Famous Food

Even Wolfgang Puck is not immune to the devastating toll the pandemic is taking on the restaurant biz -- his D.C. eatery is closing for good after 13 years.

The Source By Wolfgang Puck is reportedly closing permanently due to financial challenges brought on by the novel coronavirus. It's an unceremonious end to the modern Asian restaurant that served as the celebrity chef's first foray into the nation's capital.

The Source dished out meals to tourists and locals from its location underneath the Newseum. Their hot pots and izakaya also attracted a power crowd of celebs and politicians.

The restaurant was forced to furlough workers back in March, when the district banned dine-in service to limit the spread of COVID-19. Now, the landlord says there is no path to a successful return under new coronavirus restrictions.

The closure could be a bad omen for other popular restaurants across the country ... especially those in high rent locations. If the pandemic can force one of the world's most famous chefs to shutter his doors, no restaurateur should feel safe.

Don't stick a fork in Wolfgang's D.C. game just yet -- his high-end steakhouse in Georgetown, CUT, is looking forward to fully reopening.

Restaurants are desperately trying to stay afloat during the pandemic ... and that means customers bucking up -- so, welcome to the age of COVID surcharges.

Por ejemplo ... Goog's Pub & Grub in Holland, Michigan recently started implementing its own COVID "tax" of sorts. Owner Brad White tells TMZ ... he's had to add the charge to cover skyrocketing prices for food and restaurant supplies.

White says his joint added an extra 86 cents to all bills to factor in to-go bags, silverware, condiments and styrofoam containers since, at this moment, restaurants in Michigan are limited to delivery and take-out only.

White says the popular burger joint usually pumps out 1,500 burgers a week and before the pandemic hit hard they were paying $50 for a case of beef. The price is now a whopping $96 per case. COVID cases hitting meat factories hard across the country contributed to that.

The public seems to get why the surcharge -- first reported by FOX17 -- is necessary. White says most people understand it's necessary to help the restaurant level off costs, but he adds some have accused him of trying to exploit the pandemic to rip off customers.

He says, "That's the furthest thing from the truth" -- and points out he's also had to downsize from 35 employees to 16. He's trying to help out his remaining staff by raising their hourly wage from $6 to $10. Point is, they're scraping by like millions across the country.

He's not on an island, mind you -- lots restaurants, including some in California and Missouri, have also added surcharges.

The hope, White says, his hope is to eliminate the COVID "tax" when things get back to normal ... or as normal as things can get these days.

The deadly pandemic is doing nothing to shut down the unsafe, breeding grounds for disease that are wet markets ... they're still operating all across Asia, and in the U.S. for that matter.

This shocking new footage from PETA was shot at blood-soaked wet markets in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand ... and it shows the filthy conditions where live dogs, bats, monkeys, snakes, civets, birds, cats, rabbits, ducks and chickens are bought and sold.

As you can see ... a wet market in Indonesia keeps bats, civets, monkeys, birds, rabbits and cats in cages covered with layers of feces and rotten food. One rabbit even convulses and dies right in front of the camera.

Bats have been linked to COVID-19 -- some scientists say the animals are at the center of the outbreak -- and civets have been linked to SARS.

In Thailand, ducks and chickens are crammed into cages wing-to-wing ... and in the Philippines, wet market workers casually wear sandals as they walk across blood-soaked floors to slice up pigs and birds with their bare hands.

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, a counter near living animals is stacked high with the cooked dog heads and other body parts of the poor pooches.

One image is constant across these Asian wet markets ... the floors are covered with blood, guts and water.

It's not just an issue in Asia ... as we've reported, wet markets also exist here in New York, California and Texas.

PETA is using this shocking new footage to call upon the World Health Organization to urge the shutdown of live-animal markets across the globe, including those still operating here in the States.

A three Michelin star restaurant in Virginia has come up with one helluva model to provide social distancing while also helping you avoid that lonely feeling.

