Chipotle Mexican Grill started requiring patrons at all restaurants to wear masks last week and McDonald's will institute a mask rule starting Aug. 1. McDonald's, which has hit pause on reopening to dine-in customers, will provide people with masks if needed and serve those who refuse to don face coverings in a separate area.

Bloomin' Brands, the parent of chains including Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba's Italian Grill, didn't lay off or furlough employees during the pandemic, which proved to be an advantage as restaurants began to reopen, CEO David Deno said. "We knew if we could retain our people and pay them, even if they weren't working, and not let them go, it would improve employee engagement that would enable us to bring people back right away when restaurants reopened," he said.

Bars that put single pretzels and other tiny items on the menu to satisfy rules barring alcohol sales in establishments that don't serve food will need to beef up their offerings. Liquor authorities in New York and Pennsylvania have ruled that small items aren't enough to meet the requirement and bars that want to stay open need to serve more substantial fare such as soup or sandwiches.

Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group closed all 20 of its restaurants when the pandemic hit in mid-March, laying off 2,100 employees and dropping from $100 million in sales to nothing. Meyer talks about missing the hospitality business that's been his life for 35 years, the steps his company has taken to stay afloat and the ways the coronavirus outbreak will change the restaurant industry.

Neal Aronson, the founder of Roark Capital and its two restaurant portfolio companies that own chains including Sonic, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John's, Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's, is in growth mode during the pandemic. "What we've decided to do is not sit there and take it," he said.

Olmsted is offering diners a break from isolation in Brooklyn, N.Y., with a backyard experience that combines social distance dining with the joys of summer. The restaurant's Olmsted Summer Camp invites guests to relax at garden-side picnic tables and enjoy food, drinks and entertainment like trivia, movies, magic acts, comedy routines and music nights.

The Italian beef tamale served at Santa Masa Tamaleria, with its beef cooked in banana leaves and house-made giardiniera, is one of several creative Italian beef sandwich variations being cooked up by Chicago-area chefs. Izakaya Mita serves a version of the sandwich with sauteed beef and tofu on Japanese milk bread, and Tempesta Market sometimes uses wagyu braised in a liquid containing San Marzano tomatoes for its sandwich.

Now is an ideal time to look critically at menus and evaluate each item's performance and how well it fits with the restaurant's brand, writes Maeve Webster. Dishes with intensive prep times may need to be cut or adapted, and tweaks to meals to improve the delivery experience can also be beneficial.

While people are eager to visit restaurants again, many are concerned about COVID-19 exposure; building their trust will rebuild your business. Full story.