Blog Archives

6th March 2015

Cheggers Plays FPA Awards

Foodservice Marketing Agency - Cheggers Plays FPA As the leading foodservice agency we get invited along to a fair few events during the year. It is fair to say that the world of foodservice is full of lavish events and gala awards, but in the blur of Park Lane venues and gourmet dinners there is one that stands out from the crowd. The FPA (Foodservice Packaging Association) Annual Awards breaks the unwritten rule that all foodservice black tie dos must be held in London, by heading off to the seaside and holding its night of the year at The Grand. In the classic opulence of this Brighton landmark the event also starts far earlier than most with afternoon tea and an exhibition of award entries for guests to peruse. Then from 6pm there are cocktails and mingling, so by the time dinner is served at 7.30pm the mood is, to say the least, ‘buoyant’.

Add to the mix a delicious meal from Alan White and his team at The Grand, a charity raffle and silent auction to raise money for Hospitality Action and Springboard, and of course, the awards themselves – you have a great night. But The FPA didn’t stop there. Oh no, this year as compere they had none other than Keith Chegwin – oft known as ‘Cheggers’! Fresh from the Big Brother house with tales of Katie Hopkins and a compere set straight out of panto, Cheggers put his all into the evening and even did his homework before the night, managing to comment on winners’ and sponsors’ websites and product ranges (on occasion informing them of things they didn’t even know!). After the fun and games, including some strictly dancing heads and tails and even a chance to win a boating experience for two (bring on the mini inflatable dingy) it was then onto the main even of the night – the awards!

I was honoured to be asked to judge the marketing award and awaited the announcement eagerly to see the consensus of the judges as the winner of the FPA Marketing Award was announced*. Myself and fellow judge Lorraine from Arena were even asked to stand up and received a somewhat embarrassing round of applause (all the time hoping that those who failed to win the marketing award didn’t ‘hunt us down’ at the bar and interrogate us as to why).

The awards culminated with the Member’s Award which is voted for (unsurprisingly) by the membership of FPA, to honour the person who has done the most to promote the foodservice packaging industry. As the description was read out it soon became clear that our friend Martin Kersh of the FPA was the winner – much deserved it was – congratulations Martin! But congratulations must also go to not only all the winners including, TriStar Packaging, Planglow*, The Smith Anderson Group, Duni, Vegware, Prêt a Manger, Euro Packing and Sybron UK, but also to the sponsors, 3663, BPI Recycled Products, Bunzl, Celebration Paper and Plastics, Wrap Film Systems (our new client), Coveris, SCA and SEDA. And finally congratulations to the team behind the FPA, including Martin, who as ever, managed to put on a fabulous event which lasted long into the wee small hours and was greatly enjoyed by all.

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

18th February 2015

Zest Quest Asia 2015

Foodservice PR - Zest Quest As one half of TV’s ‘The Spice Men’, Cyrus Todiwala has long been a highly respected chef, pioneering contemporary Indian cuisine, and with Café Spice Namaste, Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen, The Park Café, Assado Restaurant and his first in India – the Acron Waterfront Resort in Goa, his mission looks to be going rather well. With his passion for Asian food and support from The Master Chefs of Great Britain, Cyrus is the driving force behind the Zest Quest Asia competition, which aims to highlight the ever growing £3bn Asian food industry in the UK and the real demand for highly skilled chefs to deliver this complex and delicious cuisine. Previously known as the Asian Junior Chefs Challenge this is the second year of the competition which encourages student teams from catering colleges from across the country to compete in live cook-offs to win the amazing prize of a culinary trip to Sri Lanka and of course the huge endorsement of their skills the title brings.

Last year the title went to Westminster Kingsway College but this year, with eighteen colleges competing, Farnborough College of Technology took the crown with Sheffield as runners up. The culmination of the competition took place at the Hilton Terminal 5 with a live cook-off between the finalists in the day. Whilst the evening saw the great and the good of the industry gathered for an Asian feast devised by Cyrus and of course to find out the overall winner. We were lucky enough to attend as guests of our long standing client Tilda Foodservice, a gold sponsor of the event and hosts of true or false quiz, ‘Grains of Truth’ where guests could win a trip to eat out at Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen.

