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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Beloved Michigan Restaurant Closes Overnight, Leaving Only 1 Remaining Location
Seeing a local restaurant close its doors is always a sad experience, but it's even worse when that restaurant closes with very little warning. But, the restaurant business is a competitive and fickle one. The food and drink industry that is familiar to most Americans, since according to the National Restaurant Association, 63 percent of adults have worked in the restaurant business. In 2022, the restaurant industry had 14.2 million employees and $472.4 billion in total labor income. According to B2 Reviews, in 2023, there were 749,000 restaurants across the United States, including fast food, casual dining and fine dining restaurants. With so many restaurant competing for the tastebuds of Americans, it's no wonder why it's a regular occurrence to see local spots close their doors. Now, one popular restaurant has abruptly closed its doors overnight, leaving only one local branch left standing, and the status that that location is in question, too. Bobcat Bonnie's at one time had several locations throughout Michigan, but on June 2, the restaurant announced via social media that they would be closing their Ferndale, MI, location overnight. The Ferndale spot had been open for seven years. "Coming to you with some bittersweet news — but after tomorrow (Monday) Bobcat Bonnie's Ferndale will be closed," the post stated. Bobcat Bonnie's also said that a new, "amazing" operator would be taking the restaurant's space and that Bobcat Bonnie's owners have told the staff and "are ensuring every single one is taken care of." "I am so lucky and so blessed to have been a part of such a great community," the post added. The closure leaves the Bobcat Bonnie's in Lansing, MI, the only remaining location, but the future of that establishment is in question, too. A report from WKZO notes that "all signs are pointing to" the spot closing, including "a notice on the door of the business" that says it has "lost its liquor license." On June 5, Bobcat Bonnie's Lansing wrote on Facebook, "We will have an update on operations today. We want to thank consumers for rushing to help us out, and our amazing landlords as well. "Beloved Michigan Restaurant Closes Overnight, Leaving Only 1 Remaining Location first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
CCTV Script 09/06/25
As the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on undocumented immigration, one industry is feeling the pressure more acutely than others: the U.S. restaurant sector. Already struggling with labor shortages, the industry now faces a new wave of surprise inspections, raising concerns that hiring challenges will only worsen. According to estimates from the National Restaurant Association, more than one-fifth of U.S. restaurant workers were born outside the country. While most of them hold legal work permits, data from the Center for Immigration Studies shows that the industry still employs roughly one million undocumented immigrants. And overall employment in the restaurant sector has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Castaneda, director of the Immigration Lab at American University, points out that due to the industry's heavy reliance on immigrant labor, restaurants often become prime targets for enforcement actions. Immigration officers are allowed to enter the public areas of restaurants without a warrant, making these establishments particularly vulnerable to raids. Both and have reported that in May, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted surprise visits to over 100 restaurants in Washington, D.C. As a result, numerous chefs and waitstaff quit, called in sick, or simply stopped showing up to work. Castaneda warns that heightened enforcement makes hiring even more difficult for restaurant owners, as even legally authorized workers may prefer to avoid industries under heavy scrutiny. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court also ruled in favor of allowing the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan immigrants. TPS was granted to one group of Venezuelan nationals in 2023, with another 250,000 having received the status in 2021. That earlier group is set to lose protection in September of this year. Research by economist Michael Clemens of George Mason University shows that nearly 20% of Venezuelans who received TPS since 2021 are employed in the hospitality and leisure industries. A Venezuelan restaurant owner in Baltimore told that she fears the U.S. government may soon close off all legal pathways for entry. Without Venezuelan staff, she says, her business simply cannot operate. If immigration hiring is no longer viable, her only option will be to shut down. Analysts further note that as labor shortages deepen, wages are likely to rise. For restaurants unable to afford higher pay, this creates a serious cost burden. Fewer staff can also mean slower service and smaller menus—ultimately hurting the customer experience. In May, Fitch Ratings downgraded the U.S. restaurant industry outlook from "neutral" to "deteriorating." The agency cited the dual inflationary pressures of rising tariffs and labor shortages, adding that restaurants are struggling to pass added costs onto a consumer base already highly sensitive to price increases.
