“Founders often want clean and concrete answers as to when they’re ready to raise. This is why the idea that VCs filter exclusively on metrics is attractive.
For instance: Saas companies are ready for an A when they cross $1m in ARR. This sounds good, but we’ve seen As happen for Saas companies with ARR between $200k and $9m with plenty of companies failing all along that range. Clearly VCs don’t care that much about this rule.”
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“Apart from the legal side, there is also a policy consideration to consider: what is the impact on employee recruitment, retention or—on the flip side—accountability, when you charge employees for mistakes?”
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A bill being introduced today by New York City council members would ban the use of plastic straws at restaurants, cafés, bars, stadiums, even the street’s food carts.
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“Most consumers say what defines a snack is not the category but the convenience and how it is used and consumed.”
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“We feel however many small restaurants & bars with a similar set up are feeling the pinch especially in Williamsburg. Increases in wages with more to come, product cost and operating costs all add up and make it difficult to break even, that and the uncertainty of the L train going down and how that will effect business were all factors.”
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Off-site orders are the future Chipotle sees. So much so, in fact, that the new CEO, Brian Niccol, has spent some $3m outfitting stores with new flatscreen ordering systems. So far, Chipotle as outfitted about 300 stores with these $10,000 platforms–and expects to roll out to another 600 stores this year.
The platforms are the brand’s effort to streamline and lean in to the mobile and delivery segment of the business. Employees see images of an order’s ingredients, instead of words, and labels are printed automatically instead of handwritten. The new system makes it easier and quicker to train workers, and orders are more accurate according to Chief Digital and Information Officer Curt Garner. The move will improve the additional production lines — dedicated to digital, online and catering orders — that Chipotle has added to supplement the front lines that serve in-store diners.
Taco Bell, KFC and McDonald’s are all now offering the service in some capacity, while Panera Bread has built its own network with 13,000 drivers. Chipotle, meanwhile, is eager to prove it can recapture growth. Chipotle has said about 8.8 percent of orders go to its second production lines. The chain is working to boost its delivery capabilities — in April it announced a partnership with DoorDash Inc. to add the service to 1,500 restaurants. It also delivers at some locations through Postmates Inc. and Tapingo.
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Gertie will be opening in Brooklyn this summer, but if you can’t wait to try their food you can have some at the Frieze Art Fair this weekend. Gertie will open on the corner of Marcy and Grand in Williamsburg and will offer all-day food. At the art fair they will offer a selection of pastries, sandwiches and beverages as a sneak peak toward their full menu.
You can read more about the event here.
The very popular Impossible Burger will now be available in slider form at select White Castle locations. Impossible Foods’ CEO Pat Brown says that making the high-tech veggie patties available at White Castle should yield insight into how to “popularize plant-based meat with mainstream burger lovers,” which is clearly the company’s top priority.
Let us know what you think about this partnership!
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A law known as the Cabaret Law was put into place during Prohibition to restrict dancing in New York City Bars. It was enacted in attempt to control speakeasies and since the 1920’s, bars and restaurants needed to obtain a cabaret license to allow dancing. In New York city, only 97 out of roughly 25,000 eating and drinking establishments had a cabaret license because these licenses were both extremely costly and time consuming to obtain. This November, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio repealed this law. Beginning this weekend, March 30, 2018 legal dancing in the city’s designated zones is allowed.
Our main question – who even knew about this law? Bars did. For being known as the city that never sleeps, how could dancing all night be banned? As New Yorkers, we walk into bars and see people dancing, grooving, swaying along to music but never once did it cross the average patrons mind that this was illegal. How have so many establishments been able to get around this law for so long?
It is said that the Cabaret Law wasn’t necessarily put in place to cut down on dancing, but rather to crack down on the people who dance. “The Cabaret Law was enacted during the height of Harlem Renaissance” and “even years after the law was enacted it targeted marginalized groups under the pretense that somehow they were more dangerous than anyone else. Basically, anything the NYPD deemed dangerous, this law was used to get in those spaces and shut them down” (Thrillist).
