December 2011
5 posts
8 tags
Small business, big dreams – it all starts with an...
It’s 3 o’clock on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. Poonam Gambhir, is calm and collected while packing the 15th container of chole masala and roti. She then breaks into a grin and she breathes a sigh of relief. The last meal has been packed for the day. Mahmoud, the delivery guy stacks this package along with 14 others in the trunk of the car idling outside and closes the door with a...
8 tags
Fingerprints for food stamps – a fair exchange?
Governor Cuomo has just announced that fingerprinting is no longer a requirement for food stamps applications. In a joint statement, Speaker Quinn and Council Member Palma said, “Governor Cuomo’s action is an enormous victory for New Yorkers in need, and for all those who have fought to put an end to the detrimental practice of finger imaging food stamp applicants.
The...
6 tags
Good news for the Hunts Point Market
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has just awarded $29.5 million to the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx in an initiative to revamp the facilities. This is a big step for the market, Crain’s New York Business reports.
This is also a part of Gov. Cuomo’s promises during his campaign tweets City Hall News.
Econ. Dev. Councils award $29.5 million to revamp Bronx hunts point produce market, something...
5 tags
Success is not so sweet anymore →
Food trucks are everywhere in NYC. Ranging from the local Halal cart or new entrant Kimchi Taco, they serve a variety of food which is relatively inexpensive, delicious and quick.
These trucks are now such an integral part of NYC - and they are success stories. Or they have been. Till now.
Crain’s New York Business reports that an almost unheard-of parking rule prevents trucks from...
7 tags
Making it personal
New Yorkers don’t cook. A tired truism, but there is no denying it. Between work, the commute, small kitchens and spending time with the family, cooking at home can take a backseat.
But, for some New Yorkers, a day at the office involves cooking. A lot of cooking. While the fry cook and the Michelin starred-chef work at commercial kitchens, there is another group who don their chef’s...
November 2011
5 posts
5 tags
The Business of Media in Television: McDonald's... →
This article from the Wall Street Journal states that
While the TV channel will generate advertising revenue from commercials, McDonald’s is hoping McTv will also encourage guests to eat inside, ordering seconds or desserts.
McDonald’s is miles ahead of its competition. From Reuters -
Wendy’s reported a 1.8% rise in quarterly sales which translates to $611 million. Analysts...
5 tags
Deli worker in search of the American Dream
Davindar “David” Goyal’s workday begins at 6 a.m. when he catches the R train from his home in Astoria to the 8th Street NYU station. He’s about to put in a 12-hour shift at Sam’s Deli on Second Ave. in the East Village. On reaching the deli, he prepares for a new day – checking inventory, preparing coffee, slicing meat and swabbing the floors.
The store is quiet – but not for...
7 tags
What's your beef
Your next hamburger is probably going to be more expensive than you expect. Why? The price of ground beef has relentlessly been rising this year.
A WSJ report attributes this largely to the increasing craving for meat - be it a sirloin steak for those who can afford it or roast beef for those who cannot afford a steak.
Now is a good time to be a cattle farmer. The report quotes Iowan farmer...
7 tags
Coffee coffee everywhere.....
A report in The New York Times comments on the proliferation of coffee shops in NYC.
Small coffee chains, benefiting from lower retail rents and a seemingly bottomless thirst for high-end coffee even in a weak economy, are seizing the opportunity to expand in New York City.
Sam Lewontin of Everyman Espresso says that coffee shops are in a state of flux. He believes that in the end, there will...
6 tags
Taking on the $31 per week food challenge
An interesting food challenge is making the rounds. No, it’s not about eating a 6 pound burger. For 1 week (starting Oct 27), you must eat only based on the average food stamp allotment.
This means, if one takes up the challenge, you can eat about food costing no more than $31 in a week. This, according to FWPF comes to spending a $1.50 per meal.
This is intriguing. The objectives of...
October 2011
9 posts
WSJ: The Fast Food Revolutionary →
Chipotle’s (CMG) share price hit a 52 week high today as reported by the Street.
The company’s strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income and good cash flow from operations.
...
7 tags
6 tags
Wacky foods - real moneymakers
There is always a market for innovation and there is an even bigger market for humor. What happens when you combine the two with the fact that people love to try new things to eat? You could have a solid business proposition. And that is no joke.
CNBC’s Funny Business listed two “gifts” which were innovative - in that, they can tickle the taste buds and the jugular. But their...
5 tags
Restaurant Battles in the East Village
On a rainy Monday evening, a group of people looking for chicken tikka masala head towards a block on East 6th Street in Manhattan. This block - dubbed Curry Row - is home to more than 10 Asian Indian restaurants. Mr. Gofur of the Raj Mahal restaurant greets them on the sidewalk and tries to usher them in. The group looks at the sitar placed against the window of the restaurant and asks if there...
“Last year, more than a dozen San Francisco restaurants that levy surcharges each...”
– Investopedia explains Health Reimbursement Account - HRA -
As a benefit, an employee may be reimbursed for qualified medical expenses from his or her employer. The funds received are tax-free, but because the plan is employer funded, the employer has the right to cancel or alter the distributions...
Jane of all trades, Master of none.: Recession -... →
Love a counter-trend story! This one is from various towns and cities in Maryland.
ohheyrebecca:
I feel like recently there has been a flurry of bars and restaurants being rehabbed, opened and/or moved. If this is an indicator of good times to come, you better go buy yourself a new drinking hat. Here’s a run down of places that have recently opened or soon to come in the Land of...
4 tags
You will now need to pay more for that jar of...
Another hot, dry summer has devastated this year’s peanut crop, sending prices for the legume skyrocketing and forcing peanut-butter brands
says the Wall Street Journal.
ABC KOAT reports that heat, strong winds and dryness that caused the failure of the peanut crop.
Peanut butter could now cost 30-40% more than last year because of the failed crop. So, you will need to pay about 94...
4 tags
A sweet deal
US confectionery maker Hershey has announced a tie-up with rival Ferrero to share resources in stocking and distribution of their products earlier yesterday.
The aim behind this alliance is two-fold : increasing productivity by streamlining operations and reducing their carbon footprint. The effects of this move on the workforce at these two companies is to be seen.
The confectionery...
4 tags
Business is in the black
Coffee prices have been rising since 2009. The highest price was recorded in May 2011. Photo by Rashmi Raman
The price of coffee beans has risen steadily over the past three years, creating a squeeze for mom-and-pop businesses like D’Amico Foods in Brooklyn.
In 2008, the wholesale cost of a pound of Arabica coffee beans was about $1.50 in the New York market. The price, stayed under $2 till...
September 2011
2 posts
4 tags
Will your friendly neighborhood restaurant be...
The restaurant business is not for the fainthearted.
First there is the whole idea of starting one. A Google search for “how to start a restaurant business” gives 485,000 results. Sites with names like “www.startarestaurantbiz.com” or “www.how-to-start-a-restaurant.com” provide advice to budding restaurateurs. And while they talk about creative satisfaction...
5 tags
Food fight : The anatomy of a takeover
Exterior view of the ConAgra Foods Inc. plant in Kansas City, Kansas July 2, 2004. REUTERS/Dave Kaup
ConAgra foods, maker of products ranging from Slim Jim meat sticks to PAM cooking spray, has been getting a lot of coverage in US business media lately for its takeover strategy.
Over the past six months, ConAgra bid up to $5.2 billion to acquire Ralcorp Holdings Inc. which Ralcorp...