Blog

Veggie dogs are finally coming to Nathan’s Famous.

Beginning Monday, the century-old frankfurter emporium will begin serving meatless hot dogs at 13 eateries across the New York metro area, including at its famous Coney Island flagship. 

Nathan’s unveiled its plans for the veggie dogs in April when it announced a partnership with Meatless Farms, which makes plant-based burgers and sausages.

The Nathan’s Meatless Farm hot dog has Nathan’s proprietary spice blend and is being dubbed a “gourmet” version of the meaty dogs.

It’s not just aimed at “flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan customers but [at] all who enjoy a healthier diet,” James Walker, president of Nathan’s Famous restaurants said in a statement. 

“We’ve spent a great deal of time perfecting this hot dog and making sure that those who know and love Nathan’s one-of-a-kind flavor, as well as those that might not have tried a Nathan’s hot dog due to diet, can now enjoy an option that fits their lifestyle.”

Nathan’s hasn’t said if the vegan version of its famous franks will be featured at its annual hot dog eating contest on July 4. Paul Martinka

The meatless versions have been available for sale since April on Nathan’s online retail portal on Shopify. They’ve been priced, however, at a stratospheric $44.99 for a kit of six dogs, buns and a bottle of Nathan’s Famous deli mustard.

The plan is to eventually sell the product in retailers, but for now New Yorkers can find a warm Nathan’s veggie dog at eateries at the Staten Island ferry terminal in Manhattan, on Surf Avenue in Coney Island and at the Jersey Shore Premium outlets among other locations.

Nathan didn’t comment on whether the healthier wieners will be featured at the return of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th — or whether vegans might be invited to compete for the first time.

Customers are noshing on free samples in the grocery aisle again — albeit with more pandemic protections than before.

Two weeks ago, grocery chain Stew Leonard’s began handing out bite-sized samples of its homemade cheesecake stuffed into tiny paper cups — but only after building 28 plexiglass booths to keep employees at a safe distance from customers.

Just last week the New York metro area chain added five more food items to its giveaway –watermelons, pineapples, chicken burgers, salad and Stew Leonard-branded chocolate cream pies — all of which are being handed out through a small opening at the bottom of its handcrafted plexiglass booths by masked and gloved employees.

The quirky chain known for its petting zoos and animatronic displays only reintroduced the practice after polling customers via its Facebook page.

Stew Leonard’s staffer Devon Wilkins takes a break from handing out pink pineapple samples through a small opening at the bottom of his plexiglass sampling booth in Norwalk, Conn. Stew Leonard’s

Ninety-five percent of respondents replied “yes” to bringing sampling back, Stew Leonard, owner of the eponymous grocery chain told The Post. “Our customers love the samples and have been asking for them,” Leonard said.

With COVID-19 infections dramatically down and vaccination rates up, little bites of cake, fruit, cheese and meat are making a comeback at food retailers big and small. But even as people are more receptive to eating indoors amongst strangers again, customers are still demanding that their grocery store sampling be done differently than before.

Costco and Sam’s Club have also recently said they will resume their food sample programs this week with new pandemic restrictions. Costco will be handing out samples via plexiglass booths, like Stew Leonard’s, while Sam’s Club said its food demos will only be held on weekends with sealed samples.

Meanwhile, experts say the return to sampling could help boost supermarket sales as skyrocketing food prices threaten to lower consumers’ purchasing power in other sections of the grocery store, like the meat aisle.

“Stores like sampling because it makes people hungry and they buy more as a result,” said retail consultant Burt Flickinger, who says that shoppers who nosh and shop typically add 10 percent more to their bill by purchasing the promoted product. 

Mom-and-pop brands that rely on sampling to get the word out about their new products have also been eager to start passing out little paper cups at supermarkets again.

Salad dressing maker Bold Palate had its first tasting two weeks ago at the Upper West Side Pioneer Market at 289 Columbus Ave., where it nearly ran out of the supply it brought to the store.

“Most customers wanted to try everything, which surprised me,” Kate Mann, chief executive of Bold Palate Foods LLC, told The Post. 

“We launched our product the same week the pandemic was being labeled a pandemic. So at that time, stores weren’t taking new brands like mine,” Mann added.

Stew Leonard’s is among a growing number of supermarkets handing out samples again as coronavirus restrictions lift.Edmund J Coppa

Although Mann’s tasting table was not surrounded by plexiglass, she and her staff were wearing face masks and gloves and quickly informed customers who stopped by that she and the staff were “fully vaccinated,” she said.

