Tom Callahan
Tom Callahan covers local food and hospitality for CityDesk. He's interested in the business behind the meal — who's cooking, who's serving, and what makes a neighborhood spot work — without the clichés of sycophantic reviews or breathless trend-chasing. Critical when warranted, generous about context.
CityDesk reporting is produced with AI assistance and reviewed by our editors.
Latest stories
What Orlando Restaurants Actually Did After Florida's Minimum Wage Hit $13
Surcharges, shifted hours, and tip pool restructuring. We checked the bills, talked to servers, and asked owners what they promised versus what they did.
What Orlando Restaurant Inspection Violations Actually Mean and When to Walk Out
The FDACS database is public and searchable. Here's how to read what you find before you eat — from a High Priority temperature failure to an emergency closure order — during the busiest dining sea…
What Orlando Restaurant Owners Are Actually Doing to Stay Open After the Wage Increase
Florida's minimum wage hits $15 on September 30. The timing couldn't be worse for Orlando's restaurant calendar. Here's what operators on I-Drive, in Mills 50, and across Downtown are actually doin…
Do Orlando Food Delivery Drivers Get the Florida Minimum Wage Increase on September 30?
No. And most drivers working the apps in this market don't know that yet.
What That 20% Service Charge on Your Orlando Restaurant Bill Actually Means
As Florida's minimum wage climbs toward $15, Orlando restaurants are adopting mandatory service charges faster than diners can decode them. Here's what the law says, where the money goes, and what …
What Orlando Restaurant Workers Actually Take Home One Year After the Minimum Wage Increase
Service charges, restructured tip pools, and quiet hour cuts are shaping whether the wage floor rise reached workers' wallets or stopped at the host stand.
What Orlando Tipped Workers and Restaurant Owners Actually Did After September 30
Named restaurants, real dollar amounts, and worker voices from the days around the deadline — the ground-level response story no state or national outlet filed
How Florida's Minimum Wage Increase Is Actually Changing Prices at Orlando Restaurants
Florida's non-tipped minimum rises to $14 on September 30. Named operators in Mills 50, Audubon Park, and downtown are already responding in ways that don't always benefit the workers or diners you…
What Orlando Restaurant and Hotel Workers Are Actually Owed When Florida's Minimum Wage Goes Up September 30
Florida's minimum wage rises to $15 an hour on September 30, 2026. Here is the exact cash floor for servers, bartenders, and banquet workers in Orange County, plus what to do if your pay stub does …
What Orlando Restaurants Are Actually Charging in Service Fees and What You Can Do About It
You sit down at an omakase counter, work through a tasting menu, and when the check arrives you see it: a line reading "Service Charge — 20%" added to the total before tax. No one mentioned it when…
Which Orlando Patios Are Actually Tolerable in July
We contacted and visited restaurants across Thornton Park, Mills 50, Ivanhoe Village, and the Milk District to assess shade infrastructure, cooling systems, and storm protocols. What follows reflec…
How to Get a Food Truck permit in Orlando, Florida
By Tom Callahan | CityDesk Orlando | Business & Hospitality
