The Burnt Chef Project’s Post

The Jacksonville DIA has got to get creative and take more action! First, BLOW UP the old convention center and create a space worthwhile for corporations to see Jacksonville as a viable city for meeting space. As someone in the corporate world, working for major organizations across the country, not ONE time in 30+ years, have we ever considered Jacksonville for a major corporate meeting or convention. If you build it, they will come. "They", being major hotels, restaurants, local businesses, etc., that will be able to support an influx of corporate meetings and people. We have an Awesome airport, that is actually more affordable to fly than some major hubs, due to several competitive airlines. It's one of the only ways to create major revenue to attract employers able to create jobs in the downtown area. This can compete with the Town Center concepts and draw people/families out periodically from local neighborhood spots. With Khan's Four Seasons development, which will provide premier meeting space, lodging and retail, it will create a corridor along the interior of the river for further development. With those first two steps complete, bye-bye jail!!! - Buy the old Regency Mall and build a state-of-the-art jail to free up premier real estate downtown, then develop the center of the corridor. A little #vision is all that is needed. Jax IS a major city, #LETSGO!!! As Dub aka Andy Allen would say #JAXTOTHEMAX

The old boozer is back - but did it ever leave? If you, like us, have already given up on the Dry Jan chat and found yourself this weekend catching up with friends over a lovely pint then you might be interested in our latest insights.. With new films like Saltburn glamorising British pub culture, the latest Stella Artois’ X Palace pop-up collaboration and Martine Rose SS24 show taking place in a North London boozer - why is it that we seem to find pubs so charming? Other than sticky tables, pork scratchings and quenching pints, pubs are a quintessential part of British culture, a place of community and unity of all classes, ages and races, the pub is a place of meaning and belonging. From our perspective, pubs are synonymous with storytelling and a backdrop for brands, done authentically to foster connection. A staple of a nation’s culture over the last decade, the boozer has battled with the rise of experiential and trends towards drinking less. But its place has always remained, even if the attention may have waived.    With the UK’s foodie tastemakers (pardon the pun) such as TOPJAW LTD, now also including pubs in their reccos – like where to go for the perfect pint of Guinness, you have old haunts like the Bricklayer’s Arms in Shoreditch firmly back on the map. Plus with the ‘blokecore’ trend still hanging on for dear life, the classic boozer is always going to be the perfect backdrop to show off your boxfresh Wales Bonner Samba’s. And so in summary, pubs are seemingly back on the agenda - though for us they never really left. #culture #pubs #community

Where’s the best food hall in the UK? There are over 100 to choose from, with - according to industry expert Simon Anderson - more than 30 in development. Currently, it’s Cutlery Works in Sheffield, who have won Best Food Hall at the British Street Food Awards for the past two years. And this year the Award will be more hotly contested than ever. Applications are about to open at https://lnkd.in/e-ZKbGx8. But with a series of closures (including Sale and Stratford) - and Sessions pulling out of a planned project in Manchester - has the Food Hall bubble burst? That’s what BBC Radio 4 asked us. After all, we launched game-changing Trinity Kitchen back in 2013, drawing on the best of the new food heroes. And have now expanded our search for the best street food talent into Europe and the US. Click below. Food halls seem pretty recession proof. They are staff light and offer a low(ish) barrier to entry into the industry. Market Halls, Seven Dials and Boxpark seem to be making real money. The reasons around failures in Sale and Stratford are peculiar to each site, and don’t offer up any clear evidence of a deep-seated malaise in the food hall business. Although they do seem to suggest that the Manchester market is saturated. However, the feeling from the street food world is that - while food halls can offer great opportunities - all too often they don’t serve the trader’s best interests. Two previous British Street Food Awards grand champions - Ranie Sirah from Jah Jyot and Helios Gala from Pabellon - reckoned that the management in food halls all too often feels like a ‘landlord’ rather than a ‘partner’. Ranie and Helios felt the fate of their business was taken out of their hands. “The dwell time was 40-50% longer in a food hall” says Ranie, “meaning that people were taking up space, nursing a half for three hours. That’s a table that could be taken up with a paying customer.” Helios agreed. “Most food halls are overloaded with traders, and they expect you to open ridiculously long hours….That isn’t aligned with the realistic numbers that we, as food vendors, need to cover expenses and make a profit.” #foodhall #streetfood #awards #awardshow Sessions Trinity Kitchen Markethall BOXPARK KERB Food Market Place UK Market Halls Mercato Metropolitano Sessions Kommune Eataly

As the year winds down, set your restaurant clients up for success in 2024 with Rainbow's comprehensive end-of-year checklist. From financial strategies to community engagement, discover the key tasks to prep for the year ahead. 🍽️📈 #SmallBusinessSuccess #RestaurantManagement https://hubs.ly/Q02dP9yT0

Restaurants are at the core of our communities and play a vital role in economic growth and revitalising areas. A good range of local restaurants can attract homebuyers to an area - and we certainly have them in the villages and surrounding areas where the GL offices are. Despite cost of living pressures, new restaurants continue to open. There were more than 150,000 restaurants in the UK in 2022, up by 8% since 2019. London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool saw particularly strong growth. Almost two-thirds (64%) of people believe local restaurants are important in building a sense of community according to research conducted for Open Table. Nearly a third of the respondents said that local restaurants, pubs and cafes add value to their wellbeing. Source: #Dataloft, OpenTable 2023, Office for National Statistics #community #localbusinesses #eatingout

