Zagat on Wendy’s, Jamie Kennedy changes gear, street food forgotten

• The venerable Zagat guides, known for passing judgment on higher-end offerings, are now ranking fast food joints on the quality of their fries, burgers, coffee and more. Wendy’s comes out on top. [Sun Sentinel]

• Jamie Kennedy is one unlucky locavore. He’s selling the Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar—his St. Lawrence Market flagship—in an effort to keep his debt-plagued empire afloat. The problem, he admits, is that all those pricey, farm-fresh local ingredients he swears by are putting him in the red. [Globe and Mail]

• City hall is suspending food cart licences during Dundas Square tree planting, without offering vendors compensation or alternate locations. The Toronto Sun’s Sue-Ann Levy ascribes the trouble to the machinations of “socialists” at “Silly Hall.” [Toronto Sun]

• Bad weather plus a bad economy equals bad news for farmers. The rural U.S. has seen both this year, resulting in a dramatic increase in farmer suicides, especially in Colorado. [Denver Post]

• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency was “grossly resource starved” before last year’s deadly listeriosis outbreak. The CBC also reports that employees spent more time on tasks associated with the “agency” part of their employer’s name (administrative work) than on the “inspection” bit. [CBC]