No chips, no tips: Shortage threatens thousands of restaurant jobs
A lack of chips, computer not tortilla, is wreaking havoc on the already beleaguered restaurant and bar industry.
Restaurants
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Torchy’s Tacos, Kung Fu Tea and more coming to Hamilton, Boone counties
Roundup: Fishers might soon be getting a taco joint, an Asian tea franchise and a fast-seafood eatery. Also, a relocated veterinary clinic has plans to build next to a new Mexican restaurant in Carmel and part of a former Big Lots in Boone County is slated to become a new gym.
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Parks Place Pub to open in former Brixx pizzeria in downtown Fishers
Parks Place Pub—named after the city’s first bar, Parks Place Saloon—will be operated by three men who will be out to prove they can overcome their lack of restaurant experience.
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Artisan marketplace at 16 Tech adds tenants, amps up for grand opening
About half of the 20 vendors so far are already open at The AMP, which has its grand opening later this month. The AMP, a food-and-drink-based artisan marketplace, is on the campus of 16 Tech on the western edge of downtown.
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Musk restaurant group reverses course, plans to reopen Next Door Eatery in SoBro
When Next Door American Eatery on College Avenue closed in March 2020, co-owner Kimbal Musk said the closure would be permanent. But the company now says that a transformed version of the restaurant will reopen at the same location this summer.
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Articles
Food Fridays to begin this week on Monument Circle
In a push to bring more revenue to Indianapolis restaurants as they recover from the pandemic, Downtown Indy Inc. is introducing a new event on Monument Circle.
Fishers Test Kitchen restaurant readies move to Bottleworks
Chef Carlos Salazar said he expects downtown Indianapolis customers will be more open to the global street food he serves at Lil Dumplings.
Genetically modified salmon from Indiana head to U.S. dinner plates
Several tons of salmon, engineered by biotech company AquaBounty Technologies Inc. and raised in Indiana, are heading to restaurants and dining services for the first time.
Clean Eatz bringing healthy meal plans, cafe to Fishers later this year
North Carolina-based Clean Eatz opened its first Indiana location in Dyer last spring and will open its first central Indiana location in Fishers in September.
What are Americans making for dinner? Reservations.
With nearly half of all Americans at least partially vaccinated and 100% of Americans tired of their own cooking, restaurant traffic is rocketing back.
Restaurants eating up federal COVID relief
As the pandemic subsides, local eateries are hopeful that a new coronavirus relief program, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, will help them emerge intact.
Q&A: Craig Baker preparing to open the AMP at 16 Tech
Restaurateur and chef Craig Baker is leading operations at the AMP, the artisan marketplace at 16 Tech Innovation District.
Owners of The GOAT in Carmel file petition to reverse zoning decision that shut down tavern
The owners say the Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals’ decision to deny a zoning variance that would permit the tavern “was arbitrary and capricious.” They also point to other bars and restaurants in close proximity to The GOAT that are allowed to operate.
McDonald’s raising U.S. workers’ pay in company-owned stores
The fast-food giant is also encouraging its franchisees—which make up 95% of its restaurant base—to boost pay.
Suit challenges priority of federal restaurant aid for women, minorities
A conservative legal outfit claims the prioritization of restaurants and bars owned by women and certain minorities is pushing white men “to the back of the line” for aid for their eateries.
Owner closes Fountain Square icon Peppy Grill
Plans are in the works for a new location and further expansion of the greasy-spoon concept.
Historic downtown building with steakhouse space, luxury condo on market for $4.95M
Eddie Merlot’s, an upscale steakhouse chain based in Fort Wayne, had signed a lease to move into the restaurant space in 2019, but those plans were ultimately derailed by the pandemic.
Punch Bowl Social to reopen downtown location next week
The 23,000-square-foot restaurant-and-entertainment venue, part of a Denver-based chain, has been closed since March 2020, eliminating 91 jobs.
IBJ Podcast: Restaurants are getting busy again—but don’t have the staff to keep up
Host Mason King talks with two restauranteurs—Loughmiller’s Pub & Eatery co-owner Danny Scotten and Upland Brewing Co. President David Bower—about how the labor crunch is affecting their eateries and what they’re doing to try to find workers.
Labor-starved restaurants, bars add bonuses, increased wages to the menu
Local restaurant owners battling a nationwide labor shortage are using alternative recruiting techniques and financial incentives to try to staff a returning dinner rush.
Pie Kitchen to enter Indy market with new concept in multiple locations
A Louisville, Kentucky-based restaurant chain known for its house-made desserts is entering the Indianapolis market, with Homemade Ice Cream & Bakery Cafe locations set to open within months in both Zionsville and Noblesville.
Veteran franchisees bringing Dave’s Hot Chicken chain to Indy
A Fort Wayne-based franchise group that operates 45 Pizza Hut locations, including some in Hamilton and Boone counties, has signed a deal to open 15 Dave’s Hot Chicken locations in Indiana. Most are expected to be in the Indy-area market.
$28.6B federal relief program for restaurants launches this week
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund will provide up to $10 million per recipient to qualifying restaurants, bars, food trucks, caterers, and other eligible recipients based on their pandemic-related revenue losses.
DoorDash offers lower-priced delivery plans amid criticism
Even before the pandemic, DoorDash, Grubhub and other delivery companies had a rocky relationship with restaurants, who criticized their high fees, lack of transparency and sometimes spotty service. That relationship was further tested by the pandemic.