National

The results of Axios’ informal survey of COVID changes at stores and restaurants are in.

Driving the news: Of all the changes, readers told us they despised the move to QR menus the most, with many writing in all caps for emphasis. 

“I HATE QR code menus. Savoring the menu is an important (part) of the dining experience. I have given up two favorite places because their menu was such. False efficiency." —  Linda D., Lake Forest, Illinois

“Hate QR — if I’m out, I want to get OFF of my phone," — Sally K., Oakland, California

“Covid is over for those who are vaccinated and boosted, and science shows anyway that you're unlikely to get it from just handling a menu.” —Jeffrey C., Los Angeles, California

“I HATE QR code menus. You can't see the whole thing at once, and I've missed entire sections by not scrolling to them. I have no problem with whatever germs are on paper menus.” —Jan B., Evanston, Illinois

Meanwhile, many readers told us they are eating out less since the pandemic opting for takeout and more home cooking. Some said they like to eat outdoors more, another trend brought on by the pandemic as cities across the country relaxed outdoor dining rules.

“We have not eaten inside or outside a restaurant in over 3 years, but now will go pick food up inside a restaurant, always masked.” —Linda M., San Francisco, California

“I am ordering more food delivery and take out than I did before. However, it isn’t that much cheaper so I’d rather go out with friends and have in person experience if given the choice.” —Steve G., Seattle, Washington

“I have always loved eating outdoors, so I love the huge increase in options for outdoor eating.” —Tsippi S., Chicago, Illinois

Many readers said they continue to shop online more often using pickup or delivery options. Some said they used the services more in the early days of the pandemic.

“I now buy groceries 100% online. Love grocery delivery and working remotely!” —Adele F., Denver, Colorado

“Buy much more online, often from Amazon because of wide range of options and convenience.” —Bev L., Minneapolis, Minnesota

“I rarely go inside of a store. We use Walmart pickup for food and order online (at) particular stores.” —Beverly S., Panama City, Florida

"Shop online more but another plus is I don't have to fight horrible traffic in the Atlanta metro area. Also, the selection is poor in retail box stores.” —George W., Stone Mountain, Georgia

“We use online ordering much more. Use of drive through lines depends upon how long they are.” —Deb C., Charlottesville, Virginia

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QR code menus top list of COVID changes people hate

Readers told us they despised the move to QR menus with many writing in all caps for emphasis.

QR code for menus on display, next to bottle of hand sanitizer 

QR codes became more popular for restaurants at the start of the pandemic. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images

Online shopping

Retail

The results of Axios’ informal survey of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="COVID changes at stores and restaurants" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/17/stores-restaurants-covid-changes" data-vars-content-id="1b410d86-1a4c-450c-8bda-b846fc48e30b" data-vars-headline="QR code menus top list of COVID changes people hate" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/17/stores-restaurants-covid-changes" target="_self">COVID changes at stores and restaurants</a> are in.Driving the news: Of all the changes, readers told us they despised the move to QR menus the most, with many writing in all caps for emphasis.

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

More restaurants, including big chains and small mom-and-pop shops, are using subscription programs to build loyalty and drive sales. 

Driving the news: Consumers are increasingly willing to buy multiple subscription services and often underestimate how much they are spending (and sometimes forget they signed up in the first place) which could help boost restaurants' bottom line. 

The latest: Subway is bringing back a limited run of its “Footlong Pass” subscription, a move that could bring in $3.75 million if all 250,000 passes are sold.

Panera launched a coffee subscription program in February 2020, which rebranded to the "Ultimate Sip Club" last April to include soda and lemonade. It’s now available for $11.99 per month or $119.99 yearly with annual subscribers also getting free delivery.

Last year, Taco Bell sold a Taco Lover's Pass where for $10 a month subscribers could get a taco a day for 30 days.

P.F. Chang’s updated its loyalty program to add a paid membership option that gets you unlimited free delivery and more rewards points for $6.99 a month.

