MÄNI'S BLOG CAFÉ
Your café on the web for current information about delicious, healthier versions of traditional foods for the health conscious connisseur.
Get MÄNI'S Blog updates by email. Subscribe here.
09.30.05
Here is just a quick note to let you know that as of Noon on Friday, September 30th, we have sold 555 Helping Hand Cookies. Read The Story... UPDATE: Helping Hand Cookie Sales Thanks for your support!!!
Posted by Larry Maiman in
Send to a Friend • Permalink
• (0) Comments
09.29.05
ANSWER: Mäni's has a "first come- first seated" policy. At certain times it is necessary for us to keep a waiting list for Table Service. However, if you are somewhat flexible with your time, we'll be happy to suggest off peak times when immediate seating is more likely. (Of course, we can never guarantee how busy we will be at any given time.) You may call us at (323) 938-8800 ext:44. We'll do our best to accommodate you!
09.28.05
ANSWER: At this time we don't offer a delivery service, BUT don't worry, we work with LA Bite. Through LA Bite you can order Mäni's and they'll bring it to you. If you don't have a copy of our To-Go Menu you can download it off this site. You can also order at labite.com. You'll be able to choose our menu items right online. Of course, you're also encouraged to stop in and pick one up and have a sample of baked goodness. Log on to LA Bite at www.labite.com or call (310) 441-BITE also (818) 205- 0500.
09.27.05
It all began after September 11, 2001. A group of restaurant employees in Seattle went to their CEO with the idea to have a "dine out" day to raise money for the 9/11 relief fund. The CEO not only agreed to their idea, he suggested they go public in an effort to get other restaurants around the Nation to participate as well.  "DINE FOR AMERICA" as it became known, grew to 8,000 restaurants and raised over 20 million dollars for the relief effort and was the second largest fundraiser for those whose lives were devastated by the events of September 11, 2001.
In light of recent events in our own Gulf region, on Wednesday, October 5th, "DINE FOR AMERICA" will return. Dine For America is not an organization, instead it's Restaurants across America, their  employees, and guests and the National Restaurant Association uniting in support of the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, by raising funds for The American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Check out DINE FOR AMERICA. 100% of the funds raised will go to The American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. 100% of the funds raised through Dine For America will go directly to The American Red Cross to help the victims, their families and other needs arising out of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Check out The American Red Cross. Mäni's has joined with the thousands of restaurants across the U.S.A. and pledges to give 1 dollar, to Dine For America, for every customer we have on Wednesday the 5th. So, if you haven't yet tried our New Menu items, October 5th is the perfect day to come in. Check out the New Menu. Even if you come in to get your daily Muffin ToGo, we'll donate 1 dollar. How about a nice Hot Chocolate or Latte ToGo? We'll donate 1 dollar. Whatever you do, come in and do it on Wed. the 5th of October.  Double up on your power to help by buying a Helping Hand Cookie for 1 dollar.  All proceeds will go to Americas Second Harvest; and we'll donate 1 dollar to "Dine For America". Read about Helping Hand Cookie.
Many are planning Dine For America "parties", getting groups of friends together at restaurants participating in the Dine For America Fundraiser. Whether you eat out often or not, if your thinking of dining out the first week in October, do it on the Wednesday the 5th! Find out if your favorite places are participating or not and support those that are. You might even suggest that they do participate. There are various ways in which a restaurant may be a part of this huge Fundraiser. They should check out the Dine For America Site.(linked above) Please come by Mäni's on Wednesday October 5th and be a part of Dine For America. It's an easy way for customers to play a huge part in the Fundraiser without having to dig deep into your own pockets. Now that's a great value!!!
09.27.05
- Visa
- Mastercard
- US Currency
- Discover
- American Express
- Traveller's Checks
- The Mäni's card
09.26.05
ANSWER: We have something even better called a Mäni's Card. A Mäni's Card is a card about the size of a credit card and functions similarly as well. The value of each card is determined by the purchaser. It can have any value, say 5 dollars or 100 dollars, it's up to you! When the card is empty it can be recharged; so that you never have to worry about passing Mäni's without money! Mäni's Cards are available with a gift card holder which explains a bit of Mäni's philosophy and an envelope. Available in-store or online.
