DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Sweetgreen Marketing Chief Joins Food Delivery Startup Wonder
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wonder’s marketing currently comprises direct mail and out-of-home ads around its Upper West Side location. Photo: WonderFood-delivery startup Wonder has hired the chief marketing officer at salad chain Sweetgreen to lead its growth as it plans an expansion of restaurant kitchens meant to kick-start a new category of delivery dubbed “fast fine.”Wonder was once known for cooking and delivering chef-developed menus from a fleet of around 500 trucks, but in January scrapped the movable kitchen strategy in favor of fixed locations where workers cook food for delivery from up to 30 restaurant brands.

☆ A New York couple who saw their cupcake empire soar to a $66 million business in 2011 before going bust paid $350 to revive the brand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jason and Mia Bauer, who founded Crumbs Bake Shop in 2003 are now back with an online cupcake store. Crumbs Bake Shop, a hugely popular cupcake store founded in 2003, has been revived by founders Jason and Mia Bauer. They bought back the brand last year — seven years after it filed for bankruptcy, the New York Post reported on May 2. "We felt we left it in the hands of people who would grow it," Jason told the New York Post on Tuesday. "Fast forward to 2023, and we now have the ability to communicate with our consumers via social media without having to be in a physical store," Jason told the media outlet.

☆ Former FBI supervisor arrested on January 6-related charges allegedly encouraged mob to ‘kill’ police
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A former FBI supervisory special agent has been arrested on charges related to the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack, according to court records. I’m former—I’m former law enforcement,” Wise allegedly told the officers during the interaction, which was captured on body worn cameras. Kill ‘em!”An FBI spokesperson referred CNN to public court records on the case and did not comment further. Wise is one of several active or former members of law enforcement to face charges related to the attack. Other law enforcement agents who are accused of joining the mob that day include an ex-Drug Enforcement Agent, a former NYPD officer, and two off-duty police officers from Virginia.

☆ How a Classical Music Power Couple Spend Their Sundays
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Tammy La Gorce | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Married for 18 years, Keri-Lynn Wilson and Peter Gelb spend a lot of time apart because of their high-profile careers. Ms. Wilson, 55, is a conductor with gigs all over the world. Mr. Gelb, 69, is the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera. Ms. Wilson, who will conduct, had the idea for the performances after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. SOPHISTICATED AND LUXURIOUS Mr. Gelb: I get up between 6 and 6:30.

CNN —Harry Belafonte, the dashing singer, actor and activist who became an indispensable supporter of the civil rights movement, has died, his publicist Ken Sunshine told CNN. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Belafonte, left, plays a school principal in a scene from the film "See How They Run" in 1952. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Belafonte poses with the Emmy Award he won in 1960 for the musical special "Tonight With Belafonte." Fred Sabine/NBCU/Getty Images Belafonte and other recipients of Albert Einstein Commemorative Awards display their medallions after being honored in 1972. He is survived by his wife Pamela, his children Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Shari Belafonte, Gina Belafonte, David Belafonte, two stepchildren Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank and eight grandchildren.

☆ Kendall Roy's 'Succession' penthouse is on sale for $29 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The penthouse at 180 East 88th Street, which featured as the home of Jeremy Strong’s character in HBO’s Emmy-winning hit show, “Succession,” is on sale for $29 million. A spiral staircase leads to the second floor and to the roof landing. Sean HemmerleThe interior of the five-bedroom apartment covers 5,508 square feet and includes two living rooms, four bathrooms, a private elevator and a spectacular, sculptural spiral staircase. Sean HemmerleThe three-story home was originally listed by Corcoran for $33 million in 2022, but dropped to its current price this year. And for anyone with a bit more to spend, Roman Roy’s (Kieran Culkin) equally opulent Upper West Side apartment is also on sale, for a cool $38 million.

☆ A New York grocery store is using biometrics including eye scanners and voice prints to identify repeat shoplifters. Some shoppers say that's creepy — even if it deters theft.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New York City grocer Fairway is collecting biometric data on its shoppers to catch shoplifters, the New York Post reported. Fairway is gathering facial recognition and other biometric information, such as voice recordings, on shoppers at one of its Manhattan locations, the New York Post reported on Thursday. Fairway told the Post that its system will only be accessed by "trained asset protection associates." Nearly one-third of the arrests made for shoplifting in New York City last year involved the same 327 people, the Post reported in January. But an investigation that year by the San Francisco Chronicle found that the affected stores reported fewer than two shoplifting incidents per month leading up to the closures.

☆ A Huge City Polluter? Buildings. Here’s a Surprising Fix.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Brad Plumer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

Carbon dioxide from these boilers wafts up chimneys and into the air, one of the city’s biggest sources of global warming emissions. “And we expect that it won’t be the last.”The boiler releases carbon dioxide. The remaining carbon dioxide was then chilled to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit and turned to liquid. The system currently captures about 60 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted by the Grand Tier’s boilers, Mr. Asparro said. While they’re paying for the carbon dioxide, they are not charging a premium for their blocks.

