The long list of restaurant chains filing for bankruptcy amid slower sales added another name today: Romano’s Macaroni Grill. [More]
dining
Bob Evans Restaurant To Close 27 Locations
By 4.25.16
If you’ve got a hankering for some Bob Evans food today, make sure to call first. The family restaurant chain closed nearly two dozen locations over the weekend, with more to come. [More]
Chick-fil-A’s “Mom’s Valet” Aims To Take The Stress Out Of Dining With Children
By 1.6.16
A simple trip for fast food can become anxiety-inducing when you throw a carful of excited kids into the mix. In an attempt to quell this chaos, Chick fil-A is testing a new service dubbed “Mom’s Valet.”
[More]
8 Things We Learned About Racial And Gender Wage Inequality In The Restaurant Industry
By 10.20.15
With nearly 11 million people working in the restaurant industry in the United States, the field has become one of the most populated in the workforce. But a new report finds that while there’s a plethora of positions in the restaurant business, there’s a stark difference between livable-wage and poverty-wage positions and it tends to further segregate employees by gender and race. [More]
The Reservation Might Be For One, But You’re Not Alone When It Comes To Dining Solo
By 10.7.15
You might be eating alone tonight, but you aren’t alone. Well, physically, you might be dining solo, but you aren’t alone when it comes to making a reservation for one, according to a new report from OpenTable. And hey, that means fewer people you have to share dessert with. [More]
People Are Going Out To Restaurants More Like They Used To Before The Recession
By 7.15.15
Times, they are a-changing, and that’s a good thing when it comes to the restaurant business lately: More people are going out to eat recently, in numbers that haven’t been seen since before the recession hit in 2008. [More]
New Yorkers Will Soon Be Able To Dine With Their Dogs At Restaurants With Outdoor Areas
By 6.19.15
It’s one thing to have your furry best friend underneath the table at home waiting for scraps to inevitably fall, but once you try to take a dog to a restaurant at meal time, it’s not always acceptable or even legal to have your pet accompany you as your dinner date. In New York, however, canines will soon be welcome with their owners at restaurants with outside space. [More]
Eatery Surprises Diners By Picking Up The $5,182.19 Tab For Entire Restaurant
By 2.13.15
What’s better than a night out on the town? A night out on the town that involves a surprise free meal. In a move that’s good for the business’ image and definitely welcomed by diners, a restaurant in a Detroit suburb told patrons the owners were picking up the tab… for everyone. [More]
Dessert Is Good For Your Taste Buds, Bad For Restaurants’ Profit Margins
By 2.11.15
Most restaurants offer dessert, but depending on what time of day it is, they might not want you to actually order it. Profit margins on desserts aren’t great, and restaurants would rather you left your table to more paying customers or ordered something more profitable if you’re going to stick around and take up space. [More]
Study: Most Meals In America Are Now Eaten Solo
By 8.7.14
Did you eat breakfast on your own today? What about lunch — did you grab a bite with friends or eat something at your desk while pondering why it’s taken so long for your Netflix DVD to arrive? If so, then maybe you’ll be pleased to know that you’re part of the majority of Americans who consume those meals without a companion. [More]
That Whole Eating With A Knife And Fork Thing? You’re Doing It Wrong
By 6.28.13
There it is, the object of your affection — a nice big juicy steak, ready for your wholehearted consumption and gustatory devotion. So you pick you your fork in your left hand, the knife in the right, cut a nice piece of it… and then you probably switch your fork to your right hand. Take a deep breath: That’s wrong. [More]
Who Dares Visit A Restaurant Without Reading Online Reviews First?
By 8.31.12
The best satire is deeply rooted in reality. That’s why an article from this week’s issue of the Onion shook us to the core. “Brave Woman Enters Restaurant Without First Looking It Up Online,” the headline blared. At Consumerist HQ, we asked each other: is there really anyone out there who is so bold and reckless that they would do such a thing? [More]
Ways Restaurants Try To Squeeze More Money Out Of You
By 3.27.12
When you sit down at a restaurant, you’re often engaging in a tug-of-war with the establishment to get you to fork over more money than you originally planned. Owners employ clever little tricks to get you to up the amount of your final check. [More]
How Servers At Restaurants Use Special Waity Sense To Read Your Table
By 2.23.12
Maybe you didn’t even realize you wanted more water, or were ready to tell your server what you’ll be ordering for dinner, but among good waiters, the practice of reading a table means they’ve got a sense of what you need and when you’re ready for them. [More]
You Shouldn't Break Your Server's Finger For Bringing The Check To The Table
By 1.11.12
It is not unexpected to receive a check at the end of one’s meal, so we’re not sure why one diner at a restaurant in Florida was moved to such rage over getting the bill that he allegedly broke his server’s finger. [More]
Eateries Fudge Fish Labels To Make Them More Appealing
By 10.24.11
The menu may identify a fish dish as one thing, but that doesn’t necessarily stop the cook from sending in a stunt-fish to take its place. The practice of baiting diners with an attractive-sounding fish and switching it with something less appealing may be more common than most people realize. [More]
Tips For Cutting The Bill While Eating Out
By 4.25.11
Just because we might not have hefty bank accounts doesn’t mean Americans are staying away from eating out at restaurants. So if you’ve got the urge to splurge on a meal away from home, take these money-saving tips into account and your dining out experience won’t have to hurt your wallet quite so much. [More]
NY Regulates Tipping For First Time
By 1.3.11
The New York Department of Labor has issued rules on what until now has walked a gray line between custom and law: the tip. [More]
