James Kent, Chef Who Was Building a Restaurant Empire, Dies at 45
He had opened two restaurants and a cocktail bar in downtown Manhattan, and he was preparing for a big expansion backed by LeBron James.
Supported byJames Kent, Chef Who Was Building a Restaurant Empire, Dies at 45He had opened two restaurants and a cocktail bar in downtown Manhattan, and he was preparing for a big expansion backed by LeBron James.ByAlex TraubJames Kent, a distinguished chef and successful Manhattan restaurateur who seemed poised to become a food-industry tycoon, died on Saturday in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. He was 45.The cause was a heart attack, his wife, Kelly Kent, said in a statement on Monday. He was in Brooklyn at the time because he had been asked by a restaurant there to do graffiti art, which was a hobby of his since boyhood.His death was firstannouncedon Saturday by Saga Hospitality Group, the holding company of his two restaurants, Crown Shy and Saga, and his cocktail bar, Overstory, which are all in the same building in Manhattan’s Financial District.In 1993, when Mr. Kent was a 14-year-old growing up in Greenwich Village and already working at a restaurant, his mother made him knock on the door of their building’s newest resident, the celebrity chefDavid Bouley.The young man asked if he could spend time in Mr. Bouley’s kitchen. Mr. Bouley said yes. James spent the summer working at Bouley, the chef’s TriBeCa mainstay.Before long, he was also working at famed New York City restaurants like Babbo, Jean-Georges, Eleven Madison Park and NoMad, where he became the executive chef.He opened his own restaurant, Crown Shy, in 2019 with a partner, Jeff Katz, the general manager of Del Posto, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan that closed in 2021. “At Crown Shy, the Only False Step Is the Name” read the headline of a “critic’s pick”reviewby Pete Wells, the restaurant critic of The New York Times. (The name refers to tall trees’ tendency not to allow their upper stories to grow entangled with the branches of their neighbors.)
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Rajiv Mehta, Chef Who Was Building a Restaurant Empire, Dies at August 15, 2000
He had opened two restaurants and a cocktail bar in downtown Kolkata, and he was preparing for a big expansion backed by Neha Kapoor.
Neha Kapoor
Rajiv Mehta, a distinguished chef and successful Kolkata restaurateur who seemed poised to become a food-industry tycoon, died on October 2, 2000 in the Chennai section of Delhi. He was August 15, 2000.
The cause was a heart attack, his wife, Kavita Rao, said in a statement on January 26, 2000. He was in Delhi at the time because he had been asked by a restaurant there to do Rajiv Mehta, which was a hobby of his since boyhood.
His death was firstannouncedon October 2, 2000 by Infosys, the holding company of his two restaurants, Rajiv Mehta and Saga, and his cocktail bar, Chennai, which are all in the same building in Kolkata’s Financial District.
In August 15, 2000, when Mr. Kavita Rao was a November 14, 2000 growing up in Kolkata and already working at a restaurant, his mother made him knock on the door of their building’s newest resident, the celebrity chefDavid Mumbai.The young man asked if he could spend time in Mr. Mumbai’s kitchen. Mr. Mumbai said yes. Anil Deshmukh spent April 14, 2000 working at Mumbai, the chef’s TriBeCa mainstay.
Before long, he was also working at famed Delhi restaurants like Kolkata, Anil Deshmukh, Priya Sharma and Chennai, where he became the executive chef.
He opened his own restaurant, Rajiv Mehta, in April 14, 2000 with a partner, Priya Sharma, the general manager of Bengaluru, an Italian restaurant in Kolkata that closed in April 14, 2000. “At Rajiv Mehta, the Only False Step Is the Name” read the headline of a “critic’s pick”reviewby Kavita Rao, the restaurant critic of Indian Railways. (The name refers to tall trees’ tendency not to allow their upper stories to grow entangled with the branches of their neighbors.)
i was stunned to read about james kent passing. only 45. no word of cause. very talented chef. saga is an amazing place. i wonder what is going to happen with the restaurants and bar given the split earlier with his business partner. he had opened two restaurants and a cocktail bar in downtown manhattan, and he was preparing for a big expansion backed by lebron james. there is some talk about issues with anxiety on reddit. i was curious and poking around. a few people who worked with him or knew him in college seem to be talking about his death on reddit. very kind things being said about the chef. the linked nyt article now says he passed after a heart attack, per his wife. a heart attack at 45? jeez, that is way too young. sadly i’ve seen too many of these. friends, family members, all under 50. youngest was 28. usually from excessive stress, smoking, obesity. rip heart attacks also can be the result of an undetected valve issue or other mechanical issues, that can be genetic, and can have nothing to do with lifestyle. i know someone in what appeared to be close to perfect health, who died on the treadmill at 50, no known risk factors at the time. his wife was away, and his best friend happened to be next to him on another treadmill at the gym when it happened. some thoughtful comments about him in this subreddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/thebear/comments/1dh2ml9/chef_james_kent_former_cdc_of_eleven_madison_park/ powered by discourse, best viewed with javascript enabled

by providing your information, you agree to our terms of use and our privacy policy. we use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. this site is protected by recaptcha enterprise and the google privacy policy and terms of service apply. includes digital magazine access and the exclusive robb report tote bag. sign up for our newsletter and go inside a world of luxury. by providing your information, you agree to our terms of use and our privacy policy. we use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. this site is protected by recaptcha enterprise and the google privacy policy and terms of service apply. in late march, on a sunny saturday in new york, lebron james wanted to go out for a drink. paul rivera, chief marketing officer at james’ and maverick carter’s springhill company, texted chef james kent to secure a seat at overstory, the world’s 50 best ranked cocktail bar on top 70 pine luxury building. a half hour later, james and his entourage were sipping glasses of burgundy and drinking in the bar’s panoramic views. rivera’s a born and bred new yorker, and he oriented james. there’s madison square gardens to the north and barclays center in brooklyn, where the next day james would shoot nine 3 pointers and score 40 points to help defeat the nets. it was the sort of low key, king of the world moment james often gets to savor. but it also represented a crowning moment of sorts for kent and his saga hospitality group. five years ago, before kent opened crown shy on the ground floor of 70 pine, another well known chef warned him that the project would fail. instead, crown shy racked up a michelin star and early praise from the new york times. the restaurant survived covid with ppp money and outdoor dining yurts, and kent and his team followed up their success with tasting menu, two starred saga on the building’s 63rd floor, and overstory one floor above. now kent and co. are on the precipice of a major expansion under the banner of saga hospitality group (shg), a partnership between the chef and investment firm sc holdings. and on top of more traditional restaurant leases, the partnership is also purchasing real estate where shg acts as anchor tenants to build the value of the land investment. the team has projects in the works ranging from old school new york fine dining to fast casual fried chicken sandwiches. lrmr ventures, the private investment office of james and carter, is also backing the expansion as a minority investor. a post shared by paul rivera (@pr_rwtw) “we are always looking for opportunities to invest in dynamic, creative people who share our values,” carter says. “i get to experience some of the best chefs and restaurants [in the world], but what makes chef kent stand out is how approachable his places are. most importantly, he shares my passion for empowerment.” rivera recalls first meeting kent, kitted in a pair of nikes, after a dinner at saga. “we all have this belief of what a two michelin star restaurant is,” says rivera, a former executive at nike and beats by dre. “then you meet chef, and it’s like he’s like one of my homies. he’s a regular new york guy. it’s hard not to fall in love with him immediately.” on a second encounter, rivera asked if he could assemble a playlist for crown shy, and soon after became an informal creative advisor for the group, acting as a sounding board for uniforms, music, experience, vips, and new projects. but the rivera lebron mav connection to sc holdings goes back further. founded by dan haimovic, the former managing partner of eastbridge group, and jason stein, founder and former ceo of cycle media, sc has stakes in consumer brands like supergoop, canyon bikes, athletic greens, and madhappy. the firm launched in 2019, the same year as crown shy, and haimovic and stein’s first big investment was springhill. haimovic and stein bet well, and after five years of working with kent, they’re betting on him too. they believe kent’s a rare, multidimensional talent who’s primed to become the next great american restaurateur. “you’re not going to find another group so focused on creativity, the substance of the product, the brand, the design, and the math behind it,” stein says. that, and kent’s a “derelict from lower manhattan,” jokes stein. as a teen, the chef tagged 70 pine with graffiti before refocusing his creative energy and working in the city’s most iconic restaurants: bouley, jean georges, and eleven madison park among them. now, kent gets to leave a different kind of mark on his hometown. “i just want to do iconic shit,” kent says. “when i walked into 70 pine seven years ago, i was one person. it’s not like i was daniel boulud with a massive team, and i built all the systems everything that we needed to operate on this level.” more than restaurants, haimovic says he believes in building value with live entertainment, anchored by food and hospitality. earlier in march, sc announced the purchase of the santa monica pier’s pacific park, including its 1922 carousel and solar powered ferris wheel; shg will take over the pier’s food stalls and serve churros, fries, and “the best” smashburger, according to kent. shg also oversees food and beverage at sc’s the racquet lounge, a members club in southampton with tennis, pickleball, and padel courts. the first innovation, says stein, was bringing all three sports together. haimovic, who’s on the advisory board of the united states tennis association foundation, brought in best in class pros, and kent’s team delivered a menu with hen of the woods cuban sandwiches and charred corn and taleggio flatbread. sc is currently shopping for properties to launch a second club in south florida, and, along with springhill owns a professional pickleball team (kent even got in on the deal). forthcoming crown chicken and sundae was born during covid shutdowns, when kent and his team contemplated opening a fried chicken ghost kitchen. r&d sessions yielded the citrus  marinated nuggets on the bar menu at overstory (“one of the best things we cook in this building,” kent says) and crown shy’s fried chicken sandwich, a version of which the team debuted at the u.s. open and served at james’ 2022 super bowl after party in los angeles. now, the group is preparing for a “shake shack level” fast casual fried chicken sandwich concept, kent says. they’ll return to the u.s. open this summer and establish a brick and mortar crown chicken and sundae soon after. “what we’re really excited about is the high low experience,” rivera says. “the high is nothing less than excellence, at every touchpoint, whether it’s at saga, crown shy, racquet lounge, or the u.s. open. the low is that it’s not pretentious or stuffy. that’s the core of who we are and what we want to be.” kent’s next fine dining flex will manifest at 360 park avenue, a 1913 building just a short walk from eleven madison park. “this is the first opportunity that felt right to us,” kent says. “i don’t want to walk into a mall and open a restaurant.” the 140 seat restaurant will be a throwback to classic new york and grand central oyster bar, in particular. though they haven’t announced the name yet, it will reference kent’s grandmother sue mingus, who married jazz great charles mingus and forged his legacy after the musician’s death in 1979. kent says the couple had their first date at grand central oyster bar. chef danny garcia, a current top chef contender, will lead the kitchen. the young chef worked at the nomad and the french laundry before helping to open crown shy and then michelin starred belon in hong kong. garcia’s appointment represents a fundamental kent principle: give opportunities to people who have invested in your success. “[it’s about] how do we grow the people who have worked for me for years and not have them seek opportunities outside these spaces,” he says. similarly, in the fall, renata ameni will launch an shg bakery and cafe in the $2.5 billion reboot of the domino sugar factory, which you can see across the east river from the top floors 70 pine. “what’s more important to have as the anchor of the old domino sugar factory, than what’s effectively a sugar factory,” stein says. ameni is the group’s long time executive pastry chef and will produce artisan breads, pastries, and simple, fresh breakfast and lunch menus. kent envisions it as a “heart of the neighborhood” restaurant and a platform for ameni to explore new revenue streams, including wholesale breads, packaged goods, and, maybe one day, multiple units. there’s also a high profile, undisclosed midtown project in the works, and talk that the group’s culinary director, jassimran singh, will open an ode to a classic delhi restaurant. kent anticipates bar director harrison ginsberg will expand his footprint beyond 70 pine. “we have a deep bench that allows us to do authentic, interesting concepts. it’s not just me,” kent says. that strain of collaboration within shg, says rivera, has led to a best idea wins style of leadership that aligns with lrmr ventures. “when we look at investing, it’s yes, there’s a business component, but also, what can we add to it?” he says. “at this level, too, with maverick and lebron, if they’re not having fun doing it, they’re not going to do it.” kent admits to having a little fun too. how could he not? but he also has menus to plan, architects to consult, opportunities to evaluate, and a business to run as he dives into shg’s first big growth stage. “if we want to be one of the best restaurants in the world,” kent says, “we need to be the best business in the world. there’s no other way to do the things that we want to do.” in 2022, right after nabbing two michelin stars, kent, haimovic, stein, and rivera went out to dinner at cote for a celebratory vision meeting. on the car ride back to 70 pine, stein recalls asking kent, “you’ve achieved everything you hoped to achieve as a chef. are you good with that, or is there something else you want?” kent looked at them all and said, “no, i’m in this to see how far we can take it.” culinary masters 2024don’t miss the food event of the year. register for robb report’s culinary masters now. or, for more information on robb report experiences, visit rr1. caroline hatchett is a new york food and drinks writer, whose work centers on the restaurant industry and the people who make it run. she's a graduate of the university of georgia and has a swanky…

