Tag Archives: business

Are you a restaurant superfan?

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You might be a restaurant superfan if…

You’ve ever camped out in a parking lot overnight to be among the first customers at a new restaurant opening.

You’ve ever driven hundreds of miles just to eat at your favorite restaurant.

You’ve created and maintain a website dedicated to a favorite restuarant or menu item.

An Associated Press story on Inforum today details the lenghts to which restaurant superfans are willing to go to prove their devotion.

Photo courtesy Forum archives.

The article reminded me of the October, 2002, Krispy Kreme opening in Fargo when then North Dakota first lady Mikey Hoeven did the “Glaze Craze” dance with Trollwood  Performing Arts School students. It was a party in the parking lot. People even camped out for free donuts and T-shirts before the donut shop opened.

Of course, that restaurant closed five years later, so its fans must not have been super enough.

 

If you think you’re a restaurant superfan, we want to hear about it.   

We know from past posts that restuarant fans are vocal and opinionated.  But how far would you go for your favorite meal or if say, SONIC Drive-In, finally did decide to open in Fargo?

 

 

 

LUXE women’s fashion store in Fargo to close

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LUXE, a contemporary women’s clothing and accessories boutique in Fargo, is going out of business.

Renee Thompson opened the boutique, located at 1700 32nd Ave. S., in November 2004.

In an ad printed in The Forum, Thompson announced she is closing LUXE to focus on family.

LUXE is offering a 50 to 75 percent off storewide discount.

The store sells designer jeans, tops, and accessories.

Renee Thompson, owner of LUXE, designer clothing store in Fargo. File photo from 2008 courtesy Dave Wallis/The Forum.

North Dakota 2010 exports up 15 percent

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North Dakota’s exports increased 15 percent, from $2.2 billion in 2009 to $2.5 billion in 2010, according to a newsletter from the U.S. Commercial Service in Fargo.

The state’s top exports in 2010 were front end shovel loaders, crude oil, and canola oil.

Canada continues to be North Dakota’s top export destination, with a record 62 percent of the state’s exports, worth $1.6 billion, going to Canada.

Exports of tractors and agricultural machinery dropped due primarily to significant sales decreases to the former Soviet Union countries of Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. 

North Dakota maintained its position as the 44th largest exporter among the 50 states in 2010.

North Dakota and Minnesota companies prepare for October trade mission to Nordic countries

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Britt Hestenes from the U.S. Commercial Service U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway visited North Dakota and Minnesota to conduct meetings and preliminary discussions with 15 companies and organizations interested in exporting to the Nordic markets of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, according to a newsletter from the U.S. Commercial Service in Fargo.

The meetings included customized market research and were in preparation for an October  North Dakota Trade Mission to the Nordic Countries .

Hestenes also presented a seminar on Doing Business in the Nordics at the Global Business Connections Conference in Fargo along with Food Export of the Midwest representative Sam Bessinger.

Companies with an interest in learning more about opportunities in the Nordic markets should contact Heather Ranck, an international trade specialist with the U.S. Commercial Service in Fargo, at: Heather.Ranck@trade.gov for a customized market assessment.

More restaurants confirm Fargo not in immediate expansion plans, but new pasta franchise on its way

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Popeyes, Fuddruckers, Dave and Busters, and Whole Foods have all confirmed they have no immediate plans to open in the Fargo area.

But Noodles & Company has announced a new franchise deal that will bring eight of the restaurants to the Dakotas.

Prairie Pasta Company Inc., based in Willmar, Minn., plans to open its first Noodles & Company in Fargo later this year. The company is slated to open seven more restaurants over the next five years in Fargo-Moorhead, Grand Forks, Bismarck, Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

The Colorado-based restaurant opened in 1995 and operates more than 255 restaurants. The menu features American, Asian and Mediterranean dishes, including made-to-order noodles, soups, salads and sandwiches.

In a recent Trade Talk post about the eventual location of a SONIC Drive-In in Fargo, several readers asked about the possibility of Popeyes, Fuddruckers, Dave and Busters, Whole Foods, and Trader Joes coming here.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, which offers Louisiana-inspired recipes like fried chicken and red beans and rice, has no plans for a Fargo location.

