Famous Food

An Applebee’s franchise executive had a bright idea on dealing with inflation ... pay employees less.

Wayne Pankratz -- a bigwig at American Franchise Capital, which owns and operates 50 Applebee’s locations throughout the Midwest -- spewed his corporate fat cat vision to his colleagues over an email, which leaked and has since gone viral.

In the memo, Pankratz muses that the higher gas prices being felt across the country could actually benefit their Applebee’s business -- namely, by forcing more people into the workforce out of desperation, which he thought would be great to exploit in lower wages for new hires.

Yep, it’s as bad as it sounds ... take a look for yourself -- he says as much clear as day here.

There’s more ... the guy goes on to describe much of their employees as “paycheck to paycheck” people -- and that too, he says, can help them in putting a little extra squeeze on their hourly rate. Since their disposable income would be depleted amid these higher prices, he theorized their Applebee’s restaurants would likely see an increase in applicants, who would be more likely to take less money than other hospitality jobs that might pay better.

Pankratz also gives the federal government a shout-out for finally putting an end to all the stimulus checks, which he believes has also forced people back to working for a living ... and which he also sees as a pro for his would-be plan.

It’s a bizarre economic philosophy, and it has NOT been well-received online ... frankly, people are tearing into this dude and Applebee’s by extension. Both his investment firm and Applebee’s corporate office have distanced themselves from him. Pankratz has reportedly been placed on leave, and each org has said his thoughts don’t represent their values.

Popeyes has spoken ... condemning hateful language and offering up support after a racist customer went viral for hurling slurs at employees at one of its joints in Florida.

A rep for Popeyes tells TMZ ... they're disgusted over the video, adding Popeyes has zero-tolerance for this kind of hateful aggression at its restaurants. They're also working with the owner ... offering support and providing assistance to make sure employees feel safe.

The Popeyes rep goes on to say they'll review ways to better respond to negative and harmful customer interactions.

ICYMI, a video made rounds on social media of a white guy at a Popeyes in Okeechobee, FL. ... the dude is caught on camera, hurling racial slurs and threatening to lynch a Black female employee.

President Biden's adding some spice to his visit to Poland ... because while he's next door to the war in Ukraine, he's putting jalapenos on his pizza and hanging with the troops.

Check out these pics of the Commander in Chief greeting the men and women of the 82nd Airborne Division ... he grabbed slices of jalapeno and pepperoni pizza, pausing between bites to take selfies with the rank and file.

Biden's visit didn't just include a presidential pizza party ... he also swung by the barbershop on base, masking up to shake hands with troops waiting in line to get their hair cut.

The troops are on a deterrence mission and Biden warned Friday the stakes in Ukraine are extremely high for the rest of the world.

Kourtney Kardashian and fiancé, Travis Barker, are very much one and the same -- at least when it comes to what they wear to dinner -- matching up in black leather.

The lovebirds were spotted locking lips and walking hand-in-hand, as they attended a private party inside NOBU Malibu Wednesday. Check out their outfits, each decked out in what appears to be leather ... Kourtney in a two-piece ensemble and Travis rocking a jumpsuit.

Funny enough, Trav's jumper looks very similar to Kim K's Prada fit she recently wore to a meeting with Vogue editors in Milan -- though hers was a different color.

As you know, Travis got down on bended knee back in October to pop the question -- and, the two have been locked in ever since -- though there's not yet a publicly announced wedding date.

Sarma Melngailis, known as the "Bad Vegan" from the popular Netflix docuseries, is open to starting a new restaurant after she was convicted of stealing millions from her last one ... and her ex thinks she should go for it!

Chef Matthew Kenney wasn't just dating Sarma back in the early 2000s, they went into biz together, opening Pure Food and Wine. As "Bad Vegan" viewers know ... their relationship went south, and Matthew got bumped out of their restaurant venture.

Despite that, a rep for Matthew tells TMZ … he believes in second chances and wishes Sarma the best. If opening another restaurant is what she wants, he thinks she should pursue it.

Matthew hasn't seen the new series yet, despite being featured on it -- but it doesn't appear there's any bad blood between Sarma and her ex.

We're told Matthew spoke to her a few years ago, and actually wrote a letter in support of her.

ICYMI ... Sarma and Matthew opened Pure Food and Wine in 2004, but when they split up the next year, they asked investor Jeffrey Chodorow to choose which one to stay on board, and Sarma was picked.

