Cover Story
Orlando’s restaurants have faced unthinkable setbacks. An epic labor shortage may be the one that reforges the industry
A cascade of pandemic-caused adversity has plagued independent restaurants over the past couple of years. But even more than the forced closures, pivots to takeout and protracted supply-chain issues, one particular struggle is bringing the industry to its knees: epic staffing shortages. Kitchen workers aren’t flocking back to restaurants in this not-so-post-COVID-19 era as restaurateurs…
Central Florida Witches Ball will get cauldrons bubbling for a good cause this October
This Halloween season, Central Florida-area witches are holding a soiree, and you are cordially invited. The Central Florida Witches’ Ball goes down Saturday, Oct. 16, at the Isle of Valhalla in nearby Chuluota. The evening event promises “a hybrid of the party atmosphere of a traditional Witches Ball with a DJ, dancing, and guests encouraged to…
Every Halloween event happening in Orlando this year (that we know about)
Here is this year’s running list of all the creepiest haunts, most fright-tastic film events and spookiest soirees this Halloween season in the greater Orlando area. We’ll be adding more events to this blog … when you least expect it! Read on, if you dare. Through Oct. 31 Owl-o-Ween The Audubon Center gets in the…
Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s latest expansion hopes to help fight Florida’s manatee crisis
UPDATED 9/20/21: To reflect upcoming exhibits Ten years ago, Clearwater Marine Aquarium was overwhelmed by visitors after being thrust into the spotlight by the international stardom of its rescue dolphin Winter. As attendance and awareness of the Gulf Coast aquarium rose, so did the need to update many of the habitats at the facility. An $80…
With a major new attraction likely in the works, Tampa’s Adventure Island looks to move out of the shadow of other Florida water parks
With competition from more than half a dozen water parks in the Orlando market, Tampa’s Adventure Island is often an afterthought. Based on how the decades-old water park looks compared to its sister parks like Aquatica and Water Country, USA, the park seems to be the outcast of the SeaWorld chain, which includes three other…
Legal Public Notices 09/15 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below at the property indicated: September 24,2021 at the times and location listed below. The personal goods stored therein by the following: 12PM Extra Space Storage 1101 Marshall Farms RD, Ocoee, FL 34761 (407) 516 7221 Sasha De La Rosa -…
Orlando Science Center to offer $10 admission on Sept. 19
Orlando Science Center is discounting their admission for a single day, to allow Orlando area families to experience the learning exhibits, movies and other programs. On Sunday, Sept. 19, the OSC will offer all tickets at $10. That’s a steep markdown from their typical admission cost of $21 per adult and $15 per child. The…
Piano restaurant planned for Hannibal Square in Winter Park
A piano restaurant is opening in Winter Park’s Hannibal Square. According to the Orlando Business Journal, Cafe-Boutique Piano will open at 558 W. New England Ave., across from Chez Vincent and Hannibal’s on the Square, in the former “Classic Iron Beds” space. While the ownership group didn’t speak with the publication, their representative shared that…
Everything Is Terrible plots Orlando return in 2022
Culture-jamming weirdos Everything Is Terrible have announced their “Kidz Club” 2022 tour, with a long overdue return to the City Beautiful in and amongst the cross-country run of dates. The Kidz Club show hits Will’s Pub — or “William’s Public House,” as they called it in back in 2018 — on Feb. 19, 2022. The only other Florida show…
Orange County Animal Services hosting flash sale with $10 adoption fees
Orange County Animal Services is near capacity. To provide a little wagging room for its adoptable pets, they are holding a flash sale starting today and running through Thursday. To find homes for some of the shelter’s 249 current pets, all adoption fees will be cut down to $10. More info on the available animals…
$15 an hour is a joke
If you happened to open (or, let’s be honest, click on) the Orlando Sentinel this morning, you would have seen the latest round of hosannas for a business owner offering their employees $15 an hour. In a profile of a move made by Hawkers Asian Street Food in June, an employee beams from inside the…
Monster Jam will roar back in to Orlando in 2022