09.26.05
For anyone reading our BLOG for the first time; we've been selling Helping Hand Cookies for 1 Dollar since 9/7/05. The response to our cookies has been very positive. The total Helping Hand Cookies sold, as of Noon today (9/26), is 524! For every cookie we sell (1 dollar), America's Second Harvest provides 4 bags of food to those who have no food. So, we're looking at 2,096 bags of food!!! Thank you for adding those "Hand Cookies" to your purchases these last few weeks. The relief effort may lose it's "hot new story" coverage, but the need will not go away as quickly. Thank You! We will continue to keep you informed.
09.20.05
If the weather today is any indication of what's to come, it's apparent that Fall has "fallen" upon us. For the most part, the customers in Mäni's today actually enjoyed the change of atmosphere the thunder, lightening and rain brought us. Many could be seen sipping lattes and reading their books "du jour". Though there were a few die hard Summer lovers who may have been a bit disturbed by the slight chill in the air, soup sales were high; indicating the majority of guests were all too happy to go-with-the-flow and welcome the chance to snuggle into a warm, cozy meal.  Puree of Asparagus(pictured), the soup of the day, was flavorful, full bodied and garnished with tasty grilled asparagus. Asparagus fans loved it!
If you weren't in today, don't worry, Mäni's has a new Fall soup line-up scheduled to begin on September 26th. Wait 'til you get a whiff of these "Awesome Autumn Additions"!
click to continue reading 
09.20.05
Many of you may have seen our new menu launched last week. Although our popular items are still available, many of our new items are either vegan or vegetarian. However all our selections of burgers, tuna sandwiches, turkey chili and more are integral segments of our menu. I'd like to clarify our intents and philosophies on our food items and categories in the restaurant. Mäni's offers a wide variety of healthier foods made from fresh and wholesome ingredients. Some of our meal components are organic. Some are vegetarian. Some are vegan. Some are low fat. Some items traditionally using beef or pork are made Mäni's style with turkey or chicken, like our turkey bacon, turkey burgers, or our club sandwich made with chicken and turkey bacon. Some are low carb. All are delicious. And all items that come forward from one seasonal menu to the next are items that you, our guests, have made popular.
Later today we'll also publish our new soup schedule. Here again these are items that you've seen before and we have them because you made them popular. We want to hear from you about what you think of our food and service. Sure, everyone loves compliments, and we'd like constructive feedback too, if you wouldn't mind telling us. Just today Carl and I talked to a customer at the counter for quite awhile. We'll call her Ms. N. Ms. N. has been a guest for years. She loves our products, but was quite annoyed that the serving sizes of our cakes seemed to have shrunk over time. The issue was that our cakes are supposed to be divided into 8 equal slices, and it seems that's not always the case. And since the price increased awhile back, it was understandable that the size shouldn't have become smaller. We almost lost a wonderful patron. But fortunately she was able to let us know what was wrong so we could rectify that issue. Now Ms. N. left happy and Carl and I are even more satisfied knowing we solved a situation that could have become a loss for her and us! So please, let us know if we mess up. I know we do sometimes; we're certainly not perfect and we want to make things right for YOU! Thanks for listening. Larry By the way.... Here are some faces at Mäni's on Fairfax, with whom you can discuss any issue:  Jose our chef in the kitchen, with our lead cook, Julio
 Carl, Operations, Customer Service and Staff Development
 Yours truly, Founder, Larry
 Sergio, Retail Team Leader
 Paul, Asst. Retail Team Leader and Trainer
09.20.05
As many of you know, Mani's is going to match your donations to the American Red Cross. At 1 pm today (9/20) we counted a total of 489 dollars from you. When we reach 500 dollars, we will match it with 500 dollars and turn it over to the Red Cross. Thank you! We are all grateful to you for supporting us in our effort to take part in helping those who are in serious need right now. We will update you, when we give the money to the Red Cross.
