Featured Blog Posts – March 2008 Archive (182)

A "missed table greet"...what does that mean to you...?

How many of us find ourselves when out to eat basically wondering, when our server will ever get to our table? Since we are all FOHBOH peeps, we are probably very lienant, and let our server get away with that extra minute, but what if we are in a hurry and have a movie to catch, or for some of my friends meetings or children's sports activities? How long does that minute decide if you actually eat at that restaurant again? I gave it 15 minutes, it was like an eternity......

I had a… Continue

Added by Cindi Digiantonio on March 31, 2008 at 9:18pm — 6 Comments

Non-Operator The biggest mistakes restaurants make, and why they have a high failure rate

The restaurant business is tough. Everyone in it knows it. Everyone looking to get in it ignores it.

The cold fact of the matter is that opening up a restaurant may be one of the worst investments you could make with your money. That's a horrible, sobering statement coming from someone like me who's in the business of helping restaurants succeed, but it's the truth. Most restaurant fail. Oh, the failure rate isn't the "90%" you may have heard from friends and family, but according to… Continue

Added by Brandon O'Dell on March 31, 2008 at 7:22pm — 13 Comments

Educational Panels being held at the International Wine, Spirits and Beer Show May 19-21 during the NRA SHOW

Sharpen Your Competitive Edge with Insights From Beverage Alcohol Industry Experts

at the

International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event, May 19-20

McCormick Place, Chicago

Attend IWSB and increase bar program profits with new ideas from these highly focused FREE education sessions.

Hot New Trends in Beverage Alcohol with panelists Liza Zimmerman, wine educator and writer; Stephen Beaumont, author, writer and beer trends analyst, and Noah Rothbaum, author,… Continue

Added by Sam on March 31, 2008 at 7:06pm — 1 Comment

Can any of you tell me what these are ?

Just having some fun - lets see what you foodies think these are Continue

Added by The Tortilla Guy on March 31, 2008 at 9:55am — 12 Comments

The 2008 Eat Across America Tour Bus is Coming!

We are getting closer to making some pretty cool announcements about the 2008 Eat Across America Bus Tour.

Look for the following information this… Continue

Added by Michael L. Atkinson on March 31, 2008 at 12:02am — 5 Comments

Natural Resources

Natural Resources

Foreign recruitment has got to be the hottest trend in hospitality staffing right now. With the added support that the Canadian federal and provincial governments have lent to the process through programs like the Expedited Labour Market Opinion and Provincial Nominee Program, many employers are embracing overseas recruiting as the answer to all of their front line staffing concerns. While this solution certainly has its benefits, it does not address the primary issues of… Continue

Added by David Hick on March 30, 2008 at 7:44pm — No Comments

Trends in Coffee: Quality is Back in Fashion

Hello -

Attached is an article which I wrote that is published in the Michigan Restaurant Association magazine.

Trends in Coffee: Quality is Back in Fashion

Spencer

Added by Spencer on March 30, 2008 at 6:05pm — 5 Comments

Restaurant First Aid

All, I just created a new group for the discussion of restaurant first aid topics. I plan on posting 3-4 items a week initially.

The first topic will be on Burns.

Be sure to check the First Aid Group often, and I hope you'll consider joining.

Cheers!

Added by Matt Urdan on March 30, 2008 at 3:27pm — 5 Comments

Ramblings of Political Chef

Sad to see the restaurateur in Pennsylvania lost his lawsuit against the critic (sued for slander)…. I’ve read many a restaurant review over the years and have found that more often than not they (the restaurant critic) has NO idea about cuisine or what they are eating…and how restaurants operate…I’ll cite a personal example….one reviewer described my Meyer Lemon Napoleon as having a wonderful “caramelized whipped cream topping” I guess the shameless/nameless critic didn’t know what a Meringue… Continue

Added by Carlo Cavallo on March 30, 2008 at 3:10pm — 12 Comments

Excellence

Thank you for showing that EXCELLENCE is more than just a word. What does that mean to you from an owner/operator, managers, employees and guests perspective? ...

Added by Merrili Jones on March 30, 2008 at 12:04am — 1 Comment

Emerging Stronger

I attended a food show yesterday and spent some time discussing the current state of the industry marketplace with many industry experts, vendors, brokers and successful operators. The most common insight I received from them was that this “down season” was going to end, and that it was important that operators emerge from it in as strong a position as possible. Now is the time to explore how to bring more profit to the bottom line. How they suggested accomplishing this took many forms, some of… Continue

Added by DJ Tryba on March 29, 2008 at 9:53pm — 2 Comments

Sound Off: CPR and First Aid

Hello FohBoh-ites....