With an amazing four course dinner and excellent company the evening went by in a flash, but the highlight (along of course with Cyrus’s usual witty repartee) was seeing the tutor from Farnborough College shed a very proud tear or two when her team of fresh faced young chefs went up on stage to be crowned the winners. In an industry where the skills gap is often talked about, these young men and women show how commitment and hard work, not to mention a good teacher, can get you a long way. Well done to all the team behind the competition and of course all the competitors who cooked their hearts out and are all winners in their own way. With initiatives like Zest Quest around, the future of Asian cuisine in the UK is looking bright!

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

12th February 2015

On Safari in Soho

Foodservice Design Agency - On Safari in Soho

Often in the world of foodservice marketing there is much talk of new concepts and exciting breakthrough ideas, but sadly little time to do more than note it as an interesting titbit and get back to work. Therefore when the M&C Report Food on the Go conference offered the option to tag on a ‘safari’ (or ‘study tour’) around Soho, I thought – mmm, why not?
As the leading foodservice agency it’s important for us to keep in touch with the real world of foodservice and with food on the go driving OOH growth this dynamic sector is certainly worth a closer look.

So after a day of top-notch speakers and discussion around food on the go it was time to take to the pavement and see what was actually going on around us. Led by Simon from Allegra Foodservice we set-off in true school trip style to look at, and on occasion sample, the delights of foodie Soho…

First on our itinerary was…

apostrōphe – With 20 sites across London it offers a solid lunch offer focused around the classic sandwich / soup menu. So why stop here when as good as it is, apostrophe doesn’t exactly break any new ground? Well, the interesting thing about this high street concept is that it is actually run by contract caterer CH & Co., which shows how all our vertical market maps are slowly blurring at the edges!

Carbon – Then it was onto one of the hippest kebab shops ever! However, to describe it as such really doesn’t do it justice. With its funky styling and diverse menu it is so much more than your average charcoal grill. But a charcoal grill it is, if a little more ‘sophist’. Little wonder when you discover that this concept was set-up by a former exec chef from The Ivy (no less!). With fresh ingredients sourced daily the smell alone in the small corner site on Brewer Street is reason enough to give it a try.

Wrapchic – Wraps have been around for some time, indeed jellybeanwas involved in the original branding for the Wrapid concept many years ago. But Wrapchic is quite different; an innovative concept fusing freshly prepared Mexican and Indian food, it started off in Birmingham’s city centre offering a ‘build your own’ offer allowing consumers to create or ‘personalise’ their wrap. Currently they have eight locations in the UK, with two in London, and although we didn’t get to try any they did look great.

Pure – When it comes to presentation few do it better than Pure. With a commitment to fresh, everything is made on-site to a seasonal menu, with a strapline of ‘made for you’ which underpins all they do. They specialise in salads and flatbreads (which they bake themselves) and go to great lengths to offer full nutritional information. Currently they have seven locations across London and are certainly worth a try next time you’re passing.

Itsu – Hardly a new face on the high street, Itsu was created by Pret founder Julian Metcalf and now has 50 sites across London. With health and wellbeing at its core and a positioning of ‘eat beautiful’, Itsu is a successful example of truly healthy food on the go and shows the growing acceptance of Japanese food into the mainstream.

CRUSSH – An import from California, Crussh has 25 stores across London and has recently re-position the brand with new store design and branding (although the one we found ourselves in was in the older style). Originally a juice bar it has become much more over time and offers a wide selection of healthy food on the go including an £8 smoothie! (mmm….).

