Sixth Sense

New York…As you might imagine my friends in the kosher restaurant business are not happy campers these days, particularly those that are in the Red Zone in places like Boro Park and Flatbush in Brooklyn or in Rockland County. They already were takeout, deliver, outdoor dining, almost indoor dining and now back to takeout

The breaking news in this edition is the official announcement of the cancellation of Kosherfest 2020 and the planned new date for 2021. Of course, this is all contingent on how rapidly the Covid-19 crisis ends. Just this week, one long-time exhibitor lamented how he used to be so busy at this time of the year preparing

Anyone that has camped out at JFK Airport in the past few years right before Succos (eve of October 2nd this year) got a sense of just how mobile the entire kosher community seemed to be. Entire families were travelling to spend the holiday with parents and grandparents. Thousands were headed to vacation destinations like

There is no question that advertising was slashed by as much as half by kosher purveyors during the long months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Most kosher food advertising nowadays is in the form of colorful glossy ads in Jewish periodicals. There was one bright spot, however, in the form of social media. With people

A young couple with a rather neat idea for a new kosher food product asked me whether there was room in the kosher market for their idea. Their questions were very telling: Isn’t the market dominated by some big players with deep pockets? Are people interested in change and in new creative ideas? Do we even have a shot

The debate of whether to wear a mask or not has made its way all the way to the checkout counter of a large kosher supermarket. One elegantly dressed woman wore a colorful cloth mask while the woman directly behind her (only about 2 feet back) wore a surgical mask on her wrist despite repeated announcements in English and

Speaking to an operator of a Passover program that could not open this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he chose to focus his concern on Passover 2021 which in my mind at the moment seemed safe. Here’s how he put it: “It will take awhile for people to feel comfortable again to spend a holiday in a hotel or even to

Some people are bent on ripping out 2020 from the calendar based on the still uncertain future of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic. Major events like the New York City Marathon and even Broadway have been cancelled for the balance of 2020. The nation’s major food shows like the Fancy Food Show and Expo West have also

This was the week when restaurants in New York City could introduce sidewalk dining. Kosher restaurants rushed to buy little tables, chairs, and umbrellas to be neatly placed at curbside. Most restaurant tables I saw in Brooklyn had no more than 2-3 people. It so much reminded me of Europe. Outdoor dining is a pastime for

Jodi couldn’t contain her excitement. The Starbucks she had come to love was open once again only to learn that for the first time in her life she would not be welcome. As she entered the store, she realized that the normal 6-8 workers were down to only two. “Mam, you have to order on-line. We are open for pickup