Two Hit Somerville Restaurants Team Up for New Ramen Spot
There are dining changes afoot in Union Square. Jose Garcia and Estefania Ladner, the co-owners behind beloved neighborhood sushi spot Ebi Sushi, are relocating the restaurant to a larger space inside 10 Prospect, the shiny new real estate development at the corner of Prospect Street and Somerville Avenue. In addition to the relocation, they are also planning to open an entirely new restaurant inside the development: Dashizen, a ramen spot launched in a collaboration with ramen chef Tsuyoshi Onishi, owner of the highly regarded Tsurumen in Davis Square. Both of the restaurants will debut sometime this winter, according to a press release announcing the changes. In the meantime, Ebi Sushi will stay open at its original address (290 Somerville Avenue) until the new restaurants are up and running.]
Fenway Park concession workers prepare to strike
Fenway Park's unionized food and drink workers are preparing to go on a three-day strike starting midday today, on Friday, July 25, if a contract agreement isn't reached between the workers and their employer, the food service behemoth Aramark. The Boston Globe reports that the workers authorized a strike over a number of issues, including wanting more limits on automation (like self-checkout kiosks) and better pay. Fenway workers earn an average of $18 per hour, according to the Globe, as compared to $20 to $26 per hour that Aramark pays workers at nearby Boston University. If the strike goes forward, Fenway's union workers are advocating for fans to still come to the games this weekend, but not to buy food and drink inside the stadium in solidarity with the striking workers. (You can bring sealed water bottles into the park, and while there's no definitive ban on bringing in outside food, play it safe and eat before the game. There's plenty of great options right around the park.)
Shake Shack has finally come for Cape Cod
Yup, there's now a Shake Shack on Cape Cod. The outdoor shopping center the Landing at Hyannis will be home to the first Shake Shack on the Cape starting on Wednesday, July 30, according to a press release on the opening. Swing by, pick up the chain's cult-favorite burgers, shakes, and crinkle-cut fries — and then make plans for more essential dining stops while you're out there.
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Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
The Founder Of Shake Shack Is Now A Billionaire
for Airbnb D anny Meyer made his name opening up a string of successful upscale restaurants in Manhattan. First came Union Square Cafe in 1985 when he was just 27. That was followed by Gramercy Tavern and Eleven Madison Park. These restaurants made him famous, but it was a hot dog stand he opened in 2001 to raise funds for a public park that led to Shake Shack, Meyer's super successful twist on hamburgers and frozen custards. Now with 585 locations and $1.3 billion in revenue, Shake Shack is a fast food giant Meyer is the latest restaurant billionaire. Forbes estimates the 67-year old St Louis native's net worth is at least $1 billion, thanks mainly to Shake Shack's soaring stock price. The chain's shares are trading near record highs, up 73% over the past year, due to strong financial performance and an aggressive expansion strategy. Meyer, who did not respond to a request for comment on Forbes ' estimates, owns around 3.5 million shares, currently worth about half a billion dollars. He's got hundreds of millions more from selling down his stake in Shake Shack over the past decade. He also still owns his collection of restaurants under Union Square Hospitality Group, in addition to a wide investment portfolio filled with winners like Goldbelly and coffee chain Joe. Meyer joins a growing list of American billionaires who made their fortunes in fast food, including Jersey Mike's Peter Cancro, Panda Express' Andrew and Peggy Cherng, and, recently, Chipotle founder Steve Ells. Like Ells, Meyer got his start in fine dining before going global in fast food. The son of a consultant for Pan American airlines, he grew up enjoying global cuisine thanks to $44 roundtrip plane tickets handwritten by his father. 'Throughout my college years I could not afford not to fly…to Italy for any long weekend,' he writes in his book Setting the Table . After studying political science at Trinity College, he planned to go to law school. The night before his scheduled LSAT exam, Meyer, who had moved to New York City after college, went out for dinner with his uncle Elio on the Upper East Side. He wasn't feeling too enthusiastic about his future career, and Elio noticed his gloomy mood, Meyer recalled in an interview with Forbes last Spring. 'Why on earth would you pursue something you're not interested in doing?' his uncle asked. Meyer realized he had no idea what he truly wanted to do. Luckily, his uncle did: 'All I've ever heard you talk about your entire life has been restaurants and food,' he told him, 'Open a restaurant, for God's sake.' In 1985, at the age of 27, Meyer opened his first business: Union Square Cafe, a modern American restaurant which blends upscale dining with unpretentious warmth and hospitality. The cafe quickly became a staple of Manhattan dining and is still open today. Despite his first restaurant's success, Meyer did not replicate the concept into additional locations as he would later do with Shake Shack. Instead, he expanded his culinary portfolio with a series of diversified restaurant offerings: In 1994, he opened Gramercy Tavern, a dimly-lit spot with a more rustic aesthetic that quickly earned him his first Michelin star. Then came Eleven Madison Park in the late nineties, which marked a further push into high-end dining and earned three Michelin stars and global recognition. By the early 2000s, Meyer had a growing portfolio of six renowned restaurants spread out across New York City. He certainly didn't need to open a hot dog cart in the middle of a public square to stay afloat. But that's exactly what he did. Madison Square Park wasn't as safe in 2001 as it is today, and the city had asked Meyer for help keeping it busy. 'The goal was to raise money for the park…and to provide a reason for people to use [it] from morning till night,' he told Forbes last year. But the cart, whose profits were being in part donated to Madison Square Park Conservancy, quickly grew popular: 'I wanted to see if we could infuse a hot dog cart with hospitality…and we had lines around the corner,' Meyer told Wharton Professor Adam Grant in an interview. Still, he waited three years to convert the cart into a permanent kiosk, which he named Shake Shack, and another five before opening a second location on the Upper West Side. 