Author: c.leddy

Topic Ideas

Crazy shakes and the restaurant atmosphere — nowadays, everything is on social media in one form or another. Instagram is arguably the most-used platform for showcasing the latest food creations and through this it generates buzz for the newest trends. Crazy shakes took the country by storm last year, and since then they’ve only grown in popularity and the options are endless.

Should this become my blog topic, I would look at some of the most talked-about crazy shake hotspots in Manhattan. I wouldn’t just look at the shakes themselves–I would analyze the atmosphere inside the restaurants and talk to the manager (or owner) about the design choices that were made when the restaurant was established. For one of my pieces, I could have the server order what they think is the best shake at the establishment. Another idea for a piece would be a “behind the scenes” look at how the most popular shake at a restaurant is made. A different aspect of the crazy shake phenomena is how these businesses market their products. Black Tap, for example, is one of the more famous options and they are constantly posting photos and updates on their social media accounts (specifically Instagram). I could talk to them about how they plan their posts and how it affects business as well.

Unions in 2018 — Unions have been around since the Industrial Revolution. As students, we learn the basics about them in high school history class and we may someday become a part of one, although membership is on a steady decline. I’m an intern at a retail union that represents over 16,000 people across Long Island, NYC and Westchester County. Something I’ve realized during my time at Local 338 is that people my age don’t realize the benefits of having a union. Before I worked at Local 338, I was actually a member in one of their stores, and so was my father.

If this were the topic of my blog, I could interview members of the union about how Local 338 has helped them in the past. If possible, I would do a Q&A with some of the leadership at my job about what it’s like to run a union and what it means to represent one. I could also cover some of the efforts being made by my union and the international UFCW to unionize Best Markets in their “Do Better Best Yet” campaign. I would have to get permission from my boss and the leadership at my job before I do any of this, because press (even if it’s something for a class) is something that they’re pretty strict with.