A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).
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37 Comments
beejay45
November 3, 2015
Don't live in their area, so I've not personally seen the ads. Sounds like they're aimed at youngish people who don't have the confidence to buck the "cooking is so Jersey" shaming or else those who think that using these services instead of actually preparing food makes them one of the cool kids.
No reflection on "youngish" folks, just doesn't sound like they're aiming at the 40+, established crowd, who may actually be more their target market with their greater disposable income. Eh. Stupid campaign, IMO.
Thanks for the rant. ;)
No reflection on "youngish" folks, just doesn't sound like they're aiming at the 40+, established crowd, who may actually be more their target market with their greater disposable income. Eh. Stupid campaign, IMO.
Thanks for the rant. ;)
Tamio888
November 2, 2015
The real core sentiment of these ads is that 'eating out' is cool and hip. It is a simple reflection of the current elitism of the insider that pervades the current restaurant/chef/food blog culture.
I'm not so offended because I have no interest in sharing meal space with the targeted audience for these ads.
Let them go to their $250 omakase dinners, drink their $19 cocktails, and stand in line for an hour for a fried chicken sandwich.
I will be at home, throwing stuff together for friends and family, sharing, laughing, talking, and touching - and much happier for it.
I'm not so offended because I have no interest in sharing meal space with the targeted audience for these ads.
Let them go to their $250 omakase dinners, drink their $19 cocktails, and stand in line for an hour for a fried chicken sandwich.
I will be at home, throwing stuff together for friends and family, sharing, laughing, talking, and touching - and much happier for it.
Smaug
October 30, 2015
The willingness of the American people to hand over their lives to be lived by others is astonishing. Sorry people, but ultimately your life is about eating, sleeping and reproducing, like every other species on earth, however much society may glorify the finding of a lucrative role in the corporate world. Yet people somehow find it shameful, or at least declasse, to work on their homes and gardens, prepare their own food etc. If the best we can do with our abilities is figure out ways to sell each other ever more STUFF, we are indeed lost.
Mei C.
October 29, 2015
Awesome, Ali! I hate those ads too--and I'm so glad you put in to words what so many of us are thinking. xx
Jan W.
October 28, 2015
As much as I love these slogans and zinging Seamless/GrubHub, unfortunately getting more New Yorkers to cook more is like trying to convince the French to give up eating bread at every meal - it's going to be harder than pulling teeth. I'm just glad that I can continue to participate in the preaching at the Food52 choir - this website is such a fantastic resource that the fact of its existence is enough to have hope. Let's just celebrate every person who decides to cook rather than order out as a small victory.
P.S. I do order from Seamless at times, but make sure sure to tip the delivery person with cash because I've been told that Seamless/GrubHub takes a fee out of gratuities too, which is probably the most egregious practice of theirs.
P.S. I do order from Seamless at times, but make sure sure to tip the delivery person with cash because I've been told that Seamless/GrubHub takes a fee out of gratuities too, which is probably the most egregious practice of theirs.
Ali S.
October 28, 2015
Preach! I'm not asking Seamless to inspire people to cook (that's our job over here at Food52)—I just ask that they acknowledge cooking as the root of how we eat (and therefore their business).
Cara E.
October 28, 2015
Yes! The one that got me was "You don't drive anymore, why cook anymore?" I adore driving to the grocery store so I can buy more food to cook.
Alex W.
October 28, 2015
Totally agree with you Ali! And, if you really must get take out, please, please, please don't use Seamless or Delivery.com or GrubHub or any of the other online ordering services. So many small and local restaurants are shackled to these online ordering services because they end up generating a huge percentage of the restaurant's business but then also charge fees to the restaurant for using their service. If they drop the service, they lose the business—so many people only order take-out from places that are listed on Seamless—but if they stay they also end up losing a considerable amount of money with each online order.
If you need to order take-out and you care at all about your community, pick up your phone, call in your order, get off your butt, walk to the restaurant, and pay for your food. These restaurants are not machines run by robots churning out food. They are run by people with faces that can smile and hands that can wave. They're also probably run by your neighbors but you won't know it if you never leave your house.
If you need to order take-out and you care at all about your community, pick up your phone, call in your order, get off your butt, walk to the restaurant, and pay for your food. These restaurants are not machines run by robots churning out food. They are run by people with faces that can smile and hands that can wave. They're also probably run by your neighbors but you won't know it if you never leave your house.
Alex W.
October 28, 2015
More about Seamless's hold on NYC restaurants: http://www.wnyc.org/story/squeezed-seamless-restaurants-look-other-paths-online/
ChefJune
October 28, 2015
I LOVE your slogans! I saw those signs on the subway and was extremely turned off/offended. Personally, I would rather come home and scramble some eggs than order takeout- if I don't feel like cooking. Cooking is relaxing for me at the end of most stressful days. Besides,I so dislike snarky, and I think their slogans define that.
IlovePhilly
October 28, 2015
Yes! I love your response. Now, for someone to design the posters and get them up in the shop!
amysarah
October 28, 2015
I'd only amend one thing - your points apply to almost everyone who cooks at home - to eat well on a budget (especially to feed a family,) for nutritional reasons, for love of cooking, etc. No need to be part of a movement for these common sense reasons to ring true, as they have since long before this dopey ad campaign. (Re the NJ and Westchester digs - way too trite to be clever. Also stupid.)
susan G.
October 28, 2015
While you have made and overmade the case for cooking, I applaud every word of it.
Add to your reasons: eating out and take out more often than occasionally make me gain weight!
Add to your reasons: eating out and take out more often than occasionally make me gain weight!
Michael H.
October 28, 2015
Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone in silently screaming at these ads in the subway!
See what other Food52 readers are saying.