Charging for Bags on the Docket for NYC

August 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment

A bill was unveiled this week by NYC lawmakers to impose a ten cent charge on grocery bags in New York City that businesses give customers, eliciting immediate opposition from some business owners, politicians, and many citizens.

The bill is favored by environmental groups looking to reduce the 100,000 tons of plastic bags that the city sends to landfills each year, following the paths of cities such as Los Angeles, Washington, and San Francisco.

The story has been widely covered this week:

The Gothamist runs with great City Hall photos.

Crain’s New York

The Daily News

NBC New York

 

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Operations Tagged With: ,

On Pinterest and Retail: A Statistics Roundup

August 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
We’re big fans of Pinterest for retailers, and were amazed to see these stats that Digiday compiled, citing them as the  “belle of the social media ball for some retailers.”
Are you pinning? If so, please share your link in the comments below — we’d love to see!
Read the full article here.
As of February, Pinterest has 25 million users. (Business Insider)Sephora’s Pinterest followers spend 15 times more that its Facebook fans. (Venture Beat)In fashion and retail, 18 percent of content engagement on Pinterest is driven by brands, 82 percent by community. (Digitas)The best time for retailers and fashion brands to pin is Friday at 3pm ET. (Digitas)70 percent of brand engagement on Pinterest is generated by users, not brands. (Digitas)

Top brands in the fashion/retail space average 46 repins on every pin, proving that those who have a presence on Pinterest, are establishing an engaged following. (Digitas)

Pinterest shoppers are spending significantly more per checkout averaging between $140-$180 per order compared with consistent $80 and $60 orders for Facebook and Twitter shoppers, respectively. (Rich Relevance)

Pinterest’s share of referrals is highest in home and furnishings, accounting for up to 60 percent of all social traffic. (Rich Relevance)

U.S. consumers who use Pinterest follow an average of 9.3 retailers on the site. (Shop.org)

Pinterest pins that include prices receive 36 percent more likes than those that do not. (Shopify)

Moms are 61 percent more likely to visit Pinterest than the average American. (Nielsen)

81 percent of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from Pinterest. (BlogHer)

U.S. Pinterest users are more likely to live in midwestern states than other social media users. (Internet Marketing)

Pinterest accounts for 25 percent of retail referral traffic. (Rich Relevance)

Average activity of popular pinners is 2,757 pins; 35 boards; following 355. (Repinly)

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Operations Tagged With: ,

Snackbar Concession Opportunity in Staten Island

August 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

New York City Department of Parks and Recreation has issued a Request for Proposals for the operation and maintenance of a snack bar at the Ocean Breeze Track & Field Complex at Ocean Breeze Park, Midland Beach, Staten Island.

All proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be submitted no later than Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at 3 pm. There will be a recommended proposer meeting on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 11 am. They will be meeting in Room 407 of the Arsenal, which is located at 830 Fifth Avenue, in Central Park, Manhattan. If you are considering responding to this RFP, it is recommended you attend this meeting.

Hard copies of the RFP can be obtained, at no cost, commencing on Tuesday, August 20, 2013 through Tuesday, October 15, 2013, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., excluding weekends and holidays, at the Revenue Division of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, which is located at 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 407, New York, NY 10065.

The RFP is also available for download through Tuesday, October 15, 2013, on Parks’ website. To download the RFP, visit http://www.nyc.gov/parks/businessopportunities and click on the “Concessions Opportunities at Parks” link. Once you have logged in, click on the “download” link that appears adjacent to the RFP’s description.

