Michelin Inspectors: Food Industry Spies

A chef's toughest critic isn't the woman at the corner table who sent back her cod, or the man at table five nibbling on a steak tartar appetizer -- unless one of them is a Michelin inspector. Chances are, they'll never know.

The super secret spies of the restaurant industry, Michelin inspectors are the anonymous, incorruptible keepers of the coveted Michelin star rating. They've been writing anonymous reports of restaurants for over 100 years.
"We say it's a little like the CIA," said inspector "M," with a laugh. She asked that her identity not be revealed. "My whole life is staying under the radar, staying away from cameras, using fake names, trying to sneak in and out of restaurants unnoticed."

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Mich. woman can sue over toilet paper dispenser

Image via WikipediaA Michigan woman says she can't work or crochet and her bowling game has suffered since her right hand was broken by a toilet paper dispenser in a restaurant bathroom.

The Michigan Supreme Court, in a 4-3 order, has refused to throw out Sheri Schooley's lawsuit against Texas Roadhouse in suburban Detroit. Liberal justices were in the majority in a decision that raises questions about what businesses need to do to protect themselves from liability in strange situations.

Schooley, 58, acknowledged it's a "bizarre story." She and her husband were out for dinner on New Year's Eve 2007 when she visited the restroom.

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Danville man's 'exploding' escargot negligence lawsuit dismissed

Image via Wikipedia

Two men who claimed they were scalded by "exploding" escargot at a San Rafael restaurant have been served a court ruling nearly as scathing.

Judge Roy Chernus dismissed "with prejudice" a negligence lawsuit filed by Chadwick St.-OHarra and Steve Righetti, who claimed their snails ruptured at Seafood Peddler last June, splattering their faces and shirts with hot garlic butter.

St.-OHarra also accused restaurant staff of "indifference" and "friggin' rudeness" in the immediate aftermath.
After the restaurant's insurer rejected their claim, the men sued for a $7,500 judgment for alleged negligence, pain and suffering. The defendants were Richard Mayfield and Manuel Camacho, two supervisors at the restaurant.

Chernus heard the case in a small claims trial on Dec. 3 and mailed his decision to the defendants this week. The two-page decision, laced with legal precedent and Latin jargon, said St.-OHarra and Righetti failed to meet their burden of proof.

See previous article

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Macau dims Sands' sunshine

By all accounts 2010 has been a pretty good year for Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon Adelson.

The $5.5 billion Marina Bay Sands in Singapore opened in April and has produced revenues far beyond analysts' expectations. Table games in Pennsylvania added a revenue source to the Sands Bethlehem.

Company President Michael Leven has brought a calming influence to the corporate operation.
And in November, the Nevada Supreme Court threw out a $60 million verdict that a Clark County jury wanted the company pay to a Hong Kong businessman following a lengthy 2008 trial.

Adelson, 77, was the third richest man in America before 2008. But the economy tanked, stock in Las Vegas Sands fell from more than $140 per share to less than $2, and the company had to avoid bankruptcy by restructuring its corporate balance sheet.

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Spotting corporate espionage

From the top of the Gherkin building in London, Crispin Sturrock points out an anonymous-looking office block in the swirling snow below. “There’s a device in there,” says the chief executive of White Rock Defence Systems, an information security consultancy that helps companies protect themselves against spies. “They’re not clients of ours, but whenever we scan for transmissions in nearby buildings, we pick it up. It’s been there for ages, just streaming information out.” The building in question is bugged with an electronic device transmitting information about one of its tenants. In the era of WikiLeaks, it is tempting to view all leaks as news headlines. But in general, corporate leaks tend to be of interest only to a very small group of people – an organisation’s competitors or potential buyer. “The reasons people engage in competitive information gathering are usually financial gain and leverage,” says Mr Sturrock.

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Pizza Hut tries to defuse "race" row in UK

A restaurant chain today ordered its staff not to ask for payment before a meal after an incident involving a group of black footballers.
The AFC Bournemouth players were angered after being told to pay the bill before being served with their food at Pizza Hut.
Midfielder Anton Robinson was reportedly told by the restaurant manager that the request was made because of their appearance.
He told the Daily Echo: “We had a good idea what he was getting at. A group of white kids came in straight after us and they weren't asked to pay before they had their food.