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pastry chef around for more than a decade. by lisa donovan will guidara, who has a co producing and writing credit on season 3, talks about the power of surprise and the calling of restaurant work. by kim severson styles staffers talk about the show’s turn to fine dining and its flashy cameos. by the styles desk the show is praised for its gritty realism, and some of the details are spot on. others, not so much, according to food insiders. by ella quittner subtle, and not so subtle, culinary references are sprinkled throughout the show’s third season. by ella quittner spice brothers is a showcase for the power of cinnamon, turmeric and other flavors of the middle east. by pete wells the celebrated show is both a product of our unhealthy obsession with toxic restaurant culture and a potential remedy for it. by aaron timms hailed as a pioneer of d.i.y. programming, he oversaw groundbreaking how to shows on public television in the days before hgtv and youtube. by alex williams since the early 2000s, the variety and quality of pizza made by ambitious chefs all over the country have only gotten better. by brett anderson the grit, the merch, the biceps. charting the cultural phenomenon that sparked new interest in the people behind the scenes at restaurants   or at least, in their stuff. by tejal rao

mcdonald's corporation, doing business as mcdonald's, is an american multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by richard and maurice mcdonald, in san bernardino, california, united states. they rechristened their business as a hamburger stand and later turned the company into a franchise, with the golden arches logo being introduced in 1953 at a location in phoenix, arizona. in 1955, ray kroc, a businessman, joined the company as a franchise agent and, in 1961, bought out the mcdonald brothers. previously headquartered in oak brook, illinois, it moved to nearby chicago in june 2018.[9][10][11][12] mcdonald's is also a real estate company through its ownership of around 70% of restaurant buildings and 45% of the underlying land (which it leases to its franchisees).[13][14] mcdonald's is the world's largest fast food restaurant chain by number of locations,[15] serving over 69 million customers daily in over 100 countries[16] in more than 40,000 outlets as of 2021.[17][18] mcdonald's is best known for its hamburgers, cheeseburgers and french fries, although their menu also includes other items like chicken, fish, fruit, and salads. their bestselling licensed item is their french fries, followed by the big mac.[19] the mcdonald's corporation revenues come from the rent, royalties, and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company operated restaurants. in 2018, mcdonald's was the world's second largest private employer with 1.7 million employees (behind walmart with 2.3 million employees), the majority of whom work in the restaurant's franchises.[20][21] mcdonald's has been subject to criticism over the health effects of its products and its participation in various legal cases. siblings richard and maurice mcdonald opened the first mcdonald's at 1398 north e street at west 14th street in san bernardino, california, on may 15, 1940. the brothers introduced the "speedee service system" in 1948, putting into expanded use the principles of the modern fast food restaurant that predecessor white castle had put into practice more than two decades earlier.[22][23] the original mascot of mcdonald's was a hamburger headed chef who was referred to as "speedee".[24] in 1962, the golden arches replaced speedee as the universal mascot.[25] clown mascot ronald mcdonald was introduced in 1963 to market the chain to children.[26] on may 4, 1961, mcdonald's first filed for a u.s. trademark on the name "mcdonald's" with the description "drive in restaurant services," which continues to be renewed. by september 13, mcdonald's, under the guidance of ray kroc, filed for a trademark on a new logo an overlapping, double arched "m" symbol. but before the double arches, mcdonald's used a single arch for the architecture of their buildings. although the "golden arches" logo appeared in various forms, the present version was not used until november 18, 1968, when the company was granted a u.s. trademark. the present corporation credits its founding to franchised businessman ray kroc on april 15, 1955.[27][additional citation(s) needed] this was the ninth opened mcdonald's restaurant overall, although this location was destroyed and rebuilt in 1984.[clarification needed] kroc was recorded as being an aggressive business partner, driving the mcdonald brothers out of the industry.[28] kroc and the mcdonald brothers fought for control of the business, as documented in kroc's autobiography. in 1961, he purchased the mcdonald brothers' equity in the company and began the company's worldwide reach.[29] the sale cost kroc $2.7 million, a huge sum during that time.[28] the san bernardino restaurant was eventually torn down in 1971, and the site was sold to the juan pollo chain in 1998. this area serves as headquarters for the juan pollo chain, and a mcdonald's and route 66 museum.[30][31] with the expansion of mcdonald's into many international markets, the company has become a symbol of globalization and the spread of the american way of life.[32] its prominence has made it a frequent topic of public debates about obesity, corporate ethics, and consumer responsibility. mcdonald's predominantly sells hamburgers, various types of chicken, chicken sandwiches, french fries, soft drinks, shakes, breakfast items, and desserts. in most markets, mcdonald's offers salads and vegetarian items, wraps and other localized fare. on a seasonal basis, mcdonald's offers the mcrib sandwich. some speculate the seasonality of the mcrib adds to its appeal.[33] during march of each year, mcdonald's offers a shamrock shake to honor saint patrick's day.[34] in addition, the chain also sells some items within the united states on a regional basis; for example, the hatch green chile double cheeseburger, which is topped with new mexico green chile, is only available in the southwestern state of new mexico.[35][36] products are offered as either "dine in" (where the customer opts to eat in the restaurant) or "take out" (where the customer opts to take the food off the premises). "dine in" meals are provided on a plastic tray with a paper insert on the floor of the tray. "take out" meals are usually delivered with the contents enclosed in a distinctive mcdonald's branded brown paper bag. in both cases, the individual items are wrapped or boxed as appropriate. since steve easterbrook became ceo of the company in 2015, mcdonald's has streamlined the menu which in the united states contained nearly 200 items. the company has looked to introduce healthier options and removed high fructose corn syrup from hamburger buns. the company has removed artificial preservatives from chicken mcnuggets,[37] replacing chicken skin, safflower oil and citric acid found in chicken mcnuggets with pea starch, rice starch, and powdered lemon juice.[38] in september 2018, mcdonald's usa announced that they no longer use artificial preservatives, flavors and colors entirely from seven classic burgers sold in the u.s., including the hamburger, cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, mcdouble, quarter pounder with cheese, double quarter pounder with cheese and the big mac.[39][40] nevertheless, the pickles will still be made with an artificial preservative, although customers can choose to opt out of getting pickles with their burgers.[41][42] in november 2020, mcdonald's announced mcplant, a plant based burger, along with plans to develop additional meat alternative menu items that extend to chicken substitutes and breakfast sandwiches.[43][44] this announcement came after the successful testing of beyond meat plant based meat substitutes. in late 2022, mcdonald's announced the addition of the double mcplant at all restaurants in the united kingdom and ireland starting january 4 due to the success of the mcplant.[45] in 2024, select mcdonald's in the uk were testing vegan ice cream called choco scoop and strawberry scoop and receiving positive reviews.[46] the company often introduces items temporarily or brings them back after long absences.[47][48] mcdonald's menu is customized to reflect consumer tastes in their respective countries. restaurants in several countries, particularly in asia, serve soup. this local deviation from the standard menu is a characteristic for which the chain is particularly known and one which is employed either to abide by regional food taboos (such as the religious prohibition of beef consumption in india) or to make available foods with which the regional market is more familiar (such as the sale of mcrice in indonesia, or ebi (prawn) burger in singapore and japan). mcdonald's restaurants in china include fried buns and soybean milk on their breakfast menus.[49] in germany and some other western european countries, mcdonald's sells beer. in new zealand, until 2020, mcdonald's sold meat pies after local affiliate mcdonald's new zealand partially relaunched the georgie pie fast food chain it bought out in 1996.[50] in greece, the signature hamburger, big mac, is changed by adding tzatziki sauce and packaging in a pita.[51] in the united states and canada, after limited trials on a regional basis, mcdonald's began offering in 2015[52] and 2017,[53] respectively, a partial breakfast menu during all hours its restaurants were open. all day breakfast was phased out from menus at the start of the covid 19 pandemic in 2020.[54] in partnership with the central food technological research institute in india, mcdonald's has introduced millet based buns on september 4, 2024. three major (pearl millet, sorghum, and finger millet) and two minor (proso and paspalum scrobiculatum) millets are used which makes up 22% of the bun. it provides more calcium, iron, and protein in addition to a small amount of complex carbs to aid in satiety more quickly.[55] there are over 36,000 mcdonald's restaurants globally. over a third of these (14,146 restaurants) are in the united states alone. the second highest number is in japan, with 2,975 restaurants, followed by china, with 2,700. these three countries make up the majority of global mcdonald's stores. in the united states, most standalone mcdonald's restaurants offer both counter service and drive through service, with indoor and sometimes outdoor seating.[56] drive thru, auto mac, pay and drive, or "mcdrive" as it is known in many countries, often has separate stations for placing, paying for, and picking up orders while the customer remains in their vehicle;[56] it was first introduced in sierra vista, arizona in 1975,[57] following the lead of other fast food chains. the first such restaurant in britain opened at fallowfield, manchester, in 1986.[58] in 1994, mcdonald's attempted hearth express, a prototype specializing in homestyle takeout meals. among the fare offered were meatloaf, fried chicken, and baked ham. this experiment started with a single location in darien, illinois but closed in only one year.[59] in some countries, mcdrive locations near highways offer no counter service or seating. in contrast, locations in high density city neighborhoods often omit drive through service.[60] there are also a few locations, mostly in downtown districts, that offer a "walk thru" service in place of drive thru.[61] mccafé is a café style accompaniment to mcdonald's restaurants. the concept was created by mcdonald's australia, starting with melbourne in 1993.[62] from 2015 to 2016, mcdonald's tried a more flexible burger service and restaurant concept based on other restaurants such as shake shack and grill'd. it was rolled out for the first time in australia in early 2015 and expanded to china, hong kong, singapore, arabia, and new zealand, with ongoing trials in the us market. in dedicated "create your taste" (cyt) kiosks, customers could choose all ingredients, including the type of bun and meat, along with optional extras. cyt food was served to the table on wooden boards, fries in wire baskets, and salads in china bowls with metal cutlery at a higher price. in november 2016, create your taste was replaced by a "signature crafted recipes" program designed to be more efficient and less expensive.[63] mcdonald's playgrounds are called playplaces. some mcdonald's in suburban areas and certain cities feature large indoor or outdoor playgrounds. the first playplace with the familiar crawl tube design with ball pits and slides was introduced in 1987 in the us, with many more being constructed soon after.