SPOILER ALERT ... 'cause this is where "Bad Vegan" takes a real bizarre turn!!!

Sarma met Anthony Strangis through mutual friend Alec Baldwin in 2011, then tied the knot a year later. Anthony allegedly promised Sarma immortality for herself and her dog, but required large sums of money from her to prove she was worthy.

In the end, both were convicted for stealing nearly $2 million from the restaurant.

Restaurant employees protested outside the joint over unpaid wages, and the couple went on the run.

Gotta love how they got caught, though -- police got tipped off after Sarma and Anthony ordered chicken wings and pizza from Domino's in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Sarma served 4 months at Rikers Island, and was released in October 2017 with an additional 5 years of probation. In 2018, she filed for divorce from Anthony shortly after her release.

Wanna eat like Tom Brady?! Now's your chance ... 'cause the 7x Super Bowl winners supermodel wife, Gisele Bündchen, is releasing a health and wellness cookbook based on the Brady family diet.

So ... avocado ice cream anyone?!

The 41-year-old partnered with United Talent Agency (UTA) and wrote the book around recipes her and her Buccaneers QB husband -- along with their kids -- eat on a routine basis.

Unfortunately, those of you who want to eat like the Brady Bunch will have to wait until 2024 when the book is released.

Brady's diet is truly fascinating. He didn't eat even eat a strawberry (a STRAWBERRY!) until he was in his 40s.

A few years back Brady detailed his diet in 'The TB12 Method' book ... including that "delicious, but much healthier" avocado dessert.

In fact, Tom's then-personal chef mentioned 80% of what Brady's family ate was vegetables.

But, whatever he's doin' seems to be working ... TB's going into his 23rd season as an NFL player, and is generally regarded as the greatest player of all time.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez may soon be the new owners of a massive estate in Bel-Air -- but they're still humble in their dining choices -- grabbing McDonald's while out for a drive.

Ben and Jen hit up the golden arches for lunch ... for a little value meal on the same day we broke the story of their huge pending purchase, a more than $50 MILLION estate in ritzy Bel-Air.

J Lo was riding shotgun as Ben pulled up to the drive-thru Saturday at a Mickey D's in Beverly Hills ... and she was seen chowing down on one of those famous burgers, fries and washing it down with a fountain drink.

Ben grubbed down too ... possibly with a Big Mac, we can't really make out his sandwich in the photos.

TMZ broke the story ... Ben and Jen spent a couple hours at their new mansion over the weekend, so it appears they went from their $50 million+ home to the home of the $1 menu ... or vice versa.

You get it, right? Gotta save up when making big purchases!

Jorge Masvidal yelled at Colby Covington and needed to be held back by several men following their alleged fight outside of a Miami hotspot on Monday night ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the clip, you can see as Covington, wearing a tan shirt and grey pants, retreated back into Papi Steak, Masvidal -- wearing a hat and a black t-shirt -- screamed at him, "Don't talk about my kids!"

Masvidal appeared to be charging at Covington while yelling, though a couple of guys outside of the restaurant prevented him from getting to the UFC star.

Masvidal then appeared to say, "I got you, bitch," before he got into an awaiting car.

As we previously reported, sources say Masvidal attacked Covington after Colby had stepped outside of the restaurant following dinner with the Nelk Boys.

In footage we obtained of the aftermath, Colby can be heard saying, "He's over here swinging, trying to come at me, and I ran ..."

Later in the video, Colby asked social media star Bob Menery, "How would he know I'm here?!"

Covington has yet to publicly comment on the incident. Masvidal, meanwhile, has posted several videos appearing to poke fun at Colby over it all.

He also tweeted Tuesday morning, "Good morning to everyone except those that think talking about someone's kids is cool."

Starbucks usually gives its customers a caffeine jolt, but one guy says he perked up for entirely different reasons ... claiming the coffee giant poisoned him with a cleaning solution.

A man named Matthew Mitchell is suing the green mermaid company for what he claims was a reckless display from management when he allegedly downed a black coffee ... which turned out to be blue, and NOT any type of java in the slightest.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Mitchell claims he ordered a simple coffee beverage from a Connecticut location last August ... which was promptly served, and which he threw down the hatch without even thinking twice.

