A man dressed in a Nazi costume, including a swastika patch, was asked to leave the iconic Fanelli Cafe in Soho on Saturday, October 29, the New York Postreports. Footage of the incident was originally posted on Twitter, and as of this morning has over eight million views. “Honestly is so disgusting to still see stuff like this in 2022,” one reply to the video reads, according to the Post. “People seem to think it was a long time, when in fact I’m only the 2nd generation after the Holocaust.”
A new pay transparency law goes into effect tomorrow
As of November 1, employers must be transparent about sharing pay minimums and maximums on job postings, including for those in the hospitality world. Gothamist has the run-down: Businesses that do not comply could be subjected to fines up to $250,000, but companies with three or fewer employees and temp agencies appear to be exempt from the new law.
Midtown Molyvos is on the move
After closing in January 2022 after 25 years in operation, Greek restaurant Molyvos has relocated to a new address at West 43rd Street, and Ninth Avenue, in Hell’s Kitchen. The restaurant officially opened its doors this weekend, serving largely the same menu of Greek food (with the addition of some new raw and chilled dishes) and wine in a 60-seat dining room with a patio.
An exhibit about the history of NYC Jewish delis
The New York Historical Society will debut its latest exhibit on November 11, “I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli. According to the museum’s website, expect “neon signs, menus, advertisements, deli workers’ uniforms, and video documentaries” archiving Jewish immigrants’ influence on the NYC restaurant scene. It runs until April 2, 2023.
Manresa Bread founder Avery Ruzicka admits “it’s a relief” to finally be opening what is being billed as their new flagship location in downtown Los Gatos.
The bakery at 40 N. Santa Cruz Ave. has been in the works for well over a year. Some supply chain issues presented challenges, but they were on track to open the 1,400-square-foot location on Thursday, Oct. 27.
“Things have a habit of working out the way they’re supposed to,” says Ruzicka, who has parlayed her trademark levain baking skills from the kitchen of Manresa restaurant into quite the baked goods empire. “We’re rotating in staff from other locations so all will go smoothly.
“I have a really strong team,” she adds. “They all love working with people. After all, that’s what a neighborhood coffee shop is all about: that warm connection with people.”
The new Los Gatos location will feature indoor and outdoor seating, with an all-day menu, complete with beer and wine, plus grab-and-go offerings. It will be similar in feel to the Campbell location, which debuted in 2018. Ruzicka opened a Manresa Bread cafe in Palo Alto in April of this year. Manresa Bread’s original Los Gatos location on University Avenue is closing.
“The Los Gatos bakery was our first ever brick-and-mortar space, and really an experiment as to whether there was a market for our breads,” says Ruzicka. “We’ve learned so much over the past seven years about not only baking in a high-quality, thoughtful way, but also how to create a welcoming neighborhood space. This move is a testament to our team’s hard work and the unwavering support of the Los Gatos community.”
In addition to Ruzicka’s beloved house-milled sourdough breads, the Los Gatos cafe will serve laminated pastries, quiches, salads and sandwiches. Beverages will include Verve coffee, plus a variety of teas and Stonemill Matcha. Ruzicka sources much of the produce, dairy and meats used in the café from local farms and purveyors, including Clover, Strauss, Live Earth Farms and Spade and Plough.
“We think our Los Gatos customers will be so excited to take their families out on a Sunday for a sausage biscuit, maybe a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich or an avocado toast, accompanied by a mimosa,” says Ruzicka. All the sausage is made in house, and avocados are sourced from Brokaw Farms.
Los Gatos customers snap up around 300 loaves of levain weekly, and are the largest consumers of kouign amann among all the current bakery locations.
The cafe will also carry official Manresa Bread merch, as well as bake-at-home mixes made with fresh flour milled in house, including mocha rye brownie, whole wheat chocolate chip cookie, and Einkorn waffle.
The new Los Gatos cafe was designed by Oakland-based Arcsine Architecture and Design, and underlines the beauty and simplicity of the ancient art of baking. The full-height slat wall is meant to evoke the iconic unpainted homes of Sea Ranch. Three ulterior skylights flood the space with natural light, and hints of orange and blue echo Manresa Bread’s original logo palette. A custom window graphic aligned with the shelving in back features patterns inspired by bread scoring.
The Los Gatos café will be open daily, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Seating inside will be available at three high-tops, each with seating for three, and outside are four four-tops.
