Restaurants Resort to Promotions to Lure Customers
November 13, 2008
With the economy in a slump, the restaurant business has gotten so bad that many restaurants are resorting to giving out coupons and gift certificates in an effort to lure customers back in.
In today’s tough economy, things are tight and many people are doing whatever they can to cut back on costs and save money. For many, this means cooking at home and packing lunch for work rather than going out to eat. With the drop in business, restaurants around the country are doing everything they can do get customers back through their doors.
Many restaurants are extending their hours and cutting back on portions. Some are buying cheaper ingredients and opting for smaller plates. Others are offering special discounts and promotions in the mail and online, from coupons to free gift certificates.
California Chain Restaurants Must Count Calories
October 3, 2008
In an effort to make you think twice before ordering that double-cheeseburger, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approved legislation last Tuesday requiring large chain restaurants to include the nutritional contents of menu items.
The legislation is an effort to combat the obesity epidemic in California. California is the first state in the nation to approve a law of this kind.
The law, proposed by Sen. Alex Padilla, will apply to chain restaurants that have more than 20 locations throughout California. The bill will take effect on July 1, 2009, and by January 1, 2010, nutritional information must be posted by all chain restaurants.
This means that restaurants affected by the bill must disclose information about the number of calories, carbohydrates, saturated fat and sodium contained in menu items. Read more
World’s Largest Coffin Bar… It’s To Die For
July 17, 2008
Most people don’t look to end up in a coffin, but in the resort town of Truskavet, Ukraine, that’s the place to be.
Aptly named “Eternity,” the bar is actually a gigantic wooden coffin. The bar’s interior is complete with real coffins that serve as tables, walls adorned with funeral floral arrangements and servers dressed all in black as funeral dirges play in the background.
The idea for the bar was conceived by a group of local undertakers.
Constructed from 30 cubic meters of pine, the coffin is 20 meters long, 6 wide and 6 meters tall.
The owner is hoping “Eternity” will make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Prison Food: So Good It Should be Illegal
June 19, 2008
From restaurants inside actual working prisons, to prison-themed restaurants, who knew that so many people pay to dine behind bars?
Fortezza Medicea
At one of the most exclusive restaurants in Italy, you never know if the cooks and waiters are thieves and murderers…literally.
In the picturesque town of Volterra, Italy, the maximum-security prison Fortezza Medicea is home to an exclusive restaurant where the inmates prepare and serve gourmet food.
The restaurant is part of the prison’s rehabilitation program, which aims to teach inmates skills that they can use to gain employment once they are on the outside. The program also raises money for charity.
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