Union Square Greenmarket is Turning 37: Celebration on July 17th, 4-8 PM

On Wednesday, July 17th, the Union Square Greenmarket turns 37 years old, and to celebrate they will have farmers selling their farm fresh produce, meats, and cheeses, while sharing a space with a curated roster of restaurants serving prepared foods.

Along with food served that evening, there will be programming for families, live music by The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn, and Greenmarket Beer served in the pavilion.

All Wednesday Greenmarket farmers will be in attendance, along with many restaurants selling individual dishes, desserts and beverages:

Back Forty/Back Forty West
Brooklyn Brewery serving Greenmarket Wheat Beer
Chop’t Salad
Craft/Craftbar
Hearth/Terroir
Monument Lane
P&H Soda
Rouge Tomate
Telepan
Tocqueville Restaurant
Union Square Cafe
‘Wichcraft

If you register with your name and email address and receive a FREE Union Square Night Market Pass that will give you $1 off each dish. Print and bring the pass with you on July 17th and present to individual restaurants for $1 off each dish. There are a limited number of passes so register early.

This event is free and open to the public and held in collaboration with the Union Square Partnership.

Brooklyn EATS: Borough’s First F & B Trade Show to Take Place June 26

Brooklyn EATS, Brooklyn’s first food & beverage trade show, supporting  food manufacturing businesses and creating a borough- wide community of food producers, will take place Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 630 Flushing Avenue in South Williamsburg.They welcome vendor participation from all Brooklyn-based food manufacturers and businesses that are involved in packaging and distributing at least one made-in-Brooklyn product.

Brooklyn EATS welcomes buyers, distributors, representatives from hospitality companies and interested consumers to join them in experiencing tastes of Brooklyn, meet the makers, and enjoy a variety of programming over the course of the day, culminating in an after-show loft celebration.

SPREADS: SANDWICH MADE-TO-ORDER ENTERPRISE

441 Park Avenue South at 30th Street (NoMad) • 212.758.5555

Spreads

Spreads

Their Success…Spreads capitalizes on optimizing their in-store layout for simple operations and an enjoyable guest experience, which ultimately maximizes guest throughput and check average. The owners of Spreads are veterans of the New York lunch scene, having run prepared foods market Dishes for years. Their experience shows in this latest venture, which opened in NoMad a few months ago.

Spreads stands out in the highly competitive New York lunch market for a number of reasons, but its overwhelming success is that its owners understand what guests want— to take a break from their busy days and feel good about their experience in the enterprise. Many lunch-goers are eating out in the middle of a packed schedule, with many things on their mind. They want their lunch to be easy and served by a friendly face.

Spreads accomplishes just that with a streamlined, intuitive service flow. When guests enter, the line formation is clear, a menu board legibly displays menu options, and the beverage case and add-on items are visible and easily accessible. Guests order from and receive food from their cashier. From entry to exit, guests know how each part of the ordering process works.

The simple, clear service flow at Spreads also makes managing service easier for staff, from the cashiers handling a lunch crowd to the line cooks crafting sandwiches. This means they are able to focus on interacting with guests on a one-to-one level, creating the personal experience that makes guests more likely to return.

Take Aways…A great design and strong aesthetics create the ambience of the enterprise, yet a functional layout completes the puzzle that optimizes your business model. An intuitive operational service flow allows for guests to enjoy your enterprise while maximizing the guest check average.

Forty Hours is Full Time Act of 2013 Gains Support

NRN reports on the U.S. Senate bill seeking to change the definition of a full-time worker as it applies to the federal health-care reform law.

The Forty Hours is Full Time Act of 2013 would redefine a full-time employee as one who works 40 hours a week or 174 hours a month based on a 52-week year.

Currently the Affordable Care Act states that businesses with more than 50 full-time workers must provide health insurance for full-time employees who work either 30 hours per week or 130 hours per month.

Read the full article here.

Restaurant at Pier 26 RFP: Hudson River Park

It’s a week full of opportunities for operators looking in NYC.

