All Blog Posts (4,823)

Starting a restaurant career can be a bit rough at the beginning. However, with strategic planning and preparation, a job seeker can nail down a job that might just be the launch pad to a truly successful career. There are three things one should pay particular attention to. These three will serve as guidelines for a current job seeker or someone aiming for a restaurant career in the future.

Know that perfect spot.

There are plenty of areas one can…

Reported by foodem.com, the online wholesale food marketplace-

Consumer spending rose 0.3% in March, although over the past few years, it seems this penny-pinching economy has remained stagnant. Even with the minute rise in spending, consumers are not only holding…

Hello I’m Ty Sullivan the Director of Truths in Customer Service or as I like to say “DT’s in CustServ”.

You know, we always have customer service “guru’s,  “Jedi’s”, “Lords of Sweetness” telling us how to properly coddle guests when they have had an “incident” or “very disappointing”…

“Did you lose everything?” asked the heavy-equipment operator, who has a daughter about Stecher’s age (25). His eyes filled with tears.

“Most of it, but it’s OK,” Stetcher said. “Things are things.” (Yvonne Abraham, Boston Globe-May 3, 2012)

When I contacted Gaia Stecher via Facebook she elaborated: “I know what doesn’t…

People hate to wait. No industry feels this more than the food service industry in which restaurant profit margins depend on the patience of hungry patrons. Unfortunately, it’s hard to control or predict what people will do when they hear, “It’ll be an hour wait for a table.” Parties must chose: flee to a less popular joint or bite the bullet and try to distract themselves from their rumbling stomachs. The method of distraction is critical to keeping frustrations low. So what do people do to…

It costs more to attract new customers than it does to keep old ones. Almost every business owner has heard this phrase at some point. But keeping those customers can be challenging and time-consuming. One tool that restaurants can use to their advantage is loyalty programs. These are one of the best ways to make a regular customer keep coming back for more.

Having repeat customers is a very important task for restaurants to achieve. While it is something that can take a lot…

Okay. I can feel it coming already. What I am referring to is my subscribers (and also my "slowly growing on me", group of trolls) desire to automatically comment on this post, simply based on the title. BUT, before you do, I ask you kindly to just read the…

For those of us who sit in front of a computer all day it can be hard to remember than much of the world does not. They stand in front of customers or pace around work sites. The computer is secondary to how they work.

Mobile is changing this. People who previously engaged tech briefly (if ever) at the end of the day are now consuming content and information continuously via their phone. We’ve blogged about this before. But while restaurants are…

Has your dad overcome adversity and gone the extra mile to provide a better life for you? Do you know a single father who puts in overtime so that his kids can continue with piano lessons?  Perhaps you know someone who has taken on the role of father for his many grandkids. Or he's coping with a physical ailment and still able to put food on the table.  This Father’s Day, Stonefire Grill is conducting a search for Super Dads across the southland who go above and beyond the call of duty. To…

Marketing trends are changing, and with them the effectiveness of print media loses its value. Digital marketing is widely becoming the most popular form of advertising because of its many advantages. More and more consumers are glued to their smart phones - they never let…

Reported by foodem.com, the online wholesale food marketplace-

Bananas are one of my favorite foods because of their delicious flavor and extensive health benefits. But because I live alone I have never been able to finish the bundle of five or six that I purchase before they go bad. Thus, I…

Finding a location is an integral part of a restaurant and does play a major role in whether your operation will fly or fail. The location is only one of many key components that make up what happens in the long term to your restaurant’s future. Finding a good location does not mean your restaurant will necessarily succeed, many factors contribute to a restaurants success or failure, the location being a primary key issue but not the only one to consider.

• Write an outline for…

Reported by foodem.com, the online wholesale food marketplace-

Ever since the fall of Webvan in 2001, a bankruptcy some have called the worst in dot-com history, investors have been hesitant to embrace the idea of grocery delivery.…

First,  I had to take LBT (pink slime) out of my angus burger, now "they"  are after my MEAT GLUE. All this bad food press is leaving a really bad taste in my wallet!  Food production and procurement experts and every foodie reading this blog will know about that powdery substance "transglutaminase" that binds the smaller cuts of protein together, you know, a structured and formed patty serviced at every public school and institution in the U.S.A.  The…

Those of us of a certain age will recall a song of this title written by Buffy Sainte-Marie and later recorded by almost everyone -- from Elvis to Barbra Streisand to Michael Nesmith to Cher.  Obviously, given that roster, the song and its lyrics had a universal resonance, with their bittersweet subject of a romance between two people who each knew the romance was destined to end.…

Reported by foodem.com, the online wholesale food marketplace-

Foodie is not a new term at all. Today, it’s not uncommon to hear the terms foodie and sustainable in the same sentence, they seem to go hand in hand. Just for fun I did a quick “Google” search for the definition of foodie. Of course, one of the search results was from Urban Dictionary and of course I had to click on it because I knew I was in…

Reported by foodem.com, the online wholesale food marketplace-

The notion of sustainability will remain for countless years to come. No matter if you’re talking about the product design, agriculture, construction, food or restaurant industries, sustainability is at the forefront.

While most industries are developing more sustainable approaches to products and services, the food and restaurant industries are making tremendous…

If your high school was anything like mine, you may wonder how can faded plastic trays, walls stained by food fights and canned peas teach us about foodservice profits. Let’s exit the cafeteria and visit some high school classrooms to learn more. 



Food merchandising is often defined as an art and science.  Art class teaches design, aesthetics, color, technique in many mediums such as canvas, digital, sculpture, metal, wood, and fabrics. Translated to…

Reported by foodem.com, the online wholesale food marketplace-

A couple of culinary creations have really inspired me in the past couple of weeks. First was a passion fruit cheesecake I had for Easter brunch. This combination was so light and refreshing; I managed to completely clean my plate even after three previous courses. Later in the week, I was having guests over, and I knew one of my guests was opposed to overly sweet dishes…

A growing trend in the hospitality industry is the use of loyalty and reward programs to give incentives to your customers to continue returning.  Rarely will a customer visit a national or regional restaurant or hotel without finding an incentive program.  Dine 9 times and receive your 10th meal free or earn 500 points and receive a free dessert.  The options are many, but where are the independent restaurants in the loyalty game?  Often times, loyalty programs are…