A compliment can have a notably positive impact on someone else's mood or perspective — and one coffee shop is attempting to do this on a regular basis.
Founder and CEO Francois Reihani shared background about the café with Fox News Digital in a phone interview and revealed more about the organization that sparked his business idea.
Francois Reihani is CEO of La La Land Kind Café, based in Dallas, Texas. On the right, the inside of one of his stores. (Jeremiah Sabado)
Reihani attended a meeting for Dallas CASA — a court-appointed special advocate organization, in which individuals speak on behalf of minors in the foster care system.
He said that meeting is where he learned about kids who age out of the foster care system at age 18.
"Three kids went up, and the first one said their story," he said.
"It was the absolute most unbelievable thing I’d ever heard."
"I wanted to not only create the place that hired and mentored these kids — it was about creating a program that we could share with other businesses," he said.
La La Land Kind Café was then born with a two-fold mission: to support foster care youth and spread kindness while doing it.
The first location opened in 2019 in Dallas, Texas, as a place for foster youth to get their footing and learn skills in the workforce.
The inside of each shop is meant to be pleasing aesthetically to customers. (Jeremiah Sabado)
The 8-week program helps foster youth acquire on-the-job training skills and customer service skills — along with a mentorship experience.
While the café helps support foster youth, the employees are also spreading kindness wherever they can — including on Tik Tok.
"We believe in complimenting people and … telling people we love them," Reihani said.
One day during the COVID pandemic, he said that he and another employee, Jeremiah, decided to drive around town and shout out compliments to strangers through the car window.
After impulsively pulling out a phone to record their experience, Reihani said the two put a video together — and uploaded it to Tik Tok.
"That night, it got like 10,000 views, and we were all freaking out."
He added, "The next morning … a million. Now, these videos can get 10 … 20 … 30 million views," he said.
The Tik Tok videos simply show one person giving a stranger on the street a nice compliment to brighten that person's day.
The yellow cups at the coffee station in La La Land have a role to play in the company's marketing strategy, the CEO shared with Fox News Digital. (Jeremiah Sabado)
"The main problem with those videos … it shouldn’t be that [this experience of spreading love] is uncommon."
From the social media presence to the in-store experience, La La Land is making sure its customers feel the love, he said.
"At the end of the day, what every human wants is just great human connection and love for each other."
Each customer is given a compliment upon placing an order at the store, and the coffee cup itself even spreads kindness.
Some of the cups say, "Normalize kindness" or "Just be nice."
The café is known for its yellow coffee cups that have encouraging and complimenting statements printed on them. (Jeremiah Sabado)
The brand recently opened its first-ever drive-thru location in Richardson, Texas, and continues to test out how to spread kindness to others.
"At the end of the day, what every human wants is just great human connection and love for each other," said Reihani.
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Coffee and compliments: How La La Land Kind Café is brightening customers’ days - Fox News
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Franchisee Rohit Patel of Hero Hospitality operates the cafe, his 14th with the brand, with a standard drive-thru lane and one for mobile, third-party delivery and curbside order pickup.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened 35 new cafes in the third quarter. The company has signed 186 franchises agreements so far this year and opened 119 new units.
Dive Insight:
The addition of a double drive-thru restaurant to Tropical Smoothie could help drive franchising momentum for the brand. Existing franchisees are also behind 70% of the company’s total cafe openings this year, and have helped increase its year-to-date opening by 25% compared to the first three quarters of 2021.
In 2021, the company opened its 1,000th location and reported same-store sales growth of 22%. Last year, digital sales made up 76% of the company’s sales growth, after it introduced customizable online and mobile ordering.
The double drive-thru model is about 1,140 square feet with a small dining room, a Tropical Smoothie told Restaurant Dive via email. By contrast, a standard Tropical Smoothie Cafe ranges from 1,200 to 1,900 square feet for a traditional unit, be that an end cap, in-line store or free-standing unit. The smaller design may help meet growing demand for digital orders and boost guest convenience, Patel said.
The company is testing the double drive-thru in Oklahoma City so the brand can see how it performs in a market where Tropical Smoothie is well-established through traditional development, the spokesperson said. The double drive-thru can also be built on as little as a quarter of an acre of land if developed in front of a big box store with a shared parking lot, and on a half acre on freestanding lots in locations where other brands may be unable build their concepts, the company said.
Tropical Smoothie said it will continue to look for more opportunities to develop double drive-thrus nationwide.
