There's an old saying -- "Close but no cigar" -- which precisely describes what went down at Luke Bryan's Florida cigar bar Friday night, because patrons were super close to each other.
Luke's cigar bar, Shore Thing Cigars, is located in Watersound, Florida, and on Friday night, it was the backdrop for Karaoke night, and stir-crazy customers flocked to the joint. The bar touted Friday, "TODAY'S THE DAY .... GRAND RE-OPENING!"
As you can see ... most were not wearing masks or practicing social distancing.
Florida has had a massive coronavirus outbreak and the lack of social distancing as they belted out No Doubt's "Don't Speak" during karaoke night ... well, doctors and scientists have told us how that ends.
Florida is allowing restaurants to reopen effective Monday ... but bars must still remain closed.
The bar is hosting a crawfish day Saturday ... patrons get free crawfish with the purchase of a sampler pack.
Bottom line ... as far as we can tell, the bar should not be open under any circumstances, and even if it's a restaurant, it was not supposed to open this weekend. And, even when restaurants open in Florida, they cannot be at more than 25% capacity inside.
We reached out to Luke's rep ... so far, no word back.
Beyonce and Megan Thee Stallion's new track is providing more than listening pleasure -- it's immediately feeding people in need by inspiring others to give.
As we told you ... the 2 women are donating proceeds from Bey's remix of Meg's "Savage" to Bread of Life in Houston, a nonprofit that supplies food for families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The charity tells us the song's release is already paying dividends though -- it received donations from 500 new donors in the first 24 hours after the song's Wednesday debut!
We're told the money continues to come from the 'Savage' attention -- most donors give anywhere from $5 to $50 -- and it's all being used to stock up for the increased demand for food with so many millions out of work.
Bread of Life sets up a drive-thru pick up spot for families to get boxes of groceries loaded right into their trunk. The org makes sure to take coronavirus precautions too ... there's no physical contact between the families and the staff, and masks and gloves are required.
As for how Bread of Life was chosen by Beyonce and Megan Thee Stallion -- other than the Houston connection -- we're told Bey and her mom, Tina Knowles, have worked with the nonprofit in the past.
We're told the mother-daughter duo helped build an apartment complex for some folks in need who Bread of Life supports. Plus, Beyonce and the org's founder grew up in the same church.
That's a good connection, and it's all come together for a very good cause.
Costco is making some big changes in the face of the coronavirus pandemic ... the superstore is requiring anyone walking through its doors to cover their faces.
The new nationwide change goes into effect Monday, and the rules require all members, guests and employees to wear masks or face coverings that cover the mouth and nose at all times while inside the superstore.
Costco says members who do not cover their faces will not be permitted inside its stores. However, the company says the mask policy does not apply to children younger than 2 or people who are unable to wear a mask or face covering due to medical conditions.
Seems many Costco members are already wearing masks ... as you can see at this Costco in Washington D.C. Wednesday, most shoppers are wearing masks and face coverings inside the superstore.
2 Chainz is looking out for his community ... by feeding the homeless instead of reopening his Atlanta restaurants for dine-in service.
The Atlanta rapper fed about 120 homeless people Monday, the day he was originally slated to reopen his 2 food joints, Escobar Restaurant and Tapas, for table service.
2 Chainz and his business partner, Snoop Dillard, distributed free meals outside their downtown Atlanta location ... and folks in need practiced social distancing while waiting for the free grub, standing six feet apart in line.
On the menu -- butter garlic chicken pasta and water. Snoop also hopped in a car and drove around the neighborhood, handing out free meals to people living on the streets.
As we reported ... 2 Chainz and Snoop were planning to reopen their restaurants Monday with Georgia lifting many of the state's coronavirus restrictions, but they reversed course after more consideration.
The restaurants are still open for take-out service, which is way safer than dining out.
Kim Kardashian is unleashing her army of followers on the All in Challenge -- which is sure to raise a ton of cash, but it's also setting up one fan with the deal of a lifetime.
Kim accepted Gisele Bündchen's challenge Monday by announcing to her more than 167 MILLION followers on Instagram she's joining the fundraiser to help feed people amid the economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opportunity's insane -- win lunch at a top spot in L.A. for a winner and a guest with the Kardashian sisters. The deal also includes a 1-night hotel stay and 2 roundtrip coach airfare tickets to L.A. The winner and guest will also be included in the filming of the upcoming season of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."
As you know by now ... 100% of the proceeds will go to relief efforts through Meals on Wheels America and America's Food Fund, which benefits Feeding America and celebrity chef Jose Andres' remarkable efforts through his World Central Kitchen.
Sofia Vergara's got a fun game for folks to play at home during quarantine -- it's a bit of a thirst trap, but with a bootyful twist: whose behind is whose?
