Here are the stories that are Good 2 Know on Cheddar News.
CHICK-FIL-A'S REST STOP
Fast food chain Chick-Fil-A is opening a "Brake Room" for delivery workers in Manhattan. The space will have restrooms, refreshments, Wi-Fi, indoor bike docks, and phone charging stations. Any employee can enter who has completed at least one delivery for the chain within the last week. “During the last few years, the delivery function has become an integral piece of our business, particularly in major cities like New York City," the company said on its website. "The Upper East Side is seen as one of the highest delivery areas for Chick-fil-A and the highest number of Manhattan-based Chick-fil-A deliveries throughout the year in 2022 took place in December and March. The space will be open from Monday to Saturday.
Jared Caldwell, who operates a Chick-fil-A restaurant at 1536 3rd Ave. in the Upper East Side, said: “In metro areas like New York City, we see the same food delivery workers come through nearly every day of the week, several times a day, and how taking an extra second to warm-up between deliveries or offering a glass of water helps to fuel them on for their shift."
CHIPOTLE SPIN-OFF
Chipotle is launching a spinoff restaurant, called Farmesa, that will offer more nutritional bowl options for health-conscious customers. The first location will be at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California, where a soft opening will take place later this month. "One of our strategic objectives is to create or invest in emerging culinary spaces and restaurant concepts that fit within Chipotle's food with integrity mission and make fresh food daily," said CEO Brian Niccol, "Our New Ventures team, which was created in 2022, developed a unique restaurant concept that uses classic culinary techniques with flavorful ingredients in a fast casual setting that we're excited to test and learn on before we determine a broader rollout strategy."
MORE SUGAR, MORE PROBLEMS
Research published in the journal BMC Medicine has found that diets with higher quantities of free or added sugars are more likely to lead to heart disease and stroke. For background, sugars that pop up naturally in fruits and vegetables are not considered free sugars, which are commonly found in preserves and confectionaries such as cookies and pastries. The study found that people who eat 95 grams of free sugar per day were at the highest risk.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