Several other chains have been introducing double drive-thru or drive-thru-only models, including Schlotsky’s, Panera, Jack in the Box and Arby’s as a way to speed up pickup for digital orders, or increase drive-thru throughput.
Try a warm bread salad with crisp mushrooms, inspired by the restaurant dish.
As fall produce shuffles in at farmers’ markets — persimmons, chicories, squash, citrus — my cooking is becoming more practical and comforting. I’m drawn to simple stews, roasts and pots of beans like this one from Melissa Clark, which builds flavor with seaweed and simmered carrots, celery and fennel — and this vegan recipe from Sarah Digregorio, which uses miso, soy sauce and smoked paprika to approximate the more savory, smoky flavors of a pot of red beans and rice.
But between those one-pot meals, it’s fun to find time for one-off experiments. The other day, I tinkered with a vegetarian dish inspired by the classic roast chicken with bread salad that’s still on the menu at Zuni Café in San Francisco.
Here’s what I imagined: little pieces of open-crumb bread, browned in olive oil; mixed with vinegar-soaked currants, toasted pine nuts and sautéed garlic and scallions; and soaked in hot pan juices. The bread, soggy in places but still crisp in others, would tangle with wispy salad greens in a little vinaigrette, and a big pile of crisp, brown mushrooms would nestle on top. Once I started imagining it, it became impossible not to cook it!
If you want to try it, start by prepping Judy Rodgers’s classic bread salad. You can use the same pan to fry the bread in olive oil, toast the pine nuts and sauté the garlic and scallion. Then, instead of roasting a chicken, sear some mushrooms with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. For extra crisp mushrooms, try placing a heavy pot or pan on top to squish them — a life-changing tip I got from the writer Bettina Makalintal.
Set aside the browned mushrooms and put the pan back over the heat. Add about a half cup of water and scrape up any browned bits at the bottom, letting it simmer for a minute. This liquid takes the place of pan drippings and will help dress the bread and flavor the salad, so don’t forget to taste and season it! Water alone works fine, but you could build up more flavor by sweating some finely chopped shallots and fennel in the pan before adding any liquid, or by using kombu dashi or vegetable stock instead of water.
Toss the bread portion of the salad (everything but the dressing and the leaves!) into the simmering pan juices. Mix well, letting it all soak and meld for a minute. When hot, scrape the bread mixture into a large bowl and toss in the salad greens and vinaigrette. Mix, taste and season with salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil, depending on what it needs, and then pile the browned mushrooms on top. Heaven!
Persimmons are here! This means I’ve started nudging friends with Hachiya trees about taking excess fruit off their hands so that I can dry it in the sun and make a big batch of hoshigaki, just like the cooking teacher Sonoko Sakai showed me last year.
If you’re seeing the fruit at shops but you’re not so interested in a big, multiweek project, consider baking a persimmon pudding or making a quick persimmon salad with pomegranate seeds and walnuts or with a mix of citrus.
P.S. Here’s a look at how that Zuni-style mushroom bread salad experiment turned out!
Thanks so much for reading The Veggie, and see you next week.
Metric Coffee, a longtime leader in Chicago’s competitive independent coffee scene, has lined up the pieces to begin work on the company’s most ambitious project yet: an all-day cafe and roastery featuring tours, brewing classes, and wine close to where Kedzie Avenue and the Kennedy Expressway meet in Avondale.
Co-founders Xavier Alexander and Darko Arandjelovic spent more than a year working to secure the location, a 100-year-old building that housed an antique retailer. Since founding the company in 2013, the pair have run operations out of a cozy space on Fulton Street in West Town, but even before the pandemic, they were feeling the strain of a small footprint that has only a sidewalk patio for customer seating.
“We always had a dream and vision to [expand], but we couldn’t do it in the tiny space we have and didn’t want to do it in a space we didn’t own,” says Alexander. “We want to put down roots in a place where we can grow and build a viable business where we can control all the aspects that are controllable.”
The roaster will shut down production at its Fulton Street space, but keep the facility open by converting it into a veritable playground for coffee fans with brewing classes and an assortment of espresso machines for students to examine and test. Alexander says he’s many people bought equipment they don’t know how to use during the pandemic, and customers could even bring in their own machines for a staff tutorial.
They began the search for a new outpost in July 2021 but it wasn’t until August 2022 that they finally inked a deal to purchase the Kedzie Avenue building. While they hope to open the doors by spring, they say ongoing supply chain problems and high costs for labor and materials will likely push back the debut to that summer or even fall.
Now, with almost 9,000 square feet at their disposal, the co-founders plan to expand their purview significantly with a kitchen, retail space, production facility, and a dine-in cafe with a pizza oven as well as draft wine and beer. A menu is still in the works but fans can expect a full selection of pastries and baked goods from long-time baking partner Brite, cold-pressed juices, and familiar American fare like burgers. Alexander says the approach is inspired by Australian roasters like Seven Seeds and Proud Mary Coffee that have woven a focus on seasonal food and wine into their cafes in a way that has yet to proliferate America.
Metric will also use lessons gleaned from the early years of the pandemic with a tiny grab-and-go operation, called Little Gem: “In the event that, god forbid, there’s another wave [of COVID] or some catastrophic global thing, we can shut down almost every aspect of our cafe and wholesale without affecting the grab and go,” Alexander says.
Activities like roasting tours and public cuppings will relocate to the new location on Kedzie in a move that the co-founders will help foster relationships with the community. Thus far, Alexander says he’s been pleasantly surprised by the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response neighbors in the majority Latinx area have shown for the plan.
“Avondale is going to be the crown jewel,” he says. “In my opinion, there is no space that is quite like this. It’s about service, how we look people in the eye, how we greet and educate them, and make them feel like they can drink their coffee any way they want — a space for everyone, not just a certain demographic.”
Metric CoffeeAll Day Cafe & Roastery, 3110 N. Kedzie Avenue, Tentatively scheduled to open in summer.
A new restaurant and bar recently replaced Joy Cafe in Midtown, and caviar “bumps”, smash burgers, and a venison Benedict are all on the menu.
Located at 1100 Peachtree, Cafe 1933 is owned by restaurant industry consultant and barman Caleb Giles, who sees his restaurant and bar as a nod to an era when the country was just emerging from 13 years of Prohibition. The design is meant to evoke a moody vibe with dim lighting, vintage-style chandeliers, dark walls, and an intimate bar area. A large mural by Atlanta artist Pash Lima covers one of the walls in the main dining room and a dog-friendly patio out front overlooks Peachtree Street.
Open daily for lunch and dinner, expect dishes like the BFRD Hwy Smash Burger made with two ground brisket and sirloin patties topped with bok choy, Korean cheese ramen, gochujang sauce, and cheese, a lobster roll, oysters, and entrees of lamb, ribeye, and chicken and waffles on the menu. People can order caviar bumps to kick off dinner (the over-the-top summer dining trend in which a dollop of caviar is licked off the back of one’s hand, like salt before downing a shot of tequila.) Dinner on Monday evenings features food from local chefs unaffiliated with Cafe 1933, a continuation of the work Giles has done in the past with the city’s pop-up scene and chefs.
Look for French toast bites, mini cornbread pancakes, a spicy chicken sandwich, and a venison Benedict during weekend brunch, along with caviar service.
In addition to beer and wine, the bar at Cafe 1933 serves of mix of both classic and original drinks, including an Old Fashioned with bourbon, bitters, and a root beer reduction and the Rambo made with tequila and Carpano Botanic Bitter. Cafe 1933 is also open for late-night food and drinks every day but Sunday.
Originally located in Buckhead, Joy Cafe moved to 1100 Peachtree in 2016 where it remained until earlier this year. Joy Cafe closed suddenly over the summer following news of the arrest of co-owner Jon Beber who faces three charges of sexual assault on minors while he was coaching the Club Boulder Swim Team between 1997 and 2002. According to reports, Beber also coached swimming in Albany, New York, Florida and Atlanta and is currently temporarily suspended from coaching by the U.S. Center for SafeSport pending the outcome of the trial.
Open Monday - Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday evenings also feature food from local chefs unaffiliated with the restaurant.
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Restaurant and Bar Cafe 1933 Serves Caviar ‘Bumps’ and Replaces Joy Cafe on Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta - Eater Atlanta
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The Little Lunch lobby boasting modish and artsy decor, including their Scrabble board menu design Oct. 1. Customers had the option to choose from a variety of grab-and-go options to accommodate their busy lifestyles.Photos by Lauren Goldblum
Amidst the bustling city of Los Angeles, Pepperdine students have access to a vast array of café options. Whether it’s searching for the perfect study spot, grabbing a quick bite with friends or embarking on weekend excursions to explore local dining, cafés make for the perfect off-campus visit. From chic and bohemian to beachy and modern, L.A. is full of hidden gems.
