Business Insider
The Washington, D.C.-based Cava Grill (whose locations include New York and Los Angeles) is expanding into greater New York City and the Boston market. After raising $60 million from a venture-capital firm backed by AOL cofounder Steve Case in 2015, the Mediterranean restaurant, which is set up similar to Chipotle, has netted another $30 million in Series C funding.
Aljazeera
Passengers on flights originating in eight Arab countries are not allowed to carry any electronic device larger than a mobile phone. Some airlines have been quick to respond, with humor, using the ban as a marketing opportunity. The United Arab Emirates' flagship carrier, Emirates Airline, posted a video on social media with the slogan "let us entertain you."
The Drum
Jonathan Goldsmith, the previous "Most Interesting Man" was your quirky, traveled uncle or grandfather. The premise of the ads, that his life was a series of adventures, was a "perfect and perfectly quirky branding vehicle for a quirky beer that comes from Mexico but doesn't resemble any other Mexican beer," according to "The Drum."
Time
In today's heated political climate, Americans are more attuned than ever to expressing beliefs through how they spend. Lyft is acutely aware of this and is poised to reap the benefits after a series of missteps by Uber. After the #DeleteUber hashtag started trending, about 5% of Uber's market share shifted to Lyft.
Drug Store News
New research commissioned by Procter & Gamble's Gillette Venus brand found that women ranked shaving higher than a new outfit or a good night's sleep as a key factor in feeling more comfortable and confident and that women feel better going out, giving a client presentation or even getting a massage. However, 96% of women experience discomfort while shaving.
Washington Post
Among the first things customers see when they walk in is the Second Amendment, etched floor-to-ceiling in stone at the store's entrance. The store, about 35 miles from the White House, is the company's 86th location and its closest to Washington. It includes a gun library with antiques that cost as much as $6,500 and a display of special firearms donated by the National Rifle Association.
Brand Channel
With food delivery services like Blue Apron all the rage, GMO-free Green Fork offers a unique alternative. It draws on the "buy local" food model as the basis of a farm-to-table meal delivery service currently available in the Tri-State area - New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) plus Western Massachusetts, Vermont and Pennsylvania.
ESPN
Aspen Dental is now the "Official Dentist of NASCAR." The network of independent dental providers and NASCAR announced a multi-year partnership. The announcement coincides with the launch of Aspen Dental's "Get Started" awareness-building health initiative with NASCAR and Stewart-Haas Racing driver Danica Patrick.
The Wall Street Journal
Amazon is delaying Amazon Go, its cashier-free convenience store, as it tries to fix technical glitches. The beta model, which employees began testing in December, uses cameras and sensors to track the products customers pick from shelves. Instead of paying at a register when they're done shopping, customers simply leave the store.
Shelly Palmer
If microwaves can record our conversations, surely Alexa, the contraption built by Google, can lie, right? That was the premise behind a recent tabloid piece, in which the Echo Dot was asked if she works for the CIA, to which Alexa remained silent. However, there's not a lot of AI in Alexa's pre-programmed responses.