Free Republic

California fast food restaurants have slashed nearly 10,000 jobs because of the state’s new $20 minimum wage as struggling franchises cut labor costs and raise prices to survive, a major trade group said Thursday. The California Business and Industrial Alliance (CABIA) slammed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom for pushing through the law, which went into effect April 1 – and was blamed for forcing one beloved taco chain to shutter 48 locations in the state last week. “California businesses have been under total attack and total assault for years,” CABIA president and founder Tom Manzo told Fox Business. “It’s just another...

Americans nibble their way through more than 3 million tons of chocolate each year, savoring the aromatic bitterness that only the seeds of the cacao plant can deliver. To make the signature flavor palatable as a sweet treat, chocolate manufacturers combine a paste made from cacao seeds with sugar. Lots and lots of sugar – often enough to rival all the other ingredients combined, in fact. Together with significant amounts of saturated fatty acids, provided by the addition of cocoa butter from the fruit, the few health benefits provided by the chocolate bean are swamped by ingredients that increase the...

Rubio’s Coastal Grill, a beloved restaurant chain known for its fish tacos, is indeed closing 48 locations in California due to the “rising cost of doing business.” These closures represent about a third of the Rubio’s locations in California, Nevada, and Arizona. Here are the key points: Reason for Closures: The decision to close these locations was influenced by the increasing costs associated with operating in California. Minimum wage hikes, such as the recent increase from $16 to $20 per hour, have put additional pressure on businesses like Rubio’s. The rising costs, combined with other financial challenges, led to the...

...The study, partially funded by Klamath County, shows that the region's farms and ranches, worth over $368 million annually and employing over 3,000 people, are in jeopardy. The study highlights that this is due to water restrictions, which have already led to a loss of $12 million in income, with more at risk if restrictions continue. ...

You can get a really good idea how the U.S. economy is doing by watching restaurants in your area. When the economy is booming, restaurant parking lots are full and chains are feverishly establishing new locations. But when the economy is struggling, restaurants get a lot less traffic and poor performing locations get shut down. Sadly, in 2024 it appears that a “restaurant apocalypse” has started to sweep across America. Most people have very little discretionary income to spend as a result of our cost of living crisis, and that is particularly true for our young adults. Americans under the...

It's finally here and ready for baking! Mary Ann released her famous coconut cream pie recipe to the world. This was taken from the "Mary Ann's Cookbook" and I have yet to try it. If any of you bake this pie, please tell me how it came out. You can purchase Mary Ann's Cookbook at Amazon.com. 3 egg yolks Dash of salt 3/4 cup sugar 3 cups milk 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup cornstarch 1 cup coconut 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 baked 9-inch pie shell 3 egg whites Coconut for garnish In the top of a double boiler over...

One of the best-known grocery chains in the Northeast announced it's closing an unspecified amount of stores. Yet another business with ties to New York is closing multiple locations. The news follows what can only be described as a landslide of abrupt closings. Retro Fitness in Yorkville ceased operations on May 22, a few days after Wheelock Rides out of Syracuse took its final bow. Not only that, Freihofer's bakery shut its doors for good after 140 years, including its Verona location. And, just yesterday, BNY Mellon announced it's shuttering its Oriskany Business Park location. These local closures come as...

At this point it looks like most of our protein will be sourced from animals for some time to come, whether we like it or not, as it has for the past 100,000 years. Luckily, we can do this in ways that meet our climate goals and boost nutrition and animal welfare, Eurof Uppington writes. 2021 saw a strange and short-lived celebrity phenomenon. Out of nowhere, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr, Katy Perry, Serena Williams and other A-listers announced personal investments in plant-based foodtech startups alongside venture capital funds and philanthropists. They were on a mission to save the planet,...

The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

(Best USA Beef)—In mid-2022, we set up a news alert for terms like “cricket protein” and “cricket burgers.” Since then, there have been occasional peaks with a whole lot of valleys in interest as Americans generally aren’t excited about the prospects of getting their necessary protein from bugs. There was a spike that started shortly after news broke that bird flu was being transmitted to cattle. On the surface this makes sense, but it was conspicuously odd that there was no spike when bird flu was limited to poultry. Surely Americans would be concerned about their sources of protein whether...