Business Insider
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Fine dining, in this economy?!
This article is part of " Made to Order," a series highlighting the business strategies driving today's food industry. "A perfect storm." "Death by a thousand paper cuts." "Getting punched in the face and then, just before you've gotten back up, getting punched again." This is how restaurant owners and chefs described the state of the industry to Business Insider. Still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fine-dining scene has been hit with the skyrocketing costs of goods, labor shortages, and potential tariffs. Reservations are down, and even a Michelin star or two can't protect you from the stress. "If you saw pictures of me now compared to five years ago, I look like my son five years ago," joked restaurateur Francesco Zimone. Still, this story isn't all doom and gloom. The restaurant industry has always been resilient, and chefs said they're finding new ways to stay relevant by building lively atmospheres, special events, and sometimes, ditching their tasting menus entirely. When wallets are tight, the atmosphere needs to feel worth the extra price. A crisis unlike any other Opening a restaurant has never been an easy feat, even during the best of times. Zimone opened his new restaurant, Florence Osteria & Piano Bar, in a Los Angeles space where four restaurants had closed in the last 10 years. The industry has weathered stock market crashes, natural disasters, and the Great Recession. But nothing could prepare restaurateurs and chefs for the pandemic and what came after it. Everything is really expensive. When did vegetables become like caviar? "My friends in New York, LA, Chicago — they all lament the old days when there was an abundance of staff and people who were passionate about our industry, where consumers were open to anything and dining at all hours," said chef Paul Bartolotta, who runs 17 restaurants under his eponymous restaurant group in Milwaukee. "We haven't done an autopsy on the restaurant industry post-COVID, but it's certainly a very different reality." According to the National Restaurant Association, the average restaurant has seen a 35% increase in both food and labor costs since 2020. The cost to eat out went up with them, with average menu prices rising by 31% between February 2020 to April 2025. Amid fears of rising inflation or an impending full-blown recession, Americans are tightening their budgets. The vibecession is back, and chefs are seeing fewer reservations across the board, whether you're a mom-and-pop shop or a Michelin-star restaurant. Restaurants are also seeing a drop in tourists as Canada, China, and nations across Europe have updated their travel guidance to the US amid President Donald Trump's policies. Since January, Los Angeles chef Michael Cimarusti has seen a 20% drop in foreign travelers, which he said typically made up 40% of reservations at his two-star Michelin restaurant, Providence. When you subtract customers but add the rising cost of goods, that equals a double whammy of issues. " There was a point in my career not long ago when I'd go to the farmers market and buy anything I wanted," recalled Kevin Meehan, who runs the LA restaurants Koast and the Michelin-starred Kali. "Now, it's brutal. Everything is really expensive. When did vegetables become like caviar?" Ti Adelaide Martin, whose family has run the legendary New Orleans restaurant Commander's Palace since 1974, said the cost of making homemade chicken stock has gone up 300% since the pandemic. "Every single thing that goes into it — the chicken, the vegetables, the seasoning, literally the water — every single element of it is that much more expensive," she told BI. So is the price of milk, eggs, flour, butter, and seafood, the latter of which is Cimarusti's specialty at Providence. He recalled summers when the cost of lobster was down to $5 per pound. Now, he said, even the cheapest lobster meat can go up to $17, and the price of rockfish, black cod, and salmon has also doubled. "The cost of doing business in the United States is very expensive," Cimarusti explained. "Fuel, insurance, crew, tackle, gear, licenses — everything. And American fishermen meet those rising costs by raising prices. They really don't have a choice. To deliver a certain level of quality costs a lot of money." The same could be said for the world of fine dining. When guests walk through the door with specific expectations, you simply can't cut costs to offset rising prices. "We're in the business of creating experiences, and you can't sacrifice the experience," said Giancarlo Pagani, whose celebrity hot spot Mother Wolf has locations in LA, Las Vegas, and Miami. "The biggest challenge is maintaining that experience without going under." Fine dining with a side of fun Experience was baked into the very concept of Lilo, a 22-seat dining experience in Carlsbad, California, that opened in April. A new $256 tasting menu might seem like a hard sell right now, but restaurateur John Resnick and chef Eric Bost are already seeing returning customers thanks to Lilo's lively twist on upscale dining. "We think of Lilo as a celebratory restaurant," Bost told BI. "Most of the guests are celebrating something. It cannot be a place that is very quiet and reverent, and a meditation on your plate." Diners flow in and out of Lilo's indoor and outdoor spaces as they eat 10 courses and 16 different bites, all served by the chefs. It's a dynamic dining experience for the guests and a smart business strategy for the restaurant. "We're able to move things around to maximize the number of guests who come in, and everyone's in an energetic environment super quickly," Bost explained. Clark