Issue 28 — The Best Kind of Loyalty Program Is the One You Don't Know About ⭐️
Plus all the normal news bites, recent bites + 'Best-Of' 2023 awards...
TGIF! Surprise! I doubled down today with 2 issues. All the openings were getting out of hand… so I compiled them all in a separate newsletter and organized them by neighborhood (well sort of…)
It’s all in Issue 27. Enjoy!
Moving on to my normal B.S…
News Bites
Eater just announced their Best New Restaurants list for 2023. The only LA spot that made the cut happens to be one of my personal favorites. 👏
Joe Jonas dined at Donna’s in Echo Park last week. While he was there, he sent a drink to Nathan Fielder… So obviously Fielder sent him back a ramekin full of mayonnaise. Classic.
Apartamento dropped a new Cookbook — it engages readers in the ‘to be, or not to be’ of the culinary world, answering with recipes that draw on a range of root vegetables.
Molly Baz is hosting a dinner at Great White 11/15 — Reservations are open 🦈
11/12, take a tour of the Hollywood Farmer’s market with ‘chef - farm liaison’ Sam Rogers + Usal. Def a girl crush for me.
In Issue 11, I mentioned the Gjusta Apartment — now meet the Gjelina hotel, Vitorrja located one block from the Venice Boardwalk, booking now!
Okay so you’ve had the salmon roe at Courage Bagels... but have you had a Bialy? 🥯 👀
Slutty Cooking nailed LSG’s birthday cake.
They just launched a ‘Setting the Table’ clothing collection and I loooove. 🥂
This Saie holiday campaign is SERVING.
I thought you might need a pretty little fork for your tinned fish. 🍴 Or maybe this candle.
Kenan + Kel return for Good Burger2, available 11/22 on Paramount+ lol
I Looove this fruit display (…stand?) It uses way less counter space than a bowl. Plus you prevent fruit from touching each other / rotting quickly.
Our Place Black Friday deals have started. In addition to markdowns, they’re doing flash sales. Here’s the deal of the day. 🍳
In yet another article about Erewhon, vice-president Jason Widener tells New York Mag’s The Cut, “We are gonna be in New York.”
The Natural gas industry’s most famous influencer was Julia Child. Apparently, ‘Now We’re Not Cooking With Gas’ anymore…. give this pod a listen. 🎧
Feels like such old news already, but a couple weeks back, the 110 freeway was closed to cars allowing for cyclists and pedestrians to enjoy — Sarah shared the wholesome experience in her newsletter.
Alfred’s is officially the new Starbucks.
Speaking of Holiday Cheer…
☕️ Some seasonal coffee drinks:
Kobocha Spice Latte from Thank You Coffee (Prolly my favorite)
Mendl’s Peppermint Mocha from DayGlow
Gingerbread Oat Latte (hot or on draft) from La Colombe
PSL, Quicky or Blue Heaven from Heavy Water
🍷 Cocktails / Wine:
Capri Club’s holiday lights + drinks have arrived — including one in collaboration with Flowerhead Tea that’s a chai hot toddy vibe by Petetini.
Mas Vino Please x Wonderwerk reunite on a new wine just in time for your dinner parties: Chismosa
I’m sure there’s more…
🥧 Pre-Order yer Thanksgiving Pie!
Sasha Piligian !!!
Or if chocolate is more your thing… Brightland x Valerie Confections olive oil infused truffles sound amazing. 🍫🫒
I won’t be sharing Thanksgiving recipes or anything like that.. but @babytamagooo’s reel has me drooling for mashed potatoes.
Since 2023 is over now…
Thingtesting’s 12 categories range from Skincare to Non-Alcoholic Drinks (Ghia won that one of course)
I would have separated Sauces + Oils in to 2 separate categories… but I was excited to see Bitch’n Sauce up there!
The Pantry category winner had me SHOOK. I’m not a Banza fan…
Next year, maybe I’ll do my own awards ;)
See all the 2023 Thingtesting winners here.
