How is the restaurant industry faring these days?

Sep 9, 2022
More people are going out to eat, but some are frustrated with the rising cost. Yet the cost crunch is just as bad, or worse, for restaurant owners.
Even though restaurants' costs are rising, owners may not raise menu prices as much to avoid scaring customers away.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Why the price of groceries is going up faster than a meal out

Aug 10, 2022
In part, that’s because restaurants don’t want to scare away customers.
"If consumers were truly, truly worried," says economist Jennifer Lee, discretionary spending on things like restaurant lunches "would be one of the first areas they would cut back on."
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Online review extortion scheme targets the restaurant industry at an unsteady time

Aug 10, 2022
Scammers give restaurants bogus one-star reviews, and demand payment to stop.
Brian Williams is the general manager at Terrapin, a restaurant in Virginia Beach. He said he tries not to read restaurant reviews too often and addresses any questions that come up about once a month.
Paul Bibeau

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

For this Detroit restauranteur, business is still "day to day"

May 18, 2022
For Lester Gouvia, chef-owner of Norma G's Detroit, business in the pandemic economy has been a "rollercoaster."
"We do have some good days, we do still have some bad days," says Lester Gouvia, chef-owner of Norma G's Detroit, a Caribbean restaurant.
Courtesy Lester Gouvia

Some former restaurant workers are finding new careers in other kitchens

Oct 27, 2021
The hours are better, there are paid sick and vacation days, and there's health insurance.
Many find better hours and benefits away from the high-octane atmosphere of the restaurant kitchen.
Getty Images

When restaurant and hospitality workers quit, where are they going?

Oct 14, 2021
Unemployment figures suggest they are leaving those industries.
The restaurant and hospitality industries have experienced plenty of turnover.
Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

From kitchen-sharing to food carts, some small-scale food purveyors are thriving

Sep 16, 2021
These entrepreneurs are meeting demand from patrons who are having second thoughts about dining out but still want a break from cooking.
Pizza maker Jerry Benedetto has a one-person business making and selling pizzas. He takes orders once weekly for about 100 pizzas —and sells out in three to five minutes, he said.
Katia Riddle

Improving the restaurant industry could mean higher prices for diners

The pandemic has revealed some of the long-standing issues within the restaurant industry.
A sign is viewed at a restaurant in New York's Upper West Side on Aug. 17, 2021.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

The return of tourists to Maine takes a toll on restaurant workers

Aug 23, 2021
Some restaurants in the state are boosting wages and benefits to bring workers back.
Bartender Hayley Wilson prepares a drink at the Portland Hunt & Alpine Club in Portland, Maine.
Robbie Feinberg/Maine Public Radio