Main Street Report

Tulsa Chick-fil-A Sets Guinness World Record For World's Largest Lemonade

2008-08-20T23:56:17-04:00

In recognition of National Lemonade Day, which apparently was today (August 20th), Chick-fil-A restaurant operator Arthur Greeno and his Tulsa (Eastside Market), Oklahoma team created an 839 gallon cup of lemonade. The monster drink, officially certified this morning by a Guinness Book of World Records rep, was mixed in a nearly 1,100-gallon fiberglass cup designed to resemble Chick-fil-A's signature foam cup and contained 1,050 lbs. (2,175 cups) of sugar, 580 gallons of water, 250 lbs. of ice and 11,730 Sunkist® lemons that yielded 145 gallons of lemon juice.

After official measurements were taken, the nearly bottomless cup of lemonade supplied several "Sunkist Take a Stand" lemonade stands set up outside the restaurant as a way to collect donations to benefit Little Light House, a Tulsa-based developmental center serving young children with special needs. Chick-fil-A says the fundraising goal of $10,000 was achieved on event day, with additional funds still coming in.

From the press release:

"When Arthur approached us with the idea to pursue the Guinness World Record for the largest glass of lemonade, we were quickly won over by his enthusiasm and commitment to achieving this ambitious goal," said Sunkist representative Sarah Matejowsky. "We quickly coordinated the delivery of 108 complimentary crates of lemons [approximately 12,400 lemons] and helped spearhead Arthur's charitable efforts as part of our 'Take a Stand' initiative. We couldn't be prouder to be part of such a fun and worthwhile endeavor."

Greeno and his restaurant team members are no strangers to larger-than-life exploits. Last year, Greeno and his team created a 130-gallon Hand-Spun Milkshake -- while the feat did not achieve a Guinness World Record, it certainly turned heads in Tulsa.

Orioles' 50 Millionth Fan Showered With Cash and Tickets

2008-08-20T23:30:57-04:00

CNN's SI.com has the story: Oriole Park at Camden Yards hit the 50 million fan attendance mark Tuesday night, August 19th, reaching the milestone quicker than any ballpark in baseball history. Kevin Gracie, a 24-year-old student at the University of Baltimore School of Law, arrived to watch the O's play the Red Sox, unaware that by passing through the gates he was the 50 millionth fan to do so. Gracie won $50,000 plus season tickets for five years.

Another milestone, set to be crossed sometime during the upcoming weekend series against the Yankees, will net a lucky fan $100,000 and season tickets for five years. That milestone will mark 100 million fans since the O's arrived in Baltimore.

New From Domino's: Hot Oven-Baked Sandwiches, Delivered

2008-08-20T22:31:16-04:00

If you're not in the mood for pizza, you can still give Domino's a call. The pizza chain is claiming to be the first major quick-service restaurant chain in the country to offer oven-baked sandwiches, delivered hot to your door. The sandwiches, priced at $4.99, come in four varieties: Philly Cheese Steak, Chicken Bacon Ranch, Chicken Parm, and Italian. From the press release:

"As of today, we are the largest sandwich delivery company in the nation," said Patrick Doyle, president of Domino's USA. "This launch springboards Domino's into the lunch business by providing a product that is high quality, priced right and aimed at convenience-minded people without a lot of time. Of course, sandwiches are also available any time our stores are open.

"Some of our sandwich competitors use units that look like microwaves or toaster ovens to try and warm a few of their subs. We have high-end ovens in our stores that cost $30,000 and bake our sandwiches at 450 degrees. It gives us a huge quality advantage they can't match," Doyle added. "People fed up with brown-bagging or driving to pick up something cold, can save some time and gas by ordering a hot Domino's sandwich for delivery to their home or office."

Since August 18th, the sandwiches have been available in approximately 4,000 U.S. stores, and will be available in all stores beginning Sept. 22. Domino's plans to spotlight its new sandwich line with a multi-media marketing push over the next several weeks.

McDonald's Begins Rollout of New Specialty Coffee

2008-08-20T21:50:42-04:00

McDonald's, hoping to encroach on Starbucks' turf, has launched its new specialty coffees in participating Central Ohio locations. McCafe Coffee follow the launch of the chain's Premium Roast in 2006 and Iced Lattes in 2007. The new lineup includes Lattes, Mochas and Cappuccinos in a variety of options and flavors including Iced, Hazelnut, Caramel and Vanilla. Additiaonal details via the press release.