09.19.05
Here's the latest update for our Helping Hand Cookie Sales. As most of you know by now, we're selling these crispy butter cookies for a dollar and all monies collected will be given to Americas Second Harvest. For every dollar A2H receives they can provide 4 bags of food to feed the hungry. The Hurricane in the Gulf Coast has left many with nothing at all... some haven't even got I.D. to prove who they are! A2H is involved with those who have been devastated by hurricane Katrina as well as the many who already go hungry here in the U.S.A. Our thought behind the Helping Hand Cookie is that when you come in to Mani's for some of our healthier alternatives to traditional baked goods, why not donate a dollar to America's Second Harvest and get a Helping Hand Cookie in return. As of 11 am today (Monday) our total sales are 434 cookies. At 4bags of food for every cookie you buy, that totals 1,736 bags of food available to eat. If you would like to check out Americas Second Harvest click here. If you have any comments or questions about anything please feel free to click the comment bar below. Thanks. And thank you to all of you for your support!
09.15.05
Once Again, we'd like to give those of you keeping up with us, an update on the Helping Hand Cookie Sales. As of Thursday evening our total sales have reached 372 cookies. The cookies cost a dollar each, so we have the same amount in dollars. Every dollar we collect for each cookie will be given to Americas Second Harvest. For each dollar A2H receives they can supply 4 bags of food to people in need. Thank you to all our customers! We'll keep you posted.
09.14.05
Here's the latest number for the sale of the Helping Hand Cookies to benefit Americas Second Harvest. As of 11am Wednesday the 14th we have sold 303 cookies at 1 dollar each. For every dollar that A2H receives, they can provide 4 bags of food to those in need!!! Check out Americas Second Harvest. We're grateful to you cookie eaters, thank you!
09.14.05
  Beginning Thursday -the 15th- our menu will be updated with some very tasty new items.
For STARTERS, we're adding Hummus & Pita W/Veggies, Chili Nachos, Chicken Taquitos and Mini Tamales to our current starters menu.   If BREAKFAST is your desire, then you'll be excited about our new Vegan/Wheat-Free Pancakes and new Belgian-style Waffles; as well as more interactive "Build Your Own" Omelettes and Scrambles. For the first time ever we're offering a Vegan Tofu Scramble; we call our Scrumble Hash!
And that's not all! What about French Toast, made from our own real french bread and served with a fresh seasonal fruit puree? Vegetarians and meat eaters alike will love sinking their teeth into the NEW Ultimate Veggie Burger with it's side of chips and homemade salsa. Joining our family of "Sandwiches/Wraps" is a Vegetarian Sandwich on Foccacia bread and a Hummus Yogurt Wrap. For a more indepth look at our new menu, read on.
click to continue reading
09.14.05
Answer: Sales Tax laws govern how we tax our products and our service. Bakery items, for example, are not taxed, unless you sit down. We are required under California State Sales Tax Laws to charge each customer sales tax on all items consumed at a table. All prepared foods are always taxed and bakery and snack items are sales tax exempt when taken off premises for consumption. Our cash registers are programmed accordingly.
09.13.05
We had a goal to give 1,000 dollars to The American Red Cross by matching dollar for dollar, the first 500 dollars we collected. Although we had a slow start, last weekend we made a big leap. By Friday evening, we had collected 52 dollars. Yet as of lunch today we now have a total of 406 dollars. A big thanks to all of you! One generous customer, Marcia Daniel, shocked us by leaving a check for 300 dollars. Thank you for your confidence in, and support of, our drive!
09.13.05
Answer: Overall, Mäni's does not focus on low calorie or low fat. Our goal is to provide our guests with more nutritious versions of traditional baking. However, we will work with our guests to find a suitable option that meets your dietary needs.
09.12.05
Hi Everyone. This is just a quick update to give you the latest dollar amounts of our Helping Hand Cookie sales. For those of you who may not know, since last Wednesday (9/7/05) we've been selling Hand cookies for 1 dollar each and the entire dollar will be given to Americas Second Harvest. For every dollar they can provide 4 bags of food. If you're not familiar with "A2H" check 'em out. They're a great organization. This will not only benefit the hurricane survivors but many hungry Americans. Many Americans have already given to more than one charity organization, but over time money will still be needed. So, if you happen to be in the neighborhood and stop bye for a quick bite or snack, you might consider throwing a helping hand cookie onto your order. It's just a token for your donation basically... but they do taste pretty good! As of about 8pm Monday evening we've sold 225 cookies. We really want to thank those of you who've contributed to this cause. We are aware that it's just a dollar, but every dollar does add up and some of you out there need these dollars too. Thanks again! Any comments, just click on the comment bar below.
