The burger renaissance shows no signs of slowing down. As consumers grow accustomed to paying a bit more for better food, service, and overall experience, they may find themselves responsible for laying the tombstone on the fast-food industry. Jumping on the growing trend, one of D.C.’s most-talked about restaurants hopes to replicate its success elsewhere and abroad.

The Good Stuff Eatery, a popular burger joint on Capitol Hill, plans to open in Philadelphia and Chicago with two additional D.C. locations already in the works. But Spike Mendelsohn and his family want to eventually give Europeans the good stuff treatment. Under the current four-year plan, Paris and London are on the radar as U.S. properties get further developed. “We’d ideally like to start in countries we are comfortable and familiar with and go from there,” says Micheline Mendelsohn. Chicago and Philly will be operated and owned the family, but overseas outposts could be managed through a “partnership.” Having travelled and lived in Europe, the Mendelsohns feel confident their concept will be embraced. “Our concept of farm fresh, hip and nostalgic food would do well there.” But the family wants to expand slowly to retain the high-level of brand integrity.

Photography Credit: The Good Stuff Eatery

The Stream is an innovative show to be watched. It offers a voice to an ever-growing online audience that has instant say in the show’s output – making the process of shaping the news agenda seem refreshingly democratic. You should equate The Stream with Helios. It can illuminate our minds and shine the light on all those un-told stories filled with moral and social injustice. But it has the ability to highlight all those common stories that are about our humanity and that bind us together.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is intended to revolutionize the way we fly. And it is supposed to give small cities such as Portland, Oregon an advantage in luring foreign carriers. All Nippon Airways recently announced that it will use the 787 on new routes to San-Jose and Seattle. Having lived in Portland many years ago, the decision seemed odd considering Seattle is well-served by a handful of European and Asian carriers. Two airlines (Delta, United) already serve Tokyo from the Puget Sound area.

On the other hand, Portland could have benefited from ANA’s  service. It has been fighting for years to bring additional international airlines to the state. After Lufthansa pulled out, Delta became the only international airline to service both Amsterdam and Tokyo with direct flights.  But it appears the numbers didn’t add up for the port to make a competitive pitch. “We were not competing with Seattle for ANA service to Asia,” says spokesperson Steve Johnson.

In a volatile economy with high unemployment and record fuel prices, airlines are very selective as to which markets they elect to serve.  “We are the smallest U.S. city with nonstop service to both Asia and Europe, and our community is working together to support the existing [Delta] service[s],” Johnson added. Having the leaner and cost-efficient Dreamliner in the air provides no guarantees of 787 service to smaller cities. It looks like Baltimore, Austin, and Portland will have to wait a bit longer for globalization to come barreling down on their doors.

Photo Credit: Port of Portland

Pret is expanding into the suburbs of Chicago – Evanston. Why?

Chicagoans seem to like Pret in the downtown area. Opening up a shop in Evanston is a natural progression for Pret.  Evanston contains a healthy mix of students and office workers. 

Do you foresee this tactic being used in the D.C. area?

If more sites become available and it makes sense for Pret, then we will consider expanding into other areas in D.C.

According to QSR, RKF Leasing Vice President Joshua Strauss says “landlords all over the city [Manhattan] have sought-out and welcomed Pret A Manger, which has an excellent reputation as a strong operator with first-rate store design and as a shop that serves high-quality, fresh, and organic food.” The feeling amongst landlords here should be no different.

 
Viewers were greeted to a subtle and pleasing theme score as veteran Charlie Rose introduced himself. Co-hosts Gayle King and Erica Hill touted the shows second, but softer hour and a story on stem-cell research respectively. Hardly an original piece, but what followed was a 90 second segment entitled “Eye Opener” designed to engage viewers and get them hooked. Check plus. But like the shows incomplete opening titles and music (you didn’t know when it was going to start or end), CBS needs to keep building a better morning. The seven am hour covered the usual suspects; politics, more politics, and health. But a major disappointment came in the complete lack of international news unless you count Kate Middleton’s 30th birthday. That segment dragged on and did not warrant a roundtable discussion. Folks, there’s a new kid on the block and his name is Kim Jung-Un.  

