TSDG restaurant branding

Happy Hogmanay

The Scots would say that no-one knows how to celebrate the new year as well as they do. And, having spent a couple of New Year's Eves in Edinburgh, I'm not going to argue the point.

A 'simple' postcard campaign

For cost-effective advertising, a simple postcard campaign can work wonders. A well-designed card can say such a lot about you and your business.

Staff selection

Finding and selecting the right staff is one of the most important tasks a restaurant owner faces. This is especially true for a start up.

Safari cuisine

The African Desert brings along with it a number of challenges to the skill of a Culinary Artist. With access to limited ingredients, it's not as easy to whip up a delightful cuisine as it would be for an urban chef. Getting your hands on those must-have luxury items is a challenge that can only be perfected by a master of the art of experimental cooking.

Kitchen storage

The importance of food storage can't be emphasised enough. Storage losses aren't always apparent but can lose a restaurant a great deal of money.

 

Happy holidays?

This is NOT the TSDG 'holiday' card but oh, how I wish it was. It perfectly demostrates what it's like be in the design business and deal with our favorite people, our clients.

The feast of the seven fishes

On Christmas Eve, the Italians celebrate the feast of the seven fishes. As the name suggests, this meal is composed of seven (at least) courses, all of which are seafood.

Traditional 'holiday' foods

To be politically correct, we have to refer to the 'holidays' now , rather than Christmas.

Menu promotions

Menu promotions can last for a few weeks or even a few months, but they always need careful planning.

Writing your website content

Writing your business website's content is a daunting task. You don't know where to start. Or, you don't know where to stop.

TSDG's once-a-year favorite recipe

This is a perfect dessert for the holidays. Because of the egg and cream content, it's a once-a-year treat for us! The recipe is adapted from the dish Chef Marcus Wareing made for the banquet for Queen Elizabeth to celebrate her eightieth birthday.

Car manufacturers follow the chefs

Once you start thinking of colors in connection with foodstuff, it is difficult to stop. When you think of luscious colorful foods, you develop a strong craving that would drive you to your kitchen or to the nearest diner. Foods have this dramatic impact on individuals. And the auto industry wanted to grab hold of this powerful stigma.

Alter EatGo

Chef Eric Paul combines his passion for food and business to create Alter EatGo and combat the rising rate of obesity by making healthy eating fun, convenient, and affordable.

British cuisine reputation ruined by a young Victorian girl

In the 1950s and 60s, the 'jet age' meant that more and more people were visiting Britain. And many declared the food to be bad. And yet the British Isles has a long and illustrious history in cuisine. What had gone wrong?

Star chefs?

Never mind a dash of white wine or an extra pinch of salt, the secret ingredient that Nigella Lawson, Rick Stein, Keith Floyd, Elizabeth David and a host of other famous cooks share is in their star sign – Capricorn.

The mysterious case of the poisoned pie

A murder mysyery for the holidays! In the summer of 1922, New York was in the grip of pie phobia. At the Shelburne Restaurant, six people died after eating arsenic-laced pie.

Stock images - be careful

Stock images can be very useful - especially for start up businesses. But if you're using stock images - beware.

Coffee and Donuts by Chef Tony Miller

Beignets
1 cup water
4 ounces unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Don't waste your windows

It amazes me how many restaurants suddenly appear without having shown the world they were coming - effectively. A badly printed 'coming soon' sign just isn't good enough.

As American as apple pie

I tend to have the TV on in the kitchen when I'm cooking and the other day, on an ad, I heard "It's as American as apple pie". Hang on, I thought.

Research results - Americans like spicy foods

Strangely, it never occurred to me that they didn't but recently, San Fransisco's Center for Culinary Development conducted a study investigate this.

Sex Sells

The history of using sex to sell alcohol is a long one, though back in the day things were much more innocent and above board.

The innocent St Pauli Girl stepped out of the label and onto poster back in the seventies and old St. Pauli became less and less saintly as the century ended. The buxom überblond with the foaming glasses appeared in a promotional calendar in 1977 and she's gotten sexier by the year.

