Want a beer with that Burger King burger?

by Amy Chen on

Burger King is expected to open a bar in Miami’s South Beach sometime in mid-February.

The aptly named Whopper Bar will sell beer from 8 a.m. to 5 a.m. seven days a week. Beer ordered at the walk-up window, which stops selling alcohol at midnight, has to be consumed on the patio or inside the restaurant (sorry, Miami is still no New Orleans when it comes to open containers). You can expect a Budweiser or Miller Lite to cost you $4.25 a pop.

More Chipotle than typical fast-food fare, the Whopper Bar will also have an assembly line where you can customize your burger and add toppings such as guacamole, bacon, or steak sauce. Burgers will be available 24/7 inside the restaurant, at the walk-up window, and through some local delivery options.

There are already Whopper Bars in Orlando at the Universal CityWalk and overseas in Munich, Singapore, and Venezuela. New York City, Vegas, and L.A. could be next. With all the amazing bars in those cities, it’s kind of like recommending a McDonald’s in Rome. Then again, who can argue with 4 a.m. cravings or the novelty of it all?

Tip: Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack, which has two locations in New York City, already features an affordable selection of beer and wine. According to the Shake Shack website, five more branches will open this year, including one in Miami.

[Via CNN]

Will the Toyota recall affect your next car rental?

by Amy Chen on

Toyota‘s massive recall due to faulty accelerator pedals is trickling down into car-rental companies. How does the recall affect your next rental?

I checked in with some of the major players to see how they’re handling the recall, now estimated at more than 9 million worldwide.

Avis Budget: About 20,000 cars have been grounded due to the recall. “Our fleet is 7 percent smaller today, but we are receiving weekly deliveries of new vehicles from the purchase agreements we made months ago with our suppliers,” Avis Budget spokesperson John Barrows told me via e-mail. “So we expect to be able to fulfill all demand for any rental occasion while we await guidance from Toyota regarding the handling of the recalled vehicles.”

Dollar Thrifty: The recall represents less than 1.5 percent of the overall Dollar Thrifty fleet. “We have currently grounded the vehicles and are working with Toyota on inspection of the vehicles and a proper resolution of the issue. We do not have any significant Toyotas on order,” Scott Thompson, president and CEO of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, said in a written statement.

Zipcar: Toyota’s recall affects about 5 percent of the Zipcar fleet. The car-sharing company isn’t taking new reservations on any recalled vehicles, which include the 2009 and 2010 Toyota Matrix. If you already have a reservation on a Toyota Matrix, Zipcar will move you to a different car and compensate you for any rate difference. If you’d rather bail, any cancellation fees will be waived. For questions about upcoming reservations, call Member Services at 866/494-7227.

The silver lining: Many car-rental companies, such as Avis, Budget, Dollar, and Thrifty, only let you reserve a certain vehicle class (compact/economy, mid-size, full-size). Since you weren’t able to specify a make/model to begin with, at least you won’t have to deal with re-booking because the car you wanted is suddenly unavailable.

In general, car-rental companies had already been shrinking its fleets, which was resulting in higher prices. We’ll keep an eye on how this will affect pricing now that the supply is even smaller. I’ll also update once I hear back from Hertz, Enterprise, Alamo, and National.

Flea Market Finds: Brooklyn

by Amy Chen on

Finding unique souvenirs these days can be tough. Instead of picking up yet another mug, try scoping out a local flea market.

In New York, for example, the Brooklyn Flea Market has moved indoors for the winter so you can take your time sifting through another person’s junk in search of your treasure.

I recently spent a rainy Sunday afternoon at the old Williamsburgh Savings Bank combing through the racks and tables. Presentation is everything–items that would otherwise look drab seemed more appealing when neatly organized and labeled. Among the vintage jewelry and clothing, I spotted some retro travel bags ($15), including this blue tote from the posh Fontainebleau resort in Miami.

Days later, I’m kicking myself for not buying that bag. I contacted the hotel to see if they might sell any similar totes. A spokesperson tells me that while the hotel only has newer versions right now, they’re looking into bringing back the design of this bag, estimated to date back to the 1950s. Until then, I guess I’ll have to look on eBay.