Wolf, who has been consulting restaurants since 1986, said many American restaurants are finally adopting business strategies that Europe has embraced for decades. "Americans had this very American notion that they could have a life-changing meal seven nights a week at an affordable price, and that price was always paid in part by someone else," Wolf said. "In Europe, they're open four days a week, everybody knows how to work in the kitchen and dining room, they start the meal earlier, and they're closed the other three days so people can have a life and they can host private events where everybody can make extra money," he added. These private events — usually in the form of special dinners hosted by visiting chefs or wineries — aren't just great for additional profit. They bring in new customers while still keeping things interesting for the regulars. "Regardless of whether we're in an economic downturn or not, as a restaurant, you have to constantly be evolving," said Cimarusti, who is hosting several celebrity-chef dinners to celebrate Providence's 20th anniversary this year. "We have guests who have been to the restaurant over 250 times in 20 years," he added. "You have to have something fresh for them." Hosting special dinners has also been a boon for Bartolotta's restaurants, especially during the quieter weeknights and chilly winter months. Typically ranging in price from $90 to $250 per person, the dinners have attracted a younger clientele and led to a whole new customer base for The Bartolotta Restaurants' rewards program, which offers special promotions and discounts. "It's incredible how many people we've signed up because they want to know when the next wine dinner is," Bartolotta said, adding that the program has "north of 70,000 active members." Martin found similar success at Commander's Palace after her team encouraged her to create a tasting menu inspired by Taylor Swift when she brought her Eras Tour to New Orleans in October 2024. The menu featured dishes from the restaurant's famous past chefs, including Emeril Lagasse. "It went insane," Martin recalled. "We've never sold more tasting menus." Restaurateur Zimone is also offering a new $50 three-course tasting menu at Florence Osteria & Piano Bar, which he opened in December 2024. Zimone said he hopes to attract new customers after his business dropped 70% during the LA wildfires. Embrace the steak While some restaurants are tweaking their tasting menus — a common offering at Michelin-starred eateries — others aren't afraid to ditch them entirely for fresh concepts. "The writing was on the wall; not everyone can afford dry-aged duck with cherry glaze," Meehan told BI. "The dining room went from being half full, and then one day it looked to me like it was half empty." With 15 years still on the lease, Meehan pivoted the concept of Kali, his one-star Michelin restaurant, into a neighborhood steakhouse. He said a breaking point was when the Dodgers were in the MLB playoffs last year. "It was the most entertaining World Series ever, so every night for about a month we were dead," Meehan recalled. "We should show the Dodgers game, but we can't do that because we're a fancy Michelin-star restaurant." The new Kali, which is still being revamped, will have a TV. "I wanted something a little more casual," he added. "I wanted people to be in the dining room, talking loud and celebrating." If the Dodgers do well again this year, Meehan plans to give out free "Ohtani dogs" with wagyu beef, furikake, and miso mustard. The pared-back menu will also feature steaks, classic sides (shrimp cocktails, wedge salads, potatoes), and martinis that Meehan hopes are the coldest in the city. Wolf, the restaurant consultant, said we'll likely see this re-embracing of classic dishes and concepts across the country. "When things are great, we'll try anything. When things are tough, it's tried and true," he said. "The muscle comes out — darker wood, heavy linens, a slab of beef. It just makes us feel like we're getting our money's worth and that we're going to survive." While Wolf expects to see past recession indicators in the dining industry — like a shift back to classic French restaurants, historically beloved and already multiplying again in NYC — he thinks the atmosphere of fine dining will continue to evolve. "The basis of the vibe changes with the culture," he said. "Right now, being snotty to people is not the vibe, which it once was. Now, it's warm and welcoming; the true luxury of really good food from really good ingredients." A new audience Martin has also tried to embrace new frontiers to help the 131-year-old Commander's Palace. She admitted that she was initially "snobby" about putting the restaurant on Goldbelly, which ships food from iconic restaurants and chefs nationwide, but "got religion really quick." "That's a really serious business for us," she said. "Who knew they wanted quail and turtle soup all over the country, but they do!" Martin also turned the accountant's office next door to the restaurant into Le Petit Bleu, a café and market where customers can buy everything from cookbooks to "an amazing roux spoon." She said that Goldbelly and Le Petit Bleu now account for 20% of the restaurant's profit. No matter what's happening with the economy, there will always be birthdays, anniversaries, and people who just love a great restaurant — even if there are fewer of them. "The reason I became a chef in the first place is because of the magical experiences I had as a kid, eating in restaurants with my parents," Cimarusti said. "There's still a great number of people out there who want to experience restaurants, and I believe there always will be," he added. "That's one of the things that keeps our tables full."