09.12.05
Answer: In most cases, we cannot make individual items without specific ingredients. However, if a guest is purchasing an order that is large enough to fill a complete recipe, we may be able to prepare and bake their order separately. We can leave off toppings. (i.e. nuts, frosting etc.) If you have any questions, please just ask us. Come in, or call us at 323.938.8800 ext. 44!
09.11.05
Answer: Since we have been around for over 15 years, our ingredients and their availability change. For example, many of you may remember the Vanilla Cream Heart Cookie. Our chocolate company stopped making the vanilla chip (barley malt sweetened), and thus we had to discontinue that product. Other times, what one customer really loves may not sell that much; and it becomes difficult to maintain that item in the front bakery case. We want to have great options for everyone!
09.10.05
Answer: Several months ago, Mäni's decided to take our sodas to the next level. Because we want to provide our customers with healthier alternatives, we chose to bring in a soda with no preservatives and no high fructose corn syrup. For those concerned with calories, we still offer the Diet Coke in glass bottles.
09.09.05
Not to be confused with the Helping Hand Cookie to benefit America's Second Harvest, Mani's is also collecting donations for the Red Cross. We will match the donations up to 500 dollars. Read the story At this time we've only collected 52 dollars... We realize that you're being asked everywhere you go to give money, and we want to thank those of you who have contributed through us! We will continue to keep you posted with new numbers for both "A2H" and "The American Red Cross"
09.09.05
Since Wednesday afternoon we've been baking and selling Helping Hand Cookies. All the sales (100%) will be donated to America's Second Harvest. As of this morning, we've sold 150 Hands. If you're interested in learning more about A2H, check out their webpage. We really appreciate all of your support, and will continue to update the numbers... Big Thanks! Read this weeks "Morsel", if you haven't already.
09.09.05
Answer: During kitchen hours(see below), the cafe is primarily table service. Sometimes, during off peak times, we allow guests to order bakery items from the counter and sit at a table. This is with the understanding that if it gets busy, we may need the table for a guest who is ordering from the kitchen. Some items are only taxed if you sit at a table and "dine in". The kitchen hours are: Sunday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday-Saturday 8:00 a.m. to Midnight
09.07.05
At a time characterized by so much global conflict, suffering and radical changes -brought on by seemingly polarized energies and opposing view points, earthquakes, tsunamis and destructive weather- it seems a bit trivial to write about some of our fabulous bakery items! Of course life goes on and we can't stop living etc. etc. However, We wanted to find a way to combine our daily routine with helping those less fortunate than we are. With this in mind, and in keeping with our motto: Good food that's good for you! Mäni's is baking Helping Hand Cookies! In addition to our matching your donations to the American Red Cross, we will give 100% of the Helping Hand Cookie sales to America's Second Harvest! (A2H) Our Helping Hand Cookies are $1.00 each and every dollar will be given to "A2H";. Now you have another reason to give yourself a little treat. These cookies are great for freezing too! Our goal is 2,000 cookies. So, help us, help yourself, and help someone else all at the same time!
click to continue reading
09.04.05
We would like to help raise money for our neighbors on the Gulf coast who've lost so much in the Hurricane last week. Here's what Mäni's on Fairfax is doing: Make a donation to the American Red Cross online and let us know via the comment link below, or you can drop off a check or cash at Mäni's on Fairfax, on the counter in the specifically marked container. We will match your donations up to $500 with a contribution from Mäni's. Or you can mail us a check made payable to the American Red Cross: Our address is: 519 South Fairfax Avenue - Los Angeles, CA 90036. As soon as we reach $500 in your contributions, we'll send $1000 to the American Red Cross in the name of Mäni's Customers helping those who need our help right now. Let's see if we can reach our goal in the next few days. As soon as we do, we'll announce it right here on our blog. Thanks in advance for your support! Larry
Page 1 of 1 pages
| 