Hummus Bros – Middle Eastern cuisine is definitely far more mainstream than ever, with quinoa taking over from couscous and humus a permanent fixture in the fridges of the middle class. So this concept is very much on-trend as it offers humus with a variety of toppings. As consumers look to reduce their meat consumption and some move to flexitarian diets, Hummus Bros is well positioned in the market and offers an authenticity others fail to achieve. Few may know what a ‘Levantine Kitchen’ is, but it is authentic and sounds great (FYI Levantine – describes the people of Western European origin, whose long term domicile was in the Eastern Mediterranean, within the former boundaries of the Ottoman Empire). We were lucky enough to hear from the founder and get to try some of the menu and I for one will be heading back next time I’m in the area for some tasty humus and ginger and lime lemonade! Top tip – for those with a food allergy the website has a filtering system which displays (as per the new legislation) all the allergens in their dishes so you can eat at ease.

bunnychow – The name rang a bell but I couldn’t place it, until we turned up and I saw the ‘Shake up your Wake-up’ Best Breakfast Award. Of course! – I’d seen bunnychow on Twitter and in the press, featuring its innovative bread ‘bucket’ (referred to as a bunny hence the name) which they had filled with a Full English to win the coveted award. This South African street food concept started out in Brixton market and has since moved into bricks and mortar in Wardour Street (its one-and-only site).
Its homespun street food charm runs across everything from the brown paper roll down menu boards to the informal warmth of the staff. We were treated to all of the outlet’s signature dishes including the award winning breakfast, all of which were delicious, although I would have to recommend the piri piri pork bunny which was amazing!! The day we visited was an exciting one for bunnychow and not because a load of suits trolled through and eat them out of house and home, but rather because it had just got its liquor licence and would be serving booze for the first time. Cocktails and bunnychow – it sounds like a winner to me and I look forward to going back soon! (I would also recommend the salted caramel chocolate which was amazing and free, as they wouldn’t let me pay for it – very kind and very tasty!)

Herman ze German – Well simply on name alone I liked the sound of this one! On Old Compton Street, it’s one of three in London and offers authentic German bratwurst (hotdogs) which are made in Germany and are gluten and lactose free. With chips and mayo and whopping great hotdogs it sits in stark contrast to the ultra-healthy concepts the tour started out with. But indulgence will always have a place in the market and these substantial dogs seem to have found their niche (where other hotdog concepts have risen and fallen) – possibly due to the authentic concept which has helped the brand stand out in the market. There were samples for all, but having eaten my way around the safari I had to pass – I’ll have to head back another day with an empty stomach and give them a go as they looked fabulous.

Thanks to M&C Report and specifically Allegra Foodservice for a very interesting and tasty tour and for arming me with some top tips for the next time I find myself hungry on the streets of London!

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

10th February 2015

Food on the Go Conference

The M&C Report is of course highly regarded in the foodservice and hospitality industry as the go to source for the latest news on the eating out market. So with ‘food on the go’ currently driving the growth in this market with up to 2.8%, outstripping the market as a whole, which is growing at around 1% (according to Allegra Foodservice) it was little wonder M&C decided to stage its first ever ‘Food on the Go’ Conference. A sell-out, the conference boasted a line-up of high calibre speakers and a pretty impressive attendee list. The event was sponsored by Allegra Foodservice and Britvic Soft Drinks, set out to shine a light on this dynamic sector worth an estimated £20 billion (of a foodservice market estimated to be worth in total £83 billion, that’s 24% of the total foodservice market). With speakers from some of the biggest names in the business sharing their take on the current trends and challenges, there was a lot to take in but here’s my top food on the go take outs…

1) The Market (Allegra Foodservice) – Food on the go taps into key consumer drivers of ease and speed. But consumer expectations of food on the go are far higher than they used to be. From forecourts to motorway service areas (MSA) and of course the high street, consumers’ expectations are higher than ever. These days there are far more ‘aspirational gourmets’, ‘pragmatic foodies’ and ‘pleasure seekers’ around and it’s these consumers which food on the go concepts need to appeal to. Indeed, as much as convenience is a driver, menu boredom is also a factor and consumers will have a repertoire of brands they visit rather than complete brand loyalty. The challenge for food on the go brands is to create an offer consumers understand, buy-into and most importantly enjoy enough to queue for and keep coming back. Lunch and breakfast are on the rise with 50% of UK adults eating out for breakfast at least once a month which is great for the sector. As for trends, consumers don’t want ‘worthy’ healthy food but rather ‘wow’ food that’s healthy, premiumisation is here to stay, with informality, provenance and indulgence also playing their part, whilst not forgetting the ever present need to deliver perceived value for money. The good news? 81% of people think we’ll eat out more in 5 years’ time and with our ever hectic lifestyles this can only mean continued growth for the food on the go market. The bad news? Allegra reckons the pub sector will start stealing share as they bounce back after a tough few years.