The Colombian actress posted a lovely photo this weekend showing herself and her niece, Claudia, rocking two-piece thong bikinis and looking over a balcony at what appears to be Sofia's home. You can't see either of their faces -- but that wasn't the point of Sofia's post.
Sofia wrote of the aunt-niece duo in Spanish, "Modelo viejo del 72 y modelo nuevo del 92 😂😂😂😂 #alwaystwinning @cdvergara ❤️❤️❤️🌝🌝🌝." That translates to "old model from '72 and new model from '92."
BTW, she also posted a photo of Claudia from the front, bending over to make a burger, with uncle Joe Manganiellobeside her working on his own grub. She's a lookalike from the side as well, but(t) as far as that first photo goes, it's actually SUPER hard to tell for sure who's who, no?
Anyway, just for funsies ... here's another look at the same pic in black and white -- only now it's coming from Claudia, who also seems to be in on the same guess-who game.
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She writes, "Same same, but different ... cual es cual? 😂" Which is which, indeed. We could play this all day!!!
Land O'Lakes made a big branding change, and one woman's utter and ridiculous fury at the move has caught the attention of the Internet -- which is churning up joke after joke.
You mighta heard about the company removing the image of a Native American woman holding a box of their butter from the logo and simply having the surrounding lakes and trees instead -- which was seen by some as a progressive step forward and long overdue.
Of course, the pendulum swings both ways ... with many people getting astoundingly pissed about the pivot to "PC culture" -- including one Twitter user who had some choice words.
The lady's tweet -- which has resurfaced and since gone viral -- reads in clear terms, "Land O Lakes can kiss this butter buyer's ass. My family has been a Land O Lakes family since I can remember. No more. I'm fine with the store brand from here on out."
There's even more outrage ... she goes on to say, "Your virtue signaling lost you some good customers who were always willing to pay more for your product. #BuhByeLOL." The lady also included a pic of the old Land O'Lakes butter, as well as a shot of her cart with a TON of the generic store brand stuff which she apparently bought. Okay, jeez ... point made.
Now, Twitter found this and is having a field day ... with many people pointing out that to identify oneself and your brood as a "Land O Lakes family" is interesting in and of itself, but there are even more takes that are coming from this ... including cracks at LOL itself.
One user took a screenshot of a text exchange between her and her dad, and her papa said ... "Finally got rid of her. But kept her land." The daughter replied, "omg." That's one way to look at it -- then of course, there's the 'Star Wars' POV too, which is more light-hearted.
Since the Land ‘O Lakes squaw has been deemed racist and removed from their packaging after over 100 years, is this a suitable replacement for their rebranding or no? pic.twitter.com/7hLOpWWrud
People super-imposed Lando Calrissian onto the logo and turned Land O'Lakes butter into Lando Lakes butter ... slow clap, well done, guys. The rabbit hole goes deeper and deeper on this thing, and we're not gonna walk you through all of it, 'cause it gets pretty weird.
The point is ... no good deed ever goes unpunished with the meme treatment.
Lil Durk brought some warm meals and happiness to healthcare workers on Chicago's frontlines against COVID.
The rapper and his team pulled up to Chicago's Rush Hospital Friday with boxes of meals from PHLAVZ Restaurant -- owned by Durk's manager -- to distribute. We're told a member of the hospital's hospitality staff then brought the meals inside to distribute.
Not only did they drop meals off at the hospital, PHLAVZ also made 100 meals available to healthcare professionals for pickup later Friday night.
Durk -- who grew up in Chicago -- but now lives in Atlanta, tells us, "Everyone back home has been in my thoughts, especially those doing something for the community and all the neighborhood heroes. I thought about all the first responders putting their lives on the line to help out and it inspired me, so I took a jet back to Chicago to show my thanks."
Lil Durk joins a long list of celebs to give back to hospital workers, as we reported, Danny Trejo dropped off hundreds in L.A. from his Trejo's Tacos last week.
2:40 PM PT -- That didn't take long. Less than 24 hours after 2 Chainz's business partner and co-owner Snoop Dillard told us they were going to reopen their ATL joints, they're now saying it's a no-go. Dillard tells TMZ, "After careful consideration, we are not going to open our restaurants on Monday. It has not officially been decided when we will start having dine-in service."
UPDATE
Smart move.
Escobar season has returned for 2 Chainz... the rapper is reopening his Atlanta restaurants for sit-down service, and he says he has a plan for keeping folks safe from COVID-19.
Both of 2 Chainz's joints, Escobar Restaurant and Tapas, are serving dine-in meals starting Monday -- his business partner and co-owner, Snoop Dillard, tells TMZ -- and they're making public safety a top priority.
