Reopened restaurants revealing dining’s ‘new normal’
Waiters wearing plastic gloves and masks. Disposable menus. Family-only tables. Booth dividers. Eateries in several states are reopening under heavy restrictions.
Restaurants
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Broad Ripple’s Brugge restaurant closes permanently
Co-owner Ted Miller said on Facebook that the restaurant at 1011 E. Westfield Blvd. would close as of Friday—“this location at least. We plan to open a new Brugge somewhere, sometime.”
Patachou cooking up burger-and-fries concept while ramping up carryout for existing eateries
Apocalypse Burger—a name that came to Patachou founder Martha Hoover during a recent Sunday night Zoom call with family—would be based in the former location of the chain’s Crispy Bird eatery.
IBJ Podcast: What will restaurants, offices look like after economy reopens?
There’s precious little consensus about the necessary precautions, although most decision-makers agree that we won’t get back to “normal” until there’s a vaccine.
Restaurants will be anything but cozy when diners return
Restaurateurs say protective measures and uncertainty about the lingering pandemic might chill the influx in revenue the industry is hoping for once restaurants are allowed to resume dine-in service.
Pearl Street Pizzeria, Pure Eatery sue insurer over COVID-19 claim denial
The suit, filed earlier this month, alleges that Wisconsin-based Society Insurance rushed to deny the restaurants’ claims for COVID-19-related business losses without properly investigating the claims.
Chipotle agrees to record $25 million fine over tainted food
The company admitted that poor safety practices, such as not keeping food at proper temperatures to prevent pathogen growth, sickened more than 1,100 customers nationally from 2015 to 2018.
Indiana restaurants anticipate nearly $1B in sales declines for April
About 91% of Indiana restaurant operators said they have had to either furlough or lay off workers since the COVID-19 outbreak began, with at least 15% anticipating they’ll have to take additional action in the next 30 days.
Coronavirus restrictions delay local retail openings
Most business owners say they’ll be ready to open as soon as—or shortly after—coronavirus-related restrictions are lifted.
Chicago-style pizza chain Lou Malnati’s adding Broad Ripple, Carmel sites
Beloved in the Chicagoland area, the deep-dish chain confirmed to IBJ in March that it planned to enter the central Indiana market with several locations.
U.S. restaurants turn to grocery sales to help offset losses
Stay-at-home and social distancing orders have put restaurant dining on hold, forcing many to close and leaving others barely surviving. Some are looking for new ways to generate revenue.
Carryout just isn’t cutting it for many local restaurants
Some local restaurants trying to stay afloat without dine-in service report sales have plunged by two-thirds or more, raising questions about how much longer they’ll be able to survive.
Liz Biro leaves Indianapolis Star after six years on restaurant beat
In a column, Biro said her final day at the Star was Friday, and she left her job so she could move “back closer” to “her East Coast family.”
Here’s how nine small businesses are coping with coronavirus
We check in with firms of all stripes to learn how they’re seeking to persevere—and how some are plotting to gain a competitive advantage when normalcy returns.
Q&A with Jacob Cantu, West Fork Whiskey tasting room manager
Cantu has created the distillery’s cocktail-to-go concept, which has been a significant boost to revenue amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Not the grand opening coffee shop owner wanted
On the day Rachel Priddy finally got word from her contractor that she could apply for a certificate of occupancy to open her coffee shop in Carmel, Gov. Eric Holcomb ordered all restaurants to shut down in-person dining.
ClusterTruck food-delivery firm misses office orders
About 60% of the company’s sales typically happen at lunch and are delivered to workplaces, which have been stripped down to only the most essential people.
Retail landlords weigh tenant-relief requests
Local landlords say they’re willing to offer relief to some of their retail tenants who’ve been hit hard by coronavirus-related closures—but the amount of relief, if any, varies depending on circumstances.
Holcomb extends restaurant and bar restrictions through April 6
The move—while expected—extends the pain for a hospitality industry that is reeling from closures that have eateries on the brink.
IBJ Podcast: Sahm’s—one restaurant company’s story about the impact of coronavirus
Sahm’s Restaurant Group has retooled its operations to benefit the not-for-profit Second Helpings and to create a series of marketplaces, where customers can get takeout meals as well as grocery items.