The Daily Dish: This Restaurant's 'Pay What You Want' Promotion Was A Disaster

This Restaurant's 'Pay What You Want' Promotion Was a Disaster

A restaurateur owner in China decided to try a "pay what you want" promotion to bring customers to her new restaurant, but it turned out to be a disaster. According to Shanghaiist, the owner said she believed in the "inherent goodness of human beings," and announced that for the first week she would let her guests pay whatever they wanted for their food. She thought the customers would be so happy with her initiative that they'd pay something at least in the vicinity of what the food was worth. Unfortunately, while everyone said they enjoyed the food and the service, a lot of customers just decided to eat and run. The restaurant lost about $15,000 in its first week, and, even worse, after the promotion ended, none of the freeloading customers came back.

Australian Inventor Makes Lactose-Free Cheese Out of Potatoes

There's good news for lactose-intolerant folks who can't get over their love of cheese:  Australian inventor Andrew Dyhin has invented a dairy-free product that looks like cheese and acts like cheese, but is actually made from potatoes. He spent years perfecting CHATO (an amalgamation of the words "cheese" and potato") and is ready to share his product with the world. Dyhin refuses to reveal the secret to the product's development process but confirmed with The Daily Mail that it involved potatoes being "peeled, liquefied, and processed with no added ingredients." "Your brain says 'no,' and your taste buds say 'yes,'" he told The Daily Mail. 

These Electronic Spoons Make Your Vegetables Taste Sweeter

If you quail at the thought of eating those bitter Brussels sprouts, here's some good news: Scientists may soon have a solution for picky eaters like you. The Taste Buddy is a digital cutlery device that makes low-sugar foods taste sweeter by electronically stimulating the taste receptors on the tongue. It was developed by scientists at the University of London and unveiled at the Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair in Birmingham, England, according to The Telegraph. Currently, the team is working on a prototype spoon, but the technology could be engineered to fit knives and forks as well. "The Taste Buddy could eventually help save lives, by allowing people to switch to healthier food choices," Dr. Adrian Cheok, one of the researchers, told The Telegraph. 

This Is Why Chocolate Cake Is the Next Big Breakfast Trend

The next time you feel guilty about indulging in chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, remember this tip: Eating chocolate in the morning can actually be good for you, at least according to one health professional. "There was a study that recently came out from Syracuse University re-touting the benefits of dark chocolate, specifically on cognitive function — abstract reasoning, memory, focus," Liz Moskow, culinary director at Sterling-Rice Group, told Food Business News. "The thought was eating chocolate prepares you more for your workday, so what better day part to incorporate dark chocolate into your meal than breakfast?"

Import Restrictions on Cuban Rum and Cigars Finally Lifted

Ever since President Obama lifted the Cuban embargo earlier this year, at least some Cuban products have begun to freely flow between the island nation and America. The last remnants of the trade embargo have just been erased, with Obama finally lifting the remaining import restrictions on Cuban rum and cigars. Now, American visitors are not limited (beyond normal TSA rules and customs regulations) as to how much tobacco and alcohol they can bring home from Cuba. "You can now celebrate with Cuban rum and Cuban cigars," said Susan Rice, U.S. national security adviser, as she laid out the new rules in a policy speech to a Washington, D.C. think tank, according to France24.