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The article focuses on expansion plans of Midtown, New York-based restaurant business, Fireman Hospitality Group (FHG) owned by Shelly Fireman. It reports on its plans to open restaurants in Middle East and India and the deal signed with Dubai-based Jawad Group to operate the Brooklyn Diners in the region. It also reports on John Fireman, son of Shelly to whom he is slowing relinquishing his duties.

The article reports on insurance companies' denial of business interruption claims by a number of restaurants in New York City that had to close temporarily after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 due to power outages.

The article reports on the growing market for steakhouses in New York City. NYK Steak will open at Rockefeller Center while Bronx Bombers' restaurant will open in a 16,000-square-foot space. According to the article, the opening of ten steakhouses in the city contradicts some negative predictions about the economy, with about 200 steakhouses listed in the five boroughs by the Zagat Survey. Some steakhouses are taking advantage of their brands or on celebrity chefs.

The article offers information on the new restaurant to be opened by former owner of Russian Tea Room, Ellen Kaye, in New York City. Kaye, whose family owned the restaurant from 1947 to 1996, is planning to open the restaurant, Moscow 57, a contemporary version of the Russian Tea Room, on West 57th Street by September 2011. Kaye and her business partner, Seth Goldman, are negotiating a lease for space for the 125-seater restaurant.

The article informs that growing number of restaurants stay open late night in New York City. Veterans from the restaurant industry say that they are trying to attract an older generation for whom the dinner is the evening, as well as young people who believe in a night out with a meal. Paul Seres, president of the New York Nightlife Association, said that now-a-days eating out is a much more social experience and some restaurants want to grab the business opportunity by staying open late.

The article reports that discounts being offered by many restaurants in New York is taking a heavy toll on the business of restaurants. Although during the recent slow business climate, restaurants are providing online coupons but it is eating up the profits. Rewards Network, offers rebates of 5 to 15% on meals. But now, restaurateurs are concerned that discounting cuts into their profit margin and also cheapens their brand.

The article reports on the closure of the three-star Indian eatery Tabla, owned by restaurateur Danny Meyer, in New York City. This has been Meyer's first failure in his 25 years in the business as the restaurant remained open despite facing bad times. In addition, Meyer is trying his best to help Tabla's 90 full-time staff find new positions before December 30, 2010, the official closing date of the restaurant.

The article discusses expansion plan of hotelier Tom Colicchio. He has opened the restaurant "Riverpark" in the Alexandria Center for Life Scienc e at 29th Street off First Avenue in New York City. It evident that family-run real estate firm Alexandria has chosen Colicchio out of a pool of 20 restaurateurs and it is Colicchio's first restaurant in an area that house low-income people. Sisha Ortzar will be the executive chef of the new restaurant.

The article focuses on restaurateur Dean Poll who is ready to offset his bitter disappointment at losing the restaurant, Tavern, by fighting hard for another trophy restaurant to run. It is stated hat the union Local 6 is working to close Loeb Boathouse restaurant, which Poll has operated since 2000. It is mentioned that many Boathouse workers support the union.

The article discusses the partnership split between Jimmy Haber and Laurent Tourondel, who operate a family of 17 restaurants across the U.S., nine of which are in luxury hotels. It is said that Haber, with a flair for finance, brought money and business savvy to the table, whereas Tourondel took BLT restaurant empire to new heights. Both the former partners have their own versions of the split. Tourondel opposed Haber's plan to set up more restaurants that did not carry the BLT name.

The article implies that Colors restaurant of New York City will expand in other cities, though its outlet in the City is struggling financially. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is providing funding for the restaurant's outlet in Detroit, Michigan. It is stated that Colors' expansion is being fuelled by the worker advocacy group called Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York. Cities like New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, are set to have Colors restaurants as well.

The article offers information on the collapse of the deal between restaurateur Dean Poll of the restaurant Tavern on the Green in the New York City and union chief Peter Ward. The collapse took place when the two parties were negotiating a labor contract in 2009 covering Tavern's 400 employees. It informs that Poll had a business in the 1980s also which was associated with an another union. A plan has been announced to turn the restaurant into a snack bar.

The article analyzes the reasons for the failure and success of two restaurants in New York City, opened during the global financial crisis in 2008. Eighty-One run by chef Ed Brown failed because of its location and expensive menu. Although he tried to cut costs and increase popularity of his restaurant but failed to increase revenue. On the other hand At Vermillion owned by Rohini Dey is running successfully due to lowered menu prices, restaurant expenses and variety of special events.

The article discusses new improvements and recoveries at restaurants of New York City that would help in the growth of food service sector. As stated, after seeing the rising demand of restaurants, Pera's managing partner Burak Karacam decided to introduce special low pricey weekend menus, employ more staff members, and investing money in marketing sources. Reportedly, restaurateurs are heavily investing in the remodeling of their archaic models and focusing on business planning.

The article presents information on restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow. The restaurateur is investing in smaller eateries run by chefs such as Zak Pelaccio. He is also launching a 50,000-square-foot project at the new Eventi hotel on Sixth Avenue that will include a Basque-style restaurant and an indoor Food Parc.

The article reports that the French brasserie La Goulue in New York City will reopen in spring 2010 by its founder and co-owner, Jean Denoyer. When it closed in August 2009, because its landlord had other plans for the building, the French brasserie was profitable. It was sustained by its well-heeled customers, including celebrities like Kim Cattrall, Jude Law and Bruce Springsteen as well as the privileged residents of the Upper East Side, even through an economic downturn.

The article focuses on heiress Jennifer LeRoy who assumed control of Tavern on the Green and the Russian Tea Room in 2001. Warner LeRoy, shortly before his death, chose Jennifer, the youngest of his four children, to run his restaurant empire. Just 17 months after she took over the family business, crushing debt forced her to close the Russian Tea Room. In September 2009, Tavern on the Green filed for bankruptcy and is closing on December 31, 2009.

The article informs that Thai restaurants are growing up along New York City's Ninth Avenue from West 34th to West 57th streets. According to Darrick Sampson, past president of the West 46th Street Block Association, Ninth Avenue has long been known as a destination for inexpensive ethnic restaurants, but Thai eatery openings have accelerated in the past four years. Thai immigrant Nirun Jetanamest has began the trend by opening Yum Yum Bangkokon between West 45th and West 46th streets in 1998.

The article reports that restaurants in New York are facing a modest surge in sales during the summer. Restaurants are fuller than they have been since the recession touched down in October 2008. For some, June and July brought the first glimmers of an economic recovery as they fed more customers than they had during the same months last year. The reasons for resurgence include theories about New Yorkers being fed up with depriving themselves or feeling more confident about their job security.

The article focuses on the launch of Italian restaurant Montenapo in New York City by hotelier Henry Kallan. Kallan had never owned a restaurant and he had always delegated the food operations of his properties to others. Kallan's friend restaurateur Roberto Ruggeri had thought of starting the restaurant two years back and Kallan was to be a minority investor contributing over $1.6 million. With the onset of depression Ruggeri could not finance the project and Kallan became its sole owner.

The article reports on the move of restaurants to revamp their menus and lower their prices to attract more customers in New York City. Restaurant consultant Arlene Spiegel contends that owners need to change because the tourist dollars and corporate expense acounts that funded lavish meals have disappeared. It highlights the move of restaurateur Danny Meyer to lower, and in some cases remove, the corkage fee, the charge for serving wine brought from home.

The article discusses how cash rich restaurants are utilizing the opportunity amid falling rents and higher quality spaces. Mathew Glazier, co-owner of the East 12th Street Steak Spot is among a small group of cash-rich restaurant and bar owners who are expanding even as the city's economy shrivels. Burak Kara'am, managing partner of Pera Mediterranean Brasserie in Manhattan says that what makes this time appealing is that there are more prime locations available.

The article reports on a growing group of penny-pinching New Yorkers who are putting lunch on their financial diet plan and carry lunchbox to their workplace. Though they can still afford to buy lunch, cutting back feels like the responsible thing to do during an economic meltdown. There are no official statistics about brown baggers, but restaurants are reporting lower sales to workers. The article also provides several recipes to help brown baggers.

The article presents information on the growing sales of beers in restaurants. One year after the nation slipped into recession, high-end restaurateurs are discovering that beer goes well with hard times. However restaurant owners fret that offering an extensive beer selection will cut into their far more profitable wine sales. Some restaurateurs who expanded their beer selection long before the recession hit are seeing demand rise.

The article focuses on the steps being taken by various hotels and restaurants across New York City to attract customers. The Plaza Hotel has announced a package inviting customers to stay three nights and get the third one free. It states that several hotels are facing problems like low occupancy rates and drop in the customer spending for holidays. Some of the steps being undertaken by hotels include free cocktails, and releasing new menus.

The article offers information on the decline in holiday business in 2008 in the U.S. The decline is stated to have an adverse impact on catering venues and restaurants. Some firms that have laid off workers are canceling year-end parties altogether. Several restaurants are offering discounts in order to attract firms.

The article informs that more and more of restaurants are reinventing their businesses in the wake of recent economic downturn to reflect leaner times and thinner crowds. From the most elegant dining establishments to informal bistros, New York restaurants are touting bargain prix-fixe menus, adding happy hours and scaling back lofty wine lists to make room for more bottles below $100. Some restaurants are hiring consultants to help them figure out the right price points.

The article focuses on the business planning of restaurateur Danny Meyer. Next year he will open a restaurant in Greenwich, Connecticut, the first of several planned for outside the city. Recently he signed a deal to feed fans at the baseball team New York Mets' new home at Citi Field, beginning next spring. Moreover, Meyer has reorganized his company into three new divisions.

The article reports on the efforts of the eateries in New York promote the green movement in the industry. These restaurants include Tavern on the Green, which has banned Styro-foam cups in its employee dining room, and Central Park, which is already considering energy sipping lightbulbs. Meanwhile, the B.R. Guest Restaurants is also into practice in which most of its 15 restaurants are certified and having invested in sustainable devices such as faucet aerators.

The article reports that the slumping economy is spurring companies to rein in their travel and entertainment spending. And across the New York City, restaurants and hotels are noticing a significant falloff in corporate parties and banquets. For hotels with large meeting facilities, the decreases of recent months are particularly worrisome because they also affect room revenues. If a property is hosting fewer parties, then fewer people are booking hotel rooms at premium corporate rates.

The article focuses on shutting down of several eateries in New York City due to high rents and low revenues faced by the restaurateurs. It reports on a recession in the restaurant business. Closure of chef Pino Luongo's eatery Tuscan Square at the end of January, 2008 is cited because of the increased rent. An overview of restaurant owners approaching courts due to drastic decline in business is offered. Mexican eatery Itzocan Cafe is involved in such a case where owners missed rent payments.

The article presents information on the increasing trend of chef's table service at restaurants in New York City. According to the Zagat Survey, over the past three years, the number of restaurants in the city with a chef's table has nearly tripled to 25. Some chef's tables are booked seven nights a week. A few have lengthy waiting lists. New restaurants are adding chef's tables as a way to stand out in the crowd. One of the restaurants offering this service is Waldorf-Astoria.

The article reports on the plan of restaurateurs Donatella Arpaia and Michael Psilakis to expand their restaurant business. The restaurateurs plan to open three restaurants in New York City in 2008, using two of them as models for nationwide expansion. Three months ago, they found a multi-million dollar investor who agreed to support their expansion plans in exchange for a one-third stake in their business.

The article presents information on strategies restaurateurs are adopting to keep their customers satisfied. Customers are becoming increasingly demanding and restaurateurs are responding by turning on the charm. Some spots require employees who deal with guests to watch training videos and even take written exams. Restaurants are not limiting the effort to wait staff. William Degel, the owner of Uncle Jack's, places managers at the front-door station to greet guests and take reservations.