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FOLLOWING NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION SHOW DEBUT, NEXT ROBOT UNVEILS 'AL DENTE' AI POWERED PASTA AND RISOTTO ROBOT COOKING TO PERFECTION
Next Robot Expands Culinary Automation Line to Preserve Flavor, Culture, and Feed the Future LOS ANGELES, May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Next Robot, the culinary robotics company transforming commercial kitchens through AI-powered commercial cooking robots is excited to announce the debut of its newest model - Al Dente. A turnkey solution with precision auto-seasoning, intelligent cooking control and upcoming ingredient-loading automation. Al Dente is designed for reliability and consistency, delivering pasta dishes in 4 to 5 minutes. It also prepares risotto from scratch without hands-on attention making it a perfect fit for fast casual restaurants, pasta bars, cafeterias, ghost kitchens, and more. The product made its global debut at this year's National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in Chicago in May 2025 and will join Robby, Next Robot's flagship stir fry unit, leading a new era of scalable and intelligent cooking Powered by ChefSight, Next Robot's proprietary AI platform (US patent pending), Al Dente monitors texture, moisture and cooking progress in real time, ensuring every dish is cooked to perfection - not just by time and temperature but via visual cues and food behavior. A turn-key solution for restaurant owners, Al Dente offers a low-impact solution with precision auto-seasoning, intelligent cooking control and is built for reliability and compliance ensuring each dish reaches peak perfection with consistent quality and zero guesswork. From spaghetti pomodoro to risotto al funghi, Al Dente can transform any restaurant kitchen into that of a trattoria on the Amalfi Coast with Michelin restaurant quality without diminishing flavor, technique or ease of use. Al dente's production version will launch later this year "At Next Robot, we believe food automation shouldn't erase flavor, it should preserve it," said Giggs Huang, Co-Founder and CEO of Next Robot. "Al Dente doesn't just cook pasta and risotto, it safeguards centuries old culinary traditions while preparing kitchens for tomorrow's challenges." Next Robot is guided by purpose, developing tools that support chefs and foodservice teams in delivering high quality meals at scale. Beyond the aspirational, the company offers scalable solutions adept for the growing demands of hunger across the globe. Robby, named by school children, can produce 900 servings of food per hour, ten times faster than traditional methods, creating an opportunity to curb worldwide hunger needs. Robby is already utilized in over 100+ locations including schools, grocery stores, catering facilities, assisted living campuses and restaurants. By combining breakthrough technology with cultural preservation, Next Robot enables chefs and restaurateurs to upload and immortalize generational recipes, protecting them from being lost to time. With the launch of Al Dente, Next Robot will continue transforming commercial kitchens, creating scalable fresh meals with effortless consistency. The company aims to solve the biggest challenges kitchens face today including labor shortages, high-training costs and inconsistent quality while elevating food standards alongside customer satisfaction. With technology developed in real kitchens by real chefs using live feedback to drive practical innovation, Next Robots robotics-as-a-service model are leased month-to-month and delivers full kitchen automation and hands-on support including software updates, preventive maintenance, rapid service response and a dedicated customer service team. Media Contact: CARVINGBLOCK | nextrobot@ About Next Robot Next Robot is a California based culinary robotics company focused on empowering food service businesses through AI driven automation. Its flagship products Robby and Al Dente are transforming how kitchens cook, scale, and serve, while preserving culinary heritage with a long term vision to help address global hunger. To book a demo or learn more about integrating Al Dente or Robby into your kitchen, visit: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE CarvingBlock
