Restaurant Business

Restaurants Prepare to Open Dining Rooms

Cargill CEO Dave MacLennan said yesterday that he is seeing “a subtle uptick” in food service orders at his 160,000-employee company for the first time since lockdowns began. MacLennan also…

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Charity Efforts Show Camaraderie Among Restaurant Owners and Patrons

Patrons and community organizations across the country are uniting in support of local restaurants. Just today, community members donate $1 million to local restaurants serving hospital workers. This evening, Miami’s…

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Trump Guarantees Restaurants’ Meat Supply with Defense Production Act

For steakhouses awaiting the opportunity to reopen their dining rooms in May, today’s developments offer some reassurance. On Sunday, Tyson Foods published full-page advertisements in major newspapers indicating that its…

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Texas Restaurants Prepare to Reopen, Watch Georgia’s Post-Coronavirus Practices

Texan Governor Greg Abbott has issued a statewide order allowing restaurants to reopen starting Friday. Restaurateurs must limit occupancy to no greater than 25% of their building’s listed capacity. Abbott’s…

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Restaurateurs Re-Apply to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

With a new cash infusion approved by Congress and signed by President Trump, the government’s forgivable loan program refreshed today. “We have strengthened the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) with $310 billion in additional funding,”…

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Restaurant Owners Focus on Creative Problem-Solving

Quick service restaurant transactions are down 43% in the week ending April 12 compared to year ago, according to NPD Group. Midscale/family dining restaurant transactions have declined 81%. More than…

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Alcohol Increases Food Takeout and Delivery Orders

U.S. alcohol sales rallied 22% in the last week of March, compared to the same period last year. That contrasts with fast food restaurants’ same-store sales declining 34% and a devastating…

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Celebrity Chefs Use Their Influence to Help Restaurant Workers

The optimists praise them for leveraging status to raise federal relief for struggling restaurants. The skeptics see them selfishly lobbying for grants. No matter their motivation, celebrity chefs have indisputably…

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Thousands of Seattle Restaurants Apply for Just 250 Grants

Social distancing plus lockdowns across the country have caused most restaurant owners to close shop. In the state of Washington, officials were encouraging restaurants and bars to close as early…

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60,000 Restaurant Workers Applied for RERF; $253B Claimed of $355B PPP Loans; IRS Launches Payment Tracker

News continues arriving for restaurant owners desperate for financial relief. Major headlines this week include the exhaustion of funds at the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund (RERF) and Paycheck Protection Program…

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