Despite all media believing Facebook is some magical tool that helps small businesses market themselves, my experience with using it for Modmarket has been filled with disappointment.
Some big issues:
You cannot run contests without using third party apps. This is ridiculous. If I want to give away a free meal to someone who comments on our page I should be able to do so without having to pay a third party service that has a crappy product (I am talking about you WildFire)
You cannot have a master page for a business with multiple locations. Did Facebook not realize that companies like restaurants might want a master page and sub pages so they can easily manage social media across all their locations?
The whole checkin program they implemented was a complete fail and has resulted in a bunch of random pages for Modmarket existing that we have no control over.
Their advertising costs about the same per click as google adwords and in our experience is much less effective.
This is all such a shame because with some small tweaks, it could be an amazingly useful platform for a company like Modmarket. Maybe once they go public this year they will get their act together.
Archive for the ‘Random Bits’ Category
Why Facebook is Bad for Restaurants
Modmarket Catering in Denver and Boulder — 1/27/2012
Modmarket Review By Denver Chiropractor
Modmarket Catering in Denver and Boulder — 1/19/2012
Great review of Modmarket by a denver chiropractor, Dr Gebhardt.
Will Negative Advertising Lower Childhood Obesity?
Modmarket Catering in Denver and Boulder — 1/10/2012
Interesting story on NPR about how the State of Georgia is using fairly blunt ads as a way to build awareness around childhood obesity. They seem to be taking a page from the cigarette campaigns where they were trying to ‘shock’ people into quitting. While it is unclear if negative ads will work for obesity the same way they worked for cigarettes, there are a lot of parallels between the industries. Many food companies know they are selling products that are addictive and have very negative consequences to people who consume them. I wonder if the $25m mentioned in the article might be better spent on lobbying to force food companies to market less (or differently) to children? What if unhealthy (ie- high sugar/low fiber foods) had to have labels on them telling you “this product will make you fat”? I think shocking people at the point of purchase might have a stronger affect than shocking them while they are watching TV or driving down the road.
TEDx Mile High Salon event coming up (with Modmarket food)
Modmarket Catering in Denver and Boulder — 1/10/2012
Our friends over at TEDx Mile High have a great event coming up in a few weeks. It is going to be 7 speakers, some great catering by Modmarket, and a great crowd of interesting Mile Highers to mingle with. Buy your tickets here.
Beef is getting more expensive – here are some stats
Modmarket Catering in Denver and Boulder — 12/15/2011
We buy a lot of beef at Modmarket. Therefore, we keep an eye on the beef market and try and stay ahead of trends. Looking at the industry data below, we are bracing for more expensive beef next year. We believe this is a good thing, expensive beef means a lot of folks will eat it less frequently and hopefully eat more sustainable alternatives. I feel about beef the way I feel about gas. Higher prices are not always a bad thing b/c they change consumption habits. If the .99 hamburger disappears, I cannot think of any group that gets ‘hurt’.
· The current 52-week running average is $113.67
· The 52-week high is $128.00 (November 23, 2011)
· The 52-week low is $100.00 (December 15, 2010) – one year ago today
· The live market has not traded below $100.00 during the entire 2011 calendar year
· The all time high for live cattle is $152.00 (March 30, 2005)
· The lowest price paid for cattle since 2000 is $62.00 (August 9, 2002) – those were the days….
· Analysts estimate live cattle will cost an average of $120+ during calendar year 2012.
· Based on a 1300 pound live animal today………
· At $62.00 (lowest cost in 11 years), total cost per animal equals $806.00
· At $100.00 (same week one year ago), total cost per animal equals $1300.00
· At $118.00 (last week actual cost), total cost per animal equals $1534.00
· If the industry runs 650,000 head (averaging 1300 pounds) this week, an additional $150.2 million will be paid for live cattle versus one year ago
Should We All Go Gluten Free? (at least you can still eat at Modmarket!)
Modmarket Catering in Denver and Boulder — 11/29/2011
Interesting article in the NYT today about the rise in popularity of gluten free foods. When Modmarket opened, we had no idea that we were accidentally creating a restaurant that had an almost 100% gluten free menu (this assumes that if you want pizza, you try our gluten free crust, which is REALLY good). We had no idea that most soups, salad dressings or even shredded cheeses were not gluten free. But because we made everything from scratch, we ended up with lots of gluten free options which made Modmarket a go to place for gluten free dining. I think about 20% of customers that request our gluten free offerings actually have a true wheat allergy or celiacs disease. The rest are doing it as a dietary change. And I say more power to them. I think one of the big benefits of gluten free dining is that it forces you to eliminate some highly processed foods. For example, look at soup. At Modmarket, all of our soups are gluten free. Glutenous ingredients are often added to soups to make them thicker and prevent them from separating as they sit. Our soups are made fresh daily, so they never really sit around, so no gluten is required. By eating only gluten free soup, you are almost guaranteeing that you are avoiding a heavily processed soup. Another effect of a gluten free diet is that you end up eating less highly refined flours, which is always a good thing for ones health. As the NYT article points out, a lot of big companies are getting into the gluten free game, which I think is fantastic. I love that Chex is now gluten free. I would much rather have molasses sweetening something versus a refined malt extract. Even if their nutrient value was the same (which it is not), I like having an ingredient I can picture in my mind versus an extract. While some people might complain of GF diets being a ‘fad’, the bottom line is eating less gluten will definitely not harm you and will do most people good. And the more options that exist in gluten free dining, the better for everyone!