EveryBlock Expands to Washington DC, Boston and Seattle

2008-08-20T20:29:02-04:00

EveryBlock, a hyperlocal site that calls itself a "geographic filter, a newsfeed for your neighborhood or even your block", has expanded to cover three new cities: Washington, DC, Boston and Seattle. EveryBlock now covers a total of eight cities, with Charlotte, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and San Fransisco rounding things out. From the EveryBlock blog on this week's announcement of three new cities:

We've chosen these based on a combination of user feedback/demand and general "EveryBlockiness" of the cities. All three are really great, vibrant places, with plenty of interesting news and public data available at the block level. If you live in these cities, or have friends there, please take a look and help us spread the word. Another major change to our site is our new home page. Now that we're in eight cities, we've redesigned it to accommodate the longer list.

For an in-depth look into EveryBlock, the Chicago Tribune did a profile of founder Adrian Holovaty this past weekend.

Happy 26th Birthday to the Compact Disc

2008-08-18T11:03:46-04:00

I remember well when the compact disc made its way on to Main Street back in the 80s. Sony introduced it first in Germany in 1982, then it arrived on our shores the next hear. I still purchase and play CDs, in addition to downloading (legally) mp3s, and see no reason why this won't be an option for years to come. But Wired has a different take on the CD, it's birthday, and its place in the future of music. Hey, at least we're not carrying around 8-tracks, right?

I'm trying to figure out what's the oldest CD in my collection. I believe it's a copy of U2's Joshua Tree purchased in 1987. What's your oldest CD? For the complete skinny on the CD, check out its Wikipedia page.

Oldest Working CEO Jack A. Weil, Noted Western Wear Entrepreneur, Dies at Age 107

2008-08-17T22:56:07-04:00

If you've ever owned and worn a wester shirt with snaps instead of buttons, you can thank Jack A. Weil. Weil, founder and head of Rockmount Ranch Wear, was the oldest working CEO in the United States until his death on August 13th at the age of 107 years, five months. The Washington Post has a great piece on Weil in today's edition. WikiNews notes that:

Weil was well-known for coining the phrase "The West is not a place, it is a state of mind." He was the first person to put snaps on Western sirts, patented the saw-tooth pocket design seen on many Western shirts, and was credited with inventing the bolo tie.

Among his customers were Ronald Reagan, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Nicholas Cage. More recently, Rockmount shirts were worn by the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in the 2005 Academy Award-nominated movie, Brokeback Mountain.

(Photo courtesy of the Washington Post & AP)

We're Driving Less. A Whole Lot Less

2008-08-13T22:00:32-04:00

As reported by CNNMoney.com, Americans drove 12.2 billion miles less, or 4.7% less, in June than they did during June 2007, according to data released today from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Since a decline in miles driven began last November, we've logged 53.2 billion fewer miles than the same period one year ago, an 8-month dive that surpasses the decline in driving seen from 1971 to 1980, when Americans were pummled by the Arab oil embargo, recession and high inflation.

High Heat Oil Prices Making Consumers Hot for Firewood

2008-08-13T15:27:25-04:00

USA Today/AP on firewood as a hot commodity. Up 50 percent in places, it's still cheaper to heat with wood than with oil, on a cost comparison basis.

A cord of firewood has the same heating potential as 155 gallons of heating oil, said Peter Lammert of the Maine Forest Service. Thus, a cord of seasoned firewood costing $300 is a bargain compared with 155 gallons of heating oil costing $685.10, based on $4.42 a gallon, the statewide average.

Best Buy to Carry 3G iPhone

2008-08-13T15:18:06-04:00

Best Buy announced today that it'll carry Apple's red hot 3G iPhone at Best Buy Mobile stores nationwide beginning September 7. Suggested retail pricing: $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model, and you're still committed to a new two-year contract with AT&T. An AP article notes that in addition to becoming the first independent iPhone retailer, Best Buy recently completed a two-year conversion of its stores that include upgraded cell-phone departments under the Best Buy Mobile brand, upgrading computer systems to handle cell-phone activation and spending some 250,000 hours to train employees.

In other related news, Best Buy announced a couple of days ago that it plans to add a dozen vending kiosks inside major airports across the U.S. as part of a new pilot program called "Best Buy Express." The machines will stock various items, including cell phones and accessories. (Details here via USA Today) Perhaps we'll soon be able to pick up a 3G iPhone at one of these kiosks while waiting for a delayed flight.

A TLC Show That Might Finally Offer A Realistic View of Real Estate

2008-08-13T13:59:05-04:00

I enjoy watching HGTV and some of the programming on TLC, but my taste for home shows soured a while back. First, you can watch shows about other people doing things that you might or might not want to do to your home for only so long. And second, all of the shows seemed like they were taped at the top of the housing bubble, with home sellers smiling broadly as real estate appraisers inform them of their huge profit potential. This is 2008, not early 2005, so where's the reality in the reality shows?