Like the sun rising every morning, you can count on truckapalooza Monster Jam returning to the City Beautiful every year. And, sure enough, Monster Jam will roar into Camping World Stadium in May. Camping World Stadium in downtown Orlando will again become the site of a weekend of spectacular vehicular carnage on May 21-22, 2022. The…
Anti-vax and anti-mask selfishness is scarier than anything found at this year’s crop of haunted houses
After two decades at Busch Gardens Tampa, Howl-O-Scream made its Orlando debut last Friday at SeaWorld. The rain-dampened debut featured goblins, pirates and Jack the Ripper, but the scariest character of the evening may have been the guest wearing a shirt proclaiming their refusal to receive the vaccine or wear a mask. When Halloween rolled…
Florida parents want to fast track mask mandate ban case to Supreme Court
Parents locked in a legal battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis about school mask requirements want to fast-track the case to the Florida Supreme Court. Attorneys for the group of parents filed a request late Friday to effectively bypass the 1st District Court of Appeal and go to the Supreme Court. The request, filed at the…
Gov. Ron DeSantis threatens to fine Florida employers who require vaccination against COVID-19
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that Florida will fight local and federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates for public and private workers, warning that such requirements will have a “huge impact” on public safety. Appearing in Alachua County with two Republican state Cabinet members and individuals espousing anti-vaccination theories, DeSantis said that vaccination requirements would force “into…
Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining extends offer through Oct. 17
Restaurants took quite a hit over the last year and annual culinary celebrations have taken note. Much like our very own Bite30, Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining has extended its run this year to allow more time for excited diners to snag discounted meals. The typically month-long offer of three-course meals from Orlando hotspots will now…
Bubbalou’s Bar-B-Que closes original Winter Park location
Following a tough year fighting declining sales from the coronavirus pandemic, Orlando area barbecue chain Bubbalou’s closed its original location in Winter Park. The owners of the chain announced the shuttering of the location they had operated since 1986 in a post to Facebook. In a note posted to the door of the restaurant, the…
Mask mandate ban back in place in Florida schools as state fights districts in court
An appeals court reinstated Florida’s mask mandate ban in public schools, upon a request from the administration of Ron DeSantis. The case was originally decided in favor of school districts who wish to impose mandates to stem the spread of COVID-19. Leon County Circuit judge John Cooper found that the DeSantis administration had overstepped their…
Bacon-free Wendy’s in Orlando closes
Wendy’s has worked really hard to associate their name with two things: weirdly geometric patties and bacon. In Orlando, however, there was one unique location that sat out the advent of the Baconator. Was being the operative word, as it has closed. The North Orange Wendy’s was prohibited from selling any pork products, thanks to…
Dua Lipa to play Orlando’s Amway Center in February
Having released Future Nostalgia last year, Dua Lipa has finally revealed the itinerary for the highly anticipated tour in support of the 26-year-old’s dancefloor-friendly, disco-steeped, Grammy award-winning sophomore record. The 28-date North American trek kicks off in Miami in February and will stop in Orlando on Feb. 11 at Amway Center with support from Caroline…
UCF starts process of joining Big 12
The University of Central Florida’s athletics program will join the Big 12 Conference by summer 2024, in a move that the school’s president said will help “enhance” the university’s reputation. The UCF Board of Trustees voted Friday to begin a negotiation process to become the newest member of the Big 12 and exit the American…
Florida nears 50,000 COVID-19 deaths
A weekly report released Friday by the Florida Department of Health shows that the state has added 2,448 COVID-19 deaths and is nearing 49,000 since the start of the pandemic in early 2020. The report showed a total of 48,772 deaths as of Thursday, up from 46,324 a week earlier. It also showed a total…
Florida woman fights off large alligator while paddleboarding in terrifying video