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FOLLOWING NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION SHOW DEBUT, NEXT ROBOT UNVEILS 'AL DENTE' AI POWERED PASTA AND RISOTTO ROBOT COOKING TO PERFECTION
Next Robot Expands Culinary Automation Line to Preserve Flavor, Culture, and Feed the Future LOS ANGELES, May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Next Robot, the culinary robotics company transforming commercial kitchens through AI-powered commercial cooking robots is excited to announce the debut of its newest model - Al Dente. A turnkey solution with precision auto-seasoning, intelligent cooking control and upcoming ingredient-loading automation. Al Dente is designed for reliability and consistency, delivering pasta dishes in 4 to 5 minutes. It also prepares risotto from scratch without hands-on attention making it a perfect fit for fast casual restaurants, pasta bars, cafeterias, ghost kitchens, and more. The product made its global debut at this year's National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in Chicago in May 2025 and will join Robby, Next Robot's flagship stir fry unit, leading a new era of scalable and intelligent cooking Powered by ChefSight, Next Robot's proprietary AI platform (US patent pending), Al Dente monitors texture, moisture and cooking progress in real time, ensuring every dish is cooked to perfection - not just by time and temperature but via visual cues and food behavior. A turn-key solution for restaurant owners, Al Dente offers a low-impact solution with precision auto-seasoning, intelligent cooking control and is built for reliability and compliance ensuring each dish reaches peak perfection with consistent quality and zero guesswork. From spaghetti pomodoro to risotto al funghi, Al Dente can transform any restaurant kitchen into that of a trattoria on the Amalfi Coast with Michelin restaurant quality without diminishing flavor, technique or ease of use. Al dente's production version will launch later this year "At Next Robot, we believe food automation shouldn't erase flavor, it should preserve it," said Giggs Huang, Co-Founder and CEO of Next Robot. "Al Dente doesn't just cook pasta and risotto, it safeguards centuries old culinary traditions while preparing kitchens for tomorrow's challenges." Next Robot is guided by purpose, developing tools that support chefs and foodservice teams in delivering high quality meals at scale. Beyond the aspirational, the company offers scalable solutions adept for the growing demands of hunger across the globe. Robby, named by school children, can produce 900 servings of food per hour, ten times faster than traditional methods, creating an opportunity to curb worldwide hunger needs. Robby is already utilized in over 100+ locations including schools, grocery stores, catering facilities, assisted living campuses and restaurants. By combining breakthrough technology with cultural preservation, Next Robot enables chefs and restaurateurs to upload and immortalize generational recipes, protecting them from being lost to time. With the launch of Al Dente, Next Robot will continue transforming commercial kitchens, creating scalable fresh meals with effortless consistency. The company aims to solve the biggest challenges kitchens face today including labor shortages, high-training costs and inconsistent quality while elevating food standards alongside customer satisfaction. With technology developed in real kitchens by real chefs using live feedback to drive practical innovation, Next Robots robotics-as-a-service model are leased month-to-month and delivers full kitchen automation and hands-on support including software updates, preventive maintenance, rapid service response and a dedicated customer service team. Media Contact: CARVINGBLOCK | nextrobot@ About Next Robot Next Robot is a California based culinary robotics company focused on empowering food service businesses through AI driven automation. Its flagship products Robby and Al Dente are transforming how kitchens cook, scale, and serve, while preserving culinary heritage with a long term vision to help address global hunger. To book a demo or learn more about integrating Al Dente or Robby into your kitchen, visit: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE CarvingBlock Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data