Almost immediately, however, Mitchell says when he drank what turned out to be a witch's brew, he immediately felt a burning in his throat and chest. He looked down in his cup and saw a blue liquid ... turns out it was a chemical substance -- causing his stomach to turn upside down within seconds. Mitchell alleges the staff told him a new employee had screwed the pooch ... not realizing they were brewing coffee in a machine that had just gotten a Urnex treatment.

If you're unfamiliar ... Urnex has a product called Urn and Brewer Cleaner, which Starbucks uses to purify its brewing machines. Problem is, according to Mitchell, Starbs has a crappy system to alert employees when the cleaning is going on -- an upside-down cup and nothing more, he says -- leading novice workers to serve customers like him tainted cups of Joe.

Mitchell says this system is BS -- insisting a more thorough process should've been in play to prevent the nightmare -- and hits the point home, claiming Starbucks was cutting corners here ... which caused great pain and suffering on his part. As a matter of fact, Mitchell claims at least 2 other alleged poison victims sued Starbucks for the exact same thing in the past.

While he was treated for the alleged poisoning, Mitchell says he continues to deal with the fallout -- including what he says is heightened anxiety and fear about the long-term effects of the Urnex ... not to mention medical bills, etc.

For all this trouble, Mitchell says Starbucks is completely responsible ... and he's asking a judge to award him a boatload of cash in damages, laid out in explicit terms by his dynamo attorney, Joe Tacopina.

We reached out to Starbucks, who said, "Our baristas take great care in crafting beverages and providing a safe experience for our customers. We take this obligation seriously and are reviewing Mr. Mitchell's claims."

Kim Kardashian played dinner host in Miami over the weekend for some of her hottest and most famous friends to celebrate the launch of her SKIMS Swim line ... and you can bet Hulu cameras were there, too.

The whole thing went down Saturday at Swan -- David Grutman and Pharrell's restaurant -- where guests dined on pizza, prawns, artichokes, brussels sprouts and more.

As for the guestlist, Khloe Kardashian, Naomi Osaka, Karolina Kournikova, Amanda Anisimova, Malika Haqq,  Candice Swanepoel, Lourdes Leon, and Emma Grede -- to name a few.

We're told Kim opened the dinner with a toast to thank everyone for attending the big launch ... something she and her team have put a ton of work into. Hulu cameras were on hand to capture Kim's entire trip.

TMZ broke the story -- lines for the SKIMS Swim popup in South Beach were INSANE over the weekend ... Kim, Khloe and friends Olivia Pierson, Natalie Halcro, Stephanie Shepherd and Tracy Romulus all stopped by the shop before the celebratory dinner.

Post Malone might be the nicest superstar ever … so says one mom, after he helped wish her autistic son, and fan, a happy 21st birthday.

Nicole Schumacher tells TMZ ...  she and her son Andrew, who's a huge fan of Post's, ran into the "White Iverson" rapper at Matsuhisa Restaurant in Bev Hills to celebrate his 21st birthday.

She tells us Andrew follows the law and had been eagerly waiting to have a beer for the first time ever! While he waited for the brewsky, he was in for a big surprise.

The table next to them sent PM a bottle of sake, so Post came over to thank the group, and as he was about to walk back to his table, Nicole told PM that her son was a big fan and would love to meet him. Post more than obliged.

Check out the video ... Post gives Andrew a warm smile and a handshake, and there's a little chitchat, which means everything to the young man.

Andrew's mom tells us he has a hard time speaking, and rarely are strangers as patient and kind with him as Post.

Mom and son hail from Canton, Ohio ... they were in town visiting her other son who works in L.A. ... so this surprise meet and greet was the icing on the cake.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson are escaping all the drama with Kanye West by filling up on comfort food ... but their attempt to do it on the QT was a pretty hilarious fail.

The couple rolled up to an In-N-Out in the L.A. area, and got in line at the drive-thru ... and immediately drew plenty of attention. First of all, there's nothing low-profile about Kim's custom gray Mercedes-Benz sedan ... so, the paparazzi certainly spotted them.

And then there's the passersby on foot, and the restaurant employees who obviously recognized Pete and Kim -- they're only the most talked about couple in the country right now.

While waiting in the line for their food, Kim seemed to lean over for a little PDA with Pete ... as they're clearly not trying to hide their affection for each other anymore.

