Isis Mobile Wallet: An Easy Way to Pay

November 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Isis Mobile Wallet is a fast and secure way to pay using select Android phones. All it requires is for you to link an eligible American Express or Chase debit or credit card to your phone, hold the back of your phone to the contactless symbol at checkout, and your purchase is complete. This convenient Android app also consolidates offers and loyalty apps from nearby participating merchants so you no longer have to store coupons and cards in your wallet.

Jamba Juice is currently promoting the Million Free Smoothie or Juice Giveaway in partnership with Isis Mobile Wallet. Patrons who download the free app on their smartphone can receive one small smoothie or 12 oz. juice per day at all participating U.S. Jamba Juice retail locations until the company gives away one million of the juices and smoothies.

“Jamba Juice is committed to encouraging Americans to live a healthy lifestyle,” said Julie S. Washington, senior vice president and chief brand officer Jamba Juice Company. “Through this partnership with Isis, we are offering new and existing customers an easy way to enjoy more fruits and vegetables in their diets with just one tap on their smartphone.”

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Chef John Besh’s Latest Venture: The BeshBox

November 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Acclaimed New Orleans born-and-bred Chef John Besh recently added one more concept to his ever-growing brand: The BeshBox. Subscribers can find everything from edible delicacies to kitchen tools to signature washcloths. In response to what triggered him to develop his newest project, Chef Besh claimed, “It’s all part of the same thing, trying to make people happy through food and making the world a better place. That’s my line, and I’m sticking to it.”

One BeshBox is priced at $55; three are $160 and six months are $330.

As for the benefits of The BeshBox, Besh reveals, “I always thought if it’s handled properly, it would be such an asset. It’s not just a small gift every month. It starts to stock pantries and spice racks, and you can have the recipe cards all together. This thing can, and will, continue to grow and evolve.”

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“Copycat Cuisine”: Is it Sharing or Stealing?

November 14, 2013 by 2 Comments

Nancy Kruse of Kruse Company, a company that analyzes food and menu trends, debates whether chefs’ culinary creations should be protected under “trade dress” intellectual property rights. Some wonder why recipes do not have the same legal protection as other operational attributes like logos, signage and decor. Trade dress currently protects authors and musicians, but chefs do not benefit from the same security.

In all fairness, the restaurant world has shrunk. Chefs respond to trends similarly and consequently use the same seasonal and/or trending ingredients to accommodate their target market. It’s no wonder resembling recipes appear in multiple venues, probably in an unintentionally sinister way.

Certain chefs advocate for recipe copyrighting because developing a recipe can be a lengthy process. Seeing their idea on another chef’s menu feels like a violation, understandably. Other chefs however, like Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin and Ferran Adrià of the former elBulli, perceive recipe imitation as a form of flattery. In fact, Chef Adrià encourages the free sharing of recipes and ideas amongst the chef community, and Chef Ripert admits to borrowing ideas from fellow chefs, including Chef Adrià.

Is recipe borrowing menu plagiarism, or just that— borrowing?

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10 World-Class Female Chefs

November 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

In response to Time’s controversial “Gods of Food” story that almost completely disregarded female chefs, Grub Street payed homage to ten influential female chefs around the world. Time editor Howard Chua-Eoan didn’t manage to smooth things over with his sexist comment in response to why he chose to omit women, “because men still take care of themselves. The women really need someone — if not men, themselves actually — to sort of take care of each other.” Chua-Eon explained Time’s editors “did not want to fill a quota of a woman chef just because she’s a woman. We wanted to go with reputation and influence.”

