Nationally consumers are tipping 16.9% on bills at quick-service restaurants, 19.6% on bills at full-service restaurants, and 14.5% on takeout and delivery – but it varies a lot by state. How does your state tip, and are you more or less generous than your neighbors?
Food
Category Archives for Food.
Flying For Sushi, And Where To Get It In Austin Too
The most ‘In Demand Restaurant In The United States’ right now is an omakase sushi restaurant in Austin service great fish at a bargain price point. The chef’s mentor is serving one of the most expensive sushi meals in the United States in Chicago. Both are outstanding.
Beware Coin-Operating Air Conditioning At Your Next Airbnb
An Airbnb guest at a home in Spain took to TikTok to share what he found when he arrived: an air conditioning unit that was coin operated.
The Top 50 Barbecue Places In The World (Ok, Texas, But That’s The Same Thing)
The new Texas Monthly Top 50 Barbecue Places is out. It’s often referred to as ‘the bible’ of Texas barbecue, although I find its picks especially controversial this year.
Here’s what you should know to start. The most correct – and best – barbecue is Central Texas barbecue. The focus is on meat, especially beef. You may get onions, peppers or pickle slices, and white bread as an accompaniment. Put your meat on the bread between bites. It’s all served on butcher paper.
E-Mail OpenTable And They’ll Restore Your Expired Points
Last summer OpenTable reminded members that they planned to expire points for members who weren’t using the restaurant booking service. In many places restaurants have been closed, and even where they’re open customers have been reticent to go out to eat because of the pandemic.
They made clear to expect points expiration to come March 31. So I emailed a complaint to OpenTable, at the suggestion of a reader. They got back to me saying they’d give me my points back.
This Pizza Place Delivers By Plane, With Free Shipping
Papa Murphy’s in Anchorage, Alaska doesn’t deliver within 30 minutes, but that’s because they deliver by plane. If you live in remote Alaska, as far out as Prudhoe Bay 855 miles away, and you want pizza what else can you do?
The idea started when customers would call asking them to bring pizzas to the airport, and customers would arrange the air cargo themselves. While shipping eats into margins – they offer free shipping! – the pizza shop generally fulfill big orders (people don’t just order one pizza at a time).
Instead Of Outdoor Dining, Restaurants Are Offering Private Meals In Hotel Suites
As the weather has turned colder in much of the country this presents a challenge. It’s no longer viable for many restaurants to attract diners to an outdoor setting. So some restaurants have turned to offering meals inside private hotel suites. Hotels are frequently empty, so there’s an easy unused resource to leverage and private rooms provide guests the comfort and safety of outdoors, without being subject to the elements.
New York City Will Allow Restaurant Covid Surcharges, Defrauding Customers And Employees
New York City’s council passed a law allowing restaurants to add up to a 10% ‘Covid surcharge’ for eat-in dining. Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to sign it. It is stupid. Restaurants can already raise their prices.
This accomplishes two things: it lets restaurants charge a higher price than they advertise on their menus, and since customers are willing to pay a certain amount for their meal the surcharge reduces tips. It shifts income from restaurant workers to owners.
In The Era Of Corona, One Restaurant Re-Opens For Just A Single Guest At A Time
For people not quite ready to go back to the way things were, there’s a restaurant that’s opened for only one guest a a time. In the middle of a field.
When a guest arrives they’re “greeted with a sign and a rope.” The rope leads to a table in the middle of a meadow. The restaurant asks you for a list of your closest friends, and they solicit a note from someone you know. The note is at the table, so the meal begins with ‘social interaction’.
I’d Gladly Eat At This Restaurant During The Global Pandemic
Restaurants in Texas were permitted to re-open under new strict guidelines just over a week ago. Indoor spaces are limited to 25% of their previous capacity. Menus are single use only. Condiments cannot be left on the table, but provided only on request. Flatware cannot be pre-placed on tables either and instead must be given to each guest after being seated.
Still, I haven’t dined in at any restaurants yet. There’s one restaurant, however, with a concept that makes me feel safe.