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I toured Ellis Island's eerie abandoned hospital — take a look inside

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ellis island 5

A family travels for 21 days on a boat that eventually lands on Ellis Island. They gaze at the Statue of Liberty before they are shuffled into lines. Before they start their new lives, a staff of American doctors must check them for any contagious diseases at the island's hospital.

For many immigrants, this was their first impression of the United States during the first waves of immigration in the 20th century.

Roughly 1.25 million people (usually of lower economic status) — 10% of Ellis Island arrivals — passed through the hospital from 1901 to 1924. The rest were quickly diagnosed as healthy enough to enter the US and start their lives in New York City.

Beginning in 1924, the complex served as a psychiatric hospital for soldiers. It was later turned into an internment camp for an estimated 8,000 German, Italian, and Japanese Americans during WWII. The building was abandoned for decades after that, but started undergoing a $6 million restoration in 1990 thanks to nonprofit donations. It finally opened to the public in 2014.

I recently toured some of the wards with the New York Adventure Club, an organization that hosts tours of hidden places around the state. Ellis Island's Immigration Museum also conducts tours, but the NYAC gave me a rare look inside the contagious disease wing.

Here's what it was like.

SEE ALSO: New York City is spending $145 million to battle storms on the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy

To reach Ellis Island, we took a ferry from the southernmost tip of New York City.



The hospital, a massive complex consisting of 11 pavilions, opened in 1901. It welcomed immigrants from all over.



When we arrived, we met our tour guide, John McInnes, and put on hard hats.

"This is your last chance to turn back," he said.



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The best celebrity couples costumes of Halloween 2017

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celebrity couples costumes 2017

Everybody knows that half the fun of dressing up for Halloween is having someone to do it with and celebrities are no exception. 

We've rounded up some of our favorite celebrities who dressed up in pairs (not necessarily with their romantic partners) and totally slayed the Halloween game this year. 

This post will be updated as we see more costumes!

Kim Kardashian and Jonathan Cheban

 The reality star and her best friend, food blogger Jonathan Cheban, dressed as iconic musical duo Sonny and Cher.



Beyoncé and JAY-Z

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 The crazy in love couple dressed as rap icons Lil' Kim and Biggie.



Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson

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The reality star and her boyfriend, Cleveland Cavalier Tristan Thompson, dressed up as the ill-fated duo Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo from "Game of Thrones."



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The 13 best family Halloween costume ideas of all time

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Beyonce Jay Z Barbie and Ken Halloween Costume

Having one original Halloween costume is hard. It's even harder to plan costumes for a whole family.

But when you coordinate, it pays off — as celebrities and history have shown the way.

Here are the 13 best family Halloween costumes that might inspire you.

An elaborate Disney costume is a classic move.

While in office, former vice president Al Gore and his wife Tipper had a knack for creative Halloween costumes. In 1995, they went as Belle and the Beast from "Beauty and the Beast." If they wanted to complete the look, they could have made their kids dress up as Lumiere or Mrs. Potts.



Have a lot of small children? Peas in a pod.

What do you do for a family costume when you have four quadruplets less than three weeks before Halloween? Ed and Heather Lavich had a creative idea: make them all peas in a pod.



"The Wizard of Oz" offers a whole cast of characters to play with.

If you need to coordinate the costumes of a small group of people, while also making all of those costumes separate, consult fantasy movies. "The Wizard of Oz" offers a bunch of great, easily recognizable characters.



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The best US cities to live in if you want to work in finance

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San Francisco California

  • Salaries in the financial sector tend to be higher than average.
  • In some cities, the cost of housing can take a large chunk of your paycheck, even if you work in finance.
  • Adobo.com compiled a list of the best cities for finance workers based on job density and rent affordability.

 

Some of the highest-paying jobs for millennials are in the financial sector.

But just because you're making good money as an accountant or financial adviser doesn't mean you'll be able to afford rent, particularly if you live in an expensive city.

Apartment-rental site ABODO.com recently set out to find the best cities for finance workers. They gathered 2015 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the availability of jobs (employment per 1,000 jobs) and median annual salary for all business and finance positions listed by metro area. ABODO provided the data on median one-bedroom rent prices for each city.

To determine the ranking of metros, job density data was weighted 75% and rent-to-income ratio was weighted 25% of the final score for each place.

Below, check out the best places to live in the US for finance workers.

SEE ALSO: Millennial workers care most about salary — here are the 9 highest-paying jobs for young people

DON'T MISS: Rich millennials are ditching the golf communities of their parents for a new kind of neighborhood

10. Charlotte, North Carolina

Median rent: $1,096

Median salary: $67,470

Employment per 1,000 jobs: 68.86

Score: 4.85



8 (TIE). Lincoln, Nebraska

Median rent: $635

Median salary: $54,960

Employment per 1,000 jobs: 63.21

Score: 4.87



8 (TIE). Detroit, Michigan

Median rent: $528

Median salary: $68,860

Employment per 1,000 jobs: 52.95

Score: 4.87



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The best smart speaker you can buy: Amazon Echo vs. Google Home vs. Apple HomePod

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

echo 4x3

The Insider Pick:

  • Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, smart speakers can answer any question, control your smart home, play games, and so much more. The best smart speaker is the new Amazon Echo with its 15,000+ skills, ability to buy items on Amazon, support for dozens of smart home devices, and stellar audio quality.

Amazon's Echo was the very first smart speaker on the scene with artificial intelligence, and it still dominates the field. Since its launch, Amazon has grown the Echo lineup to include the new Echo, the cheaper Echo Dot, the touchscreen-enabled Echo Show, the upcoming fashion-forward Echo Look, the Echo Plus, and the upcoming Echo Spot.

However, Amazon is no longer alone in the smart speaker space. Google entered the fray last year with the Google Home smart speaker and it now has the Home Mini and the upcoming Home Max. Its smart Assistant now rivals Alexa for power. Apple is also about to get into the AI smart speaker space with its HomePod and you can bet your life that Samsung is looking into making its own smart speaker sooner or later with its Bixby voice assistant.

