Einstein’s Restaurants (or, the Valley eats at Valley Eats!) - theHumm March 2020
Einstein’s Restaurants (or, the Valley eats at Valley Eats!) - theHumm March 2020
By Sebastian Weetabix
The word restaurant derives from soups sold “to go” in marketplaces. As we know them, restaurants date to the time of the French revolution. Today the term restaurant covers a very wide range of establishments, but is generally understood to be a place that offers prepared food and a place in which to enjoy or, in the case of fast food, ingest it. But things are changing in the world of retail. According to Einstein’s theory of relativity it should not matter if the patrons come to the restaurant or the restaurant comes to the patrons. However, economics are where the rubber, the food and the road meet.
In providing a place to consume his or her wares, a restaurateur incurs costs and needs staff to provide related services (order processing, delivery and clean-up). The profitability of a “full service” restaurant is highly dependent on both labour costs explicitly, and less obviously on its ability to maintain consistent service delivery. Reliable and competent staff is a critical success factor and in a small establishment presents significant challenges. Running a good kitchen is not the same as running the “front of house”, and most kitchens can produce more meals than can be accommodated by seating. Food trucks and catering kitchens both “build to order”, and take-away is a simple solution that works well with some obvious limitations.
Many conventional restaurants offer take-out or take-away menus, but a real challenge is presentation. Burgers, curries, soups, etc. are all available, offering the convenience of advance preparation needing only plating and clean-up if taken home or better yet delivered. What could be better? In some cases, not much.
However, packaging is costly and recycling does not offset the cost, at least with today’s options. In some respects, pre-made frozen foods offer solutions but there are multiple barriers to be overcome if presentation and economics are to be dealt with. There is also the significant issue of the “last mile”, which is the term used to describe the problem of economically getting goods from a transportation hub to the final delivery destination. Amazon has disrupted the entire retail sector by demonstrating that there is no need to actually set foot in a retail establishment.
Pizza has a long-established practice of order-to-eat and delivery. Of course it helps that pizza (even good pizza) is flat and therefore stackable with good “finish-to-eat” lifetime. Bad pizza is not quite the equal of the US Army’s MRE (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) rations, but it can withstand an extraordinarily long delivery time while retaining its essential badness.
Both good and bad pizza benefit from reheating and this, of course, brings us to an essential point about order-to-eat, which is that it can work for A) pick up and take wherever, B) home delivery, and C) eat at the restaurant without having to wait — a sort of just-in-time feeding event that seeks to avoid the hazards of unscripted conversations arising from long wait times while the staff reworks the order somebody just dropped.
The unprecedented growth of Amazon at the expense of traditional retail shopping is driven by the quest for convenience as well as the increasing number of differentiated options. In retail food there are similar drivers, starting with the decline of home cooking (which is, let’s face it, not always good cooking). For many consumers home delivery offers socialization benefits as well as the convenience of not needing to “fetch”, but courier delivery on a single trip basis is expensive and inconvenient to arrange.
Taxis and ride-share services are not geared to the economics of single food delivery trips. Enter Valley Eats. A look at their website valleyeats.ca is recommended, since it is clear that some thought has gone into both sides of the underlying transaction. This is a service organization that provides value to the merchant AND the customer while taking advantage of scale and scheduling to aggregate deliveries and thus achieve win-win economics. Founder Ryan Schmidt has a background in retail, and he teamed up with a friend and software developer, Dan Renaud. Valley Eats addresses several specific problems in the food sector. Increasingly, restaurateurs are confronted by the conflicting demands of their customers who want the convenience of order-to-eat plus delivery. In less than a year Valley Eats has developed a system which is friendly and effective at both ends (provider and customer), while managing to operate profitably. Valley Eats now has about fifty drivers and services restaurants and their customers in a territory stretching from Pembroke to Carleton Place. Their business model opens possibilities for future growth both for their service and their client base. It will be interesting to see how they influence the development of the local food scene.
The Magical Imagination of Mária Moldován - theHumm March 2020
By Sally Hansen
Art… and Soul
The mere mention of Transylvania anywhere in the Anglosphere immediately conjures up the occult adventures of Dracula. Having never met anyone from Transylvania before, your intrepid arts reporter was both mesmerized and intimidated by my utter lack of knowledge of the background of this month’s featured artist from Arnprior.
Mária Moldován’s astonishing art is as unfamiliar as her background — and just as fascinating. This accomplished and multi-talented artist weaves he......
Maple Marches into the Valley! - theHumm March 2020
By Sarah Kerr
March! I can’t believe it! We’ve made it through the darkness and are heading to the light — with longer days and spring just around the corner. I find March is a favourite month of mine, not just because it’s my birthday month, but it’s also Nowruz (Persian New Year on spring equinox) marking a new year, a fresh start, spring!
