Restaurant

Construction has begun on a 240,000-sq.-ft expansion of the Staten Island Mall, the largest shopping center in the New York City borough.   The multi-phase project will take two years to complete, and will add some 75,000 sq. ft. of space to Macy’s plus 40,000 sq. ft. for a new Dave & Busters and a 12-option food court. A new wing with a three-level parking deck is destined for one side of the General Growth Properties mall.  

10 Corso Como, the eternally cool Milanese retailer, is coming to the Big Apple.   The Howard Hughes Corp, announced that the Milan-based retailer will open its first U.S. store in the Seaport District of lower Manhattan as part of the development’s ongoing transformation.    

A pioneer in mobile ordering and payment capabilities, Subway is making a bold move to keep its digital strategies innovative.  

A newly formed developer called the Maker Bros. has announced plans to build a $150 million mixed-use project in South Austin, Texas, christened the Saint Elmo Market District.   A 40,000-sq.-ft. former school bus factory on the site will be converted into and indoor-outdoor marketplace that will serve as the new home of the Saxon Pub, a celebrated live music hall in Austin. Maker Bros. has apportioned 100,000 sq. ft. of the site for office space, a boutique hotel, and condos.  

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.  

Ikea is giving new meaning to do-it-yourself retailing.   The home furnishings giant will open a pop-up DIY restaurant in the Shoreditch section of London where patrons will build their own meals, serving as the chef and preparing food for their group.    

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.  

This week, 10,000 current and former Chipotle employees filed a class-action lawsuit claiming back wages, working off the clock and various labor violations. The suit should finally be the wake-up call necessary to get c-suite executives at restaurant, retail, hotel & lodging, convenience stores and other labor-intensive industries to take the issue seriously because the Chipotle case may be the tip of the iceberg.