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      260 McNuggets? McDonald’s Ends A.I. Drive-Through Tests Amid Errors

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      Ordering mistakes frustrated customers during nearly three years of tests. But competitors like White Castle and Wendy’s say their A.I. ordering systems have been highly accurate.In the nearly three years since McDonald’s announced that it was partnering with IBM to develop a drive-through order taker powered by artificial intelligence, videos popped up on social media showing confused and frustrated customers trying to correct comically inaccurate meals.“Stop! Stop! Stop!” two friends screamed with humorous anguish on a TikTok video as an A.I. drive-through misunderstands their order, tallying up 240, 250 and then 260 Chicken McNuggets.In other videos, the A.I. rings up a customer for nine iced teas instead of one, fails to explain why a customer could not order Mountain Dew and thought another wanted to add bacon to his ice cream.So when McDonald’s announced in a June 13 internal email, obtained by the trade publication Restaurant Business, that it was ending its partnership with IBM and shutting down its A.I. tests at more than 100 U.S. drive-throughs, customers who had interacted with the service were probably not shocked.The decision to abandon the IBM deal comes as many other businesses, including its competitors, are investing in A.I. But it exemplifies some of the challenges companies are facing as they jockey to unlock the revolutionary technology’s potential.Other fast-food companies have had success with A.I. ordering. Last year, Wendy’s formed a partnership with Google Cloud to build out its A.I. drive-through system. Carl’s Jr. and Taco John’s have hired Presto, a voice A.I. firm for restaurants. Panda Express has approximately 30 automated order takers at its windows through a partnership with the voice A.I. firm SoundHound AI.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Bánh by Lauren Offers Pandan Coffee Cakes, Fried Sesame Balls and More

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      Veerays will serve tandoori food, Son del North has Northern Mexico-style burritos and more restaurant news.OpeningBánh by LaurenThe pastry chef Lauren Tran has put down roots in an airy corner bakery and cafe in the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge. She had baked at Gramercy Tavern until the pandemic, then began selling bánh (a general term in Vietnamese for cake) from home and at pop-ups. Now she’s turning out multilayered chiffon cakes, macarons, pandan coffee cakes, fried sesame rice balls filled with coconut and mung beans, and savory Chinese sausage, Cheddar and chive scones, many distinctively but subtly conveying Southeast Asian flavors, inspired by her Vietnamese heritage. A sleek quartz counter, an open kitchen and marble-topped tables define the space. Sidewalk seats are coming. (Opens Saturday)42 Market Street (Madison Street), Two Bridges, 646-360-3325, banhbylauren.com. VeeraysIn 2020, the chef Hemant Mathur opened Veeray da Dhaba, an East Village restaurant modeled after a Punjabi truck stop. Now his chef de cuisine, Binder Saini, and their partner Sonny Solomon have this fancier Indian restaurant offering tandoori food, often with game meats and contemporary interpretations. Highlights include curried tandoori pheasant, duck vindaloo with coconut rice, and slow-cooked bone-in goat with whole spices. The dining room has a plush, vintage look. (Monday)213 East 45th Street, 646-429-8398, veerays.com. Son del NorthHere, the Tijuana native Annisha Garcia offers the style of burritos that are typical of Northern Mexico. Made in Sonora, the flour tortillas are stuffed with choices of carne asada, cheese and beans, shrimp and more in a quick-serve setting. (Thursday)177 Orchard Street (Stanton Street), sondelnorth.com. Conwell Coffee HallStevan KeaneA financial district office tower built in 1929 for Conwell Life and Trust became residential decades ago. Now this cafe and cocktail bar, open to the public, has been installed in its restored marble-paved lobby with lavish Art Deco features, including a dynamic industrial-style mural by Eric Diehl, a contemporary artist. Coffees and breakfast items like croissants are followed by soups, salads and assorted toasts for lunch. Cocktails and bar snacks are served until 9 p.m. The chefs devising food and drinks are Jonah Reider and Pascal le Seach.6 Hanover Street (Beaver Street), 646-412-5956, conwellcoffeehall.com. Perle Wine BarIntimate elegance defines this adjunct to Marian’s, a new American restaurant by the chef Christian Rowan, who was at Eleven Madison Park, Bouley and Nomad. European and New World wines by the glass and bottle are listed to pair with seafood-focused items like raw bar selections, crudos and toasts. There’s a marble bar and outdoor seating.22 Greenwich Avenue (West 10th Street), 646-370-3371 We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      2024 James Beard Award Winners

