The week in ideas, May 13, 2013

Lion meat sells. So does Charles Ramsey. The perfect number of menu items has finally been discovered. And—as if you needed it—another reason to love bacon.

Idea #1: Controversy sells, only for so long. Amid a cry of protest over its new Safari Taco—which features lion meat—the Tampa restaurant Taco Fusion has seen sales skyrocket. “We’ve been busy,” Taco Fusion manager Bayardo Alvarez told the New York Daily News. “Our normal lunches were $400 to $500, and today I’ve done $1,450.” But the outcry over serving an endangered species grew from shouting, to kidnapping threats, to thrown punches. When the restaurant ran out of lion meat, it took the dish off the menu.

Idea #2: Celebrate Charles Ramsey. The Cleveland man who gained national attention after helping three women escape from a house where they’d been held prisoner for 10 years, is getting notoriety from his employer. Charles Ramsey works as a dishwasher at the local Hodge’s Cleveland restaurant. The restaurant has printed T-shirts with his image, touting him as a hero. All sales of the shirt go to help the victims’ families.

Idea #3: There is a perfect number of menu items. At least according to a new study from Bournemouth University in the UK. What are the magic numbers: six items per menu category at QSR, while fine dining customers prefer seven starters and desserts and 10 entrees. Problem solved!

Idea #4: Bacon is the key to longevity. According to 105-year-old Pearl Cantrell.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Crumbl may be the next frozen yogurt, or the next Krispy Kreme

The Bottom Line: With word that the chain’s unit volumes took a nosedive last year, its future, and that of its operators, depends on what the brand does next.

Technology

4 things we learned in a wild week for restaurant tech

Tech Check: If you blinked, you may have missed three funding rounds, two acquisitions, a “never-before-seen” new product and a bold executive poaching. Let’s get caught up.

Financing

High restaurant menu prices mean high customer expectations

The Bottom Line: Diners are paying high prices to eat out at all kinds of restaurants these days. And they’re picking winners and losers.

Trending

More from our partners