Some restaurants are experimenting with memberships where diners prepay for their visits, the AP reports.

Americans spend on average $219 a month on different kinds of subscriptions, which is $133 more than they estimated spending, a survey by C+R Research found.

What's next: Rick Camac, executive director of industry relations at the Institute of Culinary Education, told the AP that he expects many more restaurants will offer subscriptions in the coming years, noting regular monthly income can help restaurants manage their cash flow. 

However, some subscription experiments haven't worked out the way companies intended. On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina's Queso Club offered free cheese dip for a year for $1 ended after a year, per AP, because the company wasn't making enough to cover costs. 

The big picture: The sandwich chain’s $15 subscription offers 50% off a footlong sub each day in April when ordered on Subway's app or website with daily digital codes. The pass is not available in Iowa. 

The passes went on sale at 8 am ET Tuesday on a special website and will be sold through 7:59 am ET Saturday, March 25, while supplies last.

You have to be a new or existing member of the chain’s MyWay Rewards program to purchase the pass.

The pass is only valid in April 2023 at participating locations nationwide.

Between the lines: Subway says if a member used the pass every day in April they’d save an average of $150 or about $5 a day.

You would need to use the pass at least three times to break even.

By the numbers: Subway prices vary by location and by sandwich, meaning the potential pass savings also vary, but in some cases, subs will cost less than $5.

Flashback: In August, Subway sold 10,000 passes for the subscription program, which could be used in September. They sold out in less than six hours.

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More restaurants, including Subway and Panera, are using subscription programs to build loyalty and drive sales.

Subway is selling 250,000 Footlong Pass subscriptions that can be used in April 2023. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Food

More restaurants, including big chains and small mom-and-pop shops, are using <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="subscription programs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/22/subway-footlong-pass-discount-subscription" data-vars-content-id="2f40f74e-1446-4d21-ba54-1f570782a3a9" data-vars-headline="Subway&#x27;s Footlong Pass is back as more restaurants test subscriptions" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/22/subway-footlong-pass-discount-subscription" target="_self">subscription programs</a> to build loyalty and drive sales. Driving the news: Consumers are increasingly willing to buy multiple subscription services and often underestimate how much they are spending (and sometimes forget they signed up in the first place) which could help boost restaurants&#x27; bottom line.

Federal health officials are continuing to investigate a multi-state outbreak of drug-resistant infections linked to eye drops.

Driving the news: At least 3 people have died and 68 people from 16 states were diagnosed with a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in connection with the outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 There have been eight reports of vision loss, the CDC said in its update this week citing data as of March 14.

There have been four cases involving surgical removal of an eyeball, the CDC said.

The 16 states with reported cases are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

There have been eye drop recalls linked to the outbreak including Global Pharma Healthcare's voluntary recall of lots of its Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops, distributed by EzriCare, LLC- and Delsam Pharma for potential microbial contamination. It also recalled a lot of artificial eye ointment.

EzriCare Artificial Tears, an over-the-counter product, was also the “only common artificial tears product" identified across four healthcare facility clusters, which account for 37 of the 68 cases, the CDC said.

Since February, the FDA has been warning consumers and health care practitioners not to purchase and to immediately stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears or Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears due to potential bacterial contamination. The recalled ointment has not been linked to infections but shouldn't be used, the FDA notes.

Meanwhile, other recent eye drop recalls have not been linked to the outbreak.

Select lots of Purely Soothing 15% MSM Drops and Brimonidine Tartrate Ophthalmic Solution did not list any illnesses or injuries from the products but "using contaminated artificial tears increases risk of eye infections that could result in blindness or death," the FDA said.

Teva Pharmaceuticals has recalled nearly 716,000 bottles of Clear Eyes eye drops for failed impurity testing, according to The Miami Herald. which cited an FDA enforcement report.

Yes, but: Most patients reported using artificial tears. Patients “reported over 10 different brands of artificial tears and some patients used multiple brands.”

