A fairly amazing-sounding Better Beer Society brown bag series event at Butcher & the Boar, some revised menus at local restaurants, a local foodie’s epic Mother’s Day feast, tasting notes for Summit Pilsner and Steel Toe’s Provider, the Star Tribune’s Taste 50, and a new urban farm in Minneapolis.
Lenny Russo, writing in the Star Tribune, addresses the role coupons, specials, offers, and other limited time gimmicks play in building restuarants up… and potentially tearing them down. “It’s like a miniature Ponzi scheme,” Russo writes. “A restaurant sells a product for less money than it needs to break even. The hope is that people will continue to patronize them which allows them to service part of their obligations.”
Very interesting. We just took advantage of a groupon this weekend at Solera. We found a $50 coupon for only $2, spent $150 between four of us on the total bill and had a great time. But I can’t say I’ll be going again any time soon, not unless we find another great deal like that.
The deals Punch Pizza has been doing lately has me even more confused though. Seems like they are giving away pizzas fairly often, so often that I have no need to go unless it’s free or BOGO.