Tag Archives: food

Web Watch Rewind: Why do hotels charge for Internet access? Because minibars are on their way out

By web gangsta | Published: September 18, 2011


Running a Bed & Breakfast For Dummies
Running a Bed & Breakfast For Dummies

Web Watch works hard to make sure our readers are ahead of the curve on various topics.  We like to be among the leaders, not a mere follower. 

Which is why, when we see articles on CNN about how INTERNET FEES IRRITATE HOTEL GUESTS, we secretly smile and go about our business in bringing you the good stuff, because we know that we already brought up this very same topic about hotel internet fees almost a year ago.

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What’s the most popular fast food restaurant? It’s all about who has the most friends.

By web gangsta | Published: September 2, 2011


Fast Food: A History of Wendy's, Arby's, Burger King and Other Popular Fast Food Restaurants
Fast Food: A History of Wendy’s, Arby’s, Burger King
and Other Popular Fast Food Restaurants

When we see a question like the one above (“What’s the most popular fast food restaurant in the world”), the answer can be quite varied.

If you’re talking about the most popular in terms of “french fries”, you’re likely going to be talking about McDonald’s.

If you’re talking about most popular in terms of number of US outlets, then Subway has almost twice as many as the next nearest chain.

No, today we’re going to look at this in a slightly different way — using the power of social marketing and community engagement, Web Watch is going to determine the Most Popular Fast Food Chain, based on the number of Facebook Likes.  (the list of Top Fifty Fast Food Restaurants provided by QSR magazine)

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Today’s Game? Scandybars!

By web gangsta | Published: August 28, 2011


M&M Mars Variety Pack
M&M Mars Variety Pack

Here’s a fun game for you try try playing:

Can you IDENTIFY THE CANDY BAR FROM ITS CROSS-SECTION?

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Nobody wants those traditional giant sandwiches at Jewish delis anymore

By web gangsta | Published: August 14, 2011


How to Feed Friends and Influence People: The Carnegie Deli...A Giant Sandwich, a Little Deli, a Huge Success
How to Feed Friends and Influence People:
The Carnegie Deli…A Giant Sandwich, a Little Deli, a Huge Success

“I’ll have what she’s having.”

Everybody knows the classic deli line delivered by Billy Crystal’s real-life mom in the movie WHEN HARRY MET SALLY.

But it ends up that what everybody is having in the traditional Jewish deli may not be what you’re going to get anymore.  There is a referendum among deli owners to CUT DOWN ON THE SIZE OF THOSE GIANT SANDWICHES, and instead serve meals that are a little bit healthier and better for the customer.

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America’s Best Ice Cream Cities

By web gangsta | Published: August 10, 2011


The Perfect Scoop
The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas…

As you know, Web Watch likes to travel quite a bit – and when we do, we make it a point to not eat at chain restaurants whenever possible.

No, we purposefully go out of our way to find the best places in town, places where the locals eat.

At times, we’ve done fairly well for ourselves – along with earning the respect of our travelling companions who would never in a million years end up eating where we end up.

So of course we’re going to have to visit each of the locations that FOOD & WINE have called AMERICA’S BEST ICE CREAM CITIES:

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Women prefer to make purchases based on charitable giving

By web gangsta | Published: July 31, 2011


Yoplait Yogurt
Buy some YOPLAIT YOGURT

A recent survey from M/A/R/C Research and The Integer Group discovered that women are very particular about the brands that they buy at the grocery store.

And it has absolutely nothing to do with whether those products are superior in Web Watch’s opinion (the infamous “Heinz vs Hunts ketchup debate” lingers on, folks) or not.

What the survey uncovered was that 43% of women prefer to purchase brands that are associated with charitable giving.

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The 10 most common ingredients in Fast Food

By web gangsta | Published: July 25, 2011


Fast Food Panic
Fast Food Panic for Nintendo. Buy now!

When you order a fast-food combo meal, like Web Watch did today, you’re not just getting a burger and fries – that is, a meal made solely of meat, bun, ketchup, pickles, cheese, potatoes, some salt and oil.

No, you’re getting quite a few more ingredients thrown into the mix.  That bun?  Probably has some sugar in it.  Those fries? Maybe some extra starch was sprayed on them before cooking.

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Announcing the 2011 Xtreme Eating Awards – the 8 highest calorie restaurant menu items

By web gangsta | Published: July 21, 2011


Rachel Ray - Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes
Buy the book “Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes”

For the past few years, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has been monitoring what restaurants have been serving, as a way to inform the public about the horrors that await them when eating wonderful, delicious restaurant food.