One reader said he spoke with a Popeyes representative two years ago who said the company was considering the Fargo market. But Popeyes Corporate Communication recently said “at this time, there are no plans to open a Popeyes location in Fargo.”

The company, founded in 1972 in New Orleans, has 1,977 restaurants worldwide. The closest are in Minneapolis and the Minot, N.D., Air Force Base.

Fargo once had a Fuddruckers restaurant. It opened in 1987 at 1111 38th St S., in what is now the Timber Lodge Steakhouse, and closed the summer of 2000. 

Toni Niece, vice president of marketing for Luby’s Fuddruckers Restaurants, said “at this time we do not have any plans of opening up in the Fargo area.”

Fuddruckers, which offers burgers and steak house platters, has locations in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Middle East. There are Fuddruckers restaurants in Rapid City and Sioux Falls, S.D., and Bloomington, Minn.

Dave and Busters, a full-service restaurant, bar, and video arcade chain with more than 55 locations, has no immediate plans for Fargo, according to a company spokesman. The nearest Dave and Busters is in Maple Grove, Minn.

Whole Foods Market, founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, is a natural and organic food retailer with more than 300 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The company releases store opening plans on their earnings calls each month after a lease has been signed. Jen Marshall, a company spokeswoman, said she has not heard any mention of a Fargo store.

Whole Foods has a location in Minneapolis and stores in development in Edina and Minnetonka, Minn.

In a Forum story from November, 2009, about an online effort to bring Trader Joe’s to Fargo, Forum reporter Sherri Richards reported that Jeff Schlossman, vice president of Goldmark Schlossman Commercial Real Estate Services Inc., said his company talked with Trader Joe’s and the company said it would open a store here in about five years.

Alison Mochizuki, a company spokeswoman, said Fargo is not in Trader Joe’s two-year plan.

Trader Joe’s is a gift and grocery store that lauds its quality products. The company is headquartered in California and has more than 350 U.S. locations. The closest is in Maple Grove, Minn.

The Facebook group, “Bring Trader Joe’s to Fargo!!,” has 2,540 members (as of this post). There is also a “Bring Trader Joe’s to Fargo” online petition with 2,189 signatures.

Fargo-Moorhead not in White Castle’s immediate expansion plans

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Fargo-Moorhead area residents will have to continue traveling to the Twin Cities for a taste of White Castle sliders steam grilled on a bed of onions.

The fast-food restaurant, with its signature burger, chicken, or fish sliders, is not planning a Fargo store anytime in the near future.

Of course White Castle frozen fair is available at Family Dollar, Nash Finch Co., and Walmart Supercenter.

In a recent Trade Talk post about the eventual location of a SONIC Drive-In in Fargo, several readers wondered about the possibility of White Castle coming here.

I contacted the corporate office and was told the company has planned all of its construction for 2011 and is now looking for sites for 2012 and beyond.

However, according to the company spokesperson, White Castle prides itself on growing slowly and is privately owned and operated. The company does not franchise or offer stock options and finances its expansion solely through retained earnings.

I’m told White Castle tends to operate within the existing Midwest and Northeast regions where its meat plants and bakeries are located. 

The company adds 10 to 15 new restaurants every year, but based on current expansion plans, it will be a few years before White Castle opens in another new market area, according to the spokesperson.  

According to its website, White Castle is the first fast-food hamburger chain, having opened its first restaurant in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas. It’s the first to sell a million hamburgers, the first to sell a billion hamburgers, and the first to sell frozen fast food.

White Castle, based in Columbus, Ohio, owns and operates more than 400 White Castle restaurants in 11 states.

Talk about it: Does work give you stress?

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More than three quarters of Americans are stressing out about something related to their job, according to data just released in the 2011 Work Stress Survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Everest College.