The prices are just too damn high.Earlier this month, McDonald’s made a reassuring announcement — the return of its $5 value meal. This pocket-friendly deal includes a choice of sandwiches, a four-piece order of McNuggets, medium fries, and a drink. Not to be outdone, Burger King is also stepping up with its own $5 Your Way Meal, featuring a sandwich, chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink. And of course, Wendy’s weighed in first with its $3 breakfast meals, then with its 1-cent bacon cheeseburgers. These affordable options are a welcome respite for consumers amidst the rising fast food prices. Although...

A massive fire broke out at Farina Farms Inc. in Marion County, Illinois, on Wednesday night, resulting in the deaths of millions of chickens. The farm is one of the largest free-range egg facilities in the country. The fire, which began around 6:30 p.m. along Highway 37, quickly escalated into a 5-alarm fire, requiring the intervention of at least 20 different fire departments from surrounding areas, according to WAND TV. Described as “humongous” by Marion County Sheriff Kevin Cripps, the fire engulfed multiple buildings spanning 200-300 yards in length.

It’s time somebody came out and said it: Whataburger sucks. God forbid somebody in San Antonio should say that. We treat Whataburger like a hometown hero, never mind that it never was. And now it’s just another asset in a Chicago firm’s portfolio. Through orange-colored glasses, we failed to see the beat-down beef, the bun crushed by overreach and ennui. We failed to hold accountable the burger that tastes like the wrapper it came in, with the little round sticker that says “no onion” or “bacon” or “you can do better.”

Little by little, our standard of living has been eroding. A couple decades ago, we had the largest and most prosperous middle class in the history of the world, but now most of the country is struggling. At this point, fast food is considered to be a “luxury”, 11 million children are living in poverty, and thousands of stores are permanently shutting down all over the United States because consumers have so little discretionary income these days. We are in the midst of a historic cost of living crisis, and those at the bottom of the economic food chain are...

Six people who shared a meal involving black bear meat kebabs have been diagnosed with trichinellosis, a parasitic zoonotic disease. In a new report released this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that in July 2022, a 29-year old hospitalized patient with suspected trichinellosis was reported to the Minnesota health department. His symptoms included fever, severe muscle aches, periorbital edema or eye swelling, and eosinophilia or the condition of elevated levels of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell. According to the report, a week prior to the symptoms appearing, the patient and eight other people...

Cracker Barrel has shut four stores so far this year - as the beloved family chain battles for survival. Stock for the Southern country-themed chain has plummeted in the past week after the company's CEO said the restaurant is no longer 'relevant'. Julie Masino was talking to investors as she outlined plans to turn things around at the chain, which until the closures had 662 outlets across 45 states. Popularity has waned over the past decade - with its loyal clientele of elderly people failing to return after the pandemic. To cut costs, it has already shuttered four stores this...

Glenn told us we were going to eat bugs, and here we are... If you live anywhere between Texarkana and Chicago, you have likely already seen—or heard—about the 2024 cicada superbrood. This Biblical-scale insect invasion is the result of two cicada broods, Brood XIII and Brood XIX, emerging simultaneously. The last time something like this happened was in 1803. Trillions of cicadas will swarm out of the earth and fill the trees with a chorus of deafening buzzing. It didn't take long for the leftist elites to hop on this opportunity to push Klaus Schwab's dream: "eat the bugs." The...

An iconic American eatery's stock has plummeted in recent week after the company's CEO said the restaurant is no longer 'relevant'. Cracker Barrel, the Southern country-themed restaurants with 662 locations across the nation, has been diminishing in popularity over the past decade - with its loyal clientele of elderly people failing to return after the pandemic. The business tanked even more when its chief executive Julie Felss Masino told investors, 'We're just not as relevant as we once were.' While speaking on an investor call, Masino, who took over the CEO position nine months ago, admitted, 'Some of our recipes...

It's crazy to think how much better we had it just five short years ago. You could get a $1.29 McChicken, a $1.69 5-layer burrito from Taco Bell, 8 nuggets at Chick-fil-A for $3.05. We had it made! Since 2019, however, those prices have essentially doubled, and that's not only outrageous, it's depressing. Let's check on the numbers, shall we? So here's what inflation looked like overall during that period: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator, prices in general went up by around 21.5% between December 2019 (prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic...

Undoubtedly, by this time in your life you have read a hundred times, or maybe a thousand, that beef production is a “major contributor” to climate change. It’s one of those narratives that has become a continuous drumbeat in the progressive press. Probably, you have had no reason to question it. Without thinking about it, you likely assume that this narrative is probably true. But there is good reason to think critically about this one. Among the various scare stories used to take further control of your life, this is one of the more important. With the war against...