Opening a restaurant during the pandemic may sound counter-intuitive when so many have closed. But today’s new operators say they’re on the cusp of culinary change, and adapting business strategies based on what they’ve learned from COVID.
Business Watch
Covering the intersection of business and policy, and informing Michigan employers and workers on the long road back from coronavirus. Our Michigan Economic Dashboard shows key metrics that show how the state is performing.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan is ready to vacation again. Is it enough to save the hotel industry?
Travel may set a record this year in Michigan, and empty rooms may be scarce in hotspots like Traverse City. But many hotels are struggling to stay afloat because of huge cuts to business trips.
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Q&A with Ann Arbor tech innovator on bringing ‘joy’ to work during COVID
Rich Sheridan, pioneer of ‘extreme teams’ at Menlo Innovations, on the challenge of keeping colleagues together when a pandemic was pulling everyone apart.
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One year into pandemic, these numbers frame Michigan’s uneven recovery
A year after some feared collapse, Michigan’s economy is weathering the storm but warning signs remain. Jobs in the hospitality industry, exemplified here by Mackinac Island, are down. Here are more than two dozen metics you need to know to understand the recovery, from average income and housing prices to debt and productivity.
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Michigan women ‘struggling’ as they leave workforce. So are their employers
The pandemic put more challenges onto women, who had to work, care for children and deal with other aspects of the virus. Now the shortage in the labor force is causing more workplaces to consider how to woo them back.
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With far fewer houses, Michigan's real estate market is 'absolutely crazy'
Add $10,000 to the list price or you’re not going to get the home, one buyer said she learned the hard way. Home listings are down by more than half this year, forcing prospective buyers to bid fast and pay more, way more.
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Michigan work went remote. Businesses now weigh whether they need offices.
Empty parking lots are deceiving: Most businesses are still paying for their office leases and there isn’t a glut of space. But commercial brokers around the state say they don’t know if that will change, or when.
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Michigan restaurants welcome ‘lifeline’ after Whitmer increases capacity
After weeks of mostly positive COVID trends, the governor allows bars, restaurants and retail stores to open at 50 percent capacity and eases limits on casinos and exercise facilities. Some worry the limits last too long.
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Recreational pot is nestling comfortably into small-town Michigan
Town managers say the businesses are poised to boost strained budgets. And school and law enforcement officials contend there is little evidence to date the marijuana economy is bringing more crime or drug abuse to main street.
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Business leaders to Whitmer: Time to ease Michigan restaurant restrictions
In a Monday letter, chambers of commerce statewide urge the governor to allow long-suffering restaurants to ‘open as soon as we can in ways that are safe.’