Chipotle’s Rough Week, Explained

Chipotle is facing a lawsuit and a federal investigation for a norovirus outbreak

It’s not a great time to be Chipotle. Two weeks ago, 13 customers fell ill after eating at a Virginia outpost of the chain, in an apparent outbreak of norovirus. Now, two of those diners are suing. The offending location was temporarily shuttered for “complete sanitization,” but that hasn’t stopped U.S. federal prosecutors from serving the chain with a subpoena for more details on the outbreak.

But it’s not all bad news, because... Chipotle is finally adding drive-thru service! A single drive-thru window, that is. It’ll debut at an Ohio location in the fall, presumably as a guinea pig so the burrito chain can see if customers want the convenience of ordering food without leaving their cars.

These are the 12 best new restaurants in the country

Eater’s roving critic Bill Addison roams the country non-stop, in search of the best restaurants, and every July, he names the most exciting ones that have opened in the past year. The list for 2017 features eccentric sandwiches in New Orleans, creamy, carby Italian dishes in LA, and extraordinary Southern fare in Seattle.

An 80-year-old couple have visited nearly every Cracker Barrel in America

There are 645 Cracker Barrel restaurants across this great land, and intrepid octogenarians Ray and Wilma Yoder have made it their mission to visit every single one of them over the past 30 years. They’ve only got one left to visit, and the internet absolutely fell in love with them this week.

Japan’s hottest new Instagram trend: hamburger straws

Let me be upfront here: I’m a fan of this trend. I can’t explain it, but something about the sight of a burger skewered on that iconic red, yellow, and white straw speaks very deeply to me. I can only hope these adventurous Instagrammers went on to eat the pierced burger off the straw like a kabob.

Instagram/uwasalabo

These are the most bizarre things you can eat at the 2017 Texas State Fair

The festival that turns deep-frying into an artform is only two months away. Fair-goers should start mentally and physically preparing their palates for dishes like deep-fried Fruit Loops, deep-fried chicken noodle soup on a stick, Oreo beer, and pinot noir popcorn.

Longer Read: This is how dipping sauce for pizza became a thing

By all rights, cheese-y, pepperoni-loaded chain pizza shouldn't need to be paired with heavy sauces like ranch, marinara, or garlic butter. But this is America, dammit, and if we can dip buffalo wings into tubs of blue cheese dressing, then why the hell not a slice of pizza?

A brief history of how mega-chains like Little Caesars and Papa John's made pizza dipping sauce oddly necessary, this report goes back in time to when the condiments began in earnest: the 80s.