Minnesota Restaurant Blog:
Jan 6 - Jan 12, 2008

First Time At Mongo's Grill

I had my first Mongo's Grill experience the other day, and liked it very much.

I went with my wife and in-laws, who had been their before. It's a little confusing on how it all works when you first walk in, but the hostess quickly puts you at ease and offers to help you if it's your first time visiting.

You walk up to the self-service buffet-looking area, grab a bowl, and fill it with whatever you want - vegetables, meats, seafoods, and spices. When your bowl is full you give it to the stir fry chefs who cook it up and give it back to you. You can have it with rice, a tortilla, or they can make a wrap out of your ingredients.

At dinner time it was an all-you-can-eat concept for $11.99. Go back as many times as you want. In hindsite, I wish I would have tried smaller portions of many different combinations.

Currently, according to their website, there are four Mongo's Grill locations - St Cloud, Maple Grove, and two in Winnipeg.

www.mongosgrill.com

Hip-Hop Soda Shop Opens in Florida

The Nation's first "Hip-Hop Soda Shop" is open in Tampa, Florida near the University of South Florida.

The business venture by H3 Enterprises wants to combine popular music and healthful dining options with socially responsible capitalism.

The restaurant has a healthy quick service menu, a state-of-the-art recording studio, 30 giant LCD screens, and a large area dedicated to live online gaming. The 11,000 square foot store also has a merchandising area as well.

There are limited fried foods on the menu, and beverage options with white tea or chicory syrup instead of sugar. Their wraps are called 'raps'.

The grand opening was attended by Hip-Hop stars such as Busta Rhymes, Cassidy, and Doug E Fresh.

www.hiphopsodashop.com
www.h3inc.com

A New Social Network for the Restaurant Industry

Fohboh (short for 'front of the house, back of the house') has launched a vertical social network for the restaurant industry on fohboh.com. It's the MySpace or Facebook for the food service industry.

FohBoh looks to be a social network for anyone involved in the industry - waiters, entrepreneurs, distributers, chefs, bartenders, franchisees, etc, etc. They can all network socially online while doing business in the food industry.

It is free to join FohBoh, and the company looks to provide incentives for joining. Members can earn points for activity on the website, and you can even redeem your points for shadow stock in the company.

www.fohboh.com

Maple Lake Now In Our Database

East of Annandale on Highway 55 and south of I-94 on County Road 8 is Maple Lake - the newest city added to our restaurant database.

Six places were added from Maple Lake. In the downtown area there is the Maple Lake Cafe and the Irish Blessings Coffee Shop. Madigan's Pub and Grill is just off the highway on the south side.

On the north side of the highway you can grab lunch at A-Meat Shoppe or the familiar Subway. Also on the north side of town is the Maple Lake Bowl and Pines Bar and Grill.

Hospitality Training Coference in Minneapolis

CHART, the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers, will be holding a Hospitality Training Conference Marcy 1-4 at the Depot Hotel in Minneapolis.

There will be workshops and keynote speakers, first time attendee orientation, and the opportunity to take the Certified Hospitality Trainer Review and Exam.

Breakout sessions will be held on many topics including philanthropy, employee assessments, new restaurant openings, conspicuous leadership, and more.

conference.chart.org