Miscellaneous

🍴 Boston’s Beacon Hill welcomed Zurito, a Basque-inspired restaurant by BCB3 Hospitality, opened in November. Occupying the former Bin 26 Enoteca, it is the fourth concept by the group led by Jamie Bissonnette, Andy Cartin, and Babak Bina. The space holds 64 diners and features a design reminiscent of San Sebastián pintxo bars. The menu includes bite-size pintxos, Spanish hams, cheeses, and a variety of traditional small plates, complemented by a 32-ounce bone-in rib eye. Wine director Nader Asgari-Tari curated a 400-bottle wine list with Spanish labels and rare vintages.

💎 Cameron House, a luxury five-star resort on Loch Lomond, offers romantic escapes for Valentine's Day including proposals, private champagne cruises, island picnics, and seaplane tours. The resort features 208 bedrooms, 28 suites, multiple dining options, a spa, and The Carrick golf course over 400 acres. Room prices start from £348 bed and breakfast per night. Bookings can be made at cameronhouse.co.uk.

🏡 Kirsten Visdal showcased Norwegian design in Paris's Musée d'Orsay's former smoking room, Le Fumoir, for three days. The exhibition, Et Hjem/Chez Soi, featured contemporary and classic Norwegian furniture and objects from designers like Ali Shah Gallefoss and Andreas Engesvik. Design and Architecture Norway (DOGA) led the project to distinguish Norwegian design from other Nordic styles, emphasizing eclectic, colorful, playful, and maximalist traits. Key pieces included Gallefoss's sand-casted table, Engesvik's steel Munch chairs, and the Gem sofa from Northern. The event ran from November 22 to 24.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality since 2016, reports on food and beverage trends. Host of "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast. Wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), covered business in Thailand for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper. Tufts University magna cum laude graduate, studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and worked for ABC News during Tiananmen Square protests (1989). Won the Jesse H. Neal Award (2006) and was president of the IFEC (2005). Authored entries in Oxford food and drink encyclopedias and was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier (2014). Resides in Brooklyn, New York.

🍻 Luxury caterer Rocket launches Low & No Alcohol menu, responding to increased demand for non-alcoholic drinks at events. Michael Symonds, Rocket's Director & Co-founder, highlights the shift in drinking habits, aiming to provide sophisticated drink experiences. The menu includes complex non-alcoholic cocktails with Kahol's 0% spirits, Quarter Proof's low-alcohol spirits, Botivo Drinks' artisanal switchel, and French Bloom's non-alcoholic sparkling wine. All ingredients are sustainably sourced from British producers prioritizing quality and sustainability. The new menu is now available for all Rocket events.

🏨 On Dec. 30, 2024, an episode titled "Why The Hotel Industry is at a Pivotal Moment" featuring Zach Demuth from JLL was released, focusing on the transformation within the hotel sector. The article details the Hospitality Daily Podcast, hosted by Josiah Mackenzie, and includes links to various podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Additionally, it highlights the podcast's popular episodes and offers a detailed list of featured episodes covering diverse hospitality topics. The footer notes that the © 2024 Hospitality Daily Podcast provides insights to help its audience thrive in the hospitality business.

📖 Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor at Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since August 2021, previously held roles as Associate Editor (July 2019-August 2021) and Assistant Editor (October 2018-July 2019) for Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group. She freelanced from February to October 2018, reported for Insider between June 2017 and February 2018, and edited for The Daily Meal from January 2014 to June 2017. Fantozzi has a bachelor's in English literature and creative writing and a master's in arts and culture journalism.

👕 After purchasing unwashed denim jeans at imogene + willie, a customer experienced significant shrinkage post-wash, resulting in jeans 2” shorter. The store director, Liz, offered a replacement pair, demonstrating exceptional customer service. The brand emphasizes craftsmanship, core values, passionate staff, and unique physical spaces to communicate values.

🛫 Emplifi research shows 86% of customers abandon loyalty after one or two poor interactions. Digital downtimes in the airline industry must address with clear communication because only 23% of consumers seek help during outages; most turn to competitors or retry later. Customer frustration increases by 2% on the first day of service interruptions and 50% by the second day, with an 18% rise in rage clicks. In 2013, 63% of UK airline digital leaders planned to maintain or reduce customer support spending, but recent trends indicate the need for greater investment. Effective data use and robust infrastructure are key to minimizing customer dissatisfaction and improving satisfaction during unexpected downtimes.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, has been with NRN since 1999 and joined Restaurant Hospitality in 2016. Previously, he authored the Kitchen Dish column for The New York Sun (2005-2008), and wrote for Manager magazine and Asia Times in Thailand (1992-1997). A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University and Le Cordon Bleu alumni, Thorn’s column won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and he was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014. He resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.