So which one is best for you and do you even need a smart speaker with artificial intelligence? We've tested the main smart speakers and done a lot of research on each of the main players in this space to bring you the answer to both of those questions. Before we get into the battle royale between Amazon's Echo lineup and the Google Home, let's go over the basics of what's going on in the smart speaker space and why you might want one in your home.

What can a smart speaker with artificial intelligence do?

Smart speakers can do a number of different things, including answer questions, control smart home devices, set alarms, play music, and more. Each speaker has different strengths and weaknesses, but companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple are working hard to fill the gaps and make these speakers even smarter. 

Perhaps the best thing about having a smart speaker is that it frees up your hands and gets you away from your smartphone. You can ask Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri what the temperature is before you run out the door or ask if you need an umbrella. The voice assistants can also read you recipe instructions or set timers when your hands are occupied in the kitchen. They can play you soothing music after a long day or set the mood during a date. If you have smart home devices, you can control them with your voice instead of having to get out of bed or off the couch to turn your lights on and off. 

Smart speakers are also fun for parties and kids, because they can answer trivia questions and even play games. If you have an inquisitive child at home or you like to win arguments, you can just ask your voice assistant a question and get the answer immediately without typing a word or opening an app. Once you've used one, you won't want to be without it.

What services and smart home devices work with the Amazon Echo and Google Home?

Feature sets vary based on the speaker and you should take into account which compatible devices and services you already own or subscribe to before you pick one or the other. Amazon's Alexa has many more skills, compatible products, and compatible apps and services than the Google Home. It's undoubtedly more fully featured, and Google Home is playing catch up. Here's a breakdown of which services and products work with the Amazon Echo and Google Home:

The new Amazon Echo,Echo Dot,Echo ShowEcho Plus, and Echo Spot

amazon echo dot

  • Smart home devices: Phillips Hue, Ring, Schlage Smart Locks, TP-Link Smart Home Products, Leviton, Insteaon, SmartThings, Wink, Caseta Wireless, LI-FX Smart Bulbs, GE Link Smart Bulbs, WeMo, iHome Smart Plugs, iDevices Switches, Nest, Sensi Thermostat, EcoBee Thermostat, Lyric Thermostat, August Smart Lock, Arlo Pro, Nest Cam IQ, Rachio Sprinklers, Gargeio Garage Door, iRobot Roomba Smart Vacuums, and so many more. You can browse all of the Echo compatible products on Amazon and buy them by clicking this link. 
  • Services: Amazon's Alexa supports more than 15,000 skills, and it supports far too many services to list here. Big ones include Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, Sirius XM, Uber, Domino's, StubHub, Audible, Dish, NPR, and so many more. You can also buy things from Amazon with a simple voice command.

The Google Home, Mini, and Max

google home

  • Smart home devices: Chromecast, Chromecast-enabled TVs and speakers, Nest, SmartThings, Phillips Hue, LIFX Smart Lights, TP-Link Smart Home, Vivint Home Security, Rachio Sprinklers, Logitech Harmony, Geeni Connected Tech, August Smart Locks, Anova Precision Cooker, Insignia Wi-Fi Smart Plug, Belkin WeMo Insight Smart Plug, iRobot Roomba 960, Honeywell Wi-Fi Thermostat, Mr. Coffee Smart Coffee Maker, Lutron, Ring, and many more. See the full list here.
  • Services: Spotify, Pandora, Google Play Music, TuneIn Radio, YouTube, IFTTT, Netflix, Google Services, Domino's, Food Network, Headspace, MadLibs, and more. See the full list here.

The Apple HomePod

Apple WWDC 2017 HomePod

Apple's HomePod isn't available yet, so we don't know how many services and devices it will support at launch, but it's safe to say that Apple apps, Apple Music, and HomeKit smart home products will work with the speaker. We'll keep you updated.

Should I be worried about privacy, hackers, and companies selling my data?

There is a trade-off when you buy a smart speaker like the Amazon Echo or Google Home. Both devices are listening all the time for the wake words — "Hey Alexa," or "Okay Google/Hey Google"— that trigger actions.  You can mute the speakers, so they're not listening, but that defeats the purpose of being able to wake the AI assistants up whenever you need them. 

The companies say that nothing is being monitored or recorded until the wake words are spoken, but once they are, Amazon and Google tend to hold on to that voice data to improve the services for you. Luckily, it is all encrypted, so it should be fairly safe. You can delete that voice data from your Echo every now and then, and you should. Just go to Manage my device and delete recordings one by one or clear your search history. With Google Home, you can alter your permissions to limit the data it collects here.

Of course, neither situation is ideal, as Naked Security by Sophos points out. Gizmodo's Fieldguide has more tips on how to tighten your security and privacy a bit on both devices. The worry here is twofold: either hackers will use that data against you or Amazon and Google will mine it for advertising dollars. Unfortunately, it's the risk you take right now.

In contrast, Apple's upcoming HomePod advertises that its system is more secure and private than any other smart speaker. The promo page says that HomePod has, "multiple layers of security — including anonymous ID and encryption" to "protect your privacy." 

Both Google Home and Amazon Echo encrypt your voice data, too, but there are two big differences. One, Amazon and Google associate your data directly with you and your account to learn how to serve you better. Meanwhile, Apple does not associate your data with you or your account, but rather with a randomized set of numbers. Secondly, Apple deletes the association between the data and the random code every six months, whereas Amazon and Google just hold on to it forever unless you bother to delete it yourself, Wired explains.

This becomes important when government requests for data come in. Amazon and Google can find that data and trace it back to you directly, but Apple literally can't because the numbers are randomized and the data is regularly deleted. Apple has the upper hand here, so if data security and privacy matter to you, you'll want to wait and buy a HomePod.

Should you buy a smart speaker?

