Remembering 9/11
On September 11, 2001, at about 9:10 a.m., I was getting off a bus at 54th St. and Lexington Ave. in midtown Manhattan, heading into the offices of Nation’s Restaurant News. I remember looking south as I stepped onto the curb, seeing the thick, black smoke from somewhere downtown and wondering where the fire was. I entered the building at 425 Park Ave., took the elevator up to the sixth floor and walked into what appeared to be a deserted office.
Harebrained scheme
Monday mornings can be so enlightening. When I come into the office to start off my week, one of the first things I do is review stories that have been brought to my attention through Google Alerts. The articles range from the educational to the amusing to the thought-provoking.
I had planned this week to regale readers with details of my wonderfully enlightening trip to Chile, and I still will do that, as well as post a photo slide show of the tour. But the trip had a somber aftermath, with the devastating 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country early Saturday morning.
There was good news and bad news for non-commercial foodservice operators in a couple of recent report from restaurant industry analysts. Technomic Inc., the Chicago-based restaurant research company, noted that the recession has caused more people to entertain at home rather than out at restaurants and catering halls.