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Burgeoning Alo Brand Expands with Third Offshoot

By on September 2, 2018 in Branding, Food, Lifestyle, News

ALO Bar

I’ve been a fan of award-winning restaurant Alo since its opening about three years ago. With the opening of its latest offshoot – Alobar Yorkville located at 162 Cumberland Street in the heart of Toronto’s most upscale neighbourhood – the burgeoning Alo brand is surely expanding at a rapid rate.

By now, Alo Restaurant is at the apex of every single “best Toronto restaurants” and “best Canadian restaurants” list. It has also recently won the internationally-renowned Relais & Chateux designation and is the only Canadian restaurant ranked on the 2018 list of the World’s Best 50/100 Restaurants. Building on the flagship brand’s success and accolades, its “bistro/diner” sister establishment, Aloette, was opened last year followed by the newest family member, Alobar Yorkville, two weeks ago.

Alobar positions itself as “a cocktail bar as well as a full-fledged restaurant offering choice seafood with the finest accoutrements, fish and chops off of the charcoal grill, and world-class wines, all served with genuine hospitality” on its website. My first dining experience there was excellent as my friend and I were seated at the only two bar stools facing the open kitchen (the rest of the bar stools face the bar). I loved the hamachi, tuna tartare and foie gras appetizers, and my Pacific Cod as an entree was heavenly. Alobar is a classy and sophisticated combination of the food at the original bar of Alo Restaurant and the open kitchen “performance” at both Alo and Aloette. The banquette table arrangements at Alobar also reminded me of the seating at Alo. The room was decorated with an understated elegance and the vibe was lively, attracting primarily a boomer clientele.

I’ve also read from the website of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants that Alobar features a Josper oven, a Spanish-made combination oven and grill powered exclusively by charcoal. Apparently, Jospers are de rigeur at the best tapas bars, grill rooms and grill-friendly fine-dining establishments across Europe and Asia. They are ultra expensive and there are only a few restaurants in Canada who have such an installation best used for grilling vegetables, fish or beef. Alobar has only 50 indoor seats and without any opening fanfare, the new restaurant is already sold out for at least a week in advance.

In terms of branding, I think Chef Owner Patrick Kriss is spot-on with his three restaurants. Alo is the flagship fine-dining brand – exclusive, sophisticated, world-class, and almost inaccessible with a two-month advance booking requirement and long wait lists. Right below Alo on the ground floor is Aloette, the sub-brand that is almost the opposite of Alo – accessible, very casual, and fun with no reservations required. Now comes Alobar Yorkville, the intermediate sub-brand – elegant, smart casual, intimate and vibrant – located in one of the most exclusive and chic neighbourhoods in Toronto. But all three brands share the same consistent qualities that have earned Kriss his accolades: attention to detail, excellent food and service, and beautiful ambiance.

I have shared with Chef Kriss in person what I think is his most distinct unique selling proposition that differentiates the Alo brand from the competition – the stellar quality of his people. Never have I seen elsewhere a team who absolutely shares Kriss’s vision and values for the Alo brand in everything they do. From the kitchen to the servers to the mixologists to the reception to the managers, everybody shares the same strong passion to deliver excellent service, genuine and warm hospitality, and an unforgettable experience for the customers in all three restaurants. In fact, the Alo group of restaurants are the only eateries in Toronto where I would not hesitate to leave a well-deserved 20 percent service gratuity when the bill comes.

Kudos to Kriss who not only has discerning eyes for recruiting the best people, but also has the foresight to help his team grow with him and his business. I’ve noticed him promoting high performers whenever possible from within the organization which is always the most effective way to retain talents. Customers frequent any of the three Alo restaurants not just because of the delicious food, but also the same consistent experience that they deliver during each visit. It remains to be seen whether Chef Kriss’s ambition and vision would take him beyond Toronto and even around the world similar to what Daniel Boulud, David Chang, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Joel Robuchon have accomplished. But Chef Kriss is still young and, for now, his star is very bright in the culinary and hospitality firmament!