I love planning March with kids because its full of maple goodness; there’s still snow but lots of sunshine to get the sap running. The beginning of the agricultural seaso......
The Ten Collective Third Annual Exhibit of Paintings - theHumm March 2020
In April 2018, ten Mississippi Mills artists held their first show, expecting 500 people to visit. By the end of the two-day exhibit, more than 1,200 had attended the show and visited the town. In 2019 attendance increased to 1,600. Visitors came from Mississippi Mills, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto. The artists were overwhelmed and sold many of their paintings. It was also very busy weekend for the local restaurants and stores.
“The overwhelming success of the last two shows and......
Youth Homelessness in Lanark County - theHumm March 2020
By Submitted Maureen Running and Nancy Chevrier, Social Justice Committee, CFUW Perth and District
In 2020, youth homelessness continues to be a difficult and complex problem across Canada. In Lanark County youth homelessness is often invisible but is nevertheless very real. Man......
Onion Paper and Ashes - theHumm March 2020
By Angie Arendt
We were standing next to our lockers waiting for the bell to ring before heading into Typing I for an hour of the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog, hoping that today would be the day......
Kanata Choral Society An Afternoon of Music & Fun - theHumm March 2020
Once a year, members of the Kanata Choral Society present an event that is filled with light music to entertain not only an adult audience but also the younger generation. The title of this year’......
More Music at MERA - theHumm March 2020
By Trina Conboy
With two appearances at MERA last year, you would think that we would give James Keelaghan a rest for a while. That’s what we thought too, until we got a last-minute chance to host him and Jez Lo......
MVTM: New Fibre and Textile Art Award! - theHumm March 2020
The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (MVTM) is proud to launch the first KDS Fibre and Textile Art Award to recognize excellence in fibre and textile art. It’s been created as a showcase of......
A Rough Start: Tales of Lower Town - theHumm March 2020
On Sunday, March 22, the Kanata North Concert Series presents an afternoon of stories and song, venturing back to a time when a shiner meant more than a black eye and Ottawa was the toughest......
Deep Roots Food Hub - theHumm March 2020
By David Hinks
Carp-area physician Dr. Barry Bruce is a tireless advocate for local food production and healthy living. At the recent Seedy Saturday event in Almonte he engaged passersby at the very professiona......
MMLT “Tick Talk” and AGM - theHumm March 2020
On Wednesday, March 25, the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust (MMLT) invites everyone to attend “Keeping pace with the risk and spread of tick-borne diseases in Ontario and Quebec” — a presen......
Stand-Up and Take Notice! - theHumm March 2020
By Article submitted Vicki Graham, standup comic wannabe. Vicki lives in Merrickville and is active in her local theatre group. A retired Bank Manager and breast cancer survivor (two things you don’t ass
I always enjoy going through the Humm monthly. While looking for a winter adventure, I came across an article promoting stand-up comedy. I jumped at the chance, and for the last four weeks, seven......
Maple Tale: A Brief History of Fortune Farms - theHumm March 2020
By Ray Fortune
Once again the maple syrup season is here. After a wet dreary January it’s great to look forward to Spring and the taste of fresh maple syrup.
This will be the 47th year of making maple syru......
Meet Federal Green Party Candidate in Carleton Place - theHumm March 2020
By Barb Purdy
To take on the climate emergency, we need to inspire voters and volunteers to join us, the Green Party first responders. What are the best ways for us to work hard and work smart together?
Pl......
Dance for Your Health! - theHumm March 2020
On Saturday, April 25 Eddy and the Stingrays return to the Almonte Civitan Club for the annual Spring Dance in support of Almonte General Hospital – Fairview Manor Foundation. Swing to the c......
Gold Discoveredin Lanark County! - theHumm March 2020
By Jill Carty
When you live a peaceful and tranquil life amongst the natural beauty and maple trees that capture the essence of the Lanark County countryside, the seasons serenade you with the renewal, growth,......
Welcome Springwith some Upbeat Jazz! - theHumm March 2020
The Station Theatre is proud to welcome the Sam Kirmayer Sextet for the first concert of their 2020 music series. Based in Montreal, Sam is a guitarist and composer who has recorded two albums: O......
ADHS Presents Noises Off - theHumm March 2020
By Elizabeth Golding is a grade 12 student at ADHS
Come see Almonte and District High School’s latest play, and don’t forget the sardines! This year ADHS will be performing Noises Off, which was written by Michael Frayn in 1982. It was during a t......
Finding (You)the Perfect Book - theHumm March 2020
By Christine Row
Libraries and bookstores offer a special service that online retailers cannot mimic: connecting people to the perfect book. In the book world, this connection is called “readers’ advisory service......
Garden Workshops - theHumm March 2020
The Almonte Library is offering several Saturday morning workshops to help you green up your garden this spring. The first one takes place on March 14 from 10am to noon, when local grower Sa......
