Rural America Is the New ‘Inner City’

– The Wall Street Journal 

A Wall Street Journal analysis shows that since the 1990s, sparsely populated counties have replaced large cities as America’s most troubled areas by key measures of socioeconomic well-being—a decline that’s accelerating

 

Couch to Table: Adapting to New Consumer Habits

– Modern Restaurant Management 

Data shows that traffic and revenue in many segments of the restaurant industry is flat or even down. So where have the diners gone? A reasonable restaurant owner might look at this data and be discouraged, but there is also data that presents the opportunity that lies in the stay at home habit.

 

Going Out for Lunch Is a Dying Tradition

– The Wall Street Journal 

The “power lunch” is falling out of fashion and it’s hurting your bottom-line. Americans made 433 million fewer trips to restaurants at lunchtime last year, resulting in roughly $3.2 billion in lost business for restaurants, according to market-research firm NPD Group Inc. This is the lowest level of lunch traffic in at least four decades.

 

This City Helped Pioneer the Fight for $15. Can it Revolutionize Housing Rights?

– The Nation 

The left-leaning Nation magazine outlines Seattle’s efforts to address housing affordability as some city centers, like Seattle, become too costly for residents. In the last year alone, Seattle’s tenants’ rights movement and its allies in local government have scored three ambitious legislative victories, despite opposition from the real-estate and landlord lobbies.