For more information, contact Jeremy Holmes, at (212) 360-3455 or at jeremy.holmes@parks.nyc.gov

Filed Under: Opportunities Tagged With:

50 Ways Ordinary People Reached World-Class

August 20, 2013 by 1 Comment
  1. Know what you want. Clarity is power. And vague goals promote vague results.
  2. Remember that every problem has a solution. Maybe you just can’t see it. Yet.
  3. In this Age of Dramatic Distraction, the performer who focuses the best wins the most.
  4. Before someone will help you, you need to help them.
  5. Become the most passionate person you know. It’ll be contagious.
  6. Know more about your craft/the work you do than anyone who has ever done the work you do…in the history of the world.
  7. Join The 5 am Club. Your most valuable hours are 5am-8am. They have the least interruptions.
  8. Devote yourself to learning something new about your field of mastery every day. Success belongs to the relentless learners. Because as you know more, you can achieve more.
  9. Remember that when you transform your fitness, you’ll transform your business.
  10. Don’t check your mobile when you’re meeting with another person. It’s rude. And rude people don’t reach world-class.
  11. Every time you do what scares you, you take back the power that you gave to the thing that scared you. And so you become more powerful.
  12. A problem is only a problem if you make the choice to see it as a problem.
  13. Stop being a victim. Your business and personal life was made by you. No one else is responsible. To make it better, make better choices. And new decisions.
  14. You can lead without a title. Don’t wait to get a position to stand for excellence, peak quality and overdelivery on every expectation.
  15. Find your own style. Be an original. Every superstar differentiated themselves from The Herd. And marched to their own drumbeat.
  16. Understand that when you play small with your success, you betray your potential. And the birthright you were born under.
  17. Eat less food and you’ll get more done.
  18. As you become more successful, stay really really hungry. Nothing fails like success. Because when you’re successful, it’s easy to stop outlearning+outOverDelivering+outthinking and outexecuting everyone around you. (Success is Beautiful. And dangerous).
  19. If you’re not overprepared, you’re underprepared.
  20. The only level of great manners to play at is “Exceedingly Polite”. In our world, this alone will make you a standout. And differentiate you in your marketplace.
  21. Remember that the moment you think you’re a Master, you lose your Mastery. And the minute you think you know everything, you know nothing.
  22. To double your results, double your level of execution.
  23. Invest in your personal and pro development. All superstars do.
  24. You don’t get lucky. You create lucky.
  25. When you push through a difficult project, you don’t get to the other side. You reach The Next Level.
  26. Smile. And remember to inform your face.
  27. Spend time in solitude every day. Your best ideas live there.
  28. Debrief on how you lived out your day every night in a journal. This will not only record your personal history, it will make you uber-clear on what you’re doing right and what needs to be improved.
  29. If you’re not being criticized a lot, you’re not doing very much. Ridicule is the price of ambition.
  30. Develop a monomaniacal focus on just a few things. The secret to productivity is simplicity.
  31. To get the results very few people have, be strong enough to do what very few people are willing to do.
  32. Rest. Recover. It’ll make you stronger.
  33. Buy a smaller TV and build a larger library.
  34. Remember that the bigger the goal, the stronger a person you must become to achieve that goal. So goal-achieving is a superb practice for character-building.
  35. Food fuels your body. Learning feeds your mind.
  36. Don’t ask for respect. Earn it.
  37. Finish what you start. And always end strong.
  38. Breathe.
  39. In business, don’t play to survive. Play to win.
  40. Protect your good name. It’s your best asset.
  41. Remember that words have power. Use the language of leadership versus the vocabulary of a victim.
  42. Give more than you take. The marketplace rewards generosity.
  43. Know that if it’s not messy, you’re not making progress.
  44. Be a hero to a kid.
  45. In business, aim for iconic. Go for legendary. Make history by how awesome you are at what you do.
  46. Please don’t confuse activity with productivity. Many many people are simply busy being busy.
  47. Your doubts are liars. Your fears are traitors. Stop buying the goods they are attempting to sell you.
  48. The best anti-aging remedy in the world is working really hard.
  49. World-Class performers have no plan B. Failure just isn’t an option.
  50. You have the power to change the world—one brave act and one person at a time. Please use it.
Filed Under: Operations

City Harvest Bid Against Hunger, October 22

August 19, 2013 by 1 Comment

The City Harvest Bid Against Hunger will take place October 22, 2013, at Metropolitan Pavilion.  The walk-around chef’s tasting event is attended by philanthropists, businesses, foodies, and celebrity chefs. Last year saw 900 people in attendance and raised more than $1 million.

