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Updated regulations take effect Dec. 1 — are you ready?

In response to concern that wages at the low end of the pay scale were slow to rise, particularly for store managers and assistant store managers, the United States Department of Labor updated the Fair Labor Standards Act regulations defining which white collar workers must be paid overtime pay.

Come this winter, shoppers in frigid Minnesota will be able to escape to a tropical paradise without leaving the state.

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant will open a location at Mall of American, Bloomington, Minn., on Sept. 20. The 315-seat restaurant and bar will be Margaritaville’s first in the state of Minnesota.

A coalition of New York-based advocates have launched a national campaign to press large retailers, restaurant chains and other companies to end on-call and last-minute scheduling.   The effort comes in the wake of recent agreements by several retailers with New York's attorney general to end the practice in that state, the Associated Press reported.  

Amazon continues its expansion into the restaurant delivery arena.   Further expanding benefits to its Prime Now members, Amazon launched free one-hour deliveries from popular chain restaurants in the Houston region.   Houston-based members using the Prime Now mobile app, or those visiting the Prime Now website, can view participating restaurants, browse menus, place orders, and track the status of their delivery in real-time.  

Photo: Steelblue   There’s a reason that dining and entertainment destinations are the key success components at retail centers these days: They are e-commerce-proof, the two marketplace options that continue to draw traffic and post upward-trending numbers. Spending at restaurants has grown faster than any other retail category since the recession, according to the Commerce Department, pushing dining dollars past grocery dollars for the first time.  

PizzaRev, the build-your-own pizza shop that has a franchising partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings, made its first foray into New England this week with the opening of a store in CambridgeSide Galleria in Boston.   Since joining forces with Buffalo Wild Wings in 2013, the fast-casual concept has expanded to more than 200 franchise locations. Its coverage had touched nearly all regions of the U.S. except for New England.  

Ice cream lovers in Lebanon will soon have a new confectionary option, as Cold Stone Creamery has announced plans to open multiple locations throughout the country over the next few years, beginning with the capital city of Beirut.    Kahala Brands, the parent company of Cold Stone Creamery, has granted MNM Investments Lebanon SAL, part of M1 Group, the master franchise rights to Lebanon under a 10-year master franchise agreement.  

More and more retailers are looking to make their stores more than just destinations to shop.   In a trend that is gaining increased momentum, retailers across the board are adding bars and eateries to their stores, USA Today reported.   

New store formats loom large in Starbucks Corp.’s long-term strategy.   The coffee giant on Monday announced that Cliff Burrows, who has headed up Starbucks' Americas business for eight years, will lead a new group within the company called Siren Retail. In the role, Burrows will oversee the global expansion of the chain’s new Roastery concept, as well as the development of the upscale Starbucks Reserve stores. http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/coffee-giant-two-new-store-expansion-moves  

Restaurants now dominate retail for 15% of all sales, a point ahead of grocery for the top area of expenditure. Now it’s time for the special conditions of retail leasing to dominate the minds of shopping centers owners and managers, according to CBRE experts.