☆ The Barnes & Noble CEO says sales are rising because he trusts his booksellers to 'create good bookshops' and run each store the way they want to
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sales at Barnes & Noble are rising because staff are it's not trying to make stores "homogenous," its CEO said. "Sensible retailing principles" equal "terrible bookstores," Daunt told the Business Studies podcast. He took over as CEO of Barnes & Noble in 2019 with plans to update the chain's 600 stores across the US. By 2022, total sales at Barnes & Noble were 3% higher than pre-pandemic levels, with book sales up by 14%. "If you're in Alabama, you should run a very different bookstore to if you're on the Upper West Side of Manhattan," he told Business Studies.

☆ Marc Lore co-founded Jet.com and ran e-commerce at Walmart. Now he's out to prove he can make the delivery of 'fast fine' restaurant food work in NYC.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Instead of using kitchen vans, Wonder is preparing chef-driven meals from a storefront. Lore, who cofounded the e-commerce site Jet.com and sold it to Walmart, had plans to expand Wonder to a fleet of 1,000 kitchen vans. Storefronts can offer consumers up to 30 food brands for delivery from one location, while the van model was limited to two menus per van. ClusterTruck, a Midwest ghost kitchen that controls everything from the food recipes to delivery, is another model similar to Wonder. Still, Lore sees the value of marketing Wonder's food brands on delivery apps.

☆ A wee cottage perched on top of a New York rooftop is for sale for $2.5 million — take a look inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Hershkowitz said in the listing that the 'crown jewel' of this rooftop cottage is its multilevel terrace. Kristina Crane with Evan Joseph StudiosRooftop cottages in New York come in various styles, from chalets to cape cod and even a lighthouse. Some of New York's rooftop cottages are architectural gems. For instance, there is a rooftop property in the West Village that comes with its own meadow, according to StreetEasy. There's also a penthouse on East 36th Street where the owner can see the Empire State Building from their bedroom window, the New York Post reported in 2017.

☆ 5 things wildly successful real-estate brokers do to get the most out of their days
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Fellow New York-based Douglas Elliman agent Lisa Simonsen also had a former career in fitness. As such, the agent who sold more than $100 million in 2022 makes sure she works out in her building's gym, usually on a spin bike, every morning. McKenzie RyanFormer Junior Olympian and real-estate wunderkind McKenzie Ryan used to compete on the national level in rhythmic gymnastics. Serhant gets a new SUV every year "just to update it," though he said he makes sure his car and clothes are never nicer than his clients'. The Douglas Elliman agent knows what she has to do to succeed: She was the top-selling agent in Miami in 2021 with $750 million in transactions.

☆ 9 things you should stop doing at the movie theater, according to employees
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Eboni Boykin-Patterson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Movie theater employees across the country told Insider what customers do that annoys them most. They wish customers would figure out their concessions order before it's their turn in line. It's a family-owned movie theater, and I love working there. Customers here are generally very kind and understanding — but some things I wish customers would do are:7. Don't ignore "please wait" signsScott works at a theater in Idaho, and said customers barge past "please wait" signs.

☆ American Second-Home Buyers Are Pouring Into Italy’s Wine Country
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( J.S. Marcus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

After relocating to Milan from New York City’s Upper West Side in 2021, Bryony Bechtold, a teacher, and her husband, Piero Venturini, 50, a lawyer, began looking for a vacation property. With wine on their minds, they found what they were looking for 90 minutes away in northwest Italy’s Piedmont region, home to Barolo, one of the world’s most prized reds. The couple, who have two teenage daughters, paid about $510,000 this past September for the 3,800-square-foot farmhouse on a 6.2-acre lot with a vineyard. They plan to spend about $160,000 on renovations, including an upgrade of the existing wine cellar.

☆ ‘I Was Happy to Never See That Cat Again.’ When Pets Have It Out for the Real-Estate Agent
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Robyn A. Friedman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

Matt Vinci, real-estate agent, The Corcoran Group, New York CityAbout three years ago, I was representing the seller of a three-bedroom apartment in an older co-op building on the Upper West Side. Two kept to themselves, but the third was an older, grumpier cat. I yelled and stepped back, but the cat kept lunging at me and swatting at me with its paws. After about 20 minutes, the cat was still hissing and swatting at the sliding door, so I decided to try barking like a dog, which finally got the cat to back up. I gingerly opened the balcony door, grabbed my stuff and got out.

☆ Rapper-actor Common revels in his Broadway stage debut
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Rapper and actor Common has made his Broadway debut in the play “Between Riverside and Crazy” and what he sees from the stage is something he never imagined: a multi-cultural audience hanging on to every word. Common plays his ex-con son struggling to do right by his father. “This is a really, truly wonderful Broadway season and it reflects all of Broadway and it reflects all of America with respect to New York City. And because New York City reflects America and the world,” Henderson said. Despite some early closures on Broadway this season — including “KPOP,” “Ain’t No Mo” and “Almost Famous” — Common sees progress when it comes to the shows that have come to Broadway since the pandemic, including his own.

