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California jewelry store targeted in smash-and-grab

admin - Latest News - September 25, 2025
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California jewelry store targeted in smash-and-grab



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Nov. 6, 2025, 11:21 AM ESTBy Rob WileLike much else in the U.S. economy, the casual restaurant sector is increasingly bifurcating into a handful of winners and a growing group of laggards. At issue are two seemingly irreconcilable challenges: Operating costs that continue to surge, forcing companies to raise prices in order to maintain their profit margins — and a consumer base anchored by low and middle-income households that faces growing financial instability amid a weakening job market.It’s led to pain for much of the chain-restaurant sector — with some established but long-struggling brands announcing that they are exploring potential sales. But as consumers’ perception of value evolves, and their wallets tighten, some surprising stalwarts in the sit-down sector are making a comeback. “That perception of affordable fast-food has gone out the window,” said Alicia Kelso, executive editor of Nation’s Restaurant News, an industry publication. The winnersThe biggest beneficiary of the current environment has been the casual table-service dining sector, where Chili’s is leading the pack.Last week, Chili’s parent company reported that sales had increased a massive 21% in its most recent quarter, with foot traffic surging 13%. The chain has undertaken a series of operational improvements like more efficient ovens, sprucing up locations, and trimming its menu offerings. But what is changing faster than the restaurants themselves is that consumers are increasingly willing to spend a little more for table service and equivalent or even higher-quality food than they can get at traditional fast-food and fast-casual spots, Kelso said. The same effect is happening at chains like Applebees and Olive Garden, each of which also posted sales gains in their latest quarters. Texas Roadhouse is also expected to support steady sales growth Thursday. “As people have less money to spend at restaurants, they’re looking for more bang for their buck,” Kelso said. “These places have swooped in and said, ‘We are here for you.’”The losersThe current environment has changed the definition of value, she said. No longer does it simply mean the cheapest option. That’s led to struggles for several other fast-food players. On Wednesday, McDonald’s said traffic among lower-income diners fell by nearly 10% during the most recent quarter, even as it reported sales growth that topped Wall Street estimates. Other chains have also begun highlighting the concerns of less-well-off customers. Wingstop saw domestic sales decline 5.6% in its most recent quarter. Chipotle cut its sales outlook for the third-straight quarter last week. “We remain in a low-hire, low-fire labor market,” Andrew Charles, a research analyst and managing director at TD Securities financial group, said in a note published last week. “That translates into a consumer outlook that remains segmented, with middle to low income earners continuing to struggle as well as entry-level young workers who have seen demand for their labor decline.”The consumer struggles come alongside seemingly unending cost increases for chains. Alongside the price of beef, which has surged to record highs, restaurants also face rising costs for rent and electricity. In some markets, labor costs have also jumped since President Donald Trump ramped up deportations and federal immigration enforcement.Since April 2020, the cost of eating out has climbed approximately 33%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The outlookThe challenging environment for restaurants has resulted in a flurry of announcements indicating entire brands may be getting new ownership. On Tuesday, the parent company of Pizza Hut announced it was putting the stalwart restaurant chain up for sale after years of struggles. Denny’s announced a day earlier that it was being taken private in a $620 million deal that is slated to close early next year. And Apollo Global Management has withdrawn a $2.1 billion bid for Papa John’s pizza restaurants, amid ongoing fears about the trajectory of consumer spending. “It speaks to how intensely pressured the industry is right now,” Kelso said of the spate of sale statements. While some of these chains have faced ongoing issues, others are experiencing abrupt downturns after enjoying recent periods of strength — with no turnaround in sight. After more than half a decade of largely uninterrupted stock-price gains, Chipotle shares have declined by nearly 50% in 2025. Similar scenarios are playing out for the Mediterranean-focused chain Cava and the salad chain Sweetgreen, both of which reported weaker earnings in their most recent quarters after posting impressive gains in 2024. All three of these restaurants are part of what the industry refers to as the “fast casual” segment, a slightly more upscale version of old-school fast food that tends to cater to younger, working-professional diners.This segment is facing a particularly challenging outlook.“When you look at different age demographics of fast casual, the 25- to 34-year-old consumer seems to be impacted a bit more than others, and fast casual tends to have a higher concentration of those consumers within their guest portfolio,” Cava’s chief financial officer, Tricia Tolivar, said in a recent interview with CNBC.“It appears that the consumer is being more thoughtful around their dining occasions, and how frequently they are doing that,” she said.Rob WileRob Wile is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist covering breaking business stories for NBCNews.com.
