Food With a Conscience

Come mid-2009, Bronxites will have a dining option which will be good for their health, as well as their community.

Marketwatch.com reports the following:

"4Food will open its first restaurant at the site of the historic Concourse Plaza Hotel near the new Yankee Stadium next year, offering fast, healthy, reasonably priced versions of foods people like, such as burgers, nuggets, fries, salads, and teas, with as much as 60 percent of the food items and ingredients sourced from local farms and producers." [www.marketwatch.com]

As if it couldn't get any better than healthy food at reasonable prices, 4Food is also currently consulting with IBM to integrate corporate social responsibility values and practices into its business strategy. 4Food will not only be a place for the community to gather and socialize, but it also takes seriously its role in contributing to the socio-economic framework of the surrounding area.

BoogieDowner spoke with 4Food's Chief Operating Officer Matthew Shephard today, and he stated that 4Food is dedicated to the investment it is making in the Bronx. In fact, the company had received several offers to open locations in Manhattan, but 4Food remains committed to establishing its flagship restaurant right here in the Bronx.

Adam Kidron, 4Food's managing partner, is a proud resident of the Bronx and explains his business approach in Marketwatch's press release by saying, ""Consumers today want not just value but also values in their dining choices -- our guests want to know that we adhere to the highest standards for the quality, safety and nutrition in the food we offer, our employment practices, the environment, and the way we contribute to the economic progress and health of the community."

One more cool thing about 4Food: You'll be able to customize your order and save it using the store's technology so that you can call it up next time you visit, and other patrons can then sample your creation.

By the way, BoogieDowner really sees the opening of 4Food as another example of revitalization without displacement... This is a business that is going to be part of the whole Yankee Stadium redevelopment frenzy, and it is clearly committed to serving the needs of the existing community (instead of capitalizing on the influx of baseball fans and tourists by price-gouging and offering sub par cuisine and crappy service).

Bravo, and welcome to the BoogieDown, 4Food!

~ErLu