Tag: restaurant

  • McDonald’s to acquire franchised stores in Israel

    McDonald’s to acquire franchised stores in Israel

    McDonald’s Corporation said Thursday it will acquire Alonyal, which owns 225 McDonald’s restaurants in Israel which have been hit by calls for a boycott over Israeli genocide in Gaza.

    Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. McDonald’s said in a statement the deal was subject to conditions which it did not identify.

    Alonyal has operated McDonald’s restaurants in Israel for more than 30 years, today owning 225 franchised properties with more than 5,000 employees, who will be retained after the sale.

    In presenting its 2023 earnings report in February, McDonald’s said the war in Gaza that began in October with the Hamas attacks on Israel was weighing on its results.

    McDonald’s was targeted with boycott calls after the franchised restaurants in Israel offered thousands of free meals to Israeli soldiers.

    “We recognize that families in their communities in the region continue to be tragically impacted by the war and our thoughts are with them at this time,” Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski said in an analyst call.

    He said the impact of the boycott was “meaningful,” without elaborating.

    McDonald’s fourth quarter sales disappointed analysts. In franchised restaurants outside the United States, comparable sales fell 0.7 percent.

    “Obviously the place that we’re seeing the most pronounced impact is in the Middle East. We are seeing some impact in other Muslim countries like Malaysia, Indonesia,” said Kempczinski.

    This also happened in countries with large Muslim populations such as France, especially for restaurants in heavily Muslim neighborhoods, he said.

    McDonald’s shares were down nearly 2 percent in after-market trading Thursday.

  • McDonald’s stores shut in Sri Lanka over poor hygiene case

    McDonald’s stores shut in Sri Lanka over poor hygiene case

    McDonald’s stores across Sri Lanka shut Sunday after the US fast-food giant launched a legal battle with its local franchise holder over allegations of poor hygiene, court officials said.

    The Commercial High Court of Colombo ordered the closures until April 4, after the parent company accused the local franchise holder of failing to meet international hygiene standards.

    “The closure was ordered pending an investigation,” a court official said.

    He said lawyers for McDonald’s told the court that they had terminated a franchise agreement with local company Abans last week. The hearing is to resume in early April.

    There was no immediate comment either from McDonald’s or Abans, who has held the franchise with 12 outlets since the US firm’s entry into Sri Lanka in 1998.

    Notices were seen outside McDonald’s outlets on Sunday saying they were “closed” and there was no indication if or when they may reopen.

    When a technology hitch disrupted ordering at stores across much of east Asia last week, Sri Lanka’s McDonald’s stores were unaffected.

  • Food outlets sealed in Rawalpindi

    The district administration in Rawalpindi has on Friday sealed Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and OMG outlets in Chaklala Scheme-III and Askari-3 for using spoiled meat and poor hygiene in kitchens, reports Dawn News.

    Assistant Commissioner Cantonment Qandeel Fatima Memon sealed KFC Scheme 3 when she received a complaint that a steel wire was found in the fillet of a burger. The restaurant was sealed after the confirmation of the genuinity of the complaint.

    The outlets have been given a warning and told to oversee their kitchen staff and food preparation.
    OMG Restaurant in Askari 3 was sealed during the second raid.

    Commissioner Memon spoke with Dawn, stating that she received a complaint about OMG about smelly burgers. Resultantly, their kitchen was raided and the condition of the kitchen turned out to be “pathetic, as there were cockroaches everywhere and the jars laid without a lid so the restaurant was sealed”.

    She added that the food outlets had to obtain medical examination certificates from the district health authority and that it was mandatory for the food outlets to get the medical test of the chefs and workers twice a year and obtain medical reports from government hospitals.

    She also said the provincial government had directed to take strict measures against putting people’s lives at risk and she plans on conducting more surprise visits in the cantonment areas in coming days.

    Assistant Commissioner Cantonment Qandeel Fatima Memon stated that district administration Rawalpindi is available to look after its people and to ensure that clean and healthy food is served to people of the district, reports Dawn.

  • From prisoner to artist: Guantanamo Bay detainee showcases work at Karachi exhibition

    From prisoner to artist: Guantanamo Bay detainee showcases work at Karachi exhibition

    Ahmed Rabbani, a 53-year-old Pakistani who was recently released after 20 years of detention at Guantanamo Bay, turned to painting to satisfy his artistic yearnings. When he ran out of paint, he used whatever he could find, including dirt, coffee grinds, and spices such as turmeric from the prison canteen.

    “Through painting, I would feel myself outside Guantanamo,” he said at an exhibition of his work in Karachi. Rabbani was detained in September 2002 and handed over to the US Central Intelligence Agency for a bounty of $5,000. He was accused of being a notorious militant known as Hassan Ghul, but Rabbani always insisted it was a case of mistaken identity. He and his brother were never charged or faced trial during their detention.

