Brands Step Up to Feed Furloughed Federal Workers

Brands like Sweetgreen and Kraft feed furloughed federal workers

The government shutdown is now in its fourth week, making it more costly than Trump’s proposed border wall. As 800,000 federal workers are forced to go without paychecks and some are resorting to food banks to feed their families, brands are pitching in to help (and generate some warm and fuzzy PR for themselves in the process): Kraft opened a store in D.C. where furloughed workers can get free products like boxed mac and cheese and salad dressing, and salad chain Sweetgreen offered federal employees free dinner over the weekend.

And in other news...

• Shake Shack is launching food trucks in February. The first two will be stationed in Atlanta and New Jersey. [Skift Table]

• According to Chipotle’s CEO, many customers still have no idea what carnitas or barbacoa are; ergo, the chain’s best-selling protein is chicken. [Business Insider]

• So hot right now: micro wine lists that span just a single page. [Bloomberg]

• Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries are coming back to the menu on January 24. [USA Today]

• Last-minute reservations cancellations and no-shows are proving a major burden on Japan’s restaurants. It’s led many restaurants to refuse to take reservations from foreigners unless they’re made by a hotel concierge or credit card company. [Japan Today]

• The World Restaurant Awards, a new, self-proclaimed more “inclusive” alternative to other awards organizations that has head-scratching categories like “Tattoo-Free Chef” and “Tweezer-Free Kitchen,” has announced its 73 finalists; expect to see awards darlings like Noma and Blue Hill at Stone Barns along with a diverse array of picks outside North America and Europe. [Official Site]