Business Advisors and Referral Network (BARN)’s Post

Eleven Madison Park (EMP) in New York City had already been among the world’s top 50 restaurants for successive years, and moving up on that elite list, when Peter Wells, food critic for The New York Times, walked out of its dining room after a fifteen-course lunch to write a review so scathing that he earned himself the name Peter ‘The Punisher’ Wells in the media. In today’s increasingly gatekeeper-less world, the idea of paying exclusive attention to one person’s opinion smells of fossils. I’ve for long wondered why the best restaurateurs and chefs are okay with flourishing and perishing by the food critic’s pen. They go to painstaking lengths to come good on that one unannounced Judgement Day and earn the right to those elusive stars. I said up top that this idea of giving so much heft to one person’s views is bonkers. I’m willing to change my mind on this. What persuades me is this: any brilliant creation is fractal. In its smallest component shines the excellence of its entirety. Each part captures the character of the whole. Steve Jobs was known to check the back of drawers because his father had taught him that anything beautiful had to be so through and through, even where no one’s eyes went. Especially where no one’s eyes went. It is the same thought that applies to the highest rung of customer service. The smallest detail represents the whole. A single diner’s experience carries the voice of the community. We can moan over the harshness and ridiculousness of letting one stranger determine the fate of our grandest projects. EMP made wholesale changes to its service after that biting review. Or we can use it as the perfect excuse to make the back of our drawer shine just like the front. In four years, EMP went on to be become #1 at the World's 50 Best in 2017. #customerservice #hospitality #curiosityovercertainty

They say startup businesses are too risky to finance, even more so for the restaurant industry, and construction financing is supposed to be on extremely aggressive terms…but I beg to differ. We’re a 45-year old nonprofit community based financial intuition. Main Street Launch offers loans up to $350,000 to startup and existing businesses that can’t qualify for more conventional sources of financing (e.g. banks, equity-backed firms, rich friends, family, or fools, etc). Our loans are fully amortized up to 10-years with competitive rates that can be used for a wide variety of business purposes… Berkeley is now home to “one swanky pizza lounge.” three.one four (aka 3.14 aka pie aka pizza) took over the historic Lalime space in the Gilman District. If you’re in the neighborhood, go support a small business while indulging on what’s anticipated to be one of the best pizzas in the bay, and tell ‘em I sent you. Do you know any other entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their small business but having issues accessing capital?? I’m here and have been for 14 years helping these exact kinds of businesses…pass on the good word.

Who knew defining a sandwich could stir such a heated debate? 🥪 Enter the curious case of Panera vs. Qdoba! 🌯 In 2006, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts became an unlikely battleground. Panera Bread, proudly occupying a spot in a local shopping plaza, had some exclusive rights in their lease. The clause? No other sandwich-selling restaurants could move in. So, when Qdoba tried joining the plaza party, Panera cried foul, exclaiming, "Those burritos? Totally sandwiches!" 🤔 Off to court they went! While the judge might've been craving a lunch break, he first had a task at hand. Delving into the intricacies of bread and fillings, he consulted Webster's trusty definition. Result? Sandwiches have "two or more slices of bread or a split roll with filling in between." Conclusion: Burritos need not apply. With that, Qdoba set up shop, Panera was left chewing on the decision, and the rest of us? We got a scrumptiously entertaining lesson on the importance of words, whether we're crafting a menu or a lease! #SandwichSaga #OnlyInLaw #law #contracts #qdoba #panera

Chicago’s restaurant scene is known worldwide. To keep it thriving, city must bring down burglaries. (via Chicago Sun-Times) “Chicago is famous for its food. Its restaurants represent myriad cultures, from Ecuadorian to Indian. Not many cities can compete with Chicago when it comes restaurant fare. But a disturbing trend threatens our lively food scene. Burglaries of restaurants are hitting record numbers, as reported by the Sun-Times recently. Reporters Ambar Colón, Mohammad Samra and Tom Schuba found that 635 burglaries were reported at restaurants last year, the most since at least 2001. Worse yet, Chicago is on track to surpass that number this year. Generally, thieves are looking for cash and liquor, the reporters noted. Apparently, there is a prolific black market for booze. What can be done? For starters, alderpersons should consider tapping funds from their aldermanic menu programs to install concrete barriers where feasible in front of restaurants and stores susceptible to smash-and-grabs — when criminals ram vehicles through glass windows to steal. It’s a worthy investment. These places are, after all, economic lifelines for neighborhoods.“ To read more, visit: https://lnkd.in/gEEziJhf.

