Minnesota Restaurant Blog:
Apr 27 - May 3, 2008

ING Direct Cafe Opens in St Cloud

ING Direct has opened their new offices in downtown St Cloud, and part of those new digs is an ING Direct Cafe.

The bright orange color of ING is everywhere. Computers, financial publications, and televisions are available for patrons.

There are currently five other ING Direct Cafes - in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Wilmington, Delaware.

www.ingdirect.com

Cheap Pizza - Dominos vs Pizza Hut

Dominos has a $4 pizza bundle, while Pizza Hut has a $5 pizza deal. So which is the better deal?

Dominos 10 inch pepperoni pizza has 25 pepperoni, while the Pizza Hut medium has 20 pepperoni. So if you like more pepperoni, looks like you should go with Dominos.

The Dominos deal is the "444 Deal" (three 10-inch one topping pizzas for $4 each) while Pizza Hut has the "Pizza Mia" deal ($5 medium one-topping pizzas when you buy three or more).

www.pizzahut.com
www.dominos.com

Del Taco Coming To Minnesota

Del Taco is the nation's number two Mexican fast food chain, and is looking to expand into the Twin Cities.

They wish to open 32 restaurants in the Minneapolis/St Paul area.

Del Taco has been around since 1964 and has over 500 restaurants in 16 states.

Besides tacos, burritos and nachos, the menu at Del Taco also includes American favorites like burgers, fries and milk shakes. Each item is made to order with quality ingredients.

Currently the closest Del Taco is in Janesville, Wisconsin.

www.deltaco.com

Important Social Issues For Restaurants

Consumers were asked to rank their three most pressing social issues for restaurants. The top four issues out of 17 are listed below:
1. Living Wages 49%
2. Responding to Nutritional Concerns 33%
3. Health Insurance Coverage 31%
4. Nutritional Disclosure 29%

Those same consumers claimed they would frequent a socially responsible restaurant and/or pay more there.

The study was conducted by Technomic.

www.technomic.com

Liquor License Trouble for Sinergy?

The former Dam Bar in Sartell re-opened as Club Synergy in Sartell earlier this month, but they may have trouble keeping their liquor license.

The new club has the same owner (Todd Long) as the old club, and the Sartell City Council is considering not renewing the license because of the alleged sexual assault that happened their in December (both men pleaded not guilty).

The Club Synergy location has since been remodeled and new staff was hired. Security has also been added in the form of hidden cameras and bar code readers for IDs.