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Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tandem Bagel Co. bucks current business climate, opens 6th location in Ludlow
LUDLOW — Tariffs. Inflation. Economic uncertainty. Entrepreneurs Chris and Andrea Zawacki have found a way to buck the business trends: with fresh bagels, of course. Named for the partnership with each other and their host communities, Tandem Bagel Co. cafe opened May 23 in Ludlow, a sixth location in the Zawackis' growing chain of shops across Hampshire and Hampden counties. Built around 1870, the newly renovated mill complex along the Chicopee River was the backbone of the local economy, processing yams, twine and webbing through World War I, said Chris Zawacki. 'You can see the original trusses and brick walls. There are pulleys and shafts that generated electricity. You can see right to the ceiling, with all the motors and gears exposed. It's neat to see the history there,' said Zawacki. The look and feel of the new shop are key, as ambiance is as important as aroma in keeping cafes from grinding to a halt, industry experts say. Tandem pitches itself to the morning breakfast crowd as a quick or leisurely stop for coffee, espresso and bagel sandwiches — and to the lunch crowd, with turkey, chicken, roast beef, BLT and other offerings on bagels. 'We have a good product. It's an easy product. Coffee and a bagel; it's not pretentious,' said Andrea Zawacki. 'We have a lot of regulars who come every day.' The Pew Research Center says 10% of small enterprises were owned by couples in 2021, making the Zawackis the minority in the business world. They also are accomplishing something many small operations fail to achieve: longevity and growth. The Easthampton couple opened their first cafe in 2013, occupying a renovated train depot in Easthampton. Since then, they have opened more shops in Northampton, Hadley, Florence, West Springfield and now Ludlow. Tandem Bagel Co. continued operating during the pandemic, with the exception of a few weeks. The business saw explosive growth of 30% to 40% coming out of COVID and sustained 5% year-over-year revenue increases more recently, said Chris Zawacki. 'We try to be very focused on customer service and treat our employees well,' he said. 'If you get good employees that are happy doing their jobs, they're going to help you grow the business. They make you succeed.' Having a hard time finding good employees is a top reason coffee shops crash, according to Walden University. Tandem now has 130 employees in Hampshire and Hampden counties. About half of them are full time with benefits, including health insurance, retirement programs and vacations. Zawacki said the business is 'always hiring.' The couple has spent the last two years planning and opening the Ludlow location. They have navigated two presidential administrations with polar opposite policies, rising and falling inflation, economic uncertainty sparked by on and off tariffs, and erratic consumer confidence. Zawacki said he agrees with other small business owners who said if they can endure COVID-19, they can survive whatever might come. 'COVID was a wake-up call to be ready for anything,' he said. The Zawackis say they raise their prices once year and hold steady after that, even absorbing the rising cost of ingredients, including eggs. 'We're not a high-end restaurant, so consumer spending isn't going to hit us as much. We're a breakfast and lunch place. We're not an expensive go-out-to-dinner-once-a-week place. We get a lot of people coming multiple times a week,' he said. By definition, the couple buys locally, because most of their ingredients, such as meat and dairy, must be fresh. But supporting the local economy and charities is also part of their mission. 'We're a local business, and it goes both ways. The more our customers support us, the more we try to give back to our suppliers and the community — to make it work for everybody,' he said. Zawacki has a master's degree in engineering and worked in manufacturing for 20 years, the last few as a director. But with designs on owning a business, he canceled his career to open that first cafe with his wife, who was a stay-at-home mom and is a fitness instructor. Tandem bakes its own bagels, like plain, sesame and cinnamon raisin — but with a flair for the creative. The menu also includes snickerdoodle, French toast, jalapeno and parmesan offerings. Cream cheese goes beyond the conventional plain, chive and veggie, to include strawberry, blueberry, honey walnut, bacon, cinnamon roll, pumpkin and others. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, nearly 20% of small enterprises fail in their first year, while nearly half go dark in their first five years. Meanwhile, Tandem Bagel Co. is attracting an increasing number of customers and opening new cafes, the latest expected at the end of this year in the old Westfield train station. 'It's exciting to be part of the community, to interact with customers,' said Andrea Zawacki. 'I like talking to them and meeting new people. I feel we're a good part of every community we're in.' Read the original article on MassLive.
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Terrorist chats: Cops uncover chilling plans, freeze bank accounts in Andhra
VIZIANAGARAM: In a disturbing development, chats retrieved from the Signal app between Siraj and Sameer, arrested by Vizianagaram Two Town Police for allegedly conspiring to create terror using improvised explosive devices (IEDs), have revealed details of their broader plans, including setting up a 'special school,' a chemical lab, and making rocket launchers to target RSS members and anti-Muslim entities. According to police, the duo discussed methods to manufacture rocket launchers and potential attacks on JCB machines allegedly used to demolish mosques and Muslim homes. While they were only in the initial stages of assembling IEDs, their digital conversations pointed to a much larger and violent intent. Preliminary investigations suggest that Siraj was radicalised through social media after watching speeches by figures such as Dr Israr Ahmed, Zakir Naik, Shaik Yakub Jamali, and Shaik Javid Rabbani. Police say Siraj aimed to launch an organisation called Al-Hind Ittehadul Muslameen (AHIM), claiming it was intended to 'protect Muslim women' from what he described as the 'Bhagwa Love Trap' (BLT). He reportedly travelled to Mumbai to meet like-minded youths as part of expanding his network. Meanwhile, police have frozen Siraj's bank accounts, suspecting links to terror financing. Two accounts, including a fixed deposit of Rs 38 lakh and a savings account with Rs 70,000, were found in the District Co-operative Central Bank (DCCB). Notably, all his family members also maintain accounts in the same branch, initially opened in Kottavalasa, where Siraj's father, Aziz Rehman, once held a locker. After Siraj's arrest, Aziz reportedly attempted to access the locker, but bank officials refused, following police instructions.