 

 

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Millennials And Seniors Become Roommates

By on July 29, 2018 in Demograhics, Lifestyle, Real Estate, Retirement
Photo Credit: Linkmedia 360

Photo Credit: Linkmedia 360

I see an emerging Canadian real estate trend mirroring that of the U.S. – millennials and seniors, the most unlikely roommates, are now increasingly sharing a home together. The Globe and Mail recently reported that with the rise of Canada’s rents while the vacancy rate shrinks, a growing number of seniors are living in homes too big, while young Canadians squeeze into apartments too expensive. The concept of home sharing – where the homeowner, usually a senior, offers reduced rent for a room in their home in exchange for small chores and companionship – is getting attention in small towns and cities across the country, including a new pilot project in Toronto this summer.

The publication reported that this month, Boston expanded the use of a new housing app called Nesterly – co-developed by a MIT-grad and billed as a socially-conscious solution to both loneliness and soaring housing costs – which creates home-sharing matches between seniors and cash-strapped university students. Sometimes, it’s not only students who are in a financial bind. In January this year, The New York Times reported that many older Americans, who discovered that their savings had dwindled, were looking for millennials to share their homes and split the utilities and the rent equally. For many baby boomers entering retirement, financial security is also increasingly hard to come by. Many North Americans have not saved enough to maintain their pre-retirement living standards. Increased life expectancy and lower interest rates only exacerbate the situation.

In addition to apps like Nesterly, non-profit organizations, such as the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens, have been operating a home-sharing service since 1981, matching people who have space in their homes with those in need of affordable housing. It is one of a number of similar programs that have emerged across the country as the population of older Americans grows, as a way to help people stay in their homes.

Similarly, across Canada, affordable-housing advocates have proposed home sharing as a creative option for communities trying to balance a rapidly aging population and a shortage of affordable, long-term rental properties. The most successful home-sharing programs involve a step-by-step process that carefully matches homeowners and tenants, requiring funding for trained facilitators. Whether we like it or not, many Canadian trends follow those of our southern neighbours. A lot of these new projects are modelling themselves after a non-profit organization in Vermont, now more than 30 years old, where matched candidates meet, have trial stays and, if both agree, sign a clear contract that outlines expectations and rules while they live together.

Nesterly, which started as a pilot with the city of Boston last year, focused on university students and expanded in July to include the entire city population, works like a dating app, allowing potential tenants to post confidential profiles that can be matched to homeowners. The team at the Boston app also conducts criminal-record checks and follows up on references, then allows homeowners to choose from a number of matches. In its pilot year, the program made 10 matches – there are now another 50 active “hosts” on the platforms with thousands of home seekers to choose from.

Nesterly staff also help facilitate interviews and finalize detailed home-sharing contracts and even collect the rent on behalf of the homeowner, while taking a small percentage, and a fee for offering continuing support. Millennials chosen by seniors homeowners often help with snow shovelling, walking the dog, gardening, the occasional shelf-hanging, or chatting to the seniors about any topics of shared interest.

For the older homeowners, having younger company is also potentially a lifesaver. Seniors have a tendency to fall at home and could be assisted by their younger roommates or tenants when such accidents occur. In return for the physical labour provided by the millennials, some older homeowners leave homemade meals for them on the table by the front door.

According to a 2017 study by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis, Ontario alone has five million spare bedrooms and three-quarters of the province’s seniors live in houses too large for their needs. Home sharing may not solve Canada’s housing woes, but advocates say it’s an example of how more solutions should go beyond windows and walls.

I’m also glad to see that a provincially-funded pilot project for Toronto will begin this summer – an initiative undertaken by the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly at the University of Toronto. Tonya Salomans, a social worker who is coordinating this project, sees home sharing as an option for generations to mingle and learn from one another, to improve the health of isolated seniors, while helping young people cover rent. The goal is to match 20 seniors with university students and then follow how well the living arrangements work.

Outside Ontario, this fall, a group of housing advocates in Nova Scotia plan to tour communities promoting options such as home sharing. The Globe also reported that a Burlington entrepreneur has started the Homeshare Alliance, a business that matches people and guides them through the contract stage for a fee.