The article focuses on the seven-year litigation of the restaurant One if by Land, that has sullied their reputation in Greenwich Village, New York City. In 1999, owner Armand Braiger died unexpectedly and named his business partner Noury Goujjane as the executor of his estate. Braiger's spurned sisters claimed that Goujjane had used a sexual relationship with their brother to gain control of his assets. Goujjane denied the accusations.

The article states that restaurateur Nick Valenti and his partner in Los Angeles, California, chef Joachim Splichal, have bought Restaurant Associates/Patina from Compass Group PLC for $90 million in October 2006. The new ownership has freed Valenti of his previous responsibilities at the company. He now plans to announce the opening of two new restaurants in New York before the end of 2006.

The article focuses on issues related to a ban imposed by New York City health officials that would prevent cooks from using trans fats at restaurants. Representatives of the city's restaurant industry will demonstrate at a meeting of the city's Board of Health on October 30, 2006. Next month, the board will vote to decide whether to approve the proposal.

The article presents information related to the growing number of steak houses in New York. Zagat.com, a company, says that the number of chophouses has almost tripled, to nearly 100, and 30 of them have arrived in the recent past. According to Jimmy Haber, a restaurant investor who opened BLT Prime in the year 2005, there is no question that people can afford to eat steak more now. Steak houses are known for maintaining a loyal following, but those ties will be tested with the explosion in the number of places in town offering similar fare.

The article reports that Mai Lai Fong, who, for most of her career, had run very successful Chinese restaurants in New York City, sold her restaurants in 1999 and opened Maui Tacos--a franchise that offers Mexican food with a Hawaiian twist--near the Empire State Building. Fong's mini-empire began to crumble in 1997, when another Chinese restaurant opened down the street from her most popular location and still more eateries started opening all over the city. The number of Chinese restaurants in New York has more than doubled since 1998, to 2,420, according to Chinese Restaurant News, and competition has never been tougher. The overcrowding has also pushed many new Chinese immigrants into the Mexican takeout business.

The article focuses on the impact of parking ticket revenues on the restaurant business in New York City. A growing number of restaurant owners from Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx say the ticket blitz is hurting their businesses. The restaurateurs say that overzealous enforcement agents serve up fines as diners wait in front of eateries for a valet to become available, and they pounce on expired meters the second they start blinking. As a goodwill gesture, these restaurateurs have paid thousands of dollars in order to cover customers' tickets. They have forked over even more money to hire valet companies. The extra expenses are tough to swallow.

The article presents information on the notable growth in the Manhattan hospitality industry. In the past six months, the city witnessed the launch of no fewer than 10 mega-restaurants, headed by esteemed culinary talents like Geoffrey Zakarian and Nobu Matsuhisa. Despite the expected risk concerning rents and economic downturn, restaurateurs are taking advantage of an incredible dining boom. Last year set records for some owners but this year there are no signs of a slowdown. The National Restaurant Association reported an increase in same-store sales in January for the 30th straight.

This article reports that the growth of the Big Apple's restaurant business hinges on more than a bunch of hotshots with too much money on their hands. It's often about friendships, Louis Bratsis is partners with a childhood friend, or simply a love of fine food and wine. In fact, making an investment is sometimes driven more by the heart than by ruthless practicality. Entrepreneur Seth Harrison, for one, readily admits that no one he knows thinks investing in a restaurant is a good idea. Harrison, a venture capitalist, is one of 11 investors in Tocqueville Restaurant, which has embarked on a multimillion-dollar expansion in a new location that will double the size of the five-year-old business.

This article focuses on the lack of basic facilities in Harlem, New York City. Longtime residents of Harlem have always complained about the lack of essential amenities where they live. Those who can afford to do so shop elsewhere. An analysis conducted by Columbia University shows that residents of East Harlem spend only 19% of their disposable income in their community. Even with the great economic surge in Harlem, the situation has not changed much. New residents are finding that large parts of Harlem still lack basic conveniences such as quality dry cleaners, supermarkets that offer fresh produce and meat, and a critical mass of full-service restaurants.

