Not only can Google maps help you avoid traffic and find the fastest routes to destinations, but now Google maps can help you avoid long lines at your local coffee shop. With a new update, Google maps will show potential wait times at coffee shops and restaurants, helping consumers avoid lengthy lines.

Google Maps has already implemented location information including hours of operations, contact details and even menus. Listed establishments with these already location cards will now have a timeline charting their busiest hours. While some data can be easily predicted, such as Starbucks being busiest in the morning rush, it is featured to be more useful with utilizing it alongside other Google maps tools. Google maps will now be able to re-route around delays and plan out routes to avoid long lines.

The new feature is available to Google Maps users in Android apps and on both Chrome and Safari apps for iOS.

To read more, click here.

New York City is iconic for its coffee shops and its cafes. Eater has updated a guide to New York’s best coffee shops to navigate better brew and really good drip coffee.

The Smile Newsstand-177 Franklin St

Birch Coffee-21 E 27th St

Padoca Bakery-359 E 68th St

El Rey-100 Stanton St

Fair Folks & A Goat-96 W Houston St

Abraco-86 E 7th St

Hi-Collar-214 E 10th St

Everyman Espresso-136 E 13th St.

Stump town Coffee Roasters-18 W 29th St.

Culture Espresso-72 W 38th St.

Intelligentsia Coffee-180 10th Ave.

Joe ( the art of coffee)-44 Grand Central Terminal

Ninth Street Espresso Uptown-109 E 56th St.

Oslo Coffee Roasters-422 E 75th St

Petite Shell-1269 Lexington Ave

The Queens Kickshaw-4017 Broadway

Sweetleaf-10-93 Jackson Ave

Propeller Coffee-984 Manhattan Ave

Cafe Grumpy-193 Meserole Ave

Budin NYC-114 Greenpoint Ave

Toby’s Estate Coffee-44 Charles St

Blue Bottle Coffee-160 Berry St.

Devocion-69 Grand St

Gimme Coffee-495 Larimer St

Underline Coffee-511 W 20th St

Pushcart Coffee-399 W 25th St

Bluestone Lane Coffee Shop-805 3rd Ave

Third Rail Coffee-240 Sullivan St.

To no surprise Stumptown Coffee, which has been a reigning champ in a city of contenders known for their cappuccino, has made the Eater’s list. More notably, Padoca Bakery has been acclaimed for their tasteful espresso sourced from Brooklyn’s Nobletree, which is a roaster that also oversees growing of bean from their own fields in Brazil, despite opening only a month ago. Padoca is a new contender in the city’s coffee industry but has made a statement with their playful, and chic Brazilian vibes. To check learn more about the 28 Outstanding Coffee Shops in NYC, click here.

In October, the credit card processing industry is going implement a major change that affects every point of sale: the introduction of EMV chip payments.  EMV, which stands for Europay, Mastercard, and Visa, is a technology that is widely relied upon elsewhere in the world–Canada, Europe, Asia–but has yet to be mandated in the States.  Now, the credit industry is being required to roll out the technology domestically to help counteract fraudulent charges.

EMV cards work by storing data on integrated chips rather that magnetic strips.  When the card is charged, the buyer must also provide a pin number at the point of sale in order to authorize payment.  Now, the card companies are moving the liability of fraudulent charges to the business owner that does not accept EMV cards.  For small businesses, this means you should begin the following five steps to start preparing for compliance:

1. Assess Your Current POS System: your point of sale terminal may require new hardware and software in order to process the transaction.  Confirm with you POS provider or the bank with which your run your business for more information.

2. Speak With Your Credit Card Processor: in addition to the point of sale, you should ensure that the processing is uninterrupted by the new method.  Check in with your card processor to confirm compatibility.

3. Reevaluate Your Point of Sale: given the massive changes this and similar new technologies–like Apple Pay–cause, now might be a good time to upgrade or swap your system.  This is a perfect opportunity to justify a change to a new system.

4. Keep Security in Mind: EMV is a more secure technology than magnetic stripes, but it’s not perfect.  Furthermore, not everyone will immediately have new EMV cards come October.  Thus, it is as important as ever to be aware of and ready for possible security issues.  Ask your card provider to run an analysis on your system to find any information leaks.

5. Educate and Train your Employees: As cashiers, your team will be responsible for helping guests check out with the new technology.  Be sure to explain the new cards and train them on the new process–they should no longer be handling guests cards, and that’s a major change!

To read more, click here.

When one walks into the conventional office building of 220 Church, they are transported miles away as the intoxicating aroma of Arcade Bakery’s freshly baked bread fills the air. A sign on the side of the building identifies the bakery, but it is not until guests walk 300 feet into the building’s elegant Art Nouveau lobby will they find the discrete window of Roger Gural’s first venture.

People line up at the petite booth looking down at the small pastry case filled of beautiful goodies and above to the oversized loaves of bread lining the shelves beyond the counter. Just a window away, patrons can glare into the following room where bakers are hard at work crafting the next batch of confections. Eight fold out tables line the sides of lobby, providing cubbies for customers to nestle into and enjoy their freshly baked treats.

Arcade Bakery specializes in traditional handcrafted breads and yeasted pastries that are baked on site daily. The Bouley and French Laundry alumnus lunched Arcade Bakery in May 2014 and has been slowly expanding his operations since. Currently the hours of operation are 8am – 4pm, Monday through Friday and the bakery’s menu has welcomed a crossover to lunch that includes sandwiches and pizzas, which can be ordered online in advance.

Arcade Bakery is faced with a unique challenge. They must pull guests in without the assistance of a storefront. There is no neon sign screaming world-class pastries to draw in customers but instead they must find another way to let customers know they are relevant. In an interview with Eater, Rodger Gural shared that he was inspired by cities like Japan where guests can find fantastic food in subway and train stations. Just like these eateries in which Gural found inspiration, Arcade Bakery must keep their quality and service unwavering, making their unconventional retail space a destination.

In order to remain successful Arcade must rely on the return customer and good old-fashioned word of mouth, both which only occur if customers leave satisfied. Lucky for Gural, word of his fluffy slices of babka, the light and flaky croissants and unique creations such as his Pineapple Up-side Down Brioche have resonated with customers. Arcade Bakery is building a world-class reputation from an unassuming Tribeca lobby one pastry at a time!

Arcade Bakery is at 220 Church (between Worth and Thomas), http://www.arcadebakery.com

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation has released a Request for Proposals for the sale of specialty foods from mobile units at various locations city wide.  Concessionaires are to apply for a single term, which is to last five years.  The concession is to be operated pursuant to a permit issued by Parks; no leasehold or other proprietary right is offered.

The deadline for proposal has been set as May 11th at 3:00PM.  Follow up interviews are scheduled for the week of June 8th.  In order to apply, vendors should submit a detailed operation plan for the entire Permitted Premises.  This plan includes, among other details, hours of operation, menu and prices, plans to install energy efficient appliances, and any plans to use “Green Seal” or environmentally friendly products or devices, staffing plans, safety and security plans, programming plans, mechanisms to measure customer satisfaction, maintenance, snow, rubbish removal, and cleaning schedules.

All applying vendors must comply with the necessary DOHMH regulations for mobile food vending.  The Parks department has opened up over 50 locations to be bid on.  For the complete list of regulations, details, and proposal requirements, click here.

To register for the webinar, click here

Happy New Year!!  Wishing everyone a fantastic 2015.

Best Wishes,

TaraPaige Group