• Looking for a way to cope with rising expenses, some local restaurants have started charging customers $1 for filtered water. [SF Gate]
• Barely anybody, from nightclub owners to first amendment activists, has spoken out against a San Francisco anti-loitering law passed last week — unusual in this left-leaning city. Perhaps people are just that fed up with nightclub violence. [SF Gate]
• Did you know: San Francisco was at the forefront of the “spaghetti fad” of the early 20th century. [Restaurant-ing Through History]
• Packaged food companies are increasingly touting their value. [NY Times]
• Congress may offer tax credits to companies who offer wellness programs, including programs on healthy diets. [NY Times]
• Casual dining stocks are on the rise, but experts caution that they could fall just as fast. [NY Post
• Though the regular news stories about foodbourne illness may seem to indicate that our food is becoming less safe, it’s not actually clear that that’s the case. [NY Times
• Absinthe may be glamorously louche in theory, but in practice, it’s quite bitter. [WSJ]
• El Pollo Loco is running ads challenging rival chicken chain KFC to a taste test. [WSJ
• Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, and Outback Steakhouse were high on Google Trends yesterday, likely because of Mother’s Day. [Gawker]
• McDonald’s sales rose 6.9% in April. [NY Post]
