Joanna Fantozzi - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 7

1 min

Grubhub rewards Chicago’s pandemic-era restaurants with new ‘Established 2020’ program

???? KFire, a fast-casual Korean barbecue concept, gains recognition from Wonder-owned delivery service. No specific dates or locations mentioned. Article lacks numbers, statistical data, reasons for recognition, or detailed operational information on KFire or Wonder's service. Summary: KFire's Korean barbecue concept earns accolades from Wonder's delivery platform, with no further details on the nature of the recognition or its implications.

3 min

SeoulSpice Korean expands to Chicago, targets U.S. expansion after Invus investment

🍕 Invus, a private equity company, invested in SeoulSpice nearly one year ago. SeoulSpice opened its first restaurant outside the DMV area in Chicago. The eight-unit Korean comfort food brand, guided by Invus, which propelled Cava's growth, plans national expansion with a focus on D.C. and Chicago. SeoulSpice founder and CEO Eric Shin, a Julliard-trained symphony percussionist, pivoted to food service to make Korean cuisine more accessible. The first SeoulSpice opened in 2016 in Washington, D.C.'s Noma neighborhood. During its grand opening, the restaurant ran out of food by 2 p.m. The brand offers a modern take on Korean food, includes American flavors like Ranch dressing, and makes its own Sriracha sauce.

2 min

Noelle Nashville Hotel reimagines hidden bar as Prohibition-era speakeasy

???? 🍸 Noelle Nashville reopened the Hidden Bar, a Prohibition-era speakeasy, at the end of February, coinciding with the opening of a new restaurant, Lona, by Chef Richard Sandoval. Located in downtown Nashville, the bar's entrance is on historic Printer's Alley. The redesign comes with a focus on classic and inventive cocktails, like the Bee’s Knees and the glitter-topped Storage Closet. Regular events include Trade Secrets, Red Light series, and Inner Light, offering activities such as tarot readings and aura photography.

3 min

Shy Bird bets on all-day dining as it opens a third Boston location

🥑 Shy Bird, an all-day rotisserie concept, opened its first location in Kendall Square, Boston, in 2019. It recently launched its third venue in the Fenway neighborhood. Owner Andrew Holden designed Shy Bird to fill a gap in Boston's dining scene by providing quality food and drink across various dayparts. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic hitting just months after opening, Shy Bird adapted by offering takeout and delivery. The second outpost opened in South Boston in 2022, adjusting to the neighborhood's livelier all-hours atmosphere. The brand carefully crafts its service model and menu to cater to different occasions, aiming to offer value and appropriate ambiance from morning till night. Shy Bird remains in "startup mode," with ambitions for future expansion.

3 min

How Grassfed Hospitality earned Miami’s only Michelin Green Stars

🍴 Grassfed Hospitality, during the pandemic, emphasized sustainability in their operations. Los Félix, part of their portfolio, is a Michelin-starred restaurant focusing on heritage corn from Mexico. Krüs Kitchen serves seafood and seasonal dishes. Together, they have two Michelin Green Stars, the only ones in Miami and among three in Florida. Grassfed doesn't aim for accolades but to set industry standards. They've added composting, use local dairy, avoid seed oils, and source sustainably caught seafood over 30 pounds. Despite higher costs, they maintain their practices. The group is expanding with Süm in Atlanta, continuing their sustainability efforts.

3 min

Clementine’s turns 10: how a St. Louis microcreamery built its ice cream legacy

🍨 Tamara Keefe founded Clementine's Naughty and Nice Ice Cream in St. Louis, MO in 2015. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the company has seen a 2,000% revenue increase, expanding from one to eight locations. They offer unique alcoholic flavors and award-winning vegan options without a coconut or soy aftertaste. Clementine's ice cream contains 26-28% air compared to commercial brands' 100% overrun. Their pints are heavier due to high butterfat content and less sugar; they use 10 pounds of strawberries and two pounds of sugar per batch, unlike larger brands that might use six pounds of sugar for four pounds of strawberries. Keefe grew the business, earning a spot on "Oprah Winfrey's Favorite Things" in 2019, by sending ice cream to Oprah's team monthly for two years. In 2023, Clementine's moved to a 25,000-square-foot facility with an in-house bakery and expanded into Illinois, planning the first Kansas City shop and aiming to open 40 parlors in five years.

1 min

DoorDash to pay almost $17 million to settle New York worker tips case

📖 Joanna Fantozzi, with over seven years in restaurant and hospitality journalism, is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since August 2021. She holds a bachelor’s degree from The College of New Jersey and a master’s from CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Previously, she held roles at Insider and The Daily Meal and has contributed to The New York Times and Forbes. Joanna has been an editor at Informa since October 2018.

5 min

Policy on the Menu: How Trump’s tariffs will affect foodservice costs

💱 After being re-elected, President Donald Trump called for a 25% tariff on goods imported from Canada and Mexico, with an additional 10% on Chinese imports, to address illegal immigration and drug issues. The tariffs on China took effect on February 4. U.S. markets were affected, with fears of accelerated inflation and GDP decline. An 80% consumer concern over financial impact was reported. The National Restaurant Association warned of a potential $12.1 billion cost and a 30% profit loss for independent restaurants. Trump announced the tariffs would proceed as scheduled after a 30-day hold. Industries are exploring options to mitigate the impacts, as the market already feels the effects of tariff threats.

2 min

Why starting as a ghost kitchen made Pita Greek more successful

🍕 Pita Greek in Nanuet, N.Y., initially a ghost kitchen during the COVID-19 pandemic to support AquaTerra Grille in Pearl River, N.Y., opened as a standalone fast-casual Greek restaurant in January. The concept, focusing on pita sandwiches, bowls, and salads, was able to reduce waste and costs due to ingredient overlap with AquaTerra. Nicholas Lambos, co-owner and manager, credited the ghost kitchen experience for perfecting the business model, leading to the brand's growth and physical location launch.

7 min

Policy on the Menu: How DEI pushback is reshaping the restaurant industry

📈 President Donald Trump, after his second inauguration in January, targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs via executive orders, branding them as "discriminatory." An executive order on January 21 directed federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, to enforce civil-rights laws and combat "illegal private-sector DEI preferences." Following Trump's orders, major companies such as Goldman-Sachs, Disney, Google, Amazon, Walmart, and Meta have started altering their DEI programs. McDonald's, citing a June 2023 Supreme Court ruling, changed its DEI policies on January 6. Corporate DEI efforts surged in mid-2020 following George Floyd's death, with 83% of 656 companies taking DEI action in 2021, a 13% increase from 2020. The Supreme Court decision and Trump's presidency have prompted a reevaluation of DEI, with a Resume.org survey indicating one in eight American companies are scaling back on DEI in 2025. Despite legal challenges and societal shifts, some companies, like Costco, maintain their DEI commitments.

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