'Ironically, the lines only got longer,' he told Forbes last Spring. 'That's when we began to plan our third and fourth.' From there, Shake Shack quickly became a beloved NYC haunt. Meyer had grown it to 66 locations in over 16 cities by the time he took it public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2015. Today, Shake Shack owns and operates about 380 stores within the United States, and has an additional 210 global locations under a franchise model spread across more than 15 countries. Last year, the chain did $1.3 billion in revenue, a 15% increase from 2023. Shack Shack has plans to expand to 1,500 company-operated stores in the long term. Meyer owned more than 20% of the company at the time of the IPO, but has whittled his stake down to about 4% today through regular stock sales, presumably to diversify his portfolio. He positioned Shake Shack as a "fine-casual" chain with more premium burgers than its competitors. In addition, Meyer has invested in a diversified portfolio of hospitality businesses through Enlightened Hospitality Investments, a strategic growth equity fund affiliated with Union Square Hospitality Group. He was an early investor in New York City coffee chain Joe, which today operates 23 locations, and reservation app Resy, which was acquired by American Express in 2019. In 2022, he transitioned from CEO to executive chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group, and is still active in its management. He continues to serve as Shake Shack's chairman, a position he's held since 2010. 'All my learning came from trattorias and bistros. What I loved more than anything was a sense of place…that made a big impact on me,' Meyer explained in a 2015 TED talk. As he told Forbes last year, 'It was never a dream to have more than one [Shake Shack].'
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Fox Sports
Beer and food workers on strike at Fenway Park for homestand between Dodgers and Red Sox
Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Striking Fenway Park vendors banged on drums and shouted 'Don't buy food!' while walking a picket line outside the home of the Boston Red Sox before Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hundreds of Aramark workers marched along the street behind the team's right field concourse before the series opener, carrying round picket signs decorated with red baseball stitching. A giant inflatable rat shared the sidewalk with a statue of Red Sox greats Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky. Local 26 of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island hotel, casino, airport and food services workers union went on strike at noon on Friday. It posted that it is asking for 'living wages, guardrails on technology and R-E-S-P-E-C-T!' It's believed to be the first union walkout in the ballpark's 113-year-history. 'Respect the picket line," the union posted. 'We know tix are expensive, we're not asking you to stay away from the home games. But we ARE asking you to not buy concessions. No purchase of pretzels, pickles or peanuts inside the ballpark during the homestand.' An Aramark spokesman said the company has bargained in good faith and is 'disappointed the union rejected our latest offer and chose to call a strike.' 'We are committed to delivering an outstanding fan experience and have contingency plans in place to ensure fans will not encounter service interruptions,' the company said. The Red Sox noted that the team was not involved in the negotiations but remained in contact with the concessionaire. Aramark made an offer as recently as Thursday night that was rejected by the union, the team said. 'Aramark has implemented its contingency staffing plans, and fans can expect a full and uninterrupted ballpark experience this weekend, including access to all food, beverage, and hospitality services throughout Fenway Park,' the team said. "We remain hopeful that the parties will reach a swift and fair resolution.' U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders called on the team to support the vendors. 'Fenway Park is an iconic American institution, and it's the workers there that make every Red Sox game special,' he posted on social media. 'The team is extremely profitable. They should treat their employees with respect, pay them decent wages and negotiate a fair contract with the union.' Maggie McCue, a beer vendor with 19 years of experience who is 24 weeks pregnant with twins, took a break from marching in the near-90 degree temperatures to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Her mother, also a beer vendor for almost two decades, said the team can afford for the workers to be paid a living wage. 'They have more money than they need,' Marianne McCue said. 'We are Fenway. Fenway is us. Some people have been here 40-something years and they're not even backing us up. Shame on them. I never thought that at 70 years old I would be on strike, but here we are." The Red Sox play three games against the Dodgers before leaving town again for a series beginning Monday night in Minneapolis against the Twins. It was a chance for Boston fans to welcome back ex-Red Sox star Mookie Betts, who was traded to Los Angeles a year after winning the AL MVP in a cost-cutting. Now, with Betts in the visiting dugout, the vendors are looking to get paid. 'It's come full circle,' Maggie McCue said. 'Full circle.' ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 2
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Beer and food workers on strike at Fenway for homestand between Dodgers and Red Sox
BOSTON (AP) — Hundreds of Aramark workers at Fenway Park are on strike and planning to stay out for all of a homestand between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Friday night. Concession workers had set a deadline of noon Friday for Aramark and Fenway Park to reach an agreement with the Local 26 chapter of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island hotel, casino, airport and food services workers union. The union went on strike at noon asking for 'living wages, guardrails on technology and R-E-S-P-E-C-T!' With the Red Sox and Dodgers scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m. EDT, union officials had a request for fans attending this homestand with food and beer workers on strike. 'We're asking you to NOT buy concessions inside the ballpark,' Local 26 wrote on social media. 'Tailgate before the games!' Union workers walked the picket line wearing green T-shirts declaring 'FENWAY WORKERS ON STRIKE.' They carried signs in the shape of a baseball proclaiming Local 26. The Red Sox go out of town Monday with a game that night at Minnesota. ___ AP MLB: The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
