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LET’SEAT!
If you’re really interested in the
concepts and formats that disrupted
the food business, then look beyond
the supermarkets to the iconic
restaurants that really changed the way
people eat.
That’s the subject of a new book
entitled “Ten Restaurants that Changed
America” by Paul Freedman, who
readily points out that these may not
have been the best restaurants, but
certainly the most influential.
Who were these influencers? There
was the late Howard Johnson’s the
“Host of the Highway” which invented
standardization and whose orange-
tiled roof was a beacon to travelers;
Schrafft’s, the choice of budget minded
secretaries and stenographers who
pioneered the “middle class restaurant
experience”; Antoine’s in New Orleans
and even chef Alice Waters’ Chez
Panisse.
Even more fun is looking at some of
the menus and prices like 1971’s set
menu at Chez Panisse for $3.95 per
person, or chateaubriand for two at
Le Pavillon for $6 – in 1941.
OUTSIDE THE BOX
NEW RETAIL PERSPECTIVES
!
Smart
Skin
Seems everyone loves IKEA meatballs but the Swedish home decor retailer is taking
its do-it-yourself ethos into culinary with “The Dining Club” a pop-up restaurant and
cooking workshop at its store in Shoreditch, London.
Diners build meals by preparing food for groups of up to 20 friends or family. The
experimental restaurant openned for two weeks in mid-September and feature a variety
of cooking sessions – brunch, lunch, or dinner – where different trained head chefs
supervise preparation. If you’re able to snag one of the limited cooking sessions, the
food, alcohol, and wait staff is free.
Researchers at MIT have
introduced DuoSkin, a
smart tattoo printed on
gold leaf – fashionable
but also able to conduct
electricity, which can
also be turned into an
on-skin interface. Sounds
like a new fashion
statement, or a great
place to put loyalty or
credit cards.
Let’s Eat!
iStock
iStock
iStock
| ALABAMA GROCER
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