Latest news with #CincodeMayo
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Iconic Houston Mexican restaurant closing after successful 44-year run
There's a reason so many people are willing to shell out money for a good restaurant meal, even though it's worlds cheaper to cook dinner at home. For one thing, dining out means getting to enjoy a delicious meal you didn't have to cook or shop for yourself. You also don't have to wash the dishes afterward or deal with messy countertops. Related: Dunkin unveils new 'nighttime' beverage Plus, dining out can be a fun social experience. And even if you're a decent cook, eating at restaurants allows you to sample different cuisines you might be afraid to attempt on your own. The past few years have been pretty tough on the restaurant industry, though. Higher living costs have pushed consumers to cut back on restaurant spending, making it harder for even the most popular eateries to stay afloat. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Not surprisingly, there have been a number of notable restaurant bankruptcies and closings in the past couple of years alone. In May of 2024, Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy following a decline in revenue. Shortly thereafter, TGI Fridays, another popular chain, filed for Chapter 11 due to shrinking sales. And if major chains are struggling to stay open, it makes sense that even successful standalone restaurants are getting pushed to the brink. Image source: Shutterstock Mexican food is hardly an anomaly in Houston. The city is known for its wide array of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. One of Houston's most celebrated Mexican restaurants has long been Picos. Picos opened its doors to customers in Southwest Houston in 1984. Back then, it was mostly Tex-Mex eateries that dominated the city, but Picos was able to draw in crowds with its authentic Mexican recipes. Related: Iconic Mexican restaurant chain closing final location Fans of Picos loved the restaurant's enchiladas and moles, not to mention its signature margaritas made with fresh lime juice. In more recent years, Picos gained a reputation as a Cinco de Mayo hotspot, hosting a blowout parking lot party with an amazing brunch buffet. But now, Picos is gearing up to close its doors for good. Chef-owner Arnaldo Richards has announced that the famous restaurant will shutter sometime in the next two months. Not surprisingly, poor sales are to blame. Richards told the Houston Chronicle that Picos' sales fell 18% in 2025 compared to 2024. At a time when food and labor costs are up, restaurants can't afford to lose out on revenue. So it's not shocking to see Picos follow in the footsteps of other popular eateries that have recently made the decision to shutter. "This was not a decision made lightly," Richards said in a statement. "We've weathered many seasons over the past 44 years, but the current economic climate and changes in how people dine have made it impossible for us to continue operating in the way our guests have come to know and love." Related: Impossible-to-book global sensation restaurant comes to US The sad reality is that as living costs remain stubbornly elevated, many consumers are being forced to choose between covering essential bills and splurging on extras like restaurants. At the end of the day, even popular restaurants are getting squeezed to the point where they can't hang on. The dark cloud of tariffs might only make things worse. If tariffs drive costs up broadly for consumers, they may have to cut back on restaurant dining even more. That could lead to an uptick in closures, forcing customers to have to say goodbye to even more of their favorite dining spots. For now, fans of Picos can enjoy a meal before the restaurant shutters for good. Richards said he plans to wind down operations by the end of September but did not give an exact date. More Fast Food & Restaurant News: Starbucks makes shocking pricing move customers will loveBankrupt restaurant chain offers new deal, stiff drinkNew Taco Bell menu items combines multiple classics However, he said he intends to host a series of farewell dinners and events at Picos to celebrate its storied history. So there's still a bit of opportunity for Houston diners to enjoy one last delicious meal. Richards, meanwhile, will not be saying goodbye to the food industry. He'll be focusing on a recently launched fajita delivery business that caters to offices as well as private events. Related: Historic Chinese restaurant closing unexpectedly after 42 years The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Eater
23-07-2025
- Business
- Eater
Have a ‘Golden Girls' Cheesecake Moment at This New Ferry Building Shop