The CDC said patients who have used “EzriCare or Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears and who have signs or symptoms of an eye infection should seek medical care immediately.” Symptoms, the CDC noted, include:

Yellow, green, or clear discharge from the eye

A feeling of something in your eye (foreign body sensation)

Dunkin' heats up breakfast wars with new tacos

The CDC is continuing to investigate a multi-state outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Eye drops have been linked to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. Photo: White Fox/AGF/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Product recalls

Federal health officials are continuing to investigate a multi-state outbreak of drug-resistant infections <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="linked to eye drops" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/07/eye-drops-recall-2023-risks" data-vars-content-id="30ee7efc-7573-4d55-be86-62f586735485" data-vars-headline="Infections from eye drops linked to 3 deaths, CDC says" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/07/eye-drops-recall-2023-risks" target="_self">linked to eye drops</a>.Driving the news: At least 3 people have died and 68 people from 16 states were diagnosed with a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in connection with the outbreak, according to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/hai/outbreaks/CRPA-artificial-tears.html#anchor_1674746879046" data-vars-content-id="30ee7efc-7573-4d55-be86-62f586735485" data-vars-headline="Infections from eye drops linked to 3 deaths, CDC says" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/hai/outbreaks/CRPA-artificial-tears.html#anchor_1674746879046" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>.

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Health

Dunkin’ is taking the latest shot in the ongoing fast-food breakfast wars by getting into the taco business.

Why it matters: Breakfast is big business for fast-food and quick-service restaurants with brands including McDonald's, Wendy’s, Starbucks and Taco Bell seeing growth in morning sales as more people return to pre-pandemic routines.

Morning restaurant traffic has fully recovered from pandemic declines, according to research firm The NPD Group.

Visits increased 13% year-over-year in January and are up 3% compared to three years ago, per NPD data.

Driving the news: Dunkin' announced the nationwide launch of its first-ever breakfast tacos this week — and they are available to order all day. The tacos were tested at select locations in Arizona, Maine and New Hampshire.

The tacos — served with and without bacon — are a temporary addition and expected to be on the menu for spring and summer, the company told Axios.

The tacos include a flour tortilla, scrambled eggs, melted sharp white cheddar cheese, fire-roasted corn and lime crema with the choice of adding crumbled bacon.

Prices can vary by location, but the tacos cost $2.59 without bacon and $2.99 with bacon, Dunkin’ said. 

Between the lines: Dunkin’ has offered an item similar to tacos — its Wake-Up Wraps — for years. The wraps were first introduced in 2009.

Flashback: In the early days of COVID, restaurants took a hit during breakfast and some cut their offerings or temporarily stopped serving breakfast like Taco Bell did.

McDonald's cut its all-day breakfast and has not brought it back.

Wendy’s launched breakfast nationwide in March 2020.  

Meanwhile, McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme have teamed up to test selling doughnuts at select Kentucky restaurants.

A small-scale test started in October for nine McDonald’s in Louisville, Kentucky.

The test expanded Tuesday and doughnuts are now available at approximately 160 locations across Louisville, Lexington and the surrounding area.

Dunkin’ is getting into the taco business with the launch of its first-ever breakfast tacos.

Two breakfast tacos, one closed and one open

Breakfast tacos are now available at Dunkin' restaurants nationwide. Photo: Courtesy of Dunkin'

Dunkin' Donuts

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Dunkin’" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/14/dunkin-donuts-rewards-change-coffee" data-vars-content-id="b9cbc212-1c64-4060-9d67-bb85fe36e65d" data-vars-headline="Dunkin&#x27; heats up breakfast wars with new tacos" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/14/dunkin-donuts-rewards-change-coffee" target="_self">Dunkin’</a> is taking the latest shot in the ongoing fast-food breakfast wars by getting into the taco business.Why it matters: Breakfast is big business for fast-food and quick-service restaurants with brands including McDonald&#x27;s, Wendy’s, Starbucks and Taco Bell seeing growth in morning sales as more people return to pre-pandemic routines.

