Whether you’re into the idea of food delivery robots or not, they’ve got one thing going for’em: they’re not about to get mad and shoot up a restaurant if their plans are scuttled. Unlike the UberEATS driver who’s accused of firing a BB gun into a pizzeria after the eatery denied him a delivery order. [More]
restaurants
SpongeBob Wins Legal Victory Against Planned “Krusty Krab” Restaurant
By 1.13.17 — Updated: 1.17.17
Creators of popular movies, TV shows, books, and video games are sometimes savvy enough to register unique characters and fictional places with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, but a federal court ruling in a case involving SpongeBob Squarepants shows that a fictional business need not be trademarked in order to benefit from trademark protection. [More]
East Coast Chuck E. Cheese’s Locations Hosting “Sensory-Free” Sundays For Autistic Kids
By 1.11.17
Visiting Chuck E. Cheese’s can be a very heady experience for a kid — what with the singing animatronic animals, flashing lights, rambunctious kids, hot pizza (and occasional all-out brawls among the adults). For a child with autism it can be more than exciting — it can be overwhelming, which is why some Chuck E. Cheese’s locations will host a series of monthly “Sensory-Free” events. [More]
Restaurants Sorting Out Weird Calorie Issues Before Menu Rules Go Into Effect
By 1.9.17 — Updated: 5.3.17
When your salad comes with dressing and croutons, should a menu board calorie count include those toppings? Does a restaurant have to calculate and post the calories in a seasonal item like an eggnog latte? Restaurants and vending machine operators only have a few months to figure this out before the Food and Drug Administration’s calorie-count requirement becomes mandatory. [More]
Airbnb Invests $13M In Restaurant Booking Service In Quest To Be One-Stop Travel Shop
By 1.9.17
Not content to exist simply as an accommodations booking site, Airbnb is continuing its efforts to provide any service a traveler may need with a $13 million investment in a restaurant booking app called Resy. [More]
Chipotle Launches “Dietary Options” Tool For Better Burrito Personalization
By 1.5.17
As the saying goes, “One man’s burrito is another man’s dietary nightmare.” And because it’s not always easy to know exactly how many calories will be in that chorizo burrito, or which ingredients are part of a particular diet — whether it’s paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, or what have you — Chipotle has released an online tool. [More]
“Vile And Amazing”: Fans Of Jack In The Box Tacos Defend Their Undying Devotion
By 1.3.17
There are some experiences that experiences that are difficult to explain to those who haven’t had firsthand knowledge — being pregnant, how it feels to fly in a dream, or eating a taco from Jack in the Box, something Americans do 554 million times every year. This, despite the fact that the deep-fried, American-cheese filled tortillas have been called, “stale, greasy, spicy, crunchy, saucy, and just plain strange,” among other things. [More]
Michigan Bans Local Governments From Banning Plastic Bags
By 12.30.16
While states like Hawaii and California have enacted bans on plastic bags, Michigan is going the exact opposite route, passing a law that bans local governments from banning plastic bags or putting fees on disposable containers. [More]
30 Stories We Didn’t Expect To Write In 2016
By 12.30.16
As a wise internet meme once said, some things are worth waiting for. Often, we end up waiting for them for so long, that when they finally do come to pass, we can’t help but be a bit shocked. And some things… Well, we never expected in the first place. [More]
World’s First Combination IHOP/Applebee’s Restaurant Slated For Detroit
By 12.21.16
This just in, from the Midwest: corporate siblings IHOP and Applebee’s will be joining forces to create a combination restaurant — the first of its kind — expected to open in downtown Detroit. [More]
Some Chipotle Restaurants Facing Food Shortages
By 12.13.16
Though Chipotle has been focused on winning back all the customers it lost during its food-safety crisis, a company executive says some restaurants don’t have enough food to feed the people who do want to eat there. And those food shortages are making customers cranky. [More]
McDonald’s Is Selling Waffle Fries This Holiday Season — But Only In Canada
By 12.7.16
Do you like waffle cut fries? Even though you can probably get them at just about every sports bar or diner in town, do you nonetheless have a craving to purchase them from McDonald’s? Then you had better plan a trip to the wintry north, because the fast food chain is only selling them in Canada this holiday season. [More]
Chipotle CEO “Not Satisfied” With Quality Of Customer “Experience” In Some Restaurants
By 12.6.16
As Chipotle closes the books on its second consecutive year of bad headlines and sagging sales, the company’s founder and co-CEO Steve Ells says the burrito chain still has “a long way to go” to recover from its food-safety crisis. In particular, he notes that Chipotle has forgotten about providing the best customer service. [More]
Sorry, Rudolph Fans: Domino’s Giving Up Reindeer Pizza Delivery Dream
By 12.5.16
We know you might have been excited to hear that Domino’s was attempting to deliver pizzas in Japan with reindeer. Alas, the chain has shattered that vision, announcing that it’s giving up on that dream in favor of more traditional delivery vehicles. [More]
No Pizza Is Worth Crawling Through Ventilation Duct To Steal
By 12.2.16
Listen, I get it. Pizza is delicious, and you may be tempted to go to extremes to be near it. But it is not a good idea to crawl through a pizzeria’s ventilation system in an effort to burgle the restaurant that makes it. [More]
Bargain-Hunting Beavers: 17 Times Animals Went Shopping In Human Stores
By 12.1.16
Does it make you giggle to think about a beaver going Christmas shopping at a dollar store? If so, you’ll be even more tickled to know this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about an animal waltzing into a human business like it belonged there. Heck, this isn’t even the first time we’ve heard about a beaver doing that. [More]
Chicago Doesn’t Even Have Half The Health Inspectors Needed To Inspect High-Risk Restaurants
By 11.29.16
While it might be reassuring to see a sign posted in your favorite restaurant or other food establishment that it’s earned the approval of the city health department, that doesn’t necessarily mean health inspectors have actually been by recently to do their job. [More]
Why Do Fast Food Restaurants Test New Menu Items In Ohio?
By 11.16.16
From McDonald’s mac & cheese cups and Shakin’ Flavor Seasoned Fries to Taco Bell’s Quesalupa, Ohio tends to be the place where fast food restaurants go to find human guinea pigs to test revamped menu items — and apparently not without good reason. [More]