☆ A 23-year-old brings in up to $10,000 a month teaching Manhattan's luxury real-estate agents how to make TikTok videos
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Film student Lizza Prigozhina helps NYC real-estate agents market homes on TikTok, Curbed reported. A "good month," she told Curbed writer Bridget Read, means up to $10,000 in income. It's all in the name of helping real-estate agents capture eyeballs on TikTok, which they can hopefully turn into potential buyers and renters who actually pay them in commission. "Some are like, 'I can't spend money on this,'" Prigozhina told Curbed. "Alexander has a big personality," Prigozhina told Curbed.

☆ Arielle Charnas' company, Something Navy, is floundering amid dwindling sales, an employee exodus, and furious suppliers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Katie Warren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

From the outside, it doesn't look as if Charnas' company is in trouble. Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for Beach MagazineSeveral former employees told Insider they cut ties with Something Navy because they saw signs the company was struggling. Several current and former Something Navy employees told Insider they'd been inundated with emails since the spring from suppliers, freelancers, and models asking where their money was. In one email viewed by Insider, Scanlan told a supplier that cash was tight but promised payment was on the way. The current Something Navy employee said that based on data she'd seen, the retail locations most likely don't turn a profit.

☆ Man sentenced up to three years in prison for fatal hit-and-run of ‘Gone Girl’ actress Lisa Banes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Tavleen Tarrant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Brian Boyd, the 27-year-old man who killed ‘Gone Girl’ actress Lisa Banes in a hit-and-run incident, has been sentenced to up to three years in prison Wednesday, according to Douglas Cohen from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Boyd pleaded guilty in September to manslaughter in the second degree and leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death without reporting, according to the DA. “Lisa Banes was a beloved friend, family and community member whose life was tragically cut short. Banes seen here with Ben Affleck in 2014's 'Gone Girl.' Banes was known for starring as Marybeth Elliot in the 2014 film “Gone Girl,” but has also starred alongside Tom Cruise in the 1988 film “Cocktail” and has appeared in TV shows like “Nashville,” “Masters of Sex,” and “Royal Pains.”

☆ Netflix's best Thanksgiving movie is not streaming: 'Glass Onion'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Ani Bundel | Ani Bundel Is A Cultural Critic Who Has Been Writing Regularly Since Her Work Can Also Be Found At Elite Daily | Weta'S Telly Visions | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” is a bit of a clunky title. But the film itself, which only ever calls itself “Glass Onion” on screen, is a delightful trifle of a mystery movie, a laugh-out-loud comedy that deserves to be a mass market theatrical hit. Perhaps “Glass Onion” is better experienced on streaming — at least philosophically. But perhaps “Glass Onion” is better experienced on streaming — at least philosophically. That being said, “Glass Onion” is as wonderfully enjoyable as its predecessor, even though there’s little need to connect the two.

☆ I produce the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Designing and testing the balloons takes all year — and the feeling on parade morning is indescribable.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Jamie Killin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Will Coss is the executive producer of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Coss said the feeling on parade morning is indescribable unless you're there. Being the executive producer of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a dream role. Now, I'm about to lead the team through what will be my second Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is a true honor. The preparation for an event like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a year-long processI joke sometimes by saying that the day after the parade is when we start planning next year's parade, but there's a lot of truth in that statement.

Weike WangJoan, the hero of this novel, is a 36-year-old attending physician in an I.C.U. on the Upper West Side of New York. Pressures from her family, H.R. and her neighbor throw her in a rage that Wang leaves bubbling beneath the surface. “Wang has given us a character so unusual and unapologetically herself that you can’t help wanting to hang out with her, knowing full well that she wants nothing more than to be left alone,” our reviewer wrote.

Two armed men arrested in connection with online threats against New York City's Jewish community had a Manhattan synagogue in their sights, a prosecutor said Sunday. The two had traveled to Pennsylvania late last week to purchase a gun, prosecutors said in the charging documents. "I changed my mind because I was nervous about the police and didn't want the gun anymore," Brown is quoted as saying. Mahrer ultimately purchased the weapon from the man who drove them out of state, Brown said, according to prosecutors. Earlier in the week, Brown is also alleged to have tweeted, "Big moves being made on Friday."

Two men with access to weapons were arrested at New York City's Penn Station early Saturday in connection with a probe of threats to the Jewish community, authorities said. The senior law enforcement sources said Brown had the swastika armband on him when he was arrested at the train station. NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said in a statement that authorities first identified "a developing threat to the Jewish community" Friday. Three law enforcement sources said threats against the Jewish community were posted online. "Today, we’re extremely grateful to NYPD investigators and our law enforcement partners who uncovered and stopped a threat to our Jewish community," Sewell tweeted Saturday.

☆ What Could 20 Years’ of Savings Buy on the West Side? Two Longtime Renters Found Out.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Debra Kamin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Robbins, an artist and photography professor, craved space for an at-home studio. Ms. Fulwiler, a self-employed development consultant, wanted an office she could call her own. Email: thehunt@nytimes.com]“By New York City standards, it was a very large apartment,” said Ms. Fulwiler, 56. “We looked and looked and looked a bit more,” said Mr. Robbins, 61, who grew up in San Francisco in one of the city’s classic Victorian townhomes. condos across the Upper West Side.

Search resuls for: "Upper West"

25 mentions found