Escobar restaurants were strictly doing take-out orders due to coronavirus restrictions, but with Georgia's Governor paving the way for businesses to reopen -- in many cases recklessly -- 2 Chainz is getting people back to work.
We're told sales at both locations have been down 95% during the shutdown, and the restaurants were forced to furlough around 80% of its staff.
With dine-in service coming back, Snoop says they're planning to bring back 65% of restaurant staff -- 80 people -- and the hope is to have everyone back at work eventually.
As you know ... a debate is raging over Georgia's plan to reopen its economy. Governor Brian Kemp is giving the green light, but Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is urging people to be responsible and cautious and stay home.
2 Chainz's restaurants are trying to have the best of both worlds, and they think they will be able to host sit-down service safely.
We're told safety precautions at the restaurants include staff having their temperatures checked when they clock in, mandatory gloves for all employees, masks for the cooks and single-use paper menus.
Any staff member showing coronavirus symptoms will be asked to go home and quarantine for 14 days.
We're also told the restaurants are bringing back hookahs, which will be cleaned and sanitized frequently. Most folks bring their own hoses anyways.
And, on the weekends, we're told live DJs will return to both locations ... 2 Chainz and Snoop say the DJs need to make a living as well, but things aren't going into full party mode yet. They even paid a few DJs to come in and spin when it was take-out only -- just to brighten people's days.
2 Chainz and Snoop donated hundreds of meals to medical workers on the frontlines ... and we're told they're planning to give more free meals to workers at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Piedmont Atlanta Hospital.
No mooning over Miami -- this half-naked woman was topless -- but she did serve up her own version of a Grand Slam ... destroying at least 100 plates in a SoCal Denny's.
The topless woman was caught on video Thursday around 11:20 AM grabbing plates from a large stack in the seating area of the Hawthorne, CA restaurant ... and smashing the hell out of them.
Her rampage went on for at least a couple minutes as patrons and employees yelled for her to stop. Her only reply was, "Shut the f*** up, man" -- and then quickly back to the bang-up work at hand.
Police showed up while she was still in the middle of her plate-chucking riot, and eventually controlled the situation and detained the woman.
Cops tell us they'd gotten a call about a woman at a bus stop taking her clothes off, and arguing with people before making her way into the Denny's.
We're told she was detained and will undergo a mental evaluation -- cops believe she was under the influence of something.
BTW, the Denny's is closed for regular dining due to the coronavirus, but still open for online order pickups -- which, luckily, don't require plates.
Eating out in a pandemic-afflicted world might look more like visiting a loved one in prison ... if this test run in Italy is any indication.
Restaurant owner Valerio Calderoni and his wife, Martina, are serving as guinea pigs for a possible new setup at eateries, intended to lower the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
The couple is seated at a table for 2 in Calderoni's Il Ciak restaurant in Rome's Trastevere district, and as you can see ... there's a large piece of plexiglass between them.
Clearly, the separator makes for a less intimate dinner date, but Valerio and his wife have plenty of room for their food and are still able to cheers with their wine glasses.
It's unclear how the dividers would affect sound travel in the restaurant -- especially if patrons are also wearing masks -- but this is just a test run ... probably a lot of kinks to work out still.
Nevertheless, it's a glimpse into the potential future of going out for meals ... and it's weird as hell.
Employees at a Jersey Mike's at LAX flouted the Los Angeles city order to wear face coverings ... but it looks like the customers were too.
The order went into effect in L.A. April 10, which requires both shoppers and workers at essential businesses that are open during the coronavirus pandemic to wear a face covering.
This includes businesses providing food, like the Jersey Mike's at Terminal 2, but based on this video shot April 16 during the lunch hour ... the workers weren't complying.
As you see, at least 2 employees were serving customers without wearing masks -- including the one cutting the meats -- and we're told the guy at the register was wearing a face mask ... but it was pulled down to only cover his beard and chin, leaving his mouth and nose exposed.
Two men ordering food in the vid, including an apparent pilot, were also not covering up.
As you may know ... many health experts now suggest wearing a mask outdoors to prevent the spread of COVID-19, though it's not required in the majority of states and cities in the U.S.
However, in L.A. it's considered a misdemeanor to not comply, though Mayor Eric Garcetti has said he hopes people will voluntarily follow the order.
This Jersey Mike's might need a little more encouragement.
Cutting ties with Carole Baskin didn't necessarily work out for her ex-husband or Joe Exotic -- but a Baskin-Robbins shop is cashing in by doing exactly that.
