Favorite Foodie Phone Apps

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Stephanie

With smartphones and an increasing number of apps, staying connected also enables getting that desired bite.  I use food apps to get not only inspiration on what to eat, but also which dishes to try and how to stay full within my budget. Here are some of the apps that I use the most, and how I use them.

Foursquare

Many think that Foursquare is silly because they assume it is just about “checking in,” being a mayor of a location or getting badges (though those are all fun too), but that is not the case; it is also about sharing tips and suggestions. When checking into a restaurant, the user can see tips, including reviews AND suggested menu items, left by other food fans. People can also upload photos of their dishes and surroundings, helping decide on restaurants and orders based on presentation and ambiance. Quite a few restaurants also upload menus onto Foursquare so no need to go inside and ask to view. Also loving the deals for checking in! I’ve received a free cookie and free appetizers with this app! I’ve also received discounts at retail stores too.

I guess you are the company that you keep because my friends also love eating out, so I like to go where they have been. When I was in Los Angeles awhile back and knew I wanted sushi, I was unsure of where to go as there were about 10 sushi restaurants near me. I clicked the “explore” option and searched for sushi near my current location and Foursquare showed me not only a list of nearby sushi restaurants, but also which ones my friends have also tried. Now that’s a food community!

Foodspotting

Foodspotting is an application more visually focused on dishes compared to some that are more focused on the establishments themselves. With this app, the user can search for dishes to try based on photos that others uploaded—“spot dish.” It is like an Instagram for meals, adding in reviews.  The specials tab also offers discounts to partner restaurants in the area.

If you have been watching “Around the World in 80 Plates” sponsored by Chase Sapphire Preferred on Bravo, Foodspotting also allows you to participate on a local level.  Eight plates were selected at 80 restaurants that showcase dishes from the show’s destinations and Foodspotting users can take photos of feature plates and vote for their favorites. Learn more here.

Urbanspoon

The non-thinking man’s food app. I use this when I’m at a total loss of where to eat. I like that you can choose based on location, genre and/or cost. Users can lock the categories in which they care most about. Using the slot machine style look and feel, the user then shakes the smartphone and the app will give you one restaurant suggested based on your (or lack thereof) preferences. There are also options to search restaurants based on types of food and features, to make reservations at participating restaurants and to search based on location. I must admit, however, that I do not use this one too often and mainly use it when I really don’t know where to eat and I feel like merely shaking the phone to think for me.

Other apps to check out: AllRecipes (if desiring to cook) and Yelp (duh!).

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Move!

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Jessica

May is National Employee Health and Fitness month! In sunny Southern California, we really have no excuse to not be active, but obesity is at an all-time high and health risks associated with sedentary lifestyles are on the rise. New York Times health and wellness columnist Gretchen Reynolds recently published a book making a “clear distinction between the amount of exercise we do to improve sports performance and the amount of exercise that leads to better health. To achieve the latter, she explains, we don’t need to run marathons, sweat it out on exercise bikes or measure our peak oxygen uptake. We just need to do something.”

Playing some Ultimate

At HKA, we are doing something, and the key is that for everyone, something is different. I can be found most days after work playing ultimate frisbee. (Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.) Nick has started running during his lunch hour and is up to five miles, just at lunch. Way to maximize that hour! Stephanie has taken up ballet barre classes for strength training; Robyn can often be found at spin class after a day at the office, and Hilary goes to yoga before I even wake up in the morning! It’s pretty inspiring to see everyone in the office changing into gym clothes at some point in the day.

We continue to be motivated by each other to make healthy choices, and many of our clients are also a source of inspiration. Farmers & Merchants Bank recently launched a branch-wide wellness program that encourages health and fitness. The program kicked off with a walking challenge and continued last month with a low-cal recipe contest. Susan’s Healthy Gourmet offers healthy and delicious options for busy individuals and families, and with innovative culinary creations each year, their meals continue to satiate even the most health and taste bud-conscious. Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary even has an early-morning exercise program for their grounds crew.


The moral of the story: you don’t have to run a marathon or dedicate hours each day to intense training; you just have to move! And don’t get discouraged: taking a walk is better than not walking at all. Just move! What are you doing to incorporate wellness into your life? Walking to pick up lunch? Standing while on the phone? Jumping jacks during commercials?  Share your tips, and who knows, maybe you’ll inspire someone else to start moving.

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Posted in Health and Wellness, Wellness | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Morning is here. Are you awake?

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Nick

It’s morning in America for small businesses. Can’t see it? Just listen. You can hear it in the birdsong of job growth and feel it in the growing warmth of the credit markets. The impending dawn of a recovery led by nimble, entrepreneurial firms draws near and now is the time to rise up and seize the day.

Q2 is shaping up to be a promising quarter for the little guy. According to ADP’s National Employment Report, private businesses with fewer than 50 employees added nearly half of the 119,000 new jobs created in April.  A recent survey by Wells Fargo asserts that small business owners are at their most optimistic since July 2008, projecting an increase in hiring, cash flow and revenues for 2012.

Meanwhile, a bipartisan bill (apparently this is not an oxymoron) to help small businesses raise investment capital by easing federal regulations has cleared the Senate and is expected to easily make it through the House and onto the desk of President Obama, who also supports the bill.

While the entire picture of this nascent recovery remains unclear, these heartening new developments suggest that America’s small businesses will play a significant role in it. So how can you, the small business owner, maximize this opportunity? Here are a few suggestions:*

Image is still everything: One of the cardinal sins among small businesses is neglecting your perception in the marketplace. No matter how valuable your product or service might be, it has to look and sound valuable as well. Update that website, develop those key messages and redesign those brochures. Clients want to be associated with a brand they can be proud of…it may as well be yours.

Image may be everything, but it doesn’t need to cost everything: Now for the good news, there are a variety of cost effective resources at your disposal that will enable you to overhaul your brand without breaking the bank. From website templates to free wire services, you’d be surprised at the difference even a small investment can make.

Think big. Think small: Perhaps the greatest advantage to small businesses post-Great-Recession is the flight to quality client relationships. Many firms are leaving relationships with larger, more bureaucratic companies to take advantage of the service, flexibility and customization of small businesses. Why not play to your strengths in these areas? In today’s fragmented marketplace, it’s huge to be small.

Make your presence known; then don’t stop making presence known: There’s never been a better opportunity to stay in front of your clients and prospects. The widespread access and easy implementation of blogs, social media and email marketing makes it easy to maintain a consistent presence for both business development and customer service. Just be strategic and sophisticated in your communication and always offer something of value, not just a sales pitch.

Yes, the warm, radiant rays of opportunity are soon to be shining down on small businesses across myriad sectors. Take some time to think about how you can best position your business to soak them all in.

* Do you like these recommendations but still aren’t sure about how to implement them? Give us a shout and we’ll be delighted to give you a little more insight.

 

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Posted in Insights, Marketing, Small Business | 1 Comment