TLC added a new series to its property-themed Saturday lineup called Hope For Your Home (debut Aug. 9, 8:30PM ET) that it claims "puts the real back in real estate", helping homeowners find "solutions to their real-life mortgage challenges." From the press release:

HOPE FOR YOUR HOME takes on the tough circumstances so many homeowners in this country are facing today. Hosted by real estate expert Kirsten Kemp Becker (TLC's PROPERTY LADDER), HOPE FOR YOUR HOME lends a hand to homeowners in financial need by giving them critical resources to make improvements to their property. The goal is to add enough value to their home so they can either refinance their mortgage or make the best possible sale. Kirsten advises the homeowners on what improvements will actually increase a home's value, while a contractor ensures that all projects are done properly and safely. Once the improvements are complete, a real estate agent and a mortgage broker tour the home, examine the upgrades, and determine a market value. In the end, the homeowners are empowered to decide if they should stay in their newly renovated home, or sell their home and find something more affordable for their family.

Come to think of it, maybe I prefer shows that show smiling people who just made a quarter million profit on their home. Putting the 'real' back in real estate might be too depressing.

A Sobering Assessment of the Housing Market

2008-08-13T12:44:18-04:00

If you've been depressed about the state of the housing market, and were hoping the bleeding has stopped, you might not want to watch this video from Yahoo Tech Ticker (A Bottom in Housing? You've Got to Be Kidding). Host Henry Blodget talks with Barry Ritholz, CEO of Fusion IQ and financial blogger for The Big Picture. The video is five minutes long, and Ritholz packs more valuable information and honest insight into each minute on this subject than anyone I've heard to date. The bottom line, says Ritholz, is that the housing market is nowhere near a bottom, and it will likely wobble down and sideways for a at least a couple more years - a 25 percent further decline - until the price to income average returns to normal levels.

There are exceptions, like the New York City market, which has defied the laws of bubble-pop gravity. The location, location, location rule is in effect, and a Manhattan address is still on the covet list for those who can afford it. What bothers me is when the media throws out scary stats about this being the "worst housing price decline ever", when they fail to balance it with the fact that we had the "biggest price jump ever" from 2000 to 2005. Prices in my region (Northern Virginia) were jumping 25-30 percent per year at the height of the bubble, between 2003 and 2005. And if current home values around me have declined an average of 20 percent the past three years, how can we complain? If you make 60 percent, then lose 20, you're still up 40 percent in a relatively short period of time.

One sign that a bottom may be forming is that discounted, foreclosed homes are starting to be snapped up en mass. A New York Post article titled Lost Sovereignity: Oil Rich Fund Eying Foreclosed U.S. Homes, details what it terms a "new land grab in America", where billions of dollars in foreign money is now being focused on the foreclosure market. So basically, money we're sending to the Mideast for oil is now being used to purchase tens of thousands of our homes on the cheap.

I hope the housing pain won't continue for years, but I'm a realist, and Ritholz' analysis - while sobering - is probably right on the money.

Something Fishy About This Pedicure

2008-08-13T01:11:50-04:00

I've seen several stories about this, the most recent from the International Tribune and AP: a spa in Northern Virginia has been offering 'fish pedicures' for the past four months, where customers stick their feet in tanks with tiny, toothless fish that gently nibble away at dead, flaking skin. Some 5,000 people have made the plunge so far at Yvonne Hair and Nails salon.

Major TV and Cable networks have caught on to this one-of-a-kind experience. Watch an ABC video here. It's being called a 'Dr Fish Massage', and you can have a 30 minute session with fish swarming your feet for $50. Would you try it? Or perhaps it's the ultimate gift for that person who's tried every other kind of spa treatment out there.

NY Court Upholds Firing of Worker Who Defied Smoking Rules

2008-08-13T00:51:54-04:00

If you missed it, USA Today has the recent story of paralegal Karen Krindel of Rochester, New York, who was fired in November 2006 because she didn't play by new rules that banned smoking breaks. Krindel applied for unemployment benefits and received about $3,000. But a state Labor Department board later rejected that, arguing she was fired for misconduct and misrepresented the reason for her getting the boot.

Best part of the article: Krindel argued that banning smoking breaks is unfair to smokers who use breaks to re-energize and become "less crabby".

Looking Ahead to the Holidays: Pump Prices Good For Online Shopping, Bad for Overall Spending

2008-08-13T00:41:25-04:00

iCongo, a leading developer of e-business systems and software, says the results of a consumer survey conducted on their behalf by Harris Interactive shows the pain at the gas pump will sharply cut consumers’ holiday spending and drive more shoppers online. From iCongo's website:

As a result of increasing gasoline prices, nearly three in four online adults, 73 percent, expect their holiday shopping habits to change in some way, for example, by spending less on gifts (42 percent) and doing more one-stop shopping (40 percent). Findings show more than one in three online adults (36 percent) are now more likely to shop online rather than in-person as a result of the increasing price of gasoline.

For complete details of the survey, go here.