Table talk
Cake expectations, but it could all end in tiers
Forget corkage, many Australian restaurants are now applying "cakeage" charges.
Sally Neville of the National Restaurant Association has defended the practice of charging people who bring birthday cakes to restaurants. She claims that cutting up and serving the cakes, and washing up afterwards, constitutes a service for which restaurants should be paid.
However, she agreed that charges as high as Aus$15 (£6.20) levied at some Sydney restaurants are "exorbitant".
Chips with everything- except potato
American chef Randy Blaun has created a new recipe for chips that doesn't contain any potato, which makes them ideal for weight-watchers following the controversial Atkins diet.
Her chips are made from a mixture of egg white, cauliflower and milk protein - but she claims they taste as good as the real thing.
"Once the dough mix has been cooked thoroughly enough and pur‚ed, it becomes nice and bland," she says.
The dough is formed into chip shapes and then flash-fried. Blaun is now seeking a patent for her recipe.
Advertising initiative goes ahead without a hitch
Motorway services provider Roadchef is asking its staff to get out on the motorway, stick their thumbs out, and try and hitch a lift. Their destination? The nearest Roadchef, according to the cardboard sign.
But this isn't a bid to cut down on travel expenses. Chief executive John Greenwood explains: "We don't want them to get a lift, but we do want plenty of motorists to get curious."
Without a huge amount of money for marketing, the company came up with the hitchhiking idea to build brand awareness.
Apparently, 95% of motorists never use service stations - and, of those who do, 40% don't buy anything.
Ageing Pistols are firing again, but less Vicious
The Chelsea hotel in New York has been home to many famous musicians and writers, most notoriously Sex Pistol Sid Vicious, who killed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen while staying there.
Last week, the original line-up of the seminal punk band, now all in their late 40s, revisited the site on their current US tour, when they played a concert at a club in the hotel's basement.
Barking up the wrong tree or a tale wagging the dog?
The US hotel industry has literally gone to the dogs. Faced with a rabid recession, Starwood Hotels and Resorts has launched LTD (Love that Dog), a luxury scheme for canines, in an attempt to win more customers.
At its W chain, four-legged guests will be offered a stylish dog bed, pillow, bowl, toys, and treats on demand.
And a concierge will be available around the clock to provide information for the modern dog-about-town, such as the location of parks, vets and massage therapists.
