Congratulations to the Winners of Pitchfest 2016 Round 1

March 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment

PitchFest, the annual event hosted by Food + Enterprise which allows food entrepreneurs to present their business plans to a panel of expert judges, has chosen the 16 applicants who will proceed to round 2. These selected applicants were chosen based on a business Impact Statement, Year End Financials, “Why Should I be Selected” Statement, & Pitch Deck with a three-to-five Year Forecast. They will now have the chance to present on Saturday, April 9th at the Food + Enterprise Summit. Attendees to the summit can watch these presentations for an inside scoop into the ever-changing world of NYC sustainable food.

Finalists have a chance to win a number of prizes, including an entrepreneurship course at Natural Gourmet Institute, a scholarship to an Innovative Intensive at Food Business School or a Summer 2016 Food Venture Lab Intensive in Napa Valley.

To read more, click here.

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4/11: Tipping Off the Hospitality Industry with NYCHG

March 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment

This April 11th, the New York City Hospitality Group will be hosting a panel discussion on hot topics in the hospitality industry in 2016, including the always-controversial discussions around service included, food safety, and the economy. The panel, moderated by Sam Goldfinger, CFO of The ONE Group, will feature:

Amanda Cohen, Chef/Owner of Dirt Candy

Christophe Hille, CFO of Fleishers Craft Butchery

Eamon Rockey, General Manager of Betony

The event takes place at STK downtown, and includes an opening and closing reception with beer, wine and tasty nibbles from the restaurant.

For more information or to purchase tickets for the event, click here.

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Ando, the (Other) Delivery-Only Option from David Chang

March 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment
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Photo via Diane Bondareff/Associated Press

 

David Chang’s investment in delivery app/storefront-less restaurant Maple is well publicized, but the Momofuku chef and CEO has no interest in stopping there. Chang recently announced the advent of a new delivery-only restaurant joining the Momofuku empire – this one known as Ando, completing the homage to instant-ramen inventor Momofuku Ando.

Ando should debut in Spring in Midtown East, with a mobile ordering platform and delivery by UberRush. Unlike Maple, Ando food will veer away from the healthy, veggie-heavy options and more toward original comfort food inventions. Many of the recipes are collaborations between Chang himself and J.J. Basil (formerly of wd~50), like Chicken Cheesesteak with homemade American cheese sauce. There will also be cookies from  Milk Bar‘s Christina Tosi, and possibly secret items like a fried chicken bucket that can be unlocked from the app.

Chang is adamant that Ando is just another Momofuku restaurant, even if the servers have to go a little further to reach the guests. With a different aesthetic and options, he hopes that competition with Maple will be limited – and mobile restaurants will become just one more way to get the Fuku-fix.

To read more about Ando, click here, and check back later this week for a spotlight on Maple.

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New Pop-Up Wine Bar Evening With…

March 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment

No, we didn’t trail off in the middle of the title; Evening With…  is the name of a new pop-up wine bar now open two nights a week above Greenwich Project, at 47 West 8th street. The pop-up was started by Nick Boccio and Carmine DiGiovanni and it will feature a rotating cast of NYC sommeliers, beginning with Chad Walsh (formerly of The Dutch).

The wine list will change each week, as will a selection of small plates ranging from $8-$20. The roster for future weeks includes noted sommeliers like Pascaline Lepeltier of Rouge Tomate, Laura Maniec of Corkbuzz, and Hristo Zisovski of the Altamarea Group (along with his wife, who will be collaborating on the cheese pairings). Guest Sommeliers have the 55-seat room from 6 to midnight each Sunday and Monday. A select number of wines will be available by the glass, although most will be rare or older vintages available by the bottle.

To read more, click here.

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Australians Will Be the First to Try Domino’s Robotic Pizza Delivery

March 21, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Domino’s has long billed itself as being on the forefront of delivery technology, from cars with ovens inside to early adoption of order tracking. It’s no surprise that they would be moving to the next logical step of robotic pizza delivery, with DRU (the Domino’s Robotic Unit), a friendly-looking but military-grade robot built by Australian start-up Marathon Robotics and unveiled this past Thursday.

DRU is indeed built from military technology, outfitted with GPS tracking  and a few pizza-delivery-specific features, like a pizza sized storage compartment that customers can unlock with a code sent to their phones when the robot arrives. In theory, that high-grade tech allows DRU to navigate obstacles and travel on sidewalks, bike paths and trails at speeds up to 20 km/hr.

To read more, click here.

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In France, the Magic Word Could Get You a Cheaper Coffee

March 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment

While we all know that “please” is helpful for getting mom to pass the spaghetti at family dinner, the magic word (or it’s French equivalent) now has an added power – it can lower the price of your coffee. French cafes are increasingly turning on to the trend of charging their rude guests more. In many cafes, this practice is kept discrete, although at least two spots have become open about the tiered pricing. At L’Hamburgé in Grenoble, France, coffees range from €1.50 for the most demanding guests, down to €1 for those who ask nicely. At La Petite Syrah in Nice, the divide is even more extreme: a full “Hello, coffee please” costs only €1.40, but saying only “Coffee” is a full €7. There is a middle tier of €4.25 for adding a s’il vous plaît but no bonjour. It’s also unclear if tourists who are still struggling to be polite in a new language get any special dispensation – or added penalty.

