There are times when it doesn’t pay to be the global face of the American way of life. McDonald’s Corp is facing a possible mass shutdown of its restaurants in Russia in what appears to be a thinly-veiled retaliation at U.S. sanctions on the country for its role in stoking the Ukrainian conflict.

Four McDonald's outlets are temporarily closed due to "sanitary violations" as tensions continue between Russia and the West.

Most Chinese people have never even heard of a General Tsao, and are completely befuddled by the overly sauced fried chicken dish that Americans know as General Tsao's chicken. In fact, authentic Chinese food almost looks nothing like American Chinese food. It varies tremendously by region: Sichuan cuisine is spicy, Shangdong cuisine is generally salty and crispy, and Cantonese cuisine is sweet, for example.

On food descriptions and status anxiety

It's more teatime than Terminator—a restaurant in China is electrifying customers by using more than a dozen robots to cook and deliver food.

Taco Bell's new upscale taco chain, U.S. Taco Co., opened its first location today in Huntington Beach, California. The company provided us with some photos of the menu offerings and renderings of the restaurant when it was announced earlier this year.

Executives at Starbucks don't market to children. The coffee company seems to have plenty of loyal grade-school-aged customers, anyway, at least in the US, because of a few drinks that lend themselves to kid-friendly twists. Ask a barista for a cotton candy Frappuccino, for example, and she'll create this unofficial favorite by adding raspberry syrup to a Vanilla Bean...

In a test program underway at McDonald's, customers are given timers at the drive-thru—and a promise that their order will be ready within 60 seconds.

We tend to think of this tasty crustacean as a serious splurge. Now, thanks to record hauls and plunging prices, it's showing up in downright democratic dishes. Lobster tacos, anyone?

For 10 years, the citizens reviewers of Yelp have showered restaurants with praise—and pummeled them with abuse. Now chefs are showing the psychological effects. 

Earlier this week the ladies of Philadelphia’s one and only Mac’n Cheese food truck, Mac Mart, unveiled their latest mac-hack. It’s an awe-inspiring conglomeration of carbohydrates, bacon and dairy that actually seems too good to resist.

"It's hardly a salad," said Eater's Nick Solares when I asked him about the Caesar at Carbone, a Greenwich Village hotspot that tips its hat to the Italian-American chophouses of yesteryear, giant portions, tuxedoed waiters and all. "With all the egg, butter, and anchovies you might as well be eating a hamburger from a health perspective," Solares said. Just one thing: this salad is a heck of a lot more expensive than a proper hamburger. It costs $21.

Maybe the name "monster" should be a clue. If not, the nutrition watchdogs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest have news for you: A "Monster" double burger, served with "bottomless" fries and a "Monster" milkshake at the Red Robin burger chain, is not very good for you at all.

I decided to pop my head into Funny Sex, the first rumpy pumpy-themed restaurant in Taiwan. Spit-roasting, however, was strictly limited to the kitchen.

fasMickey D's uses varieties like the Russet Burbank, which have a nice oval shape and just the right balance of starch and sugar. Excess sugar can cause a fry to have brown spots where it's over-caramelized, leaving a burnt taste and deviating from the uniform yellow-arches color.

Those of you who grew up watching Spongebob Squarepants and harbouring a secret desire to eat at the Krusty Krab, your ambitions are about to be realised. That’s because a real-life version of the restaurant, which was run in the cartoon series by the curmudgeonly Mr Krabs, is actually under construction.

Last Monday TGI Friday's unveiled a new promotion (available at many TGI Friday's locations, but none on the island of Manhattan) whereby customers can gorge themselves on unlimited appetizers—without fear of punishment, embarrassment, or ostracization—for a one-time payment of $10. The promotion is called "Endless Appetizers."

What if I told you that mozzarella sticks never had to end? That for $10, you could eat for free (for $10) for the rest of your natural life? That there exists a spot in the space-time continuum in which it is always Friday? That there are free refills on all Slushes™ excluding Red Bull® branded items?

Summer 2014 has brought many troubling things to New Yorkers, from rats in wraps, and sharks near the beach. But one of the most upsetting first world problems we struggle with here has been the dramatic rise in iced coffee prices. Counting up your caffeine-related receipts can be more depressing than counting up your booze-related ones. That's why we don't count receipts!

Japan already has loads of Pikachu- and Pokémon-themed products, whether that's soft drinks, candy, or even curry. But typically, those simply have a Pocket Monster slapped on the labelling. The official Pikachu Cafe is a tad different.