2) Subway – With 2,000 sites in the UK and a plan to expand to 3,000 by 2020 Subway is growing at a staggering five new sites per week in the UK alone. Driven by its franchisee model with 20 regional development agents, Subway offers a flexible model of small footprint stores which has found success on the high street and ‘non-traditional’ sites, partnering up with the likes of Sodexo and Welcome Break. With 40% of sales from its low fat range and Chicken Teriyaki its top seller, Subway has long had a strong ‘health’ positioning and trade on its ‘Eat Fresh’ strapline. It has a loyal customer base and by offering both indulgence and health all prepared and personalised in front of the customer, it is well positioned to continue to do well in the food on the go market.

3) Fred’s Food Construction – This new entrant to the market has been backed by Tesco as we see the grocery giant moving further into the foodservice market. The branding is strong and the food does indeed look good, but the interesting thing about this brand is how Tesco has driven it to develop in a whole customer-centric way. The founders are tasked with addressing the feedback gleaned from on-site vox pops to ensure it works. This led to a complete menu overhaul not long after launch in July but it was the right move and their Philpott Lane store shows it has worked. As for the future, whether Fred’s Food Construction (styling based on the iconic shot of a worker taking his lunch break on a girder whilst Building the Rockefeller Centre) will remain partnered with Tesco – who knows? But with the success of its doughnuts it may be that the concept looks very different in the future – only time will tell!

4) Leon – Having been a trailblazer for ‘good for you’ food Leon has seen its competitive set multiply in recent years but still remains a strong player in the London market. Having built up the brand, John Vincent is evangelical about eating well and believes in food tasting good and doing you good. His passion for this issue extends beyond Leon into projects such as helping the government develop the School Food Plan. He comes across as keen to be a force for good, whether that’s paying fairly, fair rents, or helping to debunk the ‘Eat Well Plate’ as devised by the US Dept of Agriculture to promote carbs and thereby their business. This passion and drive has helped see Leon move from being branded ‘Food for Guardian reading lesbians’ to a wide customer base and celeb fans including Gordon Ramsey. As for the future John would like to see a world where Leon is more valuable than McDonalds – well, let’s see eh.

5) Pod – Pod sees itself as a lifestyle brand and with 23 stores in London and growing it seems to be a lifestyle that Londoner’s are buying into. Its launch in 2013 was well timed with the rise of foodie culture and films like Supersize Me highlighting the dangers of traditional fast food. Offering gluten free, wheat free, low fat, low salt and low calorie options it also understands it has to taste great, which is doubtless the key to Pod’s success to date. But as for its future, a partnership with Starbucks has seen Pod pop-up in three Starbucks stores, helping the corporate giant offer a credible healthy food concept. However, if Prêt decided to do hot food really well, Pod may be in danger as a smaller player. A more pressing worry and the one universal issue that may hinder Pod’s growth is the challenge of London rents as foodservice outlets see themselves priced out of the market by luxury brands. A challenge all high street operators are struggling with at the moment.

6) Vianet – These technology experts make the good point that often in foodservice there is lots of information and very little insight and good technology won’t make a bad process better. Technology both consumer facing and back of house is doubtless a huge opportunity in foodservice as operators move to take advantage of advances in technology. Currently there are 54 million contactless cards out there, 40 million transactions per month (triple that of a year ago). As for the future, will we be chipped like our cats? Who knows?

7) Welcome Break – The Chief Exec of Welcome Break heads up this MSA giant, with 18 million visitors per annum, £675 million food and beverage annual sales, 17 million cups of coffee per year and the most successful Christmas on record in 2014. Unsurprisingly 92% of visitors use the loo, whilst its fuel sales over recent years have fallen as Rod sees its business model becoming far less about fuel and far more about fuelling people. One site alone can do £400,000 in food sales during a week and coffee is a huge driver for business, which is why it partners with both Starbucks and Costa. Likewise when it comes to food Welcome Break is brand driven and has found Subway (a fell speaker) to be a great fit for the Welcome Break brand. And things are still changing, they say everything is cyclical and MSA seem to be just that as the full service restaurants that came out decades ago are now being reintroduced!

