Portable table-top communication device - Servicelight

The ServiceLight™ is a portable table-top communication device that allows restaurant customers to simply and easily communicate their needs to their server, giving servers and managers the information they need to provide excellent service, while eliminating wasted and unwelcome trips to the table. The ServiceLight™ has three buttons for calling the server, refilling drinks and check please. Cool concept but I wonder if it decreases the servers tips, it kind of takes the personal experience out of dining and makes everything on demand.
www.servicesensor.com

Shot glasses made of Ice

Want a really cold shot well then try Cool Shooters Ice mold in the shape of shot glasses. Fill, chill and shoot. What's cooler than a shot glass made of ice? Fill Cool Shooters water or your favorite juice, freeze, and then pop out four fully-formed  with frozen shot glasses. A great way to add a little nip to your favorite sip! Pure food-grade silicone rubber, clear display boxes.

http://www.worldwidefred.com/coolshooters.htm

Abu Dhabi Hotel Installs Gold-Dispensing ATM; Rest of World Still Poor

Abu Dhabi Hotel Installs Gold-Dispensing ATM; Rest of World Still Poor

Shot of the day - Chocolate Cake Shot

Todays shot of the day is the Chocolate Cake Shot.

First Frost the rim of a shot glass with sugar and cover the lemon with sugar too. Add the vodka and Frangelico hazelnut liqueur; Shake it and then pour into shot glass. Lick the sugar rim, shoot the mixture, and bite a piece of lemon!


1/2 oz Frangelico® hazelnut liqueur
1/2 oz vodka
sugar
sugar coated lemon

Cool Concept Monday - Aureole Wine Tower

Aureole Restaurant at the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort features a unique wine cellar or should I say tower. Four stories high and 14 feet square, this mini skyscraper like structure holds 9,865 bottles of wine. This climate controlled structure keeps the wine at an ideal temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 percent humidity.The tower has mechanical hoists to lift wine stewards to the top of the 42 foot tower in about 10 seconds.

Cool Concept Monday - The Table Tap

A unique, innovative, and engaging draft beer system that is revolutionizing the drinking experience, one pour at a time! Draft beer at your own table!!! Essentially, TableTender™ is a long draw glycol cooled beer system with taps located on tables. Which means that the kegs are remotely located inside a cooler and the beer lines are run out to the tables, hidden in the floor, through walls, or in the ceiling of the establishment.  A liquid chemical called glycol, which can maintain relatively low temperatures, is circulated throughout the entire piping network to ensure the beer is ice cold once it is poured into your glass. 

Benefits: Increased customer service, marketing novelty and ice cold beer!

http://www.thetabletap.com/web/

Featured Restaurant Of The Week - Dirt Candy NYC

Our Featured Restaurant Of The Week

What is dirt candy? Vegetables, of course. When you eat a vegetable you’re eating little more than dirt that’s been transformed by plenty of sunshine and rain into something that’s full of flavor: From their Jalapeno Hush Puppies served with maple butter  to their  kimchi doughnuts  and grilled watermelon radishes.

Dirt Candy is a Certified Green Restaurant Startup.

Environmental Steps Dirt Candy Certified Green Restaurant Startup®

1. Energy Efficiency & Conservation: Broiler/Charbroiler

2. Energy Efficiency & Conservation: Refrigeration

3. Energy Efficiency & Conservation: Freezer

4. Recycling & Composting: Food Waste & Composting

5. Recycling & Composting: Cardboard

6. Recycling & Composting: Glass

7. Recycling & Composting: Metal

8. Recycling & Composting: Plastic

9. Recycling & Composting: Paper

10. Pollution Prevention: No Polystyrene Foam Use or Replacement

Vegawatt - Powering your restaurant with waste vegetable oil

Vegawatt™, the innovative new cogeneration system for restaurants and food service facilities,

 uses your waste cooking oil as a readily available source of fuel to generate on-site electricity 
and hot water, saving your restaurant thousands of dollars as well as providing a clean, renewable source of energy.

