Restaurantdotorg's Blog – September 2008 Archive (13)

Start going green and saving green tomorrow

Tomorrow NRA Conserve hosts a free online seminar, 'Go Green to Save Green,' tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET. Vaughan Lazar of Eric Haley of Pizza Fusion and Matthew McLaughlin from The Rockfish will share their stories about how they made their restaurants more sustainable. Conserve project manager Chris Moyer will also chime in with some of the latest… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 30, 2008 at 1:23pm — No Comments

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

This pic is from the blog of the 30 Rock fictional character Frank Rossitano. Fab show, by the way.

Is there anything that's too cute to eat? Now I think there… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 26, 2008 at 6:00am — 2 Comments

Tipping points

Here’s a topic for you: tipping.

It’s how many dedicated restaurant workers here in this country make a living. Now it’s under siege. Are we at a place in our history where tipping is an anachronism? Should we make all waiters salaried employees? Or is applying service charges to all checks the answer? So many questions, so little time to answer them.

But let’s try.

Several events have triggered this issue. The recent influx of foreign travelers and their… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 25, 2008 at 9:33am — 2 Comments

Gwyneth's GOOP

I harbor mixed feelings about Gwyneth Paltrow. On one hand, she's a terrible actress. Her it-girl status back in the '90s was unwarranted. She doesn't have much to offer the world other than her faux British accent. On the other hand, she's moved on to better things like reproducing and minding her own business — for the most part.

Now she's back, but this time she's less offensive... maybe even a little more interesting. She played a bit part in the summer smash hit Iron Man… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 23, 2008 at 12:32pm — 1 Comment

5 things I didn't know about chocolate

Chocolate!

Here are five new things I learned about chocolate today:

1.) Historians trace "chocolate trees" back to the rainforests of Central and South America.

2.) Up until recently, most people drank chocolate.

3.) Chocolate is not an aphrodisiac. (I beg to differ.)

4.) Today the Ivory Coast exports the most cacao in the world. The Netherlands imports the most.

5.) Think you can't enjoy… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 19, 2008 at 12:45pm — 5 Comments

A sustainable economy

Let’s talk about the economy. You may not want to because of all the doom and gloom attached to the subject. But there is some good news on the front, and it’s good in more ways than one.

We’ve all read about sustainability (I myself have blogged a lot about sustainable practices) and what it means for restaurants and other businesses. But just what exactly does all this mean? More jobs? Lower costs? Increased sales? Better results? In the end, these are the metrics that… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 18, 2008 at 7:27am — 2 Comments

A deep thought

Messy baby

I felt pensive today, so I checked out some of Jack Handey's Deep Thoughts. Somehow they make me laugh and think, although most of the time they just make me laugh.

So here's one of my own:

Every mess can be cleaned up.

What are your favorite words of… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 17, 2008 at 8:07am — 3 Comments

Eco-meat: Not buying it

There are all sort of labels given to meats that are presumably sustainable: 'all-natural,' 'free-range' and 'organic' are the main ones. Frankly, I didn't know what these terms meant until I read 'Checkout Line: Meat of the Matter' on Grist.org.

Here's what I learned:

• 'All-natural' really means 'all-BS.' According to the article, all-natural meat 'is merely marketing frou-frou, with no… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 16, 2008 at 11:33am — 1 Comment

Team time

We all work in teams. Generally I’ve had great experiences with them. Everyone has unique skills and experiences that they bring to the table, thus making the outcome of all the collective efforts just grand.

However, sometimes our teams encounter ruts. I know I’m not alone here. What do we need to do to bring back that special spark? (Cue the romantic music.)

As I’ve said… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 11, 2008 at 5:00am — No Comments

Job jitters

If you have a case of the job jitters, you are not alone. Last week the unemployment rate in the United States hit a 5-year high, 6.1 percent. This, in addition to all the other news out there, isn't comforting.

However, if you work in the restaurant industry, it's a different story. According to the MSN Careers Web site, leisure and hospitality workers are some of the most wanted today:

'While pocketbooks are… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 8, 2008 at 2:30am — 4 Comments

Going gaga for Google's Chrome?

Boy, this is the second time I've talked about Google in a week. What can I say? It's an interesting company.

A new Web surfing application has joined the browser wars, Google Chrome. It's only a beta version, but so far I like it. The interface is clean and simple. It's fast. Keeping track of my history is effortless. Searching in the address bar is a breeze.

Not everyone loves Chrome… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 5, 2008 at 5:00am — No Comments

The power of us

Summer is essentially over. Now we enter fall, a time for pleasant weather, pretty foliage — and politics.

Some of you may stop reading here because you don't even want to approach the last item above. You say the topic only divides but not unites. I’ll go there anyway. Not because I support one particular candidate or one particular party (I'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who supports one platform unilaterally anymore these days anyway) but because there are just too many issues… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 4, 2008 at 4:00am — 4 Comments

Too much star power

I've never understood all the hoopla surrounding The Hills, that show on MTV that features some people I'm supposed to know but not sure why I should. However, I have a couple of gal pals who swear by it, so perhaps there's some reason why the show is popular. But I don't get that channel on my cable system, so I guess I may never find out what… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on September 2, 2008 at 8:02am — No Comments