Of course, home sharing is not for everyone. Seniors have to be flexible (a rare quality to have when you’re aging), enjoy people and set clear rules from the beginning. For those who are willing to give this creative solution a try, home sharing may be the best way to integrate the young and old in society.

 

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Grey Divorces Do Not Necessarily Lead To Loneliness

By on April 20, 2018 in Family, Finance, Lifestyle, Psychology
Photo Credit: Huffington Post

Photo Credit: Huffington Post

Recently, the attention paid to loneliness as a public-health issue has increased all over the world. In Britain, the Conservative government went as far as appointing a minister for loneliness. The Dutch government announced this month that it is investing $40.8 million to combat loneliness among its elderly population. In our own country, Canada, it was reported that 1.4 million elderly people experience feelings of loneliness.

More of us are living alone than at any point in the history of our nation. But living with someone does not preclude loneliness, as anyone in a bad marriage can tell us. And alone is not equivalent to being lonely. Which brings me to my key point – whether you are lonely or not, whatever your age, is a state of mind and an attitude. There is a social stigma that single people, particularly elderly people who are single, are naturally lonely. This is a myth that should be debunked.

I have posted twice in this blog throughout the years that grey divorces are on the rise. In Canada, divorce is spiking only among 50-plusers and becoming an increasingly common event for couples 65 and older. According to Statistics Canada, about one in five people in their late 50s were divorced or separated in 2011 (about 21.6 percent of women and 18.9 percent of men), the highest among all age groups. In the U.S.A., the divorce rate has decreased in every demographic since the 80s – except among baby boomers, where it has actually doubled. It is a similar story in the U.K. and Europe. In Japan, in the past two decades, couples married 30 years or more have seen their divorce rate quadruple. This international trend is so unusual that it has been dubbed the grey divorce revolution.

There are many reasons behind the grey divorces. With financial independence, boomers also want emotional and physical freedom. Turning 50 or 60 is no longer viewed as the gateway to dotage. With life expectancy now at around 80, the idea of going gently into that good night is no longer valid. The people who prefer to fly solo seem to be very content. The prospect of going it alone at a mature lifestage is scary – lifestyle adjustments, financial uncertainty maybe and telling the kids will be hard. But they are all young adults now. This is your time and you want to be free and happy! In an AARP survey of this trend, one theme surfaced again and again: It is now or never! 

The long-term prospects of happiness for grey divorcees are extremely rosy. Eighty percent of the AARP respondents reported having either a somewhat or very positive outlook on their post-divorce lives. And the good news for those interested in finding another relationship at this mature stage of their lives is that most people who are interested in finding one eventually do. To debunk another myth that baby boomers are not technologically-savvy, the number of boomers 50 or older using online dating sites has grown twice as fast as any age group in recent years. Men tend to re-partner more frequently after a divorce, because they typically have a much harder time than women being alone. Women are more comfortable relying on girlfriends when they need to share their experiences in life.

Having said that, between the years 1996 and 2006, the percentage of divorced Canadians intending to remarry dropped from 26 percent to 22 percent. In addition, more than 60 percent of divorced people stated they had no intentions of getting remarried at all. The steady divorce rate has been one of the contribution factors in the record number of one-person households in Canada. There has also been a continuing upward trend in the number of common-law unions – 21 percent in 2016 versus 16.7 percent in 2011. The key takeaways from these trends are: you are not trapped, regardless of age; and you do not need to fear being lonely, because you never really are.

There are certain steps to take after a grey divorce including understanding your current financial picture; revisit your estate plan; keep your emotions in check; communicating with your kids; and seek counsel and help from therapists, lawyers and financial advisors if necessary. Most important of all, as the AARP survey reflected, you can find happiness again no matter what age you are at.

Maybe the marriage model with a lifetime guarantee has officially been phased out. It is no longer realistic to expect to live a lifetime with the same person. Maybe boomers are looking for more quality than endurance. No more status quo if you are not happy. No more loneliness either. Boomers are starting a discussion about marriage again – it is now or never!