Peggy Heldstab, owner of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop in Junction City, Kansas, tells TMZ ... it was her son's idea to slap the "No Relation to Carole Baskin" sign on her store's marquee sign. She says her son and his wife saw the popular Netflix documentary 'Tiger King' and are huge fans ... hence the suggestion for the sign.
She says her son swore the sign would be especially appreciated right now with the popularity of the doc ... coupled with the thousands of memes, songs and dances that have sprung up, with most of them taking shots at Carole Baskin.
But get this ... Peggy says she had never heard of 'Tiger King,' but took her son's word for it because he insisted the sign would cheer people up. He wasn't lying. The sign's exploded all over social media, and that's translated extremely well for the cash register.
We're told Peggy put up the sign Sunday and that very same day sales doubled compared to the day before. What's more ... the shop drew tons of attention from fans driving by waving and honking in approval of the sign. Her son was right, and business (carry-out/DoorDash only) has been great ever since.
As most small business owners can relate, Peggy says she was worried about her business with stay-at-home orders, and business doesn't get any easier when it's trying to make up for any stalled business during the cold months. And, that's why the Carole Baskin sign couldn't have come at a better time.
As for corporate reaching out to her shop to give her its 2 cents ... Peggy says not a peep. She says she's able to make sign decisions independently. And, in case you're wondering ... Peggy says she's now a few episodes into 'Tiger King.'
Peggy says if Carole Baskin walked into her shop, she'd serve her ice cream. Maybe Peggy hasn't gotten to the end of 'Tiger King' yet. Give her time.
Chipotle may need to start charging even more for guac -- the company is paying the largest fine EVER in a food safety case stemming from more than a thousand instances of food poisoning.
The Justice Department announced Tuesday, Chipotle's been ordered to pay a whopping $25 million fine to settle criminal charges over foodborne illness outbreaks at its restaurants.
You'll recall, more than 1,100 people across the U.S. claimed they got sick from Chipotle restaurants between 2015 and 2018. The feds charged Chipotle with 2 counts of violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for selling tainted food.
According to the DOJ, Chipotle admitted to more than several instances that resulted in outbreaks. For example, in December 2015 an ill employee in Boston was ordered to continue working after vomiting inside the restaurant -- a clear violation of company policy.
The feds say 2 days later, the employee returned to work and helped package a catering order for a Boston College basketball team, whose members were among customers sickened by the outbreak.
Chipotle was also accused of failing to hold food at appropriate temperatures to prevent and control the growth of foodborne pathogens.
Aside from the 8-figure fine, the company also has to be under a food safety compliance program for 3 years.
Ben & Jerry's is yet again putting down the scooper and picking up a megaphone on 4/20 to tell people about the injustice people of color experience over weed arrests.
The famous ice cream company followed in their own footsteps on both Sunday and Monday, with two timely posts about the unofficial holiday ... pointing out that, yes, minorities -- specifically, black people -- are disproportionately punished over having herb.
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B&J come with some stats ... pointing out African-Americans are 264% more likely than white people to be arrested for cannabis possession, even though they use at similar rates. They write, "Cannabis is legal in 33 states, but hundreds of thousands of people are still arrested for possession every year — a disproportionate number of them Black. This #420, get the facts then join us and @aclu_nationwide to take action to pass the MORE Act."
Just the day before, they put up another informational post, which noted that white folks are the ones who seem to be profiting the most on the legalization of weed ... something they say isn't right. Their messaging here is clear ... POC are getting left behind on this issue.
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Of course, Ben & Jerry's conducted a very similar campaign last year, again pointing that despite weed being legal in 33 states now -- it's black people and other minorities that are constantly getting busted for it. A year later, they're hammering their point home twice as hard.
This time, they're also championing a piece of federal legislation they're hoping gets signed into law. It's called the MORE Act -- Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement -- and just as the name describes, it's aimed at getting weed drug offenders out of prison.
There's been some serious movement on that front down in D.C. over the past couple years or so -- something tells us it's more a realistic possibility than not.
Kylie Jenner's cravings for some good quarantine snacks apparently got so intense, she forgot to throw on shoes before grabbing her munchies.
Kylie hit up her BFF Stassie's crib on Sunday for a much-needed snack run in L.A. On her way out, photogs caught Kylie getting back to her car barefoot with a bag of chips and water in tow. As for the water, it's friend Jaden Smith's Just Water company.
Kylie went makeup-free for the munchie run ... with her hair back and some matching tie-dye sweats ... and a big grin on her face.
As we reported ... it was exactly one month ago when she urged her millions of fans to stay home and take quarantining seriously. Her message came just after the Surgeon General, Jerome Adams, urged social media influencers to help the cause and spread the stay-at-home message -- and named Kylie specifically.
She's also donated $1M to relief efforts and hand sanitizer to medical professionals on the front line.