To Survive in Tough Times, Restaurants Turn to Data-Mining
Karen Stabiner | New York Times | August 25, 2017 The early diners are dawdling, so your 7:30 p.m. reservation looks more like 8. While you wait, the last order of the duck you wanted passes by. Tonight, you’ll be eating something else — without a second bottle of...
Fred’s Garage Prepares To Fill Winnetka Appetites
Phil Vettel | Chicago Tribune | August 21, 2017 Fred's Mobil Station, which served Winnetka motorists for decades, is about to become a filling station of another sort. Joe Krouse, Robert LaPata and Fred Gale, the owners of Ten Mile House restaurant in Evanston, are...
“Dirty Dining” Study Shows Where Eating Out Is A Riskier Proposition In Chicago
Lewis Lazare | Chicago Business Journal | August 11th, 2017 ConsumerProtect, a San Diego-based consumer protection organization, has done the dirty work of examining City of Chicago health department inspection reports for restaurants and other food-related business...
Chicago Is The Restaurant City Of The Year
Julia Kramer | Bon Appetit | August 8th, 2017 I don’t own a single piece of Cubs paraphernalia. I don’t have Chicago’s four-star flag tattooed on my forearm. I don’t care if you put ketchup on a hot dog. But there’s one thing from my hometown that I will absolutely go...
Bill FitzGerald Selling Namesake Berwyn Nightclub After Nearly 4-Decade Run
Steve Johnson | Chicago Tribune | August 4th, 2017 When Bill FitzGerald started going to the music venue that became FitzGerald’s, there were deer heads and velour on the walls and Herb Alpert and classic country on the jukebox, and the owners lived in the room behind...
Amazon Files Meal-Kits Trademark, Treading on Blue Apron’s Turf
Lauren Thomas | CNBC | July, 17th 2017 Amazon, whose plans to acquire supermarket chain Whole Foods pose a threat to the grocery industry, appears to be entering the meal-kits business. Amazon registered a trademark in the U.S. on July 6 for a service described as:...
Chicago Kitchen Incubator Will Be Much More Than A Place To Cook
Oscar Perry Abello | Next City | July 19, 2017 Angela Taylor has been helping her neighbors grow food for years on the west side of Chicago. Soon, she’ll be helping some of them grow food businesses. Taylor learned how to grow stuff at a young age. “Me being the...
7 Key Indicators Lenders Look For In A Restaurant Franchisee Seeking Financing
CIT | 5/16/16 So you need financing for your restaurants? Just like packing for a trip, you need some standard items - things to keep in mind before you pick up that phone. There are a host of macro and microeconomic (or top down vs bottom up) reasons lenders like...
Poll: Which Outlook Best Describes The Current State Of The Restaurant Industry?
Another Restaurant Closes. That Doesn’t Mean The Industry Is Headed For A Crash.
Maura Judkis | Washington Post | July 3rd, 2017 Ripple was the kind of warm, welcoming place that bred regulars like rabbits. It was both upscale and casual, and not overpriced. It won awards and was fondly reviewed. It was filled with people until, gradually, it...
‘Chicago’s Only Caviar Bar’ Coming to Humboldt Park’s Bar Marta Space
Ashok Selvam | Eater | June 27th, 2017 Will an oyster bar succeed in Humboldt Park where Bar Marta struggled? The owners of Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar hope so, as they’ve taken over Bar Marta’s former space at 2700 N. Chicago Ave. and hope to open in early...
Food Service Distributors Including Sysco, US Foods Fall On Report Amazon Wants To Enter Space
Jeff Daniels | CNBC | June 23rd, 2017 Amazon may want to dive into food service distribution, potentially shaking up an industry now dominated by three large players, according to a report. "The risk has increased that AMZN becomes a disruptor to food service...