Wegmans just got outscored by Walmart

Wegmans just had the biggest customer satisfaction drop of any grocery chain in America. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index's 2026 rankings, Wegmans fell from an 83% to a 78% — the largest decline on the list. Last year they were tied for second nationally. Now they're sitting at the industry average, tied with Kroger. Even wilder: Walmart, Aldi, and ShopRite all outscored Wegmans in the Northeast this year. Trader Joe's took the top spot nationally at 86%.

Eat Up Rochester is back this Friday. Downtown Rochester's restaurant week runs February 27^th through March 8^th, and this is the first one since 2022. Twenty-five downtown restaurants are offering prix fixe menus, special items, and descounts at participating restaurants. A few names worth noting: Patron Saint, Shell, and Sagra Italia are all participating for the first time. It's put on by the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation. If you've been meaning to try somewhere new downtown, this is the week to do it.

A French company is building a $390M facility at the old Kodak campus. Reju, a textile recycling company, is setting up its first North American hub at Eastman Business Park. The plan is to take old clothes that would otherwise hit a landfill and turn them back into usable polyester. They expect to process 300 million garments a year. They just partnered with Goodwill of the Finger Lakes to source material locally. The facility will create ~70 jobs and is expected to be operational by the end of 2029. For a campus that once defined Rochester's economy, it's a pretty cool second act.

Still waiting on your NYS tax refund? You’re not alone. A Reddit thread with 200+ comments was full of people who filed their taxes in January and have received their federal refund. No one had gotten a state refund yet. There were a few rumors of glitches with the system, but nothing official from the state.

Rochester's food scene is quietly on a run.

If you've been paying attention, something's been building here. Eat Up Rochester is back this Friday for the first time in four years. Fish fry season just kicked off and every neighborhood has a spot arguing they're the best. New restaurants like Patron Saint and Shell are generating real buzz downtown. Mamma G's just expanded. And KPot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot is coming to Henrietta — Rochester's first all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and hot pot spot.

None of this makes national headlines. Rochester isn't Austin or Nashville. Nobody's writing trend pieces about us. But walk around downtown, Park Ave, or the South Wedge on a Friday night and tell me this city doesn't have something going on.

The food here has always been good — but what's happening now is a layer on top of that. More variety, more ambition, more people actually excited to eat out and try new things.

It's fish fry season. Lent started last week, which means every church hall and corner tavern is firing up the fryers on Fridays. A few spots worth knowing about:

Church and community fish fries are the move if you want the real experience. St. John the Evangelist in Greece runs theirs every Friday from 4-7 p.m. at the Parish Center. St. John of Rochester does 4:30-7 p.m., baked or fried, with a potato, roll, coleslaw, and a lemon wedge. Proceeds go to the parish and local charities.

Restaurant picks: Captain Jim's Fish Market has won "Best Fish Fry" in Rochester five times since 1990. Palmer's Direct To You Market has been serving fresh and fried fish to Rochester since the 1800s. The Market at I-Square has a fish fry special. Nick's Seabreeze Inn does a full Friday spread with multiple fish options including broiled haddock and haddock french. And if you want the British pub version, The Old Toad does proper fish and chips with mushy peas.

In 1878, George Eastman was a 24-year-old bank clerk in Rochester who wanted to take photos on a vacation to the Caribbean. The camera he bought was the size of a microwave oven, and the process required hauling glass plates, chemicals, and a tripod everywhere he went.

He never took that trip. But he got obsessed with the problem. For three years, he experimented with chemicals in his mother's kitchen on State Street, trying to figure out a better way to capture images. By 1880, he'd invented and patented a dry-plate coating machine.

In 1888, he released the Kodak camera — a small box preloaded with enough film for 100 photos. When you used up the roll, you mailed the entire camera back to Rochester and they developed your photos and reloaded it for $10. His slogan: "You press the button, we do the rest."

The company he started in his mom’s kitchen became one of the most important businesses of the 20th century.

Hit reply if you've got a tip, recommendation, or a complaint. We read everything.

— Nick