Smart speakers are helpful, fun to use, and a sure sign of things to come in the future of artificial intelligence and the smart home. If you like to be ahead of the curve, you enjoy having a good speaker at home, you own lots of smart home devices already, and you don't mind some of the trade-offs; you'll love these smart speakers.

Apple fans should hold off until the verdict is in on the HomePod, but Amazon Prime subscribers would do well to pick up an Echo, Echo DotEcho Plus, Echo Spot, or Echo Show. Finally, Google fans who aren't into Prime should spring for a Google Home or Mini because the Google Assistant is bound to pick up as many tricks as Amazon's Alexa before too long. Read on to learn all about these different smart speakers and to figure out which one is best for you. 

Editors Note: We look forward to testing the new Amazon Echo Plus and Spot soon. The Apple HomePod arrives in December, so we'll let you know how we feel about that one soon, too.

Updated on 10/31/2017 by Malarie Gokey: Removed the old Echo speaker and added the new model. Also added the Google Home Mini. We will update this post soon as we test the entire Echo lineup, the upcoming Google Home Max, and the upcoming Apple HomePod.

Read on in the slides below to see why the new Amazon Echo is our top pick, and to read all the reasons why you should also consider the Google Home, the Amazon Echo Dot, the Google Home Mini, and the Amazon Echo Show.

SEE ALSO: The best Amazon Echo for every person and budget

The best smart speaker overall

Why you'll love it: The new Amazon Echo is the uncontested best smart home speaker with its 15,000+ skills, smart home support, and strong audio.

If you want a smart speaker that does it all, the new Amazon Echo is the best one you can buy. The updated model costs a lot less than the original, but it's just as smart. It comes in new finishes to blend in with your decor better, plus, it's a bit smaller and it sounds better.

Amazon got a head start on the competition, and it shows. Alexa has more than 15,000 skills, supports dozens of smart home products, and works with too many apps to count. You can even order things on Amazon with your voice.

This slim, modern cylinder plays audio that matches great Bluetooth speakers for quality, and it'll fit in with any room's decor. When you awaken Alexa, a subtle blue light flicks around the round top of the speaker as it listens in.

You can play music from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and more, and the sound quality is very good. If you subscribe to Audible's audiobook service, the Echo will also play the narration for you while you cook, relax, or work around the house.

Alexa can read you recipes, play audio news shows, tell you the score, look up local businesses, check the weather, and complete just about any other basic task that springs to mind. She'll even order you an Uber to the airport and read out your text messages.

If you have smart home devices already, chances are the Echo works with them. Major ones like the Phillips Hue and other great smart bulbs, as well as Nest and other smart thermostats, work with the Echo. Smart switches, garage doors, sprinklers, locks, and security cameras also play nice with Alexa. The Echo supports more smart home devices than any other smart speaker currently. You can browse compatible smart home devices here.

The only downsides are a lack of privacy, the general fear that Amazon is slowly but surely taking over the world, and the fact that Alexa's search chops aren't as good as Google's.

If you're a Prime member, this is the smart speaker for you, and if you don't have Prime yet, sign up, because all the perks like two-day shipping, free music streaming, free ebooks, and free video streaming on Prime Video are well worth the annual fee.

Pros: Strong speaker, you can buy things on Amazon, best smart home support, cool design, good voice recognition, huge support network, 15,000+ skills and counting

Cons: Some limits with search

Buy the new Amazon Echo on Amazon for $99.99

Buy Echo compatible products on Amazon (price varies based on the product)

Sign up for Amazon Prime now for $99 a year

Read more about Echo skills on Insider Picks



The best smart home speaker for Android fans

Why you'll love it: The Google Home is great for anyone who's all-in with Google and doesn't have Amazon Prime in their lives.

Google has the search smarts to rule the artificial intelligence space, but its just getting started with the Google Home smart speaker and its artificially intelligent Assistant.

It's a great little smart speaker that's customizable and cute enough to fit in with any room's decor. You can choose from a variety of cloth and metallic bases in fun colors. The top portion is white and angled gently so the touch-sensitive surface is positioned perfectly for your hands. Although some people say it looks like the air freshener in your bathroom (it does, to be perfectly honest), we think the Home looks more subtle than Amazon's futuristic-looking Echo lineup.

When you say, "Hey Google," or "Okay Google," little lights dance along the top touch surface in Google's signature colors: red, blue, green, and yellow. You can ask Home to play music from Google Play, Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora, and TuneIn. The sound quality is decent and even at top volume, it sounds as good as most Bluetooth speakers you can buy for the same price.

Google Home has lots of smart features, including the ability to read you a daily briefing, give you a recap of the day's news from NPR and BBC World News, and answer your questions on just about any topic. Since Home uses Google's search graph to answer you, the entire knowledge of the internet is open to you. Ask about weather, traffic, stocks, or trivia, and Google will know the answer.

Google also has lots of experience with different accents, so Home is likely to understand you easily even if you have a strong Colombian accent like my boyfriend. One of my favorite features is playing trivia games with Google. The Assistant will play cheesy game show music and act as the goofy host, giving you a weird nickname when you say, "Okay Google, play a game." She also tells really bad dad jokes that'll have you groaning and guffawing. 

Home works with a variety of smart home devices, too, so you can use it to turn off your Phillips Hue light bulbs, control your Nest thermostat, or stream media to your Chromecast. If you have any of these devices in your smart home, Google Home is a great compliment to those products. I've been using Google Home since it came out, and I love it.

There are still funny limitations, and Google Assistant may tell you she "doesn't know how to help with that yet," but "yet" is the operative word here. Google will only continue to improve Home, so it's a truly fabulous option for a smart speaker — especially at its price of $129.00 on Jet.

Expert reviewers across the web agree that Google Home is a great smart speaker, including CNET, Pocket Lint, The Guardian, and The Wirecutter.

