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Drive-thrus are keeping the restaurant business rolling

Nov 2, 2020
In a pandemic, the less contact with customers the better, and the chains that can pull that off are doing all right.
Drive-thru restaurants are faring better than full-service eateries.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

How the pandemic has changed 3 workers' lives

Oct 29, 2020
We check in with three workers we've been following since March.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

QR codes are finally having a moment in the pandemic

Oct 23, 2020
They've been around for over 25 years, so why now?
People scan a QR code with their smartphones to check their health status to enter an area on a Beijing street. As Rivero notes, QR codes are already widely integrated into life in China.
Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images

Yelp will flag businesses where customers and employees report racism

Oct 9, 2020
The labels could change consumer behavior, but they could also run into a number of problems.
Yelp's new racism label could change consumer behavior, but not necessarily for the better, one expert said.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Restaurants in colder areas face new challenges in outdoor dining as winter approaches

Oct 9, 2020
Outdoor dining has been a lifeline for many restaurants during the pandemic. But now? Some may need to rethink how to keep patrons and food warm.
Those in colder areas will either have to find a heating solution or could be forced to shut down.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Bars struggle amid suspicion and closures during pandemic

Oct 1, 2020
Social places by nature, bars have faced tighter restrictions than many other businesses, and are suffering the consequences.
A group of people takes shots before they watch the first presidential debate at a sports bar on Sept. 29 in Washington, D.C.
Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

The recovery for restaurants is slowing down

Sep 15, 2020
Roughly 1 in 6 U.S. restaurants are currently closed, and 100,000 may not survive the year.
Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

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

How are retail sales numbers higher than they were last year?

Aug 14, 2020
People are still shopping — just for different stuff.
A Florida man puts newly purchased wood into his truck. Sales at home and garden stores in July were up almost 15% over July of last year.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

With tips down, some restaurants have raised wages for servers. Will it last?

Jul 13, 2020
“A lot of workers are saying no, I refuse to go back and put my health at risk and my family's health at risk for $2, $3 or $4 an hour.”
With business slow at most restaurants, some are raising wages to incentivize staff to come back.
Byron Smith/Getty Images