The Taste of the Lower East Side , featuring 50 Lower East Side restaurants— is selling tickets fast. The tasting benefits the Grand St. Settlement, on April 25 at 82 Mercer. Tickets are available online, cost $195 for regular admission, $300 for VIP tickets.
New York Hospitality Group Event: Monday April 29th
April 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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Looking to grow your network? Bring your business cards and hospitality colleagues for a great evening with The New York Hospitality Group: Meet their members and network with other hospitality industry professionals. Be the first to visit this new (undisclosed) restaurant in the East Village for a special sneak preview before its grand opening. Where: 122 1st Ave New York, NY 10009 Snacks included with your admission. Cash bar with drink specials: $5 draft beer + $5 house white & red wines. Admission: $20 in advance, $25 at the door Purchase your tickets here:
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Kitchensurfing Continues to Tally Major Investments
April 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
We reported last month on Crain’s assessment of 3 Brooklyn Startups, one, Gowanus-based Kitchensurfing, continues to make headlines and attract investors — now to the tune of $3.5 Million.
Kitchensurfing brings chefs directly into subscribers’ kitchens. Customers can purchase catered meals starting at about $20 per person or place their own requests and receive proposals from Kitchensurfing chefs. After chef and customer agree on a plan, the chef shows up with the ingredients, then cooks and cleans up.
All Things Digital talks to the founders, and via video, they get down to the finer points.
Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea Kick Off Spring This Weekend
April 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Exciting openings this weekend reported on DNAinfo.com:
Smorgasburg food market kicks off Saturday in its new home at East River State Park, with new businesses offering everything from fried chicken-filled biscuits to lobster soup dumplings. More than 100 vendors will set up shop at the market from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., including Bolivian Llama Party, Blue Marble Ice Cream and Brooklyn Soda Works, the event’s website notes.
Then, on Sunday, Brooklyn Flea unleashes more than 250 tables of trinkets, antiques, vintage clothing and even bicycles at the Williamsburg waterfront park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Facts to Know About Credit Card Processing From the NRA
April 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
When was the last time you reviewed your merchant agreements with your credit card processors? We liked this quick factheet from the National Restaurant Association.
Steve Rockwell on Why Private Equity Loves Restaurants
April 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Though sales at many restaurant chains were disappointing in last year’s fourth quarter and earlier this year, consultant Steve Rockwell dishes for NRN on why private equity finds food operations so attractive.
Blue Bottle’s James Freeman on his Quest for the Perfect Cup
April 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Blue Bottle’s James Freeman is profiled in WSJ.
James Freeman‘s first memory of coffee comes from when he was 4 or 5, growing up in rural Humboldt County, Calif. His parents let him open a container of MJB Coffee. He remembers the whoosh as the air rushed from the vacuum-sealed can and the rich fragrance of the preground beans.
Four decades later, Mr. Freeman, 46, is founder and roaster in chief of Blue Bottle Coffee. Headquartered in Oakland, Calif., Blue Bottle has cafes in San Francisco’s Ferry Building, New York’s Rockefeller Center and, soon, on the High Line in New York, as well as seven other locations. It may be best known for the long lines of customers who wait for its individually brewed cups of coffee.
Waiting is part of the Blue Bottle experience: Mr. Freeman believes coffee gets stale within minutes of brewing, so every cup that Blue Bottle serves is individually brewed. His cafes and kiosks offer no sizes and no special flavors: they generally use beans roasted no more than 10 days earlier. Well-known chefs such as Gramercy Tavern’s Michael Anthony and Coi’s Daniel Patterson serve Blue Bottle at their restaurants. Overall, the company expects sales of about $20 million this year.
Read the full story here.
Micros Announces a New Mobile Platform to Accompany Mymicros.net
April 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Micros, the provider of information technology solutions for hospitality and retail industries, is looking to redefine how restaurant operations data is delivered to mobile devices with its release of inMotion. MICROS inMotion is a full-featured free app initially available through iTunes, as a mobile companion for users of mymicros.net.
With MICROS inMotion, mymicros.net customers have real-time, mobile access to performance statistics, critical labor details, and customer service tools, all supported by an intuitive user design and key operations’ alerting mechanism. Designed specifically for restaurant management, MICROS inMotion allows restaurant operators and management to understand both high-level trends and front-line operations using their smartphone.
Read the full story here.
Governors Island is Calling For Guest Food Vendors
April 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
There’s a new opportunity on Governors Island This Summer:
For the first time, Governors Island will allow for “Guest Food Vendors” to come out to the Island for one or several weekends during the season. They no longer require a full season commitment. They average 9,000 people per day during the season.
The permit fee will be $600 per weekend. (The fee will be returned in the case of inclement weather.)
- This season the Island will be open on Saturdays, Sundays, and holiday Mondays from May 25-September 29. Hours are 10am – 7pm, with staff ferry running at 7am, 7:30am, 8:15 am, and 9am. Vendors will be able to access the Island before 10 am in order to set up, and may break down their operation earlier than closing time in order to leave on the last boat.
- Each vendor will be required to follow the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene requirements for a Temporary Food Establishment and to comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations in connection with its food operation. Vendors are responsible for maintaining Food Protection Certificates at all times.
- All mobile trucks, tables, tents, or carts must be self contained. Power and storage will not be available.
- There are two locations for food vending concessions, you will be joining their season long food vendors. Please specify which location you would like when you complete the permit. Map below:
If you would like to sign up to become a part of the 2013 season, contact Lynda Realmuto (contact information below) for a additional details and to receive a copy of the permit.
Lynda Realmuto
Director of Special Events and Public Programs
The Trust for Governors Island
10 South Street New York, NY 10004
212-440-2225
lrealmuto@govisland.nyc.gov
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LOVERS AND MADMEN: NEIGHBORHOOD COFFEE ENTERPRISE
April 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
28 South 40th Street, Philadelphia, PA • 215.243.9851
Lovers and Madmen
In this month’s Retail Spotlight, we journeyed to nearby Philadelphia to profile an enterprise outside of our New York City headquarters. As TaraPaige Group grows, we hope to explore more noteworthy enterprises in the Northeast and across the country.
Their Success…Lovers and Madmen maximizes their small space to create a comfortable atmosphere that attracts neighborhood residents. This local coffee lounge offers a simple menu of high quality coffee, espresso, tea, and a few pastries and sandwiches, requiring only a small prep area and minimal staff to execute.
Their carefully crafted menu means Lovers and Madmen has plenty of space for couches, chairs, and tables where students from nearby University of Pennsylvania can study, or where professors and local residents can come to read the paper and relax. While there, they can also learn about local events on the community board, or contribute a drawing to the doodle-board, covered in the pictorial expressions of regular guests. This offers a stark contrast with chain-coffee competitors in the area, where menu options are plentiful, but charm and a seat are hard to come by.
In a neighborhood saturated with coffee shops, it is Lovers and Madmen’s community-centered, guest-focused atmosphere that distinguishes them. By letting guests promote their events, learn from others around them, and share their art, Lovers and Madmen gives guests a sense of ownership and belonging in the enterprise. And keeping guests engaged keeps them coming back, creating a core of regulars who both support and shape the enterprise.
Take Aways…Build a community within your enterprise. Especially in heavily competitive markets, such as coffee, the culture and atmosphere of an enterprise can be just as important as its food. A streamlined menu and well-thought-out concept tailored to guests’ needs and wants can be what turns guests away from your competitors and into loyal regulars at your enterprise.
paigepapers.com 