This year’s lineup, so far, is:

ACME 
Mads Refslund

Aldea
George Mendes

Apiary            
Scott Bryan

Ardesia Wine Bar
Amorette Casaus

Atera
Matthew Lightner

Barbounia
Amitzur Mor

Beauty & Essex
Chris Santos

Benchmark Restaurant
Ryan Jaronik

Betony
Bryce Shuman

Blue Hill

Blue Marble Ice Cream
Billy Barlow

Brooklyn Soda Works

Buttermilk Channel
Ryan Angulo

Caviarteria
Lucas Santos and Walter Drobenko

Commerce
Harold Moore

D’Artagnan
Ariane Daguin

Devi
Suvir Saran and Dheeraj Tomar

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
John Stage

Donatella Restaurant
Donatella Arpaia and Andrea Jarosh

Dos Caminos
Ivy Stark

Dough
Fany Gerson

Ed’s Chowder House
Ed Brown and Justin Rowe

Ed’s Lobster Bar
Ed McFarland

El Colmado
Seamus Mullen

Empire Diner
Amanda Freitag

 FP Patisserie
François Payard

Frankies 570 Spuntino
Frank Falcinelli, Frank Castronovo and Ryan Bartlow

Gramercy Tavern
Michael Anthony

Great Performances
Matthew Riznyk

Hecho en Dumbo    
Danny Mena

High Road Craft Ice Cream
Keith Schroeder

Hudson Valley Foie Gras
Michael Ginor

Hybird

Juni
Shaun Hergatt

Junoon
Adin Langille

Landmarc     
Marc Murphy

Le Bernardin
Eric Ripert

Liddabit Sweets
Jen King

Loi Restaurant
Maria Loi

Mad Mac Macarons
Florian Bellanger and Ludovic Augendre

Maialino
Jason Pfeifer

The Marrow
Harold Dieterle

Michael Jordan’s The Steak
House N.Y.C.
Cenobio Canalizo

Millesime
Laurent Manrique

Murray’s Cheese
Rob Kaufelt

Oceana
Ben Pollinger

OUEST
Tom Valenti

people’s pops
Joel Horowitz

Picholine
Terrance Brennan

Pig & Khao
Leah Cohen

The Pines
Angelo Romano

 Pok Pok NY
Andy Ricker

Qi Restaurant
Pichet Ong

Rao’s
Dino Gatto

Recette
Jesse Schenker

Red Rooster & Ginny’s
Supper Club
Joel Harrington

Ron Ben-Israel Cakes
Ron Ben-Israel

Roni-Sue’s Chocolates
Rhonda Kave

Rosa Mexicano
Joe Quintana

Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto
Cesare Casella

Saxelby Cheesemongers
Anne Saxelby

SD26 Restaurant & Wine Bar
Matteo Bergamini

Serafina
Vittorio Assaf

Sirio Ristorante New York
Massimo Bebber

Strip House
Michael Vignola

Sullivan Street Bakery
Jim Lahey

SUSHISAMBA Park
Pedro Duarte

Talde
Dale Talde

T-Bar Steak & Lounge
Ben Zwicker

Telepan
Larissa Raphael

This Little Piggy Had
Roast Beef
William Gallagher

Tom Cat Bakery
John Martinez

Tribeca Grill
Kamal Rose

Untitled at the Whitney
Chris Bradley

William Greenberg Desserts
Carol Becker

Worldwide-Soba, Inc
Shuichi Kotani

BEVERAGE STATIONS:

AmstelThe Butterfly
Eben Freeman		 L’Apicio
Joe Campanale

SerendipiTea

You can purchase tickets here.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With:

BAKERI: RETAIL BAKERY ENTERPRISE

August 15, 2013 by 1 Comment

150 Wythe Avenue at North 8th Street (Williamsburg) • 718.388.8037

bakeri 6

Bakeri

Their Success…telling a story through their guest experience.  From the artifacts in its storefront to its layout, to its passionate and dedicated staff, everything about Bakeri paints a more in-depth picture of its concept, indicating to guests what type of products they might expect to find, what type of service they will experience, and what the enterprise values.