Toronto Star
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
This TikTok star just discovered how useless the pockets are in women's jeans — but women have been dealing with ‘pocket patriarchy' for ages
It's amusing when Gen Z discover a truth the rest of us already know. For example: pocket sexism. Men are sold clothes that have lots of pockets. I'm sitting here in jeans and a button-down. I have seven pockets at the ready. If a fire erupted in my office, I could flee with a kangaroo pouch for my sunglasses, wallet, keys, AirPods and still have free carrying slots for a bandana or BLT. Women do not have this luxury. Women long for pockets. In a science experiment this week that will not enter the taxonomy of Newton or Galileo, a young fellow on TikTok tried on 'women pants' because, 'I hear a lot of women say how bad the pockets are.' (Just wait until he gets an earful about leaving the toilet seat up.) In the video, Nick Wilkins slips on 'women jeans.' His first impression? They really accentuate his derriere. 'Ka-chow!' he exclaims, smacking his backside. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW On to the experiment. 'I've got a few things that I always have in my pocket,' he explains, holding a bunch of gadgets that would clutter a Best Buy stockroom. He begins by attempting to shove his phone into the left front pocket. 'Are you serious?' he asks in disbelief, after the phone only goes in halfway and looks like a toddler riding in a shopping cart. 'That's all it does?' Expecting more depth, he tries the right pocket. 'Oh my gosh!' he yells, not finding more depth. 'Now I know why you guys wear purses,' he observes, before offering a clarion call to the industry: 'Um, people who make women pants. Let's start putting some depth in there.' This push for pocket equality is noble. Alas, it's too late. For generations now, women have been conditioned to pocket discrimination. They don't expect pocket depth from a shallow industry riven with ridiculous beauty imperatives and gender double standards. But sexism has secondary effects. It's why so many purses now qualify as black holes. What happens when you deprive women of pockets? They fill their purses with everything they may need in the event of an apocalypse. The other day, my wife asked me to grab her car keys from her purse. She was running late. Now, from the outside, this purse has the rough dimensions of a two-slice toaster. It doesn't look like it could carry more than a few credit cards. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW I unzipped it and gasped. It was a bazaar in there. There were little bags in the main bag like nesting dolls. There were random cosmetics and receipts from 2004. There was some kind of transformer hairbrush. Band-Aids Scrunchies. Snacks I could not identify. I spotted a bird cage under a sandblaster. My God, is that a ukulele? I felt like an archeologist exploring the Giza Necropolis. I don't know how she ever finds her keys. It's not her fault. She has been deprived of pockets. This is what happens. She's walking around town with enough stuff to jam a sleeping bag. Now I know why I was occasionally asked to slip a lipstick into one of my free 27 pockets when we were young and dating. Her purse was about to explode like a Saint Laurent supernova and she had no pockets of her own. She was suffering from storage injustice. I wish this dude who went viral on TikTok — the 'women jeans' video is closing in on one million likes — had done a bit of research. I fold the laundry. The pockets on my daughters' jeans are basically ornamental. There's not enough room to transport a sick bumblebee. Behold the rich catalogue of cultural dispatches from yesteryear: 'The History of Women's Terrible Pockets.' 'The Bewildering and Sexist History of Women's Pockets.' 'Why Most Women's Clothes Don't Have Real Pockets.' 'Pocket Patriarchy.' 'Study Confirms Women's Pockets Are Too Small for Smartphones.' 'You guys don't have pockets for dresses too,' Wilkins realizes in his video. Nope. And you know what happens when women are robbed of pockets? Some wonder if the dress itself is optional. The 'naked dress' trend has caught exhibitionist fire. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The Cannes Film Festival this week banned nudity on the red carpet. This wouldn't be an issue if those glam flashers had grown up with pockets as little girls. Bella Hadid has never known the functional joy of a breast pocket or hidden zipper flap. 'Free the nip' is an extreme reaction to a life without pockets. If I was never given socks, I'd be barefoot. With the exception of cargo pants, women have endured pocket denial. Sorry, TikTok dude. Fashion will never end this travesty. The purse makers would revolt.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bánh mì-style brats, hefty Italian subs and more on new menu at Tacoma brewery
When father-and-son Gary and Nathan Wescott rescued Odd Otter Brewing Co. from near demise last year, they teased the addition of an in-house restaurant. After more than a year of paperwork and some plumbing, the food has come to fruition. From a food truck permanently parked on the other side of the brewery's wall — in another long, narrow space that the brewery has primarily used for storage — guests can now order hot and cold sandwiches ($12-$16), brats on buns, plus a charcuterie board, potato salad and grilled-cheese 'dunkers.' The owners tapped Sean Guay to lead the truck. Guay and his wife, Corie Cameron, closed their cafe and meal-planning business, Grit City Greens (originally Crisp Greens), last year after almost a decade in Tacoma. Gary Wescott, who by day works in economic development for Pierce County, saw the news, recalled Guay. At that point, the truck itself had been in their possession for nine months. It's a somewhat unusual food truck setup in the county, since the vehicle won't move. In most cases, mobile food vendors in Pierce County are required to physically return to their permitted commissary kitchen after service. Guay and the Wescotts were able to create a menu that allows them to do everything within the confines of the truck itself. A hefty Italian sub, currently served on a torta roll, combines salami, ham, turkey and provolone with chopped lettuce, tomato, pickled onions and a creamy mustard. Other cold sandwiches include a BLT on rustic white slices, chicken salad and a club. Panini-pressed options range from a Reuben and Cuban to the Squealin' Otter with ham, provolone, tomato and 'hOtter sauce' on ciabatta, and tuna salad, a favorite of the Wescotts. 'We're not reinventing the wheel, but our focus has been on easy, fast, accessible, family-friendly and just good food, big portions,' said Guay in a phone call last week. 'Those little extra things,' like quick-pickling and house sauces, enhance the offerings, he added. The Brat and Mi, a sausage style like a banh mi with pickled carrot, daikon and cilantro, is one of a few new items. There's also a classic grilled cheese and those dunkers — slices of the sandwich with hOtter sauce on the side. Every sandwich comes with a pile of chips. 'A brewery without food is not complete,' said Nathan Wescott in a phone call. He and his dad wanted to provide downtown with a casual lunch or dinner option, preferably with a pint. Prior to their ownership, Odd Otter had partnered with neighbor Wooden City on pizzas — brewery customers could order a pie at the brewery, and the restaurant's staff would deliver it next door. That arrangement became untenable for various reasons. Food truck hours will match the brewery's, which currently are late-afternoon to evening Wednesday-Sunday. After hiring a couple folks who will help behind the bar and on the truck, they anticipate opening earlier and adding Monday and Tuesday to the schedule. They also hope to tidy up the area around the food truck to accommodate additional seating — at least in nice weather, as the garage door must be open to meet fire code safety, explained Wescott. 'Bring your kids, bring your dog,' said Guay. 'It's not about power-drinking — it's about having somewhere to just enjoy yourselves.' Beers change often, but the draft list currently features the Cinco de Mayo-timed Ottcho Borracho (a crushable Mexican-style lager with lime), a few IPAs and a seasonal seltzer. Check the brewery's calendar for regular events including trivia, open mics and cribbage, plus one-offs such as the 'awkward book release' party with local author Andy Vargo on May 29. ▪ 716 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-327-1680, ▪ Current hours: Wednesday-Friday 3-9 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 1-9 p.m. ▪ Details: new food truck with cold and grilled sandwiches inside downtown brewery; order and pay for everything at the bar Tacoma brewery closed unexpectedly. A local father and son swooped in to save it
Irish Independent
24-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Discount pharmacy giant hints at opening at struggling Bray Central
The company launched its first store in Blanchardstown, Dublin, in October 2020 and now has five stores in Dublin, three in Cork, one in Carlow, two in Meath and one in Louth. Bray Central now looks to be the latest addition to the stable, with branded 'guess who's moving in' notices placed in the windows of one of the vacant units this week. The beleaguered town centre site was dealt another blow with the closure of one of its anchor food outlets, Elephant and Castle, recently, and a new Chemist Warehouse store at the central site will mean there will now be 10 pharmacies, as well as a Holland & Barrett outlet, competing in the vicinity of the main street. Chemist Warehouse is one of Australia's largest chemist retailers, with over 500 stores, and its model is to offer discounted prices for pharmaceutical goods, as well as fragrance and beauty products. The future of the Bray Central shopping centre was thrown into doubt at the end of last year, when receivers were appointed with what was believed were plans to focus on filling the remaining empty units. The addition of Chemist Warehouse, which has remained good to its pledge to continue rolling out stores nationwide since it gained a foothold in the Irish market, could well prove popular with customers in north Wicklow, given its closest outlet to Bray is in Dun Laoghaire. Meanwhile, the family food venture, The Pantry, has posted menus at its unit in Bray Central, having confirmed it will open in the unit vacated by Elephant & Castle. Although there are no details on a definitive opening date. The Pantry was established in 2016 with a focus on home-cooked food and wholesome seasonal ingredients from local producers and its menu ranges from all-day breakfasts, including a vegetarian option, from €13.95, classic lunch offerings such as the BLT for €12.95, heartier meals like carbonara and curry (€13.95) and a kids' menu. The business began in Cork city and has evolved to include high streets and shopping centres and has expanded into Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford, Roscommon, Clare and Dublin. It currently has two restaurants in Wicklow – Kilcoole and Arklow.