Pros: Customizable base, best at search, good voice recognition, good sound, blends into decor, works with some smart home devices, plays games, affordable, works best with Google services

Cons: Ecosystem isn't as fleshed out as it could be, limitations with cross-platform support, not as much smart home support as Alexa

Buy the Google Home on Jet for $129.00 (originally $134.99)



The best affordable smart speaker

Why you'll love it: The Amazon Echo Dot is the most affordable smart speaker you can buy, and it's just as smart as the original Echo.

If you don't want to pay more than $100 for a smart speaker, you're in luck, because Amazon's Echo Dot is wildly affordable. For $50, you get all the smarts of the original Echo in a smaller package that can sync up with bigger speakers and other Echo Dots to make your home smarter.

Just like on the Echo, you can use the Dot to ask Alexa to play music, trigger smart home devices, make calls, read and dictate messages answer questions, play news casts, set alarms, read audiobooks from Audible, and more.

Since it's a smaller speaker, the Dot doesn't have the same level of sound quality you'd get from a bigger speaker like the Echo or Google Home. However, it can sync up with multiple Dots or you can connect other speakers you have via Bluetooth or the 3.5 mm stereo cable. The Echo Dot supports streaming from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn.

If you have smart home devices, you can use the Echo Dot to control lights, fans, switches, thermostats, locks, garage doors, and more. You can browse compatible smart home devices here. 

The Dot may be small, but it still has Alexa inside, so all those 15,000+ skills are just a voice command away. This is the best smart speaker you can buy on a budget. you can also use it to supplement the original Echo or other Dots in a large home.

Pros: Affordable, small, 15,000+ skills, tons of smart home devices supported, lots of app support, connects to other speakers, works with other Echo Dots

Cons: Not as strong a speaker

Buy the Amazon Echo Dot on sale for $49.99

Buy Echo compatible products on Amazon (price varies based on the product)

Sign up for Amazon Prime now for $99 a year



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This app adds sparkles to your Instagram videos — and celebrities are going crazy for it

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kirakira+ app

While scrolling through my Instagram feed over the past few weeks, I've noticed a trend: Celebrities, fashion bloggers, and makeup artists have all started adding real-time, changeable sparkles to their videos. 

Often reserved for videos of sequined dresses, glitter eye-shadow, or bedazzled high heels, the effect isn't an Instagram filter, it isn't reserved for Instagram stories, and it's not a feature of any photo editing apps I'm familiar with.

I was left to wonder: what was this magical app, and how could I get it? 

Luckily, I didn't have to look far. 

The app is called kirakira+, and it's at the top of the App Store's top paid apps chart right now. Kirakira+ costs $0.99 to download and is only available for iOS devices at the moment.

Here's how it works:

SEE ALSO: Instagram added a goofy new 'Superzoom' feature and creepy face filters in time for Halloween

The app works by identifying anything glittery, shiny, or metallic in the frame and adding real-time, animated sparkles to that object.

 

Kirakira+ can take both still images and videos, but the video tool works a bit better in my experience. 



Kirakira+ has been around for two years, but it has only recently skyrocketed to the top of the App Store.

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Right now, it's beating out perennially popular paid apps like Facetune and Dark Sky, likely due to its celebrity following: Kendall Jenner used it to show off her Halloween costume, model Rosie Huntington-Whitely has used it to add some sparkle, and Eva Chen, Instagram's head of fashion partnerships, uses it all the time



With kirakira+, you have the option to take a standard still image, video, or square image.

The app works with the front-facing and rear-facing camera, and you can also activate a flash for capturing things in low light. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

17 Halloween costumes that won the internet, according to Reddit

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Zombie Barista

  • Reddit is holding a Halloween costume contest, and entries have been pouring in from all over the world.
  • INSIDER rounded up the most creative, terrifying, and hilarious costumes submitted.
  • From a deadly Silent Hill nurse to a gender-swapped Eleven, these costumes are way cooler than your average party store get-ups.

 

Some people take Halloween very seriously. Not content with straight-from-the-store versions of Super Man or Disney princesses, these people get extremely creative.

Reddit is holding a virtual Halloween costume contest, and entries have been pouring in from all over the world. These submissions are some of the most clever, frightening, and intense homemade outfits we've ever seen. 

From a Jack Skellington perched on two-foot stilts to a zombie Stormtrooper that got the attention of Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca himself!), here are our 17 favorite ones.

General Antiope from "Wonder Woman"

This homemade costume was put together by Jessica, from Knoxville, Tennessee. It's 80% leather, 5% pleather, and 15% worbla. 



Georgie and his boat from Stephen King's "IT"

The couples' costume of the year?



Predator

Reddit user Paul handmade this scary costume for his son, Jason.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These are the 10 highest-grossing restaurants in America

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tao las vegas

  • Restaurant Business magazine ranks the highest-grossing independent restaurants each year.
  • This year's top 10 featured many of the same names as last year.
  • Each was able to bring in over $20 million in gross food and beverage sales.


Independent restaurants are on the rise as customers are increasingly turning away from national chains. Still, it's difficult to run a restaurant without the benefit of a recognizable brand, which makes it all the more impressive that some independent restaurants are able to bring in tens of millions of dollars in sales each year.

These are the 10 highest-grossing independent restaurants, according to Restaurant Business magazine. All stats are for 2017, and only restaurants with five or fewer locations were considered. 

SEE ALSO: The most profitable US restaurant is a celebrity hotspot that makes more than $42 million a year — here's what it's like

10. Gibsons Bar and Steakhouse — Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago institution is the only steakhouse in the country to receive a USDA Prime Certification for the beef it sources in-house.

Sales: $24,700,825

Average Check: $75

Meals Served: 363,301

 



9. Bryant Park Grill & Cafe — New York, New York

Located behind the New York Public Library, Bryant Park Grill & Cafe has been called "a gorgeous pavilion"by The New York Times

Sales: $25,400,000

Average Check: $50 (Restaurant Business Magazine estimate)

Meals Served: 420,000



8. Smith & Wollensky — New York, New York

The restaurant is known for its National Wine Week celebrations, which occur three times each year. It's also a favorite of Warren Buffett.