is the associate editor for the Northern California and Pacific Northwest region writing about restaurant and bar trends, coffee and cafes, and pop-ups. A Pacific Northwest-raised chef's cheesecake outfit is headed to San Francisco's waterfront. Nash Bakes has taken over the former Palmvy Hot Dogs kiosk inside the Ferry Building. Owner Jared Nash baked at Northern California restaurants, including now-closed Julia's Kitchen and Orson. He's been grinding on the Peninsula since fall 2023, popping up at the San Carlos Farmers Market and Robert's Market on Woodside Road. The Nash Bakes kiosk will be open seven days a week, 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., following suit with the push into evening service at the Ferry Building. The operation looks a lot like the Ocean Malasada outpost that debuted in July 2024, bringing Hawaiian treats to a corner near Gott's Roadside. Unlike Ocean Malasada, Nash Bakes serves a surprisingly wide array of cheesecake varieties. There are classics, including raspberry swirl and salted caramel, six-inch pies going for $30. There's a gluten-free vanilla bean, too, and a lemon poppyseed cheesecake, both a bit outside the general belt for the treat. Further in the outer rim of flavors might be the salmon lox, a caper-dill cheesecake atop a toasted bagel crust with the salmon, capers, and pickled onion flowering from the center like a fishy bouquet. His pastry chef background is no joke. Nash grew up outside of Portland, Oregon, and worked in commercial bakeries at grocers, including Fred Meyer. Then came culinary school, which led to an internship at the Hyatt in Lake Tahoe. That stint led to eight years crisscrossing the lake's food scene. He worked as pastry chef under San Francisco pastry wiz Nicole Plue at Napa's Julia's Kitchen. Then he was a pastry chef at Orson, then under Arnold Eric Wong, the executive chef of E&O Trading Company. If that wasn't enough, he worked under celebrity chef Elizabeth Faulkner, to boot. Mulberry cheesecake from Nash Bakes. Nash Bakes Reflecting that cheffed-up background, Nash serves plenty of seasonal options squarely in the fine dining realm: light purple mulberry cheesecakes when the fruit is ripe in the summer, a margarita cheesecake on a pretzel crust for Cinco de Mayo, a malted Easter egg for the eponymous event. At the kiosk, he'll be headed back to the basics until he's got his sea legs. The launch menu is simple: vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, lemon poppy, raspberry swirl, passionfruit, black sesame, and the salmon lox. Some of those seasonal cheesecakes and one-offs — peanut butter and mint chip, for instance — will come down the road. Nash opens his kiosk on Wednesday, July 23; the goal right now is to open quietly and make sure things are moving slowly, then he'll announce a grand opening on social media. Historically, he works out of commissary kitchens, which he says can be almost turnkey with the green light from city officials. All that said, he's not sure what the future of Nash Bakes looks like. The Peninsula farmers' markets have treated him well. This Ferry Building opportunity just came out of the sky, one of the partners there spotted him and invited him to check out the location. A year from now, he'd love to be opening new storefronts or selling at even more farmers markets. 'This is an opportunity for me to get things moving on a regular basis,' Nash says. 'Let's give it a year or two and see where it goes, let the Ferry Building lead me a bit.' Nash Bakes (1 Ferry Building, Kiosk five) debuts on Wednesday, July 23, and will be open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eater SF All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Boston Globe
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
ICE chills Latino celebrations
Although organizers cited various reasons, including Advertisement Worcester isn't alone. Latinos Unidos en Massachusetts (LUMA) announced this week that And in May, Chicago's 45-year-old Cinco de Mayo parade — one that has typically drawn up to 300,000 attendees — The absence of these festivals isn't just about skipping a weekend party. They point to a deeper disruption. As cities like Worcester, Everett, and Los Angeles reckon with the real or perceived dangers of ICE presence at public events, the communal spaces where immigrants gather to celebrate heritage and share resources are shrinking. Advertisement 'We cannot celebrate while so many in our communities are suffering from family separation, fear, persecution, and injustice under this administration,' Lucy Pineda, director and founder of LUMA, said in a statement announcing the cancellation of the festival in Everett. In Worcester — the state's second-largest city and one that is home to There is some good news. Other Latino festivals in the area are still moving forward — for now. Veronica Robles, founder and director of the Additionally, Robles's center is part of the organizations putting together the fourth annual East Boston Latin Music & Dance Festival and she confirmed that it will take place on Sept. 12. 'For us, it's a form of resistance,' Robles told me of the decision to continue holding her center's festivals, which will take place outdoors but on private property that's fenced in. Advertisement Still, even when organizers insist other factors are at play — as in Worcester — the chill of uncertainty lingers. As rumors of raids and deportations persist, it's hard not to wonder what else could disappear. In this climate, the public celebration of culture increasingly feels like a risk. Two years ago, This is an excerpt from , a Globe Opinion newsletter from columnist Marcela García. . Marcela García is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why are people calling Trump TACO, what is the Trump Collar? Here's what it all means
