Big Data Dining: Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Mark Caro | Chicago Magazine | November 13th, 2017 They find your photo online and study it so they’ll recognize you when you walk in the door. They Google you and check you out on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to see what you do for a living and to take note of...
Restaurants Put The Brakes On Growth
Jonathan Maze | Nation's Restaurant News | November 10th, 2017 Chains are slowing growth and cutting units in 2017 amid weak sales and traffic. After years of seemingly unstoppable growth, the restaurant industry has stepped on the brakes in 2017. Several chains in...
DoorDash Opens Silicon Valley Home For ‘Virtual’ Restaurants
Lisa Baertlein | Reuters | October 30th, 2017 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After helping customers bypass dining rooms, food delivery company DoorDash is giving chefs the option to do the same with delivery-only “virtual” restaurants run out of its new commissary in...
Here Are Chicago’s Top-Earning Restaurants
David Matthews | DNAinfo Chicago | October 30th, 2017 DOWNTOWN — Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse grossed nearly $25 million last year, tops among all Chicago restaurants, according to a new study. The venerable Rush Street steakhouse is one of nine Chicago restaurants...
UberEats Nudges Operators Toward Virtual Restaurants
Lisa Jennings | Restaurant Hospitality | October 19, 2017 Chicago pizzeria owner Simon Mikhail had been working with UberEats for about a year when the third-party delivery service approached him last year with a proposition. UberEats users in his neighborhood had...
Restaurant Rivals Aren’t Who You Think They Are
Lisa Jennings | Restaurant Hospitality | October 10, 2017 The already heated competition for butts in seats in the independent restaurant industry is about to get hotter. But the biggest threat to market share comes not from the restaurant down the street, but from...
No New Bars In River North? New Law Could Mean Last Call
David Matthews and Tanveer Ali | DNAinfo | October 11, 2017 RIVER NORTH — It could be last call for more alcohol in River North. The City Council voted Wednesday to prohibit new liquor licenses in much of the neighborhood long known for its nightlife. Citing an...
The Food Industry is a Zero Sum Game – What this Means for Landlords and Retailers
Brad Umansky | The Broker List | September 29, 2017 Are the restaurant and grocery industries a zero sum game? I believe so. Despite my desire to eat all day at different places, it is simply not possible for me or anyone else. As a result, any decision we make to...
Wrigley Deal: Bars, Rooftops Get Home-Run Breaks On Property Taxes
Tim Novak | Chicago Sun-Times| September 25, 2017 Welcome to Wrigleyville: Home of the world champion Cubs — and some of Chicago’s best deals on property taxes. Take Casey Moran’s, one of the most popular bars in the booming neighborhood. Two years ago, Cook County...
Bypassing The Bartender
Liz Barrett | Restaurant Hospitality | September 11, 2017 Today’s consumer loves convenience and new experiences, which is exactly what a self-serve beverage system delivers. Access to a variety of alcoholic beverages when and where guests want them minus the wait...
Zoning Committee Down-Zones Double Door Over Owner’s Objections
Fran Spielman | Chicago Sun-Times | September 11, 2017 The City Council’s Zoning Committee on Monday down-zoned the property that once housed the now-shuttered Double Door music venue in Wicker Park over the property owner’s strenuous objections. Local Ald. Proco Joe...
The Hottest Restaurants In Chicago Right Now, September 2017
Daniel Gerzina & Ashok Selvam | Eater Chicago | September 7, 2017 More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends, and family of Eater have one question: Where should one eat right now? Restaurant obsessives want to know what's new, what's hot, which favorite chef...