SAN FRANCISCO—It's been a while since the city's health care controversy has been in the news, yes? Last we checked in with the festivities, the Golden Gate Restaurant Association had appealed the decision to uphold the Healthy SF plan; today, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the GGRA's appeal, meaning that the restaurant group will now (try to) appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. [KTVU]
THE EMBARCADERO—Just an FYI for you FiDi lunchers: Americano sends along word that during lunch, valet parking is free at Hotel Vitale. Say what you will about the happy hour clusterfuck (and we have), but that patio is still one of the best in the city, especially during non-peak hours (i.e., midday, late night). [EaterWire]
CHICAGO—The Windy City is the latest place to take issue with Yelp's "pay-to-play" system, as reported by the Trib: "[One restaurant] said that last summer a Yelp salesperson offered to 'move up my good reviews if I sponsored one of their events. They called it rearranging my reviews.' The owner of More Cupcakes, Patty Rothman, said that last fall a Yelp Chicago staffer walked into her Gold Coast shop and 'guaranteed us good reviews on the site if we catered one of their parties for free.' Offended but resigned, Rothman complied. And just as promised, positive reviews bloomed for the business right after the party, Rothman said." [CT]
THE MARINA—Since the first one was a sold-out hit, Laiola is bringing back Pink Slip Sunday, wherein diners can bring in a friend who was laid off and their dinner is free. The next date is March 15; make your resy at joe@laiola.com. [EaterWire]
