Menu & Hours

I think we should all tip our hat to Michelle Jones and her app that gives, well, the menu and hours we're always wondering about when we go out to eat. http://www.menuandhours.com/

If I had one I'd be tipping it. Can't wait till my smart phone (I mean wife) gets home so I can download this! Thanks for the heads up Ken.

Very nice! Why has no one done this before?

[Robin Garr]

Very nice! Why has no one done this before?

I don't know about an app, but I can tell you that I elected not to do it on HotBytes when we launched this operation back in 1994, because it's very, very difficult to keep that kind of information up to date. The Courier-Journal could never do it, even back under Bingham ownership, even with a secretarial staff to put out calls. I knew we wouldn't be able to keep it fit and trim, and concluded that it's better to tell folks, "Get on the horn and call the restaurant" than to have them go at the wrong time and then be mad at both the restaurant and us.

If these folks can make it work, more power to them. I'm sure they have the best intentions in the world. But with something like 2,000 restaurants in the greater metro - or even just several hundred if you only count sit-downs - it's mighty hard to keep up with the constant changes.

That is definitely a daunting task. It truly would be great if they can keep it current.

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The logo issue is a pretty big deal- you can't just appropriate somebody's logo without their permission. I haven't seen to verify.

Cool idea, though. Far too many restaurant use .pdf or worse to see their menu, which renders them sometimes very cumbersome from my smartphone.
Deb

Mr. Ned A... It is really not hard to get in touch with Michelle - on Consuming Louisville or on Facebook or any of a number of websites. She is someone who loves food, loves Louisville, and is trying to make connections and get people excited about our town and our food culture. She's not making a mint of money off of you. She's helping you... and all the other restaurants around town. (Deb... the logo thing... Really???) Let me tell you how real human beings live - We want to go to a restaurant to eat. We're hungry. We have guests from out of town... We have some places in mind, but are open to new ones, or ones we've forgotten. We want, first, to know if a place is open. We want to know the 'price point' ( I hate that kind of corporate jargon, but I know you people talk that way). We want to know what kinds of food you serve, the scope of that food... We don't want to make a specific order! Menu & Hours will be a very useful tool. It may lead people to your restaurant... but as of now, unless you prove to be more human and aware, not me. Not me.

Oh, and if you need three bucks, I'll send it to you. I'm a retired public high school teacher, but I can afford it. Just send me your address.

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Ken,
Like I said, I think other ways of accessing menus are very cumbersome- and meant that this could be very handy. Not commenting on this app's usage as I haven't seen it: My point was that using any companies' logo without permission ( if done) is problematiic, so hopefully that doesn't cause any issues. Companies invest a lot of time and money to build their brand. As hard as it is for all of us to remember in these days of easy cutting and pasting, snipping, etc, this actually belongs to the business.

I wish Michelle all the best- it takes guts and vision to create something like this.
Deb

Let me back off this far (without getting into issues about teachers)... I represent only my own view. I am not a representative of Menu and Hours. I have met Michelle a handful of times in public and on line. Do not take anything I've said against her. I think her app is a good idea, and helps restaurants. I love the food scene in Louisville and want to see it thrive. I think this app helps it thrive. If you don't ... well you don't.

I'm done.

No logos. Just menus and hours. Got the app. No descriptions of restaurants or reviews.
Just menus, and hours!

I agree that restaurants should have control over how and when they're logos are used. That being said, I don't think restaurants should have any problem with people using them in apps like this. To me it amounts to free publicity.

I honestly don't see a down side for restaurants here. We've downloaded this free app and will see how useful it is. The app appears to be a tool to help customers connect with restaurants. Where is the harm in that?