Restaurants Closing
Recently a steady stream of eateries in our area announced they’re shutting down, struggling, or restructuring. The Hammered Lamb held a fundraiser on Saturday to try and stay open. Ethos Vegan Kitchen, Farm and Haus, Tijuana Flats, Hawkers and national chains like Red Lobster, BurgerFi and Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza are just some of the places declaring bankruptcy or outright closing in recent weeks. Orlando Business Journal reporter Sarah Kinbar joins Engage to discuss the trends she’s tracking in Central Florida’s restaurant scene and why bankruptcy is a survival strategy for some of these businesses.
Tupperware Empire
Tupperware declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy yesterday. It doesn’t mean they are going out of business. They are restructuring debt, but it does make them vulnerable. Tupperware was founded in Grafton, Massachusetts in 1938, but moved the company’s headquarters to Kissimmee in 1951. Bob Kealing, a local Florida historian and author of Life of the Party: The Remarkable Story of How Brownie Wise Built, and Lost, a Tupperware Party Empire, joins Engage to discuss how Tupperware provided women with a revenue stream in a time when they were discouraged from or even forbidden from working outside of their homes.
Political Posts on Social Media
As part of an ongoing effort to understand how Central Floridians are feeling this election year and what’s driving people to make the decisions they make, Central Florida Public Media brought together people from different backgrounds to talk last month. Social media and politics turned out to be an important topic. Today we hear from 68-year-old Doug Bowman from East Orlando a registered republican, 69-year-old Melbourne resident Tom Unrath also a registered republican, and 64-year-old David Walker of Harmony near St. Cloud who is an independent who admittedly leans left. They spoke with Central Florida Public Media News Director LaToya Dennis about communicating with friends and family with whom they disagree.
Punk Torn Apart
In the late 1970s, a new form of music and fashion hit the streets to counter the frilly-coiffed hair and flared jeans of the post-hippy era. Punk brought a grimy aesthetic born out of the remnants of Andy Warhol’s Factory in New York and the economically distressed neighborhoods of North and East London. Obviously, the kids loved it. It proved to be more than a fad as the punk movement is alive and well from the suburban garages spawning teenage dreams of rock and roll hedonism to the reunion tours of stalwarts like New Order and the Cure. On Saturday, that ethos will be captured by the Orlando Museum of Art’s “Torn Apart” exhibit showcasing the art of punk. Engage Producer Richard Copeland stopped by the museum to nerd out with exhibit co-curator, Michael Worthington, a veteran of the English punk scene.
