Embarcadero Farmer's Market

We admit it: as Californians, we are routinely spoiled by fresh food and produce... but at least we don't take it for granted! On those rare sunny days here in San Francisco, we do our part to keep the Ferry Building Farmer's Market thriving on Saturday mornings.  Our goal is to keep our finger on the pulse of new food trends. This food haven is the ultimate magnet for those early adopter foodies. The Ferry Building hosts dozens of restaurants, boutiques, and vendors selling handcrafted treats, bringing together locals and tourists where great food and cool people converge. With all the different food and handmade goods to delight one's senses, it sure beats fighting those crowds at Costco on a Saturday.

Fancy Food Show

Our team attended this year's annual Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco's Moscone Center. Hundreds of food vendors from across the country were present to showcase their latest products, introduce new flavors or skus, and network with other culinary connoisseurs in the food industry. 

We take the idea of "food for thought" to a whole other level by offering these vendors and food companies the opportunity to have their products tested by the consumers they need to hear from. We understand food culture and regional taste preferences can be a little tricky, but luckily being located in the heart of downtown San Francisco allows us to find locals and travelers from all over the United States to help give their organic opinions. 

Getting Down to Business in NYC

Everyone knows summers in San Francisco can be gloomy, so we flew across the country to feel the sunshine during our New York City recruitment. Our team hit the silent streets of early morning Manhattan to recruit at restaurants as they were just opening for the day. We scoured every alley and avenue of Alphabet City, Gramercy Park, the West Village, and Lower Manhattan searching for the right restaurants to take part in our study. We spoke with servers, bussers, managers and everyone in between to connect us with the restaurant owner for our study.

It was a pleasure meeting so many amazing New York business owners for this recruit! Bari, the owner of the retro diner “Baz Bagel” on Grand street gave us a wonderful insight into the mind of a business owner. Her staff eagerly greeted us and she was a perfect candidate for our study. We met Dimitri, the owner of “The Warren,” a West Village American eatery, while he and his staff prepared for their popular brunch. Dimitri was more than willing to interrupt his busy morning to speak with the team. Jack, the owner of the new Asian-fusion bistro “Jack’s Sliders and Sushi” in the East Village, was happy to take the time to chat about our research while gracefully managing a hectic lunch rush.

New York proved to be a diverse culinary city, ranging from authentic pasta shops in Little Italy to French Thai fusion in Chelsea. We ate at many of these amazing restaurants and basked in the rays of a beautiful New York City summer. Thanks to all the gracious restaurant owners we met for making our recruit effortless!

'Til next time, New York!