A woman paddleboarding in Ocala over Labor Day weekend had an extremely close encounter with a giant alligator. In multiple videos and photos posted to her Facebook page, Vicki Reamy Baker can be seen fending off a large alligator at Silver Springs State Park. “Why are you messing with me? Why are you trying to…
J Balvin announces Orlando headlining show in 2022
Latin music megastar J Balvin on Friday announced a return to Orlando’s Amway Center in 2022. The singer will bring his tour supporting new album Jose to the City Beautiful on May 14, 2022, as part of an extensive U.S. tour. There are just two other Florida shows (Miami and Fort Myers) on this trek. Balvin last…
Central Florida’s Gasparilla Music Festival releases daily lineup with the addition of Cedric Burnside and more
Tampa’s Gasparilla Music Festival (GMF) has added a handful of artists to its three-day 2021 lineup and released a daily schedule. Grammy-nominated blues guitarist Cedric Burnside is among the new additions along with Springsteen-esque songwriter Mondo Cozmo who played GMF in 2018. Other new lineup additions at GMF include Denver funk favorite the Motet, Texas…
Universal Orlando cuts water usage by over a third to avoid COVID-19-connected water shortage in Orlando
Universal Orlando is doing their part to avoid a water shortage in Orlando. According to a new report from the Orlando Sentinel, the park has cut their water consumption by over 1 million gallons a day in the face of a potential potable water shortage in the city. The Orlando Utilities Commission asked residents to…
AdventHealth doctors say Central Florida should expect ‘continuous surges’ of coronavirus
Though the surge caused by the Delta variant of coronavirus is finally waning, AdventHealth officials say Central Florida is far from out of this mess. In their daily briefing, doctors from the hospital shared that “continuous surges” of coronavirus cases would be the new normal until widespread vaccination is reached. Related “We should expect surges…
Florida State Fair announces 2022 return dates in Tampa
The Florida State Fair is returning to Central Florida this winter, with dates in early 2022. And they’re running an admission ticket deal right now for those who like to plan their funnel-cake-eating expeditions wells in advance. The Fair will run from Feb. 10-21, 2022, at the Florida State Fairgrounds on U.S. Highway 301 in Tampa.…
Dr. Phillips Center to require negative COVID-19 test for masked, indoor shows
Because we’re still in this pandemic somehow, the Dr. Phillips Center has updated its policy around indoor concerts. Starting Friday, Oct. 1, they will require all concert attendees to show a negative COVID-19 test for entry. If the attendee is fully vaccinated, they can show their proof of vaccination in lieu of the test. In…
COVID-19 hospitalizations decrease as Delta surge wanes
Florida reported an additional 12,288 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, as the number of hospitalized patients continues to decrease, according to federal data. The state’s seven-day “moving” average as of Wednesday was 14,297 cases a day. As a comparison, the seven-day average on Aug. 8 was 20,084 cases, according to data posted on the federal Centers…
Judge issues injunction against Florida’s anti-protest law
Calling it unconstitutionally “vague and overbroad,” Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker on Thursday blocked a controversial state law that enhances penalties and creates new crimes in protests that turn violent. Gov. Ron DeSantis championed the measure after nationwide protests focused on racial justice following the death last year of George Floyd, a Black man…
Tacos and Tequila 2021 takes over Cheyenne Saloon on Saturday, September 18
You’ve waited all summer, and now Orlando’s premier celebration of tortillas and fillings is back. Tacos & Tequila is going down on Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Cheyenne Saloon. From 1 to 4 p.m., guests will be given the opportunity to sample Orlando’s finest tacos (and the world’s finest tequilas) before turning proceedings into a…
Orlando restaurants to brawl deliciously at the Ramen Rumble this month
First rule of Ramen Rumble is you never talk about Ramen Rumble. Wait, no, that’s not right. The fourth annual Ramen Rumble showcases the brothy skills of worthy local restaurants later this month. But the chefs involved won’t be facing off in a forbidding steel cage, but rather the tony environs of Morimoto Asia in…
Pop-up adoptable dog cafe Sam & George to open brick-and-mortar location