Look to the sky this week for a rare chance to see five planets lined up for a “parade of planets” or “planetary alignment.”

Driving the news: Tuesday is the best day to see Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars line up near the moon, NASA astronomer Bill Cooke told the AP.

The planets will stretch from the horizon line to around halfway up the night sky, AP reports.

The alignment became visible late last week and is expected to be visible for a couple of weeks, according to the astronomy website and app Star Walk.

It’s a rare chance to see Uranus, which isn’t usually visible, Cooke told AP.

Context: There are different kinds of planetary alignments with mini alignments including three planets, small four planets and large five or six planets, according to Star Walk.

Small and mini are more common with three small alignments expected in the coming months (April 11, April 24 and May 29), Star Walk notes.

The last five-planet alignment was visible in June 2022.

To see this five-planet alignment, look to the western horizon at sunset, experts advise. 

Sunset times vary and can be calculated using Timeanddate.com's sun calculator.

"If you go outside, right at sunset, right after the sun goes down and look west, you'll see these planets strung out in a line extending about 50 degrees or so," Cooke told CBS News.

The time window to see the planets, visible under the crescent moon, is short, Cameron Hummels, a computational astrophysicist at the California Institute of Technology, told CNN.

Even in urban areas with significant light pollution, much of the alignment should be visible to the naked eye but binoculars or a telescope should make it easier to see the planets.

Cooke said Jupiter, Venus and Mars will be easy to see but binoculars might be needed to view Mercury and Uranus.

Meanwhile, former Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin tweeted about the alignment and said he’s “always on the lookout for some great star-gazing opportunities.”

“Tuesday might be a night to grab the binoculars and catch a glimpse of a pretty rare five-planet alignment of Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, and Mars,” Aldrin said on Twitter Monday. “Here’s hoping the skies will remain clear!”

What's next: The next large alignment is June 17 when Mercury, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn align. It'll be a morning alignment, according to Star Walk.

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How to see rare "planetary parade" with 5 planets lined up

Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars will align in a rare "parade of planets."

A crescent moon rises along with planets Venus, Mars and Jupiter on June 24, 2022, in Toronto. Photo: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

Planets

Space

Look <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="to the sky" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/science/space" data-vars-content-id="d99ae1c8-af1e-4e7b-8685-4d58e33a69f0" data-vars-headline="How to see rare &quot;planetary parade&quot; with 5 planets lined up" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/science/space" target="_self">to the sky</a> this week for a rare chance to see five planets lined up for a “parade of planets” or “planetary alignment.”Driving the news: Tuesday is the best day to see Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars line up near the moon, NASA astronomer Bill Cooke told the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="AP" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/five-planets-align-night-sky-jupiter-mars-d0170eea9fee67680cf2f1bca68a4fcf?utm_source=ForYou&amp;utm_medium=HomePage&amp;utm_id=Taboola" data-vars-content-id="d99ae1c8-af1e-4e7b-8685-4d58e33a69f0" data-vars-headline="How to see rare &quot;planetary parade&quot; with 5 planets lined up" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/five-planets-align-night-sky-jupiter-mars-d0170eea9fee67680cf2f1bca68a4fcf?utm_source=ForYou&amp;utm_medium=HomePage&amp;utm_id=Taboola" target="_blank">AP</a>.

A look at the scientific breakthroughs changing the world, explorations in space and in worlds beyond our own and the threats posed to us by our own planet, both out of our control and of our own making.

Kelly Tyko

Stories

How to see rare "planetary parade" with 5 planets lined up

Dunkin' heats up breakfast wars with new tacos

QR code menus top list of COVID changes people hate

Infections from eye drops linked to 3 deaths, CDC says

Subway's Footlong Pass is back as more restaurants test subscriptions