Leapfrog Public Relations Agency

Foodie News 20/01/12

Publish date 20/01/2012 Frog

Welcome Foodie Fans! This week we’re looking at coffee shop culture, bad PR for Wetherspoons and a competition to find the best burger in England!

Felicity: Coffee culture has become so integrated in to society in the UK that it’s hard to imagine what we did or where we met friends before coffee houses! Having said this the UK still has a way to go in moving towards a sophisticated coffee offering and you only have to look to the coffee culture in Vienna to see the difference. In my judgement there is definite scope to develop the current coffee culture towards this kind of model. Businesses that lead the evolution would definately be adding value to the UK consumer and the high street for a truly sophisticated coffee experience.

Angharad: If you follow me on Twitter you will know that I’ve been on a massive health kick since the beginning of December and so have been very aware of food and fitness, so the news that J D Wetherspoon sells the unhealthiest meal on the high street really struck a chord with me. The almost 2,000 calorie Mixed Grill has earnt them the title and in a society where health and obesity are such issues this is not good PR for the chain. Having said that there are patrons of the chain who won’t care about the calorie content of anything on the menu which is fine – but if Wetherspoons ever wants to rebrand or appeal to a wider demographic they are going to have to rethink their menu and try to work back from accolades like this one.

Lauren: A restaurant in the US claimed this week that it’s where the Cheeseburger originated back in the 1920’s. Local diners at The Rite Spot in Pasadena, California say that young chef Lionel Sternberger accidentally burned one side of the hamburger he was cooking and rather than throwing it in the bin, flipped it over and added cheese to it. Needless to say the customer who received his burger must have enjoyed it, and the rest is culinary history.

For those who are inspired by the humble beginnings of the now legendary cheeseburger, and perhaps want to have a go at creating one yourself, why not check out the ‘Burger Challenge 2012’ as mentioned here on Eat Out, and you never know, if you’re successful people all around the world may be enjoying your own unique creation 100 years from now.