Food & Beverage News
The Pandemic has Cost Restaurants 5.9 Million Jobs
The industry lost three decades’ worth of employees in just six weeks as states closed dining rooms and restaurants closed their doors and laid off workers. The global pandemic and state closures of dine-in service have cost the restaurant industry 5.9 million jobs, wiping out three decades’ worth of employees in just over six weeks,…
Read MoreRuth’s Chris is Reopening Dining Rooms, Using QR Codes for Reading Menus
Ruth’s Hospitality Group is reopening steakhouse dining rooms this month at 12 of its 86 company operated restaurants in Texas, Florida and Tennessee, the fine dining chain announced Friday during its first quarter conference call. The re-openings come as more than a dozen franchise restaurants have already reopened dining rooms at limited seating capacity ranging from 25% to…
Read MoreSTK and Kona Grill Brands Begin Reopening Dining Rooms with Help of Paycheck Protection Program Loans
The parent to the STK and Kona Grill chains has reopened 11 restaurant dining rooms, following social distancing and other guidelines, with another five to return to dine-in service on Monday, officials with The One Group Hospitality Inc. said while reporting first-quarter results. An additional five to 10 restaurants are expected to reopen dining rooms…
Read MoreWingstop Names Former Chief Experience Officer Stacy Peterson Androes as Technology chief
Wingstop, which is faring well amid the coronavirus pandemic, has appointed former Chief Experience Officer Stacy Peterson Androes as the chain’s new chief technology officer. Androes is returning to the company after leaving in 2019 to work at Service King, a collision repair company based in Texas. Her role was never replaced at Wingstop. Prior to…
Read MoreSteak ‘n Shake Permanently Closed 57 of its Restaurants Nationwide
Biglari Holdings Inc. announced in its first quarter that Steak ‘n Shake’s revenue plunged by $59 million compared to the same time period in 2019 as its restaurants were limited to accepting takeout, drive-thru and delivery orders. “The COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse effect on our restaurant operations,” Biglari said in its quarterly report. Recent Stories…
Read MorePopeyes Enters China Market in Hope that Virus Fear is Passing
Even after the deadly pathogen caused a record collapse in the country’s restaurant sector, China will become the fast-food chain’s second-largest market in two-to-three years, Raphael Coelho, chief executive officer of Popeyes China, said in an interview Tuesday. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc., a unit of Restaurant Brands International Inc., which also owns the Burger King…
Read MoreBuffalo Wild Wings to Open ‘GO’ Format Unit in Georgia
Buffalo Wild Wings will open its first “GO” model restaurant on Wednesday in Georgia, focusing on takeout and delivery orders, the company said. The casual-dining wing chain, owned by Atlanta-based Inspire Brands, said the 1,800-square-foot Buffalo Wild Wings GO unit will feature a walk-up counter, digital menu boards, condensed seating and televisions for guests to enjoy…
Read MoreTony Darden Looks to get Mooyah Burgers, Fries and Shakes to the other Side of the Coronavirus Pandemic
When a global pandemic forces you to close your dining rooms and focus solely on takeout and delivery, it comes in handy to have protocols for that in place already. Of course Tony Darden, president of Mooyah Burgers, Fries and Shakes, an all-franchised concept based in Plano, Texas, with about 83 locations, had no idea that…
Read MoreBamboo Sushi Parent Files for Bankruptcy
Portland, Oregon–based Sustainable Restaurant Holdings (SRH), the parent of Bamboo Sushi and QuickFish, announced that it has filed for bankruptcy. The company said it’s seeking to restructure the business to combat the adverse effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited operations and “significantly affected its ability to generate revenue.” The brand also began a sales…
Read MorePlanning to Reopen Your Restaurant? Here’s What an Expert Would Do
We’re now firmly in the reopening conversation. The list of states lifting restrictions continues to grow, and while this remains a market-by-market conversation in terms of specific regulations, restaurants are preparing under pretty similar directives. What do guests want to see? How can you make employees feel safe? It starts with those two questions, but…
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