Reality Check

Peter Romeo

The musings of Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo.

Ark Restaurants learns how risky the pandemic can be for independents

One of the multi-concept operator's priorities right now is holding onto year-end holiday bookings.

What’s on the mind of Texas Roadhouse’s Kent Taylor?

The chain’s proudly contrarian CEO and founder made cryptic references this week to possible new revenue channels for his brand. Here are the clues.

Operations

What's necessary to reopen? Depends on where you are

By Peter Romeo on Apr. 27, 2020

The requirements or recommendations for resuming dine-in service vary widely from state to state, if they exist at all. Here's a sampling, along with some of the few near-constants.

Financing

Senate’s $320B PPP re-up draws restaurants' fire

By Peter Romeo on Apr. 22, 2020

Small-business groups applaud the reallocation, but question why the loan process wasn’t fixed.

Operations

All of a sudden, there's talk of reopening

By Peter Romeo on Apr. 14, 2020

States are coming together to plot a restart of the economy. But restaurants may be on the sidelines for a while.

Operations

Is Cheesecake Factory making it?

By Peter Romeo on Apr. 06, 2020

Per-unit sales are running at about a third of the volume of pre-COVID-19 days, but that's still $3 million in annual per-store revenues. And costs have been aggressively cut.

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