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Etiquette For Boomers

By on January 30, 2018 in Lifestyle

Pay-Attention-While-Walking-sign

I’ve been asked to write a Miss Manners blog many times before, but have never got around to it. However, I did mention in my 2018 New Year Resolutions blog post that there should be an etiquette for baby boomers too. Just because we’re the rebellious demographic when we were younger and are still defying the aging process, that doesn’t mean we can do whatever we like that are inappropriate manners. So, in my humble opinion, here are the top five for consideration:

  1. Dress for the occasion: just because we used to be the flower children of the 60s, that does not mean we could dress as hippies now that we’re more mature. Nor should we become the slaves of today’s fashion and dress inappropriately for our age. Flip flops are for the beach and baseball caps are for ballgames or pubs. Even though smart casual is the dress code for the workplace of most companies, shorts, short-sleeved shirts, distressed jeans and plunging necklines are just inappropriate for the office. When in doubt, the best way is to think about the occasion and dress suitably to look presentable and make an impression on the people with whom you are going to interact. The golden rule that it’s always better to overdress than underdress still applies today. For boomer women, some makeup is better than a bare face and a heavily done-up complexion might not be too flattering and, even if applied well, should be saved for evening occasions.
  2. Communicate with a personal touch:: we should combine high-touch with high-tech when it comes to modern-day communications. As Associated Press recently mentioned, smartphone addiction kills manners and moods. At our age, constantly bending our heads to look at our devices adds to the physiological stress on our neck and might lead to incremental loss of the curve of the cervical spine. According to the U.S. Center for Biotechnology Information, posture has been proven to affect mood, behaviour and memory, and frequent slouching can make us depressed. Aside from the health consequences, if we’re head down, communication skills and manners are slumped, too. This is not just a youth problem. I see many boomers walking down the street with heads down checking their devices – this behaviour has increasingly caused more accidents on the road. We should make an effort to interact with people face to face with eye contact and pay full attention to the present. Try digital detoxes while you’re on vacation and collect all the smartphones of your dinner party guests before you break bread together. Start looking up and set a good example for your kids and grandkids.
  3. Be up-to-date on digital etiquette: boomers should also observe digital etiquette when communicating with our computers and smartphones in order to stay relevant either in the workplace or after retirement. Basic guidelines include don’t yell by using all caps; do not constantly forward internet jokes, videos or stories which you deem funny but may not be amusing to others; try not to hit reply all in emails unless absolutely necessary; consider using the blind copy option instead  of typing in a large number of email addresses; know when to send your message by email or text; be concise and to the point; and try to respond within 24 hours to an email or text which was only addressed to you.
  4. Practise what your mother taught you: this is just common sense even if you were not brought up this way. Do not talk with your mouth full; try not to eat or drink while you’re walking; when sitting at the dining table, do not slurp your soup or beverage nor spit on your plate; keep your personal hygiene at home or in the bathroom which includes brushing your hair; flossing or picking your teeth; filing your nails or applying cosmetics; and chewing or spitting out gum on the streets.
  5. Respect other people’s time: punctuality reflects a person’s respect for people and time. I would never hire any job candidates, suppliers, advisors, realtors, accountants, lawyers, contractors or cleaners who are tardy. People who show up late for meetings and appointments simply cannot be trusted to meet any deadlines. Latecomers will always come up with excuses – an impossible schedule,  a prolonged phone call, bad traffic, forgetfulness, etc. But the bottom line is that they have little respect for people’s time and this is a major character flaw.

Etiquette is important for boomers not only because we need to be respectful. Kids mimick adults and they emulate our actions and behaviours. If we don’t get this right, we cannot expect our children or grandchildren to learn proper manners from us.

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10 New Year Resolutions

By on December 29, 2017 in Lifestyle

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On a snowy third last day of 2017, what better things to do than to reflect upon this year and make new year resolutions for 2018?

