• In the wake of a lot of bad press and the loss of their COO, Groupon is unveiling a new customer loyalty program today that will give 80-percent discounts at businesses that a customer frequents after they meet a specific spending threshold. P.S. They’re still aiming for that IPO, possibly within a month. [Examiner]
• A roundup of the Bay Area’s best restaurant and bar signage. [Scoop]
• It appears SF Weekly had some layoffs yesterday, which included recently hired SFoodie editor W. Blake Gray. Ah Blake, we hardly knew thee. [SF Appeal]
• The Environmental Protection Agency has launched a website and webinar series devoted to urban agriculture, giving guidelines for redeveloping so-called “brownfields” and safe gardening practices. [Pluck and Feather]
• Yes! We knew coffee was awesome: Research shows the more of it women drink, the less depressed they are. [CNN]
• Pets are the latest victims of the down economy, with pet-food pantries (yes, evidently there is such a thing) struggling to meet all those mewling demands. [Your Life/USAT]
• As consumers crave new tastes, fast-casual restaurants are thriving, while traditional fast-food struggles; to compensate, big fast-food chains are offering aggressive daily deals. [ABC News, USAT]
• The Kosher-sandwich market has not worked out as well as Subway thought it would five years ago. [WSJ]
