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My opinion is important cause Im a blogger | 6:33 PM, Feb 14 2012 | ||||||||||||||
Hi, my name is Kayli and I am a blogger. I literally whispered that as I typed it. Why? Because we have a bad rep. People hate bloggers. People are bloggist. I have been relatively safe. I‘ve kept my head down; been honest, but kind; not caused any chaos, but still, I’ve had my fair share of animosity come my way. “What do you know about food, you are only 23!” and “You aren’t a chef, why do you write about food!?” and my favourite, “Real reviews are on paper!” Well you know what, f*** all of you that think that way. No, I am not a chef, no, I have no formal culinary training, no, I haven’t travelled the world sampling magnificent delights served to me on golden plates by Turkish royalty. But I have never claimed to be any of those things. I write honest reviews. I don’t write for the hot-shot foodies. The hot-shot foodies can find it out for themselves. I write for the public, in a way that I think people can appreciate and understand. I’m not out to get free food, I’m not out to become the next Nigella, I’m not out to cause a scene for my dramatics and I certainly don’t want to hurt restaurants just for the sake of it. I am out to let people who love eating out, hear an opinion on what is out there. read more inside Read More |
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Group Buying Marketing | 8:36 PM, Jul 05 2011 | ||||||||||||||
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The perfect pub | 2:45 PM, Nov 02 2010 | ||||||||||||||
The perfect pub!I hate queuing; I hate it so much. It already starts every morning when I’m stuck in traffic to get to UCT; then it continues having to wait for parking and as my lectures end I am again forced to wait in a long queue of cars because of never-ending road-works on the M5. Before heading home, I think to myself: I deserve a cold one! I drive into Edward Street and head to the nearest bar and guess what?!...I have to wait again.
But I have a solution and I call it the perfect pub! Imagine a world where you don’t have to wait at the bar to be served. Imagine a world where you can actually serve your favourite beer yourself. The founder of TableTap must have had the same problems as me and he decided to make things right! No longer would one have to wait for the well-deserved cold beer. And here is the solution: ![]() A tap (or several) are located at each table, which allows guests to pour beer at their own leisure. The amount dispensed is displayed on a meter at the table, as well as recorded on the proprietor’s database to monitor sales and consumption by hour, day, month and table. The TableTab is designed and built for each specific venue. So pricing will vary depending on your needs. The first bar to install this system paid USD 110,000, excluding a monthly fee for maintenance and software licensing. While the upfront costs may be considered as high, people are more likely to purchase more because of the ease of drinks purchase. Combine this with lower costs for wait staff and this could turn out to be a profitable addition to bars seeking to stand out from the competition. They even developed a calculator to determine how much you can save! Too bad this is only available in the UK and the USA! Anyone in SA willing to give this a try? ....please? Read More |
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Kitchen Tours | 9:26 PM, Sep 19 2010 | ||||||||||||||
Do any restaurants in Cape Town offer kitchen-tours? About 15 years ago, we had a family-holiday in Spain. I must have been around 10 years old maybe even younger. During the flight, a stewardess came up to my parents and asked if I would want to say hi to the pilot and have a look at the cockpit. A dream come true! But I still remember that my parents were also interested in having a look at the cockpit and of course, they were allowed to accompany me. For me and the other kids, it must have been the most exciting flight ever, in the history of all flights. The excitement levels were at an all-time high. But our parents, they wanted to join too. They wanted to know how it works! I am sure there are quite a few adults who would love a tour of a restaurant's kitchen along with an explanation of how things are made and done. Who wouldn't want a tour of a wine bar? Do you know of any restaurant in Cape Town that engages with their guests in this way? Read More |
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Slow Cow - The Antihero of RedBull | 10:12 PM, Aug 15 2010 | ||||||||||||||
I just came across an Anti-Enegery Drink from Canada. It’s basically the Antihero of Red Bull....and it’s called Slow Cow. It just can’t get any better than that. Slow Cow was launched in Quebec in December 2008 and has been on sale in the province. The company plans to sell the product in the rest of Canada, and in France, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, the United States, Russia, Italy, and China.
Slow Cow contains theanine, chamomile, valerian, passiflora and other ingredients known for their calming effects. The beverage is meant to increase mental awareness while improving relaxation, without the post-hit dip that caffeine and other stimulants cause.
![]() Red Bull cannot be too impressed with the logo and design of Slow Cow drink. But it’s some of the best branding I've seen in recent times. If I was running a spa, hotel, airlines, lounge this would definitely be the one drink that would be available for customers. It's a great story which would definitely get people talking.