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      Restaurants and chefs from Washington, D.C., Portland, Ore., and New Orleans took home top honors.The James Beard Foundation handed out its coveted culinary awards Monday evening in Chicago, showcasing an eclectic collection of winners from a range of restaurants in cities and towns across America.Michael Rafidi, of the Arab-influenced Albi in Washington, D.C., was named outstanding chef. He dedicated his award “to Palestine and to all the Palestinian people out there, whether it’s here or in Palestine or all over the world.”The 24-seat Thai tasting menu restaurant Langbaan in Portland, Ore., won the outstanding restaurant award. The team from Dakar NOLA in New Orleans, which offers a Senegalese tasting menu, received best new restaurant. The award for outstanding restaurateur went to Erika and Kelly Whitaker, who run a restaurant group in the Denver area. Chicago’s own Lula Cafe won for outstanding hospitality.In recent years, the awards, which were first given out in 1991, have evolved into a glamorous night of red carpet moments and food-focused partying funded largely by a roster of big-name sponsors.According to the Beard award organizers, the ceremony sold out for the first time in eight years with several nominees opting to bring their entire staffs to the event.The popularity of this year’s event suggests that the organization may have weathered conflicts both internal and external, which exploded in 2020 when the foundation canceled the awards at the last minute after critics said the slate of nominees was not diverse enough and contained chefs who had been accused of abuse.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Companies Counter Pushback on Price Increases With Promotions

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      “The consumer was a fat pig — now there’s nothing left, and they need to feed the pig again,” one banker told DealBook.The president of McDonald’s USA, Joe Erlinger, pushed back on “inaccurate” reports this week that said the chain had more than doubled its prices on some items over the last decade. But his retort wasn’t exactly reassuring: The average price of a Big Mac is up 21 percent from 2019.Erlinger’s rebuttal underlines the heat that some companies are facing as the news media, politicians and consumers focus on steadily rising prices. Whether persistent price increases reflect price gouging, or simply companies’ own rising costs, is a matter of fierce debate. Either way, one thing is clear: Consumers are becoming fed up.McDonald’s first-quarter earnings fell short of analyst expectations on sales, as “consumers continue to be even more discriminating” with their dollars, the chain’s chief executive, Chris Kempczinski said. Starbucks, Target and Yum Brands, the parent company of Pizza Hut and KFC, also reported earnings misses, each acknowledging increasingly cautious customers among other factors like the war in the Middle East.Consumer spending remained surprisingly resilient in the face of stubbornly fast inflation, but now savings from the coronavirus pandemic have dried up, economic growth has slowed and many companies are working to counteract the belief that their prices have gotten out of control.As one banker told DealBook: “The consumer was a fat pig — now there’s nothing left, and they need to feed the pig again.”The message: Consumers have hit their limit. During periods of rapid inflation, companies tend to push to see how far they can raise prices. “We’re taking smaller, more frequent price increases because it gives us the flexibility to be able to see how consumers are reacting and then adjust if or when necessary,” Kevin Ozan, the chief financial officer of McDonald’s, told analysts in 2022.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Pietro’s, a Homey New York Steak House, Offers a Medium-Rare Goodbye

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      Waiters in blue jackets wended through a crowded dining room balancing trays of martinis. A woman ran her fingers along a wall covered with markings of the heights of children. Longtime regulars handed servers farewell tips through firm handshakes.It was the last night for Pietro’s, an old guard Italian steakhouse, at its decades-long address in Midtown Manhattan. Among the devout who had come to pay their respects on Thursday was the fashion designer Michael Kors, who sat at a corner table with his husband, Lance Le Pere.“There is no Carbone without Pietro’s,” Mr. Kors said as he waited for a house specialty, Shells a la Nat, a pasta in bone-marrow sauce.“The Michael Kors offices are in Midtown, so that’s why I come here,” he continued, “and I’ve always liked that you can still feel some of the ‘Mad Men’ era here. Pietro’s is the last of the Mohicans.”Michael Kors and his husband, Lance Le Pere, at Pietro’s on Thursday night.Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet for The New York TimesAlan Appel, a tax law professor at New York Law School, ordered a veal parmigiana for his goodbye meal. “I’m 73 now, and when I heard Pietro’s was closing, I told myself, ‘I’ve lived too long already,’” he said. “I feel like I’m at a funeral right now.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Gramercy Tavern Chef in Charge of Food at the Reopened Waldorf Astoria

