Long-form stories for your extended attention span at lunchtime:
1) Snapfinger, a new iPhone app, allows users to order takeout from their mobile phone and have it ready by time they reach the restaurant. Not only is the service convienent for diners (who has time to talk to real people on the phone anyway?), but things work out well for the businesses too. Snapfinger claims that people who use their app spend an average of 25% more per order, due to upsells built into the app. [NYT]
2) If your lunch looks anything like what we forage from the depths of Rockefeller Center, it's most likely a pretty sad afair. To see what you could be eating, hop on over to New York Magazine's list of the 101 Best Sandwiches in New York. Winners include Torrisi's chicken parm and Saltie's foccacia and pickled egg beast. [NYM]
3) If words like small-batch producing, melting, and conching mean nothing to you, there's a good chance you don't know much about the world of chocolatiers. Taza Chocolate in Sommerville, Massachusetts, which sells pucks of chocolate at Whole Foods and gourmet shops, goes from bean-to-bar and says longer drying times and smaller amounts of cocoa beans yield more complex aromas. This isn't your typical candy bar. [Salon]
