Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz –

Owner Paul Fehribach is seen Feb. 26, 2021 at his Big Jones restaurant in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. He has done away with paying his servers and other tipped workers the subminimum wage, upending a tip-based pay structure that undergirds the restaurant business model. Now he charges at 20% service fee on dine-in bills and 10% for online takeout orders.

Critics call tipping unfair and archaic. Pandemic emboldens Chicago restaurants trying to end the practice.

March 8, 2021 at 7:40 p.m.

Paul Fehribach, owner of Big Jones in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood, has wanted to eliminate tipping at his restaurant for years. He didn't like having the whims of customers determine how...

Avery Simms readies a to-go order at 5 Loaves Eatery on Feb. 14, 2021.

Restaurants say delivery has been both a blessing and a curse during the pandemic. What happens as eateries reopen?

March 1, 2021 at 9:43 a.m.

5 Loaves Eatery, a tiny breakfast and lunch spot in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood, avoided offering delivery for as long as it could. But when sales plunged 85% early in the...

Un solicitante de empleo llena una solicitud durante una feria de empleo de 2015 en Chicago. Los grupos de defensa publicaron un informe el 23 de febrero de 2021 que investigó la discriminación racial en la industria del personal temporal.

Las agencias temporales han sido acusadas durante mucho tiempo de discriminar a los solicitantes de empleo negros. Un experimento se propuso probarlo

February 25, 2021 at 11:17 a.m.

Dos hombres entran en una agencia de empleo temporal cerca del Aeropuerto Internacional O'Hare para preguntar por un trabajo. Ambos tienen más de 50 años y tienen antecedentes laborales similares....

The dining room at Billy Goat Tavern, 430 Lower Michigan Ave., photographed Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, in Chicago.

Does insurance cover COVID-19 shutdowns? A Chicago ruling offers businesses hope.

February 24, 2021 at 10:19 p.m.

A Chicago federal judge has rejected a bid by Society Insurance to toss a mountain of lawsuits filed by Billy Goat Tavern, Purple Pig, Lettuce Entertain You and other businesses...

A job seeker fills out an application during a 2015 job fair in Chicago. Advocacy groups released a report Feb. 23, 2021, that probed for racial discrimination in the temporary staffing industry.

Temp agencies have long been accused of discriminating against Black job applicants. An experiment set out to prove it.

February 23, 2021 at 2:34 p.m.

Two men walk into a temporary staffing agency near O'Hare International Airport to inquire about a job. They are both in their 50s, with similar work histories. One is Black,...

Jewel-Osco warehouse workers and drivers voted Friday to authorize a strike as contract negotiations continue without agreement on key pay and benefits issues.

Jewel-Osco’s 850 warehouse workers and drivers could strike as contract expiration looms

February 22, 2021 at 3:38 p.m.

Jewel-Osco warehouse workers and drivers have authorized a strike as contract negotiations continue without agreement on key pay and benefits issues. The strike authorization vote Friday gives the bargaining committee...

Is Corona Hard Seltzer beer? Legal battle brewing between two beer giants.

February 17, 2021 at 2:42 p.m.

Corona Hard Seltzer, a major competitor in the booming market for spiked fizzy water, has run into legal troubles over its name. Grupo Modelo, the Mexican arm of beer giant...

A sign is held up in support of keeping Mercy Hospital open at a news conference near the hospital on Sept. 3, 2020, in Chicago.

Mercy Hospital, denied approval to close in Bronzeville, files for bankruptcy. Mayor Lightfoot calls it ‘devastating for that community.’

February 11, 2021 at 6:55 p.m.

Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, whose efforts to close were denied by the state, has filed for bankruptcy and said it is moving forward with its goal of shuttering the...

Mr. Peanut has a new home. Kraft Heinz announced Thursday that it has agreed to sell its legacy nuts business to Minnesota-based Hormel Foods for $3.35 billion.

Kraft Heinz sells Planters peanuts to Hormel for $3.35 billion

February 11, 2021 at 9:57 a.m.

Mr. Peanut has a new home. Kraft Heinz announced Thursday it has agreed to sell its legacy nuts business to Minnesota-based Hormel Foods for $3.35 billion. The sale, expected to...

baiduhai reporter Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz uses her smartphone as she shops at the first Amazon Fresh grocery store in Naperville on Dec. 10, 2020.

Amazon Fresh opens in Oak Lawn

February 11, 2021 at 3:12 p.m.

Amazon Fresh opened Thursday in Oak Lawn, the third Chicago suburb in the past two months to launch the new grocery concept from the e-commerce giant. The 35,000-square-foot store, at...

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