8) Tortilla – This US brand started in 2007 and is now over here in the UK. The second largest operator after Chipotle in the US, this Mexican concept is well timed to take advantage of the trend for Mexican food in the UK. Nine sites opened last year in the UK and although it admits there is an education job to be done around eating burritos things are going well. Equally getting the right site at the right price is a challenge as rents rocket but once a site is up and in business they do good trade which generates its own problem of busy period queue times. Tortilla knows how important it is to keep people in the queue however and hand out margaritas and chips to keep them cheery and standing in line. It can see the dangers of other US concepts dropped into the US with a one size fits all approach such as their competitor Chipotle who’s interiors are a little utilitarian and only offer one size of burrito. Equally it sees the dangers with the 5 Guys model which has taken on huge overheads to get the right locations and has come under criticism for being overpriced. As for the benefits of heading up this growing chain? Not having to deal with chefs (although he has a lot of friends who are!). And the future? All day dining as Tortilla ventures into the evening market with alcohol and sharing dishes.

9) Dunkin Donuts & Baskin Robbins – This American giant is across the world in 60 countries with 19,000 Dunkin Donuts and 8,000 Baskin Robins, all run by franchisees. In the UK they have taken the decision to set-up in lower rent suburban areas and within Cineworld cinemas, but equally can be found in the O2 arena! The plan is to build the brand outside of London and then move into the metropolis. Globally they are known for their filter coffee (serving 1.8 billion cups a year) which drives Dunkin sales in the US, but in a UK market driven by espresso this has been a challenge. Currently in the UK, coffee is 30% of sales and donuts 60% for Dunkin Donuts whereas in the US the doughnuts only account for 8%. Whilst the Baskin model you would assume would be a seasonal sell around ice cream but in a UK joint franchise 20% of the sales in January were in ice-cream so maybe not! Will the brits embrace these classic US brands, well with the right franchisees and a sensible strategy towards location and scaled build, this is definitely one to watch.

10) Marketing – Mark McCulloch ex Head of Marketing for Prêt knows a thing or two about operator branding and had these eight pointers to build a successful brand in the food to go market: Have a product people will crave, Be sure of yourself, Find a way to genuinely do it differently, put customers first and opps last, create legends that people will pass on, believe in kindness not discount, take your time, PR is a by-product of doing something people will talk about. All good stuff from someone who has been there and done it!

11) Eat – Started 18 years ago by the McArthurs (a couple looking for healthier food on the high street), ‘Eat’ set out to offer homemade style food on the high street and based its menu around wholesome soup. But when Sarah Doyle started, the brand had lost its way in an increasingly competitive set and needed to retrench and go back to what made it great. The repositioning of the brand has resulted in a 10% like-for-like increase in sales. But soaring rents and the low barriers to entry mean that Eat is constantly facing challenges, but by having a strong understanding of what it is (and isn’t), Eat is in a good positon to move forward.

12) Greggs – Greggs started out as a bakers in Newcastle. Today it is one of the biggest players in the food on the go market but its meteoric growth has not been without the odd bump in the road. In the face of losing share Greggs set out a strategy ‘to be a winning brand in the food on the go market’ and started making changes. It experimented with different styles of store styling and ended with a blend of two (Moment & Bakery) with more seating, it took the bakery out of the stores and centralised it, simplified its business mode and regions, set-up workforce management and purchasing software systems, shut down poorly performing sites, slowed down the rate of openings, embraced technology with Greggs Reward card and created the new Greggs you can see today. The results? Record profits for 2015 – so it looks like it was all worthwhile!

13) Safari – After a day of great speakers and an interesting panel discussion touching topics such as rents and landlords, attracting and retaining staff in London, technology, venture capitalists and investment, own brand soft drinks and much more it was time to hit the road and see for ourselves what Soho had to offer in the way of Food on the Go! (Further blog to come – Watch this space!)

Well done to all involved at the M&C Report on pulling together a great day. Doubtless this will be the first of many!