While it would be nice if we could all be a little kinder to each other before the morning coffee, we don’t think a trend like this would (or should) catch on here. Hospitality and human connection are the x-factor you just can’t put a price on. Even if a guest forgets the magic word, chances are they won’t forget your great service; next time, just hope they come in with mom to remind them.

To read more, click here.

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June 6th: The 2016 Welcome Conference

March 17, 2016 by Leave a Comment

On June 6th, the Welcome Conference  will return with the theme “Being Present.” The Welcome Conference is an annual forum for those in the hospitality industry, (and those who bring hospitality to other industries) to exchange ideas and perspectives, and to establish new connections. Last year’s theme focused on the idea of “Being Right,” and featured talks by Steve Ells, Sarah Robbins, Bill Golderer and Jon Batiste, among others.

This year’s attendees can attend forums with some of the most creative and passionate individuals in the industry on:

1. Being present as individuals – giving ourselves the time and grace to contemplate life rather than rushing through it. 

2. Being present with each other –  putting aside all of our to dos and distractions and truly, deliberately connecting with those around us.

3. Being present at work – allowing ourselves to engage deeply in one thing at a time and questioning whether multitasking is always the most efficient approach to take. 

Tickets go on sale April 26th. For more information about the conference, click here.

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One Way to Go Green Today: Apply to be a Mobile Food Vendor at NYC Parks

March 17, 2016 by Leave a Comment

The NYC parks department has issued a request for bids (RFB) for mobile food vendors at various park locations in Central Park and around the city. See below for details, and apply before Thursday, April 7th.

In accordance with Section 1-12 of the Concession Rules of the City of New York, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (“Parks”) is issuing, as of the date of this notice, a Request for Bids (“RFB”) for the sale of food from mobile food units at various park locations citywide (Solicitation #CWB2016B),and a Request for Bids for the sale of food from mobile food units at various locations at Central Park, Manhattan (solicitation #CWB2016A).

Hard copies of each RFB can be obtained, at no cost, commencing Wednesday, March 16, 2016 through Thursday, April 7, 2016 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.   All bids submitted in response to each RFB must be submitted by no later than Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 11:00 a.m.

Each RFB is also available for download, Wednesday, March 16, 2016 through Thursday, April 7, 2016 on Parks’ website.  To download the RFB, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/businessopportunities, click on the link for “Concessions Opportunities at Parks” and, after logging in, click on the “download” link that appears adjacent to the RFB’s description.

For more information related to the RFB contact Zoe Piccolo (for Bronx and Staten Island Parks) at (212) 360-1397 or via email: zoe.piccolo@parks.nyc.gov; Eric Weiss (for Brooklyn Parks) at (212) 360-1397 or via email: eric.weiss@parks.nyc.gov; Joseph Conforti (for Queens Parks) at (212) 360-1397 or via email: joe.conforti@parks.nyc.gov, or Glenn Kaalund (for Central Park and Manhattan Parks) at (212) 360-1397 or via email: glenn.kaalund@parks.nyc.gov.  

TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR THE DEAF (TDD) 212-504-4115
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Brazilian Chain Fogo de Chão Finds U.S. Success in 2015

March 16, 2016 by Leave a Comment
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Meat cooking at Fogo de Chao

The Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão, known for it’s all you can eat buffet of meat, carved table side for guests, had a very good year in the U.S. Same-store sales rose 3.5% in the fourth quarter, and 6 more U.S. locations were opened (plus one unit in Mexico), leading to a 12.8% increase in revenue from the previous year. Net income increased even more, up 58.7% to $27.9 million, or $1.06 per share.

CEO Larry Johnson attributed their success to “initiatives we implemented to drive trial and frequency while at the same time growing our average check.” He specifically mentions the group dining platform, which markets the restaurant to large corporate gatherings, wedding parties and other celebrations. Johnson also calls out their expansion to other dayparts, including lunch and brunch.

The Brazilian branch of the chain did not meet the same success last year, due to the continuing Brazilian recession. Same store sales in Brazil fell 8.8% after a successful 2014, in which the world cup brought new guests from around the globe.

To read more, click here.

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Roman’s Runs Into Trouble Going Gratuity-Free

March 15, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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After Danny Meyer, Andrew Tarlow is arguably the biggest name behind the no-tipping groundswell, and one of the first to vow that all his establishments would eventually go gratuity-free. But unlike Meyer, who recently announced that the change had gone unexpectedly well and generated more business than ever at his two Michelin starred The Modern, Tarlow is running into a little more trouble.

At Roman’s, the Fort Green Trattoria where Tarlow eliminated tipping in mid January, the change has reportedly been contentious. Although wages for both front of house and back of house employees have risen to $15 to $17 an hour, that wage still represents a significant decrease from what a server would earn on a typical Friday or Saturday night. As Roman’s bartender Anna Dunn puts it, “Some people want to pursue their art for 40 hours a week and then work 28 hours a week in a restaurant to pay the bills. Those people are really vital to a room. What are they going to do to make the most amount of money in the least amount of hours?”

Friction was likely aggravated by the way the change was announced; servers found out they would be losing tip income on December 15th – the same day the public was told. At least 2 veteran servers quit shortly after. Still, these hiccups are along the lines of what Tarlow – as well as Meyer – expected, and ultimately they still believe that the friction will be worth the change.

To read more, click here.

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