 
The anchors were competent in delivering the news, but some re-shuffling may be in order. Erica Hill is a great newsreader so let her lead the cavalry as they find their groove. Charlie needs to focus on the hard-hitting interviews and conversations without the use of a teleprompter. He shines without it on PBS.  Gayle needs to focus, with Erica’s help, on the eight am hour.  As the show draws to an end, Charlie can hop back on to the desk to start a round-table discussion amongst his co-hosts titled “pause for thought.”

 
But kudos goes to Chris Licht who is personally overseeing the production whilst also serving as vice-president of news programming. This Morning looks very different from the competition. It has energy, well-paced, and is a vast improvement over the show it replaced. The set is bright and airy even if it does look like a Manhattan loft. Some of the CBS memorabilia may have to go as it looks just a tad cluttered. The choppy music score is an easy fix when you have the talented David Lowe in mind. If music is essential for the background, why not go on the sophisticated route of NPR instead of cranking up the volume on Adele or Beyoncé.  With some minor tweaks, the sun can shine brighter on This Morning. But if Nielsen ratings don’t budge, you can’t blame any of the talent. Local affiliates don’t have the top-rated news shows in their respective markets and viewers have been subjected to junk for so long, they may not be able to tell the difference between sugar and spinach.  

P.S. In a tweet, Executive Producer Chris Licht assured of us that some great international news stories would air this week. We’re watching.

According to a store employee, the GapKids store in Georgetown will close and its merchandise will be ”consolidated” in the main Gap store across the street. As we strolled through the main Gap store, we noticed that certain parts were sealed due to renovations.

The move - if true – comes as no surprise considering the company is downsizing operations in the United States and ramping up expansion overseas. It’s not clear whether the entire Gap store will be remodeled (we didn’t ask), but the entire property needs an extensive facelift. The store pales in comparison to the Ginza/Tokyo location. The video link is a must see.

Photo Credit: Gap Media

Note: Yo! Sushi Union Station is still scheduled for an early 2012 opening.

Our party submitted our executive decisions to our incredibly incisive server. My order consisted of cheese ravioli as my starter, free bird farms chicken as my main dish , and textures of chocolate for dessert. Whilst waiting for our meal, I spoke with the staff – questioning them about the history behind the premises. There seemed to be more wait staff than guests. They were polite, but a slight air of arrogance runs through the establishment. Some of them seemed dazed by the fact that they work for a celebrity chef and in turn, it showed with their demeanor. It should be noted that Mr. Voltaggio was not on site that fine afternoon.

Upon arrival of our food, it appeared well-presented. But less than five minutes later, my chicken was sent back. It was under-cooked and the plate itself seemed rather cold. The scene repeated itself with another guest at my table and another patron seated next door. We were told the bird was sensitive to high levels of heat. That’s gotta be one sensitive chicken. Our food was brought back after being heated to the right temperature. We received an apology which was graciously accepted. Mistakes are made. I – for one – believe in second chances. But the experience left us underwhelmed. And the tiny chocolate dessert provided no layers of texture.

Bottom Line: You come to VOLT to impress. Nothing more. It should be noted that one member of our party suffered from food poisoning later that day.

The BBC has gained a bigger foothold in the U.S. market after landing a deal with communications giant Comcast. The arrangement allows for BBC World News to be seen in up to 15 million homes by the end of 2012. When the “Beeb” first secured 24-hour carriage on Cablevision in 2006, the corporation launched a morning news show called World News Today (later rebranded as GMT) aimed at the American audience.  BBC World News America followed in late 2007.

But in announcing the deal with Comcast, we could not find any evidence to suggest more programming would be launched for us Yanks. We reached out to the BBC for clarification. Below is our Q’s & A’s.

1. Will more programming be launched at the U.S. in light of the arrangement with Comcast?

A BBC spokesperson said: “We believe the strength and attraction of the offer from BBC World News is its international journalism from around the world. That will continue to be our main focus and we don’t envisage major changes to the schedule.”

2. With the extended reach into more homes be supported by a marketing push?

A BBC spokesperson said: “We will be marketing our services on TV and online across the regions and cities that will be able access the channel through Comcast’s Xfinity TV. Whilst it’s important we raise awareness of the availability of channel, we know the hunger from US audiences for smart international news is strong.“

But another competitor has already modified its schedule in preparation of the 2012 U.S. elections. Al-Jazeera English is broadcasting its flagship discussion show Inside Story from Washington. Episodes will also cover stories of importance in North and South America.

Photography: Courtesy of BBC