Kitchen talk | North End frustrations | Poop pill goes to market | Banking volatility

Welcome to the BBJ's LinkedIn Weekly Edition! I'm Digital Editor Jess Aloe, bringing you the top business stories from this week.

Kitchen conversations

A few weeks ago, reporter Meera Raman and I sat down with six Boston-area restaurateurs to discuss the state of the industry.

Michael Serpa, chef/owner of Little Whale Oyster Bar, Select Oyster Bar and Atlantico; Will Gilson, chef/owner of Puritan & Company, Puritan Oyster Bar, The Lexington, Geppetto, the Herb Lyceum and Cafe Beatrice; Kate Smith, chef/owner of Thistle & Leek; Kristin Clough Canty, owner of Woods Hill Pier 4, Woods Hill Table, Adelina and the Farm at Woods Hill; Daniel Kenney, executive chef at Clink and Liberty Hotel; and Vincent Lombardi, director of operations for the Lyons Group all joined us for a roundtable over lunch.

Read what they had to say about the ongoing recovery from the pandemic, their challenges around hiring and retention, and the need to raise prices here. 

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Here's what else you need to know:

North End frustrations

Outdoor dining is set to kick off in Boston on May 1, but North End eateries will largely be left out, and that decision is fueling frustration in the restaurant-dense Italian-American neighborhood. In our fourth installment of ‘On Main Street,’ a series spotlighting small neighborhood businesses, Lucia Maffei spoke to North End restaurant owners about the city’s decision. Find out what they're saying.

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A 'poop pill' is heading to market

After more than a decade of work, the FDA has greenlit Seres Therapeutics’ first microbiome drug. Read more about the approval here. Shortly after the decision, the Cambridge biotech announced it will start selling the drug, which is made from bacterial spores from donated feces, in June for $17,500 a course. Get the details.

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Riverside complex to be sold at a loss

Developer Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. bought Riverside Center in 2020, intending for the Newton complex to be converted to lab space. Now, it’s selling the 510,000-square foot, three-building complex  for a loss. Find out why the developer decided to sell.

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Banking volatility

Massachusetts banks — large, small, and in-between — have reported a drop in customer deposits at the end of the first quarter, following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank amid economic uncertainty.

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