The Inn at Little Washington -- about 70 miles outside Washington, D.C. -- is gonna deploy mannequins to fill in the joint. It won't be weird or anything though for customers ... 'cause they're life-size mannequins. Think of it as dining with a really boring friend.

Oh, but the mannequins will be decked out in 1940s era clothing to recreate America's post-World War II celebrations. Ok, that's a little weird.

The move from chef Patrick O'Connell comes after a mandate to cap restaurant capacity at 50% in an effort to keep diners properly social distanced -- but appearances clearly matter to O'Connell.

He's been working with Shirlington's Signature Theater to get the mannequins. And, get this ... when the restaurant opens on May 29 servers will be instructed to pour the mannequins wine and ask them about their evening ... according to the Washingtonian.

So, why the stunt? O'Connell told the outlet, "I think it would do people a world of good to reduce their anxiety level when they come out to a place which is still unaffected, because if you watch your television, you think that there isn't such a place under a bubble."

BTW, the chef has also created custom-made masks with Marilyn Monroe smiles and George Washington chins. The move perhaps shouldn't come as a surprise. For starters, O'Connell reportedly majored in drama in college.

The restaurant also boasts that dining at its joint "has been likened to a performance with the guest always playing the star role."

The company's a little stiff, but ya get a good show! Life's about compromises.

America's biggest buffet chains are trying to reinvent the wheel in the face of the raging pandemic ... searching for new ways to feed folks while keeping everyone safe.

Five of the largest buffet restaurant chains in the country tell TMZ they're changing with the times and rolling out new features to bring in patrons.

Golden Corral says it's serving guests cafeteria-style, with cooks loading up customers' plates with as much grub as they desire. The new service model eliminates the need for guests to touch utensils.

A rep tells us GC is also serving "family-style" meals, where large platters of food are delivered to guests sitting at their table ... a stark contrast from the golden age of Golden Corral.

The buffet chain, which says it's slowly reopening restaurants on a case-by-case basis to comply with various state and local guidelines, is also implementing new social distancing measures -- including floor markers, table spacing, and drink delivery to tables.

Golden Corral also says it's continuing to wipe down all guest touchpoint areas every half hour, check employees' temperatures, and install new hand sanitizer stations.

The GC in Abilene, Texas is already open for biz under the new look ... and an employee at the restaurant tells us the new initiatives make them feel safer at work.

The ever-familiar HomeTown, Old Country, Country and Ryan's Buffet chains are also changing the way they do business so they don't end up like Souplantation, which closed for good due to COVID-19.

Jason Kemp, cofounder of Food Partners, which owns and operates all 4 buffet chains, tells TMZ ... honchos are busy working on a new concept that will revolutionize the buffet industry.

Michael Rubin is applauding Chris Pratt and David Blaine for going above and beyond with the All In Challenge, and says it's beautiful to see celebs commit their time to the cause.

The Philadelphia 76ers partner, and creator of the Challenge, joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and couldn't stop gushing about the efforts of Chris, David and a host of others raising money to feed Americans in the pandemic.

Michael says David's a shining example ... the illusionist held an auction and offered to fly to the winner's home for a private magic show, and the winning bid came in at $220,000. But, David didn't stop with one show, he did it three times over -- getting the runner-up and second runner-up to match -- and raised $660k for food charities.

Chris caught the All In bug too ... offering the chance to get eaten by a dinosaur in the 'Jurassic Park' franchise, first as an auction and then again as a sweepstake you can enter for just $10.

Michael says golf icons Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson also double-dipped with auctions and sweepstakes, with Tiger offering a trip to the Bahamas and putting lessons, and Phil offering the chance at a round with a Masters champion.

The broken meat supply chain has most Americans worried, but not hunters who are loading their freezers with game -- and it seems a lot more people want to do the same.

