NRN.com - While casual-dining brands in general have been buffeted by sales and traffic challenges, Chili’s Grill & Bar held profits steady in the third quarter with new menu initiatives, tabletop technology rollouts and a menu mix that provided insulation from rising commodity costs. During an earnings call Wednesday, executives updated analysts on the 1,563-unit division of Dallas-based Brinker International Inc., which also owns the 45-unit Maggiano’s Little Italy brand, after ... Continue

NRN.com - A key Senate vote on Wednesday blocked a bill that set out to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour — a result supported by restaurant industry associations including the National Restaurant Association and National Council of Chain Restaurants. The minimum wage proposal, sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and largely backed by Democrats, was expected to fall short. The vote landed 54-42 and is now unable to move forward. Many Republicans and business leaders, including some in the foodservice industry, had fought the proposal, saying such a drastic wage increase would force employers to pull back on hiring and even eliminate jobs. Continue

WTSP.com -  We've visited Gateway Pizza and Pasta Company over and over again. It's a restaurant with pages of violations on inspection after inspection.

On previous visits by 10 News, a man who identified himself as Gary told us the restaurant's problems were no big deal.

"We had one little incident and everything was taken care of immediately and everything is fine right now," said Gary back in 2013.

But when we asked for permission to inspect back where the food is made, Gary was not so eager to accommodate. Continue

Roswell.patch.com - A tax preparer is accused of blowing a financial hole into the budget of a Roswell restaurant by more than $20,000.The Georgia Department of Revenue's Special Investigations Division has taken arrest warrants out on Todd Kelly, president of Tax Traxx LLC, on theft by conversion charges for allegedly pocketing over $20,000 in client sales tax payments, according to WSB-TV.Abby Clark, owner of NINE Street Kitchen, said she put her trust in Kelly to file her monthly sales tax returns with the state for over a year. However, Clark received a phone call a few months ago from the state agency informing her she owed back taxes. Continue

Associated Press - Paula Deen and her younger brother, Bubba, have shut off the fish fryer and locked the doors at the Savannah, Ga., seafood restaurant that served as the backdrop to a workplace discrimination lawsuit that stained the celebrity cook’s reputation.

Deen and Bubba Hiers co-owned Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House for a decade before the abrupt closure last week.

A spokesman for the Deen family, Jaret Kellers, issued a statement saying Hiers closed the restaurant “to explore development options for the waterfront property on which the restaurant is located.” Kellers said no specific plans have been made.

Orange-and-white barricades blocked the entrance to Uncle Buba’s on Friday, and there were no signs of life outside. The Savannah Morning News reported employees collected severance checks in the parking lot Thursday. Continue

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Hey Putin, don't even think about ordering a Super Mighty in Buffalo.

Mighty Taco, a Buffalo-based chain of Mexican fast-foot restaurants, has banned Russian President Vladimir Putin from all of the company's 23 locations in western New York.

The company known for its quirky ads announced on social media this week that effective immediately, Putin is banned from Mighty Taco for seizing Crimea from Ukraine. Mighty Taco's posting says Putin may be ordering around Crimea, but he won't be ordering a Super Mighty, one of the chain's most popular menu items.

The posting, which features a red-tinted photo of a gesticulating Putin, says he'll be "welcomed back" at Mighty Taco when he stops acting like a bully and "picking on people." Continue

CTlawreview.com - Pop superstars such as Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga don't make many live appearances in Connecticut. But their music is frequently played in bars, restaurants and other businesses.

Legally, the playing of that music—on the radio, or via a compact disc or MP3 players—in a commercial establishment is considered a "public performance." Technically, the bar or restaurant must pay a licensing organization.

Many don't. And that can lead to copyright infringement claims that sometimes evolve into full-fledged lawsuits.

Greater Hartford's Plan B Burger Bar chain, Cheshire's Waverly Inn and Willimantic's Lucky Frog are current targets of music copyright infringement suits, federal court records show. Continue

WTSP.com - The man arrested last year forpunching the manager of the New Dynasty restaurant in Sarasota pleaded guilty and has been sentenced for the fatal blow.

Sarasota Sheriff's deputies say Juan De Dios Rodriguez was one of three men who left the restaurant without paying for their $35 meal last July. When confronted by Taian "Andrew" Tian, Rodriguez punched him, knocking him to the ground and causing serious head trauma that led to his death.

Rodriguez received 11 years in prison for the manslaughter charge. He received an additional 15-year sentence for violating probation that stemmed from a prior gun charge in Manatee County.

At the time of his arrest, police say Rodriguez was a known, documented gang member with a violent history that included several weapons charges.