Sales: $25,961,337

Average Check: $100

Meals Served: 296,723



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Top 10 waiver-wire pickups for Week 9 in your fantasy football league

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Robby Anderson, Josh McCown, and Austin Seferian-Jenkins

With Week 8 of the NFL season nearly in the books, it's time for fantasy football managers to get ready to make their waiver claims.

Many NFL teams have reached their halfway point of the season, making it a perfect time to change your perception of the early underachievers and overachievers. For example, the Jets sit at 3-5 with one of the top 20 offenses in the league, but several of their most active players remain woefully under-owned. Taking advantage of these market inefficiencies could be the key to your championship hopes. 

Week 8 wasn't a particularly big one for injuries, but with six more teams on byes this week, your league should see a flurry of transactions. Below, we take a look at the top available names.

Alex Collins, RB

Team: Baltimore Ravens

Week 8 stats: 113 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards, 2 receptions

One thing to know: It looks like those Irish dance lessons are paying off. Two months after being cut by Seattle and signed to the Ravens' practice squad, Collins is having a terrific season for a team with legitimate playoff aspirations. The former fifth round pick leads the NFL in yards per rushing attempt.



Robby Anderson, WR

Team: New York Jets

Week 8 stats: 104 receiving yards, 1 rushing yard, 6 receptions, 1 touchdown

One thing to know: Anderson posted his second game with at least 90 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, but the Temple product was nevertheless owned by just 28% of Yahoo fantasy managers. After pulling in all six of his targets, he'll be a much more popular option this week.



Matt Forte, RB

Team: New York Jets

Week 8 stats: 7 rushing yards, 45 receiving yards, 6 receptions

One thing to know: While Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire have taken over the Jets' ground game, Forte has carved out a nice niche as their primary receiving back. The Tulane product has produced in the double digits for three consecutive games, making him a relatively safe pickup.



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The Internet of Everything — $12.6 trillion ROI expected over the next decade [SLIDE DECK]

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future of retail deck slide 10

Everything around us is becoming connected. As a result, we are seeing shifts in investments and returns. There is already a great demand for network expansion, cyber security and insurance. And generally, the prices of hardware will fall as IoT becomes less of a novelty.

All of this opens up a huge opportunity for everyone to make and save a lot of money. We will invest $6 trillion in IoT between 2015 and 2020, which will yield $12.6 trillion ROI over the next decade. Enterprise will make up the majority of the investment dollars, followed by government and consumer.

BI Intelligence has created a slide deck exploring the most disruptive trends in IoT. To get a more detailed view of the progression, landscape and projections of the Internet of Everything, access the complete slide deck by clicking here.

Some of the topics covered include:

  • The market drivers for the IoT.
  • Forecasts for the IoT market.
  • A breakdown of how many industries are utilizing IoT devices.
  • A look at how governments are using the IoT to revolutionize their cities and defense.
  • An examination of the smart home and connected car market.
  • And much more.

Below are 8 sample slides from the 60-page deck. Want the full deck? Access it here for FREE >>

Want the full 60-page slide deck?  Access it Here - FREE >>



Want the full 60-page slide deck?  Access it Here - FREE >>



Want the full 60-page slide deck?  Access it Here - FREE >>



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11 kitchen accessories that solve our biggest cooking annoyances

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

81Ozv0d nyL._SL1500_We all know making our own meals can save us money and help us be healthier, but it's not always the easiest option. If we're being honest, cooking can sometimes be a nuisance. 

There are instructions to follow, ingredients to collect and prep, and dishes to do afterward, which makes it all the more tempting to scrap the whole thing and order take out. 

I asked the Insider Picks team about which kitchen tools they use to make cooking easier. These picks can save you time before, during, and after you cook, so you can focus on actually enjoying your meal.

Although the items on this list cover the problems we've faced, we encourage you to send us an email if we missed your biggest kitchen gripe.

This article was originally published on 8/8/2017.

DON'T MISS: Everyone can extend the shelf life of their fruits and vegetables with this simple kitchen tool

An avocado slicer

I love guacamole, but removing the pit with a knife is pretty dicey. Most avocado tools are just for cutting it up, but the OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer does more. It slices the avocado in half, helps you pop out the pit, and cuts perfect slices for avocado toast or guacamole mashing.

 Malarie Gokey, guides editor

OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer, $9.99



A tea infuser

I got really nice loose leaf tea from Harrods during the London leg of my last trip to the UK, but I didn’t have anything to keep the leaves out of my drink, so I bought this twisting tea ball from OXO Good Grips off Amazon for $10.

It’s actually in Insider Picks' buying guide for the best tea infusers, so you can read more about why it’s awesome there.

— Ellen Hoffman, Editor, commerce editor

OXO Good Grips Twisting Tea Ball, $9.95



A foldable cutting board

My house plans were not designed with me — or anyone — in mind. To compensate for limited counter space, I have to sit down at our kitchen table to prep any food, and it's just far enough away from the stovetop to mean some food might fall off the cutting board and onto the ground en route. This foldable one makes the process smoother, and I’m guaranteed to lose fewer ingredients on the way.

— Mara Leighton, commerce reporter

Joseph Joseph Chop2Pot Folding Cutting Board, sizes vary, $10-$20



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Here are the richest suburbs of each of America's 35 biggest cities

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old car show

  • Thrillist identifies the richest suburbs of the 35 largest cities in America — specifically, the most "obnoxiously rich."
  • They canvassed experts on each city to identify which would make the list.
  • Some of the towns included are: New York's suburb Roslyn, LA's Santa Clarita, and the Atlanta suburb, Brookhaven.


