Florida is a beautiful, but sometimes a strange place. I stop in a restaurant to use the restroom. Now, I know sometimes people put art inside to sort of spiffy the place up. But in this (semi-fancy) restaurant's restroom, there was actually advertising--yes, right where you do your thing. And in one spot, they had this sign from Insite Advertising, Inc. for the bathroom advertisements. "...Thank you for allowing us to spend this time alone with you. We understand that during your hectic day quiet moments are few and far between..." Well, this was one alone time that was definitely interrupted and a little less quiet. Isn't there any place we can go anymore without being bombarded by branding, marketing, advertising, selling, and companies trying to make a another quick buck. Darn, leave us alone and give us our bathrooms back--I'm not buying from you at a time like this! ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So lately, passing by Sweet Greens in the morning has not been so sweet. The tables outside are being used by those unfortunately with no place to sleep. When I see the homeless people under the Sweet Green awning lying on the tables wrapped in ripped clothes and blankets trying to get some much needed sleep, it is completely heart breaking. At the same time, I wonder about the health and safety for people who come later to eat on those tables that only hours earlier were somebody's bed for the night. Not a good situation all around...and can never understand why a wealthy society such as ours can't feed, cloth, and shelter ALL its citizens--so they don't have to sleep at Sweet Greens anymore. (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I thought this was a funny-sad photo.
This dad took his two kids (twins?) out to eat.
The eatery is Hooters.
The young, attractive, scantily clad waitresses in the orange shorts were serving them.
It may be fine for the adult, but it didn't seem so okay for the little kids.
Not that I'm so Mr. Perfect, but couldn't help reflect that what we teach our children is important.
This wasn't Ronald McDonald's, Subway, or Chipotle.
What was the lessons for these kids?
I remember when I would argue with my dad (still to this day) about religion and seeing seemingly "religious" people do things wrong (sometimes terribly wrong), and he would say to me, "You be the example!"
Maybe that's sort of the point--is that the way we live is the lessons we showcase to others.
Each of us has the opportunity to lead by example...that's what leadership fundamentally is. (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So we are at this Mediterranean Restaurant next to the beach. We are sitting outside--it is a little chilly and we cozy up next to one of the fire poles to keep warm. We weren't eating much; just a drink for our anniversary and something to munch on. All of a sudden, my wife points to this lady from the next table who gets up and starts dancing provocatively. You can see the sliver of ocean behind her, the night sky, and the cars and pedestrians are going by behind her. There are multiple realities going on here: She is in her own world--dancing to the music, swaying this way and that, and enjoying her femininity. On the other hand, the guy she's with is taking a video of her on his tablet computer--he seems more concerned with capturing the moment with his technology than enjoying his girlfriend. We are conscientious observers--I sort of wondered if the guy should've been paying more attention to the women who was wooing him than playing with his tablet. The other lesson that I can't help reaching is that cameras and microphones are truly everywhere--privacy is a complete myth! He is recording her, we are videoing them on our smartphone, and the restaurant is taping all of us on CCTV cameras, and NSA is laughing at us from Fort Meade. So if you want solitude, book a flight with Virgin Galactic. ;-)
This was a funny picture that my wife took today. It is a guy sitting in the restaurant surrounded by women. He is eating and reading. The book is "What Do Women Want?" What--like most men don't have a clue how women think! Anyway, sort of an interesting way to take a break from the workday. Pondering the ultimate mystery men seem to want to know. Anyway, I know what my women wants and that's for me to take out the garbage. ;-) (Source Photo: Dannielle Blumenthal)
Going to a restaurant the other night, I stepped into the men's room for a minute and noticed this sticker on the right of the mirror that said "Great Work" in big yellow letters on the red background. I wondered what a strange sign to put in such a private setting as if we need applause for going to the bathroom or washing our hands. Then again, if you've seen many men's bathrooms, it could certainly be a time for kudos when it is kept clean and people use good personal hygiene--hence, the other sticker on the left, "It's cool to care!" The frog sticker in the middle, he's just keeping an eye on things and thanking everyone for the job well done. This is a funny commentary on our society these days where people seem to need a pat on the back for everything--even the highly mundane and personal. Presumably, going to the men's room will never be the same boring, uncaring event again--at least at this fine eating establishment. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
This was a funny painting on the window of this eatery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The woman is thinking romance, but the man is thinking about his delicious sandwich. This fits in very well with John Gray's bestseller, Men Are Mars, Women Are From Venus--where one theme is that men tend to retreat to think about or distance themselves from problems (in this case with a sandwich) and women seek to grow emotionally close. See that happening here? In a relationship according to Gray, you are either going to have balance in giving and receiving or you will have resentment. Life's little lessons...better take heed. My guess is that if this guy in picture doesn't start paying better attention to the love and attention needs of the women, he is likely to get a sandwich right over his clueless head! ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
What an awesome idea for a cafe that can appeal to girls and women worldwide--a Barbie Cafe.
It opened in Taiwan last week and it is licensed by Mattel the founder of Barbie dolls (1959).
At 7,100 square feet and with $1.7 million dollars of investment, you get a lot of Barbie ambience--especially plenty of pink and frills (and calorie counting).
While some women may be turned off to the girlie stigma of a Barbie Cafe, there are probably many others who are enchanted with the dreamy image it bring from childhood and the ability to express a certain femininity, the Barbie way.
My prediction--in the near future, there is going to be a Ken Cafe opening up right across the street. ;-)
This is one of my favorite dishes from Yuan Fu Restaurant. It's called a Tofu Hot Pot and is made with fried tofu, basil, and ginger. It comes out sizzling in a pot and the waitress says "Careful, it's very hot." It's also good with a little hot mustard. It's a chef's special at Yuan Fu Vegetarian/Vegan restaurant in Maryland. Yuan Fu is rated 94% liked at Zagat and 4 (out of 5) star at Yelp. Other tasty items on their menu is the Crispy Eggplant, Sesame Chicken with Broccoli, and Crispy Beef with Walnuts. Hope you enjoy! (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Forget waiters and waitresses, the new Japanese Hajime Robot restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand invested almost $1 million on 4 robotic waitstaff.
You order your food by touch screen computer, and there is a countdown on the screen for when the food is ready and the robot brings it out to you.
While the samurai clad robots are not the best looking—their huge eyes are a little cartoonish—they are certainly quite dexterous and able as they nimbly serve the food in this restaurant and dance for the customers in between courses without missing a beat.
Initially automation affected the jobs of blue-collar workers in manufacturing and mechanical work as robots displaced people on the “assembly line.”Now we see the trend continuing and expanding with automation entering the service industry and jobs involving customer interaction, entertainment, and retail being affected.This is happening not only in restaurants, but also elder care (like robot uBot5 being developed out of University of Massachusetts), and in major retail establishments such as in warehouse automation with Kiva Systems robots being employed by major companies like Gap, Staples, and Zappos.
Further, the expansion of robots into traditional human work is also happening in our military—think Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or Drones) like the Predators and Reapers, the robotics pack animals that can carry hundreds of pounds of gear (like Big Dog) and various bomb disposal robots. This is just the beginning.
We are witnessing the transformation of our workforce from traditional blue- and now even white-collar jobs to those with an emphasis on knowledge management (think engineers and technology professionals working at companies like iRobot, Intel, and Apple). This has obvious implications for selection of education pursuits and availability of professional opportunities in the future for our children and grandchildren.
Andy Blumenthal is Deputy Program Director at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader with over 35 years of experience delivering results across the public and private sectors. All opinions are his own.