Web Watch, like you, loves cheese.

We apparently didn’t know that adding cheese to any meal is typically a no-no when it comes to eliminating fat and calories from one’s diet.   So we’re torn – cheese tastes good, but it’s bad for you. 

Oh well – maybe we’ll just have one or two small bites, then set the rest of these phenomenally sounding meals away to snack on later.  Can’t let all that cheese go to waist, can we?  (See what we did there?  Looks like we mispelled “waste” as “waist”.  Ha!)

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Survey shows home cooks regularly serve food off the floor

By web gangsta | Published: July 15, 2011


5 Second Rule apron
Buy the 5-SECOND RULE APRON

Web Watch tries to follow a strict rule of thumb when it comes to restaurants that we’ll frequent:  we prefer restaurants with a relatively high health score.

For states that follow letter grades, nothing below an “A”.

For states that follow a numeric scale from 0-100, nothing below a “90″.

We know health inspectors and restaurant owners. We’ve read the restaurant report cards.  We know that the end-resulting score is a negotiation up, rather than a negotiation down.  In other words, if the score is a “81″, you have to wonder what the original score was before the inspector and the restaurant owner came to various agreements over the validity of certain infractions.  To us, that “81″ is really a “75″.  And Web Watch refuses to eat at a place where cleanliness is just average.

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Which city consumes the most hot dogs?

By web gangsta | Published: July 3, 2011


IOld-fashioned Hot Dog roller cooker
Hot Dog rolling cooker

The other day, Web Watch was standing in the customer line at our favorite Sausage Shack to gather up some grilling supplies for July 4th weekend.

The gentleman behind us was talking about his love of “natural casing” hot dogs, because he was from Connecticut and knew what he was talking about.  After all, he said, Connecticut consumes more hot dogs than any other state.

As we were intrigued by this comment, Web Watch sensed a challenge.

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Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Baseball Stadiums

By web gangsta | Published: June 21, 2011


Remembering Fenway Park: An Oral and Narrative History of the Home of the Boston Red Sox
Remembering Fenway Park: An Oral and Narrative History of the Home of the Boston Red Sox

Every once in a while, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) posts something on their website that really does appeal to people from all sectors — their list of the TOP TEN VEGAN-FRIENDLY BASEBALL STADIUMS - because even if you’re a carnivore yourself, you may have friends that are vegan or vegetarian that you like to hang out with.

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New money-saving tip: get drunk, not broke

By web gangsta | Published: June 18, 2011


Arthur / Arthur 2
Arthur / Arthur 2

Want to save money?

Well, you have to ask yourself about what is one of your biggest expenses that you can’t live without.

That’s right – it’s your liquor and beer.  What’s life if you can’t have a decent drink once in a while?

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New diet tip: get drunk, not fat

By web gangsta | Published: June 17, 2011


Drink This, Not That
Drink This, Not That

David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding, and the rest of the gang at Men’s Health have a great concept that Web Watch wholeheartedly agrees with — if you want to lose weight the easy way, just change what you eat through simple meal replacements.

Like the photo above, you can still have your giant-sized coffee beverage, but the Starbucks version will save you 200 calories and 30 grams of fat.

But let’s face it – their book is full of practical advice when what we really want are the details surrounding the unpublished information on the drinks we really enjoy: beer and liquor.

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The Great American Wiknic – the Picnic Anyone can Edit

By web gangsta | Published: June 7, 2011


Eco Wine & Cheese Picnic Cooler
Eco Wine & Cheese Cooler

Who doesn’t like picnics at this time of year?

Especially given an opportunity to meetup with strangers that all share a common goal of editing and improving WIKIPEDIA.

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10 Things NOT to do while eating at a restaurant

By web gangsta | Published: June 4, 2011


Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter
Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip–Confessions of a Cynical Waiter

Eating out is fun for us, the customer.

We get some (usually) good food, brought to us by (usually) attentive waitstaff.

Sometimes, everything lives up to our expectations; sometimes it doesn’t.  That’s the risk we take when we decide to put our food preparation into someone else’s hands rather than doing it ourselves.

But there is a flip-side to everything.  Which is why Web Watch readers should pay attention to these TOP TEN THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T DO WHILE DINING OUT, as compiled by Jessica, a former food-service employee and inspired by stories she’s read on WAITER RANT, a blog of restaurant horror stories.

Continue reading "10 Things NOT to do while eating at a restaurant" »

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