Puck Express to be run by ... Centerplate

[Robin Garr]

Anyone who thinks it's exciting that Wolfgang Puck is opening a restaurant in Louisville need only read between the lines of this unskeptical report in <i>Business First</i>. The Puck fast-food franchise is being run by Centerplate, the same folks who give new meaning to "bad food and sullen service" at Slugger Field.

Puck set to score: Famous chef's eatery to open in Kentucky International Convention Center
Business First of Louisville - by Terry Boyd Business First Staff Writer

Centerplate Inc. is bringing a bit of culinary glitz to the Kentucky International Convention Center.

A Wolfgang Puck Express restaurant is scheduled to open Jan. 21 in the convention center's on the southwest corner of Third and Market streets.

The restaurant will be a franchise, owned and operated by Centerplate Inc., a Stamford, Conn.-based company that has the food-concession contracts at the convention center.

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, who has operated restaurants in Los Angeles for two decades, owns a number of privately held companies, including Puck Express, Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, a group of fine-dining restaurants licensing the Puck name, and Wolfgang Puck Catering.

Full story in Business First

wow, we are so lucky to get a "restaurant" that will microwave the same Wolfgang Puck (R) frozen dinners and pizzas I can buy at Kroger. Yuckola.

wow, we are so lucky to get a "restaurant" that will microwave the same Wolfgang Puck (R) frozen dinners and pizzas I can buy at Kroger. Yuckola.

And, you can enjoy paying a significant premium to the retail stuff for the pleasure of them microwaving for you!

[Robin Garr]

And, you can enjoy paying a significant premium to the retail stuff for the pleasure of them microwaving for you!

And, if Centerplate adheres to its usual policy, having it handed to you wordlessly by an unsmiling low-wage employee who will be penalized if his cup count doesn't come out even at the end of the day.

MMMMMMM........Wolfgang Puck(tm) fried bologna sandwich!!!!!

[quote="Ed Vermillion"]MMMMMMM........Wolfgang Puck(tm) fried bologna sandwich!!!!![/quote]

Isn't that AKA Portland Round Steak?

And, you can enjoy paying a significant premium to the retail stuff for the pleasure of them microwaving for you!

And, if Centerplate adheres to its usual policy, having it handed to you wordlessly by an unsmiling low-wage employee who will be penalized if his cup count doesn't come out even at the end of the day.

Perfect. Can't wait.

How disappointing! I had visions of some of his other restaurants....

Now Robin... you are not giving Centerplate their fair shake.

They also manage to provide "bad food and sullen service" to everyone at Freedom Hall and Cardinal Stadium.

It takes real talent to run a profitable business serving food that bad in a manner that sullen.

Actually, in their case it sounds like you just need a captive audience (and I assume the right connections).

They should have the food service company that Humana uses for their corporate building on Main be the food service outsource. The food is far past normal corporate food, wonderful selection and the staff has always been great: friendly and enthusiastic. Don't know what they are doing, but they are doing it very right!

Deb

Actually, in their case it sounds like you just need a captive audience (and I assume the right connections).

They should have the food service company that Humana uses for their corporate building on Main be the food service outsource. The food is far past normal corporate food, wonderful selection and the staff has always been great: friendly and enthusiastic. Don't know what they are doing, but they are doing it very right!

Deb

I think that is Aramark and if they are doing it right, that is a first for me.......(I am glad that they got it right for Humana though I have seen many other accounts go very wrong for them)

Actually, in their case it sounds like you just need a captive audience (and I assume the right connections).

They should have the food service company that Humana uses for their corporate building on Main be the food service outsource. The food is far past normal corporate food, wonderful selection and the staff has always been great: friendly and enthusiastic. Don't know what they are doing, but they are doing it very right!

Deb

I think that is Aramark and if they are doing it right, that is a first for me.......(I am glad that they got it right for Humana though I have seen many other accounts go very wrong for them)

It's a company called Guckenheimer. I know because I work at the Humana Building. They are doing a FANTASTIC job for us and we love having the new food area. That's not even to mention how Humana bought those 6 old buildings next to the tower and did a superb job restoring them and keeping a lot of the "old" intact.

Check this out for an inside look. The article will be especially informative to food service pro's. It really goes fairly in depth about what's going on here. I know Monica Dowd, the executive chef, and she's really happy about the situation she has to work with here.

http://www.fesmag.com/archives/2007/10/fdp/default.asp

[Robin Garr]

They should have the food service company that Humana uses for their corporate building on Main be the food service outsource. The food is far past normal corporate food

Did anyone but me notice that the CJ had a big story about the Humana cafeteria recently, quoting Humana execs and other experts about what an excellent motivating factor and efficiency tool it is for employees and management ... and the story did NOT mention that Gannett just cut budget by closing the CJ cafeteria and laid off its staff in favor of a row of vending machines?

They should have the food service company that Humana uses for their corporate building on Main be the food service outsource. The food is far past normal corporate food

Did anyone but me notice that the CJ had a big story about the Humana cafeteria recently, quoting Humana execs and other experts about what an excellent motivating factor and efficiency tool it is for employees and management ... and the story did NOT mention that Gannett just cut budget by closing the CJ cafeteria and laid off its staff in favor of a row of vending machines?

I saw that article, but after reading the one I just posted, I was less than impressed. Seriously, should I really expect any in depth news from the C-J? No answer required.

For those who might care to look, here's the link to the C-J article. Robin might want to clean up the link for me.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbc ... /712290455

Actually, in their case it sounds like you just need a captive audience (and I assume the right connections).

They should have the food service company that Humana uses for their corporate building on Main be the food service outsource. The food is far past normal corporate food, wonderful selection and the staff has always been great: friendly and enthusiastic. Don't know what they are doing, but they are doing it very right!

Deb

I think that is Aramark and if they are doing it right, that is a first for me.......(I am glad that they got it right for Humana though I have seen many other accounts go very wrong for them)

It's a company called Guckenheimer. I know because I work at the Humana Building. They are doing a FANTASTIC job for us and we love having the new food area. That's not even to mention how Humana bought those 6 old buildings next to the tower and did a superb job restoring them and keeping a lot of the "old" intact.

Check this out for an inside look. The article will be especially informative to food service pro's. It really goes fairly in depth about what's going on here. I know Monica Dowd, the executive chef, and she's really happy about the situation she has to work with here.

http://www.fesmag.com/archives/2007/10/fdp/default.asp

Looks as though Aramark got replaced in 07'......congratulations Humana!