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- Good on Donald Trump for receiving not-so-great results from a physical and making big dietary changes to improve his health. Trump is no longer restricting himself to soups and salads — come on, that’s way too extreme — but he’s still keeping his meals in the health zone. A Washington Post report reveals that at a recent lunch with his new attorney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Trump dined on a well-done burger with only half a bun, “I do that, too, sometimes,” Giuliani told the newspaper. “It’s a good way to do it.” Bravo, Mr. President.
- The next farm bill could weaken the board that certifies organic farms and foods. This continues the Trump administration’s policy of slashing food regulations in America.
- The main character in How to Use a Knife, a new play currently running in Chicago, is “like a barking mashup of Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain,” according to the Chicago Tribune. The production is set in the New York City restaurant world.
- There’s a new bottled sangria on the market, and it apparently packs a wallop. People are getting so trashed on the beverage, it’s gaining a reputation as the “new Four Loko.”
- Amazon Go, the online-retail giant’s futuristic convenience store, which does not employ cashiers and uses payment technology that requires customers to own smartphones running either the iOS or Android operating systems, is expanding. After opening to the public in Seattle five months ago, Jeff Bezos and co. have their sights set on San Francisco and Chicago. The new locations are expected to come online later this year.
- Peanut butter cup purveyor Reese’s follows only actress Reese Witherspoon on Instagram. It’s in the same vein of Kentucky Fried Chicken following only 11 herbs and spices on Twitter.
It only took 9 months for someone to notice @Reeses only follows Reese Witherspoon on Instagram https://t.co/VciGleHm08
— Diana Bradley (@prweekdiana) May 14, 2018
- In April, employees at a location of Oregon chain Burgerville became the first fast-food workers to have their union recognized by management. Now a second location has followed suit.
- Federal Donuts, the celebrated Philadelphia house of fried dough and chicken, is once again expanding in the City of Brotherly Love.
- And speaking of Philadelphia, the city passed a soda tax in 2016, hoping to improve the health of its residents. Business-interest groups are challenging the tax in court, and the legal proceedings begin today.
- A new restaurant in Vancouver is drawing protestors because of its name, Escobar. The restaurant is indeed named after the famous drug lord, and detractors are not happy that it is making light of his atrocities.
- Headline of the day: “Trail of Corn Dog Debris Helps Catch Thieves Who Stole Virgin Mary Statue.”
- Starbucks is catching some heat for dropping a gluten-free breakfast sandwich from its food menu. However, the company says it made the move because of the item’s low sales figures.
- Joanna Gaines, the woman who is responsible for every new and renovated house in America being adorned with subway tile and shiplap, may become this country’s biggest food influencer, too. Her new cookbook is a best-seller, even outperforming books by home-cooking luminaries such as Ree Drummond and Ina Garten.
- Milwaukee chef Shay Linkus writes an open letter to his colleagues in his local alt-weekly, the Milwaukee Record, saying the industry is full of “predators and vultures”
- Everyone wants to know why Chick-fil-A, which is on track to become America’s third-biggest fast-food brand by 2020, has so much success. It may be because the company franchises most of its locations, and franchisees are allowed to operate only one restaurant.
- Finally, for those who love chicken wings, these are the good times. The sports bar staple has dipped to its lowest price in four years.