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Spain votes for tough smoking ban

Spanish lawmakers have voted to approve a tough new anti-smoking law, meaning that from 2 January, bars and restaurants will be no-smoking zones.

Smokers will also not be allowed to light up on television broadcasts, near hospitals or in school playgrounds.

The bill, proposed by PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and his governing Socialist Party, was passed in the lower house by 189 votes to 154.

Bar and cafe owners fear the law will adversely affect business.

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Fast-food restaurants plan a heaping helping of excess

Who's ready for a steaming-hot bowl of meat, eggs and cheese from Burger King for breakfast? Or a pizza with not just bacon but "double bacon" and six types of cheese?

Rolling into 2011, fast-food joints across the country are set to deploy a potent new arsenal of greasy goodness for Americans who have grown numb to mere burgers. Think spicier, cheesier, gooier. The new items flout principles of healthful eating and instead celebrate a spirit of wanton gluttony.

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Canada. Sales up at bars, restaurants

Sales for the food services and drinking places industry rose 0.8 per cent in October from the previous month to about $4.1 billion, Statistics Canada said Thursday. The price of food purchased in restaurants rose 0.3 per cent in October, the federal agency said. Since February, the agency said sales of food increased 0.7 per cent, with the price of food purchased in restaurants was up 1.4 per cent. The biggest advance in sales was in the limited-service restaurant sector, which was up 1.1 per cent. Sales at drinking places rose one per cent, while full-service restaurants saw a 0.7 per cent increase.

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The best Austrailian restaurants of 2010

CRISIS, what global financial crisis? A slew of great new restaurants opened, Neutral Bay became a surprise new dining destination and food stayed classy while the surrounds went downmarket, with no-bookings policies thriving as the queues outside lengthened.

Remarkably, Australians spent an extra $800 million on dining out in the past 12 months. The mining industry's not the only one enjoying boom times. Here are 10 of the best from this year.

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Gordon Ramseay tops list of five worst cookbooks of the year

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Gordon Ramsay’s World Kitchen: Recipes from The F-Word was slammed by the US watchdog Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

‘Ramsay has travelled to the ends of the Earth to bring back dishes that will wreak havoc on your health,’ the group declared.

One dish in particular was seized upon – Ramsay’s British Pheasant Casserole - which is made of two birds, smoked bacon, butter and double cream.

Also making the top five list of most unhealthy cookbooks in the US are Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That? by Ina Garten, Home Cooking by Trisha Yearwood, How to Cook Like a Top Chef from the makers of Top Chef and The Primal Blueprint Cook by Mark Sisson and Jennifer Meier.

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La Caille co-owner and wife found in Provo Marriott Hotel in apparent murder-suicide

PROVO, Utah — The bodies of La Caille co-owner Steven Runolfson, 56, and wife Lisa, 57, of Sandy, were found Saturday night at the Provo Marriott Hotel in an apparent murder-suicide. Police say the couple had checked into the Provo Marriott Hotel on Dec. 23 and were suppose to check out out on Dec. 24. On Dec. 25, one of the managers went to the room to see if they had left. They found them in the room and notified Provo Police Department.   Read More:

On McDonald's Menu: Variety, Caution .

AUGUSTA, Ga.—More than 100 items crowd the menus at Dee and Christine Crawford's five McDonald's restaurants, ranging from familiar Egg McMuffins to newfangled fruit smoothies. The family franchisees recently added oatmeal and caramel-mocha beverages. Next up for consideration: frozen strawberry lemonade.

In certain restaurants around the country, McDonald's Corp. is testing flatbread sandwiches and "garden" snack wraps—chicken and vegetables wrapped in a tortilla.

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Lawyer alleges evidence destroyed in restaurant sexual harassment case

The lawyer for a woman alleging sexual harassment against the N9NE Group and its top executive in Las
Vegas is now claiming evidence has been destroyed in her case.

Leslie Culler on Dec. 13 sued Michael Morton and his N9NE Group, operator of popular restaurants and nightclubs at the Palms hotel-casino, as well as two more N9NE Group executives.

Culler claims she was fired as art director of the group in July after refusing sexual advances directed toward her by Morton and other male executives and objecting to “constant sexual harassment” in the workplace.
Attorneys for Morton and the N9NE Group have not yet filed their response to the allegation.

