Mimi's Cafe, the beloved French bistro chain that once charmed diners across the country with its signature yellow restaurants, has shrunk to a shadow of its former self — down to fewer than 40 locations after closing more than 100 restaurants over the past 13 years.

Founded in Anaheim, California in 1978 by Arthur Simms as a tribute to French gastronomy, the chain once boasted 145 restaurants across 24 states and reported annual revenues of $380 million at the time of a 2013 sale to France's Le Duff Group.

Closures have accelerated in recent years. Northern California, once home to several locations, now has just a single outpost in Elk Grove. A long-standing Southern California location in Belmont Shore sat vacant for years before being demolished. The most recent closure hit Folsom earlier this month.

Current ownership, Elite Restaurant Group, which acquired the chain in 2020, has not offered a public explanation for the ongoing closures. Only 24 California locations remain listed on the company's website, with the total footprint now spread across just nine states.

Burger King is overhauling its chicken nuggets — and it says the push came straight from customers who weren't holding back.

After launching a guest-listening initiative earlier this year, the fast-food chain received thousands of calls, texts, and comments describing its nuggets as "rubbery," "dry," and "disappointing." The brand says it took those words to heart and went back to the kitchen for a full redesign.

The new nuggets are made with 100% white meat chicken, a crispier golden breading, and a more flavorful marinade meant to deliver a juicier bite. They also arrive in upgraded box packaging, replacing the previous serving format.

Burger King's Head Chef, Amy Alarcon, noted that even kids — described as "some of our toughest critics" — were brought in to help test and refine the recipe before it went live.

Alongside the new nuggets, the chain refreshed its dipping sauce lineup, reworking classics like Honey Mustard, Buffalo, and Sweet & Sour, while adding a limited-time Special Savory Sauce blending creamy, tangy, and lightly spicy notes with hints of BBQ seasoning and garlic.

The new nuggets and sauces are available starting September 1, marking the latest step in Burger King's broader menu improvement campaign.

Del Taco is going after your next office lunch. The nation's second-largest Mexican quick-service chain has launched a revamped catering platform, marking a key milestone in its strategic growth initiative known as Project Del Sunrise.

The biggest change: customers can now place catering orders directly through Del Taco's own website, cutting out the third-party platform previously required. That shift gives the brand more control over the ordering relationship and hands restaurant operators better back-of-house tools to manage group orders.

The updated menu is also getting a fresh addition — Taco Salads, available with seasoned beef, grilled chicken, or carne asada steak, join the existing lineup of tacos, Epic Burritos, and customizable buffet-style kits. Options are designed to scale from individual meals to large group spreads.

Chief Transformational Officer Ulyses Camacho framed the launch as strategy becoming action, noting catering had been a historically underdeveloped channel for the brand. Del Taco sees workplace lunches, meetings, and celebrations as significant untapped territory.

The relaunch is described as a first step, with updated packaging, promotions, and advertising still to come as the catering program continues to take shape.

Taco Bell and Salt & Straw are back — and this time, the collaboration is going nationwide. After last year's Tacolate ice cream taco sold out on launch weekend and sparked long lines at Salt & Straw scoop shops, the two brands have teamed up again to deliver an all-new frozen treat.

The Salt & Straw Churro Ice Cream Taco features a brand-new Churro Ice Cream nestled inside a crispy waffle cone shell, finished with puffed rice and a dark chocolate-flavored coating — priced at $3.99 while supplies last.

Joining the lineup at select Live Más Café locations in California, Nevada, and Texas is the Salt & Straw Choco-Waffle Chiller, a blended frozen drink with a crackable chocolate shell, vanilla ice cream, churro crumbles, and waffle cone pieces, starting at $4.69.

For the brand's most devoted fans, Taco Bell Rewards Members will have a chance on September 8 to enter a sweepstakes for one of 100 limited-edition decorated coolers, each packed with three of the Churro Ice Cream Tacos.

Both items are available for a limited time only, so fans are encouraged to move quickly before the sweetest collaboration of the season disappears.

Papa Johns is doubling down on one of pizza's most beloved toppings. The chain has launched the Ultimate Pepperoni Pizza, a new offering designed specifically for fans who believe there's no such thing as too much pepperoni.

The pizza features 30% more pepperoni than a standard Papa Johns large pepperoni pizza — and the chain is quick to point out that quantity doesn't come at the cost of quality. The pepperoni used contains no artificial colors or MSG.

Built on Papa Johns' signature six-ingredient original dough and classic pizza sauce, the pie is layered with a specialty Parmesan-Romano cheese blend and finished with Italian seasoning. It's designed to deliver bold, savory flavor in every bite, from edge to edge.

"The Ultimate Pepperoni Pizza delivers exactly what pepperoni lovers are looking for," said Mark Gabrovic, Vice President of Culinary at Papa Johns. "It's a pizza that puts our fans' favorite topping front and center."

The Ultimate Pepperoni Pizza is available now at Papa Johns locations nationwide, starting at $12.99 for a large. A bundle with a 2-liter Pepsi is also available starting at $15.99.

Easy Egg Cafe

Some local businesses fit naturally into a community’s weekly rhythm, and Easy Egg Cafe in Quartz Hill is one of those neighborhood breakfast spots that locals like having close to home.

Easy Egg Cafe offers the kind of simple, familiar breakfast-and-brunch experience that works for families, friends, early risers, and anyone looking for a comfortable local meal without turning breakfast into a production.

Recent listings describe it as a hidden gem in downtown Quartz Hill with a good old-fashioned diner feel, daily morning hours, and a menu that keeps people coming back for breakfast favorites.

What makes a place like Easy Egg Cafe worth highlighting is not just the food. It is the role it plays in the community. Quartz Hill has its own small-town rhythm inside the larger Antelope Valley, and neighborhood restaurants help give that identity a place to gather.

Breakfast spots are where people meet before work, catch up after church, bring family on the weekend, or sit down for coffee and a familiar meal.

Customer comments point to the kind of details that matter in a local cafe: good coffee, omelettes, fruit bowls, friendly staff, good portions, and hearty breakfast plates like chicken fried steak. That makes it a practical pick for readers who want a straightforward local option rather than another chain stop.

Why locals should know them: Easy Egg Cafe gives Quartz Hill residents and nearby AV locals a familiar breakfast and brunch option with a neighborhood feel.

Good for: Breakfast, brunch, coffee, family meals, casual meetups, weekend mornings, and supporting a Quartz Hill-area small business.

Local Insider Take: Easy Egg Cafe is the kind of place that does not need to be flashy to matter. It gives Quartz Hill another reason to slow down, sit down, and support local.

A California man who promised immigrants a path to small-business ownership — and delivered nothing — has been convicted on 18 counts of fraud, plus witness intimidation, after swindling more than 40 victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Fernando Jauregui Ochoa, 30, of Ceres, collected thousands of dollars per victim under the guise of building custom food trucks that were never constructed. Authorities say the total fraud exceeded $500,000, and that Ochoa spent the money on drugs, vacations, and personal luxuries.

Prosecutors noted an aggravating factor: Ochoa deliberately targeted victims based on their immigration status, knowing many were undocumented and unlikely to seek help. "These individuals trusted Ochoa with their life savings," said Stanislaus County District Attorney Jeff Laugero. "Instead, he exploited their trust and vulnerabilities and stole from them."

One victim, Paulina Quintal, told the Los Angeles Times she is a legal resident but that many others were undocumented — a vulnerability Ochoa willingly exploited. Her outrage helped drive the case forward.

Ochoa faces a 20-year prison sentence and will be ordered to pay restitution to his victims.