Show 454, December 4, 2021: Adam Bell, Founder, dataTV with a Travel Commentary Part Two

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Adam Bell

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries.

The segment provided the details of how attentive listeners can enter the contest to be awarded an incredible package of prime steaks from West Coast Prime Meats by submitting a worthy Holiday Cooking Question for Chef Andrew’s “Ask the Chef” segment that is used on-air. Check our Instagram (@SoCalRestaurantShow) for the details.

Chef Andrew was planning to join us from the opening of his Raw by Slapfish in downtown Indianapolis. At the last minute he connected with an earlier return flight and was in the air during the show. Producer Andy Harris provided the Contest details with a helpful assist from the show’s long-time Website and Social Media consultant, Adam Bell.

Adam also finished his travel commentary on his recent business trip to Miami. He shared his less than memorable experience staying at the legendary Fontainebleau Miami Beach resort there. In Adam’s observation service is clearly not up to their stellar reputation and the cleanliness of the room upon his arrival was not up to par. The upshot here is that when you make your hotel reservation find out what generally expected services there are not being offered due to the labor shortage and pandemic factors. Keep in mind there is no reduction in rates or Resort Fees to compensate for the unfortunate reduced level of service at these hotel properties.…

Show 425, May 15, 2021: Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group with “Ask the Chef”

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Adam Bell

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group (including Raw by Slapfish, Two Birds and Big Parm) provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries. Chef Andrew is continually updating us on the real impact of the Covid-19 crisis in the hospitality field and what we, as diners, can do to support the very survival of restaurants during the initial, highly fluid stages of the hoped-for recovery which remains a genuine concern. Restaurants in Southern California are finally again allowed to operate for outside/patio dining and inside dining at reduced capacities with all the requisite COVID 19 safety precautions.

Moving on to the current crisis in the hospitality industry we ask Chef Andrew about the difficulty restaurants are currently experiencing in restaffing – both in the front and back of the house. It’s tough to even get applicants…What does the future hold if this unfortunate trend continues? Is more automation (and less service) possibly on the horizon?

Remember the juicy and delicious Community Burger (more than a mouthful) is available at all Southern California locations of Slapfish. The worthy burger is free with any donation to “86 Restaurant Struggle.” 100 per cent of that money goes to benefit struggling restaurant workers.

Show 304, December 29, 2018: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group & Co-Host, with “Ask the Chef” – Part One

Posted on December 31, 2018 by Adam Bell

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel joins us with another informative “Ask the Chef” segment. With the Holidays in progress it’s great to have a real working chef in our corner always providing handy and practical advice!

It’s time to chew on a few more significant food and restaurant trends from 2018 and what might be ahead for 2019. Recruiting qualified cooks for the kitchen is a problem of epic proportions.

Congrats to Chef Andrew for Raw by Slapfish (Huntington Beach) being included in OC Weekly’s Restaurant Critic Edwin Goei’s “Top Drinks and Restaurants of 2018” piece. He’s a fan of Chef Andrew’s afternoon “Beat the Clock” special on shucked chilled oysters which continues to evolve.