F*ck You! A Supercut

A supercut of movie characters flipping the bird, appropriately set to Cee Lo's "F**k You." Forward this to someone who pissed you off today.

(via TDW)

Groundhog Day Explained

The king of YouTube informational videos CPGrey is back with an explanation of Groundhog Day. Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow on Feb. 2? Will we have six more weeks of winter, or will spring come early this year? We shall see.

I do know one thing — if your alarm clock awakes you with "I Got You, Babe" on Thursday, go back to sleep.

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Jan. 29, 2012

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan. 15):

Answer: This was a two-week creative challenge with multiple answers. For example: "The Nanny / Lost / All My Children."

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Jan. 29:
Write the digits from 1 to 9 in a line. If you put a plus sign after the 2, a times sign after the 4, and plus signs after the 6 and 8, the line shows 12 + 34 x 56 + 78 + 9, which equals 2003. That's nine years off from our current year 2012. This example uses four arithmetic symbols. The object is to use just three of the following arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, in a line from 1 to 9 to get 2012 exactly. The operations should be performed in order from left to right. There are no tricks to this puzzle. Can you do it?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

How I See Things vs How My Cat Sees Things

 

Another installment of cats vs humans. Happy Caturday.

(via BuzzFeed)

Kim Richards' Guide to the Oscars

Before you watch the 2012 Academy Awards (airing Sunday, Feb. 26), here's Kim Richards from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" with an insightful guide to this year's Oscar nominated films.

Did anyone actually see "War Horse?"

Note: This won't be funny for those of you who don't watch TRHOBH. All two of you.

(via The Soup)

How to Eat Food [Infographic]

Pleated Jeans reminds us of the proper techniques for eating food. In case anyone needs a refresher. I need a snack.

(via Laughing Squid)

The Best/Worst Twitter Recruitment Video #Genius

The creative minds @Twitter just released this clever new recruitment video. #PleaseHireMe

(via Twitter)

Mystery Solved! The Actual Date of Ice Cube's 'Good Day'

Remember when Ice Cube had a good day? And he didn't even have to use his A.K.

But exactly when, on what date, was this amazing time in the gangsta rapper's life?

The clues:

• "Yo MTV Raps" was on air
• It was a clear and smogless day
• Beepers were commercially sold
• The Lakers beat the SuperSonics
• Ice Cube had no events to attend

All of this adds up to... JANUARY 20, 1992!

And there you have it. Mystery solved.

(via Murk Avenue)

The Giant Snowflake of 1887

Back in 1887, on January 28 to be exact, the folks of Fort Keogh, Montana entered the Guinness World Record book when the world's largest snowflake fell on their town. How they were able to measure the 15 inch (38 cm) wide snowflake is a mystery, but Google is celebrating the 125th anniversary of the event with today's doodle.

(via Mashable)

Will Shortz Celebrates 25 Years of NPR's 'Weekend Edition Sunday'

This week, Will Shortz celebrated the 25th anniversary of Weekend Edition Sunday and (my favorite segment) the Sunday Puzzle. The NPR weekend program, billed as "the radio version of the Sunday paper," first premiered on Jan. 18, 1987. Shortz, the editor of The New York Times crossword puzzle, has made an estimated 1,300 program appearances as NPR's resident puzzle master.

> Test your solving skills on today's NPR Sunday Puzzle, a two-week creative challenge

Collusion and Food Cost Control

Dear Joe,

Its quite late for me to find your blog, I have been in the hotel industry for almost twenty years, and from your posts I found all the similar questions and basically I have answered similarly to any hotel management that I have worked for, about the importance of controlling the purchase, but there come problems when The Purchasing guys happened to be the best friend of Financial Controller or the Golden Boy of  The Hotel General Manager, then all those theories that any Cost Controllers in the world follow, suddenly dissappear in the broad daylights.

For Example I have made a kind of Price Changes Index Calculation ( by the daily purchase price update from the suppliers invoices data ) to obtain that the purchase prices for all the goods highly fluctuative to catch the culprits when they play with the purchase prices , of course by getting the help from the suppliers to play this kind of game, it will be useless for me to make this kind of calculation.

 My question is, Have you ever found this kind of situation, and if you have, what tools dou you use to bring this situation into attention.

Thank you very much, I am expecting your response.

 Best Regards,

Zuhar

Thanks for your email Zuhar!  You very clearly isolated a pervasive problem with the cost control function.  Lack of follow through on recommendations is the number one issue in many organizations.  Outright collusion is a problem with too many operations.

My gut tells me over half the operators just don't take action when profit killing problems are brought to their attention.  The tendency is to show "patience" and wait for the next period's report.  By reporting daily, you are forcing their hand.  This process of timely follow up will often expose a crooked executive.

As a food and beverage controller, you may find career survival forces you to soft sell your suggestions.  Often, the person in this position has no access to the people who could take action.  If they go up the chain of command without a by your leave, they risk a loss of their income.

In the long run, the numbers will tell the story for everyone to see when they recognize the dishonesty has put the organization in jeopardy of non-existence.

When I was young, I left a job at a hotel due to very poor cash controls and constant theft.  At the time, I simply landed another job in my off hours and left.  Many people in hotels do not have this luxury.

Ski resorts tend to have timely reporting systems in place since their season is relatively short and weather patterns can have a major impact on profits.  I once encountered a management team at a ski resort with major denial issues.  The food and beverage controller documented significant unexplained inventory losses at every meeting and no action was ever taken.  The top executives were lining their home stock with top bottles of wine.  The wine steward had a great resume with many accolades.  He was ordering terrific labels and the wine went straight to the parking lot where it filled the trunk of the manager's car.