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

27th January 2015

Kicking-off 2015 in Style

Foodservice PR - Christmas 2015 In the frantic world of foodservice the run up to Christmas is always a hectic time, so for the past few years the jellybeanChristmas party has been a January affair. The exact details of the party were a closely guarded secret up until the week before, with only a few clues to go on. We knew the menu looked amazing and we were in for some entertainment, but beyond that it was mainly all guesswork. Imagine our joy therefore when it was revealed on Thursday that we were heading to the world famous Cafe Royal, Regent St, nestled between the elegance of Mayfair and the creativity of Soho (very fitting we thought!). Not only were we to enjoy drinks in the Green Bar with an Absinthe experience (for those brave enough to take the challenge), but we would also be dining in the exclusive Domino Restaurant and then, the ‘pièce de résistance’, we were to be entertained by the Black Cat Cabaret in the legendary Oscar Wilde Bar. Well, to say we were excited doesn’t really do it justice. Even the boys were in deep discussions about what to wear for such a glamourous night ahead!

We couldn’t wait to don our glad rags and head up to the big smoke, so with sparkle, feathers and a fair amount of lippy (and that was just the boys) we headed up to ‘get the party started!’. Drinks in the Green Bar were accompanied by delicious canapés and for the adventurous few the resident mixologist demonstrated the Absinthe fountain and their exclusive range of Absinthes. Synonymous with the Parisian bohemian scene frequented by artists , poets and alike, the ‘green fairy’ (La Fée Verte) was once famed for inducing hallucinations, but thankfully this modern day incarnation didn’t seem to have the same effect. This aniseed concoction was quite an acquired taste, but one our Digital Director seemed quite apt at acquiring.

Once we had all mixed and mingled, with glasses in hand, we headed to the Domino Restaurant to enjoy not only a delicious meal from chef Andrew Turner’s team (who we had worked with previously for a client video) but also some truly astounding close-up magic from Laura London. Having wined and dined, we then tottered down the stairs to the Oscar Wilde Bar where lemon posset dessert and the evening’s main entertainment awaited!

Our host for the evening at the Black Cat Cabaret was the deliciously camp singer and performer Dusty Limits accompanied by Michael Roulston on the piano (along with his rather fetching moustache). The acts for the evening’s line-up included an array of comedy songs from Lady Carol, Dusty Limits and Jaz Delorean, a gentleman juggler – Matt Ricardo and even some twirling burlesque from Vicky Butterfly (which went down very well with the jellybeanboys, unlike Dusty’s foray into the crowd for some hands-on crowd participation). During the performance we found our group in for some special attention, as our lovely Laura was celebrating her birthday and therefore had a less than conventional birthday song dedicated to her (along with a number of asides).

Once the applause had died down and the cabaret was over, in the decadent spirit of the venue it was time to hit the bar and the dance floor. With shots for all, not to mention the gin and tonics, all on top of champagne and wine with dinner, it was always going to get a little messy, but everyone had a great time and made it back to their beds in one piece. Showing the youngsters how it’s done, Gary and Fiona (Our Creative Director and MD) were the last ones standing on the dance floor, throwing shapes and generally having a great time. In fact as the taxis arrived to whisk us home to bed all anyone could talk about was what an amazing time we had had and what terrible hangovers we could all look forward to – but hey! What’s a Christmas party without a hangover and some truly embarrassing photos (for the latter you can visit us on Twitter).

Thanks as ever must go to Fiona, our esteemed leader, for another fabulous Christmas party. What a wonderful way to see in 2015. The only problem now is, how will she ever manage to top this for next year?!

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

7th January 2015

The Big Apple 'Bite by Bite'

nyc This year, after the usual excesses of Christmas, I headed off to NYC with my other half and son for a trip which would take in the very best of the New York foodie scene (as well as a fair amount of sightseeing and the obligatory retail therapy!). There are of course hundreds of restaurants to choose from in New York so there are doubtless ones that we failed to grace with our presence, but with five days to cram in as much as humanly possible we did our very best at a foodie safari of the Big Apple!

