Chicken Guts, Chicken Sandwiches, and More A.M. Intel

Chicken guts slimed up Hwy 101 in horrifying big rig spill

In the grossest news ever, a big rig carrying a bunch of chicken sludge spilled its contents all over the roadway yesterday near San Mateo, on Northbound 101. Officials think the truck may have come to an abrupt stop in traffic, causing what a CHP spokesman described as “guts and ground up [chicken], liquidy, like a chicken soup,” to slosh over the sides. Lanes were reopened 45 minutes after CDOT scraped up the mess.

Fried chicken sandwiches flood the Market

The Organic Coup opens its third location today in The Market at 11:00 a.m. They’re heavily promoting their online ordering app, so the first 35 customers get a free t-shirt (because who doesn’t want a shirt that says “Organically Cocky” on it?).

Trump nominates fast food CEO/super villain for Labor Secretary

Eater NY critic and labor expert Ryan Sutton gives his two cents on the President-elect’s choice for Labor Secretary Andy Puzder. The CEO of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. has been a vocal opponent of overtime and minimum wage regulations, the very topics his cabinet post is assigned with enforcing. Read on for the sordid details of Puzder’s potential impact on the restaurant industry, including his creepy influence on the sexualized burger campaigns for which Carl’s Jr. is known.

Peet’s continues massive growth trajectory

Berkeley-based coffee chain Peet’s continues its onward march to coffee domination, following the purchase of both Stumptown and Intelligentsia in recent years. Now it’s opening a second roastery outside of Washington, D.C., in Suffolk, VA. That is in addition to the ongoing expansion of retail cafes, which are spreading across the East Coast as we speak.

Napa’s First Street is about to explode

Over 40 restaurants and retail shops are planned for a $100 million redevelopment in downtown Napa. The design details are now out on the massive area, which includes lots more window space in storefronts, trees and trellises. The first shops will be announced this winter and are expected to open around the same time as the new Archer Hotel in 2017.

First crabs, now abalone

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has proposed lowering the limit of abalone caught by divers from 18 to 12 (or possibly nine), as well as a shortening of the season. The Department says that the red abalone population is dangerously low because of kelp forest decline, and a decreased reproduction rate because of warm ocean temperatures that officials worry will continue into next year.

Mezcalito lets you buy your friends (or yourself) a locker of booze

The new Polk St. restaurant has custom mezcal cubbies built into the walls, meant to house bottles of mezcal reserved especially for their owners to drink at will. Locker-holders get a special key, and can choose their favorite mezcal to live inside. Participants get to taste through mezcals to choose their favorite, plus the ability to skip the line for dinner, which might be the best part.