Filed under: Restaurants , Trends , Light Food According to a survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association, people say that they want to eat healthier than they really do, especially when it comes to eating in restaurants. In fact, only 36% of people ask for healthier substitutions and fewer than 50% of diners will order off a "healthy" menu when it is offered. People eat more meals out of the home than ever before, diminishing the idea of a restaurant meal as "special occasion" food, which may have once justified indulgence. 63% of diners do not want to see nutritional information on the menu, looking for permission (by omission) to eat whatever they want to.

Filed under: Restaurants , Business , Southern States , America Following Nicole's post about the new Dagwood sandwich restaurant, it seems only fitting to mention the recent opening of a new Earl of Sandwich restaurant in Tampa. The Orlando-based chain is operated by Lord John Montagu, the 11th Earl of Sandwich, a descendant of the 4th Earl of Sandwich (right), the British naval commander who supposedly invented meat between bread back in the 1700s. Also involved in the venture are Montagu's son Orlando and Planet Hollywood founder Gary Davis. This is the second EOS location to open since 2004, according to a recent story in the St. Pete Times (scroll down). On the menu, of course, are sandwiches, including roast beef, which was reportedly the filling of choice for the first sandwich back in 1762. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Restaurants Does design matter when you dine? Or perhaps more importantly, does it impact where you dine? Travel + Leisure gave their 2006 Restaurant Design Award to Mix , in Las Vegas. Pictured here, it isn't a design that would work just anywhere, but for Vegas, its over-the-top glamour is simply perfect. And that is how design comes into the dining experience.

Filed under: Restaurants , America Apparently, some "experts" want Mother's Day to be canceled on the grounds that there "should be no such thing" and mothers should be appreciated every day. True enough, but in my experience, everyone likes to feel special sometimes, and having one day that is a little extra special is a very enjoyable thing. It's like treating yourself to an ice cream cone on a hot day instead of just having a Coke to cool down. It is possible, however, that things are getting a little out of control - especially when it comes to dining out.

Filed under: Restaurants , Business Taking a business idea straight from the comics, Dean Young, who draws the comic strip Blondie, is going to open a small restaurant called " Dagwood's Sandwich Shoppe " in Clearwater, Florida, this August. Unsurprisingly, they will specialize in sandwiches.Young plans to make the shop into a chain with at least 100 locations, 25 of which are already spoken for.

Filed under: Restaurants , Business McDonald's is looking to improve its image - literally. The company has recently rolled out a plan to overhaul and update all of its 30,000 global locations. The goal of this makeover is to refresh the look of the brand, which company officials say seems dated, not having  had a makeover since the early 1990s. The company will keep its signature red and gold colors, but will tone them down and add olive and sage greens to their color scheme.  The stores' roofs will now be flat and slanting, with a leaner, more modern look and a lot of the bright plastic features will be replaced with brick and wood but the golden arches will still be prominently featured

Filed under: Dinner , Restaurants , Midwest Cities , America A few weeks ago, I posted about a restaurant in England that had imposed a fine (donating all profits to charity) on people who took too much food at a buffet because the owners were sick about the amount of wasted. Several commenters thought that this was a great idea or knew of shops that did a similar thing in their neighborhoods. Perhaps more buffets will take similar action now that a Des Moines family was kicked out of an all-you-can-eat restaurant for wasting too much food.

Filed under: Restaurants A diner in Bloomington, Indiana found a finger alongside his hamburger when he dined at a local TGI Friday's. A member of the kitchen staff had cut off a portion of his finger and, in the confusion that arose when people rushed to help the man, the finger ended up on a plate. It was only a small piece of finger, but the diner noticed it immediately. The police were called, but told the customer that it was not a criminal matter.

Filed under: British Isles , Restaurants , Magazines , Food Oddities Known for his cutting edge experiments, er, cooking at one of the world's top restaurants, The Fat Duck , chef Heston Blumenthal is not a man to shy away from a challenge. When he bought a pub, the Hinds Head , he thought he would have to leave his chemistry set in the car and cook more traditional pub fare . While some of the dishes are quite ordinary, what the diners didn't realize is that Blumenthal has a more unusual definition of "tradition" than most.

Filed under: Lunch , Restaurants , Business , New Products Papa John's is planning to roll out pizza to consumers in 10 minutes or less! The third largest pizza delivery chain in the United States is releasing what will be the fastest made-to-order pizza ever. Guaranteed.