Here’s Grub Street’s list of ten female chefs who do possess outstanding reputations and whose talents have influenced the restaurant industry:

Alice Waters: Chez Panisse, Berkeley

Elena Arzak: Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain; Ametsa, London

April Bloomfield: The Spotted Pig, The Breslin, The John Dory Oyster Bar, Salvation Taco, New York; Tosca Cafe, San Francisco

Anne Sophie-Pic: Maison Pic, Drôme, France; Restaurant Anne-Sophie Pic, Lausanne, Switzerland; La Dame de Pic, Paris, France

Dominique Crenn: Atelier Crenn, San Francisco

Christina Tosi: Momofuku Milk Bar, New York and Toronto

Judy Rodgers: Zuni Café, San Francisco

Clare Smyth: Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London, England

Gabrielle Hamilton: Prune, New York

Suzanne Goin: The A.O.C., Lucques, Tavern, the Hungry Cat, the Larder, Los Angeles

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Thanksgivukkah Doughnuts

November 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Alphabet City’s Zucker Bakery announced plans to introduce a treat that embodies the best of both Hanukkah and Thanksgiving: the “Thanksgivukkah” doughnut. The four versions of this savory holiday hybrid snack range from $3.50 to $5. These are the fillings, each enveloped by spiced pumpkin dough and powdered sugar:

Sweet Potato with Toasted Marshmallow

Turkey Cranberry

Turkey Gravy

Cranberry

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Push-Button Pizza-Delivery Service

November 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Washington, D.C-based iStrategyLabs is in the process of launching an innovative way of ordering pizza. The “Pie Pal” widget allows users to select the number of pizzas they want delivered. With the push of an LED button, their wish is Domino’s command in thirty minutes time.

Pie Pal is currently seeking Beta testers.

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Four Ways to Optimize Online Presence

November 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment

FastCasual compiled a list of four ways to maximize your business’ online presence. These concepts are straightforward and include goals that every business, no matter how small, should aspire to. Gone are the days when the only visible online platform for a business was a company website. Aggregating information has never been faster or easier with the aid of online review guides and search engines. For this reason, it’s especially important to ensure your business’ information is accurate, prevalent and caters to your target market. These are the four ways to achieve an ideal online presence:

1) Be everywhere. Don’t just market yourself through your company website and social media platforms. Having a strong presence on third-party sites like Yelp will give your concept a sense of legitimacy and draw more businesses.

2) Centralize business listing updates. Services like Locu, recently acquired by GoDaddy, provide a simple solution to consolidating your business’ information, promoting consistency and accuracy, and sending this information to third-sites.

3) Improve your presence on third-party sites. Don’t just advertise the basics like hours of operation and location; it’s crucial to also feature menus, photos and promotions, to name a few. Branch out to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

4) Search for your business online. A first priority is to make sure information is up-to-date and accurate. Accuracy and consistency leads to earning your customers’ trust.

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Consumers Plan to Dine Out Less in 2014 for Health Reasons

November 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment

New-York based consulting firm AlixPartners found that consumers will eat out less frequently in 2014 due to an increased concern in maintaining good health, not because of budget constraints, as had been the case since the recession. The North American Restaurant Consumer Sentiment Review by AlixPartners, a bi-annual survey, based their findings off of more than eighty restaurants and foodservice companies. The survey discovered that 60% of consumers claimed they want to eat more healthfully in the next year, a 10% increase from the first quarter. More than half of consumers ranked the availability of of healthy menu options as important when choosing where to eat.

A rise in health-conscious attitudes may be the top reason consumers plan to dine out less; however, their primary concern is food quality, then price and value. Restaurant owners will want to consider adding healthful options to their menus if they have not already done so.

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Pinkberry’s App Success

November 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The launch of Pinkberry’s mobile loyalty app last month, the prime feature of Pinkberry’s Pinkcard loyalty program, has been a huge success. A third of all in-store transactions are completed via the iPhone app, and soon-to-be Android app. Scan-to-pay technology increases efficiency and speed while conforming to forward-thinking technology. The app also serves as an interactive device for users with a point system incentive. Customers receive a free yogurt upon earning ten points. Special occasions like birthdays and earning double points for select purchases are other incentives the Pinkcard system features.

Fast casual restaurants in particular should think about implementing mobile app incentive programs for their customers; it’s one of the easiest ways to increase sales.

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Gourmet Menus Leads to Increased Sales

November 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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.

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