Sliced from menus: A tomato shortage in Florida is causing restaurants to drop the items from their menus, reports The Wall Street Journal. Wendy’s is no longer automatically putting tomatoes on hamburgers and sandwiches; instead, customers have to know to request slices. The frigid January weather destroyed about 70% of the Florida tomato crop. A representative from a trade group told the Journal the shortage has caused prices of a 25-pound box of tomatoes to shoot up from $6.45 a year ago to $30 today. Read the full story here. (Registration required.)
Biggest gain in two years: A private trade group says growth in the U.S. service sector accelerated in February to its fastest rate in more than two years. The Institute for Supply Management says its index measuring service industries rose to 53 in February from 50.5 in January. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters had expected a smaller increase, to 51. Any level above 50 signals growth. The 53 reading is the highest since January 2008. The service-sector gauge is closely watched because service jobs comprise more than 80% of non-farm U.S. employment in areas such as health care, retail and financial services.