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      When the hotel reopens later this year, Michael Anthony will serve as culinary consultant and create an as-yet-unnamed American brasserie.When the Waldorf Astoria hotel, which has anchored Park Avenue in Midtown since 1931, reopens later this year, Michael Anthony will be the new culinary consultant in charge. Mr. Anthony, 56, has been at Gramercy Tavern since 2006, and will remain as executive chef and partner there.“I will not reduce my commitment to Gramercy,” he said. “Everyone supported me in this project”With his second toque at the Waldorf, his main responsibility will be to create an as-yet-unnamed American brasserie in the two-story space that was Oscar’s Brasserie. That new restaurant, also to open later this year, will have an entrance on Lexington Avenue and 50th Street as well as access from the hotel lobby. Its focus will be seasonal contemporary American fare that also reflects Mr. Anthony’s time working in France. The space is being designed by AvroKO Design, with a spacious bar on the ground floor and a white tablecloth dining room upstairs, reached by a grand staircase.The Waldorf Astoria, named for two hotels on Fifth Avenue that were demolished in 1929 to make way for the Empire State Building, has been closed for renovations since 2017. It is now owned by Daija Insurance Group, based in Beijing, and is managed by Hilton Worldwide. Its Art Deco exterior and some of the interior public spaces are designated as landmarks. The Peacock Alley restaurant in the hotel lobby will become a high-end cocktail lounge; the Bull and Bear Steakhouse will not return, and the space will not be used as a restaurant. Mr. Anthony said that he had no information about the famous Starlight Roof, and that his responsibilities at the hotel did not include room service or banqueting.Working with the hotel will occupy much of his time until the new restaurant opens and for at least three months after. At Gramercy Tavern, Mr. Anthony said, he will rely on Aretah Ettarh, the chef de cuisine, who has been at the restaurant for seven years. “At the Waldorf I plan to build on my roots and what I’ve established at Gramercy to create something distinctive,” Mr. Anthony said. More

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      Tadhana Showcases Filipino Cuisine With a 16-Course Tasting Menu

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      Inday serves fast-casual Indian American fare, Summer at the Rink Rock Center provides al fresco dining and more restaurant news.OpeningTadhanaWith no shortage of ambition, Frances Tariga, 42, who came to New York from the Philippines in 2011 as the chef for a diplomat, is opening her first restaurant. Dinner, a 16-course tasting divided in seven categories, is $185. Intended to showcase her native cuisine, it progresses from a special mountain bread to vegetable preparations, including a spring roll, then several ceviches, street food items like okra tempura and, with a touch of gastronomic luxury, a traditional duck egg custard topped with caviar. There is soup followed by salo-salo, an array of grilled and steamed items, then dessert. With the chef Mark Nobello at her side in the kitchen and a staff that’s entirely Filipino, she’s running a tight, 24-seat ship in a mere 700 square feet. (Friday)151 Allen Street (Stanton Street), 617-858-0420, tadhananyc.com. IndayThe largest and now flagship for this chain of quick-serve Indian American spots, where customers layer their ingredient choices in bowls, has opened. Curries, vegetable sides, chutneys and other sauces and toppings like pickled chiles and onions are some of the choices. It also has a chai bar and serves cocktails, beer and wine.1 Rockefeller Plaza (entrance on West 48th Street), indayallday.com. Summer at the Rink Rock CenterDining al fresco in the central rink area of Rockefeller Center involves extensions of two established Rink Level restaurants, Naro and Jupiter. Naro has a new casual menu that includes Korean fried chicken and pork chop sandwiches, an omelet with kimchi fried rice and a strawberry creamsicle. In addition it its regular menu, Jupiter is serving lobster with zucchini fries and a 30-layer chocolate cake.Naro, 212-202-0206, naronyc.com, Jupiter, 212-207-0060, jupiterrestaurant.nyc. Rink Level, 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Due MadriJocelyn Guest and Erika Nakamura, who run this stand on the James Beard Foundation’s Market 57 at Pier 57, have opened a new outpost in the plaza of the Park Tower Group’s building near a sculpture garden by Christie’s. The kiosk serves assorted Italian sandwiches layered with meats and vegetables, and also a salad and meatballs.535 Madison Avenue (54th Street), duemadri.co. Nan Xiang ExpressThe fifth location and the first in Manhattan for this growing chain of spots for Xiao Long Bao has opened just off Restaurant Row. A kiosk takes your order. The Upper West Side, Philadelphia and Lawrenceville, N.J., are coming; other locations can be found in Brooklyn, Queens and Boston.654 Ninth Avenue (46th Street), nanxiangexpress.com. Pizza Fun HousePizzas here come topped with “disco meatballs” and “Boogie Boogie pepperoni,” pulling from the childhood memories of “Happy Days” by Fabio Granato, a co-owner of Serafina Hospitality. Several Parms, lasagna, salads and pastas are also on the menu in the bright space.402 Avenue of the Americas (West Eighth Street), pizzafunhousenyc.com. We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      A Lakeside Restaurant Reopens in Paris’s Bois de Boulogne