Thoughts on Loyalty
I first brought up restaurant loyalty in Issue 15 — I had just listened to a podcast with Ben Leventhal (co-founder of Resy, Eater + new loyalty app, Blackbird)… Which in case you’re curious… is only rewarding NY diners at this time.
In the podcast they talk about what kind of special treatment makes them feel seen at a restaurant — from being greeted by name, to someone remembering their dietary preferences, squeezing them in at the bar on short notice… To B.S. readers, it’s all about receiving a surprise comp’d dish. That’s the kind of treatment that keeps you coming back again and again.
Since then, the conversations around restaurant + cafe loyalty keep coming up — like in this week’s newsletter by Boss Barista which refers to Square’s loyalty program and discusses whether or not they really work. Another newsletter, Expedite, started a series on ‘The Future of Hospitality’.
Of course technology is helpful in tracking exactly how ‘loyal’ a customer really is — how often they come in, what they typically get… Probably a lot more accurately than a human would be able to. But when a barista greets me by name with a smile, and just decides one random Tuesday that ‘this one’s ‘on the house’… it literally makes my day. What a sweet surprise. Hell, I might even tell someone about my free coffee later.
Typing in my phone number to redeem a free drip just doesn’t hit the same. It’s not even what I order. It didn’t ‘make my day’ and I’m probably not going to mention it to anyone. Sometimes each dollar spend is worth 1 point, double points before 8am. 100 points equal a star. I can’t be bothered to learn the system. Just throw me the neighborhood discount from time to time or offer me this morning’s cookie at closing. That’s the stuff.
Maybe the loyalty program software can remain on the backend… Perhaps a pop-up comes up when I put my card in that says ‘Kate comes in 2x a week, and orders a Cappuccino with Oat Milk.’ I don’t have to know that the only reason they remember my name is because Square told them so.
Maybe the best kind of loyalty program is the one you don’t know about.
Recent Bites
A Dia de los Muertos Brunch: Had the most beautiful morning with my girlfriends celebrating life and our loved ones over bread, tamales (from Delicias again!) + cocoa. Thinking about this morning warms my heart.
Little Ripper: had a glass of wine and oysters the night of their soft opening! What once was a coffee shop slinging Jaffles is now a full service restaurant. It’s adorable. Glad to have them back in the neighborhood.
PS if you need any more natty wine bar recs, Danielle nailed it.
Amiga Amore: a Mexican/Italian restaurant. Probably the the most interesting meal I’ve had a in a long time. Elote corn filled pasta… sweet potato ceviche with avocado mouse…pasta chips! All complete flavor bombs. I’ll definitely be back. My only note — we were seated outside and our food got cold real quick… and I like my pasta HOT!
Rice + Nori: My new hyper fixation meal… Ikura Onigiri + a $6 Toro Handroll.
La Jolla Farmer’s Market with the fam: We hit the usuals, ‘scallop’ sushi, veggie bao + dumplings — extra chili crisp.
Gormais: Polenta crisps — for all you gluten free / celiac friends — these crisps with a soft spread or fig jam, delish? Get ‘em at Wine + Eggs.
A Perfect Grilled Cheese: enjoyed at the Garner’s annual grilled cheese party in Encinitas — complete with a full DIY bar, 10+ types of cheeses and all the fixings you could imagine… 5 hot panini presses ready to go. This party was no joke.
For my grilled cheese I used, brie, gruyère, havarti, apples, caramelized onions, seedy mustard + hot honey. I shared with my mom (v wholesome.) I don’t eat cheese that often, but when I do… I eat cheese. Thanks for the invite Rach :)
🔗 Last Week’s Most Clicked Link:
Everyday this this Long Beach restaurant owner walks three blocks to buy Popeyes chicken to serve on her menu — says it’s the best product for the dish.
Unfortunately the tiktok video got taken down after I sent this issue out 🙄 but after a quick google, it looks like this is old news and they closed anyway lol.
Have a great weekend! And let’s not forget….
lol @ goodburger 2