When guests first glimpse Bakeri, they might notice the antique scales in the window, or the mid-century light fixture illuminating the lettering on its front window, or the vintage containers perched on the ledge as though someone’s grandmother had left it there for a moment.  Inside, guests will certainly notice the 1950’s-style jumpsuits that serve as staff uniforms, the handmade signs for products, and the farmhouse-style kitchen adjacent to the main counter.  Bakeri feels as though it were the central hearth plucked from a Midwestern farm, which is echoed in its products—largely comprised of updated versions of American classics.

Furthermore, each space within Bakeri builds upon the others to create an experience for guests.  Guests can linger up front, or wander towards the back of the enterprise into its garden like one would at a home. While normally we spotlight streamlined service flow, the relaxed flow at Bakeri serves to enhance the guests’ experience, rather than detract from it.  It generates a leisureliness that reinforces the feeling of being at home in the enterprise.

With its design—both spatial and interior— coming together, the experience at Bakeri feels genuine, authentic, and comforting, just like its delicious baked goods.

Take Aways…Each element of your enterprise, from your layout to your staff uniforms, should speak to something about your concept, building upon each other to create a true experience for your guests—a feeling that they have entered a space completely separate and distinct from the world around it.  Being a guest in your enterprise should feel like a story that guests are told through the atmosphere and products you have created.

Filed Under: Retail Spotlight Tagged With: , , ,

As MOFAD Searches for a Home, Roving Event Saturday 8/17 in Foley Square

August 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Party goers and chefs celebrated the first exhibit of The Museum of Food and Drink: “BOOM! The Puffing Gun and the Rise of Breakfast Cereal,” last night in Carroll Gardens.

The exhibit displayed a cereal puffing gun — essentially a canon that applies high pressure to grains of rice and shoots them out as a piece of cereal. It will be on display again on Foley Square this Saturday, August 17th, from 7 am to 1pm, as part of the Summer Streets Festival.

You can read more about MOFAD, which says that it is searching for a permanent home in Brooklyn, here.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: ,

Cold Facts About Ice Machines

August 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

In the heat of summer, you really appreciate your ice machine. It’s also a top target for health department inspections.

Restaurant Hospitality’s Dan Belman has written extensively on the subject here and here.

As he writes, if you choose the right ice maker for your restaurant, then do a few things to take care of it, this key piece of equipment should last easily 10 years.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Operations Tagged With:

Plumfare is Acquired By Groupon

August 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Groupon has been increasing its interest in hospitality since its purchase of  Breadcrumb last year. Now Plumfare, the food sharing application, has been acquired by Groupon.

Plumfare prompts people to take pictures of their food and share them with friends. You’re able to gift those items to your network via SMS, email, or Facebook, only paying if your friend redeems the item.

Read the full story here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz Tagged With: , ,

Great Things Come in Small Packages: Smallbox Retail

August 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Bigger isn’t always better. Would 200 square feet work for your business? Smallbox retail could be the answer. Many retailers seek out diminutive spaces, food courts, fairs, and the like to launch their product or brand.

Crain’s has in interesting take on the trend, which focuses on Baked By Melissa, Simply Sliders, Bisous Ciao Macarons, Meatball Obsession, Screme, and Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Balls. All based in New York, several cite Smorgasburg as making small seem possible.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Trending Now Tagged With: , , , , ,
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