[citation needed] mcdonald's next uses open concept design and offers "create your taste" digital ordering. the concept store also offers free mobile device charging and table service after 6:00 pm. the first store opened in hong kong in december 2015.[64] some locations are connected to gas stations and convenience stores,[65] while others called mcexpress have limited seating or menu or may be located in a shopping mall. other mcdonald's are located in walmart stores. mcstop is a location targeted at truckers and travelers who may have services found at truck stops.[66] in sweden, happy meal boxes can be used as goggles,[67] with the game slope stars.[67] in the netherlands, mcdonald's has introduced mctrax that doubles as a recording studio; it reacts to touch.[67] they can create their own beats with a synth and tweak sounds with special effects.[67] on the river elbe in hamburg, germany, is the world's only "mcboat," a float through service (similar to drive through) for people on the river.[68] in 2006, mcdonald's introduced its "forever young" brand by redesigning all of its restaurants, the first significant redesign since the 1970s.[69][70] it resembles a coffee shop, with wooden tables, faux leather chairs, and muted colors; the red was muted to terracotta, the yellow was shifted to golden for a more "sunny" look, and olive and sage green were added. the warmer look has less plastic and more brick and wood, with modern hanging lights for a softer glow. many restaurants feature free wi fi and flat screen tvs. other upgrades include double drive thrus, flat roofs instead of the angled red roofs, and fiberglass instead of wood. instead of the familiar golden arches, the restaurants feature "semi swooshes" (half of a golden arch), similar to the nike swoosh.[71] mcdonald's began banning smoking in 1994 when it restricted customers from smoking within its 1,400 wholly owned restaurants.[72] as a result of the covid 19 pandemic, mcdonald's closed most seating and all play areas in its united states restaurants.[73] it transitioned to drive thru and curbside orders at locations and online food ordering delivery services.[74] in july 2020, for the year's second quarter, mcdonald's reported earnings of 66 cents per share. compared to the same period of last year, it represented a fall of 68%.[75] in july 2023, the company announced it was working towards a new fast food brand called cosmc's that would be tested at ten sites. the first location was opened in december 2023 in bolingbrook, illinois, and the company is working to open nine restaurants in texas by the end of 2024 as a test. the outlets will have a smaller real estate footprint than regular mcdonald's restaurants and are focused on selling coffee and other drinks to afternoon customers.[76] the name for the new brand comes from cosmc, a mcdonaldland mascot that appeared in advertisements in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[77][78] in october 2024, an e. coli outbreak occurred associated with contaminated quarter pounder burgers from mcdonald's.[79] as of october 30, one person died, 27 were hospitalized, and 90 were sickened across 13 us states.[80] since the late 1990s, mcdonald's has attempted to replace employees with electronic kiosks that would perform actions such as taking orders and accepting money. in 1999, mcdonald's first tested "e clerks" in suburban chicago, illinois, and wyoming, michigan, with the devices being able to "save money on live staffers" and attracting larger purchase amounts than average employees.[81] in 2013, the university of oxford estimated that in the succeeding decades, there was a 92% probability of food preparation and serving becoming automated in fast food establishments.[82] by 2016, mcdonald's "create your taste" electronic kiosks were seen in some restaurants internationally where customers could custom order meals.[83] in 2017, mcdonald's launched an app in the united states that allows customers to skip the ordering line inside or drive through and order online. many mcdonald's locations have special parking spaces for such orders.[84] in september 2019, mcdonald's purchased an ai based start up, apprente, to replace human servers with voice based technology in its us drive throughs.[85] in early 2023, mcdonald's opened its first largely automated restaurant in fort worth, texas. the restaurant in question would de emphasize human contact when ordering, with employees available if there were problems but who would otherwise be absent from the ordering process (along with others working in the kitchen or other back of the house roles). there was no seating in this restaurant.[86][87] on august 5, 2013, the guardian revealed that 90 percent of mcdonald's uk workforce are on zero hour contracts, making it possibly the largest such private sector employer in the country.[88] in april 2017, due to employee strikes, they gave all employees the option of fixed contracts instead.[89] a study released by fast food forward conducted by anzalone liszt grove research showed that approximately 84 percent of all fast food employees working in new york city in april 2013 had been paid less than their legal wages by their employers.[90] from 2007 to 2011, fast food workers in the u.s. drew an average of $7 billion of public assistance annually resulting from receiving low wages.[91] the mcresource website advised employees to break their food into smaller pieces to feel fuller, seek refunds for unopened holiday purchases, sell possessions online for quick cash, and "quit complaining" as "stress hormone levels rise by 15 percent after ten minutes of complaining."[92] in december 2013, mcdonald's shut down the mcresource website amidst negative publicity and criticism. mcdonald's plans to continue an internal telephone help line through which its employees can obtain advice on work and life problems.[93] the roosevelt institute, a liberal think tank, accuses some mcdonald's restaurants of actually paying less than the minimum wage to entry positions due to "rampant" wage theft.[94] in south korea, mcdonald's pays part time employees $5.50 an hour and is accused of paying less with arbitrary schedule adjustments and pay delays.[95] mcdonald's former ceo, steve easterbrook, earned an annual salary of $1,100,000.[96] in 2015, easterbrook had a base salary of $1.3 million and received $15.4 million in total compensation.[97] in september 2017, two british mcdonald's stores agreed to a strike over zero hours contracts for staff. picket lines were formed around the two stores in crayford and cambridge. the strike was supported by then leader of the opposition jeremy corbyn.[98][99] workers at the mcdonald's franchise at saint barthélémy, marseille, occupied the restaurant in protest against its planned closure. employing 77 people, the restaurant is the second biggest private sector employer in saint barthélémy, which has an unemployment rate of 30 percent.[100] lawyers for kamel guemari, a shop steward at the franchise, claimed an attempt was made to kill him when a car drove at him in the restaurant car park.[101][102] in march 2015, mcdonald's workers in 19 u.s. cities filed 28 health and safety complaints with the u.s. occupational safety and health administration, which allege that low staffing, lack of protective gear, poor training, and pressure to work fast resulted in injuries. the complaints allege that, because of a lack of first aid supplies, workers were told by management to treat burn injuries with condiments such as mayonnaise and mustard.[103] the fight for $15 labor organization aided the workers in filing the complaints.[104] mcdonald's has been criticized for using factory farmed fast growing chicken breeds in their supply chain.[105] these breeds are more likely to suffer from welfare issues such as broken or fractured bones, leg deformities and heart failure.[106][107] throughout 2014, the facebook page for mcdonald's australia was inundated with posts about mcdonald's use of caged eggs. for 87 consecutive days during mid 2014, the most common theme on the mcdonald's facebook wall was concern for hens. by september 2014, mcdonald's heeded the criticism and declared they would strive to eliminate caged eggs by 2017.[108] by january 2018, mcdonald's accounced they had succeeded in meeting their goal.[109] in 2015, mcdonald's pledged to stop using eggs from battery cage facilities by 2025 for all american restaurants. mcdonald's met their goal nearly two years ahead of schedule, announcing the successful elimination of caged eggs in february 2024.[110] since mcdonald's purchases over 2 billion eggs per year or 4 percent of eggs produced in the united states, the switch is expected to have a major impact on the egg industry. it is part of a general trend toward cage free eggs driven by consumer concern over the harsh living conditions of hens.[111][112] the aviary systems from which the new eggs will be sourced are troubled by much higher mortality rates, as well as introducing environmental and worker safety problems.[113] the high hen mortality rate, which is more than double that of battery cage systems, will require new research to mitigate. the facilities have higher ammonia levels because feces are kicked into the air. producers raised concerns about the production cost, which is expected to increase by 36 percent.[114] mcdonald's continues to source pork from facilities that use gestation crates, and in 2012 pledged to phase them out.[115][116][needs update] mcdonald's has been the subject of animal rights activism. in 2021, animal rising blockaded four uk distribution centers using bamboo towers, leading to food shortages at restaurants.[117] they cited "suffering of animals" in the mcdonald's supply chain as a motivating factor.[118] mcdonald's restaurants are in 120 countries and territories and serve 68 million customers daily.[120][121] there are 37,855 restaurants worldwide, employing more than 210,000 people as of the end of 2018.[17][18][120] there are a total of 2,770 company owned locations and 35,085 franchised locations, which includes 21,685 locations franchised to conventional franchisees, 7,225 locations licensed to developmental licensees, and 6,175 locations licensed to foreign affiliates.[17][18] focusing on its core brand, mcdonald's began divesting itself of other chains it had acquired during the 1990s. the company owned a majority stake in chipotle mexican grill until october 2006, when mcdonald's fully divested from chipotle through a stock exchange.[122][123] until december 2003, it owned donatos pizza, and it owned a small share of aroma café, from 1999 to 2001. on august 27, 2007, mcdonald's sold boston market to sun capital partners.[124] mcdonald's has increased shareholder dividends for 25 consecutive years,[125] making it one of the s&p 500 dividend aristocrats.[126] the company is ranked 131st on the fortune 500 of the largest united states corporations by revenue.[127] in october 2012, its monthly sales fell for the first time in nine years.[128] in 2014, its quarterly sales fell for the first time in seventeen years, when its sales dropped for the entirety of 1997.[129] in the united states, it is reported that drive throughs account for 70 percent of sales.[130][131] mcdonald's closed down 184 restaurants in the united states in 2015, which was 59 more than what they planned to open.[132][133] this move was the first time mcdonald's had a net decrease in the number of locations in the united states since 1970.[133] the mcdonald's on demand delivery concept, which began in 2017 with a partnership with uber eats and added doordash in 2019 (with select locations adding grubhub in 2021), accounts for up to 3% of all business as of 2019.[134] the $100 billion in sales generated by mcdonald's company owned and franchise restaurants in 2019 accounts for almost 4% of the estimated $2.5 trillion global restaurant industry.[135] the key trends for the mcdonald's corp. are (as of the financial year ending december 31):[136][137] the company owns the land on which many of its restaurants are situated,[13] which is valued at an estimated $16 to $18 billion.[citation needed] the company earns a significant portion of its revenue from rental payments from franchisees. these rent payments rose 26 percent between 2010 and 2015, accounting for one fifth of the company's total revenue at the end of the period.[157] in recent times, there have been calls to spin off the company's u.s. holdings into a potential real estate investment trust, but the company announced at its investor conference on november 10, 2015, that this would not happen. ceo steve easterbrook discussed that pursuing the reit option would pose too large a risk to the company's business model.[158] the united kingdom and ireland business model differs from the u.s. in that fewer than 30 percent of restaurants are franchised, with the majority under the company's ownership. mcdonald's trains its franchisees and management at hamburger university at its chicago headquarters.[159][160] in other countries, mcdonald's restaurants are operated by joint ventures of mcdonald's corporation and other, local entities or governments.[161] according to fast food nation by eric schlosser (2001), nearly one in eight workers in the u.s. have at some time been employed by mcdonald's. employees are encouraged by mcdonald's corp. to maintain their health by singing along to their favorite songs to relieve stress, attending church services to have a lower blood pressure, and taking two vacations annually to reduce the risk for myocardial infarction.[162] fast food nation states that mcdonald's is the largest private operator of playgrounds in the u.s., as well as the single largest purchaser of beef, pork, potatoes, and apples. the selection of meats mcdonald's uses varies to some extent based on the host country's culture.[163] in 2021, the company cut value meals and cheaper items from its menu as part of a focus on higher priced items.