Hey hospitality community - Let's hear your positive success stories, I'll get the ball rolling.... ⚓The Anchor, a traditional pub in the heart of the city, faced declining foot traffic as newer, trendier bars opened nearby. In response, the management team decided to rethink their strategy to re-engage the community and attract a new wave of patrons. 📈Strategy: ✅Community-Focused Events: The Anchor started hosting weekly community events, including local band nights, stand-up comedy, and live sports screenings, transforming the pub into a vibrant gathering place. ✅Revamped Menu: They introduced a new menu featuring locally-sourced ingredients and seasonal specials, coupled with craft beer pairings from regional breweries. ✅Interior Redesign: The pub underwent a subtle yet impactful redesign, enhancing the ambiance while preserving its cosy, traditional feel. They added more communal tables and a dedicated game zone, appealing to both older patrons and younger crowds. 🏆Results: ➡️Increased Foot Traffic: These changes led to a 30% increase in weekly foot traffic. ➡️Enhanced Community Engagement: The pub has not only attracted new customers but also rekindled the loyalty of previous patrons, becoming a beloved local staple. 🌟 Takeaway: The Anchor’s success underscores the power of staying adaptable and responsive to community needs and preferences. Their approach to blending tradition with modern touches can serve as an inspiration for many in the industry. ❓What strategies have you employed in your establishments this year? ❓Are there new initiatives you’re eager to try? Let’s exchange ideas and keep our industry vibrant and thriving! #PubSuccess #HospitalityCaseStudy #ThrivingThursday

When I joined Breakfast Club a few months back in Brooklyn, I was at the lowest point I'd felt in a long, long time. Isolated in the cold New York weather; lonely; increasingly meh because client work felt like, well, crickets. So, I traveled to Brooklyn, begrudgingly, and joined one of Ben Dietz's breakfasts and, well... Needless to say it totally changed my life. I left feeling so, so much better about work and life afterwards. It was absurd. I used to host these bi-weekly/monthly rooftop shindigs with great steaks, cool people, chill vibes, all that fun stuff. It was a BYOS (bring-your-own-steak) extravaganza. I stopped when I left Denver. And ending Steaknight was one of the saddest things about leaving. Breakfast Club feels like a good replacement for that, and I'm excited to bring it here to the Hamptons. We talked about... What is breakfast club…?👇 - a cool club with chill people where we talk about… - Everything from the food in Bologna to the existential reasoning for being back in the office - or not.  - Religious conversion as a matter of pre-marital negotiation versus self-motivated reasons  - A resason to get out of bed earlier and connect with community  - No clue - A thing I inspired.   - What happens in Breakfast Club stays in Breakfast Club (Every Wednesday / 830 / Tutto Cafe - come hang.) Peeps: - margaret barcohana - julia beynonson - Haim Mizrahi - Kevin Kollenda - Jonathan Shoemaker - Ryan Babenzien - Zach Bliss - Jim Porcarelli - Ross M. Lipson #breakfastclub #breakfast #connection #hamptons

One of NYC's hottest openings / re-openings this year is Gjelina. Maybe you remember - it was open for 30 days in January 2023, then shut because of a fire and has been closed ever since. It's finally re-opening in the Spring, but this time, it's going to have old school House Accounts. Shelley Kleyn Armistead, CEO of Gjelina Group, strategized this very smart idea with Ben Leventhal, founder of Blackbird. There's two levels, $10k and $5k, which give diners accounts for those values, plus hotline reservation numbers and a couple other perks. And there's another benefit for Armistead - this gives her a cushion of capital and helps avoid bringing in other investors after the cost of the fire, which she says was "seven digits." Leventhal agrees: “I think restaurants must think about new ways of raising money and generating sustainable, predictable and robust revenue streams." Look out for more house accounts coming to restaurants; I, for one, am here for it. Bloomberg News #restaurants #nyc #food #openingsoon

https://lnkd.in/gFsF-n3g This article from the WSJ addresses some of the issues raised by continued expansion of restaurants into street parking after the end of the COVID lock-down. The restaurant gets to increase their footprint at little or no cost to them, but the adjoining retailers lose parking spaces and sales. Also, the landlord does not always profit from these arrangements. In most cases, landlords do not charge for patio/outside space but if they receive percentage rent from the tenant, their NOI should go up. The author proposes that the city gets into the real estate business and charge rent for the lost parking spaces. I recommend we return to the uses of parking pre-pandemic as those addressed all stake holders. What do you think?

🎉 Happy National Small Business Day! 🎉 Today, we celebrate the backbone of our communities - the small businesses that pour their hearts and souls into everything they do. 💼 Whether it's your favorite local cafe, boutique shop, or family-run restaurant, let's show them some extra love today and every day! 💖 Don't forget to spread the love by tagging your favorite small business in the comments below and let them know how much they mean to you! #smallbusiness #supportsmallbusiness #shopsmall #shoplocal #smallbusinessowner