Mann expects her brick-and-mortar sales to potentially double now that she can give away free tastings of her four varieties of plant-based dressings. And that’s not pie-in-the-sky thinking, experts say.

“A brand can increase its sales at a store by 300 percent in just one day by doing sampling,” Phoodie Marketing chief executive Sam Miller, told The Post. “And if you do it a couple times a month, your sales can be huge.”

Supermarkets abruptly dropped food sampling at the start of the pandemic. Setting up tables that attract small crowds was simply bad business at a time when social distancing and getting in and out of stores quickly was the norm.

Food samples like this went out of style last year but are coming back now — with new COVID restrictions. Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag

But the CDC’s new guidance about vaccinated people being allowed to ditch their masks in most public settings, has proved a game changer.

“Three weeks ago no one was calling about setting up a demo,” said Brian Lillquist, co-owner of Kinetic Events, which produces food demos for both retailers and brands. “Now the requests have significantly increased mostly for dates later in the summer.”

“We used to do 400 demos a month and this month we’ll do 40 if we’re lucky,” another food demo executive, Rachel Golian-Rafaelov said, but that’s quickly changing, she added.

United Airlines said Thursday it will spend $3 billion to buy 15 supersonic, zero-emissions jetliners from aviation startup Boom Supersonic.

The jet maker says its “Overture” model jets will fly at double the speed of today’s fastest airliners, carrying up to 88 travelers each from New York to London in 3.5 hours and San Francisco to Tokyo in six hours. The planes will exclusively use jet fuel created from organic matter, making them the world’s first large commercial aircraft with net-zero carbon emissions.

The Overture would be the first commercial faster-than-sound jet to take flight since the Concorde flew from the 1970s until 2003. Concordes were retired amid declining demand for air travel after 9/11, as well as passenger complaints about noise, lack of cabin space and pricey tickets. 

Scholl told the Post that his company plans to address the issues that plagued the Concorde, adding extra seating room and large windows. The cost of operating the Overture will also be 75 perent lower than the Concorde, translating into lower ticket prices for customers, he said. 

“This is a much larger and more comfortable experience than Concorde,” Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl told The Post. “It’s been half a century. We can do better.” 

“If United is flying transatlantic in half the time, if you’re another airline and you’re not flying supersonic, you’re in trouble,” Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl told the Post.Boom Supersonic

But Scholl’s company has a long way to go before it can deliver on United’s order, much less take over the transatlantic flight market. The company has yet to test any aircraft, with plans for a test flight of a one-seater aircraft sometime later this year or early in 2022, according to Scholl.

Denver-based Boom then plans to break ground on an Overture factory capable of manufacturing 66 jets per year in 2022, conduct its first full-sized test flights in 2026 and offer passenger flights through United and other airlines in 2029, he said. 

The Concorde flew from the 1970s until 2003.Getty Images

However, the company’s schedule has been inconsistent. In 2019, Scholl told industry site AirlineRatings that the company’s first test jet would take to the air in 2020.

Asked about the delays, Scholl told the Post the company was operating with a “schedule of breathing room.” 

“Safety is number-one, so you don’t want to create a pressurized schedule,” he said.

The United order includes a non-refundable deposit and an option to purchase 35 more jets for $7 billion if the airline likes the first batch, Scholl said. He would not disclose the size of the deposit. 

Boom Supersonic

The deal represents Boom’s first non-refundable deal. The company previously booked a refundable preorder from Virgin Airlines and signed a contract with the US Air Force to “explore an Overture configuration for government executive flight.” It also raised $10 million from Japan Airlines in 2017. 

United can back out of the deal while losing its non-refundable deposit if Boom fails to receive regulatory approval or meet United’s safety, operating and sustainability requirements, the Chicago-based carrier said. 

Boom Supersonic investors include American Express Ventures, Y Combinator, Emerson Collective and Caffeinated Capital.Boom Supersonic

Boom has raised a total of $241 million in funding, according to Crunchbase, from investors including American Express ventures, Y Combinator, Emerson Collective and Caffeinated Capital. 

Scholl said the company is “super well funded” but still plans to raise more money in the future. 

For United Airlines, the deal represents an optimistic streak after the airline faced an existential crisis as passenger demand vanished during the coronavirus pandemic. The company posted a $7.7 billion loss in 2020, but demand for flights has started to bounce back. 

The deal represents an optimistic streak for United after the company posted a $7.7 billion loss in 2020.Boom Supersonic

United CEO Scott Kirby said, “Boom’s vision for the future of commercial aviation, combined with the industry’s most robust route network in the world, will give business and leisure travelers access to a stellar flight experience.”