The Butcher’s Daughter
Nestled in the eclectic neighborhood of Venice Beach, The Butcher’s Daughter offers a trendy and idyllic atmosphere for guests. This brunch or dinner spot combines traditional American cuisine with soulful beverages infused with a unique blend of superfoods and spices.
With plenty of plant-based options, guests can enjoy a versatile menu with fun dishes such as their lavender waffles, summer corn pizza, Surfer’s Burrito and chocolate matcha cake.
For avocado-toast lovers, this spot has mastered the art of the perfect slice with a generous layer of smashed avocado and za’atar seasoning atop thick seed-covered sourdough. Topped with a fried egg, it’s a simple yet delightfully satisfying meal. For a caffeine boost, try their house-made mud water latte. With a blend of cacao, chai, maple, warm spices and almond milk — it’s sweet yet not overpowering.
When deciding where to park, Cabrillo Ave offers a convenient stretch of free residential parking one street over from The Butcher’s Daughter — no parallel parking is necessary. With fast and friendly service, a cozy dining area and a diverse menu — this café won’t disappoint.
Alfalfa
While Sweetgreen might be trending among L.A. salad enthusiasts, Alfalfa is unrivaled in both aesthetics and ingredient quality. Originating in Hoboken, N.J., this picturesque salad shop is conveniently located in downtown Santa Monica, within close proximity to both Venice Beach and Santa Monica Promenade.
Guests are immediately pulled in by the warm pastel colors, cheerful surroundings and artistic food displays. Alfalfa prides itself on the motto, “Real Food That Inspires Joy,” which is reflected throughout the menu.
Whether guests are craving a health-conscious bowl to fuel their day or an indulgent pick-me-up, Alfalfa has it covered with one-of-a-kind donuts, salads, burritos and coffee beverages. Customers can choose between either pre-designed orders or build-your-own style.
Alfalfa offers four salad bases, including their signature base of butter lettuce, romaine and kale. With a variety of toppings and house-made dressings, each order is unique and customizable to individual preferences.
Aside from the adorable Southwestern desert theme, Alfalfa’s products are consistently fresh with generous portion sizes. Regardless of meal choice, Alfalfa’s dishes are guaranteed to leave customers feeling refreshed and satisfied with a boost of serotonin.
Little Lunch Coffee and Cafè
In a teeming city such as L.A., the popular fast-paced lifestyle keeps people constantly on the go. For guests with hectic schedules, Little Lunch Coffee offers a dining experience where customers don’t have to sacrifice food quality and nourishing meals for quick service. What once might have been considered a “weekends only“ café indulgence can now fit into even the busiest schedules, thanks to Little Lunch’s grab-and-go style.
Little Lunch offers an array of grab-and-go snacks, breakfast bites, entrees and coffee beverages. The stylish café creates a homey and intimate atmosphere with plenty of natural lighting, cozy couches, lush greenery and Aussie-inspired decor. Guests can enjoy the large indoor dining space that replicates the feeling of enjoying a meal in the comfort of one’s living room.
The breezy outdoor dining patio immaculately combines the urban, surfer vibe of Southern California with a laid-back Australian style. Little Lunch scores major points for its personal parking lot where guests don’t have to worry about finding nearby street parking. This small eatery is also the perfect stop for a pre or post-beach trip, as it is a short five-minute walk from the sandy shores of Venice Beach.
Urth Caffé
Attracting both celebrities and locals, Urth Caffé is a melting pot when it comes to its versatile menu, according to their online blog. Specializing in farm-to-table entrees, house-made smoothies and juices, coffee beverages and bakery items, Urth caters to a wide range of food preferences. Not only is the food consistently high quality, but the intricate presentations make this café even more enticing. Urth has locations in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Melrose, Downtown L.A. and Laguna Beach.
Menu items range from banana bread pudding and butternut squash pizza to Italian pressed paninis. Urth Caffé boasts a rustic Victorian theme with a warm and cheery environment that makes dining feel like an authentic European experience. Since it is a highly popular choice among both tourists and locals, Urth’s wait times can get long on weekends, so it’s best to arrive slightly earlier than one’s preferred seating time, according to the café’s website.
L.A. is nothing short of a café-lovers paradise — nearly every corner boasts local eateries that are bucket-list worthy. From nourishing fare to caffeine boosters, there is something to satisfy every craving.