With so much going on in the world, Marketplace is here for you. Support public news for public good. Donate Today!

Why it feels like so many restaurants are declaring bankruptcy

Dec 3, 2024
Restaurant foot traffic has declined in the U.S. by 3%-3.5%. And expenses are way up.
More than a dozen restaurant chains have declared bankruptcy this year.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Now reopened after pandemic shutdown, popular L.A. restaurant manages through "unprecedented times"

Aug 31, 2022
Here's Looking at You is up and running again — but the restaurant industry has changed a lot since the Before Times.
Lien Ta (left), co-owner of Here's Looking at You, speaks with "Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal. "What every restaurant is seeking is consistent business," she says. "And we have that right now."
Anais Amin/Marketplace

FX series "The Bear" reminds some chefs why they left the restaurant industry

Aug 4, 2022
"A lot of people romanticize restaurant work" and don't realize how stressful it can be, says Genevieve Yam, assistant editor at Epicurious.
The after party for the Los Angeles premiere of FX's series "The Bear" at Goya Studios on June 20.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Will food trucks return to urban offices?

Jun 8, 2021
A lot of food trucks found new opportunities in the suburbs during the pandemic, says Matt Geller of the National Food Truck Association.
“The office space that had been the bread and butter for the food truck industry hasn't come back yet,” says Matt Geller, president of the National Food Truck Association.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Outdoor dining is helping restaurants stay alive. It also comes with a lot of challenges.

Aug 24, 2020
Business owners are battling with limited space, unpredictable weather and unwanted pests.
New Yorkers dine outdoors in the East Village in July. Outdoor dining has become a lifeline for struggling restaurants, but it can cost them, too.
Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

The restaurant industry is already struggling to stay afloat

Mar 17, 2020
With coronavirus keeping people at home, restaurants are shutting their doors and shifting their business models to adapt to the crisis.
An empty restaurant, like this one was on Monday in Brooklyn, is an increasingly common sight across the U.S.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Restaurant gift cards are getting more popular as holiday presents

Jan 10, 2020
As gift giving has shifted toward experiences and not physical items, restaurant gift cards are getting more popular. And restaurants are catching on.
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

New overtime rule won't slam employers, say experts

Sep 25, 2019
Many employers are already prepared for the rule change.
AndreyPopov/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Unpredictable schedules are part of the retail gig but new policies could change that

Jun 13, 2019
But there are budding efforts to give hourly workers in those fields more dependable hours.
Many retail and service workers have to work night shifts and then return to work the next morning, dubbed "clopening."
Bradley Gordon via Flickr

My Economy: Starting a small business in Echo Park

Apr 5, 2019
Maurice Harris wanted to open a coffee shop when he saw his neighborhood changing. The process wasn't easy.
Maurice Harris is the owner of Bloom & Plume Coffee in Echo Park in Los Angeles, California.
Sean McHenry/Marketplace