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Malaysia's Johor Corp says not selling QSR, KFC

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Malaysia's Johor Corp, the state investment arm of the country's southernmost state bordering Singapore, has decided it won't sell its indirect subsidiaries QSR Brands and KFC Holdings , upsetting plans of two rival foreign private equity bidders.
QSR and KFC Holdings, held via Johor Corp's 53 percent subsidiary Kulim, have been in the spotlight after receiving two unsolicited bids to buy the company, both of which involved foreign private equity firms.
Local tycoon Halim Saad had made a bid for QSR together with private equity firm CVC Group before the Carlyle Group made a better offer worth 1.94 billion ringgit ($618.8 million).
"QSR and KFC are not for sale," Johor Corp's president and chief executive Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim said in a statement.

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Lawyer warns liquor licensing laws 'apply to all'

Those ringing in 2011 with a glass of champagne and no alcohol licence will be breaking the law - even tourists.

And so are those throwing a party and sharing their alcohol and those drinking in an emirate for which their licence is not valid.

Federal law makes it illegal to consume alcohol in the UAE without a licence - whether at home or in a hotel, and this applies to both residents and tourists, according to the Abu Dhabi-based lawyer Khalid Mustafa.
So while hotel establishments may rarely ask customers to produce their licence, drinking alcohol without a licence at such a venue could still lead to time in jail.

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French Couple Found Dead in North Bali Villa

(12/27/2010) Both the national news agency Antara and Bali Post report the mysterious death of a French couple staying in a small hotel in north Bali. Oliver Marroni (35) and his wife, Scapin (34) were found dead in Villa number 6 of the Villa Lumbung Bali in Munduk, Buleleng on Monday, December 20, 2010.

The couple reportedly checked into the hotel at 6:00 pm on Monday. One hour-and-a-half later the woman's nude body was found next to the fully clothed body of her husband in the bathroom of the villa. Ardiono, an employee of the Villa, discovered the bodies, raising the alarm with the senior management of the villa and local police.


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US to step up security at hotels and malls

The United States is stepping up security at "soft targets" like hotels and shopping malls, as well as trains and ports, as it counters the evolving Al-Qaeda threat, a top official said Sunday. A year after a foiled plot to bomb a US-bound passenger plane, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told CNN's "State of the Union" program that other places and modes of transportation must now be scrutinized.

"We look at so-called soft targets -- the hotels, shopping malls, for example -- all of which we have reached out to in the past year and have done a fair amount of training for their own employees," Napolitano said.
Since an attempted bombing on a packed Saturday night in Times





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Jumeirah Group to manage 405-room hotel on Palm Jumeirah

Jumeirah Group, the hotel management company owned by Dubai’s government, will manage Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, a five-star hotel built on a man-made island shaped like palm tree in Dubai.

The 405-room hotel, with Ottoman inspired architecture, is scheduled to open in January, Jumeirah Group said in an emailed statement today.

The hotel, built on the west crescent of Palm Jumeirah, also includes 38 beach villas, 10 restaurants, bars, a nightclubs and boutiques.

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Abu Dhabi sees 27% surge in hotel guests in November

Heralding its arrival as a tourism competitor for Dubai, Abu Dhabi saw a leap of 27 percent in hotel guests in November compared to the same month in 2009, with guest nights surging 42 percent to mark the emirate’s second highest performing month of the year.

The surge brought the emirate to 1,646,799 guests total for the first 11 months of the year, close to its goal of 1.65mn for all of 2010.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority reported that 169,001 guests stayed in the emirate last month, with guest nights at 544,753.

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NCAA weighing exemption status for the Bahamas

VIRGINIA Tech coach Seth Greenberg has tried to get his team as much exposure as he can, taking the Hokies to places like Cancun, Puerto Rico and Alaska. None of those destinations compared to what he experienced in a doubleheader held in a ballroom at a Bahamas resort that once hosted the Miss Universe Pageant.

 "Every single aspect of our experience was positive, from the locker rooms to the practice facility to the reception to the actual game experience," Greenberg said.

"Their attention to detail was second to none." The Battle at Atlantis made its debut this past weekend with Greenberg's Hokies facing Mississippi State and Georgia Tech against Richmond.

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