That’s meant automating some tasks once done by humans and thinking carefully about the humans they do hire.

Because a restaurant tab pays for more than just the food on the table.

Downtown Boston has more restaurants and bars now than it did before the pandemic. Retail stores, meanwhile, are still struggling.

Sales at restaurants and bars were up around 25 percent from last year. Part of that is likely due to pent-up demand.

Businesses are extending hours, serving coffee and bringing out extra TV screens to meet World Cup demand.

More people are going out to eat, but some are frustrated with the rising cost. Yet the cost crunch is just as bad, or worse, for restaurant owners.

In part, that’s because restaurants don’t want to scare away customers.

Scammers give restaurants bogus one-star reviews, and demand payment to stop.

“A lot of people romanticize restaurant work” and don’t realize how stressful it can be, says Genevieve Yam, assistant editor at Epicurious.

For Lester Gouvia, chef-owner of Norma G’s Detroit, business in the pandemic economy has been a “rollercoaster.”