Carlo Petrini, author of Slow Food  As quoted in an interview in the New York Times 7/26/2003

I have been reading a lot about obesity and health in the news. Oreo cookies are seen as the new crack. McDonald's commits to eliminating beef that has been treated with growth hormones and antibiotics. PETA pickets KFC for abusing chickens. Applebee's cuts a deal with Weight Watchers. Frito Lay takes out trans fats from its snacks. Lawmakers threaten to tax fat and on and on. Our country is a creature of extremes. So the hubbub is in character. 

• We are fatter than any other nation, with 65% of adults considered overweight and 30% obese.*

• There is a direct correlation between being overweight and susceptibility to diabetes, heart disease and sundry other swell maladies. Risk increases with age.

• Health care cost is rising.

• Health care quality is declining.

• There will be another 25 million American's over 50 years old by 2010. 

You do the math. Our traditional meal ticket, the Boomer, is entering a new phase. Much like the concept of a tipping point, we are approaching the moment when, en mass, Boomers will realize, "Oh, no. I've got to change my eating habits." And our industry's ship will threaten to capsize.

It does not have to be that way. The 50 Calorie Difference offers perspective:

"The only real solutions that address obesity and promote wellness are those that provide healthy choices and equip individuals with the knowledge and encouragement to develop healthy lifestyle habits."

Here are my thoughts:

• It's not about counting fat grams and carbs, but about helping guests be smart while enjoying their life to the fullest.

• We are in the 'happy communion' business, where the ritual of breaking bread and gathering together as friends will increase in importance.

• Our job is to provide a refuge, not just a fuel stop.  

Develop a menu that celebrates such choice without making a fuss about the chemistry or the medical benefits. "Heart healthy" is one that drives me crazy. The Slow Food movement, for one, celebrates organic foods from local producers. Mark my words. In years to come, the smart chains will take advantage of these kinds of opportunities, and guests will seek them out.

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Deluxe Town Diner

I love Regional American Cooking with the emphasis on menus filled with comforting standards, done with real style and expertise. 

Deluxe Town Diner is one. Located in Watertown, Massachusetts it looks like a diner, but it is anything but your run of the mill. Start with the 30 some odd pink plastic flamingoes, which populate a well-tended flower garden the size of two parking spaces. That tells you someone has a flair for atmospherics. Their logo is a straightforward typeface typical of the 1930's. It's so retro it's cool. It is made even cleverer by the sub head, which exhorts patrons to 'eat strong, be strong'. Sign me up.

Now all of that is just cute, unless the menu delivers on the promise inherent in the environment's telling, lovingly depicted décor. Safe to say, Deluxe does itself proud. It cooks food in ways that take guests to gustatory heaven. Their practice is to serve breakfast from opening until 5pm. And that is why I go.

Their genius is threefold. One, they focus on regional breakfast specialties like Rhode Island Jo'nny Cakes, New York Style Potato Pancakes or New Orleans's Sweet Potato Pancakes. Next, they prepare everything from scratch and with flair. Finally, they use wonderful ingredients. I can hear you say, "So what? Everyone says that."

Ah, yes, but here's the difference. Deluxe actually does it. It's evident in the way the items are described, how they look when they arrive, how they taste and the price you have to pay. The Deluxe isn't cheap (two pancakes for $4.50,a la carte), but is it great. If America offers nothing to the world but diners like the Deluxe, we will have done something special. 

Footnote: I went to the 2nd Avenue Deli again and it is still a great dining experience. You don't have to be Jewish to plotz when you eat there.

We combine theater technique, classic marketing skill and operations know-how to create a profitable, "WOW" guest experience.

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