Therepublic.com - The north wall inside The Roosevelt 2.0 in Ybor City once was a blank canvas of old, exposed bricks covered with a thin veil of white paint.

Now it's a farm.

Dangling like a frozen green waterfall, stems of rainbow char, Genovese basil, cilantro, arugula and Italian parsley hang vertically from what amounts to a living wall, nourished by snaking lines of an irrigation system and panels of artificial lighting.

It's an idea that Dave Smiles of Uriah's Urban Farms says is ripe for Tampa's restaurant scene, which in recent years has seen more chefs starting their own growing operations.

Smiles, who prefers to be called Farmer Dave, developed the growing system to give chefs and restaurant owners a way to close the gap between the farm and the table. The system promises a reduction in the waste of overbuying, a drop in costs, the ability to grow specialized ingredients and use fresher herbs and vegetables. Continue

Cbs12.com -  A Bob Evans restaurant has been evacuated after employees discovered cracks that could be evidence of a sinkhole.

Hillsborough County Fire and Rescue workers and engineers are trying to determine the cause of the cracks in the walls and on the floor of the entrance. Spokeswoman Nacole Revette says they could have been caused by rain from Tropical Storm Andrea or possibly a sinkhole.

The restaurant is in Seffner, about 14 miles east of Tampa. It is located four miles from the site where a giant sinkhole opened beneath a home, killing one man, in February.

Revette says employees discovered the cracks when they came in to work around 6 a.m. on Sunday. The cracks had not been there the night before. 

Finance-yahoo.com -The most famous fast-food restaurants are burger joints: McDonald’s (MCD), Wendy’s (WEN), Burger King (BKW). But Americans have been in the mood for something different lately, and many of the trendiest quick-serve restaurants indulge that desire for variety, novelty and healthier eating.

Like other parts of the lackluster economy, restaurant industry sales have been growing slowly. So new chains hoping to become the next Five Guys or Chipotle (CMG) have garnered attention with standout food, flashy preparation and an eye-catching atmosphere. It also doesn’t hurt, of course, if a meal seems like a bargain.

To identify some of the most promising up-and-coming fast-food chains, Yahoo! Finance teamed with Technomic, a Chicago food-industry research firm that tracks more than 2,000 chains. Technomic sorted its data to highlight firms with annual sales between $3 million and $25 million and more than 10 outlets at the end of 2012. Among those, here are the fastest-growing chains that could open near you before long: Continue

Floridatrend.com -California’s vineyards are latecomers. Florida has had wine since the French Huguenots planted grapes here and made their own — call it First Wine in the First City.

Accordingly, 450 years later, St. Augustine alone has at least three spots devoted to tasting wine: The city-slick Cellar 6, the Spanish-focused Tasting Room and the San Sebastian winery stocked with wines made and grown in Clermont.

In an era soaked in craft beer and crafty cocktails, wine bars in varying formats are opening and expanding from Jacksonville to Fort Myers.

For all wine’s sophisticated status, restaurateurs say wine bars are seen as homier and more female-friendly than cocktail bars, old school or new. Craft beer does cost less for more drink, but wine is right-sized to fit Mediterranean menus, tapas portions and a new passion for fine ingredients. Continue

Worldrecordacademy.com - TAMPA, FL, USA -- The staff at Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant made a one ton Sangria with 750 bottles of wine, 500 pounds of fruit and with a few other ingredients during Ceviche's first Sangria Fest, setting the new world record for the Largest pitcher of sangria, according to the World Record Academy:  Continue

inquistr.com -Next time you go to a fast food restaurant and get a soda, you might want to skip the ice. Restaurant ice might be dirtier than toilet water, according to bacterial testing done in major chains.

Though we can’t speak for The States, six out of ten of Britain’s most popular high street restaurants had their ice tested for bacteria, and the results were positively stomach-turning.

Branches of McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, and even Starbucks were tested, with their ice apparently containing more bacteria than that found in toilet water, meaning that if you’re parched after a Big Mac combo, you might be better off taking a straw to the ‘loo with you.

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/684608/restaurant-ice-is-dirtier-than-toilet-water-says-disgusting-new-report/#eZyoGTuBQF2Swu9z.99

Fast Casual - A handful of restaurant leaders shared their tips on how to best engage employees in their high-turnover industry during the NRA Show in Chicago last week. These executives incentivized and engaged their team using everything from company retreats to closed Facebook pages and ESOL programs.

Below are some of the tips they shared:

Use social media to boost company experience

Some brands use closed Facebook pages to engage and communicate with their employees across the system.

"Our page allows them to connect and express themselves. We needed something nimble and fast, which is why we stuck with Facebook. And it's free," said Christine Sanjuan, vice president of Boloco. Her company also uses Google Plus. Continue

Bostonhearald.com - Marathon-goers who had to leave their unpaid restaurant tabs behind when the deadly bombings interrupted
lunch are stepping up to pay the check — making good on their debts from across the nation, the Herald has learned.

“They all said, ‘Listen, we were there, having a good time, and we want to pay our tab,’” said Tony Castagnozzi, owner of the Rattlesnake Bar, who said he has received a flood of calls since the April 15 terror attack. “I was speechless. ... You see there are so many good people out there. It makes you feel good.” Continue

Floridatoday.com A local builder, as well as the mayor of Cocoa Beach, each pledged Sunday to help a small Cocoa church whose members were left holding useless gift certificates after a local restaurant closed earlier this month.

On May 9, three days before Mother’s Day, members of the New Hope Deliverance Church in Cocoa pooled together $150 to buy 10 gift certificates for its “Mothers of the Church,” a group of women aged 70 to 80 who have been long-time members of the church.

They intended to eat at Corky Bell’s on May 19, the Sunday after Mother’s Day, so they could avoid the Mother’s Day crowd. Then they read in FLORIDA TODAY about the restaurant’s closing on May 14 and realized they were out the money they had spent. Continue

ATLANTA (AP) — There's mixed reaction in Georgia to a proposal from a federal agency's call for states to lower their blood-alcohol limits from drivers.

The National Transportation and Safety Board made waves with its call for a 0.05 limit, down from the 0.08 that has become standard.

Georgia's chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving doesn't oppose the idea. But executive director Barry Martin told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ( http://bit.ly/19h4hDU ) that it's not politically feasible. Martin said the focus should be on initiatives that require drivers convicted of DUI to use automobile devices that test their blood-alcohol levels. The units prevent an ignition from working when a driver is over the legal limit.

Read more:  http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Mixed-reaction-in-Ga-to-calls-for-lower-DUI-limit-4551106.php#ixzz2UcbM72f5