A new lawsuit claims that NYC-based burrito chain Dos Toros is misleading customers about how its meat is sourced. According to Bloomberg, a lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan charges that Dos Toros’ suppliers keep animals “in inhumane, crowded and stressful conditions of confinement” while the restaurant chain touts its meat sourced from “naturally and humanely raised” animals. Dos Toros — which runs 21 locations in New York, New Jersey, and Chicago — is profiting off of the allegedly misleading claims, according to the lawsuit.
New York-based Richman Law & Policy, the firm behind the lawsuit, is currently seeking class-action status, Bloomberg reports.
A spokesperson for Dos Toros tells Eater that the company has “yet to received the lawsuit” but they are taking the allegations “very seriously.” The chain is “mounting a comprehensive investigation of the claims in the lawsuit and will have more to say at the conclusion of that investigation,” the spokesperson says.
Update: March 27, 2022, 12:02 p.m.: This article was updated to include comments from a spokesperson for Dos Toros.
An East Village stalwart signals its comeback
The 27-year-old Latin American restaurant El Rinconcito noted that it wouldn’t be gone for long when it closed up shop in July 2021 — and now it appears to be readying its return. EV Grieve reports that colorful signage for the restaurant is up at its new home at 73-75 Avenue C, near East Fifth Street. A reopening date has not yet been announced.
Long lines are back at NYC bars
In the weeks since the city has lifted its vaccination mandate for restaurants and bars, crowds are descending on downtown Manhattan hot spots like Employees Only, the Spaniard, and the Jane Hotel, the New York Times reports. Bar owners tell the publication that they’ve been seeing double-digit sales increases amid the nightlife resurgence — and they hope this is just the beginning of what’s to come this summer.
The city’s permanent outdoor dining plan hits obstacle
Another update in NYC’s permanent outdoor dining saga: Crain’s New York reports that a judge in the state’s Supreme Court in Manhattan has ordered that the plan cannot go forward until the city reviews the environmental impact of permanent outdoor dining, a required step as per the state’s Environmental Quality Review Act. The review typically takes months, an urban planner tells Crain’s. The city is aiming to have a permanent program in place by the time the temporary plan expires at the end of this year, according to Crain’s, but this new development may throw that timeline into flux.