RESTAURANT MEMES: Baby Boomers, Trustafarians, Breaking Up, Pizza Facts, and More!
Monday is back, meaning we have another slew of fun (and weird) restaurant memes for you. Pass ‘em around the kitchen and bar, or share them with your guests on social. This week we have the difference between Boomers & MIllennials, why breaking up at a restaurant is a bad idea, spoiling someone with an “Italian” dinner and more!
DID YOU KNOWS…
Say Hello to the Newest Condiment
Sometimes the world gives us things we didn’t ask for -- like Mayochup. It’s produced by Heinz and is a mix of ketchup and mayo because mixing the two is so hard. At the moment it’s only available in the Arab Gulf states. We’re wondering when the mustard-ketchup hybrid gets invented.
Impossible Burger Reaches White Castle
Plant-based Impossible Burger has made waves in the restaurant industry in recent months, and it’s made its way to White Castle. The burger chain will sell the Impossible Burger at 140 of it’s locations with smoked Cheddar cheese, pickles, onions, and serve it on the chain’s signature bun for $1.99. This is Impossible Burger’s fast-food restaurant debut.
Podcast Marketing
Listening to podcasts as a source of information and entertainment has become very popular. According to Nielsen’s newest figures on podcasts, the number of avid podcast fans has risen from 13 million in the fall of 2016 to 16 million in the same period of 2017 in the U.S. While podcasts have increased their overall reach, the researchers also found that they are a pretty effective advertising medium, measured by lift in purchasing intent, something restaurant marketers might want to keep in mind.
YOU MEAN… THE INSIDE OF A RESTAURANT MATTERS?!
What it means to you: Fast food giants like Taco Bell and McDonalds are realizing that the interior design of their restaurants matters a lot more than once thought.
Everyone has been inside a Taco Bell or McDonalds. At best, it is a cold and sterile; they’re places designed to be cleaned easily and offer up non-comfortable seats to its patrons. At worst, it is an environment that wears it’s filth on its sleeve and doesn't look the most appetizing place (“if it looks like this out here imagine what the kitchen looks like!”) coupled with rude employees and slow service.
Taco Bell realized it need to at least try to do something different. They opened up Taco Bell Cantina in Newport Beach, CA. The Cantina is more akin to the likes of a Chipotle and other fast-casual restaurants. They even offer beer and are trying to source more of their ingredients locally. If you think about it, the beer fits perfectly alongside the self-loathing that goes with a Taco Bell trip. About time!
Now, who knows if any of this will actually work. The Taco Bell Cantina is a concept store with no lan on rolling out nationwide anytime soon. Fast casual restaurants had their ups and downs over the past few years, so this would be a gamble. We think it is a smart move in a lot of respects, though, for them to be able to succeed in the higher income areas (like Newport Beach). You’d never see a Taco Bell in an area like that but you might see a Taco Bell Cantina. Who knows. As long as you can still get the occasional cheesy gordita crunch tbh!
NO, I GET TO LICK IT!
Why it matters to you: A new restaurant in Atlanta specializes in safe-edible cookie dough.
Anyone with siblings will most likely remember having to fight over licking the spoon when one of your parents was baking (though the smart ones would divy it up between however many kids with smaller spoons and shut them all up). However, now those days are over if you happen to live in the Atlanta area! Batter Cookie Dough Counter recently opened its doors with a truly original concept: safely edible cookie dough available in several flavors. How is it safe? They removed the eggs and use a heat treated flour to get the stuff to satisfy your cravings of spoon licking. It is all natural and without any preservatives.
Do we think this is destined for nationwide success? This is a tough call; a couple of licks of the stuff is great but a whole ice cream cup full of it? We praise their originality. At least this seems slightly less novel than some of the other items we have mentioned before as well. Good luck!