We're gonna take a guess: If you're checking to see if your town is on this list, you probably live in the sort of place that would take the "Obnoxiously Rich" distinction as a secret point of pride. And why not? It proves what you've known — this place is great, and the only reason more people don't say so is because they can't admit the facts. Grand houses. Great schools. Excellent tennis instructors. The very best groundskeepers and gated-subdivision on-call security guards in the city.

But you know what really makes your town special? The people. And it's the people — your people — we want to celebrate in this list.

Our methods are partly data-driven, mostly subjective.

We canvassed experts on all of these cities, many of them natives of your town either years ago or presently. A lot of these choices did come down to silly little quantifiers like money — but what doesn't, though, are we right? — while other factors, we navigated by feel.

Put it this way: If you're here, it's not merely for being wealthy or pompous or aloof or profligate, although you may be all of the above. No, mostly you're here because you bring that certain extra something. You're unmistakably, unabashedly yourself. You may not be the coolest — these are the coolest suburbs in America— but who wants to be cool when you can be rich?

SEE ALSO: Retiring a millionaire at 43 hasn't made me 'happier' — but it was definitely worth it

Atlanta: Brookhaven, Georgia

Population: 51,029

Exciting and pompous fact: Decades ago, long before incorporating as Brookhaven, this new North Atlanta city was actually a city named North Atlanta (because ewww, "Atlanta").

Today, the city of Brookhaven is exactly what it sounds like: a haven for people named Brook. There's Town Brookhaven, which is one of those weird villages that has decent-at-best food, a theater with couches and alcohol, and a Costco. There's Peachtree Golf Club, which was designed in part by Bobby Jones in the late 1940s, and therefore gives residents the feeling that they belong to something but in reality makes them a tiny version of Augusta, and LMAO at that being a thing.

They even tried to have their own version of Atlanta's beloved Dogwood Festival – the Cherry Blossom Festival — which recouped only half of the $300k+ budget it blew asking people to come by and spend their money on some shit you're apparently supposed to buy while looking at some damn flowers.—Mike Jordan, Thrillist Atlanta editor emeritus



Austin: West Lake Hills, Texas

Population: 3,063

Exciting and pompous fact: A 2005 "Texas Monthly" essay on growing up in West Lake Hills says: "Attending Westlake High meant never having to apologize for being wealthy or successful. And if other towns hated us, it surely wasn't our fault."

Secluded from the rest of Austin by way of the Colorado River, Westlake sits high atop the enviably scenic hills of West Austin, and residents clearly relish their geographical vantage point as they literally look down upon all those lesser neighborhoods from their frightfully steep driveways. Even worse than these silver-spooners (who still consider themselves "hip" and "alternative" because they're "from Austin") are their insanely privileged spawn who terrorize the area around Westlake High School in their Range Rovers but, lucky for the rest of the city, don't deign to venture down from their perch in the hills too often. —Ciera Velarde, editorial production assistant



Baltimore: Clarksville, Maryland

Population: 11,236

Exciting and pompous fact: Even the Wikipedia page brags about how its public schools are better funded than competing private and charter schools in the area.

I can't really speak to this area, so I'll let my friend who grew up in Howard County do the honors: "A town of big, historically charming homes owned by people who made their money doing incredibly boring things, so they compensate by trying to ramp their snobbiness up, quite possibly out of boredom. Also, somewhat confusingly, they have a Ruby Tuesday." Maryland confounds me. —Kevin Alexander, national writer-at-large



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12 photos of celebrities not wearing their jackets properly, because no one knows how to dress for fall weather

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A lot of confusing fashion trends have surfaced this fall, but one is undoubtedly the strangest. Many celebrities have taken to wearing their jackets in unconventional ways, like draping them over their shoulders.

It's unclear why it's become popular for celebrities to wear their coats incorrectly, as doing so doesn't seem to have any functional benefits. Plus, it doesn't seem like a very practical look, as not wearing a jacket correctly might restrict a person's range of motion.

Yet, from Gigi Hadid to Demi Lovato, countless stars have worn their jackets improperly — and they somehow looked effortlessly cool while doing so. Keep reading to see all the creative ways celebrities have incorrectly worn their jackets this fall.

At an event in Los Angeles, California, on August 23, Sophia Richie took an edgy approach to the trend by layering a duster jacket over a printed shirt and trousers.

The model leaned into popular street style trends, wearing white ankle boots and styling a fanny pack as a cross-body bag. She kept her hair and makeup simple to let this all-around extra look speak for itself.



On August 31, Nicole Scherzinger sported a more glam version of the trend when she layered a leather jacket over a mermaid-style gown while in London, UK.

The "X Factor" judge finished this ensemble with large, beachy waves and shimmering makeup.



On September 10, Ashley Graham attended a New York Fashion Week event in a bomber jacket and plaid minidress — but she didn't quite wear her coat.

Although she actually used her sleeves, the model allowed her jacket to fall below her shoulders.



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17 jobs that are quickly disappearing in the US

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Marty McFly Back to the Future

The most promising jobs of the future have great prospects, with good pay and an optimistic outlook. Others, not so much.

By 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects more than a 20% decline in employment for 17 jobs, resulting in almost 162,000 fewer positions than 2016.

Some jobs, like locomotive firers, are being phased out as their duties are performed by other workers. Other professions, like postmaster, may be all but obsolete in the not-so-distant future thanks to technology including email, Facebook, and Twitter.

Based on BLS occupational outlook data, here are the 17 jobs that could be on their way out, as well as what these people do on a daily basis, according to O*NET descriptions of the jobs.

SEE ALSO: The 21 most promising jobs of the future

DON'T MISS: 12 jobs robots are taking over the fastest

SEE ALSO: 12 awesome offices reveal what work will look like in the future

17. Hand-grinding and -polishing workers

They grind, sand, or polish using hand tools or hand-held power tools, a variety of metal, wood, stone, clay, plastic, or glass objects.  

