ads, packages and signage at new and remodeled stores, as well as its social media accounts. The makeover is part of Dunkin’ Brand’s efforts to relabel itself as a “beverage-led” company that focuses on coffees, teas, speedy service and to-go food including -— but not limited to …

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CDC Report: Hundreds Ill From Parasite In McD Salads

USA Today reports: Some 395 people have become sick from eating tainted McDonald’s salads, according to an updated count Friday afternoon from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illnesses have been linked to salad mix contaminated with the Cyclospora parasite, which is spread through fecal matter. Sixteen individuals have been hospitalized, according to the CDC. Fifteen states have …

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