    The US Senate published a Rendition Report in 2014, which revealed that Ghul was captured and brought to the same prison, only to be released back to Pakistan for “cooperating.” While Ghul went back to his terrorist ways and was killed in a drone strike in 2012, Ahmed got a one-way trip to Guantanamo Bay.

    Born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Rabbani moved back to Karachi as a teen and was a taxi driver at the time of his detention. He specialised in guiding visitors from the Middle East, which contributed to him being misidentified.

    While imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, painting became an obsession for Rabbani, although years spent on hunger strike meant he was often too frail to even hold a brush. If he ran out of materials, he would improvise by using a piece of discarded or torn clothes as a canvas. He would also use coffee or turmeric as a medium.

    Around two dozen pieces of Rabbani’s artwork, which he was allowed to take from prison, are on display at “The Unforgotten Moon: Liberating Art from Guantanamo Bay” exhibition. The works are displayed alongside pieces by local artists who have “re-imagined” paintings that were confiscated. “He is someone who has lost so much of his life, so to produce images of this quality is a miracle… it’s remarkable,” said Natasha Malik, curator and organiser of the exhibition.

    Rabbani, sporting a salt-and-pepper beard and wearing a traditional shalwar kameez and waistcoat, was the centre of attention at the exhibition opening. He plans to publish a cookery book with his memoirs in it and wants to open a restaurant based on recipes he learned while in prison. He hopes to use funds raised from the sale of his artwork to achieve this.

    His artwork depicts his hopes and despair, and some pieces express his yearnings for freedom, such as nature seen through narrow openings, birds flying, and endless oceans. One painting shows a cage containing bright orange fish, the colour of overalls Guantanamo prisoners were forced to wear. “I spent many years in orange,” he said. “I never accepted their laws. I would always break their laws.”

  • Restaurant bans customers from using smartphones while dining

    A Japanese ramen restaurant has announced that it will not allow customers to use their phones while dining.

    The restaurant’s owner, Kota Kai, put the ban in place last month after observing that patrons who were using their phones to view videos took the longest to begin eating.

    He claims that the thin, millimetre-wide noodles in his restaurant can rapidly turn mushy. According to Kai, even a quick film could cause a discernible impact in the ramen’s flavour.

    “It’s painful for me to see the ramen that I put my soul into making get ruined right before my eyes,” he said.

    Kai stated that he likes to deal with the clients directly as opposed to displaying posters about the phone restriction.

    “When the seats are full and I see people stopping eating while staring at their smartphones, I tell them (to stop),” he added.

  • Pakistani-born businessman receives MBE from Prince William

    Pakistani-born British entrepreneur and restaurateur Suleman Raza was awarded the MBE by Prince William for his services to the business and philanthropy sector in Britain. Raza revealed on Twitter that he was happy to witness immigrants coming to Britain and becoming successful.

    According to his Medium article, Raza hails from Rawalpindi, but had moved to London where he started working as a chef in an eatery. He went on to open a restaurant in Tooting where he served Pakistani food.

    Raza also launched the project ‘No One Eats Alone’ in 2019 to provide meals to elderly and homeless communities during Christmas. He received public praise for his campaign “One Million Meals” to support National Health Service (NHS) workers in hospitals during the pandemic by providing them with hot meals.

  • Restaurant shut down by Assistant Commissioner for refusing to give discount, claim owners

    Restaurant shut down by Assistant Commissioner for refusing to give discount, claim owners

    Yak Grill in Gilgit has shared a post on their Instagram page revealing that their eatery had been sealed by Assistant Comissioner Gojal, Rao Rafy Afzal, because they had refused to give the administration a discount.
    In the caption, the owners revealed that they would be challenging this order in court and called out the AC for the corrupt practice.

    “AC Gojal Rao Rafy Afzal has illegally sealed Yakgrill restaurant in Passu, Gojal, Hunza due to the restaurant not providing discounts to the administration.
    He made electric heaters in the restaurant a base and sealed the restaurant. The right to operate a business and offer services is protected under the law, and it is important that these rights are upheld and respected.
    We will challenge this in court to restore our operation as soon as possible.
    Our restaurant will remain close till further notice .”

    In a video that is currently circulating on Twitter, AC Afzal can be seen in an argument with the owners.

    The Current reached out to AC Afzal who explained that the restaurant had broken Section 144, which is a law pertaining to using electric heaters. Upon inspection, the team had found electric heaters in use and thus gave orders to shut down the place.
    “The owners are spreading propaganda to hide the truth. We had imposed Section 144 CrPC on the use of electric heaters. On spot checking and inspection they were found using them. Thus, orders were given to seal the restaurant and to confiscate the heaters. Upon which the owner and his team used threatening and offensive language. They came up with this fake story to cover up. The owner is being prosecuted against under PPC for relevant offences.”

