Independent restaurants are disappearing alongside the major chains shrinking across Florida. Three recent Miami-area closures are especially painful because each restaurant helped define its neighborhood. Lokal in Coconut Grove Lokal closed June 28, 2026, after 15 years in Coconut Grove. Matt Kuscher opened the burger restaurant in 2011 and used its success to build what eventually became Kush Hospitality Group. [...]

Chipotle has taken precautionary action after health officials linked one of its ingredients to a growing Salmonella outbreak investigation. The move comes as public health authorities work to determine the source of an outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people, prompting the restaurant chain to remove the ingredient from affected locations while the investigation continues. Jalapeños pulled from affected [...]

Arkansas has been counting down to its first Buc-ee's for months, and the wait is almost over. The massive new Benton travel center is scheduled to open at 6 a.m. on Monday, August 17. The opening will give Arkansas its first taste of the full-size Buc-ee's experience: an enormous convenience store, more fuel pumps than most drivers have ever seen in one place and enough food, clothing and home décor to turn a quick stop [...]

A growing list of Five Guys restaurants has closed across the U.S. this year, with the popular burger chain recently shutting down another longtime location and preparing to close another in the coming days. The latest closures come as many restaurant operators continue to face higher labor, food and occupancy costs while consumers pull back on discretionary spending. Seattle location closes after 12 years Five Guys [...]

A longtime Bay Area steakhouse known for premium cuts of beef and upscale dining has served its last meal. LB Steak has permanently closed both of its Northern California locations after parent company Vine Hospitality announced it is shutting down operations. The closure is part of a broader company-wide shutdown that will eliminate approximately 300 jobs, ending more than three decades of business for the restaurant [...]

Virginia’s most active next Buc-ee’s project is now in Stafford County. The project has cleared its most important local vote, although the differing timelines behind Virginia’s three Buc-ee’s locations mean an opening is still several years away. The Stafford County Board of Supervisors approved the rezoning and conditional-use permit May 19, 2026, following a lengthy public hearing that continued into the early hours of [...]