The article reports that business leaders in the neighborhood around Madison Square Garden are mobilizing in an attempt to bring more chic eateries to the restaurant-starved area. Landlords like GHT Realty, Haymes Investment and Vornado Realty Trust, which owns 6.4 million square feet in the district have tentatively agreed to offer financial incentives to attract restaurateurs. The business group aims to lure 10 full-service eateries to the area over the next three to five years. Stout NYC, a sleek 17,000-square-foot bar and restaurant on West 33rd Street, opened in April 2005.

The article informs that René Pujol, a French restaurant that has been a fixture in the theater district for more than 30 years, is now New York's first employee-owned eatery. But the move isn't going over well with the restaurant union, which has prompted the National Labor Relations Board to file a complaint against the new owners, charging unfair labor practices. At issue is the restaurant's contract with the Unite Here Local 100. Now that the employees are their own bosses, they don't see the need for a union in their house.

The article focuses on the plans of chef Tom Colicchio to expand his restaurant brand. After recently joining the elite ranks of chefs who turn in their toques for business suits, Tom Colicchio is cooking up a recipe to increase his level of culinary success. Currently spanning six eateries in New York and Las Vegas, Mr. Colicchio's empire is on track to reach $40 million in revenues as the company opens three more restaurants, in Atlanta, Dallas and Manhattan. The chef is also in negotiations to launch a Los Angeles eatery, and he's boosting the number of his gourmet "wichcraft sandwich joints" by about 20 outlets in New York and elsewhere in the next few years.

The article presents news relating to the field of restaurant business. Now, restaurateurs are leveraging their brand equity to peddle booze. A pioneering few, the most famous so far being Drew Nieporent of Tribeca Grill, are opening wine stores in Manhattan. The handful of restaurateurs who have opened wine stores in the city so far pride themselves on their collections of hard-to-find labels. While these newcomers are trying to break the traditional liquor store mold by avoiding obligatory big-name labels and having old-fashioned displays, skeptics maintain that consumers like to buy familiar wines.

This article focuses on the business planning of Ark Restaurants Corp. Instead of going bust, though, the Manhattan, New York-based company--owner of 22 upscale restaurants and bars and 26 fast-food outlets in New York, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., has made a full recovery. Last year, Ark managed to pay off the last of its once-crushing debts, shell out the first dividends in its 20-year history and double its profits, on revenues of $116 million. No wonder the company has become a stock market darling. Its shares hit a recent high of $43, six times their lows of July 2003. At the same time, the company has refocused on operations in casinos and in high-traffic areas, including properties such as its Bryant Park Grill in Manhattan and its America restaurant in Washington's Union Station.

This article focuses on matters related to dating at dining and dating clubs. Kobi Jaeger, a 66-year-old widower, won't try an online dating service& mdash; and not because he's not tech-savvy. The service pairs up four men and four women with similar interests and backgrounds, who spend an evening together at a restaurant. There docs seem to be a shortage of straight men and older men's desire to date younger women can be problematic. Dinner Elite, a similar service based in Manhattan, launched in August 2005. And It's Just Lunch, an international firm that has been arranging dates for couples at New York restaurants for the past 12 years, had its best year ever in the New York market in 2004, posting 20% revenue growth.

The article informs that each day, restaurant owner Charles Masson greets his guests with a warm smile and gracious manners, ushering them to a table where they will quietly dine in style. A little farther east along 52nd Street, restaurant owner Georges Briguet works his dining room, chatting up customers who often linger up to three hours to savor their meals. Masson and Briguet, owners of La Grenouille and Le Périgord, respectively, are making a stand. They are the proprietors of the city's last two classic French restaurants with roots dating back to the 1960s, still serving up Dover sole in mustard sauce and frog's legs Provençal in hushed dining rooms. INSET: Zagat Survey Ratings.