Birding — Not Just for Birders! - theHumm March 2020
Birding (or birdwatching) is one of the fastest growing hobbies in North America, with one in five adults participating. It is both a science and a hobby that gives participants an excuse to trav......
Learning in Almonte Inspires Author - theHumm March 2020
By Glenda Jones & Pat McLaughlin
Sometimes all it takes is encouragement and validation to get creative juices flowing. For Pat McLaughlin, newly published poet, taking a Learning in Almonte course on creative writing with Phil ......
Einstein’s Restaurants (or, the Valley eats at Valley Eats!) - theHumm March 2020
By Sebastian Weetabix
The word restaurant derives from soups sold “to go” in marketplaces. As we know them, restaurants date to the time of the French revolution. Today the term restaurant covers a very wide range of ......
Don’t Say That! - theHumm March 2020
By Glenda Jones
Old Nellie has been in the barn all winter and she’s getting spring fever, so it’s time to saddle up the old girl and get on my high horse for a trot around the countryside. Riding can be a pain ......
Marg Graff & SchoolBOX North - theHumm March 2020
By Sarah Kerr
Almonte’s hometown charity, SchoolBOX, is celebrating the ETFO social justice award-winning teacher Marg Graff for her service and dedication in helping us create Indigenous Learning Centres......
Movies, Music, and Irish Roots - theHumm March 2020
By John Pigeau
It’s March, so by the time you’re reading this it’s either spring or spring is just around the corner. That, I submit to you, is as great a cause for celebration as St. Patrick’s Day. This month,......
Art News Around the Valley - theHumm March 2020
By Miss Cellaneous
Fibre Fling Show & Sale
Out-of-the-Box Fibre Artists will be celebrating their annual Fibre Fling Show and Sale on April 3 and 4. This event will showcase ove......
Seedy Sunday in Perth - theHumm March 2020
Believe it or not, spring is just around the corner — and the Perth Farmers’ Market would like to help you get ready. Maple sap will be flowing, the snow will melt, and it will soon be time to st......
TheHumm’s Daily Dose for March 28, 2020 Support Almonte Merchants, Get Out and Run, and Stay Healthy with Modern Thymes - theHumm March 2020
Destination Almonte has created a wonderful online resource for folks wanting to support their local merchants. At destinationalmonte.com......
TheHumm’s Daily Dose for March 27, 2020 Art Kits for continued creativity, and original art in exchange for ordering books! - theHumm March 2020
JB Arts in Almonte and Art & Class in Perth are both offering a creative way to stay creative: custom art kits that can be delivered or picked up! In Almonte, you can email jeff@jbarts.ca and......
TheHumm’s Daily Dose for March 26, 2020 Good food for dinner, the history of Fortune Farms, and Mississippi Mudds-wear. - theHumm March 2020
If you find yourself running out of flour (or inspiration), why not order dinner tonight from The Good Food Co? Petra writes: “We are trying to keep food waste and traffic into the storefront to ......
TheHumm’s Daily Dose for March 25, 2020 Bubbles & Bites, YouTube Yoga, and band banter with Blackie & the Rodeo Kings. - theHumm March 2020
Good news! Artizen Kombucha is teaming up with friends to deliver an assortment of delicious goodies made right in Perth. They write: “Our small rural town boasts incredible culinary creativity a......
TheHumm’s Daily Dose for March 23, 2020 Online yoga, delivering groceries to seniors, and a virtual April Humm! - theHumm March 2020
Starting today (Monday, March 23), Carp’s Yoga & Tea Studio will be offering their daily schedule of yoga classes LIVE online since the studio is temporarily closed due to Covid-19. Find out ......
In Memoriam - theHumm March 2020
By Kris Riendeau
Shaun McLaughlin Former Mayor of Mississippi Mills
In his “County Curmudgeon” column that ran in the December 2002 issue of theHumm, Shaun McLaughlin wrote: “‘Fight the good fight’ is a phra......
Apr 27 Festival of the Maples
Apr 27 The Moth Project
May 4 - 5 Spring Fine Art Show
May 4 - 5 Spring Fine Art Show
May 4 Outskirts
May 5 Music at Mera: The Andrew Collins Trio
May 9 Family Paint Party: Paint Nite
May 11 - 12 Art in the Attic
- IS THIS A PROTEST?
- A Classic Whodunnit Agatha Christie’s Black Coffee at Studio Theatre
- Readers, Writers, and Poets
- Celebrate Indigenous Culture in CP
- Celebrate the ClassicsWith the Arnprior Choir
- 4F Auction Concoction Food, Fun, Fashion & Favourites
- Cheerfully Made Spring Market
- Electrify to Decarbonize Lanark
- Volunteer Forum
- Frankenstein Comes to The Station Theatre
