Would you sue over stolen customer data?

Optimism is high in the independent restaurant industry. Despite increasing costs, traffic concerns and lingering Covid-related setbacks, nearly three in five respondents in a recent NRN Intelligence report feel positive about their businesses.

This stat feels particularly relevant today as Los Angeles restaurants look to recover from a series of devastating fires. We’re heartened (but not surprised) to see the industry out in full force, helping and supporting their communities during this difficult time.

We’re thinking of all the readers and restaurants impacted by these fires. 

On the menu:

💠 The worst influencer behavior
💠 A California restaurant gets sued before opening
💠 Are we witnessing the end of DEI in restaurant hiring?
💠 Dissecting celebrity restaurants and their appeal

What we're following: Restaurants impacted by the Los Angeles-area wildfires. Eater has an ongoing list of restaurants affected by the fires, while chef and restaurant owner Andrew Gruel is documenting his family’s efforts to donate water, food and other supplies to L.A. fire victims. World Food Kitchen also is on the ground helping first responders and families affected by wildfires. Meanwhile, Kristina Levy, a restaurateur in the Pacific Palisades, told CBS that she saw her pizzeria, Rocco’s, on the news in flames.

On our radar: Companies stepping back their DEI initiatives. McDonald’s is one of the latest to announce a rollback of diversity practices. “We are retiring setting aspirational representation goals and instead keeping our focus on continuing to embed inclusion practices that grow our business into our everyday process and operations,” the company said in a news release. 

Restaurant tech news: Troubled drive-thru voice AI provider Presto has sold its assets to a venture capital group and hopes to use the new capital for growth. 

Plus: HuffPost asked restaurant owners about the rudest things influencers have done at their restaurants. Ring lights that disturb diners and influencers that skip gratuity top the list. 

Calif. restaurant says former employees stole customer data

A California restaurant is facing a lawsuit before opening its doors for business. The lawsuit, filed by Bay Area restaurant group Teleféric Barcelona, claims the owners of a nearby yet-to-open Palo Alto Spanish restaurant stole recipes and customer and client data. Husband and wife David Linares and Elisabet Reviriego worked for Teleféric Barcelona before starting their own venture, Macarena. The lawsuit highlights how much of a restaurant’s business lives online. “The documents stolen by Linares and Reviriego contain confidential and proprietary information such as marketing plans, market research studies, marketing full reports, sales and revenue forecasts and planning, competitors’ analysis, branding guidelines, all customer data, partnership agreements, present and future product launch plans, and competitive intelligence reports,” the lawsuit alleges. (The Mercury News) 

What all those celebrity restaurants have in common

Whether you want to cater to celebrity entourages or hope to avoid them, the New York Times has a delightful breakdown of what those hot spots have in common. Many are willing to cater to any diet or outlandish culinary request. Others can provide protection or access to an afterparty location. But some celebrity spots actually defy these rules. And they’re simply great restaurants. “Perhaps the best strategy of all is having a place with such fantastic food and service that a restaurant-loving A-lister has no choice but to show up and risk being turned away.” (The New York Times)

38%

Number of restaurant operators who say they update their menus every quarter

(NRN Intelligence)

💠 A look at the most important restaurant trends for 2025

💠 A shipping container restaurant gets recognized by Michelin

💠 Cooks and recipe developers weigh in on the best hot sauces

"The restaurant community is a community within ourselves…Yes, we share the same clientele, the same guests, but we shouldn’t have to think that we’re always fighting for them. We’re all different. We provide something different to each of our guests." 

-Terry O’Brien, owner of the Red Parka Pub in New Hampshire

(🎧 Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore)

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