Every week Restaurant SmartBrief editors scour the Internet for the breaking news and best-practices stories restaurant owners and managers need to make their businesses smarter. However, every week, hundreds of fascinating food, beverage and restaurant stories don’t make the cut. Here are a few of my favorite stories from the past week that didn’t make the newsletter.
- How Tao sets the stage for 1,400 diners — Tao restaurant is Las Vegas’ dining hot spot, as well as the setting for celebrity birthday bashes and tech geeks at trade conferences. Dinner at Tao is a theatrical experience, making the behind-the-scenes operations — with its strict preparation schedule, elaborate dining-room upkeep and party-vibe seating strategy — a sight to behold, according to The Wall Street Journal.
- A litany of restaurateur complaints from Elaine’s — Usually publications focus on diners’ complaints about restaurants. The Huffington Post turns the tables and asks the owner of the famous Elaine’s restaurant in New York to highlight her dos and don’ts for restaurants. My favorites? “Don’t take your drink to the bathroom,” and “Don’t ever put your feet on the chairs.”
- Wannabe chefs — So you think you want to be a chef? The San Fransisco Chronicle’s Inside Scoop SF blog discusses the pros and cons of culinary school.
- The benefits of eating game — No, it’s not popular on menus, but Washington Post columnist Jennifer LaRue Huget has a list of reasons why game is worth trying. Game meat is particularly lean, contains more more omega-3 fatty acids than often found in farm-raised animals, and it doesn’t have added hormones and antibiotics.
Did you see other food stories worth mentioning in the news this week? Feel free to leave links in the comments.