Miscellaneous

📖 Joanna Fantozzi, with over seven years in restaurant and hospitality journalism, is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since August 2021. She holds a bachelor’s degree from The College of New Jersey and a master’s from CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Previously, she held roles at Insider and The Daily Meal and has contributed to The New York Times and Forbes. Joanna has been an editor at Informa since October 2018.

🥞 Celebrate Pancake Day at Covent Garden with a variety of pancake styles: classic buttermilk stacks at The Ivy Market Grill, French-inspired crêpes at Chez Antoinette, and boozy Crêpe Suzette at HENRi's Jackson Boxer from 3rd to 9th March for £14. The Breakfast Club offers iconic pancake stacks, while Balthazar features New York style pancakes. Apple Butter Café has an All Day Breakfast Menu with changing flavours. Capilungo's Carnevale Brunch presents an Italian alternative with a free Chiacchiere pastry from 1st to 4th March. Din Tai Fung offers a Crispy Golden Prawn Pancake for a unique experience.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Nation’s Restaurant News Senior Food & Beverage Editor since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality editor since 2016, also hosted "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast. He wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), reported from Thailand (1992-1997), and worked for ABC News during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. His writing won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award, and he was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014. A Tufts University magna cum laude graduate and Phi Beta Kappa member, Thorn studied at Le Cordon Bleu and in China.

📊 Peter Thiel emphasized mastering one marketing channel to ensure business success. SEO dominates with the top 3 results out of 500,000 claiming over 70% of traffic. Online ads favor companies with the best funnels and budgets. Organic social media and influencers are ruled by the top 1%. To choose the right channel, consider search volume, content quality, response copy skills, influencer impact, sales team profitability, UX design, and partnership opportunities. Mastering a channel requires constant experimentation and learning from failed attempts. Follow Matt Lerner for weekly insights.

🍴 La Grande Boucherie opened in Manhattan in 2020 and expanded with Miami, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. locations recently. The Miami branch occupies a 13,000 square foot space in an Art Deco building dating back to 1938, seating 450 guests. Executive Chef Leonardo Pablo oversees a menu including French bistro fare, with options like Certified Japanese A5 wagyu. Emil Stefkov, founder of The Group Hospitality, notes Miami's cultural diversity as a key expansion factor. The company plans more openings in 2025.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor at Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality since 2016, tracks F&B trends. He hosted "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast, wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), and contributed to Manager magazine and Asia Times in Thailand (1992-1997). A Tufts University history graduate (1990), he studied at Le Cordon Bleu (1986) and in China during 1988-1989, including witnessing the Tiananmen Square events. Thorn won the Jesse H. Neal Award (2006) and joined Disciples d’Escoffier (2014). Contact at [email protected]

🍓 Blue raspberry, not found in nature, became popular in U.S. restaurant menus, especially in candies, beverages, and desserts. Developed in the 1970s to differentiate raspberry flavors, it's currently trending in 2025. With 84% awareness among U.S. consumers and 60% having tried it—mostly millennials—its menu presence has surged 52% in four years. Dunkin' and Sonic include it in their drinks. Datassential confirms its ubiquity in quick service and chain restaurants.

🌳 The Nook philosophy emphasizes creating spaces that inspire creation, integrating nature as a fundamental element. The article advocates for planting fruit trees, suggesting an investment of $30 per sapling, highlighting the value in the experience of nurturing, the beauty of seasonal growth, and the joy of harvesting the fruit.

🍳 Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, tracks food and beverage trends and hosts a podcast. He started at Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999, contributed to The New York Sun from 2005 to 2008, and joined Restaurant Hospitality in 2016. Thorn is a magna cum laude graduate from Tufts University, studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and reported for ABC News during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. His work includes a Neal Award-winning column and contributions to Oxford food encyclopedias; he was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014.

🍩 Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, reports on food and beverage trends. Host of podcast "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn," he contributed to The New York Sun (2005-2008) and worked in Thailand (1992-1997). A magna cum laude Tufts University graduate and Le Cordon Bleu-trained, Thorn won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and was inducted into Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014. He resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. Email: [email protected] Social Media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.