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7 steps for Successful Marketing | 6:12 PM, Aug 02 2010 | ||||||||||||||
While studying at UCT, one has to read a wide range of academic material on marketing and business practices. And academics like listing things. Especially listing steps. The 5-, 7- and 10-step lists seem to be favored. I am reading Guerrilla Marketing by JC Levinson at the moment which is about marketing practices and ideas for small business owners/entrepreneurs. He proposes a 7 step program for successful marketing aimed at small business owners. While I was reading it, I thought that these could be adopted to restaurants as well.
Read the entire article for further explanations for the points mentioned above. Read More |
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One Way to compile a Wine List | 6:12 PM, Jul 20 2010 | ||||||||||||||
In 2009, the London restaurant L'Anima got in on the social media act by crowd-sourcing their wine list selection. They hosted a tasting for six wine experts. The tasters formed three teams to sample a short list and settle on the final selection. Unfortunately these enthusiasts, rarely agree with each other. And that's where the public came in.
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25 Critical Questions | 2:27 PM, Jul 10 2010 | ||||||||||||||
25 Critical Questions for every Restaurateur and Restaurant ManagerMarketing is not about selling a product, it's about selling a story. I have already posted a few articles on restaurants which are trying to do just that. While surfing the web I found a blog that posted the questions below and every manager/owner should be asking these! Some questions refer to the "story-aspect" of marketing a restaurant, others refer to profitability and service quality. All are aspects of marketing. Here are the 25 questions that you should be asking according to (Source: RestaurantMarketingBlog). I don't think all questions should be considered with equal weighting, some are certainly more important than others.
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What's your story? | 10:08 PM, Jun 07 2010 | ||||||||||||||
The secret is in the story!
Marketing is about telling a story: Subway got famous in the United States for its $5 one foot long sandwiches. They did it, they got people talking. It is their story and their value proposition. Starbucks doesn't sell cheap coffee. Think about Primi or Vida E ---> they all have a story!...but whats yours? We have already profiled several restaurant ideas/innovations here on FoodBlog. You will find them below. If you are a restaurant owner/manager, then you have to ask yourself the question: What are you famous for? If the answer is "nothing", you won't be remembered and it definitely won't start people talking.
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I'm Lovin' It 2.0 - McDonalds | 11:10 PM, Apr 22 2010 | ||||||||||||||
I’m Lovin’ it 2.0We’re all lovin’ it. Every student has been to McDonalds at least once in their life. And most of us have liked it enough to come back several times. Now, their slogan “I’m lovin’ It” has been the company's most successful and longest-running campaign, surpassing the iconic "You deserve a break today," and "Food, Folks and Fun," both in longevity and sales gains. I’m not old enough to know those slogans but I’ll take their word for it! If you look at the business success, there would have been no reason" for changing the campaign -except for ego. We're bringing it out from behind the arches and into the action to better brand and celebrate those uniquely McDonald's moments. Even more importantly, we're making sure that we build both brand equity and drive sales with every piece of advertising. - CMO Mary Dillon So guys! They are keeping the slogan...and making it even better. The result: some of the best TV Ads I have seen in a long time. It’s funny, it’s emotional, and it’s relevant. Lovin’ it! Check them out below! Source: AdAge
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The Rainforest Cafe | 11:27 PM, Apr 20 2010 | ||||||||||||||
The Rainforest CafeWe brought you many different innovative restaurant ideas.
We all know the failure of Planet Hollywood.But here is one of the few successful themed-restaurants:
The restaurant is decorated with features of a generic rainforest, including mist, waterfalls and animatronic robots of animals and insects. Large aquariums with fish are also common in most restaurants.
A simulated thunderstorm occurs every 30 minutes with rain and flashing lights as lightning and powerfull subwoofers for awesome thunder-effects. I want to eat here, just to experience that! Too bad it’s not available in South Africa. The ceiling is also designed to have a stunning view of the night-sky.
They’ve also got a gift shop and an information center on rainforests.
![]() They serve food ranging from seafood, chicken, beef and pasta to pizza. The rainforest cafe also has an award winning crab dip on their menu. And there is also a tradition of yelling “Volcano” whenever someone orders a volcano sundae.
The staff at the Rainforest Cafe are named according to the consistent safari theme. There are Safari Guides (servers), Tour Guides (Hostesses), Pathfinders (Retail Sales Associates), Navigators (Bartenders) and Trailblazers (Kitchen Staff).
I like it, I like it a lot! Why can't restaurants here in SA try something like this? Spur might come the closest!
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Pay What You Wish Restaurants | 7:32 PM, Mar 07 2010 | ||||||||||||||
Radiohead made the news when they allowed their fans to pay whatever they thought was reasonable to download the band's latest album. Now, innovative restaurants from all around the world are doing the very same exact thing: They let their customers decide how much their meal is worth. Picture provided by Springwise Read More |
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