Then, @Bread_Winners went on to make my case.  Last week, I tweeted that I had seen a wine on the wall at Bread Winners while brunching there.  The wine intrigued me, then I learned the label had earned a spot in a San Francisco MOMA exhibit about wine labels as art.  My tweet only mentioned Bread Winner’s (and even failed to use their correct handle).

Within a day, @Bread_Winners asked if they could help.  I explained that I had looked for and had trouble finding the wine, saying I’d just have to wait to have it there on my next visit.

Bread Winners took the initiative to help.  They contacted a liquor store near me, connected their senior wine consultant with the right wine rep, and told me I could pick up the wine there soon.  In the meantime, they invited me to come for dinner, have a glass and leave with a corked bottle.

They rocked it.  And made an advocate out of an already-fan.

The wine, by the way, is The Supernatural, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with hints of passionfruit and honeysuckle.

Bread Winners social media is handled by an undisclosed agency.

First of all, the Super Bowl has become somewhat of a sports institution, eclipsing many of our national holidays as the time to get together with friends and enjoy food and beverages. And, maybe it’s because I now have school-age kids who don’t want to miss a minute of the game. Or, because I’m a bit distracted on Sunday evenings, thinking about the week to come.

But, here are some of the other reasons to consider the move to Saturday, some economical and some social:

- Kids could stay up later than they could on a school night
- Super Bowl parties could be even bigger events and would encourage more families (even non-sports fans) to get together. These bigger events would require even more food and beverage purchases – benefiting retail more
- Restaurant and bar traffic would likely increase as well
- No doubt, networks would enjoy a rise in viewership
- International fans could more easily stay up late to watch – on-strategy for the NFL’s globalization strategy
- Less workplace absenteeism come Monday morning
- One person even suggested that the Pro Bowl could be played on Sunday in the same stadium for those worried that the host city’s revenue would be negatively impacted

Now, the NFL has made its position known: the Super Bowl on a Sunday has worked well for 44 years and they don’t anticipate moving it. See SI.com article. But, with NFL games already being played on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, it doesn’t seem like such a stretch.

And there’s a growing movement of “Move the Super Bowl to Saturday” petitions on Facebook and a number of writers calling for a national holiday on Monday. If you want to join others in petitioning the NFL to move the Super Bowl to Saturday, you can even do that online here.

Besides, we’d have even more time to discuss the Super Bowl ads. So, who’s on-board?

While recognizing them as leading a trend in restaurants to move to healthier fare, Zinczenko specifically called out the Seared Scallops and Spinach Salad for the improvement to its nutritionals — they reduced the fat and calories by 80%, bringing it to just 400 calories and 4 grams of fat. And trust us, it tastes great!

Oh look, it’s time for lunch!

Check out some more Mac Grill work that has been helping to move the needle.

You see, we’re in the idea business. And we love what we do.

You may also notice (if you’ve seen our client list) that we have a great deal of restaurant experience. In fact, not just experience, but a real passion for the dining industry and tackling the unique challenges restaurant brands face.

So as the economy started going south and the media kept banging the gong of doom, people started hunkering down, staying home and spending less. But for some reason, things didn’t get a whole lot better.

Our planning and insights team started taking a hard look at behaviors, trends, statistics and a whole lot of other factors in order to see if something could be done to help not just our clients, but everyone else as well.

And as we dug, and learned and uncovered…an idea began to form.

Waiting around for bailouts and handouts isn’t the answer. The answer is us. All of us.

Our intent is to create a movement. One based on the simple premise of reminding people that they can contribute to the economic recovery by doing very normal things.

Like eating out at a restaurant.

Take a look at this video. Let us know what you think.

And eat out for a change, will ya?

However, I have been known to hang out at the enemy camp. I can (and will) put away the largest slice of cake at the monthly birthday celebrations. If you leave some type of cookie on the kitchen counter, I am the one who scavengers it. It is a problem I have had since birth. I have a sweet tooth.

For those of us with a healthy attitude and a sweet tooth (or a sweet attitude and a sweet tooth), get ready for some Hallelujah background music, cause I am about to introduce you to Orangecup.

We have all heard of frozen yogurt, but this is actually natural yogurt that is frozen. There are three flavors – natural, zum and aciaberry. There are mixins’ of course. Raspberries, almonds, bananas, pineapple, raisins, coconut, strawberries, granola, blueberries, peaches, walnuts, blackberries, mochi, peanuts, kiwi and dark chocolate chips. The fruit isn’t thawed and drown in syrup – it is actual fresh fruit. After you order, they print out your chosen ingredients and their nutrition information on a personalized label. This not only tells you sugar, calories, fat, fiber, etc., it also includes the kind and quantity of vitamins that are in your treat.

And it is good. I mean, it is really good. Breakfast, lunch and dinner good.

Kudos to you, Orangecup, for actually finding your place among persnickety consumers who want it all, and they want it without any calories. Now if only I could get Little Debbie to switch sides.

I recently saw these two things merge with Southwest Porch, a pop-up eatery in Bryant Park (NYC). What a great launch tactic, integrating into people’s lifestyles while being able to promote their expanded service to NYC. As I read more, similar eateries are gaining popularity everywhere.