October 11, 2025
Oct. 11, 2025, 8:00 AM EDTBy Alicia Victoria LozanoPORTLAND, Ore. — A small group of federal agents in camouflage and face masks watched from atop the immigration processing center Thursday night as a unicorn, peacock, dinosaur and raccoon danced to Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time.” Across the street, the self-proclaimed frog brigade — three adults in inflatable amphibian costumes — posed for photos and bounced around in unison. A small group of counterprotesters nearby shouted, “We love you, ICE!”Similar scenes outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building south of downtown Portland have been playing out for weeks as people protest President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts and the deployment of more than 200 National Guard troops to Oregon’s largest city to protect federal property.The absurdity of adults dancing in inflatable costumes during anti-ICE demonstrations is meant to display community joy, protesters say, and helps to dispel the Trump administration’s narrative that Portland is a crime-ridden “war zone,” a characterization local and state leaders say is false.Plus, the costumes provide protection from gas and other toxins deployed by federal agents, protesters say.“If you’re going to make it silly and say that we’re evil, we’re going to make it silly by showing how evil you are,” said Brooks Brown, of Vancouver, Washington, who passed out 30 inflatable costumes Thursday night to anyone who wanted to get it on “Operation Inflation.”A protester in a frog costume in front of federal officers Monday outside the ICE building in Portland.Stephen Lam / San Francisco Chronicle / Getty ImagesNot without its civic challenges, the greater Portland area has some 7,000 homeless residents, and simple assaults have increased 8% from the time last year, but homicides have dropped 50% and aggravated assaults 4% in the same period, according to police and city data, and overall crime has held steady.Protester Jack Dickinson, known locally as the Chicken Man, first donned his chicken costume in June during Trump’s military parade in Washington. He said he wanted to counter the show of force with farce.As immigration raids accelerated across the country and the administration appeared to fixate on Portland’s protests, the chicken costume took on new meaning, he said.“This is an unacceptable betrayal of the American democracy,” Dickinson said, referring to federalized forces deployed in Democratic-led cities like Chicago and Los Angeles. “ICE is kind of the perfect example of the cruelty with which they are implementing their agenda, and it’s just not something we can sit by and let happen.”The costume strategy appears to be working. Demonstrators have attracted attention from international media outlets in France, Australia and England.California Gov. Gavin Newson, a Democrat and a frequent target of Trump’s verbal and online jabs, seized on the movement to mock the administration on social media.“Portland is war ravaged! SEND IN THE CALIFORNIA (???) NATIONAL GUARD!” he posted this week on X with a video of a unicorn, raccoon and dinosaur dancing outside the immigration building.Despite the costumed antics, the Trump administration stuck to its depiction of the protesters on Thursday during a federal appeals court hearing challenging a judge’s order barring the Guard from being sent to Portland. The panel has not made a decision yet.Department of Justice attorney Eric McArthur called protesters “violent people” who hurled rocks at federal agents, lit fires on the street and blocked cars.“The president is entitled to say enough is enough and bring in the National Guard to reinforce the regular forces,” he added.Federal officials pointed to the three-week closing of the ICE building from mid-June to early July because of damage to windows, security cameras and other parts of the building, allegedly caused by protesters.Protesters have blamed the ongoing federal presence for civil unrest, saying the toxins being used against them are causing health concerns in the residential neighborhood.Speaking before a panel of federal judges Thursday, Senior Assistant Oregon Attorney General Stacy Chaffin said the administration’s portrayal of Portland was “untethered from reality.”Protests in Portland outside the ICE facility on Thursday.Alicia Lozano / NBC NewsAs lingering toxins from tear gas lobbed by federal officers caused people to clear their throats and wipe their stinging eyes Thursday night outside the ICE building, protesters said they were skeptical the Trump administration would follow a court order that was not in its favor.Brown and other demonstrators pulled a cart filled with 30 inflatable costumes and began passing them out to protesters, turning the gathering into a kind of night circus as a raccoon, polar bear and axolotl bounded toward the ICE building.Brown said he created an Operation Inflation website in one night this week after seeing federal police confront protester Seth Todd, otherwise known as “Toad” because of the costume he wears. Brown said he immediately began selling inflatable costumes from the site, adding that the operation is not funded or backed by any outside organization.Brown said he grew up learning about the deadly Kent State shooting in 1970, when four unarmed students were killed and another nine wounded by members of the Ohio National Guard. Operation Inflation is his attempt to de-escalate tensions between protesters and federal officers.Protests in Portland outside the ICE facility on Oct. 9.Alicia Lozano / NBC News“People should be able to protest. They should have their voices heard,” he said between coughs from the tainted air.Dressed as Tigger from “Winnie the Pooh,” Portland resident Joy Wilson marveled at the masked agents staring down at her. She said she usually reads a book during demonstrations to highlight the peace and calm of Portland’s resistance movement, and Thursday night marked her first time attending a protest in costume.But after witnessing federal agents pepper spray Todd in the respiratory hole of his inflatable suit on Oct. 4 in an act that was caught on video and posted to social media, Wilson said she decided to show solidarity because the frog has become a symbol of nonviolent protest.“People sometimes wonder, ‘What can I do’” to protest, Wilson said. “This makes it so accessible.”Wilson’s husband, Kevin, who was wearing regular clothes, stood nearby, carefully picking out more costumes to order online for demonstrators. Their teenage daughter and her friends passed out pizza slices to the demonstrators.“Should I go with the unicorn?” he mused before selecting a range of animals, including a lobster, a shark and a bear.“I already ordered a squirrel,” Wilson confessed with a grin.Alicia Victoria LozanoAlicia Victoria Lozano is a California-based reporter for NBC News focusing on climate change, wildfires and the changing politics of drug laws.
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