Sam & George Coffee Co. wowed in its initial test run as a pop-up along Curry Ford, proving the possibility of success for a cafe full of adoptable dogs to play with. After a brief hiatus, the company announced that they will be moving into a permanent location in the near future. Details are intentionally…
Buffalo Wild Wings to open several express-style stores in Orlando
Ultra-fast and mega-casual seems to be the way that large coporate eateries are dealing with the one-two punch of changing tastes and the coronavirus pandemic. Known for its warehouse-sized sports bars, Buffalo Wild Wings is looking to go much smaller in an expansion throughout Central Florida. Per a report from the Orlando Business Journal, BWW…
New Snap! exhibition showcases decades of photos from ‘Orlando Sentinel’ photographer Red Huber
Longtime Orlando Sentinel photographer Red Huber will get his flowers at an upcoming exhibition at Snap! Orlando. “Eyewitness,” a gallery show showcasing Huber’s shots of historic events and Central Florida life, will start in October and run well into January. On display will be large-format reproductions of photos Huber took over his 46-year career, including…
Florida man tased for twerking during rainy traffic stop
As recent news out of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office will tell you, the law doesn’t look too kindly on dance moves. A Florida man found that out the hard way this week, when he was tased after twerking during a traffic stop on Sept. 7. In video captured by a passing motorist, Richard Wolfe…
DeSantis files emergency motion to reinstate mask mandate ban in Florida schools
Hours after a Leon County circuit judge allowed school districts to continue student mask requirements, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration Wednesday night filed an emergency motion asking an appeals court to reinstate a stay. The 41-page motion seeks to put on hold a Sept. 2 ruling by Circuit Judge John Cooper that said DeSantis overstepped his…
School mask mandates will stay in place while Florida appeals ruling
A judge ruled that Florida’s mask mandate bans could not continue while the state appealed a decision overturning said bans. Leon County Circuit Court Judge Leon Cooper, the same judge who overturned the mask mandate ban last week, agreed with parents’ arguments against a stay requested by the DeSantis administration while they appealed the ruling.…
Patton Oswalt cancels Florida tour dates over COVID-19 safety concerns
Comedian Patton Oswalt has canceled the Florida dates of his winter “Who’s Ready to Laugh? tour — including a show at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live — claiming venues in the state were unwilling to comply with COVID safety measures he was asking of them. The cancellations came after Oswalt asked all venues on his “Ready to Laugh” tour…
Light on the Sugar will open a second bakery in Winter Park
Light on the Sugar, the popular bakery known for their scrummy cream puffs, will open a second Winter Park location, this one next to Bento Asian Kitchen at 501 Orlando Ave. It’s been a busy month for founders Yixi Qiu and Wen Pan, who opened sister concept Sugar Dough Bakehouse in Audubon Park last month. This…
Lil Nas X shouts out Central Florida’s Bros in Convo in ‘baby registry’ for new album
A Central Florida community advocacy organization got a little love from Lil Nas X this week. The rapper listed local group Bros in Convo on the “Baby Registry” released on Tuesday to celebrate the birth of his new “baby,” aka upcoming album Montero. But instead of asking for the usual baby essentials, Lil Nas X is…
Volusia County councilman who called COVID-19 a hoax hospitalized with COVID-19
A QAnon-supporting Volusia County councilman is currently hospitalized with COVID-19, just a few short months after he called the pandemic a hoax during a sermon at his church. 66-year-old Fred Lowry is in the middle of his second term on the council and serves as the senior pastor of Deltona Lakes Baptist Church. His fellow…
Walt Disney World’s annual passes are back on the market as of Wednesday
Walt Disney World resumed selling new annual passes to the parks on Wednesday. And it’s a move that should be as sweet as the hypnotic “It’s a Small World” music to the ears of local theme park fans. The theme park giant ceased the selling of new annual passes last summer, because of the (still)…
Ron DeSantis thinks the NFL should let asymptomatic, COVID-positive players play
