Making it Happen: Hospitality

I’ve been a  long time admirer of restaurant and hospitality guru Danny Meyer.  He has successfully created some of NYC’s best restaurants including Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, Tabla, Blue Smoke and Shake Shack.  Every one of his restaurants has a unique point of view and offers some of my all time personal favorite dining experiences available in NYC.

A few years ago he wrote the book, Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business.  At first glance one might think  the book exclusively caters to the restaurant industry, but a few chapters in, it becomes clear that this books speaks to and provides insight for entrepreneurs and business leaders in any industry.

Towards the end of the book he writes about the importance of context when making decisions.  I found his criteria for making these critical choices particularly poignant as I decide how to expand my own business and take on new projects.

The “Yes” Criteria for New Ventures according to Danny Meyer

• An in-depth pro forma analysis convinces that it is a wise and safe investment.
• The opportunity fits and enhances our company’s overall strategic goals and objectives
• The opportunity represents a chance to create a business venture that is perceived as groundbreaking, trailblazing and fresh
• The timing is right for our company’s capacity to grow with excellence, especially in terms of having enough key employees who are themselves and interested and ready to grow
• We believe we have the capacity to be category leaders within whatever niche we are pursuing
• We believe our existing business will benefit and improve by virtue of or notwithstanding our pursuing this new opportunity
• We feel excited and passionate about this idea.  Pursuing it will be an opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun!
• We are excited about doing business in this community
• The context is the right fit.  Our restaurant and our style of doing business will be in harmony with its location

StudioBooth+Puma City = Good Times

Come join StudioBooth and friends for a night of free drinks, good music and fun at the Puma Social Club at the South Street Seaport.

Go: Ambassador of Lifestream

Recently, Aol put out a call for a two month internship for the “Ambassador of Lifestream.”  Lifestream, their new product that  aggregates third party social networks – Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Delicious, Flickr, YouTube, is looking for someone to become an integral part of their team.  This “ambassador” will have the opportunity to work directly with Tim Armstrong, the new CEO, and will sit in high-level meetings and be asked to share their point of view with engineers, marketers and executives.  It’s incredible opportunity, with lots of perks including bi-coastal living, an expense account, VIP access to events/contests and mostly, the ability to really be a part of something.  Fit the bill?  Apply here.

This is just one of the ways that Aol is changing their game and I give Armstrong a lot of the credit.  With the help of Wolff Olins, Aol rebranded themselves and are now focusing their efforts on being a media and publishing platform where content is key.  It’s clear that Armstrong is a leader that believes in taking risks and empowering others to do the same.

Cruising: The Electra Amerstdam

It’s 80 degrees and perfectly sunny today in NYC.  I’m dreaming of a bike ride down the Hudson with a stop off at one of the Van Leeuwen ice cream trucks for a scoop of Giandujia, an amazing blend of Michel Cluizel chocolate and Piedmont hazelnuts.

*This beauty of a bike is the work of Electra, a company that prides itself on designing a range of these lovely modern cruiser bikes.

Making it Happen: The 99% Conference

Yesterday, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the 99% Conference put on by the fine folks at Behance and Cool Hunting. The premise of the conference is based on the famous quote by Thomas Edison, “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” The conference focuses on the fact that having a great idea is not enough, you need to actually make those good ideas happen; you need to take action.

The conference was filled with surprises including the release of the DROID Incredible by HTC and of Scott Belsky’s new book, Making Ideas Happen. We also got an early viewing of four new videos from Cool Hunting’s video series.  I was particularly fond of the video featuring Brooklyn based chocolatiers, Mast Brothers Chocolate.

It’s hard to sum up a day that included wisdom from some of the best creative visionaries across a variety of industries, so instead I’ll give you a sampling of some of my favorite quotes.

“Don’t let planning get int he way of doing” -Leslie Koch

“Nobody likes to change, until not changing hurts more than doing the actual change.” – Jamie Oliver

“The purpose of a strategy is not to come up with the right answers. It’s to enable you to act.” – Frans Johannson

“What is the smallest executable step that you can take to develop any of your ideas? Define it.” – Frans Johannson

“A successful partnership is based on the willingness to share the ownership of ideas.” -Masamichi Udagawa

“Working alone requires a battle against yourself. With a partnership, that battle turns into a dialogue” -Sigi Moeslinger

I’m excited to spend some more time checking out some of the tools that The 99% offers on their website including The Action Method, which is a project management tool that can be used both on and offline to stay organized and action-oriented.  Also, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out Cool Hunting’s Video Series.  They all are really fantastic.

The Perfect Sunday: Marlow and Daughters

I have a crush.  The sort of crush you just can’t stop talking and thinking about.  Yes, I have a crush on the whole Marlow and Sons, Diner, Marlow and Daughters, Romans empire.

We’ve been spending a lot of time out in Williamsburg enjoying the excitement that comes with exploring new neighborhoods.  Along the way, we’ve made it a point to acquaint ourselves with other local shops and restaurants.  And while all the discoveries have left us gitty with excitement and very full bellies, our trip to Marlow and Daughters was made extra special thanks to two amazing friends that gave us a gift certificate for our birthdays.

We were torn about whether to be practical or extravagant (ground beef or steaks).  The butcher’s consensus was “buy things for yourself that you would normally buy,” so we went for two beautiful filet mignons, fresh ricotta, house made pate, smoked goat cheese, fancy fig crackers and a few other odds and ends to round out what was the perfect Sunday night dinner.

Welcome: Blue Bottle Coffee

When we were in San Francisco last month, thanks to nudging from these dear family members, we knew we had to make a point to check out Blue Bottle Coffee.  What we didn’t know, is that we would find ourselves there every day–sometimes even twice a day.

When I heard they were setting up shop in Brooklyn I got excited.  Really excited.  Despite the excessive rain, we headed to Williamsburg on Sunday to check it out and were so happy we did.  With oversized umbrellas and big green rain boots, we enjoyed steaming cups of perfectly brewed coffee and a Cheddar-Chive Biscuit from Colson Patisserie.

Now go and experience the gorgeous space and deliciousness for yourself.

Blue Bottle Coffee Roasters: 160 Berry St between North 5th and 6th Sts, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Moment: The Joy of Building a Terrarium

Nearly a year ago, I wrote about my love for terrariums, these magical little contained environments.  This year for my birthday Dan gave me a certificate to go and build my very own terrarium at Sprout Home in Williamsburg.

There seem to be two main types of terrariums, one that is fern and moss based and one that is cacti based.  I went for the latter since they are supposedly a bit easier to care for and because I liked the variety of plants that Sprout had to choose from. Sprout carries a number of different vessels to house the terrariums.  I picked this one by a company called Roost which takes recycled glass and hand blows it without a mold. After layering some lava rocks for drainage, charcoal to prevent mold and a top layer of soil,  I picked out about six different types of cactus for mine.  I also brought some coral and a sea urchin shell that I collected from our various trips to add to the mix.  I am absolutely in love with it and think this might just be my favorite birthday present ever.  Big thanks to Leah, the terrarium expert at Sprout, for all the guidance in building this beauty!