Florida is losing a piece of restaurant history, and for longtime fans of once-packed dining chains, this one stings. The oldest continuously operating Red Lobster in America is closing in Tallahassee after 56 years. The North Monroe Street restaurant, which opened in October 1970, is expected to serve its final customers today (Sunday, May 24, 2026). For many Florida diners, this was not just another chain restaurant. [...]
Buc-ee’s is getting closer to Wisconsin, but one location is still stuck
Wisconsin is about to find out what all the Buc-ee's hype is about. It's one of the handful of states getting Buc-ee's for the first time...but let's talk about exactly when. The biggest Wisconsin update is in Oak Creek. Buc-ee's received final site plan approval for its first Wisconsin travel center in Oak Creek, near I-94 and Elm Road, south of Milwaukee. The planned store is expected to be about 73,000 square [...]
Famous burger chain is closing 4 California locations — and workers can’t transfer anywhere else
$25 for a burger, fries, and drink is finally catching up to Five Guys. The cult-favorite burger chain is closing four California restaurants between late May and early July, citing "financial hardship" in filings with the state. The closures will eliminate 55 jobs, and according to the company's WARN notices, the affected workers won't have bumping rights — meaning they can't transfer to other Five Guys locations to save [...]
Beloved Houston Mexican restaurant likely won’t get to 50 years
One of Houston’s most recognizable Mexican restaurants now has a final date at its longtime Kirby Drive home. Arnaldo Richards’ Picos, the Upper Kirby restaurant known for regional Mexican dishes, mole, shaker margaritas, brunches, and holiday tamales, is set to close its current location on August 30, 2026. The restaurant has operated in Houston for more than 40 years and has been at 3601 Kirby Drive since 2014. The [...]
One of Texas’s biggest Buc-ee’s locations is opening near Austin
A massive new Buc-ee’s is coming to one of the busiest stretches of highway in Texas. The chain is building a new travel center in San Marcos, along Interstate 35 near Yarrington Road, between Austin and San Antonio. The location is expected to be 74,707 square feet, making it one of the largest Buc-ee’s stores in Texas. FOX 4 reported the project carries an estimated $47.2 million price tag, and local reporting says the [...]
California Fast-Food Prices Keep Climbing as Restaurants Adjust to $20 Wages
If your last California drive-thru run hit harder than expected, you're not imagining it. Two years into the state's $20 fast-food minimum wage, the receipts are starting to tell the story. The law, Assembly Bill 1228, took effect April 1, 2024, requiring chains with 60 or more locations nationwide to pay workers at least $20 an hour. It was the biggest single-industry wage hike in recent U.S. history — and operators have [...]
