Broadway Bites: Midtown Food Fair

On Monday, Urbanspace NYC opened Broadway Bites, a new street fair in Herald Square. Passersby can select from an array of goods from twenty-five vendors including Roberta’s pizza and Red Hook Lobster Pound’s lobster rolls. Even those with gluten-free and vegetarian needs can find something to quench their cravings.

People who work in the area now have the chance to lunch somewhere out of the ordinary, and Urbanspace press rep Rachel Van Dolsen claims it will be a great opportunity to “activate the space a little more.” Urbanspace also embraced the concept as a means of showcasing New York’s artisan food scene, especially considering the number of chains in Midtown.

When: 11am-9pm daily through 11/24/13

Where: 6th ave & 34th st

Gourmet Menus Leads to Increased Sales

In the fast casual world, the pressure to keep up with the competition is increasing with the introduction of high-end options. A basic ham-and-cheese sandwich is no longer enough to satisfy the masses; customers now prefer gourmet options.

Fortunately, the gourmet trend in fast-casual restaurants doesn’t have to break the bank. A little goes a long way in this case, and product branding has more of an impact than the quantity of the product actually used.

Flatburger, for example, recently introduced the Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard Mushroom Swiss Flatburger. The key ingredients: mayonnaise, Grey Poupon and sautéed mushrooms, are not expensive. In fact, Kraft produces the Grey Poupon mustard that Flatburger uses. However, branding the sandwich with “Grey Poupon” in the title leaves the customer with the impression that they are investing in a “gourmet” product, which is ultimately what they prefer.

Small steps like rebranding products to include “gourmet” names may lead to increased sales.