MÄNI'S BLOG CAFÉ
Your café on the web for current information about delicious, healthier versions of traditional foods for the health conscious connisseur.
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08.06.08
While we are over-indulging in our new menu’s offerings (mmm…tempeh bacon…), we know that some of our rookie plates had a rough takeoff.
Not to be discouraged, we took a glass-half-full approach with the constructive criticism we’ve received by realizing our devoted customers care enough to let us know where our shortcomings are. One customer told us via blog comment that she was disappointed by the Vegan Black Bean & Plantain Quesadilla. Not satisfied by the consistency or moisture of the plantain, this customer’s high hopes for our new quesadilla were a bit dashed. In the same letter, she wrote that our veggie patty was not cutting it. It “used to have a nice ‘meaty’ consistency, with great flavor”, she said, while she’d experienced our new patty to “mush and crumble meekly out the side of the bun”. Her comments were a buzz through the cafe this morning, and immediately ideas were exchanged. What can we do to make sure the plantain in the VBBP Quesadilla is consistently delicious? What’s up with the veggie patty, and how can we fix it? While opinions were voiced and potential changes were planned, we realized this customer’s insights (like many we’ve received from you) were just what we needed. It still stings a little to hear a customer’s tale of an unsatisfactory meal, but we can take it! Your input helps us focus on what you want for your next Mani’s meal. So let us know; don’t hold back. The good and the bad, we want to hear what’s on your plate.
02.27.08
I found it interesting, to say the least, about comments made on yelp.com. There’s almost 60 of them, some wonderfully complimentary, others critical in certain areas. All in all I believe there’s tremendous value in sharing information. Although positive feedback is great, constructive criticism is helpful to be told what needs our attention. In any case I think you may find this entertaining and some useful info from other Yelp commentators.
09.12.07
To those of you who posted a comment about our Story on Starting our Juice Bar - Originally posted on July 9, 2007 and offering your opinions about selections, you still need to collect your coupon for a free organic fresh squeezed juice! Send me your email and I’ll send you back your coupon! Larry
12.12.06
I just grabbed all the customer comments out of the comment box out front. (Yes, we do read them!) There are a lot of great comments and some areas where we can improve. First of all, let me thank you for letting us know how we are doing. It is easy to say thank you for the positive comments. But it is much more important to thank those of you who suggested improvements or let us know where we didn’t meet your expectations. Why is that? This is the way I look at it, “A customer complaint is a gift!” That is right. Without your feedback we wouldn’t know what to improve. So, please let us know. Here is a small sample of what you are telling us:
“I want Raspberry Rhapsody by the slice again.” “Thank you for providing these cards. In the past the service has been slow. When coming here, I expected to be ignored and to wait a long time for anything. I did not have that experience today and I appreciate the improvements.” We had over 25 requests to bring a bunch of different items back on the menu. One card ended with, “...or I will continue to whine to your staff about it.” The mint lemonade actually seemed to be the one with the most energy. So, we will be bringing that back very soon. Here is what a few of you had to say about it: “Bring back the Mint Lemonade!” “Bummer! No mint lemonade” “We actually used to come here everyday just for the mint lemonade and now you don’t offer it!! Please bring it back.” Pumpkin pie got some comments. Yes, we still offer our pumpkin yam pie throughout the holidays. Stevia is also getting some attention. Does anyone know what the pro’s and con’s are for Stevia? We have put out a bottle of Agave Nectar (a great sweetener) to use in coffee drinks because of a comment card. There are two comments that I just can’t not let you know about. The first is that there is a customer that would like us to have dog treats. What do you think? And the second comment is, “Avery, he is very very handsome.” Thank you again for letting us know how we are doing. We are committed to making your experience the best it can be. Please keep us in the loop as to what your thoughts are and we will continue to do our best to make the changes you want to see. Happy Holidays,
Doug Miller
10.16.06
We need your help. We’re having a bit of a conundrum about menu substitutions on the Smart & Simple 400 calorie menu. Please help us decide our policy on menu substitutions. Here’s the issue: If we accommodate substitutions on the Smart & Simple 400 calorie menu, then those substitutions change the calorie content and the mix between balanced macronutrients… carbs, lipids (fats) and protein. So please help us decide how to proceed. Do we or don’t we allow menu substitutions on the Smart & Simple menu?
