November 2011
7 posts
7 tags
Too sweet a deal- Groupon horror
In UK, Groupon almost bankrupted a bakery.
@Yang Sui/ Foodbiznyc.com
Screenshot of Groupon iPhone app.
Rachel Brown, owner of Need a Cake, said her advertisement on Groupon “was her worst ever business decision.” during an interview with BBC.
Brown originally offered 75 percent off on cupcakes for those who bought a dozen, the $40 cupcakes suddenly cost $10.
People turned...
16 tags
Marriage Equality Brings in Money
@Yang Sui/Foodbiznyc.com
Lauri Ditunno, owner of Cake Alchemy, is making a ginger bread castle cake in her studio. Click here to watch a complete interview.
Same sex couples aren’t the only ones celebrating marriage equality.
Wedding planners, bakers, musicians, florists, and caterers chime glasses to the Marriage Equality Act passed on June 24 because, for them, marriage means business. ...
10 tags
WatchMarriage equality not only brings in love, also brings in money.
Since the New York Senate passed Marriage Equality Act on June 24th, wedding ventures in New York have embraced a new market: marriage of same-sex couples.
This is an interview with Lauri Ditunno, owner of Cake Alchemy. Ditunno talks about her wedding cake business and importantly, how to make a yummy cake.
Produced by Yang Sui,...
Numbers you need to know about 2011 Black Friday
Customers are not the only ones celebrating Black Friday; retailers also join the Friday party. Here are some data highlighting Black Friday, 2011.
$52.4 billion
According to National Retail Federation, shopper spent an estimated $52.4 billion during Black Friday four-day weekend, up from $45 billion last year.
$398.62
Shopper spent an average of $398.62 since the holiday season started on...
12 tags
Boycott and Lawsuit: Restaurant Workers...
Listen to audio interview here.
“Boy-cott Sai-gon Grill… Boy-cott Sai-gon Grill…”
It’s a recent Sunday night. Seven people are gathered outside Saigon Grill, a Vietnamese restaurant on the Upper West Side. They are handing out yellow flyers that read, “Sweatshops Out of Our Community- Boycott Domino’s Pizza and Saigon Grill” in English and Spanish; their posters, in both English and Korean,...
12 tags
WatchInterview with Ivan Lin, former employee of Century Buffet. This is the audio part of labor story. Lin speaks very little English, and thus this conversation is basically in Chinese. Interviewed and produced by Yang Sui, Columbia Journalism School.
8 tags
Herman Cain: What’s Behind the Grin?
Video from youtube.
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has been under spotlight these days. The former CEO of Godfather Pizza, former president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, has been drawing lots of attention since he started to run for 2012 President of the U.S.
In October, Cain’s campaign team launched two campaign ads, one of them titled “now is the time for...
October 2011
3 posts
8 tags
To Be or Not to Be, Two Family Owned Businesses
Two family-owned Italian restaurants in Manhattan are facing different fates.
Manganaro’s Grosseria Italiana, first open in 1893, witness the history of New York City
Manganaro’s Grosseria Italiana in midtown looks much like an old Italian grocery store. Standing at the door is a middle- aged woman, smoking a cigarette and observing passersby. Seline Dell’Orto, owner of Manganaro’s...
11 tags
Listeria outbreak caused by cantaloupes
Death toll caused by Listeria-tainted cantaloupes as of Oct. 11th, 2011
Data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Visualized by Yang Sui.
Oct. 11th Updated. Listeria- tainted cantaloups have caused 23 death and sickened 116 people. Two new death cases are from Louisiana.
Oct. 10th- Listeria-tainted cantaloupes have caused 21 death and sickened 109 people in 23 states.
CDC...
8 tags
Commodity Price Rises Challenge a Small Restaurant...
With the costs of dairy, beef and seafood rising, local restaurants owners are forced to strategize how to keep their businesses profitable. Kai Pettaway, owner of Freda’s Caribbean & Soul Cuisine in upper Manhattan, is one of those struggling restaurant owners.
Kai Pettaway and his mother, Ellie Pettaway work in the restaurant
“I am working from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. almost every day,” said...
September 2011
0 posts
6 tags
WatchZen Palate is a vegetarian chain restaurant located in NYC. It’s owner, Sharley Chuang, originally from Taiwan, believes in Zen and Meditation, integrating Zen spirit into culinary arts. Chuang tells us her story about healthy diet and healthy life. This is part of Columbia Journalism Audio SlideShow project; Teresa Mahoney conducted interview with Chuang and I was in charge of...