In its latest effort to take the burger experience to a higher level — and win back consumers who’ve migrated to “fast casual” restaurants — Burger King is remodeling more of its eateries to include what His Highness describes as a “contemporary industrial palette of metallic and black accents, complemented by finishes that resemble brick and concrete.” But will the fancy new look, which was relaunched this week in Amsterdam, get customers to eat more Whoppers? And how does a creepy guy in a plastic mask sell what the company calls an “intimate and engaging dining” experience?
restaurants
Does Posting Calorie Counts On Menus Sway Consumers?
By 10.6.09
Starting last year, fast food restaurants in New York City were required to list the total calories of every item on the menu. The idea was to provide greater transparency for consumers so that they can make smarter choices. Has it worked? Professors at New York University and Yale have completed a study that shows that the labeling makes consumers think they’re being healthier, but in fact they’re ordering more total calories than before the law went into effect.
Pizza Hut Manager Attacks Old Man
By 10.5.09
A 27-year-old Pizza Hut manager in Winnipeg, Manitoba, went bonkers last Friday and dragged a 76-year-old customer to the ground over a payment dispute. The manager was arrested, and the customer returned the next afternoon to dine, because he is afraid of nothing.
Pay Restaurant Tabs From The Comfort Of Your Table
By 10.4.09
If you dislike handing your credit or debit card over to restaurant employees and letting them wander off with it for a while, you’re not alone, and that’s why some restaurants are experimenting with mobile pay-at-the-table technology.
Hidden Cameras Catch LA Valets Breaking All Kinds Of Laws
By 10.1.09
An excellent piece of investigative journalism by NBC Los Angeles catches valets all over the city putting up fake no parking signs, jamming meters, and using customers’ cars to shuttle valets around.
Can't Find Work In Your Field? Move To NYC And Open A Food Cart
By 9.30.09
If you were laid off from your job, or can’t find one in the industry you trained for, you can always sell food to people on sidewalks. That’s what at least two people are doing in New York, while a third has opened a cart to supplement his regular income. Update: But don’t expect to actually make any money, according to this article tipped to us by Zach.
Restaurant Calls Rowdy Toddler "Little F***er" On Family's Receipt
By 9.12.09
Did you think that a restaurant using the code “bogo bitches” to refer to coupon-using customers was bad? Well, a Cactus Joe’s restaurant in England can top that. A new menu item called ‘Thankyyou littell f***er'” appeared on a family’s receipt after their child acted up during a long wait for food.
NYC Restaurant Stops Accepting Cash
By 9.11.09
If you decide to eat at Commerce, an unpleasantly named upscale restaurant in New York City that charges nearly $25 for spaghetti, your cash is no longer welcome.
Tavern On The Green Files For Bankruptcy
By 9.10.09
Tavern on the Green, that New York staple for generations of tourists, Upper West Side matrons, and, oh, tourists, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Central Park eatery, which is the second highest-grossing independent restaurant in the country (number one is Tao, in Las Vegas), has debts as high as $50 million, according to the filing.
How To Make The Most Of Your Fancy Restaurant Experience
By 8.27.09
Frank Bruni, the outgoing restaurant critic at the New York Times, has used his last column to provide tips on how to get the best value out of your next fine dining experience.
Bring Out Your Pig, The Mobile Slaughterhouse Is Here!
By 8.12.09
A group of farmers in the Seattle area are testing out a new $300,000 “Mobile Meat Processing Unit”—a 45-foot stainless steel trailer that comes with its own USDA inspector and a butcher—in an attempt to see whether they can make a profit selling their meat locally instead of shipping livestock off to a feedlot “hundreds of miles away.”
Coffee Shop Bans Lunchtime Laptop Users
By 8.7.09
Patrons working on laptops are a fixture of coffee shops, and with electric outlets and free wi-fi, shops aren’t exactly discouraging students and, uh, professional bloggers from hanging out there. Until now.
How To Weasel Your Way Out Of Picking Up The Check
By 7.31.09
C’mon, admit it. You don’t like to be the one who picks up the check when you’re out at lunch with your friends. You probably avoid going out to lunch with office pals just to avoid the potential hazard of getting stuck with the check.
What To Do When You Discover You've Been Overcharged At A Restaurant
By 7.17.09
James discovered that the waiter at a steakhouse he and his wife ate at padded his bill by 4 extra dollars, but also ran through the charge a second time with no tip at all. Now he’s wondering what to do next.
Fancy Fast Food Makes Your Favorite Junk Into Eye Candy
By 7.10.09
We’re really intrigued by Fancy Fast Food, which takes standard fast food items and, using only those ingredients, transforms them into something approaching haute cuisine. The recipes are available on the site if you want to try at home. (Pictured above: the Tacobellini)
How Much Does That $12 Chain Restaurant Sandwich Really Cost?
By 7.4.09
Chain restaurants are trying to lure in recession-weary diners with deep discounts, but franchisers worry that if you suddenly start paying half-price for sandwiches, you won’t be willing to pay full price when the economy recovers. We’re all accustomed to chain restaurant sandwiches costing $8 and up, but how much do those sandwiches really cost restaurants to make?
Eat Out And Save
By 6.30.09
Eating out is one of the fastest ways to burn a hole through your wallet, but with a few tips from Five Cent Nickel, you can still enjoy a good meal without breaking the bank.
Former FDA Head Says Food Manufacturers Use Sugar, Salt, And Fat To Short Circuit The Brain's Reward System
By 6.24.09
Do you have trouble resisting the urge to scarf down that cookie/candy bar/entree? Maybe it’s because somewhere upstream, experts spent lots of time and money manipulating the ingredients to deliver the consumer to a “bliss point,” suggests former FDA head Dr. David A. Kessler. His book “The End of Overeating” looks at how modern food has been designed to be as irresistible and satisfying as possible.
