Restaurant | featured news

Wendy's says its net loss widened in the third quarter as it paid off debt, but noted that a key sales figure rose. The company, which is in the midst of a turnaround push, says revenue at restaurants open at least 15 months rose 2.7 percent, marking the sixth straight quarter of growth.

It is something every restaurateur and hotel owner knows: good reviews boost takings while terrible ones can close you down. And, in an age when everyone can be an online critic, ratings have never been more important. But until now no one could be sure just how important the online star ratings system employed by sites such as Toptable and Tripadvisor could be for a business's fortunes.

European private-equity firm Permira said it would buy Japanese sushi chain Akindo Sushiro for around $1 billion, making a bet that the popular restaurant brand can expand beyond Japan.

Burger King says three workers were fired after a photo posted online appeared to show an employee stepping on lettuce in bins at a northwest Ohio restaurant.

Chuck E. Cheese has been given the pink slip. The company that operates the chain of children's pizza restaurants is retiring the giant rodent's outdated image — and the man who voiced its character for nearly two decades.

The waitresses at Twin Peaks wear skimpy plaid tops that accentuate their chests. In case you didn't catch the joke, the chain's logo is an image of two pointy, snow-capped mountains. And the sports bar doesn't stop there: It promises "scenic views."

With new food, revamped decor and an embrace of Twitter and mommy blogs, McDonald’s has returned from the brink of a public-relations nightmare.

P.F. Chang's reached a deal with Centerbridge Partners to be taken private for about $1.1 billion. The restaurant operator also said its earnings fell more than 40% as it continues to struggle with turnaround efforts.

To attract younger people, fine restaurants dispense with pristine, quiet formality, revamp their menus, update their decor and extend their hours. Water Grill, with its attentive servers, white tablecloths and hushed formality, was long a stalwart of L.A.'s old-guard restaurant scene.

Heartbroken customers lined up for meal at a closing San Francisco institution — a 100-year-old Chinese restaurant once known for having "the world's rudest waiter."