Homemade Salad Dressings For Thanksgiving
Modmarket Catering in Denver and Boulder — 11/22/2011
One of the easiest ways to add a gourmet touch to your Thanksgiving feast this year is to make a homemade vinaigrette salad dressing. These are extremely easy to make and taste amazing. Further, they are perfect for anyone trying to avoid gluten this Thanksgiving, as unlike the majority of pre-made dressings, these are all gluten free! Below is a list of dressings we have used here at Modmarket, scaled down a bit so they work for you at home. Vinaigrettes are amazing b/c they all are made the same way. I think the easiest way is to chop/dice all of your solid ingredients, add them and the vinegar to a blender, set the blender on low and then SLOWLY pour in the oil. The agitation of the blender blades will emulsify your dressing into a perfect consistency. Salt, pepper and any sweetener are all added to taste. Pretty easy and a great thing to try while in the kitchen this week. Email us if you have any questions.
Basic Vinaigrette
4 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons vinegar ( white, cider, wine)
salt
black pepper
Italian Vinaigrette
basic vinaigrette ( use EVOO and red wine vinegar)
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon parsley
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Champagne/White Wine Vinaigrette
basic vinaigrette (use white wine or champagne vinegar and olive oil)
3 tablespoons champagne or white wine (use your leftovers!)
Berry Vinaigrette
basic vinaigrette
3 tablepoons juice (pomegranite, blueberry, blackberry, etc)
1 pinch white sugar or 1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon chopped shallot (optional)
Bacon Dressing
basic vinaigrette ( use canola or corn oil and cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon crumbled bacon
½ tablespoon finely minced onions
1 pinch celery seeds (optional)
¼ teaspoon mustard
1 -3 teaspoon brown sugar,
honey or agave, to taste
Mustard Dressing
italian vinaigrette
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (Dijon or spicy brown)
1 -3 teaspoon honey
Lemon Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil (extra-virgin)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper
Balsamic Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons oil ( I prefer extra-virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon honey or other sweetener, to taste
Cranberry Balsamic
balsamic vinaigrette
¼ cup canned cranberry sauce
Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette
balsamic vinaigrette
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon grainy or Dijon mustard
1 extra tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon finely minced shallot (optional)
2 teaspoons each finely chopped parsley, basil and mint
salt to taste
Honey Lime Dressing
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vinegar (white wine or rice)
4 teaspoons honey or other sweetener
3 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper
Basic Creamy Vinaigrette Dressing
basic vinaigrette
2 -3 tablespoons mayonnaise OR sour cream OR plain yogurt
Parmesan-Pepper Dressing
basic creamy vinaigrette dressing
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
Creamy Garlic Dressing
basic creamy vinaigrette dressing
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano or thyme
Food Waste In America
Modmarket Catering in Denver and Boulder — 10/18/2011
Owning a restaurant really puts you in tune with how much food is wasted. I am always shocked by the amount of food that ends up in our garbage and compost bins. check out this info graphic on food waste in America, fascinating stuff
Created by: Public Health Degree
Childhood Obesity Infographic
Modmarket Catering in Denver and Boulder — 10/12/2011
Story of our new salad containers
Modmarket Catering in Denver and Boulder — 10/7/2011
Since the day we opened Modmarket, I have been on a quest to find the perfect container to hold our salads. It had to not only be aesthetically pleasing,but it had to meet our environmental standards, not be too expensive AND work well within the operational constraints of our kitchens. We started off using containers that were made of corn and could be composted, but they were hideous looking, extremely expensive and, based on our observation, rarely composted. They look just like ‘normal’ plastics so lots of people we talked to were just tossing them in the regular recycling, which was not a good thing. We eventually switched to a PET plastic container which was made of recycled material which worked great in our kitchens, was easily recyclable and was not too expensive. The only problem was that it was opaque and quite ugly. Last summer, on a trip to California, we came across the container pictured above. It is a similar shape to our old container, however, it is water clear AND is made from recycled PET plastic bottles. It has very clean lines with no silly ridges or features to distort the view of what is inside it. It took us 4 months to get a supply chain setup so we could get this container in our stores, but the wait was worth it. Our to go salads now look as good as they taste 
The picture above was taken as we loaded up the car with a big catering order. Imagine walking into your offices conference room and seeing that beautiful stack of containers. Just makes you want to eat a healthy salad, doesn’t it??