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]
restaurants
Popular BBQ Joint Bans Professional Spot-Holders From Long Lines
By 10.5.15
If there’s a long line somewhere, there’s probably someone willing to hold a place for you in that line — for a price. But one Texas restaurant is tired of seeing people lined up outside who are only there to make a buck. [More]
Restaurant Group Behind 17 N.J. Houlihan’s Sued For Allegedly Pocketing Workers’ Tips, Not Paying Overtime
By 10.2.15
A New Jersey company that operates 17 Houlihan’s restaurants in the state is being sued by the U.S. Department of Labor over claims that bosses were skimming tips from employees, to the tune of $40,000 that should’ve gone into tipped workers’ pockets, but instead were allegedly “unlawfully” distributed to non-tipped employees. [More]
Chuck E. Cheese Trying To Woo Parents By Tweaking Its Food, Expanding Beer & Wine Options
By 10.2.15
After getting new owners last year, animatronic pizza wonderland Chuck E. Cheese is trying to lift flagging sales by aiming at a new — albeit very familiar — target demographic. We’ll give you a guess — it starts with an “M” and rhymes with “shmillennials.” [More]
Rejoice, Pork Lovers: Chipotle Says 90% Of Restaurants Now Serving Carnitas
By 9.28.15
Sound the pork bell and toot the meat horn: if you’re a fan of pork in your tacos and burritos, you’ll be glad to hear that Chipotle is declaring an impending end to the carnitas shortage that started back in January. The other white meat is now available at 90% of its 1,500 restaurants, the chain announced today. [More]
Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell, 17 Others Earn “F” Grades For Antibiotics Policies
By 9.15.15
While recent moves by McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A to reduce the use of antibiotics in the meat they serve may indicate a shift in the industry’s attitude about drugged-up cows and chickens, the overwhelming majority of large fast food and family restaurant chains continue to source beef and poultry raised on unnecessary antibiotics that could result in the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. [More]
Amazon Now Delivering Restaurant Food In Seattle
By 9.8.15
If having Amazon deliver your groceries or farmers market produce wasn’t enough, the e-commerce giant turned deliverer-of-all-things-edible now plans to bring consumers piping hot meals right to their dining room tables with its foray into the restaurant delivery service arena. [More]
Arby’s CEO Apologizes After Florida Police Officer Was Reportedly Refused Service
By 9.2.15
The CEO of Arby’s has apologized to a Florida police department after an employee at a local restaurant reportedly refused to serve a uniformed officer. [More]
At This Restaurant, Eat Quinoa With No Human Interaction
By 8.31.15
Would you eat in a restaurant where you don’t interact with the employees at all? There’s a new restaurant that’s either the next frontier in segregating our society by wealth, or an efficient way to grab a quick bowl of quinoa. Diners order and pay for their meals using tablet computers, then pick them up from glass cubbies, like a neo-automat. [More]
CEO Of Frisch’s Big Boy Planning Expansion, New Restaurant Designs To Attract Younger Customers
By 8.31.15
When’s the last time you went to a Frisch’s Big Boy? Can’t remember, or maybe you don’t have one nearby? The chain’s new boss wants to change that, and is pushing to expand to more franchise locations in the U.S., as well as retool the restaurants to bring in the younger set. You know the word, starts with an “m” and rhymes with “shmillennials.” [More]
Restaurant Says Offensive Comment On Customer’s Receipt Was A Joke Meant For Kitchen Staff
By 8.24.15
A Mexican restaurant in Denver says an offensive message on a receipt was never meant to be seen by customers, and instead was just a form of smack talk between employees. [More]
Workers Say UK Restaurant Chain Keeps Their Tips, Makes Them Lie To Customers About It
By 8.21.15
When you’re eating at a restaurant and they impose a “service charge,” where do you assume that money goes? While laws regarding the pay of tipped workers are different in the United Kingdom than here, they do have the custom of tipping. Except at the chain restaurant Côte, which reportedly imposes an optional service charge which isn’t distributed directly to waitstaff. [More]
Chick-Fil-A Franchise Owner Pays Employees During 5-Month Renovation
By 8.14.15
The owner of a Chick-Fil-A franchise in Austin, Texas needed to expand his restaurant, which required closing it for a few months. Instead of letting his workers go and wishing them luck finding work elsewhere, he decided to just keep paying them for the four months that the restaurant was under renovation. Wait, really? [More]
Woman Suing Restaurant Known For Throwing Dinner Rolls After She Says She Was Hit In The Head With One
By 8.13.15
Sometimes, food isn’t enough, and diners want a show. Restaurants know that, including one Missouri spot that’s known for being the “Home of the Throwed Rolls,” which means exactly what you might think: dinner rolls are tossed through the air from servers to guests. But one customer claims things got out of hand when she was hit in the eye with a dinner roll, and she’s now suing over her injuries. [More]
The Last Full-Service Dunkin’ Donuts Prepares To Shut Its Doors
By 7.31.15
Though you might not even have been aware it existed, the last full-service Dunkin’ Donuts diner is preparing to close, and will be renovated to look like the rest. [More]
Subway Launches New Mobile Payment, Ordering Options
By 7.29.15
Now that nearly every American has a smartphone permanently fixed to their hand, a long list of restaurants including Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, Taco Bell and Dominos have upped their mobile presence by way of ordering and payment apps, and now one of the largest chains in the country is joining the ever-growing list: Subway. [More]
Bojangles’ Customer Who Returned $4,000 He Found In Bag Says His Good Deed Was Greeted With Disrespect
By 7.21.15
When you do a good deed, you probably don’t do it just because you’re anticipating a good reward. But at the very least, a pleasant “thank you” is surely something you could expect. But one Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits customer says not only was he not thanked for returning between $4,000 to $4,500 in cash he found in a bag that was supposed to contain his food, but was treated with downright disrespect by restaurant staff. [More]
Diner Owner Defends Yelling At Crying “Beast” Of A Child
By 7.20.15
The owner of a diner in Portland, Maine, does not appear to be terribly concerned about the social media backlash resulting from her admitted hollering at a crying child and then later dubbing that youngster a “beast” and “monster” on Facebook. [More]
