AlabamaGroceryJan2017Final

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OUTSIDE THE BOX NEW RETAIL PERSPECTIVES

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. Let’s Eat! iStock

LET’SEAT! 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. iStock

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.

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