Spice crusted fresh tilapia fillet recipe

From ifood.tv - spice crusted fresh tilapia fillet sauteed & served with fresh mango salsa.

Wikipedia, meet Coke

OK - I missed a meeting.

Suddenly there's a new Coke out there that I didn't know about.

I must confess at this point that Coke Zero and Diet Coke are the main spooky items on my daily diet and I have a vested interest in the latest carbonated experience put out under the Coka-Cola umbrella, being a brand endorser of some standing.

Spooky in that, apart from my craving for fizzy stuff that has a taste (there goes the soda water) I don't really know what it is that I'm drinking.

But I'm cool with that. I'm having a brand experience, dude!

Apple Pie Shoot'em Up

We have to give a big shout for this pretty out-there seasonal spin on hot apple from Rachel Ray

Giving Christmas the bird...

 The endlessly inventive British Sunday supps are once again publishing their seasonal issues, and today sees the Sunday Times getting festive in the kitchen.

It really does ere on the extravagant: How about Heal Farms 12-bird roast.  55lb of ethically farmed turkey, containing breast meat from 48 birds. It costs $1300.

Custom maps

Everyone in the food service or hospitality industry knows the importance of attention to detail. Or do they? It doesn't only apply to the dining room.

Samara Cuisine - recipe video

TSDG client, Mona from Samara Cuisine in London, demonstrates how to make authentic Lebanese hummus.

James Beard Awards Program Open

The call is out for applications to the James Beard Foundation 2008 Restaurant Design and Graphic Awards; submissions are due January 31.

How's your restaurant website?

AIS Media recently conducted a poll which showed that a huge 89% of consumers research a restaurant online before deciding to visit. Is your website reflecting your restaurant properly?

Indian Cuisine website launches NEW cookery lessons package

(PRLEAP.COM) For anyone looking for a unique gift for the foodie in their life or for lovers of Indian cuisine themselves or maybe those who'd like to improve their talents in the kitchen, news of a new Indian cooking website can't come soon enough.

Online tools to organize your start up

In the old days, a start up checklist was a bunch of pieces of paper. Then came Excel and most start ups used this to chart and plan their opening. But come on, we're in the 21st. century, organizing your start up is simple using online tools.

Pizza restaurant antique goes for £1m

The table which stood for years near the bar of an Italian restaurant in York's Assembly Rooms has helped fetch more than a million pounds at auction. The console, along with an accompanying cabinet, went for £1,084,500 at Sotheby's in London yesterday during a sale of Italian and Continental furniture.

Hard Rock Hotel San Diego And Black Eyed Peas Celebrate Hotel’s Official Grand Opening

San Diego, Calif. (PRWEB) December 4, 2007 – The highly anticipated Hard Rock Hotel San Diego marks its official Grand Opening, Monday, December 10 with an exclusive performance by the Grammy® Award-winning Black Eyed Peas.

Healthier, tasty pastry!

For the last twenty years or so, the average consumer has demanded healthier, 'guilty-free' menu items. We were delighted to find this pastry recipe.

Medieval British ravioli

Ravioli is an Italian dish, right? And probably a fairly recent invention. Form of Curye was written in England in the fourteenth century (yes, in 13-something) and includes recipes for lasagna and ravioli.

Keep your name in front of your clients

Our client sold his products from his website and sent them out via the mail. I'm sure that most people have made purchases on the web. But have you ever noticed the paperwork that comes along with your order?

Color notes - fast food

The study of color is a huge subject. Researches have shown that certain colors affect us in different ways. Some of these are obvious; blue - the color of a sunny sky and a clear ocean - is a soothing color.

Renaissance Cooking Courses Offered in Tuscany, Italy

Florence, Italy (PRWEB) December 2, 2007 -- Good Tastes of Tuscany Cookery School introduces daily and weekly cooking classes specializing in Renaissance Cuisines.

Start up - the riskiest time for staff theft

There are some very dishonest people out there and many restaurants are at their most vulnerable in the first few weeks after opening.