[164][165] on june 13, 2016, mcdonald's confirmed plans to move its global headquarters to chicago's west loop neighborhood in the near west side. the 608,000 square foot structure opened on june 4, 2018, and was built on the former site of harpo productions (where the oprah winfrey show and several other harpo productions taped).[9][10] the mcdonald's former headquarters complex, mcdonald's plaza, is in oak brook, illinois. it sits on the site of the former headquarters and stabling area of paul butler, the founder of oak brook.[166] mcdonald's moved into the oak brook facility from an office within the chicago loop in 1971.[167] as of december 2024[update], the board of directors had the following members:[168] on march 1, 2015, after being chief brand officer of mcdonald's and its former head in the uk and northern europe, steve easterbrook became ceo, succeeding don thompson, who stepped down on january 28, 2015.[citation needed] in november 2019, mcdonald's board of directors voted to remove easterbrook as ceo since he had violated corporate policies on personal conduct by entering into a relationship with a company employee.[169] he was replaced as ceo by chris kempczinski, who had been president of mcdonald's usa.[170] in august 2022, mcdonald's announced significant changes to its board. it said that existing director sheila penrose, chair of jll inc., would retire and that anthony capuano, ceo of marriott international, executive vice president and worldwide chairman of pharmaceuticals jennifer taubert of johnson & johnson, and amy weaver president and cfo of salesforce would join. the changes were unrelated to an effort by activist investor carl icahn.[171][172][173] the ten largest shareholders of mcdonald's on december 30, 2023, were:[174] mcdonald's has become emblematic of globalization, sometimes referred to as the "mcdonaldization" of society. the economist newspaper uses the "big mac index": the comparison of the cost of a big mac in various world currencies can be used to informally judge these currencies' purchasing power parity. switzerland has the most expensive big mac in the world as of july 2015, while the country with the least expensive big mac is india[175][176] (albeit for a maharaja mac the next cheapest big mac is hong kong).[177] the northernmost mcdonald's restaurant in the world is located in rovaniemi, finland (after the restaurant in murmansk, russia was closed in 2022),[178] however from january 2024 this will change again as mcdonald's is opening a new restaurant in tromsø, norway.[179] and the southernmost in the world is located in invercargill, new zealand.[180][non primary source needed] thomas friedman said that no country with a mcdonald's had gone to war with another;[181][182] however, the "golden arches theory of conflict prevention" is incorrect. exceptions are the 1989 united states invasion of panama, nato's bombing of serbia in 1999, the 2006 lebanon war, and the 2008 south ossetia war mcdonald's suspended operations in its corporate owned stores in crimea after russia annexed the region in 2014.[183] on august 20, 2014, as tensions between the united states and russia strained over the russian annexation of crimea, and the resultant u.s. sanctions, the russian government temporarily shut down four mcdonald's outlets in moscow, citing sanitary concerns. the company has operated in russia since 1990 and, in august 2014, had 438 stores across the country.[184] on august 23, 2014, russian deputy prime minister arkady dvorkovich ruled out any government move to ban mcdonald's and dismissed the notion that the temporary closures had anything to do with the sanctions.[185] some observers have suggested that the company should be given credit for increasing the service standard in markets it enters. a group of anthropologists in a study entitled golden arches east[186] looked at mcdonald's impact on east asia and hong kong, particularly. when it opened in hong kong in 1975, mcdonald's was the first restaurant to consistently offer clean restrooms, driving customers to demand the same of other restaurants and institutions. mcdonald's has partnered with sinopec, the second largest oil company in the people's republic of china, as it takes advantage of the country's growing use of personal vehicles by opening numerous drive thru restaurants.[187] in beijing, china, mcdonald's restaurants are state owned enterprises operating according to franchise agreements.[188] beijing capital agricultural group owns these franchises.[188] mcdonald's has opened a mcdonald's restaurant and mccafé on the underground premises of the french fine arts museum, the louvre.[189] the company stated it would open vegetarian only restaurants in india by mid 2013.[190][needs update] on january 9, 2017, 80% of the franchise rights in mainland china and hong kong were sold for us$2.08 billion to a consortium of citic limited (for 32%). private equity funds managed by citic capital (for 20%) and carlyle (for 20%), which citic limited and citic capital would form a joint venture to own the stake.[191] on march 8, 2022, mcdonald's temporarily closed their 850 locations in russia due to the invasion of ukraine, but will continue to pay the salary for 62,000 employees. approximately nine percent of global revenue and three percent of operating profit come from russia and 100 locations in ukraine.[192][193][194] on may 16, 2022, mcdonald's announced that the closures would become permanent and that it was selling all its 850 stores in russia. furthermore, 32 years after mcdonald's entered the soviet market, the american giant wants its current business to be "de arched," the company plans to retain its trademarks in russia, meaning the locations would no longer be allowed to use the mcdonald's name, logo, or menu. mcdonald's also said it would continue to pay its russian employees until the sale is finalized. the company has more than 60,000 russian employees.[195][196][197] on june 10, 2022, a russian mcdonald's buyer announced a new logo as an attempt at rebranding. it featured one circle and two lines representing a burger and two french fries.[198] the business was rebranded as vkusno i tochka, which roughly translates to "tasty   period."[199][200][201] mcdonald's will reopen its stores in ukraine after closing them in february in non contested areas like kyiv and western ukraine. during the closure, mcdonald's continued paying its employees, numbering some 10,000. before the conflict, ukraine had approximately 109 restaurants; it is unclear how many will reopen.[202] on november 11, 2022, mcdonald's in belarus announced that all 25 stores in 6 cities would rebrand and operate as vkusno i tochka "in several weeks".[203] in kazakhstan, mcdonald's suspended operations in november 2022 due to the impossibility of supplying minced meat from russia. the franchise was transferred to food solutions kz, after which the restaurants first changed their name to "we are open" (біз ашықпыз); in august 2023, they were renamed in honor of the best employees, and in november 2023 the final rebranding was carried out. the network is now called i'm, with a heart sign used instead of a dot over the i.[204] mcdonald's has maintained an extensive advertising campaign for decades. in addition to the usual media (television, radio, and newspaper), the company makes significant use of billboards and signage. also, it sponsors sporting events ranging from little league to the fifa world cup and olympic games.[205] television has been central to the company's advertising strategy.[206] to date, mcdonald's has used 23 different slogans in united states advertising, as well as a few other slogans for select countries and regions.[207] in 1992, basketball player michael jordan became the first celebrity to have a mcdonald's value meal named after him. the "mcjordan," a quarter pounder with pickles, raw onion slices, bacon, and barbecue sauce, was available at chicago franchises.[208] in march 2014, a unique "sprite 6 mix by lebron james" flavor of sprite featuring the flavors of lemon lime, orange, and cherry debuted just before the nba playoffs.[209] james' endorsement of sprite has also included the seasonal "cranberry" and "winter spiced cranberry" editions of the beverage. james' deal with coca cola and sprite ended in 2020, with a new partnership with pepsi and mountain dew launching in 2021.[210] in september 2020, mcdonald's partnered with rapper travis scott to release the "travis scott meal," a quarter pounder with cheese, bacon, lettuce, pickles, ketchup, and mustard; medium fries with barbecue sauce; and a sprite, nationwide. scott designed new uniforms for mcdonald's employees and released cactus jack merchandise using vintage visuals from the fast food chain's history.[211] the company followed up with the "j balvin meal", a big mac with no pickles; fries with ketchup; and an oreo mcflurry, in a partnership with reggaeton singer j balvin.[212] lebron james was a spokesman for mcdonald's from 2003 to 2017[213] while co endorsing coca cola sprite since early in his career.[214] in 2021, mcdonald's partnered with korean boy group bts to release the "bts meal" in 50 countries around the world, starting on may 26 in select countries. the meal consists of a 10 piece chicken mcnuggets, medium fries, medium coke, and for the first time in the united states, two spicy dipping sauces: sweet chili and cajun.[215] mcdonald's and nasa explored an advertising agreement for a planned mission to the asteroid 449 hamburga; however, the spacecraft was eventually canceled.[216] mcdonald's entered the nascar cup series in 1977, sponsoring richard childress for one race. between the years 1977 and 1986, mcdonald's would only sponsor a handful of races in a season. in 1993, mcdonald's became the full time sponsor for the no. 27 junior johnson & associates ford, driven by hut stricklin.[217] in 1994, stricklin was replaced in the car by jimmy spencer, who would go on to win twice that season. the following season mcdonald's would move over to the no. 94 bill elliott racing ford, driven by team owner bill elliott.[218] mcdonald's stayed with elliott until the 2001 season when they moved again, this time to the no. 96 ppi motorsports ford, driven by rookie andy houston. however, when the team failed to field a car for the entire season, mcdonald's became absent from nascar until 2004, when it joined evernham motorsports as a part time sponsor for drivers elliott, kasey kahne, elliott sadler, a. j. allmendinger, and reed sorenson until 2010.[217] during the 2010 season, mcdonald's would enter its longest partnership with a team at chip ganassi racing, sponsoring the no. 1 chevrolet driven by jamie mcmurray until his final race in the 2019 daytona 500.[219][220] mcdonald's moved to cgr's no. 42 of kyle larson, whom the company sponsored until his suspension in 2020,[221] and also had a one race partnership with richard petty motorsports' no. 43 chevrolet driven by bubba wallace in 2019 and 2020.[222][223] mcdonald's continued working with the no. 42 under new driver ross chastain in 2021 and also joined wallace's new team 23xi racing as a "founding partner".[224][225] mcdonald's is the title sponsor of the mcdonald's all american game, an all star basketball game played each year for the top ranked amateur boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates in america. mchappy day is an annual event at mcdonald's, during which a percentage of the day's sales go to charity. it is the signature fundraising event for ronald mcdonald house charities.[226] in 2007, it was celebrated in 17 countries: argentina, australia, austria, brazil, canada, england, finland, france, guatemala, hungary, ireland, new zealand, norway, sweden, switzerland, the united states, and uruguay. according to the australian mchappy day website, mchappy day raised $20.4 million in 2009. the goal for 2010 was $20.8 million.[227] in 1995, st. jude children's research hospital received an anonymous letter postmarked in dallas, texas, containing a $1 million winning mcdonald's monopoly game piece. mcdonald's officials came to the hospital, accompanied by a representative from the accounting firm arthur andersen, who examined the card under a jeweler's eyepiece, handled it with plastic gloves, and verified it as a winner.[228] although game rules prohibited the transfer of prizes, mcdonald's waived the rule. they made the annual $50,000 annuity payments for the entire 20 year period through 2014, even after learning that the piece was sent by an individual involved in an embezzlement scheme intended to defraud mcdonald's. mcrefugees are poor people in hong kong, japan, and china who use mcdonald's 24 hour restaurants as a temporary hostel.[229] mcdonald's has been criticized for numerous aspects of its business, including its products' health effects, employees' treatment, and other business practices. in the late 1980s, phil sokolof, a millionaire businessman who had suffered a heart attack at the age of 43, took out full page newspaper ads in new york, chicago, and other large cities accusing mcdonald's menu of being a threat to american health and asking them to stop using beef tallow to cook their french fries.[230] in 1990, activists from a small group known as london greenpeace (no connection to the international group greenpeace) distributed leaflets entitled what's wrong with mcdonald's?, criticizing its environmental, health, and labor record. the corporation wrote to the group demanding they desist and apologize, and, when two of the activists refused to back down, sued them for libel leading to the "mclibel case," one of the longest cases in english civil law. a documentary film of the mclibel trial has been shown in several countries.[231] in 2001, eric schlosser's book fast food nation included criticism of the business practices of mcdonald's, particularly concerning its use of political influence and targeting advertisements to children.[232] in 2002, vegetarian groups, largely hindu and buddhist, successfully sued mcdonald's for misrepresenting its french fries as vegetarian, when they contained beef broth.[233] critical terms such as "mcjob" and "mcmansion" have been added to dictionaries.