Harlem Restaurant in Toronto celebrates the 1920s musical renaissance in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. The menu, printed to look like a vinyl record, features retro cocktails and soul food.
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Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.
The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea.
Once left for dead as shoppers moved online and then the pandemic hit, malls are regaining lost traffic. And that has been a boon for restaurant chains like Auntie Anne's, Cinnabon and Chick-fil-A.