We hadn't seen them together in public for a while, but after recently going IG official, doesn't look like they're holding anything back now -- no matter how much it might upset Ye.

Seeing these 2 indulge in classic fast food makes us wonder, though -- animal style?

President Biden is continuing to tighten the screws on Russia, announcing a ban on Vodka, caviar and diamonds imported from the country.

On Friday, 46 announced that he -- along with the nations that make up the EU and G7 -- will revoke Russia's "most favored nation" trade status ... allowing the U.S. and other allies to impose higher tariffs on Russian imports.

The downgrade will also put a ban on Russian vodka, certain seafood and Russian diamonds.

We should note, Russian vodka makes up a small percentage of vodkas on the shelves in the U.S. ... a few Russian-made brands include Russian Standard, Beluga Noble Russian Vodka and Beluga Noble Russian Gold Vodka.

Back in 2019, Russia was the 26th largest goods trading partner of the U.S. ... the majority of those goods being Russian oil and gas -- which Biden banned earlier this week.

Here's a sanction Russian citizens will feel immediately ... all Starbucks and McDonald's restaurants are shutting down there in protest of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Starbucks has about 130 locations in Russia and Ukraine and employs about 2,000 people. CEO Kevin Johnson says Starbucks will provide support for the workers, but all shipments of products will cease ... and all the branches are temporarily closing.

The McDonald's hit will be even bigger ... there are nearly 850 restaurants closing down, and they employ 62,000 Russians.

The golden arches have been in Russia for just over 30 years -- there were huge lines when the first Moscow restaurants opened in 1990, in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Eastern Bloc.

Despite Mickey D's immense popularity there, CEO Chris Kempczinski says, "Our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine."

Both companies had taken some heat for remaining open before today's announcements ... and other corporations are feeling the pressure now. Case in point, within an hour of Starbucks' pullout, Coca-Cola said it too will suspend all business in Russia.

As you know, the U.S. had announced economic sanctions that have crushed the value of Russia's currency. In addition, the U.S., and several other countries, are seizing the assets of Russia's oligarchs.

Another brazen display of thievery at a Walgreens went down this week in the Bay Area -- but the difference now ... someone actually tried doing something, with nutritious help.

Check out this wild video of a guy literally going behind the checkout counter at one of these drug stores in the Richmond District of SF -- where these types of smash and grab thefts have become all too common ... with little to no resistance by anyone there.

Per usual, the dude is having his way back there ... snatching up whatever he can and throwing it in a bag, all while the staff standby and call 911 right next to him.

However, this time ... it looks like somebody was sick of playing bystander and wanted to get in the mix a bit, to at least let the thief know -- hey, this isn't cool ... and also, screw you! And so ... they got into a food fight of sorts, with fruit being the first weapon of choice.

The crook and customer trade banana blows, and eventually ... the former throws what appear to be cookies before getting out of Dodge. It's kinda funny, but also surreal.

BTW, this is far from the only incident like this that's occurred at a Walgreens -- not just in the Bay, but across the country it seems ... as thieves seem to have figured out the retail giant will literally not do a thing to stop anyone, as it's against their shoplifting policy.

All they'll do is call the cops, but by the time they show ... a lot of these folks are long gone. Even the hired security guards have orders not to interfere -- and it's becoming untenable, as Walgreens has recently announced mass store closures, citing these hits as a partial reason.

Harvey Weinstein was caught red-handed once again ... this time with a box of Milk Duds!

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... the contraband in question was discovered by L.A. County jail guards back in November -- after a meeting with attorney Shawn Burkley.

While it's unclear how the Duds made their way to him, Weinstein claimed he brought the chocolates with him when he was extradited from New York back in July. Apparently, jail officials think one of his lawyers may have slipped him the Duds.

Weinstein's rep Juda Engelmayer gave us a statement from Weinstein ... "This was an innocent misunderstanding. It will not happen again. I have been a model inmate, following the rules and regulations and I am sincerely sorry.”

HW's attorney Mark Werksman tells TMZ ... the judge took no action against Weinstein -- nor did the jail. Mark, Shawn, and his other lawyers are still visiting him ... with the same cursory checks in effect.

Weinstein is currently being held at the Correctional Treatment Center -- a medical unit within the Twin Towers jail in downtown Los Angeles ... as he currently awaits trial. He's serving a 23-year sentence in New York.