The week in ideas, January 28, 2013

This week: Paying big money to eat dirt. Christmas comes to the Rockaways thanks to a California restaurant owner. A thief-proof cash register. And San Francisco restaurants aren’t serving dirt, but they are treating their guests and employees like it.

Idea #1: Serve dirt. Is this an idea, or a sign of completely running out of ideas? A French restaurant in Japan is serving dirt on its menu, and charging a pretty penny for it. The $110 tasting menu includes potato starch and dirt soup, a salad with dirt dressing, sea bass with dirt risotto, dirt gratin, dirt ice cream and dirt mint tea

Idea #2: Christmas in January. A San Diego restaurant owner organized a gift drive for kids affected by Hurricane Sandy. Last Saturday 700 presents were opened as a result.

Idea #3: Thief-proof cash register. Or, more likely, really dumb crooks. Three of them left a Massachusetts Chinese restaurant empty handed because they couldn’t figure out how to get the cash register opened.

Idea #4: Rip off guests and employees. A bunch of San Francisco restaurants are getting nailed for raising guest check prices to cover city-mandated health care coverage for employees—and then pocketing the money for themselves. Stay classy, San Francisco.

 

 

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