Hudson River Park Trust is looking for a restaurateur to run a new waterfront venue on TriBeCa’s Pier 26th.

The 3,335-square-foot restaurant will feature a roof deck and outdoor dining, according to a request for proposals released Monday.

The Trust is looking for a restaurateur to create a “high-quality, yet casual, waterfront destination restaurant… that will attract both neighborhood residents and area visitors.”

Proposals for the year-round restaurant are due by Aug. 23.

Specialty Food Market RFP: Worth Square, Manhattan

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation is issuing a Request for Proposals for the installation, operation, and management of a specialty food market at Worth Square, Manhattan.

All proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be submitted no later than Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. There will be a recommended proposer meeting and site tour on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 11:00 a.m.  We will be meeting at the proposed concession site, which is located at the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, West 24th Street, and West 25th Street.  We will be meeting in front of the Worth Monument. If you are considering responding to this RFP, they suggest attending this recommended meeting and site tour.

Hard copies of the RFP can be obtained, at no cost, commencing on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 through Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 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.

The RFP is also available for download, commencing Tuesday, June 18, 2013, through Tuesday, July 23, 2013, on Parks’ website.  To download the RFP, visit http://www.nyc.gov/parks/businessopportunities and click on the “Concessions Opportunities at Parks” link. Once you have logged in, click on the “download” link that appears adjacent to the RFP’s description.

For more information or to request to receive a copy of the RFP by mail, prospective proposers may contact the Revenue Division’s Project Manager, Kathryn Winder, at (212) 360-3483 or at kathryn.winder@parks.nyc.gov.

Mayor Bloomberg has Plans for Citywide Compost Program

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced his next initiative — he plans to take the city’s composting program citywide, requiring all New Yorkers to separate their food waste.

The mayor launched a voluntary compost program on Staten Island this year, and plans to expand the pilot program to the rest of the city, The New York Times reports.

Zagat 30 Under 30: New York City

We were on hand last night at The Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg to see some of our friends and favorite young stars collect awards for Zagat’s “30 Under 30”, which honors young up-and-comers in the food and restaurant world.

We got to spend some time with Sophie Slesinger of Saxelby Cheesemongers.

Sophie Slesinger, one of 2013's 30 Under 30

Sophie Slesinger, one of 2013’s 30 Under 30

Zagat’s profile of Sophie:

This young cheese maestro’s passion for the industry was set when she worked at a French bakery in her hometown outside of Washington DC. After getting her degree at Emory University, she arrived in New York City and ultimately landing a gig working with cheesemonger Anne Saxelby, helping to produce her fromage-focused show “Cutting the Curd”on the Heritage Radio network. Slessinger also focuses on working with wholesale customers and doing marketing and events. Though she’s passionate about working in dairy, her ambitions may take her away from the cheese world. “My great uncle had a bakery in Sicily and my mom makes biscotti cookies. I’m kind of thinking about something that has to do with the tradition of my family,” she says.

Sophie  and Pepe

Saxelby Cheesemongers’ Sophie and Pepe

Sophie and Pepe check out the Bosco Photo booth

Sophie and Pepe check out the Bosco Photo booth

The list is an awesome display of NYC’s top young talent, and worth a read for some Tuesday morning inspiration.

Food 52 Opens “Provisions” Shop Online

We’re excited about community food blog Food 52’s “Provisions” shop. If you sign up now and invite three friends, you’ll get a sneak peak. It’s a model we love — a recipe at hand on a site where you can purchase the food and great to cook it and serve it with. It’s stylish, but not slavishly so — this is food being put forth first.

Aspen’s Food & Wine Interview With Drew Nieporent in the Eater Lounge

Drew Nieporent stepped into the Eater Lounge at Aspen’s Food & Wine  to give an honest interview on Friday, talking about NYC openings, the death of criticism, and 6 degrees of Drew. It’s a great insight into one of the country’s top-operator minds.