Over the decades, many bars have been forced to shut down after being hit with major citations. Bar owners and bartenders kept music down and dancing to a minimum to avoid these fines and penalties. Ever been asked to stop dancing by a bartender? This is why. Certain bars throughout the city have been fined purely for letting people “sway” to music.
So, what’s about to change? To some, it may not seem like a lot. But, to others, their favorite spots might turn into the bars their owners always dreamed they would be. Bars are more likely to start promoting dancing and music just because they can. This could change the entire nightlife culture throughout NYC. According to Thrillist, Royal Palms’ owner stated “we never had plans to become a dance club.” But, with this new appeal she said, “we might be a little bit more encouraging in our advertising and social media about coming to the club to get down.”
When dancing is banned, people still find a way to get down. Warehouse parties with well-known or aspiring DJs have become quite a scene. These parties are drug filled and considered “underground”. Many of them don’t announce the location until the day of; which, most warehouse party-goers probably didn’t realize is because the parties are illegal. The New York Times quoted “when we stop people from dancing they go straight to these warehouses…People haven’t stopped dancing, they’re just dancing in these extremely unsafe, unregulated environments”. Well, this is all changing.
Going out for a night on the town, dancing with some friends, and enjoying the best that music has to offer no longer means being restricted by certain DJs sets, having to go to a concert, being required to get a table at an elite club, or heading to an unknown location at a specific time. Now, you can bust a move wherever you please. Bars and restaurants will begin promoting a more focused music and dance culture. Random dance parties can, and will, breakout wherever anyone sees fit.
After signing the repeal De Blasio said “when freedom of expression is not allowed, it’s not New York City anymore. Imagine how insane it was that you needed a license to allow people to dance.” We couldn’t agree more.
Their Success . . . There’s something to be said about taking an age-old concept like a diner and reinventing just enough to meets our modern culinary demands. Back in the 1400’s when Leonardo Da Vinci famously expressed “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Meme’s diner on Washington Ave in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn was most certainly not his inspiration. What did however spawn from that idea is the feeling you experience while dining at Meme’s. Their menu is sophisticated yet straightforward. Daring while self restrained. And comforting while modern. With classic menu items like Parmesan style chicken cutlet with greens to a mouth watering Patty Melt, not only will your taste buds be excited but your experience will be refreshing.
For dinner, be sure to try the Meatloaf or Crispy Noodle Salad. If you’re a side lover like myself, do not leave before ordering the Crispy Potatoes, which are spot-on-delicious (Hint: ask for a side of “Comeback Sauce”)
Weekend brunch fans? You do not want to miss this menu. Of course, there are the staples like a classic breakfast sandwich, which is offered on a potato bun with baked eggs, cheese sauce (cheese sauce!), greens, and bacon. Or the Breakfast Plate with everything you know any love about filling your belly on a Saturday or Sunday morning. One thing you wont don’t to leave without trying is the Meatloaf Sandwich. This monster throws down a slice of their classic meatloaf topped with a fried egg, on garlic toast with bbq sauce and crispy shallots.
Don’t blink at their cocktail menu either. Their eloquent soft-spoken bar, which blends effortlessly into the space, serves up unobtrusive classics like Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, or Negronis. Meme’s wouldn’t be Meme’s though if it didn’t put a little flair behind their work. For this, try the Cosmopolitan, a cocktail that would have Annabelle Bronstein coming back for seconds.
Takeaways . . . The classic diner we all grew up loving has been declining in numbers over the years. Meme’s is brining it back in all the best ways. The menu is extremely inviting with subtleties that elevate dishes to a new level. It is refreshing, while offering top-notch hospitability in a dining space that is welcoming to the point where you might just stay for another round. Bottom line- everyone needs a Meme’s in their life.
Hours: Tuesday – Friday: 5pm – 11pm, Saturday: 10am – 3pm, 5pm – 11pm, Sunday- 10am – 5pm
Location: 657 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Phone: (718) 636-2900
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