The survey of nearly 1,000 adults found that 77 percent of Americans are stressed by at least one thing at work. Overall, 1 percent of adults ranked low pay as the most stressful aspect, followed by commuting (11 percent), unreasonable workload (9 percent) and fear of being fired or laid off (9 percent). 

Annoying coworkers ranked in the middle (8 percent), followed by the boss (5 percent), poor work-life balance (5 percent) and lack of opportunity for advancement (4 percent).

“Most employers are becoming well aware of the need to address rising employee stress, and those who don’t address it are likely to suffer lower morale and productivity,” said Wendy Cullen, vice president of employer development for Everest College in a news release.

The survey was conducted to coincide with April’s National Stress Awareness Month, when health care professionals across the country join forces to increase public awareness about the causes and cures for stress.

 “The impact of stress cannot be overstated,” said Davis K. Brimberg, a Los Angeles-based psychologist who focuses on workplace issues.  “Almost all psychological problems are worsened by it.  People of all occupations and income levels are greatly affected. Counseling can be very helpful in relieving signs and symptoms of stress-related issues.”

The survey found that workplace anxiety levels are also high among young adults ages 18-34. The age group ranked low pay (18 percent) and annoying coworkers (11 percent) as the top two stress factors.  Other key stressors include commuting (9 percent) and fear of being fired (9 percent). 

Low pay is the most stressful aspect of the job for every region of the country except the Midwest, where fear of being fired or laid off ranks first at 13 percent. Only 6 percent of Midwesterners ranked low pay as the most stressful aspect of their job, compared with approximately 16 percent of those who live in the Northeast, South and West.

Join in the conversation.  Are you stressed at work?  If so, which aspects of your job are the most stressful?

Talk about it: grocery store brands vs. national labels

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Despite signs of economic recovery, retailers are expanding their selection of store brands and working to persuade more customers to try – and stick with – their products.

Consumers say they bought more store brands during the economic downturn and will continue to buy them, surveys show.

Did you switch to store brands during the recession and have you continued buying store brands over national brands? 

Or do you plan to buy more store brands as food costs continue to increase? 

Why or why not?

Chamber announces award finalists

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The Chamber has announced the names of 15 award finalists, which represent the top-ranked organizations in the Small Business of the Year, Business of the Year, Small Not-for-Profit of the Year, Not-for-Profit of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year categories.

The ChamberChoice Awards program honors successful organizations in the Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo areas that demonstrate growth and innovation and contribute to the area’s economy and quality of life, a news release stated.

Following, listed in alphabetical order by category, are the names of the 2011 ChamberChoice Award finalists:

Small Business of the Year

Absolute Marketing Group

Mosaic – Maxwells, Catering, Café

OnSharp

Business of the Year

Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson, Inc.

Prudential Premier Real Estate

Results Unlimited

Small Not-For-Profit of the Year

American Diabetes Association

Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra

Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity

Not-For-Profit of the Year

Fraser, Ltd.

ShareHouse, Inc.

The Village Family Service Center

Entrepreneur of the Year

Alex Warner

Jill Krahn and Jodi Ellingson

Joe Sandin

The finalists were announced at the Chamber’s annual ChamberChoice reception yesterday.

Finalists were chosen by a panel of judges from the regional business community. They evaluated accomplishments in the areas of business growth, innovation, creativity, community involvement and unique achievements relating to a specific business or industry.

From the finalists, the top-ranked organization in each category will be honored with a ChamberChoice Award at the ChamberChoice Awards Luncheon May 17 at the Holiday Inn of Fargo. The luncheon will feature V.J. Smith, author of The Richest Man In Town.

College students converge on Microsoft Fargo

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Microsoft Fargo is hosting 120 college students and their faculty from schools across the region for a day of activities today.

The 2011 Microsoft Mentorship Outreach and Retention in Education program capstone event focuses on supporting and encouraging college students, especially female college students, interested in or pursuing technical degrees.

Twenty schools across North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota currently participate in the free program.

The goal of the event is to provide students an opportunity to learn about the software industry, available career paths, and the qualifications necessary to succeed in this and related industries, a news release stated.