Momofuku CPG, Dana Tanner OMG, Anne-Sophie Pic cristal OG, and more...
Family Meal - Friday, March 24, 2023
Hello Friday,
A relatively frivolous one today. Forgive me.
Or not.
Tuesday’s paid edition is copy/pasted below as usual.
Let’s get to it…
Those Spin Off $$$ – From Kristen Hawley in Expedite (with a link to Michael Wolf’s reporting in Spoon): “Remember when Momofuku was just a restaurant? It’s getting harder. Momofuku Goods, the brand’s line of packaged sauces, noodles, and more — CPG, consumer packaged goods, in tradespeak — announced a fresh $17.5 million in funding this week. According to the company, which is now separate from Momofuku the restaurants, it’ll use the funds to launch more products and support the growing business.”
That Damn Dana – Per Farley Elliott in Eater LA: “Restaurant owner Dana Tanner has received the documentary treatment for her refusal to close Restauration, her Long Beach restaurant, during the height of the pandemic. Tanner landed at the center of a fierce debate about government overreach, public health rules, and the crippling effects of the pandemic on small businesses in 2021, in part by refusing to heed orders to close on-site dining at her restaurant, even as nearby hospitals had begun to ration care due to a lack of available space.”
It’s a low-budget ride!
Trailer here.
Full feature (46m shot on an iphone 10 by former employee Brandon Ogborn) on YouTube here.
NB, the title of the doc, Damn, Dana!, is apparently a poetic reinterpretation of a slight variation on that phrase:
Those Family Matters – “Denver restaurateur Frank Schultz has been sued by the co-owner of his various businesses, accused of pilfering hundreds of thousands of dollars from their companies, cutting his partner out of real estate deals that she financed, and owing her at least $7.75 million.
“That co-owner is also his mother.”
Tragiclassic family restaurant drama via Justin Wingerter in the Denver Post.
And last but not least: How’s Hong Kong, you ask? – In my PR inbox this week: Opening this summer! “The Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic presents a one-of-a-kind encounter between Anne-Sophie Pic, the most decorated female chef in the world, and Baccarat, the luxury House that has been creating enchanting universes for almost 260 years. The 40-seat restaurant is designed by Gilles et Boissier, the famed Paris-based architecture and interior design studio. Passion, boldness, and virtuosity come together to offer a unique and captivating experience.”
All is well. All is well.
And that’s it for today! Except of course for Tuesday’s paid edition, which is copy/pasted below as usual. If you’d like to get Tuesdays’ on Tuesdays too…
I’ll see paying subscribers on Tuesday, and everyone else on Friday for next Family Meal.
And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, and send tips and/or passion, boldness, and virtuosity to andrew@thisfamilymeal.com. If you like Family Meal and want to keep it going, please chip in here. If you got this as a forward, sign up for yourself!
Here begins the Family Meal that went out to paying subscribers on Tuesday, March 21st, 2023:
Ghosts ghosting, Eater alive, Scholars on board, and more...
Hello Tuesday,
A producer reached out to ask me for tips for a chef filming food stuff in Hong Kong soon. You guys. Come visit. Hong Kong is back!
Maybe.
Let’s get to it…
The ghost ghosts – We don’t usually talk about fast food here, but the ghosts of ghost kitchens must be reckoned with, and NRN’s Joanna Fantozzi had some interesting notes on why some of the larger deals in that space have gone bad. For example: “Wendy’s pivot from a massive ghost kitchen investment to focusing on its next-gen design instead is in-line with the omnichannel approach that almost every restaurant chain has taken over the past year: be where your customers are. So, in one next-gen location, Wendy’s can offer parking for delivery drivers, dedicated windows for digital pickup orders, parking for mobile orders, and a drive-thru lane. The ghost kitchens, meanwhile, would serve only one possible guest need: third-party delivery.”
In other words, if you have a strong brand and can offer delivery out of a standard restaurant, why would you set up shop in a trailer too? (cc: David Chang’s Fuku.)
Maybe the president of Applebee’s sums up the ride best: “We took the opportunity to experiment with these platforms and gained valuable insight, but overall, what we’re hearing is that our guests love the core Applebee’s experience both in-restaurant and To Go. This is where we’ll continue to innovate and enhance our guest experience.”
We A/B tested trailers in parking lots, and it turns out, people like restaurants better.
The Media – For the first time since that big round of January layoffs at parent company Vox Media, Eater is hiring. They’re looking for new editors in both Philadelphia and Nashville. Maybe that’s a sad commentary on the layoffs? Or maybe it’s hopeful sign for food media? Either way, NB: The roles will be part time only, with a pay range that goes all the way from $34.80 an hour to $34.80 an hour.
Good luck, all!
Some Sad News – “Cruz Miguel Ortíz Cuadra, a food historian who as Puerto Rico’s leading gastronomy expert sought to define the island’s cuisine and educate the world about it, died on March 8 in San Juan, P.R. He was 67.” Christina Morales has an obituary in the NYT.
And last but not least: The Scholarship – Email from Che Fico’s David Nayfield and Matt Brewer in SF: Because of more generous employee compensation packages, “Che Fico has become more expensive than it was before. We understand this means our restaurant is not affordable for some in our community which is why we have decided to launch the Che Fico Scholarship… Through the Che Fico Scholarship, each month we will provide a complimentary, four-course dining experience, with beverage pairings, at Che Fico for those where cost is prohibitive.”
I see what they’re trying to do there, and I don’t hate it. And yes, I can see eyes rolling (including the SF Chronicle’s Elena Kadvany’s) at the use of “scholarship.” But… What were they supposed to call it? The broke-ass-culinary-student-comp-contest?
Maybe.
And that’s it for today!
I’ll see you all back here Friday for next Family Meal.
And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, and send tips and/or a complimentary, four-course dining experience, with beverage pairings to andrew@thisfamilymeal.com. If you like Family Meal and want to keep it going, please chip in here. If you got this as a forward, sign up for yourself!