Projected decline: 20.5%

Median annual pay: $28,720

Number of people who held this job in the US in 2016: 26,600

Predicted number of people who will hold this job in 2026: 21,100



16. Coil winders, tapers, and finishers

They wind wire coils used in electrical components, such as resistors and transformers, and in electrical equipment and instruments, such as field cores, bobbins, armature cores, electrical motors, generators, and control equipment.

Projected decline: 20.6%

Median annual pay: $33,940

Number of people who held this job in the US in 2016: 14,100

Predicted number of people who will hold this job in 2026: 11,200



15. Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers

They assemble or modify electrical or electronic equipment, such as computers, test equipment telemetering systems, electric motors, and batteries.

Projected decline: 20.7%

Median annual pay: $31,310

Number of people who held this job in the US in 2016: 218,900

Predicted number of people who will hold this job in 2026: 173,600



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The Chevy SS is an incredible car — but it is about to become extinct (GM)

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Chevy SS

  • The Chevy SS is the last of a breed of rough-and-ready rear-wheel-drive sedans.
  • The car is being discontinued.
  • But we got to check it out before its demise.


Technology is changing the way we drive.

This is a story we're told seemingly every day. The main characters are Tesla, Uber, Lyft, and lately, even the major automakers, who are pushing the envelope on electric cars and autonomous vehicles. The plot goes like this: In a few decades, driving a car will be to the 21st century what riding a horse was to the 20th.

It's a compelling narrative. But then again, there are still some people who want to ride horses.

And there will probably always be some people who want to drive a car.

For those folks, Chevrolet has produced a smashingly good machine, the Chevy SS. Sadly, because the market for a stonking, ill-mannered rear-wheel-drive sedan is limited — and because GM has ended production at its Holden division in Australia, where the SS originates, Chevy is discontinuing the model. The SS will now join its predecessor, the Pontiac G8 GXP, on that great open road in the sky.

But not right away — you can still buy an SS until dealer stocks run out (there are currently about 1,000 available in the US right now). We got our hands on a 2017 model and piloted it around New York and New Jersey for a few days. To say that we were in automotive Elysium for the whole time would be an understatement. 

Here's why we fell in love with this rude beast:

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SEE ALSO: The Chevy Bolt is claiming an unlikely victim

The beast landed at our suburban New Jersey test complex. Phantom Black Metallic was the exterior, and the interior got Jet Black leather. It's basically impossible to get the SS to cost you $50,000. All optioned up, ours came in at about $48,000.



The styling is epically subdued. Yes, the SS has a burly presentation, but any of number of BMW M-Sport cars are far more in-your-face.



To be honest, you could be easily forgiven for calling the SS boring. It looks like a basic GM sedan that's been slightly bulked up, with some added touches here and there to identify is as a member of the SS family, which once included Pontiacs, back before GM killed the brand. "SS," by the way, stands for "Super Sport."



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Legendary architect Zaha Hadid changed architecture forever with these stunning designs

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The late Zaha Hadid, who died in early 2016 at the age of 65, reshaped architecture for the modern era. October 31 would've been her 67th birthday.

Hadid was known for her neofuturistic style, with buildings featuring sharp angles and wild forms. In 2004, she became the first woman and the first Muslim to win a Pritzker Prize, considered the Nobel Prize of architecture.

The Iraqi-British architect designed iconic buildings around the world, including the London Olympic Aquatic Center, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Azerbaijan.

Over 30 her designs, including a Beijing office tower with the "world's tallest atrium," are still under construction. The firm that she started, Zaha Hadid Architects, is continuing her posthumous career and will deliver nearly 50 more structures — more than she designed in her lifetime. One of the firm's most ambitious projects will be redesigning Estonia's capital by 2030, a project it won in September.

A new photography book, "Zaha Hadid Architects: Redefining Architecture & Design" from Images Publishing Group, chronicles how Hadid revolutionized building design.

Take a look at some of Hadid's greatest works below:

SEE ALSO: The 13 most memorable works from the 'Queen of the Curve,' who won architecture's biggest prize 13 years ago today

Over the course of her career, Hadid completed more than 30 acclaimed works. The 619,000-square-foot Heydar Aliyev Centre opened in Baku, Azerbaijan and won the London Design Museum award in 2014.



Like many of Hadid's extravagant buildings, it had a hefty price tag: $250 million.



The Galaxy Soho building in central Beijing opened in 2012. The facade features curved forms, a style Hadid was known for.



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What 25 highly successful people were doing at age 25

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Jeff Bezos

Everyone's measure of and path to success is different.

For some, it's mostly linear. Others encounter more twists, turns, and bumps along the way.

Before becoming the leader of the free world, Donald Trump, for example, was born into a real estate development family and inherited his father's business at 25.

Focus Brands group president Kat Cole, on the other hand, saw her 20s as more transformative years, working her way up the ladder from a Hooters waitress to the company's vice president by the time she was 26.

To illustrate how no two paths to success are alike, we've highlighted what 25 highly successful people were doing at age 25.

SEE ALSO: Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, and 28 other successful people share their best career advice for people in their 20s

DON'T MISS: 16 things successful 20-somethings do in their spare time

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos had a cushy job in finance

At age 24, the future Amazon founder and CEO went to work at Bankers Trust developing revolutionary software for banking institutions at that time, according to "Jeff Bezos: The Founder of Amazon.com" by Ann Byers

Two years later, he became the company's youngest vice president.



President Donald Trump took over his father's real-estate-development company

President Trump grew up the wealthy son of a real-estate mogul. 

At 25, the young real-estate developer was given control of his father's company, Elizabeth Trump & Son, which he later renamed the Trump Organization, according to Bio.

Shortly thereafter he became involved in large, profitable building projects in Manhattan. 



Actress Jennifer Lawrence was an Oscar-winner raking in millions

Twenty-six-year-old Lawrence is Hollywood's highest-paid actress, raking $46 million pretax over 12 months in 2016, and closer to $52 million in 2015, according to Forbes.