We did some digging, and in the past couple months, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic ... several Midwestern and East Coast states, where hunting is common, have seen a major increase in demand for licenses to bag open-range game, fish and fowl.

In Michigan, for example, turkey season kicked off with a bang on April 18 ... and the state’s Department of Natural Resources already sold 97,305 licenses to hunt the bird, far eclipsing the 83,072 number this time last year.

New York, which tragically had the biggest surge of coronavirus cases early on, also saw a surge of its residents going fishing and hunting. Between March and May, the number of licensed anglers grew 30 percent and turkey permit sales spiked about 60 percent.

Similar story in Virginia, where so far this year ... sales of hunting licenses have risen nearly 10 percent and its turkey harvest has perked up by 11 percent.

A couple of heartland states -- Indiana and Iowa -- have also experienced big spikes in hunting and fishing licenses, but officials there don't chalk that up to a potential meat shortage. Instead, they think it's because people have more free time to enjoy the sport of hunting along with the reward of food.

Of course, for those out there who aren't into the whole hunting thing ... there's always plant-based meats. As we told you ... that business is booming too.

Guy Fieri knows better than anyone that restaurant workers are the lifeblood of that industry, so he immediately sprung into action to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The official Mayor of Flavortown joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and explain how he quickly managed to get $20 million into a relief fund. Guy says he partnered up with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation ... and they launched the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.

Pretty incredible what he's done in less than 2 months. As Guy told us, he had no problem getting on the phone to some major corporations involved in hospitality and food services.

He says they've already awarded more than 40,000 grants -- worth $500 each -- to workers facing extraordinary hardship due to the pandemic. Anyone who wants to donate to the cause or apply for a one-time grant can go here.

We also asked Guy how the industry can survive under our "new normal" of social distancing. He said it's gonna be tough, but it can be done ... for a certain type of restaurant.

2 Chainz couldn't hold off any longer, he's reopened his Atlanta restaurants for dine-in service ... and while he's trying to keep patrons safe, most don't seem too concerned.

After waffling the past 2 weeks, both of the rapper's Escobar Restaurant and Tapas locations fully opened back up Tuesday ... and 2 Chainz dropped by to make sure everything was running smoothly.

Bentley Didier, a spokesperson for Escobar, tells TMZ they're operating under new guidelines to protect against COVID-19, which is great ... since people are flocking to the joint. He says employees, friends and customers admit they've been dealing with depression due to self-quarantining and social distancing.

Point is, most people are just thrilled to be back. Even if customers aren't worried, we're told both spots will practice social distancing, work within the regulations in place ... and listen to guidance from health officials and the government.

Didier says some new safety precautions include sections being limited to 4 people or less, ALL food served in a to-go box, masks and gloves provided if requested, and customers being instructed to wash their hands in the restrooms as soon as they enter.

People ordering hookahs will be provided with disposable hoses, and the hookahs are sanitized after every use.

In addition, each location has a back patio open so people can spread out, and staff is still limited to keep capacity as low as possible for now. DJs haven't returned yet either -- they're just utilizing playlists -- and dancing is limited to a party's section with the people they came with.

After the reopening, Escobar posted some video of folks dancing inside -- hard to say if the rules are being followed.

T.I. and Killer Mike are looking out for their neediest neighbors ... helping them fill their bellies and wallets all while practicing CDC-approved hygiene.

The Atlanta rappers teamed up Wednesday to serve hot meals to 500 ATL residents who've been feeling the impact brought on by the pandemic and quarantine.

T.I. and Killer Mike partnered with PAWkids, a family enrichment center run by Latonya Gates, to bring smiles to the good folks in Atlanta's Grove Park community, serving food from the parking lot at Bankhead Seafood.

The Grammy Award-winning MCs kept up their good deeds after serving the 500 meals, dropping off 2 weeks' worth of food and hygiene products to needy families, and surprising folks as they opened their front doors.

They also topped it off by doling out $500 cash to several of those households.