In spite of more than a year with a relative consensus around how COVID-19 spreads, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis believes that asymptomatic, coronavirus-positive NFL players should get the opportunity to play in their games. During a press conference in Lakeland, DeSantis argued that players who test positive should be able to join their teams on…
Realtors end push for affordable housing ballot amendment after talks with legislature
Realtors are halting an effort to pass a constitutional amendment to ensure funding for affordable housing, saying they will work with legislative leaders to create a program to help people such as nurses, police officers and firefighters buy homes. The decision, announced Tuesday night, came after the group Florida Realtors and the National Association of…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calls 2024 presidential run rumors ‘nonsense’
As he faces a re-election campaign next year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday tried to dispel speculation that he is preparing to run for the White House in 2024. During an appearance in St. Cloud to discuss monoclonal antibody treatment for people who become infected with COVID-19, DeSantis was asked by a reporter about the…
Things to do in Orlando, Sept. 8-14: Judas Priest, Bacon Grease, Dashboard Confessional acoustic
Our selections of the best stuff to do this week. Friday-Sunday, Sept. 10-12Country ThunderEric Church, Dierks Bentley, and Old Dominion (Morgan Wallen canceled all his summer touring plans) headline this outdoors country music weekender in Kissimmee. If you show your vaccine card at the door, you get entered in a raffle for onstage seating, which…
Savage Love: ‘My husband doesn’t want to have sex, doesn’t want to split up, and doesn’t want me to cheat’
Dear Dan: I’m a gay man. After a decade together and five years of marriage, my husband informed me he wasn’t really interested in sex anymore. That was a year ago and we haven’t had sex since. He told me I should leave him, if regular sex was “really that important” to me, but if…
Comedian Nikki Glaser is out of her parents’ house, back on the road, and coming to Orlando
When the pandemic took hold last year, Nikki Glaser did what thousands of millennials did: She moved back in with her parents. “I lived with them for 10 months,” she says via Zoom from St. Louis, where she was born in 1984. “I only moved out because I was getting embarrassed to admit I lived…
New streaming shows and movies this week: ‘Y: The Last Man,’ ‘Kate,’ ‘The Voyeurs’ and more
Premieres Wednesday, Sept. 8: Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. — Child prodigy Doogie is both a girl and Hawaiian in this series inspired by the NPH classic. Shout-out to all my Polynesian ‘ohana: In 20 years’ time, it looks like we’ll get to see Stitch co-host the Tonys! (Disney+) JJ+E — The title of this Swedish teen…
Punk priestess Lydia Lunch appeared at Enzian Theater to spew venom in service of art, poetry, and waking you the fuck up
I was NOT ready. Sure, I’d read about the legendary Lydia Lunch’s previous local appearances right here in the pages of Orlando Weekly, and my friend Jodi Thomas (founder of AntiBabe) has been raving to me about her for years. But nothing could have truly prepared me for my vicious verbal devirginization at Enzian Theater…
For Anna Eskamani-endorsed avant-rockers TTN, evolution is the prime directive
The evening of May 29 had a valedictory air to it, an (ahem) return to normalcy, or as normal as possible for the outer fringes of the local music scene. Flush with vaccinations and unaware of the looming Delta variant, a large crowd of heads packed their way into Will’s Pub to check out the…
Orlando concert picks, Sept. 9-13: Donzii, Mother Juno, Tim Cappello, Moondragon, Schizophonics, Tremolords
Statistically, the odds that any given person around you is vaccinated is an actual coin toss in Florida. So, yeah, protect yourself if you go out. Donzii, Body Shop, Mother Juno, Leatherette: This bill is a Florida bonanza of both music and flair. Miami’s Donzii bring performance-art sensibilities to their post-punk sounds. Buzzing new Orlando…
Orlando alternative-rap collective Seeyousoon drops first single from new album ‘HZLIKEHELL’
Prismatic Orlando alternative-rap collective Seeyousoon have officially kicked off the countdown to their sophomore LP with the launch of new single “No Daylight.” And it happens to be one of the best, most penetrating tracks to come from the nine-member crew yet. Influenced by German dance-music heritage, this first single from upcoming album HZLIKEHELL is…
