Minnesota restaurants prepare for winter as the pandemic drags on

Oct 22, 2021
This summer's patio season gave a boost to many restaurants. Colder weather means new arrangements for outdoor diners.
Christina Nguyen, chef and owner of the Minneapolis restaurants Hai Hai and Hola Arepa, stands in an expansion of Hai Hai’s patio space, constructed to accommodate more outdoor diners during the warmer months.
Britta Greene

Unions are gaining momentum at restaurants. They've been here before.

Sep 28, 2021
Unions for food and drink workers go back to 1891. But they lost their seat at the table with the growth of restaurant chains and fast food.
Restaurant unions have a long history, and the stresses the pandemic has imposed on food workers could stir a resurgence in membership, some experts say.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

NYC is set to begin enforcement of its vaccine mandate. How will it work?

Sep 8, 2021
New York will start enforcing its mandate Sep. 13. It requires visitors to theaters, museums and other establishments to show proof of at least partial vaccination — same for people want to eat and drink inside a restaurant or bar.
A vaccine requirement sign is shown in a restaurant window in August 2021 in New York City.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Why are some restaurants shutting the door on food delivery giants?

Aug 18, 2021
Steep third-party food delivery fees are driving some restaurant owners to seek alternatives.
An Uber Eats delivery person hauls food on a bicycle. Jon Sewell says his delivery co-op, which is owned by restaurants, cut delivery costs and improved service.
Sean Gallup via Getty Images

COVID closed Philadelphia's Poi Dog, but the sauces and recipes remain

Aug 12, 2021
Kiki Aranita closed her restaurant after the city shut down. A year later, she's still making Hawaiian food and building the brand.
Poi Dog, Kiki Aranita's former Hawaiian restaurant. She continues her career in food and  her efforts to build the Poi Dog brand.
Photo courtesy Kiki Aranita

How the pandemic altered the art and science of “menu engineering”

Jul 26, 2021
From QR codes to delivery apps, a menu specialist weighs in on the rise of digital menus.
A QR code menu for a Mexico City restaurant. “Here in 2021 … we can start to build our digital menus a little bit better with what we learned from the pandemic,” says menu engineer Sean Willard.
Photo by Claudio Cruz/AFP via Getty Images

At this dim sum restaurant, challenges remain as customers return

Jul 2, 2021
Eateries returning to dine-in service may face staffing problems, higher costs and the need to transform their business models — again.
Golden Unicorn restaurant in New York’s Chinatown serves traditional dim sum. It's trying to adapt to changing conditions and higher costs.
Courtesy Darren Liu

For public good, not for profit.

A solution to the service worker shortage? Eliminate tipping, some experts say.

Jul 1, 2021
To promote equity and retain workers as the economy reopens, some restaurants are opting to forgo traditional gratuity models.
A growing number of restaurants are nixing traditional gratuity models, a choice some see as both ethical and practical.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

One New York City wine bar's reopening bet

Jun 24, 2021
Brian Keyser, owner and general manager of Casellula in NYC, is holding out hope that Congress will add money to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.
Marco Bertorello/Getty Images

Restaurants crack down on no-shows

Jun 21, 2021
Forgetting to cancel your reservation could end up costing you.
At lots of restaurants, you'll need to take out your credit card long before the bill arrives to put down a deposit on your reservation.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images