Produces 10% to 25% Of Your Power!

http://www.vegawatt.com/

Save Over $800 Every Month In Utility Bills With A Vegawatt™
Combined Heat And Power (CHP) Clean Energy System

Utilizing Your Waste Vegetable Oil To Power Your Restaurant Is The Key
To Utility Cost Savings AND Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Your Projected Monthly Savings

80 Gallons per Week	Monthly	Annually
Electricity usage	$560	$6,717
Hot Water	$280	$3,358
Electricity demand charge	$50	$600
	------	------
Total Savings	$890	$10,675
Realize $2.57 Per Gallon For Your Used Oil

Cool Concept Whipped Lightning

Introducing the world's first, deliciously-daring alcohol-infused whipped cream that's topping everyone's drinking and dining expectations! It comes in 4 flavors Amaretto, Cinnamon, Macadamia and Orange. Perfect for shots, frozen drinks, martinis, cocktails, coffee and as dessert.
http://whippedlightning.com/

Featured Restaurant Of The Week - Dandelion Market

Featured Restaurant of the week is Dandelion Market in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. With it's rustic and earthy theme it's the perfect place to eat or just to go with friends for drinks. The Market also has an offer to try every on the menu for a reasonable $225.
-TRY EVERTHING AT THE MARKET-
ONE OF EACH ONLY 225 BUCKAROO"S
www.dandelionmarketcharlotte.com

Featured Restaurant Of The Week - The Kitchen Cafe

Why The Kitchen Cafe, because of their unique practices. Located in historic downtown Boulder, Colorado they believe in protecting the environment. Wind Power provides all the electricity in the restaurant. They reuse and recycle almost everything and their paper products and straws are biodegradable. Each day all of the food discards are used as composted, and all uncooked food and open bottles of wine make their way to the staff at the end of the shift!
http://www.thekitchencafe.com/

Can You Digg It?

 Digg.com gives their users the hottest social trends. Everything that appears on Digg, from news,videos and images are submitted by Digg's users. When you submit something other people see it and can click Digg on what they like the best. If what you have submitted rocks and receives enough Diggs, it is bumped to the front page for all of their viewers to see. Can you Digg it?

What's happening in your city?

FindMeSpecials.com provides an online forum for users to quickly find, rate and share unique specials that are “Happening Now” in any city.

National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show (NRA Show) 2010

The International Foodservice Marketplace

NEW GAME... NEW RULES


1. Discover new flavor and menu concepts to drive traffic.

2. Acquire "word of mouth marketing" and social media skills to attract and retain guests.

3. Test new technology products and services to integrate operations.

4. Save money by learning about greener industry best practices and how to implement them.

SAVE THE DATES!

NRA Show 2010

May 22-25, 2010

McCormick Place, Chicago

http://restaurant.org/show


 International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB) at NRA Show 2010

May 23-24, 2010

McCormick Place, Chicago

http://winespiritsbeer.org/

Social Media Used For Restaurant Marketing

Social media is being used everyday to connect people around the world. It's being used to gather friends, express feelings and get helpful advice. It was just a matter of time before the marketing world got a hold of Facebook, Twitter and all other forms of social networking. With just a few words and a click of the mouse people are getting notified of specials and happenings at clubs, stores and restaurants. It only takes a minute and it spreads like wildfire to thousands of people.You can use social media to find new employees, try out new menu items and specials. Create new buzz about new locations to come. It's the best way to get feedback about your restaurant and learn what you can do to keep your new and existing customers happy and coming back for more.

Groupon - Collective Buying Power

Each day, Groupon emails its members one unbeatable offer on something great to do in your city (get your business featured). Groupon offers consumers great values by guaranteeing businesses a minimum number of customers. If a certain number of people sign up, then everyone gets the Groupon offer. If that minimum isn't reached, then no one gets it. http://www.groupon.com/





In addition to huge exposure, Groupon generates a large number of sales in a short period of time. Given the appeal of our offers, users frequently pass the information along to others, which translates to the potential for even more customers for your business.

Why Businesses Love GrouponMotivated Consumers. Groupon delivers exactly what your business needs - a large group of consumers who are looking to spend.





Get Noticed. Your offer will be exclusively delivered to our thousands of opt-in email subscribers, who look forward to receiving Groupon's daily email. Our first-class business partners, unbeatable values, and entertaining write-ups keep consumers engaged in a way that traditional marketing can't match.



Online "Word of Mouth". Your offer will spread virally across the Web as our customers share it with friends using tools like Facebook and Twitter, further increasing your brand's exposure.