So here’s a bite size review of the ones that made the cut…

5 Napkins Burger
In the heart of Hell’s Kitchen this hip burger joint boasts some of the best burgers in town. We sampled the deep fried pickles with pastrami and of course we had to have burgers, which were very good, especially the ‘special of the day’ which included a Portobello mushroom and truffle aioli – yum!

Brooklyn Diner
Diners are quintessentially American and no visit to New York would be complete without a visit to one. Our first (there’s more to come!) was the Brooklyn Diner where we had a less than light lunch with some fabulous malt shakes and half a tonne of pastrami – how much more American can you get!

Keens
A legendary steak restaurant and owner of the largest collection of churchwarden pipes in the world Keens dates back to the 19th Century and is famed not only for its colourful history (including a run in with Lilly Langtry) but also, and more importantly, its amazing (and huge) steaks. It is fair to say that if you plan to eat at Keens you want to arrive hungry which was a challenge after the Brooklyn Diner, but we did a sterling job and at the end of the meal, two steaks, each approximately the size of a human head, had been demolished (I opted for fish which was equally substantial but a little lighter).

Fresh & Co
After a rather carnivorous couple of days we opted for a healthier start to the day with breakfast at Fresh & Co, a chain similar to Pod in the UK. This high street concept offers healthy options throughout the day including kale smoothies, porridge, a build your own salad bar and much more. After the a couple of days of true USA indulgence it was a welcome break from the supersized meals and set-us up for the day.

Ritz Carlton Central Park Star Lounge
Our New Year’s Eve plan was to visit Schillers which came highly recommended, however, having weighed up the challenge of getting around town on New Year’s Eve we chickened out and stayed at the ‘none too shabby’ Ritz Carlton’s Star Lounge for dinner with a wander out at midnight to see the fireworks in Central Park amongst revellers from around the world. Not for us the joy of being penned-in in Times Square for ten hours awaiting the iconic ‘ball drop’, instead we opted to dine in style waited on by possibly the most attentive staff in history – it was a tough choice but the right one I think.

48th Street Diner
On our way to the ‘Top of the Rock’ (Rockefeller Centre) we stopped off for a bit of breakfast at the 48th Street Deli. Although a little more rough and ready than our usual destination breakfasts it set us up for the day with the US special – pancakes, bacon and maple syrup – well, when in Rome!

Magnolia Bakery
On-route from our bus tour around Downtown Manhattan we passed the famous Magnolia Bakery (as featured in Sex in the City) – for once it didn’t seem to have a queue snaking around the store – so I waited for a mere five minutes before being welcomed in to make my selection. I went with vanilla, chocolate and red velvet cupcakes and a few cookies for good measure and I have to say they didn’t disappoint. I can certainly understand why they are the cupcake of choice for Carrie & co!

John’s Pizza Bleeker Street
A New York institution, John’s of Bleeker Street is world renowned for serving the best pizza in New York. So much so that they don’t take bookings nor do take-away, so if you want to sample the joys of John’s Pizza you can expect to queue in line (in our case in the freezing cold) to get in. After a forty odd minute wait whilst staring with mouths agog and noses pressed against the window at the lucky diners inside, we were in! And it was worth the wait – what a pizza. It was so good we even got the t-shirt to remind us of our visit.

Carnegie Deli
New York is famed for its diners and although we took a look at Katz (which had a starring role in ‘When Harry Met Sally’) and had of course swung by the Brooklyn Diner, this time we plumped (being the operative word) for the famous Carnegie Deli as our ‘last hurrah!’ in New York. The pastrami sandwich that would require dislocating your jaw to tackle without a knife and fork (thankfully cutlery was supplied) and a slice of classic New York Cheesecake that could feed a family were “awesome”. As ever the customer service was outstanding, something that struck us throughout the trip and brought into sharp relief the difference between London and the US. Some may argue that it’s the focus on tips that drives it, but it seems to go deeper, as even shop assistants can’t seem to do enough for you and you don’t tip them!

Anyway, having eaten our way around the city, seen the sights and shopped ‘til we dropped, we made our way home a good few pounds heavier and a fair few dollars lighter back to Blighty, having seen-in 2015 in style in the Big Apple (pretty much the one thing we didn’t manage to eat!).

jellybean is a social media foodservice agency as well as a foodservice marketing agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

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