  1. Pay More Attention To Your Health: There is nothing more important than our health. Whether you’re a retired boomer, or somebody who is still in the workforce, your health continues to be your number-one asset. So, in the new year, pay more attention to what you eat and drink; exercise regularly; know your blood pressure and cholesterol and blood sugar levels; and consult your physician when you notice any problems. Everything else in life will fall into place when you’re healthy.
  2. Spend Quality Time With Friends When They Are Alive And Well: Having just attended the funeral of a former business partner, I found myself telling ex-colleagues at the funeral that we should be getting together in the new year under happier circumstances. Why have a reunion at somebody’s funeral when we could catch up on happy occasions? I also have a problem with people just showing up at funerals instead of spending quality time with the deceased when he or she was alive and well. Should my friends not have time for me while I’m alive, I certainly don’t want them to be there when I’m gone.
  3. Make Hay While The Sun Shines: A lot of my friends have been saving for retirement and developing a long bucket list to travel to after hanging up their boots. But boomers should never delay enjoying our lives. Life is too short and there is no guarantee that tomorrow is going to be a better day. Boomers deserve to fulfill their dreams sooner rather than later – you’ve worked hard for what you want and you should live life to its fullest now.
  4. Do Not Just Complain, Do Something About It: I also hear a few boomer friends complaining about their jobs, the city they live in or about Canada. Identifying a problem is always the easy part, but we should always come up with a solution. If you’re not happy with your job, voice your grievances to your employer and develop better solutions. If you’re not satisfied with the government, let your opinions be known and become a consumer or political activist – communicate with your MP, MPP or City Councillor or even better, get involved in politics to improve people’s lives. If you have no solutions and are too skeptical to get involved, then shut up and stop whining.
  5. Respect Women And No Means No: 2017 was a “woke” year for sexual harassment. For all you male boomers out there, particularly the powerful ones, please respect women at home, in the workplace, and in the community. Teach your sons and grandsons to do the same and they will thank you for that. And for you fellow women boomers, stop being complicit in the future – if you know that a “sister” is being mistreated, don’t be quiet and do nothing.
  6. Practise Boomer Etiquette: Yes, we boomers have our etiquette too. Respect people’s time and don’t be late for any appointments or occasions in the new year. Always respond to emails and texts from your friends no matter how busy you are or how insignificant in content you think they are. Remember your good friends’ and loved ones’ birthdays – nobody is expecting a birthday present, but cherish your friendships by showing them you remember and care. Should you have a failing memory like mine, you can always rely on your iPhone which records birthdays on your contact list. Last, but not least, put away your electronic devices while breaking bread with your friends and focus on the lunch/dinner conversations. We boomers should be role models for our children and grandchildren – it is simply rude to read and respond to emails/texts at the dinner table unless you have an emergency, in which case you should always apologize and seek permission.
  7. Don’t Forget High-Touch In A High-Tech World: That’s why I’m one of those dinosaurs who still send Christmas cards by snail mail – taking the time to put pen to paper is still the most personalized way to send your love and best wishes. Every now and then, particularly during momentous occasions, pick up the phone and call to say “I love you”  or “I’m thinking of you.” No emails or texts or emojis can ever replace your voice on the other end of the phone.
  8. Reduce Your Consumerism: At our age, boomers should really cut down on materialistic objects of desire – we’ve been there, done that. Do not acquire new things unless absolutely necessary. Every time you’ve purchased something new, try part ways with an old piece of clothing or household item and donate them to the poor. Hoarding is a mental condition for older people and minimalism is best for boomers and seniors. Still not convinced? Please read The New York Times‘s opinion piece: “My Year Of No Shopping.“
  9. Be Grateful And Count Your Blessings: We should be grateful for what we have every day but particularly during Christmas and New Year when we are donating to the homeless and the poor. The happiest people are those who are content. Start counting your blessings and try to write a gratitude journal every day in the new year.
  10. Continue To Give Back To The Community: The best way to show gratitude is to give back to the community. Boomers are keen volunteers – whether it’s volunteering in your church parish, helping out the poor and homeless, or for a charitable cause, volunteering and giving back are never enough. It is my intention in the new year to aim higher with my efforts and I hope you will do the same.

Thank you for your support of my blog and Happy New Year!

 

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