• A waitress at “dark-dining restaurant” Opaque is legally blind and “leads customers to their tables by having them put their hands on her shoulders.” [Chron]
• The Golden State Restaurant Association is petition the U.S. Supreme Court to review San Francisco’s law requiring businesses to contribute to employee health care. [Business Insurance]
• City Attorney Dennis Herrera wants Suede closed permanently after a shooting at the Fisherman’s Wharf nightclub. [Chron]
• The rising generation of French chefs are abandoning pretense “for the sake of creative cooking at a price most can afford.” [NYT]
• Group Danone no longer claims Activia and Actimel yogurt brands have additional health benefits beyond those found in regular yogurt. [WSJ]
• The last year has seen a significant drop in the spread of food-borne illnesses like shigella and E. coli, even though overall food-poisoning rates have stayed level. [AP]
• Doctors in the U.K. are banding together to support a bill to eliminate trans fats, following in the steps of New York and Denmark. [Guardian UK]
• A proposed international registry of whale DNA would aid in tracking down restaurants that illegally serve whale meat. [NYT]
• An academic study reveals that health-insurance companies hold almost $2 billion in fast-food stock, a possible conflict of interest. [CNN]