    On whether this Section has been imposed before on other restaurants before and why was this the issue to focus on, the AC responded that it was due to the electricity shortage problem which is why it was emphasized on.

    “This is enforced all over Gojal. There is shortage of electricity in Gojal. Which is why this was imposed.”

    Regarding whether Yak Grill and its owners were given a prior warning about their use of electric heaters before being sealed, the AC responded with:

    “The administration issues a notification/ order under Sec 144 CrPC which is displayed on social media and showcased at different places also. Individuals/ hotels/ restaurants can’t be sent such an order individually as it’s administratively impossible.

    It’s an open truth. Spot checking is done afterwards and legal action is taken. The notification/ order was passed on November 28th which has validity of 90 days.”

  • Restaurant owners and traders denounce government’s national energy conservation plan, calling it ‘counterproductive’

    Restaurant owners and traders denounce government’s national energy conservation plan, calling it ‘counterproductive’

    Restaurant owners and traders condemned the national energy conservation plan the government announced yesterday, warning that it will create more problems rather than solutions.

    Under the National Energy Conservation Plan, the government has announced that all restaurants and markets shall be closed by 8 pm, while the timing for wedding halls will be limited to 10 pm.

    President of the All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran, Ajmal Baloch, urged the government to reconsider the decision, stating that it might bankrupt traders as they purchase the most expensive electricity during the timings 6pm to 8pm.

    “The government, before defaulting the country, will bankrupt all traders.”

    Rizwan Irfan, the President of the Karachi Electric Dealers Association, said while lamenting the policy. He pointed out that traders were facing problems due to electricity and gas load shedding, stressing that such a decision might cause merchants to start protesting in the streets.

    The President of the All Pakistan Restaurants Association, Athar Chawla, has called the national energy conservation plan a “counterproductive” approach to ressolving the energy crisis in Pakistan. In a letter to the Minister of Defence Khwaja Asif, who had unveiled the plan at a press conference on Tuesday, he asked that the policy be reconsidered because of how much it could harm restaurants.

    “All restaurants carry an inventory of perishable items, which is to be kept in cold storage 24 hours a day and seven days a week, another major electricity consuming machinery are air-conditioners which are already off due to winter season,” he said.

    The letter also urged the minister to consider the losses restaurants suffered during Covid-19, and mentioned that almost 50% restaurants suffered losses due to the present economic situation:

    “Any further restriction will aggravate the situation resulting in huge unemployment and loss of revenue for the government.”

    The letter requested that the government allow restaurants to operate their dine-in function till 1 am, and food delivery to function 24/7.

  • Miftah Ismail responds to a follower, reveals which restaurant he will visit when back in Karachi

    Miftah Ismail responds to a follower, reveals which restaurant he will visit when back in Karachi

    After resigning from the post of Finance Minister, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Miftah Ismail, can’t wait to get back to dine at his favourite restaurants in Karachi.

    Miftah took to Twitter on Sunday and announced his resignation.

    Where many commended and congratulated Miftah for his dedicated work as finance minister, a follower questioned him about which restaurant he would like to visit once back in Karachi.

    Miftah replied, “I am going to visit Zahid, Idris & Javed Nihari houses, Al-Kebab, Ghaffar and Meerut Kebab, & Gola at Dhoraji. Many choices fortunately.”

    Karachi is Miftah Ismail’s hometown.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the PML-N leader and Senator, Ishaq Dar, is coming back home to Pakistan after almost five years. It is being reported that Dar will take over the finance ministry from Tuesday (September 27).

  • Is Shahid Afridi going to cook in his restaurant ‘Lala Darbar’?

    Is Shahid Afridi going to cook in his restaurant ‘Lala Darbar’?

    Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has announced that he will be opening a restaurant, ‘Lala Darbar’, in Dubai. He has also shared a video in which he can be seen wearing an apron and slicing tomatoes.

    Sharing the video, Afridi wrote: “One step closer to the big announcement. Revealing Soon.”

    Afridi further added: “Get ready to give your taste buds a mouth-watering triple tarka!”

    Afridi asked his followers to follow it on social media and he also revealed that the restaurant will be in Dubai.

    This is not the first time that the former all-rounder has tried a venture. He had opened a restaurant ‘Splice’ in Lahore and earlier in March 2021, he had also launched a range of skincare products. Announcing the news on social media, Afridi shared that the new line, from the world of Hope Care, is named ‘Ooh Lala‘.

    Besides this new skincare line, Afridi also has a clothing brand, ‘Hope Not Out’.