Tag: wine

10 Restaurants and Brands Making Food-Themed Merch for the Holidays

Posted onAuthor

If you live for ugly Christmas sweaters and kitschy holiday merchandise, it’s a wonderful time to be alive. As in past years, restaurants and food brands are coming out in droves this season with a plethora of fun, festive and funny products to get us all in the holiday spirit.

From sassy sweaters to matching pajamas and everything in between, these are a few food-themed holiday products we’d love to find under our Christmas tree this year.

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Sleigh Sweater

That's certainly one way to "sleigh" the ugly sweater competition.
That’s certainly one way to “sleigh” the ugly sweater competition.Red Lobsters

When Cheddar Bay Biscuits are alive, you need an ugly holiday sweater to pay homage to your cheesy obsession. This $45 frock is decorated with snowflakes, lobsters and a sleigh filled with the cheesy biscuits Red Lobster customers love so much. It even has an insulated pocket — that resembles a kangaroo’s marsupium — which keeps biscuits (and other tasty treats) warm.

Red Lobster’s 2022 holiday collection also features other festive items ranging from lobster ornaments and hoodies to beanies and more.

Switzerland Miss Hot Cocoa-Scented Sweater

We can just smell the hot cocoa now...
We can just smell the hot cocoa now…Switzerland Miss

Just when we thought we’d seen it all, Miss Swiss entered the chat and brought something new to the holiday table. The brand recently dropped a hot cocoa-scented holiday sweater complete with an insulated zipper pouch you can use to keep your cocoa warm.

Available in sizes S-3X, the $60 sweater also has a reversible sequin pattern that can read “I am hot” or “I am sweet” depending on how you’re feeling. Scented and sassy? Sounds like it’s right up our alley.

Olive Garden Family Holiday Pajamas

What a way to start the holiday.
What a way to start the holiday.Olive Garden

Who needs Christmas cookies when you can have never-ending soup, salad and breadsticks? Olive Garden is getting into the holiday spirit with its new collection of hooded onesies that are decorated with the restaurant’s popular Never-Ending First Course offerings, pasta and after dinner mints.

The matching family pajamas retail for $25 for kids and $35 for adults and come in a variety of sizes. But they’re selling out quickly!

Pearl Milling Company Family Stack Sweater

Talk about togetherness.
Talk about togetherness.Pearl Milling Co.

If you plan to be attached at the hip with certain members of your family this holiday season, the Pearl Milling Company came up with an easy way to keep you ultra close.

The brand, known for its syrups and pancake mixes, created a Family Stack Sweater that comes in two-person, three-person and four-person varieties. Each sweater has oversized pockets that are large enough to fit a bottle of syrup and a spatula, so you can whip up some breakfast treats together. Unfortunately, the sweater sold out quickly after it was released Dec. 12, but you can still enter for the chance to win one here.

Hot Pockets Shorts

HotPockets
We can hear the Hot Pockets jingle in our heads.HOT POCKETS®

Hot Pockets is giving a new meaning to the term “hot pants” with its innovative new product. on Dec. 12, the brand is releasing limited edition Hot Pockets Shorts that feature insulated cargo pockets so you can keep your food warm and your legs cool.

The unique shorts, available in men’s sizes S-XL, read “Stay heated” on the front alongside a fiery cartoon, and they even come with a matching hoodie. The best part? You can score them for free (while supplies last) online and get an accompanying coupon for one free Hot Pockets sandwich.

Pillsbury Doughboy Sweaters

Cue the Pillsbury Doughboy laugh.
Cue the Pillsbury Doughboy laugh.Pillsbury

Pillsbury’s limited edition Doughboy sweater recently sold out in a flash, and it’s easy to see why. The festive frock is decorated with a giant picture of the iconic Doughboy himself and comes with a button you can press to play his infectious laugh. The sweater even has a scannable crescent roll on its left sleeve with access to recipes, baking tips and more.

Frito-Lay Holiday Merchandise

So comfy.
So comfy.Frito Lay

From stockings and hats to socks and sweaters, Frito-Lay’s holiday collection has everything you need to stay festive and warm this season. The collection represents several of the company’s brands, including Cheetos, Doritos, Lay’s, Flamin’ Hot and Ruffles. So whether you want to cuddle up on the couch with a Cheetos pillow or brave the elements with a Doritos scarf, you’re covered.

7-Eleven

The holidays are even happier with a fun ugly sweater.
The holidays are even happier with a fun ugly sweater.7-11

7-Eleven is joining in on the festive fun with its holiday collection that features items ranging from apparel to décor and more. You can show off your love for Slurpees with a T-shirt that reads “All snug in bed visions of Slurpee in my head” or turn heads in a punny tee that reads “Tis’ The Cheese’n.”

