Scoreboard Gourmet

Aramark to be Caterer of 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) announced recently that Aramark Corporation will be the official catering service provider for 2008 Summer Games.

I am so excited to find out what this means. Will Aramark serve up local specialties like Beijing Duck? Yum. I seriously can't think of anything more delicious, and you can get it in about a zillion different places in Beijing. But more on that later.

Joseph Neubauer, Aramark's Chairman and CEO has said, “Our people are dedicated to delivering a world-class experience that reflects our expertise in serving customers globally, as well as in China.” Which I thinks means China is not on the globe; which makes sense in some ways.

This is the 14th time Aramark has been at the Olympic Games. According to the agreement, Aramark together with their partner Beijing Tourism Group will provide catering services for the Athletes’ Village, Media Villages, International Broadcast Center and the Main Press Center at the 2008 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing.  That's estimated to be more than 3.5 million meals throughout the 60-day duration of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In addition, Aramark will manage the design and construction of the kitchen and dining facilities for the Olympic catering venues.
That is cool.

Cleveland: Cavaliers and Winking Lizard Guest Post

Cleveland info from a SG Fan...

Hey SG. Here in lovely Cleveland. Actually emailing from the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Today the cavs got Ben Wallace and the coity is abuzz. So far I have indulged in 2 Downtown dogs $4, 1 Beer $6.25.  Some Tshirt giveaway thing is going on. I see that they have a Yellowtail wine kiosk. Haven't checked it out yet. There also seems to be a Digiorno pizza thing and a Panini.  We were able to score some decent tickets outside right before the end of the 2nd quarter. The arena looks like a great facility. We are right under the boxes. They look like a pretty nice deal. Will be checking out the team store for kiddo schwag. I'll ask my buddy to take some Iphone pics for the website. Talk soon

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Little addition...after a GREAT Cavs game, LeBron hit 2 free throws with 7 1/2 seconds left to win the game, we hit the Winking Lizard on East 9th for wings and brews.  You can do either 12 for $8 or 24 for $13. The flavors run the gamut from Teriyaki to Mild, Sesame Seed hot to the top that was SUPER HOT. I opted for mild. A little disappointed as they didn't have much of a kick. Also the 32oz beer was only 4 bucks more. Great beer list with a ton of worldwide variety, however no corsendunks monks ale. I went with my canadian labatts blue, my buddy from seattle had an aspenwall dry cider.

thanks, J. love it when info is shared. what's corsendunks monks ale?

the Cavs play the Grizzlies at 6pm tomorrow.

Turkey Legs at Daytona Interntl Spdwy

I *made* TFMJ get a turkey leg at Daytona International Speedway. he ate about 3/4 before wondering if it was undercooked. he asked permission to throw it out, which I love about him (he was worried I might need to see the bones or something for SG).

something to love about Daytona food concessions is how they mix and match foods. at one tent you can get Turkey Legs and BBQ Sandwiches, while at another tent you can get Turkey Legs and Italian Sausage. .

True these pictured tents are on opposite sides of the 2+mile track, but it's the thought that counts - the tents are not overloaded with options, yet there's enough variety that you just may save standing in two lines

KFC wants Chicken Dancing at the SuperBowl

by Peter Yoon, LATImes (which is funny since it seems he read about it in the Boston Herald. oh well)...

NFL officials are clucking about an offer by fast-food chain KFC to donate $260,000 to charity in the name of any player who celebrates a Super Bowl touchdown with a chicken dance. The Boston Herald reported that players who cross the line could face fines or suspensions.

"KFC is not affiliated with the NFL in any fashion, so this is a textbook case of ambush marketing 101," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the paper.

KFC spokesman Rick Maynard told the paper that agents of several players have contacted the company about the promotion, but the NFL warned those players to be careful.

"If a player acted in a way that was a reflection of a corporate message, then we'd have to take a look at it," McCarthy said.

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(add'l info by Nina M. Lentini, fyi)
Just to be safe, KFC has lined up former Atlanta Falcons player Jamal Anderson, who was known for his "Dirty Bird" end zone dance, to be on site prior to what KFC refers to as "the big game." "We think this is a fun and creative marketing concept that both fans and the media will be interested in, and we're spreading the word through an online digital campaign," Maynard says. PR is being handled by Weber Shandwick.

KFC is also running a consumer promotion wherein people can upload videos of themselves doing the chicken dance and win "the ultimate big game party," including a flat-panel TV, a limo to bring in the guests, cheerleaders to fire up the crowd, a spread of KFC and a cleaning service for post-party tidying. (SG note: that promo ended 1/25, and the winner will be announced today)