Larry Carius

Larry Carius, a retired food inspector who championed the Bloomington-Normal restaurant scene on a popular Facebook page that became his passion project, died Friday. Tributes are pouring in.

Bloomington-Normal restaurant watcher Larry Carius' count shows signs the restaurant scene has rebounded from the pandemic, which hit the industry harder than most.

There’s a lot going on in the restaurant world in McLean County, from new entries to longtime favorites closing their doors. Larry Carius follows all of it on his popular Bloomington-Normal Restaurant Scene Facebook page.

Larry Carius runs the popular Bloomington-Normal Restaurant Scene Facebook page, where 34,000 foodies follow openings, closings, renovations and more. There were 30 restaurant openings and 14 closings in 2022, according to Carius’ own tally.

An Illinois Restaurant Association survey shows severe stresses on that industry last year could force a lot of eateries to shut their doors, but that does not match the picture in Bloomington Normal.

The unemployment rate for the McLean County area labor market may have been 5.1% last month, but it’s a lot lower in certain job sectors. Restaurants, for…

The end of COVID-19 mitigation rules that banned indoor restaurant service in Bloomington-Normal has created a new problem for Twin City eateries.On-again…

An industry watcher says the five Bloomington-Normal restaurants that have closed for good in recent weeks faced challenges even before the pandemic.TGI…

Bloomington-Normal is known as an area where people like to dine out ... a lot. And that's inspiring a rash of entries into the Bloomington-Normal…