Details: One Hanson Place at Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays now through March 28.

Tip: After browsing in the main hall, head downstairs into the vault to sample the food: Asia Dogs sells beef, chicken, or veggie hot dogs with unexpected toppings like kimchi, Japanese curry, or barbecue pork belly (from $4).

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Ski deals on Super Bowl Sunday: lift tickets from $19

by Amy Chen on

If cheering for the New Orleans Saints or Indianapolis Colts on Super Bowl Sunday just doesn’t do it for you, how do $19 lift tickets sound?

Super Bowl Sunday is one of the best days to score ski deals, according to Liftopia.com. The online ski discounter has rounded up 44 deals for Super Bowl XLIV, including the $19 special from Canaan Valley Resort in West Virginia. Considering a full-day pass on a Sunday normally costs at least $49 for adults, that’s more than 60 percent off at this resort.

With most of the nation huddled in front of a TV on Feb. 7, you’ll also encounter shorter lines at resorts such as Lake Tahoe’s Bear Valley ($35, or 41 percent off), Colorado’s Crested Butte ($44, or 49 percent off), Utah’s Snowbird ($57, or 21 percent off), or Idaho’s Sun Valley ($55, or 33 percent off).

This year, the game doesn’t kick off until 6 p.m. EST, so it’s possible to ski or snowboard first and then catch the game. With these discounts, Super Bowl Sunday is shaping up to be more than an excuse for chips and chicken wings (though I’m going to guess that those will taste even better after wiping out on the slopes).How it Works: Weekend ski passes tend to be more expensive than weekday rates, but these Liftopia rates were created especially for Super Bowl Sunday. Tickets must be purchased in advance (the cutoff is 11:59 p.m. Saturday Feb. 6). Resorts can limit the quantities, and the deals may sell out. In order to get the lowest prices from participating resorts, Liftopia doesn’t allow changes, refunds, cancellations, or exchanges. “This is much like buying a discount airline ticket,” Liftopia co-founder Evan Reece tells me via e-mail. “You get a better price by agreeing to not be able to cancel or change your flight. As with a Priceline or Hotwire, customers get a deal by trading flexibility for savings.”

Bargain hunters are taking note: last year, Liftopia had 186 percent more ticket redemptions on Super Bowl Sunday than the Sunday before the big game, according to Reece.

Salt Lake City uses Facebook contest to get you psyched

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The #1 Fan Sweepstakes for the Salt Lake City CVB’s Facebook fan page kicked off on January 15, 2010 and runs until February 12, 2010. The goal is to get the number of fans pumped up to 5,000, while giving potential visitors information about everything Utah: from skiing to genealogy to Mormonism to convention business. Already, the number of fans has almost doubled — from 1,200 to 2,200 — indicating that the new Facebook push is working.

This is a trend that’s becoming increasingly common: travel companies and destinations are turning to Facebook to promote themselves and attract tourists. Recently, JetBlue and the Mexican Council for the Promotion of Tourism kicked off Facebook programs to attract interest and (hopefully) generate the sort of interest that will help them overcome the severe travel industry slump that we’ve been coping with for more than a year now. For Salt Lake City, which has been executing an aggressive media campaign, the move into social media isn’t at all surprising.

According to Inside Facebook, the #1 Fan Sweepstakes isn’t the first push that the Salt Lake City CVB has made on Facebook. Rather, it reflects the lessons learned from previous efforts. Says Shawn Stinson, Director of Communications for the CVB, “We started with a number of different Facebook fan pages: ski, visit, genealogy, meetings, and that didn’t work. It was too littered. So we went to simply Visit Salt Lake.” The straightforward approach is anchored in this new initiative. According to Stinson, “This contest in particular is being used to drive an increase in our fan base because we are looking to distribute more and more information via Facebook.”

The grand prize is a ski trip for two that is packed with extras beyond airfare and lodging: ski passes and a FLIP video camera are included, and the winner is expected to shoot video for a blog about the trip. Other prizes include a set of Dynastar skis and bindings, a two-day Ski Salt Lake pass valid at any of the four resorts in Salt Lake and 20 Ski Salt Lake belt buckles and t-shirts.

Are you a fan of Gadling on Facebook yet?