Rounding out the

… Read More

Kansas City Tanner’s Bar & Grill’s new server is a robot

Posted onAuthor

Sonny loads up with trays of grilled chicken sandwiches, fries and salad as he heads to table 42 at Tanner’s Bar & Grill in Red Bridge Shopping Center. Dishes delivered, Sonny turns and heads back to the kitchen.

But customer Bond Faulwell of Overland Park wonders aloud, “Do we leave WD-40 for the tip?”

Sonny is a new robot server at the south Kansas City restaurant.

Trade magazine Nation’s Restaurant News said robots are uniquely positioned to support restaurants through the current wave of labor shortages. They are best used for tasks that are physical and repetitive, freeing up employees for more important tasks such as interacting with customers. It said the robot should always be escorted by a human.

Tanner’s, at 11134 Holmes Road, pays an undisclosed monthly fee for Sonny, but a spokeswoman said they will not pass the cost on to customers by increasing prices.

KCM_TannersRobotcityscape12
Robots like Sonny are best used for tasks that are physical and repetitive, freeing up employees to talk to customers. Rich Sugg [email protected]

Kitchen employees place orders on Sonny’s two trays, plug in the table number and send it off to the dining room.

Servers meet Sonny at the table and hand the dishes to customers. Then they plug in a code to send the robot back to the kitchen.

“We’re amazed by the little robot running around,” said Jim Ogden of Overland Park.

Sonny, created by California’s Bear Robotics Inc., can also be loaded with dirty plates to take back to the kitchen, then it is cleaned and sanitized before making another delivery. It tends to spill drinks when maneuvering from tile to carpet, so for now it is just taking plates.

“It does help, especially with the bigger tables,” said Tiffany Hearld, manager. “And the kids love it. They want it to bring their food.”

Related stories from Kansas City Star

Joyce Smith has covered restaurant and retail news for The Star since 1989 under the brand Cityscape. She appreciates news tips.

… Read More

A Harvard nutritionist and brain expert says avoid these 5 foods to keep your ‘memory and focus sharp’

Posted onAuthor

1. Foods made with industrial and processed seed oils

Highly processed oils are often extracted from soybeans, corn, rapeseed (the source of canola oil), cottonseed, sunflower and safflower seeds, and contain a lot of omega-6 fatty acids.

Excess consumption of Omega-6s can trigger the body to produce chemicals that can lead to inflammation in the brain.

If you’re sautéing vegetables or grilling fish or meat, I recommend using olive, coconut or avocado oil.

2. Foods with added and refined sugars

Our brain uses energy in the form of glucose, a type of sugar, to fuel cellular activities. But a high sugar diet can lead to excess glucose in the brain.

This can cause memory impairments and less plasticity of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that controls memory.

Don’t forget that many savory foods have hidden added sugars, too, like store-bought pasta sauces, ketchups, salad dressings and even canned soups. Swap these out for homemade items made with whole foods.

3. Processed foods

A diet high in ultra-processed foods may put you at risk of having shorter telomeres — or the “stamp” on our DNA. Longer telomeres tend to promote healthy cellular aging. Shortening our telomeres may mean that we are at risk of degenerative disease earlier in life.

A 2022 study also found that participants who consumed high amounts of ultra-processed foods such as baked goods and sodas were more likely to experience mild depression compared to those who consumed the least.

Here’s a tip: If you can’t pronounce an ingredient, or have no idea what it is, it’s often best to avoid it.

4. Foods with artificial sweeteners

When you use artificial sweeteners that have no nutritional value, they can increase “bad” gut bacteria which can negatively affect you mood.

These sweeteners include saccharin, sucralose and stevia. Aspartame can be especially harmful, and has been directly linked to anxiety in research studies. It also causes oxidation, which increases harmful free radicals in the brain.

Some alternatives to consider: Honey, monk fruit extract or coconut sugar.

5. Fried foods

While items that are battered, crusted or deep-fried may be at the top of the comfort foods list, they can be damaging to the brain.

A study of over 18,000 people found that a diet high in fried foods was linked to lower scores of memory and cognition.

As an alternative, I suggest opting for baked, air-fried, or steamed versions of your favorite foods.

Dr. Uma Naidoo is a nutritional psychiatrist, brain expert, and faculty member at Harvard Medical School. She is also the Director of Nutritional & Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of the best-selling book “This Is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More.” Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Don’t miss:

Want to earn more and work less? Register for the free CNBC Make It: Your Money virtual event on Dec. 13 at 12 p.m. ET.

Harvard nutritionist: This is the No. 1 vitamin to keep your brain sharp

… Read More