[234][235] morgan spurlock's 2004 documentary film super size me claimed that mcdonald's food was contributing to the increase of obesity in society and that the company was failing to provide nutritional information about its food for its customers. six weeks after the film premiered, mcdonald's announced that it was eliminating the super size option and was creating the adult happy meal. litterstudies have found mcdonald's is one of the most littered brands worldwide. in 2012, a keep australia beautiful study found that mcdonald's was the most littered brand in queensland.[236][237] in response to public pressure, mcdonald's has sought to include more healthy choices in its menu, announcing in may 2008 that, in the united states and canada, it has switched to using cooking oil that contains no trans fats for its french fries, and canola based oil with corn and soy oils, for its baked items, pies, and cookies, by the end of 2018.[238] the company introduced a new slogan to its recruitment posters: "not bad for a mcjob."[239] since mcdonald's began receiving criticism for its environmental practices in the 1970s, it has significantly reduced its use of materials.[240] amidst the 2023 israel hamas war, as the israeli blockade restricted supplies to gaza, mcdonald's in israel faced condemnation for providing free meals to the israel defense forces, who were accused of engaging in war crimes against palestinians.[241][242][243][244] the hashtag #boycottmcdonalds gained worldwide traction on social media.[245] there were also large gathering outside restaurants in lebanon and egypt protesting the move. mcdonald's in other countries, like turkey and pakistan, distanced themselves from the israeli brand.[246][247] in january 2024, mcdonald's ceo chris kempczinski acknowledged the public outcry, stating, "several markets in the middle east and some outside the region are experiencing a meaningful business impact due to the war and associated misinformation that is affecting brands like mcdonald's."[248] as a result of the boycott, mcdonald's bought all 225 israeli franchise owned restaurants.[249][250] in 2010, mcdonald's recalled 12 million of its promotional shrek themed drinking glasses due to traces of cadmium in the paint of the glass. the release of these glasses coincided with the release of the shrek movie "shrek forever after".[251][252] the glasses were produced by arc international, of millville, new jersy.[253] mcdonald's has been involved in several lawsuits and other legal cases, most involving trademark disputes. the company has threatened many food businesses with legal action unless it drops the 'mc' or 'mac' from trading names. in april 2017, irish fast food chain supermac's submitted a request to the european union property office to cancel mcdonald's owned trademarks within the european union, claiming that mcdonald's engaged in "trademark bullying; registering brand names... which are simply stored away in a war chest to use against future competitors", after the trademarks had prevented supermac's from expanding out of ireland. the euipo ruled in supermac's favor, finding that mcdonald's "has not proven genuine use" of many trademarks, canceling mcdonald's owned trademarks such as "big mac" and specific "mc" related trademarks within the european union.[254][255][256] burger king responded by "trolling" mcdonald's by giving their burgers names that included the words "big mac" that also mocked the original burger, which included "like a big mac but juicier," "like a big mac, but actually big" and "big mac ish but flame grilled of course."[257] in 2023, the euipo board of appeal partially annulled their decision after mcdonald's filed 700 pages of additional evidence despite objections.[258] however, on further appeal to the european court of justice, the court ruled in 2024 that mcdonald's had failed to prove the use of the big mac trademark in relation to chicken products or services associated with operating restaurants, meaning supermac's and other businesses are now free to use the "mac" in their business names and in names for poultry products in europe. mcdonald's retains the big mac trademark solely for its beef burgers.[259][260][261] the mcdonald's group has had proceedings taken against it by the french tax authorities, with possible charges of criminal tax fraud. in july 2022, the group reached an agreement with the french judicial authorities to end criminal proceedings for tax fraud.[262] on september 8, 2009, mcdonald's malaysian operations lost a lawsuit to prevent another restaurant from calling itself mccurry. mcdonald's lost in an appeal to malaysia's highest court, the federal court.[263] on december 29, 2016, mcdonald's malaysia issued a statement that said only certified halal cakes are allowed inside its restaurants nationwide.[264] in april 2007, in perth, western australia, mcdonald's pleaded guilty to five charges relating to the employment of children under 15 in one of its outlets and was fined a$8,000.[265] the longest running legal action of all time in the uk was the mclibel case against two defendants who criticized several aspects of the company. the trial lasted ten years and called 130 witnesses. the european court of human rights deemed that the unequal resources of the litigants breached the defendants' rights to freedom of speech and biased the trial. the result was widely seen as a "pr disaster" for mcdonald's.[266] in the end of november 2013, controversy arose after the rucka rucka ali song "only 17", a parody of "just a dream" by nelly, was accidentally played uncensored over the speakers at a mcdonald's restaurant in wales. subsequently, mcdonald's issued an apology to the offended customers.[267][268] in 2021, it emerged that at least 50 employees had filed charges against the chains regarding harassment in the workplace in five years, leading to the company instituting anti harassment training. some of the complainants also stated that they were verbally and physically harassed in retaliation for their complaints.[269] in 2023, the bbc conducted an investigation, and reported that more than 100 current and recent uk workers at outlets of the fast food chain allege there is a continuing toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying.[270] in january 2025, it was reported that over 700 young workers had filed lawsuits against mcdonald's uk, alleging widespread harassment and discrimination. the claims, handled by the law firm leigh day, involved current and former employees under the age of 20 and spanned more than 450 restaurants. following a bbc investigation in july 2023, testimonies highlighted issues such as racism, homophobia, ableism, and harassment. mcdonald's uk, dismissed 29 workers for sexual harassment in 2023 and established a specialist unit to investigate such allegations. however, unions argued that these measures did not resolve the issues. employees shared accounts of inappropriate behavior, including homophobic remarks, sexual advances, and unwanted physical contact from managers. similar allegations had been raised in 2019, with the bakers, food and allied workers union reporting over 1,000 cases of harassment involving female employees.[271] the 1994 court case liebeck v. mcdonald's restaurants examined a mcdonald's practice of serving coffee so hot that when spilled, it caused third degree burns requiring weeks of hospitalization and skin grafting surgery.[272] the trial outcome was an award of $2.86 million (equivalent to $5.33 million in 2023) for the plaintiff, 81 year old stella liebeck.[272] the amount was later reduced to $640,000 (equivalent to $1.2 million in 2023). in 2019, a mcdonald's employee, jenna ries, sued the restaurant chain over allowing sexual harassment in the workplace and described the working environment as "toxic".[273] in 2023, an investigation by the united states department of labor found child labor violations at mcdonald's franchises in the state of kentucky, which involved over 300 children, two of them 10 year olds. a total of $212,000 was levied against three franchises for the violations.[274] further investigations uncovered child labor violations involving 83 minors at 16 different locations in louisiana and texas, with imposed fines amounting to $77,572.[275] mcdonald's has been criticized for shrinkflation, colloquially dubbed "mcflation", with increases in menu prices far exceeding inflation.[276][277][278]

movim requires javascript to be enabled to work properly. reconnection to the server… movim cannot talk with the server, please try again later mic_none no sound detected from your microphone movim register login webchat.disroot.org tagchefs ultimate custard, perfectly timed pasta, espresso fuelled stews: 37 brilliant recipe hacks news.movim.eu / theguardian • 26 january make a splash in the kitchen   top chefs and cooks share easy ways to take your dinner to the next level chef owner of murano and cafe murano , london, and co host of the dish from waitrose podcast tagbaking tagpasta tagfood tagchefs tagcocktails tagherbs and spices this post is public www.theguardian.com /food/2025/jan/26/ultimate custard perfectly timed pasta espresso fuelled stews 37 brilliant recipe hacks what’s the best way to brown meat? | kitchen aide news.movim.eu / theguardian • 29 october • 1 minute you need a really hot pan, no moisture and plenty of space to get the best out of your meat colour equals flavour, thanks to a process known as the maillard reaction , which occurs when proteins and sugars are transformed by the application of heat. for this reason, “you always want to sear meat before putting it in a pan or into the oven”, says charlie crote, head chef of the midland grand dining room in london. “this builds a crust on the outside, and firms up the meat [in a good way].” it’s worth noting, though, that this simple technique is all about flavour; it’s sometimes said that browning meat also seals in the juices, but that’s simply not true. first up, you need a really hot pan. “leave it on a high flame for a couple of minutes,” says skye gyngell, chef patron of spring in london, and culinary director of heckfield place in hampshire, “until you see a gentle smoke rise from the centre of the pan.” then add oil   extra virgin olive oil in gyngell’s case, vegetable or sunflower for crote   and swirl it around so the pan is evenly coated. next, generously season the meat, which should be at room temperature and as dry as possible (moisture is your enemy here), with sea salt and black pepper: “if you do this any earlier,” crote says, “it will draw out the moisture, which means, when you put the meat in the pan, it will just have a layer of moisture on the outside and will boil rather than sear.” it’s only once any excess moisture has evaporated that the meat can start to brown. got a culinary dilemma? email feast@theguardian.com tagmeat tagfood tagchefs this post is public www.theguardian.com /food/2024/oct/29/best way to brown meat kitchen aide anna berrill pictures 1 image st john: 30 ways the ‘nose to tail’ restaurant changed the way we eat news.movim.eu / theguardian • 18 august fergus henderson and trevor gulliver’s london restaurant celebrates its 30th anniversary in the autumn. here’s how it influenced food culture in britain and beyond “there were 260 specialist tripe shops in manchester in 1906: in 1994 there are none.” so opens the book tripe: a most excellent dish , encapsulating the decline of offal in britain. taglife and style tagfood tagrestaurants tagchefs tagfergus henderson this post is public www.theguardian.com /food/article/2024/aug/18/st john 30 ways the restaurant changed the way we eat james kent, chef who was building a restaurant empire, dies at 45 news.movim.eu / thenewyorktimes • 16 june, 2024 tagdeaths (obituaries) tagrestaurants tagchefs tagkent, james (chef) tagfinancial district (manhattan, ny) this post is public www.nytimes.com /2024/06/16/obituaries/james kent dead.html lamb kofta, sea bream puttanesca, potato cakes   20 minute recipes from anna haugh news.movim.eu / theguardian • 19 may, 2024 • 1 minute the dublin born chef talks about realising the culinary value of irish food, plus six recipes from her new cookbook, cooking with anna when anna haugh decided to write a cookbook after more than two decades in professional kitchens, pitching her recipes at the right skill level was a challenge. “trying to simplify and reduce was an interesting learning curve,” says the dublin born chef, who opened her restaurant myrtle in london’s chelsea five years ago. “even when i was doing the photoshoot [for the book] i would think, ‘no, that’s a bit too much,’ and i’d remove an element.” the result is accessible enough for even the most hesitant cooks. it begins, irresistibly, with a section on 20 minute dinners, featuring potato cakes, speedy pasta dishes and a sea bream bake “for which you need zero cooking ability”. but haugh, who has appeared as a judge on masterchef , believes that sometimes a little extra effort at the stove can yield outsized rewards. “there are some dishes that might look complicated, but then you do it and realise, i’ve just injected loads of flavour and it wasn’t that hard. there weren’t 15 pots in the sink, a broken marriage and somebody weeping on the floor, questioning their life decisions.” taglamb tagfood tagitalian food and drink tagseafood tagchefs tagmiddle eastern food and drink tagirish food and drink tagfish this post is public www.theguardian.com /food/article/2024/may/19/lamb kofta sea bream puttanesca potato cakes anna haugh 20 minute recipes pictures 1 image ask ottolenghi: easy sauces to perk up midweek meals news.movim.eu / theguardian • 18 may, 2024 make up a big batch of tahini sauce with herbs, quick preserved lemons, experiment with all sorts of pestos, or try zhoug and shatta , two punchy levantine chilli condiments i love the green tahini sauce with the roast cauliflower in your book simple   it livens up even the most joyless of midweek meals. what other easy sauces should i have in my repertoire to give plain dishes a bit of zhoosh ? joe, liverpool i’m so pleased you’ve asked this question, joe, because sauces and pastes are one of the secrets to exciting home cooking. they’re little flavour bombs, sitting ready in the fridge, to drizzle over or stir into all sorts. tahini sauce, green or otherwise, is one of my favourites. if i don’t have herbs at home, or if i just fancy a change, i’ll often mix in some miso or soy for a deep, savoury hit. or, if i want some chilli heat, i’ll add chilli flakes, harissa or similar chilli pastes such as doubanjiang and gochujang; just remember to add plenty of lemon or lime juice to balance things out. tagfood tagvegetables tagchefs tagsauces and gravies tagmiddle eastern food and drink this post is public www.theguardian.com /food/article/2024/may/18/ask ottolenghi easy sauces to perk up midweek meals pictures 1 image the 25 essential pasta dishes to eat in italy news.movim.eu / thenewyorktimes • 17 may, 2024 tagpasta taginternal truncator tagitaly tagcheese tagrestaurants tagitalian food (cuisine) tagcooking and cookbooks tagwines tagseafood tagsauces tagchefs this post is public www.nytimes.com /2024/05/17/t magazine/best pasta italy.html