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      Plus: a Pennsylvania wellness retreat, whimsical wallpaper and more recommendations from T Magazine.Covet ThisA New Wallpaper Collection Inspired by Field FrolickingLeft: Block Shop sells its textiles as well as a selection of books, dishes and jewelry at its shop in Atwater Village, Los Angeles. Right: Block Shop’s Peony wallpaper in Onyx.From left: Laure Joliet for Block Shop; Ye Rin Mok for Block ShopHopie Stockman Hill and Grier Stockman grew up in an old farmhouse in a sylvan pocket of New Jersey. They played in wheat fields, craggy apple orchards and dense forests; built birdhouses and painted murals. The sisters’ childhood, spent merging art with nature, inspired their latest wallpaper collection from Block Shop, their textile, art and design studio, which combines a breezy California aesthetic with Indian printing and weaving techniques. The seven new patterns, which are printed on paper, fiber and grass cloth, include a peony motif that’s a homage to the blooms their mother grew, while also referencing the Austrian Wiener Werkstätte designer Dagobert Peche. “We envisioned an Anne Bancroft-esque grande dame with a sky-high collection of art books, listening to ‘Madama Butterfly’ while harvesting her beets,” says Stockman Hill, the CEO and creative director of the studio. “These are the wallpapers you find in her home.” The Block Shop store, which opened in Los Angeles’s Atwater Village neighborhood this past December, further extends the sisters’ canvas with a harmonious blend of color and texture. A bronze snail door handle greets you on the way in, while the shelves are brimming with Apuglian splatterware dishes, rare books on décor and semi-fine jewelry, as well as the brand’s signature textiles. From $75 per yard, blockshoptextiles.com.Stay HereA Guesthouse in Rome From the Founders of Chez DedeLeft: one of the two bedrooms at Superattico Monserrato, a new short-term rental apartment in Rome owned by the founders of the shop Chez Dede. Right: the living room of the apartment, where a Venini chandelier hangs over a ’60s table from Belgium and Cesca chairs from the ’70s.Daria ReinaThe Rome boutique Chez Dede, founded in 2011 by the design duo Daria Reina and Andrea Ferolla, is filled with antiques and artworks, as well as silk-screened tote bags and limited-edition collaborations: wicker lamps created with Atelier Vime and enameled brass jewelry inspired by playing cards with the Italian jewelry designer Allegra Riva. When the penthouse apartment in the same building as the store came up for rent in 2019, the couple and their team decided to create a suite that would further bring visitors into their world. After they got city permits in early 2023, it took them about a year to renovate the two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, now named Superattico Monserrato. They put in sliding doors, updated the kitchen with steel counters and glossy black walls and added dozens of theatrical Chez Dede touches: 17th-century carved wooden columns, a wall-size 18th-century tapestry, drawings by the 93-year-old Rome-based artist Isabella Ducrot and bed linens from their own collection. Early this year, Reina and Ferolla began renting the flat to a select few. “It’s really about sharing our lifestyle and our taste,” Reina says — and about imparting their tips for Rome: The Chez Dede team has a space at the front of the apartment, so at any point guests can stick their heads in and ask for favorite vintage shops and cafes. Superattico Monserrato also hosts occasional events: Up next is a trunk show with the designer Sara Beltran of jewelry brand Dezso, on May 9. Email superattico@chezdede.com to book; about $1,900 a night, minimum three nights.Eat HereA Parisian Restaurant With a Tasting Menu Served in the Vegetable GardenChalet des Îles, a longstanding building on an island in Paris’s Bois de Boulogne park, has been renovated and reopened as a new restaurant and bar.© Julien de GasquetFor the past 167 years, Parisians have escaped urban life by taking a short boat ride to Chalet des Îles, a wooden structure on a small island in Bois de Boulogne park. In 1857, Empress Eugénie de Montijo transported a cabin from Switzerland to Paris and set it on the tree-filled island in Lac Inférieur as a draw for city dwellers who needed a dose of nature. Destroyed by fire in 1920, the structure was rebuilt with less-charming concrete. Now, the famous chalet and its restaurant have been completely redesigned by the French architect Nicolas Laisné and will reopen this month. The use of hand-carved, honey-colored timber scales in the cladding on the main facade recalls the original Swiss building. The main dining room and its covered balcony open onto lakeside views, while the bar extends onto a ground-level terrace. A custom white-and-green carpet in the main restaurant reflects the colors of the lake outside, and raw-edge wooden tables nod to the forest. Visitors have the option of dining privately in the chalet’s vegetable garden: The reservation-only experience, titled Les Tables du Potager, features a five-course, plant-focused tasting menu by chef Pierre Chomet. Meals in the dining room feature dishes like asparagus with mimosa eggs and Iberian ham, and shrimp tartare in a pad Thai broth, inspired by Chomet’s six years cooking in Bangkok. The restaurant also plans to serve a brunch buffet on Sundays. Chalet des Îles opens April 24, chalet-des-iles.com.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More