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Americans love a good steak — and a good deal

Dec 19, 2024
Darden's same-store sales have been up at most of its more casual restaurants. But same-store sales at its finer-dining restaurants were down.
Diners have been trading down from fine dining to casual, experts say, opting for a $30 steak at LongHorn, for example, instead of a $60 steak at The Capital Grille.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

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

20 years of Yelp: do we still trust online reviews?

Online ratings have become ubiquitous. But they've never been noisier to interpret.
About 10% of online reviews are fake, according to research by USC's Dina Mayzlin.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

How one startup is reinventing the restaurant

Jul 31, 2024
The restaurant business has been struggling, but an innovative multicuisine operation called Wonder is capitalizing on efficiencies.
At Wonder, customers can get food from multiple restaurants in one order.
Sabri Ben-Achour/Marketplace

For one Atlanta couple, running a restaurant also means fostering a sense of community

Jul 5, 2024
Opening a comfortable, multicuisine restaurant helped Emily and Jen Chan support their son and the LGBTQ+ community.
Emily Chan's family warned her not to get into the restaurant industry — so that's exactly what she did.
Courtesy JenChan's

Potential changes in restaurant pay stir mixed reactions

Apr 11, 2024
In a dozen states, restaurants and worker advocates are fighting over how — and how much — tipped workers should be paid.
In states where restaurants are required to pay the full minimum wage, people generally tip less, but not by much, according to payment service provider Toast.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Restaurant hiring affected by warmer weather, lingering pandemic habits

Mar 8, 2024
The number of people employed at restaurants and bars went up 0.3% in February from the month before.
A slowdown in construction work has meant an influx of job applicants for back-of-house positions, says restaurant owner Joshua Pollack.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

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The fees war between retailers and credit card companies is heating up

Feb 26, 2024
Merchants paid $126 billion in credit card fees in 2022, up 20% from the year before. The pushback is playing out in lobbying campaigns and Congress.
Merchants from gas stations to ice cream shops to Amazon have complained about credit card fees and contracts, and many are lobbying for credit card regulation.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

When — and how much — should I be tipping these days?

Expectations around tipping have changed in the last several years. Here's what to know.
Maybe the standard 15% or 20% tip on table service hasn't really changed, but what about takeout, delivery and the rest of it?
Alex Potemkin via Getty Images

Some restaurateurs are struggling despite food service sales growth

Aug 15, 2023
While takeout, delivery and drive-thru sales are above pre-pandemic levels, on-site dining remains down.
The pandemic has shifted where people eat as many moved away from urban areas and stopped going into the office, says Hudson Riehle of the National Restaurant Association.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images