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.

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