By the time she was 25, Lawrence had starred in the box-office-hit "Hunger Games" trilogy and worked alongside a star-studded cast in the X-Men series.

At 22, she became the second-youngest winner of the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook," and she has won many more awards for her work.



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Here's how Halloween went from a day of demons and turnips to a festival of costumes and candy

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• Halloween draws from both Celtic and Christian traditions.

• While it's always had a morbid, spooky vibe, the festivities have changed quite a lot over the centuries.



Halloween is the spookiest night of the year.

It's also a boon to the retail industry. In the US, spending on costumes and candy may reach a record high this year, Business Insider reported.

And the Halloween fever isn't contained to the States, either. In fact, people around the world celebrate the holiday in many different ways.

But where did all these strange practices come from? Turns out, a lot of these customs date back centuries. The holiday has changed over time, transforming from an ancient tradition to the flashy fright-fest we know and love today.

Let's take a look at the origins of some of our favorite Halloween traditions:

SEE ALSO: Here's how Easter turned into a holiday with pastel bunnies and chocolate eggs

The word 'Halloween' was first popularized in a poem

Scottish poet Robert Burns helped to popularize the word "Halloween" with his 1785 poem of the same name.

So where does the name itself come from? According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it's actually two words smushed together. "Hallow"— or holy person — refers to the saints celebrated on All Saints' Day, which is November 1. The "een" part of the word is a contraction of "eve"— or evening before.

So basically, Halloween just an old-fashioned way of saying the night before All Saints' Day — also called Hallowmas or All Hallows' Day.

This comes from the fact November 1 is All Saints' Day, a Christian feast dedicated to celebrating the faithful departed, including all the saints. In Christian tradition, people start celebrating major feasts the night before they take place — take Christmas Eve, for instance.



The day's morbid traditions go back to ancient times

Historians have linked Halloween to Samhain, the Celtic festival of the summer's end celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.

According to Celtic mythology, the veil between the Otherworld and our world thins during Samhain, making it easier for spirits and the souls of the dead to return.

People would make offerings of food in order to get on the good side of these spirits and departed ancestors, according to the Mirror.

Allhallowtide, which includes All Saints' Eve, All Saints' Day, and the subsequent All Souls' Day, was initially celebrated in the spring, during the early years of the Church.

Pope Gregory IV switched it to the current date in 837, according to Britannica. His reasons were unclear, although influence from Celtic factions of the church and the fact that it makes sense to commemorate death during the fall are possibilities.



Bobbing for apples used to be more than just a splashy party game

Halloween has come to be most closely associated with the pumpkin, but apples have played an important role in its history.

After all, apples make numerous appearances in Celtic mythology and are often connected to the Otherworld.

Bobbing for apples remains a popular party game.

The reason? Well, the practice used to be considered a form of divination performed around Halloween, according to NPR. That's right — people would dunk their heads in a vat of water and try to bite into floating fruit in a quest to figure out their future spouse.

Ladies would mark an apple and toss it into the tub. The thinking was they'd be destined to whoever pulled it out of the water.



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20 powerful, award-winning photos that will make you fall in love with the world

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sipa 2017

Every year, the Siena International Photo Awards brings together the best photographers from around the world to share their perspectives of some of the most beautiful, striking places on Earth. The winner receives €1,500 (about $1,750) worth of photography equipment and the esteemed Pangea Prize.

The images range from stunning landscapes to subtle portraits and dramatic encounters in the animal kingdom in categories such as nature, sports, travel, and architecture, as well as a student division for up-and-coming photographers under the age of 20.

Here are some of our favorite images from this year's contest. You can check out last year's winners here.

"At World's End" by Alessandra Meniconzi



"Flatiron Building In The Snowstorm" by Michele Palazzo



"The Most Wuthering Heights Ever" by Kristin Linnea Backe



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'Psychologically scarred' millennials are killing countless industries from napkins to Applebee's — here are the businesses they like the least

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buffalo wild wings

Millennials' preferences are killing dozens of industries.

There are many complex reasons millennials' preferences differ from prior generations', including less financial stability and memories of growing up during the recession.

"I think we have got a very significant psychological scar from this great recession," Morgan Stanley analyst Kimberly Greenberger told Business Insider.

Sign up for Business Insider's newsletter: What you need to know every day delivered right to your inbox.

Here are 19 things millennials are killing.

SEE ALSO: Millennials reveal their 100 favorite brands

Casual dining chains like Buffalo Wild Wings and Applebee's

Brands such as Buffalo Wild Wings, Ruby Tuesday, and Applebee's have faced sales slumps and dozens of restaurant closings as casual-dining chains have struggled to attract customers and increase sales.

In August, Applebee's announced it would close up to 135 restaurants, in part because it focused too much on winning over millennials and forgot its "Middle America roots." 

"Millennial consumers are more attracted than their elders to cooking at home, ordering delivery from restaurants, and eating quickly, in fast-casual or quick-serve restaurants," Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith wrote in a letter to shareholders earlier this year.

 



Beer

In late July, Goldman Sachs downgraded both Boston Beer Company and Constellation Brands based on data suggesting that younger consumers prefer wine and spirits to beer, as well as the fact that they're drinking less alcohol than older generations more generally.

Beer penetration fell 1% from 2016 to 2017 in the US market, while both wine and spirits were unmoved, according to Nielsen ratings. 

While some argue that calling a 1% drop in penetration a beer-industry homicide case is an overreaction, small shifts have a huge financial impact on beer industry giants. Beer already lost 10% of market share to wine and hard liquor from 2006 to 2016.



Napkins

Younger consumers are opting for paper towels over napkins, according a Washington Post article from 2016.

The Post points to a survey conducted by Mintel, which highlights that only 56% of shoppers said they bought napkins in the past six months. At the same time, 86% surveyed said they had purchased paper towels.

Paper towels are more functional than napkins and can be used for more purposes. And the Post noted that millennials are more likely to eat meals out of the home, contributing to the decline. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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