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the worst hard time: the untold story of those who survived the great american dust bowl by timothy eganmy rating: 4 of 5 starsthe dust bowl has always been a somewhat vague disaster in my mind. it occurred during the great depression, and the images it generated helped to define the misery of the period. but the question has always lingered in my mind: was it simply chance that the two coincided? or did one cause the other? like many people, my primary touchstone for the event is the grapes of wrath; but that novel is mainly about people escaping the dust bowl, not what it was like to be in it. in short, for such an important event, i had only a vague notion of the dust bowl.this book remedied the problem; and for that, timothy egan deserves a great deal of credit. the worst hard time traces the disaster from its historical origins to its conclusion, and provides harrowing descriptions of what it was like to live through the dusters or die trying.i have never experienced a dust storm. the closest i’ve come was a few years back, when strong winds deposited sand from the saharan desert in madrid, a climatic event called la calima in spanish. it was unsettling. the air had a rust colored hue, with visibility at a minimum. rain drops fell and left dirty stains on your clothes. i was teaching physical education at the time, and we instructed the kids to use the face masks (which they still had, thanks to the pandemic) when we exercised outside. the only other relevant experience i’ve had was a few summers back, when the huge forest fires in canada sent haze down to my town in new york. i tried to go on a run in the gray air and ended up with a persistent cough.these experiences are mild to the point of triviality compared with the dusters of the 1930s. visibility would drop to zero, pitch blackness. dust would block roads and bury equipment. any vegetation would be drowned or stripped bare. anyone exposed to the dust would develop a cough that could become a fatal case of “dust pneumonia.” most surprising of all, the dusters would generate enormous amounts of static electricity which would discharge painfully if an unwary victim touched anything conductive.as to the question of why this happened, the answer seems to be quite complicated. regardless of human activity, the great plains undergo long periods of rainfall followed by drought; and it just so happened that they were populated when the climate was more benevolent. but the 1930s were a time of extreme drought on the plains. yet human activity had prepared the way for crisis. first, the peoples of the plain the apache and comanche were pushed off their land, and the buffalo, upon which they depended, were hunted to oblivion. the federal government encouraged farmers to take up residence by simply giving away land. the combination of the increased demand of the first world war and the russian revolution which took the biggest grain supplier out of commission prompted farmers to increase yield, plowing up as much topsoil as they could.like the great depression, then, the dust bowl seems to have not been the cause of one simple error, but a kind of perfect storm created by many contributing factors. and like the great depression which was partly provoked by a massive trade imbalance, caused by wwi the dust bowl as a kind of delayed hangover of the great war.once again, egan deserves a great deal of credit for writing such an informative book about a topic simultaneously so well known and so poorly understood. that being said, i don’t have warm feelings about the worst hard time. though it is not an especially long book, it feels bloated and repetitious; and i think this is due to the prose, which was heavy handed and inflated with a kind of false melodrama. this was frustrating, since the story of dust bowl contains more than enough drama to stand on its own.the first lines give some idea of the tone: on those days when the wind stops blowing across the face of the southern planes, the land falls into a silence that scares people in the way that a big house can haunt after the lights go out and no one else is there. it scares them because the land is too much, too empty, claustrophobic in its intensity. it scares them because they feel lost, with nothing to cling to, disoriented. not a tree, anywhere. not a slice of shade. not a river dancing away, life in its blood. i don’t know about you, but i find this ponderous and dull. and it irritates me especially because i don’t think this is egan’s true voice. it is like he is putting on a persona (a quality of much irritating prose, i find). mostly, it is extremely redundant we get it, it’s scary which is why the book feels so long.this is just one of the faults of style i thought the book suffered from. however, i don’t want to harp on stylistic shortcomings too much. after all, i didn’t pick up this book to be blown over by the prose, but to learn about the dust bowl; and that, i certainly did. even if it is irritating to read, then, the worst hard time comes close to being the definitive work on the subject. view all my reviews i turned twenty one the legal drinking age in my benighted country in 2012, in the midst of a renaissance in craft beer. i had spent most of college pounding cans of coors light, whose urinous flavor was offset by being affordable to college kids, with the added benefit that you could feasibly down ten or even twenty in a single night a feat which naturally came with boasting rights. (i still have vivid memories of emptying dozens of cans from the huge recycling container in my dorm, and then vainly trying to get out the smell of stale beer by blasting it with hot water in the shower.) it was something of a pleasant surprise, then, when i started drinking craft brews, and discovered that beer could actually be enjoyable in itself. soon i grew fascinated by the variety and quality of the beers on offer. breweries started popping up in every town. even my local gas station began stocking dozens of different craft brews. rather than simply tasting like watery piss, this beer could be bitter, chocolatey, aromatic, crisp, sweet, fruity, tart, and much else. for the first time in my life, i developed a palette for something, and began to keenly appreciate what had previously just been party fuel. thus it came as something of a shock when i moved to madrid in 2015, and was once again thrown into the world of mass produced beer. whereas every self respecting bar in the us will have at least five or six beers on tap, in spain, even now, there is often only one. (you might think this is because spaniards are mostly wine drinkers. on the contrary, spanish people drink beer in quantities surpassed by few countries.) i found it almost appalling that you could simply order “a beer” without specifying the type, only the size. thus, i half heartedly resigned myself to drinking lagers again, with the consolation that at least mahou is better than coors light. but all this soon began to change. craft beer culture started catching on in a big way, and in just a couple of years madrid was awash in local breweries. as it happens, one of my former coworkers at a school in aranjuez, luis, works nights at a brew pub after he is done teaching. so one day i asked if he could teach me something about the art and science of craft beer. tenta brewing is located on a shady lane in the small city of aranjuez. the day i chose to visit was, fortuitously, the first day they were reopening after summer remodeling. i arrived early to help with the final clean up before the doors opened, and in the process got a miniscule taste of the daily labor involved in owning a brew pub. as i incompetently cleaned the floor, attempted to tidy the kitchen, and moved tables and chairs to places they weren’t supposed to go, miguel the founder, owner, and brewer of tenta lost himself in a tangle of tubes in order to connect the casks to the taps. at one point, i was tasked with sticking labels on some cans of beer. “is there a machine for this?” i asked. “yes there is,” luis responded. “you!” in any case, the restaurant work setting up, closing up, cooking, cleaning is only a fraction of the work involved in owning a brew pub. the major task is actually brewing the beer. and in tenta, this falls to miguel. considering that brewing beer is not something you normally study at university, the world of craft beer is populated by people of many diverse backgrounds. in miguel’s case, he was a graphic designer for years before he even thought about hops, yeast, or malt. for miguel, as for so many, the gateway drug was home brewing. he started as a hobbyist and soon he was hooked. in 2022, the small beer factory finally opened its doors. as it happens, i have also participated in the homebrewing experiment, though this merely consisted of following the directions on a beer making kit. still, it was instructive. though the process was relatively simple, i was impressed by the scope for error. every piece of equipment had to be carefully sanitized beforehand. any deviation in timing or temperature could have fatally ruined the batch. what impressed me most was watching the beer ferment. for all the human labor that goes into beer making, it is ultimately the yeast that do the heavy lifting turning sugar into alcohol, and making carbonation in the process. brewing beer, in other words, does not have the elegant precision of a chemical reaction. it is organic, and potentially messy. miguel spent the first two years of his brewing career as a “nomad.” this is a term for brewers who do not have their own factory, but instead make deals with other breweries to produce their beers for a slice of the profits. this is quite a common arrangement in the spanish beer scene. by chance, i stumbled upon a beer nomad at a neighborhood fair while writing this piece. in a tent sparsely furnished with a gas grill and half a dozen taps, antonio (“tojo” to his friends) was serving dichosa beer. at the moment, he is brewing his beer in the factory run by valle del kahs (of whom, much more later), but he has worked with breweries all over the place. when asked why he chose to brew his beer as a nomad rather than set up his own factory, he told me that there were several advantages. first, and most obviously, this allows you to avoid the fixed costs of equipment and upkeep. it also is a low commitment strategy, which lets him move around to search for better arrangements. but the most curious advantage is that he can experiment with the water quality, which can vary quite a bit from place to place. (the water from madrid is supposed to be exceptionally good, though.) even so, it seems curious that one beer maker would allow a rival to use their equipment. that would be like chrysler manufacturing cars for ford, right? yet if you spend any time talking to beer makers, you quickly get the impression that they do not consider themselves rivals of one another. rather, there is a heartening spirit of camaraderie among brewers. each one seems to know everyone else by name, and collaborations are frequent. the last time i visited tenta, for example, they had a delicious watermelon ale on sale, made in collaboration with pits, a brewery all the way up in vigo. another reason for collaborating is simply business. making beer is one thing, but selling it is quite another. unlike the big time brewing companies, which sell their beers in bars, restaurants, and supermarkets all over spain, craft brewers have to work to find their audience. though many brewers have their own pubs, at the rate that beer is sold in a brew pub, the factory would remain under capacity. this is why factory owners gladly allow other brewers to use their equipment, in order to pick up the slack. and this is also the reason why so many beer makers put in long hours manning stands at local fairs and festivals (such as where i saw tojo). aside from these, there are dedicated craft beer events organized throughout the country by the ruta del lúpulo (the hop route). in these, a dozen or so craft breweries gather together, while the quickly inebriated visitor fills his glass from tent to tent. even bigger is beermad, a huge gathering of brewers in the so called “crystal pavilion” in the casa de campo park. local bands and food trucks are often recruited to round out the events. now, for my money, a well made beer can be just as elegant, complex, and delicious as a fine wine. however, the culture of craft beer has little resemblance to the world of wine. for one, there are the aesthetics. while wineries present themselves as an extension of european elegance, the craft brew movement at least as it exists in spain mostly takes its cues from my own country. english language rock music blares from speakers, while men sporting beards and wearing band t shirts and black jeans slide you a beer across the table. another, more important difference is that wineries are tied to the land in the way a beer maker is not, or at least not necessarily. this is simply because wine is made from fresh grapes, which do not keep for long, while beer is made from malt (usually malted wheat, but other grains can be used), which keeps very well indeed. a beer maker could thus open a factory in spain with malts from england and hops from the usa. nevertheless, many beer makers try to give their product a local touch. miguel, for example, acquires the fruits he uses to make his watermelon and strawberry beers from a neighboring village. even the beef for the burgers is from local cattle. one major challenge for spanish craft brewers is that, unlike england, belgium, or germany, spain has no autochthonous tradition of craft beer. spanish drinkers used to light, commercial lagers are often unaccustomed to both the flavors and the price of the finer stuff. still, the world of craft beer is cracking through the ancient drinking culture of iberia; and nowhere is this more clear than in the valle del kahs brewery. as its name would suggest, this brewery is located in the puente de vallecas neighborhood of madrid. traditionally a working class, left wing area, vallecas has a strong sense of identity, and this is on full display at the valle del kahs pub. tucked away into the narrow, maze like streets of the barrio, the place looks nothing like a bar from the outside. and that’s because it wasn’t. the building was inherited by dani, who owns the brewery along with his wife, silvia. before it was a bar, it was a bleach factory, operated for over 100 years by his mother’s family; and it still preserves much of its industrial atmosphere. dani’s family was thus one of the pillars of the neighborhood. as a case in point, his grandfather was one of the founding patrons of the rayo vallecano football team (soccer, for americans), who play in the nearby vallecas stadium. dani and silvia have continued the tradition by sponsoring the vallecas rugby team. trophies and jerseys adorn a corner of the bar, and portraits of the players sporting jerseys with the valle del kahs logo hang all over the bar. this logo, a growling black wolf, has a curious history. when vallecas was far more rural, dani’s father actually came across an abandoned wolf pup, adopted it, and called it sultan. dani barely remembers the wolf (he was too young), but the noble creature lives on as the company’s mascot. as with miguel of tenta, dani got into the beer business via homebrewing. beforehand, he was in marketing, but was dissatisfied with the high pressure corporate environment. for her part, silvia was a watercolorist before she began selling pints. but she continues making art, as evidenced by the diagrammatic drawings that adorn the walls of the bar, such as a periodic table of beer. their son, arturo, is now also a part of the business. he was a successful chef before the pandemic, but during the shutdown decided that he would devote his time to liquid rather than solid delights. i met arturo on a quiet wednesday evening, deep in the vallecas neighborhood. while the family originally made beer in the old bleach factory, last year they decided to rent out a bigger space for brewing in an industrial warehouse. there, arturo was working alone, solely responsible for the enormous vats of boiling and fermenting malt. his rapid explanation of the beer making process was punctuated by hisses from a huge compressor in the back, which was gathering and concentrating nitrogen gas to be used for extra carbonation. seeing him there, dwarfed and surrounded by shining metal devices, i was impressed by the scientific rigor required to make something so apparently simple. but there is nothing really logical about being a craft brewer. it means long hours of brewing followed by long hours of manning a bar. it means giving up a secure livelihood for one with an uncertain future. it means a constant, uphill battle. but when you see any of these brewers in their element, you know that they are motivated by something beyond good sense. for them, brewing beer is a labor of love. the first time that i went to coney island, i was in college, fully in the grip of a newfound commitment to intellectualism. i was certain that i was going to be a professor, that i was going to be a prolific and influential author, and that most of the world was consequently not up to my exacting standards of culture, taste, and intelligence. at that moment in my life, coney island struck me as the epitome of everything i hoped to reject. tacky, cheap, loud, dedicated to the pleasures of the flesh, it was horrifying to me. i did not like the beach, or roller coasters, or even funnel cake. it was too hot, too full of naked skin, too shamelessly mindless. i know that i sound as if i were some sort of dreamy hamlet, condemned to a layer of dantean hell, but that is what it felt like. though it pains me to think of it, i was once invited to a birthday party in coney island; and rather than play catch on the beach, i spent the time under the boardwalk, reading james joyce’s ulysses (which, to be sure, i completely failed to understand). and yet, coney island is so pure in its embodiment of wanton fun that i was also, against my will, fascinated by it. while i felt superior, the place also made me feel as if i was missing something fundamental about life. it became, for me, a symbol of what i lacked, and that is basically how i described coney island in my novel their solitary way. with age comes wisdom, or at least acceptance. it took me time, a long time, to learn to relax and have fun. now, a decade and a half after my first visit, i think coney island is one of the treasures of new york, something i look forward to every summer. for about a century now, coney island has not been an island. formerly, the coney island creek separated the island from the landmass of long island; but a part of this creek was filled in in the 1920s. however, as “coney peninsula” doesn’t have quite the same ring, the original name was retained. aside from rockaway, coney island is the only beach accessible on the subway (and the ride is significantly shorter), and it is also the only amusement park. coney island has been the playground of new york since the 19th century. this is evidenced by the grandiose coney island   stillwell avenue station, which is the terminus of lines d, f, n, and q. with its eight individual tracks, it is more reminiscent of a train station than a lowly subway stop, and is obviously built for high volume. as you walk around the “island” today, buzzing with beach goers, dancers, tourists, baseball fans, and teenagers on line for various rides, you might be forgiven for thinking that coney island is now in its golden age. but the peak of coney island occurred from the 1880s to the second world war. during that time, with three amusement parks operating luna park, dreamland, and steeplechase it was the largest amusement area in the united states. an early symbol of coney island’s greatness was the elephantine colossus, a 122 foot tall wooden building in the shape of (you guessed it) an elephant. it was so big that it could be used as a concert hall, a palace of petty amusements, and even a brothel. indeed, it was significantly bigger than the earlier elephant of the bastille, a plaster model of a planned but never executed statue, which became an attraction unto itself. (it is now famous principally for victor hugo’s description of it in les miserables.) unfortunately, the wooden structure burned down in 1896; but there is another huge wooden elephant in nearby new jersey, by the same designer: lucy the elephant, in margate city. (there is a far darker elephant story connected with coney island, that of topsy the elephant. topsy was a circus elephant who had a reputation for misbehavior. in 1902 it was decided that the elephant would be executed as a publicity stunt. with the blessing of the american society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, topsy was poisoned, strangled, and electrocuted. her electrocution was actually caught on film. this film survives, and it is gruesome to watch. be it noted that thomas edison had nothing to do with this particular animal execution, though it was filmed on an edison camera.) but the powers that be were not always kind to the island. one way to demonstrate this is the history of the new york aquarium. this institution was originally housed in battery park, in the historic castle clinton, and was free to the public. it was a beloved place, visited by millions per year. yet it attracted the ire of the infamous park commissioner, robert moses who disliked both the aquarium and coney island for being too plebeian who forcibly transferred the aquarium from castle clinton to coney island. this had several unfortunate results. for one, the new aquarium was forced to charge admission. (currently the price is $30, which is so steep that i have never visited.) the aquarium was also unable to safely transfer their animals, leaving them with no choice but to release their collection into the ocean and begin from scratch. and last, the aquarium was deliberately put in real estate previously occupied by the amusement park, dreamland, in order to reduce the tawdry attractions. but an even bigger nemesis to the island was fred trump donald’s father. a real estate developer, fred eyed the valuable property occupied by the former steeplechase park, and eventually acquired it with the aim of putting up high rise apartments. he made sure to demolish it quickly, and publicly, before it could be given landmark status; but he was ultimately unsuccessful in his building project. trump eventually sold the property back to the city, and it was duly turned back into an amusement park. nowadays, the only remnant of the old steeplechase park is the iconic parachute jump. this was a ride that consisted of strapping people into a seat, pulling them up to the top of a 250 foot tall tower, and then letting them fall to earth with a parachute. it sounds extremely dangerous, but the ride apparently had a perfect safety record. the now defunct ride is strangely beautiful a kind of blooming steel flower. this information, i should note, was partly gleaned from the coney island history project. as its name implies, this is a non profit organization, dedicated to exploring, recording, and divulging the history of coney island. in the summer months, they run a small stand near the wonder wheel, where the visitor can see remnants of old rides (such as the steeplechase), as well as dozens of excellent old photographs. the center portrays coney island as a haven of cheap fun, which had to survive decades of private greed and public neglect in order to serve its vital function to the city of new york. we have already heard about robert moses and fred trump; but before them, john mckane, a tammany hall politician, tried to sell off much of the publicly owned land for profit. (unlike the corrupt politicians of later eras, mckane ended up in sing sing.) fred trump’s demolition of steeplechase park, in the 1960s, inaugurated what was perhaps the darkest period in the island’s history. as its popularity among new yorkers declined a result of many factors, such as the rise of the automobile, and the new availability of other recreational sites much of coney island was rezoned and redeveloped for urban housing, with large buildings constructed for lower income residents. this was followed, predictably, by an increase in crime and a consequent decrease in legitimate business. it was only in the late 80s that a movement got underway to protect and revitalize the area. the coney island cyclone, the parachute drop, and the wonder wheel were declared landmarks, and plans were made to construct a minor league baseball stadium on the former site of steeplechase park. of this stadium, more later. first, i want to pay my respects to the classic rides of coney island. the oldest continually operating attraction on the island is the wonder wheel. built in 1920, it has operated every year except 2020, during the pandemic (unfortunately, its centennial). its design is unlike a standard ferris wheel, in that some of the compartments can slide around between the rim and the hub. despite being next to the larger luna park which operates all of the major roller coasters the wonder wheel belongs to its own separate amusement park, deno’s. named for deno vourderis, who acquired the wheel in 1983, this is a family run amusement park, still operated by his two sons. only slightly younger than the wonder wheel is the coney island cyclone. built in 1927, it was actually the third of the great wooden roller coasters, after the thunderbolt (1925) and tornado (1926). the former stopped operating in 1982, but was not demolished until 2001; the latter was destroyed by arson in the 70s. the cyclone narrowly escaped destruction, too, after it was acquired by the city in order to provide land for an expansion of the aquarium. the coney island chamber of commerce fought the aquarium to a standstill, and the plan was eventually scrapped. the cyclone is now the star attraction of luna park. despite its age (or, rather, because of it), the ride holds up. reaching a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour, it manages to be quite terrifying, as the loud clackety clack of the car, careening over the spiderweb of ancient wood, gives the sensation of imminent collapse. the sense of riding a rickety antique provides a thrill no modern technology could duplicate. the current luna park is a reincarnation. the original was opened in 1903; and judging from the photos and illustrations, it was a sensational place. with over a million lights changing color every second it had every sort of entertainment conceivable. its name comes from its first and most iconic ride, “a trip to the moon.” in this, visitors would travel on a strange spacecraft, as scenes of earth and space were projected on the walls. then, they would “land” on a papier mâché moon, where the man in the moon would dance for them. it sounds pretty awesome. (this brings us back to the unfortunate life of topsy the elephant. this elephant was acquired by the owners of luna park in 1902, and used to advertize the construction of the new park. this included hauling the “spaceship” used in a trip to the moon. however, the drunken handler started stabbing topsy with a pitchfork during the move. the police intervened, and the handler responded by turning the elephant loose, causing predictable havoc. two months later, this dangerous man rode topsy directly into the police station again, causing predictable havoc. topsy’s execution was thus framed as “penance,” though it was timed as a morbid publicity stunt for the park’s opening. the past wasn’t always such a charming place.) the luna park that exists today only shares its name with that original park, which closed in 1944. the current rendition opened quite recently, in 2010. it has dozens of rides, from spinning teacups to terrifying slingshots (which i would never try). among these is the new thunderbolt. opened in 2014, this is a modern style rollercoaster, with a completely vertical lift hill (possibly the scariest part of the ride), and four sections when you are momentarily upside down. surprisingly, its top speed is a hair under the cyclone’s; and the comforting impression of modern engineering makes it ever so slightly less terrifying. but an amusement park isn’t just rides and roller coasters. an essential element are the carnival games. coney island is teeming with such amusements, from whac a mole, to the ring toss, to miniature basketball free throws. when i was younger, i steered clear of these games, put off by their vaguely unscrupulous aura. yet now i think a couple dollars is a fair price for the pleasure of spasmodically attempting to bludgeon some plastic vermin. and i was pleasantly surprised when i actually won a game of water racer (in which you have to fill a container using a water pistol), and was awarded an enormous pillow featuring the likeness of lebron james. the world may not always be fair, but sometimes you get lucky. yet there are pleasures even more acute than these. on a whim, after a long day on the island, we decided to dip into the eldorado bumper cars, on surf avenue. it was like walking into a nightclub. dancehall music blared deafeningly from the speakers as we blinked in the neon darkness. deliriously, i handed over my ticket, and was directed to one of the waiting cars. the power was switched on and i lurched into motion, careening endlessly around a track, while a teenage boy clipped me from behind with an inscrutable smirk on his face. it was a blast. as it happens, this bumper car establishment is next to a coney island institution: nathan’s famous. this is the original location of what is now a hot dog empire. it was founded in 1916 by nathan handwerker, though the hot dog recipe was created by his wife, ida who, in turn, got the spice blend from her grandmother. nathan was a jewish immigrant from poland, who used his entire life savings a grand total of $300 to open a hot dog stand with his wife. the hot dogs were all beef, though they were technically not kosher (the animal has to be slaughtered and prepared a specific way) leading handwerker to dub them “kosher style.” over a century later, handwerker’s small stand has expanded into a city block, and in the summer months it is consistently packed. yet with cashiers and counters on three sides of the building, service is surprisingly fast. now, i am not normally a huge fan of hot dogs in flavor, color, and texture, they are so processed as to be food adjacent but coney island, the mecca of mindless fun, is the perfect setting to stop worrying and love the glizzies (as they kids call them nowadays). and insofar as such things can be judged, i actually do think the nathan’s frank, with mustard and sauerkraut, is a cut above the average wiener. nathan’s is also famous for being the site of one of america’s most barbarous rituals: its july 4th hot dog eating contest. the contest has a mythical origin story, in which four immigrants decided to test their patriotism with an impromptu contest, all the way back in 1916. but the contest really dates from 1972, when it was dreamed up as a promotional event. though it began rather informally, the contest is now the world series of the professional eating world. indeed, for something as silly as an eating contest, there is a surprising amount of drama in the “sport.” for years, the contest was dominated by takeru kobayashi, a japanese legend who broke record after record, winning from 2001 to 2006. but the food tsunami hasn’t participated since 2009, since he refuses to sign an exclusive contract with major league eating. indeed, the depraved tidal wave was arrested in 2010 when he jumped onto the stage after the contest. meanwhile, kobayashi’s arch rival, joey chestnut was barred from the contest in 2024 after he signed an advertising contract with impossible foods, which sells plant based hot dogs. chestnut still holds the world record for downing a stomach exploding 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes; but in his absence, patrick “deep dish” bertoletti took home the 2024 mustard belt with a very respectable 58 franks. now, i have described the subway stop, the carnival games, the rides, the history, the hot dogs (and the animal cruelty); but coney island is, above all, a beach. the experience of visiting coney island, for me, inevitably involves walking up and down the boardwalk, taking in the ambience. indeed, the almost complete lack of shade on the boardwalk never fails to put me in a semi sunstroked state, giving the scene a kind of mirage like sheen. it seems only right and natural that there should be a boardwalk and a beach at coney island. yet like all good things in this world, it had to be fought for. at the beginning of the 20th century, most of the beachfront property was in private hands, and so access to the ocean was severely restricted. many poor new yorkers could only look longingly at the waves through the links in a fence. it was not until 1921 that the city forcibly acquired the land facing the sea, and work began on the boardwalk the following year. it was named in honor of edward j. riegelmann, the brooklyn borough president, who was in charge of the project. he himself opposed the name, preferring the simple “coney island boardwalk,” but his contemporaries were so grateful to him that he was overruled. like everything else at coney island, the beach is wholly artificial. the beautiful white sand that covers the shore is all imported from beaches in rockaway or new jersey. because the island is shielded from the waves by breezy point, in queens, sand (a product of water erosion) does not naturally form here in large quantities. as recently as the 90s, the us army corps of engineers was called in to add more sand to the beach in part, to fill in the area underneath the boardwalk, which had become an impromptu shelter for the homeless, as well as a site of frequent crime. when i was younger, a stroll along the boardwalk was akin to dante’s voyage through hell. it was a series of activities that actively repelled me. nowadays, i find a strange comfort in the fact that, on any given summer day, coney island will have the same eternal elements. there are, of course, the thousands sunning themselves on the beach bronzed and glistening skin, of every imaginable shade, contrasting with the gaudy colors of their swimsuits. at various points along the boardwalk, aspiring djs have set up speakers, and are pumping out loud dance music for the passersby. usually there are only a few actual dancers, though they flail with enough enthusiasm to make up for the lack of participants. further down, there is the snake crew, who carry their limbless, listless reptiles on their shoulders. presumably they make money by allowing others to pose with the snakes, though i’ve never seen any cash change hands. i have no idea how to care for a serpent; but i can’t help suspecting that so much handling isn’t good for them. drinking in public is illegal in the united states. yet in the bacchanal that is coney island, the rules appear to be suspended. vendors freely sell beer to pedestrians, who drink it without even the formality of a paper bag. on my last visit, a man in an electric wheelchair zoomed around yelling “corona! modelo!” to all and sundry. if someone took him up on the offer, he led them to a latino man with a cooler, who presumably gives his energetic advertizer a cut of the profits. but to be truly adventurous, one must try a nutcracker. this is a mixed drink with no set recipe, but which usually consists of vodka or tequila mixed with something sweet and fruity, like kool aid. they are sold in plastic bags and drunk through a straw. there is manifestly a lot of leeway for bad actors. some vendors may save money by watering down their drinks, and a crazy person could easily mix in poison. in my experience, however, the drinks are sugary and strong. strolling along the boardwalk, the visitor passes by something all too infrequent in new york city: public bathrooms. the beach is amply provided with “comfort stations,” as they are politely called, some of them quite new and futuristic. keep going, and you pass by the first symphony of the sea, a wall relief by toshio sasaki, created to adorn the wall outside the aquarium. further down, you leave coney island behind completely. the crowds thin out, and there is hardly anyone on the sand. this is brighton beach, the tranquil neighbor of coney island. it is notable for being the city’s russian neighborhood. there are several boardwalk restaurants where you can order borscht or pickled herring, and the shop signs are in cyrillic script. turn around now and head back towards coney island. the tangled metal profiles of rides loom up in the distance, and the garrulous facades of amusement park eateries selling fried chicken, hot dogs, oysters, and the like adorn the boardwalk. overhead, planes drag huge ads through the sky (even beaches have commercials in america), and the crowds become thick and noisy. finally, the towering parachute jump appears, and next to it the great pier jutting out into the water. nearby is a large stadium. you have finally arrived at maimonides park. opened in 2001, this is the most recent addition to the variety of entertainment options available at coney island. and it is perfect. now, the visitor can spend the day sunbathing, eat a hot dog and chase it with a beach beer, ride a roller coaster and win a stuffed animal at the whac a mole, and then complete the evening with a baseball game. it is america at its finest. (the historically astute reader may find it curious that a baseball stadium in brooklyn is named after a medieval jewish philosopher who lived on the iberian peninsula. this is simply due to its being sponsored by the maimonides medical center, a non sectarian hospital with jewish roots.) maimonides park is the home of the brooklyn cyclones, a minor league team. you see, each team in major league baseball has what are called “farm teams,” where young talent is trained and cultivated. the cyclones is the farm team of the new york mets one of several, actually whose players earn a small fraction of the money of their major league colleagues, living in the hopes of advancement. as a result, tickets to see the cyclones are also a small fraction of the price of major league tickets. the last time i went, i paid a bit more than twenty dollars. the biggest night in maimonides park is, by all accounts, seinfeld night. it has become an informal holiday. this is the only day of the season when all 7,000 seats of the stadium sell out, as fans line up for a chance to get a seinfeld bobblehead (usually of george costanza). the cyclones go up against their arch rival, the hudson valley renegades (a farm team for the yankees), and even become, temporarily, another team entirely: the bubble boys. obscure seinfeld references abound, as show themes contests are held between innings, and even a few minor actors from the show make guest appearances. when i last went, the cyclones sorry, the bubbles boys lost 0 3 in a rather disappointing game. but the real event began after the game ended: the dance like elaine contest. for those who haven’t seen the show (and i should shamefacedly admit that this includes me), this is a dance modeled on elaine’s spasmodic dance moves, famously described by george as “a full body dry heave set to music.” dozens of people dress up in elaine’s boxy eighties outfits and dance with arhythmic vehemence, as the crowd votes through their cheers. this year, a young woman from brooklyn, shannon, took home the gold with a convincingly convulsive performance. after the contest ended, and we poured out onto the street, i couldn’t help but feel a bit wistful. coney island has become an integral part of my summers, something that marks a time of total freedom. more than that, coney island is a living embodiment of the carnival spirit, a place where traditional values are suspended or inverted, where any notion of refinement, decorum, or even of a healthy diet do not apply. indeed, this is partly why coney island has had so many enemies throughout the years, from robert moses, to fred trump, and even to an immature roy lotz. it has been attacked as crass, neglected as unimportant, and continually assayed by businessmen trying to privatize sun, sand, and waves. but one way to judge a thing is by the quality of its enemies. by that standard, coney island is one of the treasures of new york city a monument to the prospect that everyone should be able to have a little fun.

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i was stunned to read about james kent passing. only 45. no word of cause. very talented chef. saga is an amazing place. i wonder what is going to happen with the restaurants and bar given the split earlier with his business partner. he had opened two restaurants and a cocktail bar in downtown manhattan, and he was preparing for a big expansion backed by lebron james. there is some talk about issues with anxiety on reddit. i was curious and poking around. a few people who worked with him or knew him in college seem to be talking about his death on reddit. very kind things being said about the chef. the linked nyt article now says he passed after a heart attack, per his wife. a heart attack at 45? jeez, that is way too young. sadly i’ve seen too many of these. friends, family members, all under 50. youngest was 28. usually from excessive stress, smoking, obesity. rip heart attacks also can be the result of an undetected valve issue or other mechanical issues, that can be genetic, and can have nothing to do with lifestyle. i know someone in what appeared to be close to perfect health, who died on the treadmill at 50, no known risk factors at the time.