If you're considering starting a restaurant, here are four rules to get you started.

In honor of Black History Month, I thought I would highlight five Black female chefs who are totally crushing the food industry right now. Some you may have read about, or seen on TV. Hopefully, you’ve been lucky enough to taste their amazing food. If not, a road trip or two might be in order. These five chefs are doing some of the most dynamic cooking I’ve tasted in a long time. Dorian #chef #cheflifestyle #Top5

I'm watching High on the Hog, an excellent food series on Netflix about Black cuisine from all over the diaspora. I know many companies will choose this month to only feature American Southern Cuisine but please remember that Blackness is not a monolith. There is no one "Black" food, there isn't one type of African, African-American, Caribbean, Afro-European, Afro-Latin, Afro-Asian.. you see where I'm going with it.. I worked at a vfx company that had an industrial kitchen, they let us cook whatever we wanted, and they also catered meals. I worked late and would cook and bake all the time. I would share my meals with my co-workers, and we had a little after work foodie community that I truly miss. The one thing I appreciated is that the company would hire really good caterers who brought every type of food from lumpia to collard greens all year long, we had an array of different pepper sauces co-workers would bring from all over the world that anyone could use. Having that choice, made me feel comfortable, I was able to be myself at work. Having tabasco, sriacha, tapatio, wasabi paste or crystal hot sauce might seem like a small thing, but it's still a representation of culture. I have worked a lot of places with awful food, especially at larger companies who water down "ethnic" meals and remove their wonderful spices to appease the palate of the majority. If you are still planning or thinking about having a Black History celebration, please hire a caterer or vendor. Do not expect your corporate chefs to make gumbo, jollof rice, mofongo, la bandera, black eyed peas, injera, or any other combination of foods that represent these various cultures. If you want to celebrate Black History or any other cultural history in the kitchen, do it all the time, not just during the nationally designated month. Fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is crucial, especially in light of the disbandment of DEI teams and ERG groups by several companies. The current trend of attempting to diminish diversity underscores the urgency of our commitment to creating inclusive workplaces. If you find comfort in enjoying a diverse array of cuisines, such as Taco Tuesday, curry, ramen, and more, it is imperative that your workplaces reflect the same diversity and inclusion. Otherwise, companies risk contributing to the very problem we should be actively addressing. Let us strive to build environments where every individual, regardless of their background, feels valued, heard, and represented. Oh and watch High on the Hog :) https://lnkd.in/ebec9hjy #netflix #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory365 #foodculture #cuisine #chefs #fooddiversity #highonthehog #foodjustice, #foodorigins, #globalfoodways #highonthehog #DEI #employeeresourcegroups #ergs

Happy Friday!! 😀's DEEP DISH PIZZA🍕 DAY!! Oh, my beloved pizza!🥰 Is there a single food more universally loved that is also so incredibly divisive? The most contentious of these divisions comes between New Yorkers and their New York-style slices and Chicagoans and their deep dish pies.! Deep dish pizza was invented in the Windy City in 1943 by Ike Sewell, founder of Uno’s Pizzeria. It became so popular that it spun into a huge national chain and inspired dozens upon dozens of other deep dish pizzerias in major cities across the world🌏. So tuck a napkin into your collar, grab a fork 🍴and knife (you’ll need them), and celebrate National Deep Dish Pizza Day! WAYS TO CELEBRATE 🎉NATIONAL DEEP DISH PIZZA DAY 🍕 Visit Chicago! There’s a lot more to love about the Windy City than their pizza (though their pizza is a huge draw). Snap a selfie in front of the Bean, take in a Cubs game at the iconic Wrigley field, and visit as many deep dish pizzerias as you can. You could even rank them, if you’re so inclined. 🍕 Visit your nearest aUno's There are more than 130 locations in 21 different states and a couple of them exist in foreign countries!! 🧑🍳 Bake your own It’s not as simple as making a regular pizza. But the fun of making it yourself, is that you get to snack on the toppings while you create! #dynamicpressurewashingandroofcleaning #homeowners #patio #driveway #siding #refresh #gutters #commercialbuildings #businesses #softwashing #decatur #madison #huntsville