Only invest in committed customers. With Groupon, you're only investing in the most valuable asset to your company—committed buyers. The sole purpose of marketing is getting people through your doors. For each customer Groupon delivers, we simply share the revenue—a win for you, us, and the customer.



Risk-Free Promotion. Unlike most other promotional vehicles, you pay nothing up front to appear on Groupon. We are only successful if you are successful. Groupon collects all the money from participants up-front and within a few days we’ll send you a check based on campaign participation. And the sale only happens if enough people join to make it worthwhile.



Tailor The Offer To Meet Your Needs. Groupon works with you to structure an offer that will maximize the value to your business in a variety of categories such as restaurants, health, beauty, events, recreation, services, products, and more.

Dinner in the sky

Dinner in the Sky wants to provide its guests with the most exclusive experiences imaginable. The sky is a dream that has always fascinated human beings. Today, people want to have extraordinary experiences, each dreaming of something different. Dinner in the Sky is available all over the world: Belgium, Holland, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Dubai, South-Africa, Australia, Canada, Florida, India, Brazil, Chile and Las Vegas... and in the coming months, Sweden, New York, Czech Republic, Russia, Baltic Countries, Portugal, Argentina, UK, Ukraine and Saudi Arabia will start with their activities.

Top Trends For 2010

The main focus of 2010 will be profit, "How much money can I make?"
-Creating a NichePeople can eat anywhere so you need to have something they can't make at home or get anywhere else.
-Mobile marketing. People are all about phone applications and should be used to your advantage.
-Don't forget about the kids. Families are a good source of revenue. Be sure to upgrade the quality of your food   for kids.
-Be prepared for the H1N1 Virus. http://www.restaurant.org/fluinfo/
-Food carts and food trucks are expected to enjoy greater popularity.
-Low cost of ownership, mobility, and low cost meals make this a top trend for 2010.
-Same guests new expectations 2010 will bring in the same guests but they will have new expectations. They will want more food but will not want to be charged for it. Adjust serving size options and service formats. By offering a wide variety of options it makes a lot of financial sense for you as the owner and also for your guests. Innovation is the key word for 2010 and beyond.

Beer Tubes in Action!!

A Beer Tube is a 100-ounce beverage dispenser with both sports and non-sports themed bases that keeps beverages colder than a traditional pitcher.The Beer Tube stands approximately 3.5 feet high and weighs between 4 and 8 pounds, depending on the design you choose. This makes these "power towers" of beverage extremely stable and durable.



Order one today!
http://www.beertubes.com/

Minus 5 Ice Lounge Las Vegas

An experience that will chill you to your bones!The minus5 Ice Lounge, named for its constant frosty temperature of minus five degrees Celsius (23-degrees Fahrenheit) was created in New Zealand. Minus5 is an ice lounge where you can touch, feel, and explore intricately handcrafted ice sculptures and ice architecture made from 100% pure Canadian ice. Enter an icy wonderland where everything that surrounds you is pure, crystal-clear, glacial ice from the seats you sit on to the glasses you sip your unique premium vodka-based cocktails from. You and your guests will be treated to the coolest experience in all of Las Vegas.

Cool Concept Chilldisc

Chilldisc is a patented, extremely innovative technology that
flush-mounts stainless steel discs into any bar or tabletop application.
Place your beverage on the disc to keep it cold and fresh for a
virtually infinite amount of time.

Chilldisc - Way Cool @ Yahoo! Video

Easy Employee Scheduling Application for Restaurants

http://www.schedulefly.com/

Schedulefly is an easy-to-use online employee scheduling application created for the restaurant industry. Schedulefly helps restaurant management establish better relationships with an increasingly web-savvy workforce.

Manage Labor Costs

Cut Scheduling Time by 75%

Reduce Expensive Staffing Errors

Bacon Flavored Vodka

I am totally surprised by this one!!

Bakon Vodka is a superior quality potato vodka with a savory bacon flavor. It’s clean, crisp, and delicious. This is the only vodka you’ll ever want to use to make a Bloody Mary, and it's a complementary element of both sweet and savory drinks. www.bakonvodka.com









Bakon Vodka is also a great Bar-B-Q companion. Use it in a marinade or sip it chilled with a steak. Check out our recipes section for more ideas.