I am in the middle of a two-day Wilderness First Aid Class. As part of the class, we finished the two-year certification from the American Heart Association on CPR, AED Use, and Choking.

One of the most interesting stats in the group, and one that our instructors validated, is that just about everyone either knows someone who was choking or was involved in administering what was then known as the "Heimlich Maneurver," and which now is referred to as… Continue

Added by Matt Urdan on March 29, 2008 at 6:01pm — 3 Comments

Are you advancing someone’s future?

If I ventured to guess, I bet a large percentage of us got into the restaurant biz because it was a place to earn some extra cash while we worked our way through school to find a “real job” As time wore on, we soon discovered this was a dynamic business that engaged us with all kinds of people from all walks of life and that was exciting! Make good money; meet some great people, and next thing you know it is in your blood. Heck, you may have even ventured out to another industry to see if the… Continue

Added by Andy Swingley on March 29, 2008 at 9:52am — 10 Comments

Non-Operator Diane Cohn Joins FohBoh, Inc. as VP Community Development

FohBoh is thrilled to announce that it has hired Diane Cohn as VP Community Development starting April 1, 2008. Diane brings her passion for and experience with community management, having worked successfully at Apple managing its worldwide user group community. Last year she was one of Reno, Nevada's top producing Realtors®, and is one of the country's most recognized and prolific real estate bloggers (see her… Continue

Added by FohBoh on March 28, 2008 at 8:37pm — 14 Comments

FOHBOH Music!

Hi there: I am such a lover of Music. So much so, that I have

uploaded songs from my favorite groups from the Portland, OR area.

This is not your mainstream music. It's regional and very fun.

What's on your iPod, Car Stero, 8-Track Tape Player and playing in your Restaurant, Wine Cellar and… Continue

Added by Adam R. Cox on March 28, 2008 at 1:39pm — 37 Comments

Cook the Vote - Part 3

In Part 2, I blogged about how Cuzini, a Sri Lankan restaurant, got out the vote for the Restaurant of the Year award, voted for by the readers of the local newspaper.

Well, I've just heard that Cuzini has won the runner-up spot and was beaten to the top spot by just a handful of votes. Not bad for a restaurant, that just a few months ago, wasn't sure how it should be positioned in the over-crowded UK curry house market place.

Here's the key guerrilla marketing strategy in… Continue

Added by Alan Williamson on March 28, 2008 at 8:52am — 4 Comments

Office Pranks for April Fool's Day

Yes, the favorite holiday of Practical Jokers everywhere is just around the corner. I've been compiling these favorites from email spam, over the years, and the time is ripe to share. If any of you use these wonderful little pranks in your office, please be kind enough to come back here to MTMD and comment on how they turned out!

Flip Screen…

Continue

Added by Matt Urdan on March 28, 2008 at 7:19am — 10 Comments

Pork Supplies

The chart of the week is sow slaughter during the first two months of the year. First we remember a sow is an adult female pig and slaughter levels are an indication of what farmers might be planning with future pork output levels. Why? Because we need female pigs to produce pigs for slaughter. An increase in sow slaughter would suggest that hog producers are contracting the sow or breeding herd which would limit pork production growth in the future.… Continue

Added by David Maloni on March 28, 2008 at 5:41am — 2 Comments

Tales of the Cocktail

One of the premier alcohol events is right around the corner. If you are planning a new beverage menu or looking for creative ideas this is one of the shows to be at. Tales of the Cocktail is in New Orleans July 16-21. ServSafe Alcohol has just been named the Responsible Alcohol Service Program of Tales of the Cocktail.
If you have any questions please feel free to email me. In addition if you are planning on attending lets gather together and toast this great event.

Added by Sam on March 27, 2008 at 7:43pm — No Comments

From the Alcohol Guy at the National Restaurant Association

Greetings Everyone,
My plan is to use this blog to promote activities and information surrounding Responsible Alcohol Service and Beverage Alcohol Related Issues such as Ignition Interlock, Alcohol Menu Labeling, Alcohol Drink Taxes etc. Please let me know if you have questions or need additional information.

Added by Sam on March 27, 2008 at 7:38pm — 2 Comments