Years ago, I read an article which stated 20% of workers are dishonest, 20% are completely honest and the other 60% tend to follow the lead of the dominant players.  You could find yourself on the outside looking in if your organization has turned 80% dishonest.

Lionel Richie's 'Hello': A Movie Supercut

Hello... Is this the Lionel Richie supercut you're looking for? I can see it in your eyes. I can see it in your smile.



(via The Curious Brain)

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Jan. 15, 2012

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan. 8):

Answer: Game = BOWLING; terms = PIN, FRAME, SPARE, BUMPER, LANE, ALLEY

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Jan. 15:
This is a special two-week creative challenge. Combine the titles of some TV shows, past or present, into an amusing sentence or statement.

For example: "TODAY / SISTERS / NAME THAT TUNE / FATHER KNOWS BEST," "DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES / BEWITCHED / MY THREE SONS / ONE DAY AT A TIME," "I'VE GOT A SECRET / MURDER, SHE WROTE / THE F.B.I."

Entries will be judged on their sense, naturalness of syntax, humor, originality, familiarity of the TV shows named, and overall effect. No more than three sentences per entry, please.

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

I Can Haz Friggatriskaidekaphobia?

(via KYM)

Outlook for 2012

It is a presidential election year and, unlike 2008, I expect a stronger economy in 2012.  Specifically, operators who are value customer focused will see increases in covers and sales.  These value oriented customers will pay a small premium for quality while avoiding extravagance.

Commodity markets will see continued volatility due to severe weather patterns, the linking of grain prices to oil prices, and a overall increase in consumption.

The constraints on menu item prices will ease to a greater degree than 2011.  Operators will begin to pass inflation increases along to customers.

I expect employment to improve as Americans become more pragmatic and fill positions they have shunned in the past.  Many industries are still breaking even or showing a loss.  The workforce will need to grow with a stronger economy.  I see a year end unemployment rate below 8%.

Food Cost Formula Questions

Regardless of your business model, the food cost calculation is the same:

Food Cost = Beginning Inventory + Purchases - Ending Inventory

If you look closely at the formula, you will find your cost is closely related to purchases.  The purchase cycle involves purchase orders, competitive bids, packing lists, invoices, par stock levels, shopping lists, etc.  Only invoices should be included in the purchases each month.

Finding the inventory value is simple and complex.  The simple part involves an accurate count.  We have two levels of complexity in our industry.  The perishable nature of food guarantees a declining value as product ages.  The most costly event in a kitchen involves freezing a protein item with a high cost per pound.  It's better to buy it frozen at the start if portion control is a challenge in your operation.

The second level of complexity involves the preliminary preparation of meat, seafood and produce.  Trimming and butchering activities need to be standardized.  Using a standard yield %, it is possible to assign the correct value to prepped items.  For example, a prime steak purchased for $10/pound may have a yield of 80%.  The cost per servable pound is $12.50.  This is the cost to use on the inventory sheet in calculating the extension.

A Review of the Outlook for 2011

I missed the year end unemployment rate by a half percent:

I expect 2011 will usher in a new wave of job creation. This wave will take the unemployment rate down below 8% by year end. Some of the job growth will take place in the Rust Belt.

Dining does continue to favor casual (and fast casual) concepts:

Restaurant dining has become less formal in recent years. I expect this trend to continue with greater speed. Diners want to get out more often than the past few years and they want to be recognized by the management.

My prediction regarding the decline in non-alcoholic beverage spending was spot on:

McDonald's starts the year with $1 for all sizes of coffee and soft drinks. The price pressure on non-alcoholic drinks will continue. Expect your guests to scrutinize their checks looking for prices on specials and drinks. If you price your soft drinks modestly and include the pricing on your menus, the move to complimentary tap water may start to shift back to revenue generating drink options.

Oil prices did increase 14% and the markets were volatile:

With any economic uptick, we can expect market prices to increase. We ended 2010 with higher prices for gas and grains. These markets will be volatile with an upside bias.

 Source:  CNN Money


The sales at top concepts did increase in 2011.

I expect the comparable unit sales statistics to be positive in 2011. The strong concepts will see 5% plus growth.

Facebook Shower Curtain

I "like" this. Available from SpinningHat in February 2012.

(via Gizmodo)

Crash the Super Bowl: Make Your Own Doritos

The finalists have been announced in the annual Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest. In my opinion, the following entry should've been among them. Alas, somewhere in the distance, unicorns are crying...



(via Foodiggity)

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Jan. 8, 2012

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan. 1):

Answer: FIELD GOALS → LADIES GOLF

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Jan. 8:
Name four parts of a car that are also terms used in a particular game. One of the parts is spelled in three letters, two of them in five letters each, and one has six letters. Two places a car might go are also terms used in the game. What game is it, and what are the terms?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Jan. 1, 2012

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec. 25):

Answer: DAREDEVIL (- R) → LIVE, DEAD

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Jan. 1:
Name certain scores in a certain sport. This is a two-word phrase with a total of 10 letters (5 letters in each word). If you have the right phrase, you can rearrange all the letters to name a different sport, also in two words (6 letters in the first word, 4 in the second). What are the scores, and what is the sport?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Jenny's Noodle!

May you fulfill all of your resolutions for 2012. Or there's always next year.