Your feedback will greatly help us decide how to proceed!! Use the comment link to give us your opinion.
10.06.06
Update: We cannot seem to get the poll to work on the blog. Please use this link to take our quick, one question poll. Thanks!
09.26.06
If you used to eat spinach, when do you think you’ll start eating spinach again? The latest warning from the Food & Drug Administration on Saturday September 23, 2006 limits the warning to three counties in California: San Benito, Santa Clara and Monterey. That leaves all the other 55 counties in California being perfectly safe for growing, harvesting and packaging spinach. Many farms have fine crops, waiting to be harvested, with not enough of a market to do so. I think most of us remember why we eat spinach in the first place. It’s good and good for you. We’d like to get a sense of where you stand right now. Use the comment link below to let us know: 1. I’m ready to eat spinach now 2. I’ll give it another 2 weeks 3. It’s going to take longer than 2 weeks for me to start eating spinach again Thanks for your participation!
09.19.06
What has been your 400 Calorie Menu experience? I want to know how you like to use this convenient nutrition option, and please feel free to ask for advice on how to improve your daily nutrition (if you are interested in improving your daily nutrition). My personal clients have told me a lot about their personal experience with the incorporation of Mäni’s 400 calorie menu into there daily eating plans. For instance, one of my client’s just loves the “Mountain Climber.” Her biggest concern was to make sure that we were not going to be taking it off the menu for the Fall. In a pinch, my clients sometimes rely on the 400 calorie menu for multiple easy meals during the same day. If they know that they aren’t going to be able to take the time to eat properly, they will order a few items to go so that they have nutritious meal options for themselves during their chaotic workday. Have you tried any of the 400 calorie items yet? If you haven’t, why not?
12.13.05
Thanks for your comment Wendy, on the Great Gift Boxes story from December 8th. That's a wonderful question because many customers ask about Fat-Free and we're all interested in being 'thinner'! Because our concept is to offer bakery items that taste good and are good for you, we don't offer specific 'low fat or low calorie gift options. Since we've already taken the sugar out of most of our baked goods, if we were to remove all or most of the fat, then it becomes less than a satisfying bakery item. After all the idea is primarily to enjoy the 'treat'. During the Fat-Free craze of the late 90s we had a Fat-Free holiday basket, but it wasn't really that good. Let's face it, this is the holiday season, we need a little freedom to indulge. I think most of us will agree that our products are way better than traditional bakery goods especially some of the old time holiday cakes, like fruit cake, with heavy preservatives and pies made with lard and Panettone packaged for a year! Anyway, we advocate a healthy lifestyle including exercise and eating nutritious foods made with healthier ingredients. That way we have room for dessert! And deserve to eat it!!
08.25.05
Hi Dawn - thanks for your feedback, we appreciate your driving buy to pick up a box of goodies now and then. In response to your question from "Sugar or Not? How do you like your bakery products?" - do our products, specifically the dipped almond shortbread, contain UNBLEACHED FLOUR? All of our flours are first off, ORGANIC, and secondly, UN-BLEACHED, UN-ENRICHED, and TOTALLY NATURAL! You would be amazed, and may already know, how the enrichment and processing of most flours negatively affects the nutrients in flours. Enriched flours are only enriched for the sake of label conformity, by USFDA regulations. However, in becoming enriched, they generally lose most of their nutrients, depending on the form. Then, nutrients are added back in, but not the ones that necessarily existed originally! Our vendor for flours is a company called Giusto's. They've been milling mostly organic flours for over 60 years. They describe their flours and milling process here. We like whole grain flours, and specialty milled flours because they contain so much more nutrients and complex carbohydrates that are naturally present. I hope this answers your question. And of course, if you have any more, please let me know.
Carl
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