Restaurants and Food Services

(Reuters) - McDonald's Corp <MCD.N> said on Thursday its board of directors raised the world's biggest hamburger chain's quarterly cash dividend almost 15 percent to 70 cents per share.

(Reuters) - Federal agents executed search warrants against seven IHOP restaurants owned by a single franchisee in Ohio and Indiana, a spokesman for parent company DineEquity Inc said on Wednesday.

(Reuters) - Federal agents are investigating seven IHOP restaurants owned by a single franchisee in Ohio and Indiana, a spokesman for parent company DineEquity Inc told Reuters on Wednesday.

(Reuters) - Olive Garden and Red Lobster parent Darden Restaurants Inc said on Thursday it would reduce calories and sodium in its meals for children, amid growing calls for healthier and more nutritious restaurant fare.

NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp <MCD.N> reported a lower-than-expected rise in worldwide August sales at established restaurants on a steep drop in Japan and a lull in new product launches in the United States.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp Chief Executive Howard Schultz called on Americans on Tuesday to deluge U.S. lawmakers with demands to end the partisan gridlock that he said is paralyzing Washington.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp <SBUX.O> plans to triple the number of coffee outlets it runs in China over the next four years, the Associated Press reported.

London shares recovered in morning on Tuesday as strong figures from drinks and leisure groups Whitbread and Greene King helped reverse some of Monday's 3.0 percent plunge.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp chief executive Howard Schultz urged Americans on Friday to join a giant "tele-townhall" next week to discuss ways to break the partisan gridlock in Washington.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp chief executive Howard Schultz urged members of the public on Friday to join a novel campaign he launched last month seeking to break partisan gridlock in Washington and spur economic growth.

Japanese restaurant chain operator Skylark has closed 120 outlets in northeastern Japan following an outbreak of dysentery, media reports said Wednesday.

Social conservative Linda Harvey is advocating for the closure of gay bars to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS. Social conservative Linda Harvey is advocating for the closure of gay bars to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS, media watchdog group RightWingWatch.com reported. Harvey is the founder of the Columbus, Ohio-based Mission America and is a frequent contributor to the conservative website WorldNetDaily.com, which is run by Joseph Farah. During her Monday radio show, Harvey explained that closing bathhouses and gay bars would help reduce new HIV infections. ?So what could we do to make a serious dent in HIV and syphilis disease track?? Harvey rhetorically asked. ?One obvious approach is to stop promoting homosexual behavior to kids and falsely calling it an identity like race. We could also close down homosexual bars and bathhouses, that would be a start.? ?God never created people to engage in these unnatural acts,? she added. (The audio is embedded in the right panel of this page.) The su

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp <SBUX.O> Chief Executive Howard Schultz is winning support for his call to withhold political contributions from U.S. lawmakers until they strike a "fair, bipartisan" deal on the country's debt, revenue and spending.

Starbucks coffee chain chief Howard Schultz has brewed up a plan to force polarized US politicians to compromise on a way to reduce the swollen US deficit: Dry up their campaign donations.

Pub chain launches loyalty program. Las Vegas has built a hospitality industry around the various marketing possibilities of the fairer sex, from scantily clad servers to ladies' night promotions and subsidized nightclub entry fees for women - a win-win scenario for the women who take advantage of such discounts and the men they draw as a result.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Dunkin' Brands Group Inc <DNKN.O> said on Wednesday its franchisees are raising prices at Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins stores to help cover the higher costs of key ingredients such as coffee and milk.

Thai authorities freed 71 women and girls who had been lured into selling sex in massage parlours and karaoke bars, police said, after a crackdown on human trafficking on the Malaysian border.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp <SBUX.O> raised its fiscal year forecast above Wall Street's estimates, banking on its relatively well-heeled customers visiting more often and shaking off price increases.

BANGALORE (Reuters) - Four IPOs were received with varying levels of interest on their market debut, signaling that investors were being very selective of where they want to put their money.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Investors eagerly bought the shares of Dunkin' Donuts parent Dunkin' Brands Group Inc <DNKN.O>, sending them up as much as 56 percent on their first day of trading on Wednesday.