Constructor: Enrique Henestroza Anguiano
Relative difficulty: Medium (i.e. normal Monday)
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THEME: RUNNING START (54A: Early advantage ... or what 20-, 28- and 45-Across each have?) — [blank OF blank] phrases where the first "blank" (the "start" of the answer) is a word that can be a synonym for "run":
Theme answers:
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So let's start with the obvious problem, which is—"RUN OF LUCK" and "LUCKY STREAK" are both phrases, whereas STREAK OF LUCK is something you cobble together to make a theme work. Defensible? Yes. On the money? Hardly. Hard clank. Other than that, the theme is clever. I don't know why all the themers have to follow the ___ OF ___ pattern—it's totally unrelated to the revealer. Maybe there was some idea of consistency or higher level of difficulty or something? Hard to approve when the result is that you clank that first themer so hard. But I think the concept is good for a Monday. Concept, good; execution, so-so. Fill, completely unremarkable. Nothing you would call particularly good, nothing you would call particularly bad. I don't get why JARED / JAMBA was appealing, but it does get you a "J," which is about the most exciting non-theme happening in this grid, so maybe it was worth it. I thought JAMBA was a name *part*, but apparently they're just JAMBA now? Or "doing business as JAMBA," at any rate, whatever that means. I'm just telling you what the first paragraph of the wikipedia entry (above) says. That wikipedia entry is also notable for its second sentence, which screams "late-capitalist dystopia" harder than most opening wikipedia paragraphs do. The prominence of "private equity firm Roark Capital Group" in your juice company description really shouts "alive with flavor!" Mmm, conglomericious!
Relative difficulty: Medium (i.e. normal Monday)
Theme answers:
- STREAK OF LUCK (20A: Hoped-for experience at a casino)
- DASH OF PEPPER (45A: Designer Giorgio)
- BOLT OF FABRIC (45A: Fashion designer's purchase)
Jamba Juice, doing business as Jamba, is an American company that produces blended fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and similar products. The company is co-owned—with Moe's Southwest Grill, Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Cinnabon, McAlister's Deli, and Auntie Anne's brands—by Focus Brands, an affiliate of private equity firm Roark Capital Group, based in Sandy Springs, Georgia, operating over 6,000 stores. Jamba was founded in 1990, with the first store located in San Luis Obispo, California. The company has more than 850 locations operating in 36 U.S. states, as well as Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia. (wikipedia)
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My hatred of E-CARD knows no bounds, but that's really my problem (37A: Digital birthday greeting). An E-CARD is a real thing, however ersatz and sad. The only slow parts of the puzzle for me were "OH, GOSH" (it's not hard, exactly, it just felt like it could be a million quaint euphemistic things and I needed several crosses to figure out which one) (6D: "Goodness gracious!"), and ILL-KEPT (perfectly good phrase, just ... again, quaintish, needed crosses) (10D: Poorly hidden, as a secret). I also wrote in TAHOE before CANOE (62A: Lakeside rental), but that was without actually reading the clue, so that's just a stupid self-inflicted wound is what that is. Everything else is a shrug. A BENIGN shrug. Ooh, except the clue [Prez dispenser?] for ATM. That, I like.* SEE ME tomorrow!
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld