Category Archives: Lifestyle

Hunter Pond presents – A Taste of Old Hollywood

Lifestyle, Millenials, , ,

Where do the hottest stars of today go to get a taste of the Hollywood glamour of yesterday? Restaurant magnate Hunter Pond, Chairman and CEO of Vandelay Hospitality Group, is thrilling the LA scene as he expands his restaurant empire beyond Dallas, Texas.

The much anticipated Drake’s Hollywood celebrated its grand opening on May 4th on the famed Melrose Strip of West Hollywood, California. Paris Jackson, Kelli Berglund, Mackenzie Ziegler, Leona Lewis, Olivia Culpo, and a host of young celebrities came to experience the ambiance, which is designed to take diners back to the classy days of 1940’s Hollywood. Hunter Pond has curated every aspect of the décor to ensure that diners are fully immersed in old Hollywood elegance. The deep red booths and bar stools are surrounded by original artwork that features iconic idols from the Silver Screen.

The menu of Drake’s Hollywood combines sophistication and fun with dishes such as sturgeon caviar, le deluxe mac n cheese, and Melrose cracker crust pizza. All of Hunter Pond’s restaurants are known for using premium ingredients to ensure outstanding taste and quality. 

A native of Dallas, Texas, Hunter Pond opened his first restaurant at just 24 years old. Today, Vandelay Hospitality Group operates several restaurants, and is known for meticulously orchestrating every aspect of the dining experience, from the exquisite food, to the music, to the interior design.

The original Drake’s Hollywood has been delighting customers in Dallas since 2019. So, whether you’re in North Texas or on the West Coast, pull out your classiest old Hollywood outfit and head over to Drake’s Hollywood for a most memorable evening.

Michelle Obama Launches Health Food Company for Kids

Consumerism, Lifestyle, Markets

Former First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched PLEZi Nutrition, a healthy food and beverage company which aims to offer “healthier, great-tasting products” to kids. Obama, who is the co-founder and strategic partner of PLEZi Nutrition, has experience with trying to get children to make healthier choices. As First Lady, she created the Let’s Move Campaign which encouraged kids to engage in physical activity and eat more fruits and vegetables. She helped to pass the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010, which increased the nutritional value of school lunches across the country.

PLEZi Nutrition’s first product is a fruit juice for kids called PLEZi, which contains significantly less sugar than the leading fruit juices on the market. The company stated that they have plans to begin selling other items in the near future, which focus on “Lowering sugar content and lowering sweetness to help adjust kids’ palates to crave less sweetness”.

Obama is concerned by the rising rates of obesity and nutrition-related illnesses in children in the United States. She said, “I’ve learned that on this issue, if you want to change the game, you can’t just work from the outside. You’ve got to get inside—you’ve got to find ways to change the food and beverage industry itself”.

Air Fryers Continue to Grow in Sales

Companies, Consumerism, Lifestyle

Food companies have taken notice of America’s love for air frying. Since 2017 Americans have spent an increasing amount of money on air fryers, with nearly $1 billion spent in 2022.

Several big name food brands continue to develop products that are air-fried or that can be made in an air-fryer. Campbell Soup’s Kettle Brand recently introduced air-fried potato chips to the market. Nestle is producing a number of frozen products that consumers are encouraged to prepare in the air-fryer, and Gorton’s Seafood, Kellogg, and Hormel Foods have added air-frying instructions to many of their frozen products. Tyson Foods’ air fried line has reached up to $100 million in sales.

According to CNBC, Adam Graves, Nestle U.S’s Pizza and Snacking Division President, says that air frying is “the biggest trend that we’re seeing right now in modern cooking”. 

Some people were skeptical that the air-frying trend, which boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic, would quickly disappear. But so far, the opposite has proven to be true. Now that people are expected to go back to the office, they appreciate that air-frying provides a quick, healthy method of cooking, and they continue to purchase air-fryers. 

Some estimates suggest that 60% of American homes now contain an air fryer, and while this makes it far less popular than the microwave, the air fryer has recently surpassed the grill to become the fourth most popular cooking appliance in America today.

Largest Four-Day Workweek Trial Underway

Companies, Lifestyle, Remote Work, ,

Recently, there has been a demand by employees to cut back on days in the office. After two years of the pandemic, people want to work from home, spend more time with loved ones, and just have more flexibility in general. While many companies have adopted the hybrid model to accommodate these sentiments, some have taken a more extreme stance.

For the past 8 weeks, the world’s largest four-day workweek trial has been running in England. About 3,300 employees from 73 different companies have taken on the task of producing 100% while working only 80%, still earning their regular salary. And while this endeavor does come with some inherent challenges, an overwhelming majority of participants are absolutely loving it.

The program is being spearheaded by the nonprofit “4 Day Week Global.” Andrew Barnes, the organization’s founder, has been advocating for a four-day workweek since 2017. In his own organization’s trial, he found that when working four days instead of the traditional five-day model, his employees demonstrated a productivity rate 25% higher than before.

During the initial stages, many companies struggled to set themselves up for the experiment. Samantha Losey, managing director at Unity public relations firm, called the first week “chaotic.” However, she explained, she and her team quickly instituted some systems that enabled continued productivity throughout the four-day workweek. All internal meetings are limited to 5 minutes, while client meetings end after 30 minutes. A “traffic light” system ensures workers are not interrupted unnecessarily – if a colleague’s desk light is set to green, they’re available for a chat; if the light is orange, they’re busy but available if needed; and if the light is red, they cannot be disturbed.

In addition to positive reports from employers, participating employees have given very favorable feedback. Many are appreciative of the extra time they can devote to other important things in their lives besides for work, such as family, mental health, exercise, and extracurricular activities.

It will be interesting to see continued outcomes from the big four-day workweek trial as time goes on. The results may have life-changing outcomes on work-life balance, company culture, employers, and employees.

Nutritional Labels Found to Stump Shoppers

Consumerism, Health Care, Lifestyle, , , ,

The good news is most American consumers want to eat healthy; the bad news is companies are not making that easy. In a recent study conducted by Attest, research showed that 60% of 2,000 surveyed shoppers are committed to living healthy lifestyles. They aim to buy nutritious products but 52% of the participants were concerned about the steep prices of foods said to contain special, healthy ingredients.

The survey also showed that food labels are highly misunderstood by consumers. Participants were asked to identify which of six different cereal bars was the healthiest choice. Only 9% chose the correct one, while 13% actually indicated the least healthy of the six options. Marketing slogans, such as “whole grain,” “100 calories,” or “naturally favored,” contributed to the confusion that the participants felt.

Jeremy King, founder and CEO of Attest, remarked that the results should be seen as a call to action for the food and beverage industry to reevaluate their marketing and labeling practices. King concluded: “This data shows that identifying real, healthy products appears to be a serious difficulty for American shoppers, as packaging messages simply aren’t accessible enough for consumers. With six-in-ten consumers actively looking to buy healthy food and beverage products, addressing this issue will be of significant benefit to the industry.”

When asked what would be most helpful in gaining clarity, shoppers agreed that packaging labels with straightforward nutritional information was a priority. Some added that coupons may entice people to try a product for the first time. Others wanted to see a stamp of approval from certified health officials on the product labels.