Comments for Demian Repucci

Comment on Halloween Pumpkin Carving: Warhol’s ‘Self Portrait (Fright Wig)’ by Demian

Demian — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 02:33:47 +0000

Hahaha! Darren! Thanks for showing my pumpkin to your students. The Warhol face probably took me four hours. A bit crazy to spend on a big gourd (or is it a squash?). I could see Pac-Man taking a bit less time but Master Chief might be tough. It would be hard to capture the light reflections on his visor in pumpkin flesh Anyway, thanks for writing and tell your students I send my best Holiday wishes from New York City. Lots o’ luv to you and the fam, Demian

Comment on Halloween Pumpkin Carving: Warhol’s ‘Self Portrait (Fright Wig)’ by Darren

Darren — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:46:29 +0000

This is amazing. I showed it to my students and then word got around and I’ve had to show it to nearly the entire school. Some students want to know if you can do a Mario, Pacman and Master Chief (HALO)……Are you up to it?

Comment on Recipe Sketchbook: Barbecue Pork Banh Mi Sandwich by Wandering Chopsticks

Wandering Chopsticks — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:37:47 +0000

Oh excellent! I’m so glad you tried my recipes and liked them. Great job on the pork, pate, and banh mi.

Comment on In Line at Starbucks: Brand Interaction Dunkin’ Donuts Can Learn From by Demian

Demian — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:36:02 +0000

Thanks for the comments. I will readily admit that my survey of Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks waiting experiences was nowhere near exhaustive. Or empirical for that matter. But, as you mentioned, my point is that it’s about the perception. Regardless of the actuality.
To the issue of styrofoam cups, you may be correct in that a majority of the population is happy with styrofoam. I do not know. But my point about the environmental movement is that it is a mindset of the consumer that is trending upward. If, for example, only 30% of a population has a certain opinion that is one thing. But if it is 30% and steadily growing that is another thing all together. So if environmental awareness is a growing trend then Dunkin’ Donuts is either ignoring it or blind to it. Which is a bad sign for any brand. Jamba Juice is another popular brand that uses a lot of styrofoam. They should stop using it also. Besides, these are personal-sized drinks we are talking about here, not large quantity containers that have to maintain a certain temperature for a long time. Whether a coffee or a smoothy, they are consumed in a matter of minutes. Whether a cup is styrofoam or paper probably matters very little to the enjoyment of the drink. And, again, I m admitting this is just conjecture. Maybe a study should be done. But beyond a poll, just because something is popular within a culture does not mean that it should be continued. Sometimes it takes a leader, an organization, a brand even, to make unpopular choices in order to point people in a direction that will ultimately be better for them. This could be an opportunity for Dunkin’ Donuts to step out and talk about it.
As for what you see at your Dunkin’ Donuts, a well oiled operation may very well be taking place. I am sure a lot of research went into Dunkin’s store layouts and operational efficiency. But I think you are one of the lucky ones. And this just further bears out my point about brand-wide standards. Some people may live near a well run, well maintained Dunkin’ store. And some may not. My store sampling is very much urban. There are five or six Dunkin’ Donuts stores that I have been to multiple times and the quality of the store and the quality of the experience varies widely. Starbucks is definitely a much more focused brand in this regard.

Comment on In Line at Starbucks: Brand Interaction Dunkin’ Donuts Can Learn From by Duner

Duner — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:30:51 +0000

Interesting, but essentially refuted by empirica evidence. Stopwatch. Dunkin’ Donuts is always faster. Starbucks takes twice as long, at least. I actually check my watch. The writer is correct about the perception issue. Good insight into the method of moving people along so that they don’t notice the transaction taking 8 minutes as opposed to the typical 3 minute DD experience.

The writer makes the fatal flaw of assuming that his/her distorted perception is universally adopted. The “larger environmental movement”? Are you kidding? Dunkin’ Donuts uses the styrofoam cups because the larger public demands it. Paper is cheaper, so DD would sell coffee in those cups if it could. It does with small sze coffee. DD’s website and press releases state that DD is the largest seller of coffee byu the cup in the world. Most sold in styrofaom cups. That’s more than Starbucks, which has twice as many locations.

I always see workers at DD with exactly the team approach that the writer pines for at DD. I see a guy staying over the ovens. The cahsier stays at the cash register except to turn around and grab doughnuts (which, I suppose, is why they are right behind the cashier), and there is soemone else making the drinks. I mean, I SEE this.

Maybe the shops sampled were not representative and, as the writer states, the brand standards need to apply everywhere. THAT is a great point.

Comment on Restaurant Naming: Jonathan Benno’s Hype Meets Reality by Marty Wombacher

Marty Wombacher — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:01:57 +0000

I like the name Crescere and idea behind it 1000% percent more than Lincoln. Lincoln is boring and predictable and will subliminally put that in people’s minds before they give it a try. They should’ve used yours.