The Daily Dish: March 22, 2016

Today's first course?

Starbucks Sued for Fraud After Under-Filling Lattes

A class-action lawsuit filed against Starbucks by two eagle-eyed Americans alleges that the company regularly and purposefully under-fills its lattes by at least 25 percent, an intentional act of fraud. The suit alleges that by using less milk in its Tall, Grande, and Venti cups, the company "has saved countless millions of dollars in the cost of goods sold and was unjustly enriched by taking payment for more product than it delivers." According the court documents, if the customers had known that Starbucks baristas were under-filling their drinks, neither would have spent $4 each time on 16-ounce lattes. A representative for Starbucks dismissed the lawsuit as "without merit," and insisted that, "Due to the inherent variations with handcrafted beverages in our cafes, we inform customers of the likelihood of variations." 

Carl's Jr. Wants to Create an Entirely Automated, Employee-Free Fast Food Restaurant

Could Carl's Jr. and Hardee's soon operate without actual employees? In an interview with Business Insider, Andy Puzder, the CEO of both fast food chains, hinted that he'd be interested in opening an automated restaurant to offset costs of minimum wage increases. He came up with the idea after visiting Eatsa, an automated restaurant that just opened in Los Angeles. He claims that with minimum wage increases, it gets more and more difficult to hire enough employees.

More Freebies on the Way as Chipotle Tries to Win Back Customers

It looks like more food freebies are in store as Chipotle continues its rebound from the food safety scares that rocked the company. On February 8, the chain offered free burritos to customers during a company-wide closing. It reports that 5.3 million people tried to download the mobile coupon for a free entrée. Since then, the company has been mailing coupons for free entrées, with a planned distribution of 21 million coupons. Six to 10 million offers are already in circulation. There are also plans for buy one, get one offers moving into summer, and more targeted mobile offers in regions where sales are slower to recover.

That's today's daily dish, thanks for watching. Stop by tomorrow for another helping.