The Daily Dish: Starbucks Pledges To Hire 10,000 Refugees
Starbucks Pledges to Hire 10,000 Refugees
President Trump's controversial executive order banning people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States caused chaos and sparked protests this weekend at major airports — and elsewhere — around the country.Starbucks — one of many corporations speaking out against the unpopular presidential action — has pledged to hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years. CEO Howard Schultz said Starbucks would begin by hiring immigrants and refugees who have served with American troops as "interpreters and support personnel in the various countries where our military has asked for such support." He also said Starbucks would be "ready to help and support our Mexican customers, partners and their families" in the event of any trade, travel, or immigration restrictions to and from Mexico.
Priest Disguises Gold Bars as Chocolate to Evade Customs Duty
Customs officials at Cochin International Airport in India fined a priest last week for attempting to evade paying taxes on 300 grams of gold by disguising it as chocolate. The Catholic priest, 59, was traveling to India from a parish in Switzerland, where he had been working. He brought with him three 100-gram gold ingots, which were wrapped up to look like bars of Swiss chocolate, The Local reported. He attempted to walk through customs without declaring the $12,000 worth of gold. Customs agents noticed the priest acting suspiciously, so they inspected his bags and found the contraband. The priest was not arrested, but he was fined about $1,200 — the normal 10 percent customs duty.
The 'Salt Bae' Guy Is Expanding His Restaurant Business
"Salt bae" was one of the first viral memes of 2017, and now, the Turkish restaurant owner who made salting food sexy, Nusret Gökçe, is expanding his restaurant empire. The flamboyant gestures of Gökçe, nicknamed "Salt Bae" — dramatically sprinkling salt on meat while wearing dark sunglasses and a tight, white T-shirt — have gone viral. Gökçe's international chain, Nusr-et, will open two new locations in London and New York in the coming months. He told Hurriyet News that, despite being unable to speak English, he hopes to "communicate with people through meat," and to become the "world's greatest butcher."
Customer in California Restaurant Gets 'Seen Rat' Discount on Her Bill
Unless you're dining at La Ratatouille — Remy's restaurant in Pixar's Ratatouille — rats are a pretty unwelcome sight when you're eating out. At Fat's Asia Bistro in Folsom, California, two women were dining when one of them saw a rat scurry across her feet. When the customer received her bill, she noticed a $30.95 discount with the itemization "SEEN RAT" on the $116.80 bill. Her dining companion posted the receipt on Facebook and it has since made the rounds on the internet. "At minimum a Manager should visit your table and comp my meal. Not ok...ever (at any restaurant)!!! WTF?!" the post read.
"The manager put it verbatim what the guest saw or stated ― that's not normal practice," owner Kevin Fat told KTXL, adding that the restaurant has never had vermin issues before. He said he would try to track down the customer to offer further compensation.
Daniel Humm, Will Guidara to Open Fast-Casual Restaurant at World Trade Center Mall
About a year ago, Eleven Madison Park's owners Daniel Humm and Will Guidara announced they would be venturing out into the world of fast-casual dining. Now, more details of the coming restaurant have emerged: The still-unnamed restaurant will be located inside Westfield Mall in a 7,000-square-foot space on the ground floor of the 3 World Trade Center tower in New York City. "We could not be more thrilled to team up with Westfield in this historic and remarkable location," Humm said in a statement. The restaurant will open sometime in 2018.