President Donald Trump's trade war tactics have earned him a new nickname "TACO". The new acronym is gaining popularity among Wall Street investors, much to the president's disdain. Here's what to know about "TACO," tariff negotiations and the "Trump Collar." The term TACO, which stands for "Trump Always Chickens Out.' First coined by Financial Times commentator Robert Armstrong to describe what he says is Trump's pattern of announcing heavy tariffs on countries causing economic shock, panic and stock market hits and then later reversing course with pauses or reductions that create a market rebound. When asked about TACO on Wednesday by a reporter, Trump responded, 'I chicken out? Oh, I've never heard that. You mean because I reduced China from 145% that I set down to 100... and then to another number?' He went on to defend his decisions to slash his tariffs on China for the next 90 days and extend his deadline for a 50% tariff on goods from the European Union until July 9. Trump said "because I gave the European Union a 50% tax tariff, and they called up and they said 'please lets meet right now, please let's meet right now,' and I said OK, I'll give you until July." He then clarified that they weren't willing to meet initially, "And after I did what I did, they said, 'we'll meet anytime you want.' You call that chickening out?" "Six months ago, this country was stone cold dead. We had a dead country. We had a country that people didn't think it was going to survive," Trump said. "And you ask a nasty question like that. It's called negotiation." "Don't ever say what you said because that's a nasty question," Trump said. After the reporter's TACO question and Trump's heated response, taco and chicken related memes went viral, including an old Cinco de Mayo tweet by the President himself. As "TACO" Trump gained popularity, Nomura's strategist Charlie McElligott came up with "Trump Collar" in the same vein. In finance, a collar is a risk management strategy for stock owners that protects from big losses but also limits gains — creating a range within which the stock's price can fluctuate without significant profit or loss. McElligott likened the collar term to how the stock market reacts to Trump. It may want to go up, but Trump's random social media posts and trade-tariff remarks can make the market nervous and therefor volatile. 'You all know 'Art of the Deal' Trump … and over the past month+, the 'TACO'-kind … but what it all adds up to now is the de facto 'Trump Collar,' as the market retrains the reaction function in the 'Human VVIX' era,' said McElligott according to MarketWatch. This article originally appeared on Why is Trump called TACO and what does Trump collar mean? What we know Sign in to access your portfolio
Axios
02-07-2025
- Axios
Phoenix fireworks rules: What's allowed this 4th of July
Certain types of fireworks are legal to enjoy in Maricopa County through July 6 — but make sure you know the limits or you could face a hefty fine. Why it matters: Fireworks are fun! But improper use can result in house fires, wildfires and injuries, and it can anger your neighbors and upset their pets. The big picture: Arizona law attempts to thread the needle to allow the fun side of fireworks without the grief. Certain ground-based fireworks are permitted a few days per year around Cinco de Mayo, Fourth of July, Diwali, Christmas and New Year's Eve. They cannot be used between 11pm and 8am, except on Fourth of July and New Year's Eve, when they're allowed until 1am the following morning. Violation fines vary by city but can run up to $1,500. State of play: The sale and use of fountains, spinners and sparkling wheel devices is permitted now through July 6. You must be 16 years or older to purchase fireworks. Cities can ban fireworks within a mile of certain parks and preservations, so check local guidelines if you live near open spaces with increased fire risks. Friction point: Aerial fireworks (typically the loudest and most dangerous variety) are never legal without a professional license, but that doesn't mean people don't light them anyway. Police generally issue very few firework citations because they have to witness someone in the act of using an illegal firework to do so. Yes, but: Some cities are getting better at finding illegal firework dealers. Mesa Police deployed more than two dozen detectives last 4th of July to respond to fireworks calls and monitor social media postings advertising illegal sales. The department seized more than 84,000 pounds of illegal aerial pyrotechnics, Mesa Tribune reported. The fine print: Phoenix Fire offers these tips to enjoy some nighttime razzle-dazzle safely:
