March 2009 Blog Posts (114)

Jason's Deli in the New York Times

Hey my company made it in the New york Times today for our fight to remove all high fructose corn syrup. This has been a very long hard fought campaign to remove from all items in our stores. We are down to only the sodas at the fountain. This is our final effort to remove it from everything on our menu. You can read more about it at Jason's Deli New York Times Article You can also check out a video… Continue

Added by Chris Durbin on March 21, 2009 at 8:05am — 4 Comments

Non-Operator Paying It Forward... Restaurant People Helping Eachother

I have been thinking about this for sometime now, trying to figure out how to be of use in lifting our industry and economy up from the doldrums.

I read about a business owner who, instead of cutting back the hours of his employees, paid them to go provide community service.

Another story was in a grocery line someone passed around an envelope containing $50 inviting anyone who wanted to take what they needed to pay for their groceries. By the time it went through all the… Continue

Added by Paul Paz on March 20, 2009 at 3:50pm — 7 Comments

Non-Operator Kogi Is Kool: How 1 Taco Truck Is Taking LA By Storm

Los Angeles has long been famous for roaming taco trucks that service the myriad neighborhoods of this sprawling metropolis, serving classic Latino fare.

L.A. is also known for its distinct Asian cuisine, which is often blended with more traditional American foods to create wonderful hybrids.

Well, now Korean BBQ, a hot food trend in America as it is, has met and melded with the classic Mexican taco to create a tantalizing blend of tangy, slightly spicy meats and sesame… Continue

Added by Caribou on March 20, 2009 at 10:33am — 2 Comments

Lots of Choice Beef

The chart of the week is the change in select and choice cattle slaughter during the first two months of this year. As one can tell, choice and prime cattle slaughter have been notably above prior year levels. Now that may seem surprising to some. After all, through March 15th, the USDA is estimating 2009 cattle slaughter to be 5.5% lower than the previous year. So how can choice and prime cattle slaughter be up 5%? Good question. Roughly 77% of the makeup of total slaughter are steers and… Continue

Added by David Maloni on March 20, 2009 at 6:43am — No Comments

Non-Operator Idle Thoughts On The History And Future Of Franchise Finance

About two weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal had a rather alarming article about the rising problems in the franchise finance world. Using data from the SBA and Coleman Report, which is a trade publication focused on the lending industry, the Journal reported that the number of defaults by franchisees rose 52% from the prior year, and the amount of loan losses involved rose 167%.

There are several important clarifications to mention regarding this report, before discussing its impact… Continue

Added by Rod Guinn on March 20, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

And the Winner is...? 7 keys to winning business awards

Cuzini, the Srindian Fusion restaurant based in Crawley-by-Gatwick competed with some of the largest companies in Greater Gatwick to win the coveted Innovation in Marketing & PR category of the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards at a glittering ceremony at the Gatwick Hilton, hosted by celebrity guest speaker Declan Curry, the BBC presenter… Continue

Added by Alan Williamson on March 19, 2009 at 11:56pm — 2 Comments

Keep It Simple Stupid!

*Please be advised that I am not calling anyone stupid.

As we look for ways to cut cost and increase revenue, look for the simplest solution. It could turn out to be the million dollar winner.

To quote an old adage:

"An inventor spent 1.5 million dollars to invent a pen for NASA to use so that Astronauts could write in space..."
"The Russians used a pencil"

Added by Leslie Howard on March 19, 2009 at 10:06am — 5 Comments

So..You wanna be in the Restaurant Business

Okay, let's not Sugar Coat this...Why does this particular segment of commerce attract so many Failures? Everyone thinks they can run a Restaurant better than the next person, every mans Job seems easier to the person who never did it before. I've met so many of these people in my career, as did most of you. We shake our heads in wonder and repeat ourselves over and over, "Did he just say, he spent $3 Million on this Place?" Then you eat there and the Food.."BLOWS." This is the beginning of the… Continue

Added by Chef Joe DiMaggio, Jr. on March 19, 2009 at 9:51am — 18 Comments

Blog Report from the International Boston Seafood Show, March 2009

The City of Boston is a nice town to visit in the spring. Every year, in mid March, people from all over the world come here for two reasons; St Patrick's Day and the Seafood Show. Buyers and sellers of all things fish come together to tell each other mermaid stories.

I arrived on Saturday morning to clear skies and temps in the mid 50's. Not bad for a New England late winter day.

Here's a view of the city from the airplane prior to landing…

Continue

Added by Steve Paterson on March 18, 2009 at 11:50pm — 22 Comments

Southern Oregon Wine Is the Real Deal

A number of Willamette Valley's most prestigious winemakers -- like Ken Wright (pictured below), Lynn Penner-Ash (left), and Laurent Montalieu -- have been crafting Southern Oregon sourced wines for years.

You may think this has been just for "fun,"… Continue

Added by Randy Caparoso on March 18, 2009 at 6:30pm — 2 Comments

Advantage….Employer

Check out this interesting blog from the People Report on the current trend in job loss and the exodus of workers from the food industry into other industries, most specifically the growing segments of health care and education.

Now keep in mind the job loss in the restaurant industry is specifically due… Continue

Added by Andy Swingley on March 18, 2009 at 6:24pm — 8 Comments

Non-Operator I feel so sorry for this poor guy

A friend of mine told me a franchisee he knows recently opened a restaurant with 30 seats. This restaurant costs 450K and the owner’s rent is 8K per month. He asked me if I thought this restaurant, with an average per person ticket of $10 could survive? I unhesitatingly answered no.

One does not have to be a financial genius in understanding these numbers simply do not work and yet for some reason this franchisee, with more than likely the aggressive prodding of his franchisor, made… Continue

Added by Mark Frank on March 18, 2009 at 4:36pm — 4 Comments

Non-Operator Performance Based Bonus

I have to admit I'm stumped over this entire bonus issue with AIG and that ilk. As a restuarateur and Chef my bonus came when I performed a service leading to increased profit or by exceeding expectations.

How can I hand out bonuses for underachievement and expect my staff to aspire to improve their performance? It seems to me that rewarding mediocrity, and even failure, (golden parachutes), sets us up for a devastating catastrophe.

If a… Continue

Added by Paul Green on March 18, 2009 at 6:59am — 4 Comments

The world is coming to an end, Part 2

A while ago, I wrote a blog post entitled 'The World is coming to an end - turn off your TV," about the pervasive negativity coming from our mainstream media.

I've been thinking lately that the world - at least the world as we know it, probably is coming to an end and in fact, already has. Look at all the buzz words today that would not have resonated five years ago -"going green," "organic," "sustainable" and many more. Look at the new emphasis on frugality, conservation, helping… Continue

Added by susan holaday on March 18, 2009 at 4:18am — 4 Comments

Non-Operator IHOP Hopping on Coffeehouse Trend

Flip, sip, enjoy, says IHOP Cafe.

I love surprises when it comes to new restaurant concepts. Last week I was buzzing around suburban San Antonio looking for what's new in supermarket delis when BAM! I caught a bright royal blue awning hanging over a brightly lit strip mall-based store with a strange sign called "IHOP Cafe."

While IHOP has been making news of late with funny-faces and free pancakes across the country to compete with Denny's Grand Slam it hit two days after… Continue

Added by Christopher Wolf on March 17, 2009 at 11:04am — 3 Comments

Shrink with Morgan Stanley - or not

A securities analyst for Morgan Stanley (remember them?) recommends that restaurants shrink now.

I'll try to rise above the difficulty I have listening to Morgan Stanley these days after their… Continue

Added by Erle Dardick on March 17, 2009 at 9:54am — 3 Comments

Elevating Women Leaders in the Foodservice Industry

I’m here in Dallas at the Women’s Foodservice Forum Convention and learning a lot. Last year was the first time I had attended the event...check out my Top 10 Blog Recap from 2008.

I’m becoming a huge advocate of the organization and I love their mantra, “Elevating Women Leaders.” I'm taking full advantage of the smorgasbord of Strong Successful Women Mentors. As would be expected, attendance is down… Continue

Added by Amanda Hite on March 17, 2009 at 8:45am — No Comments

It all makes sense

Often I get the chance to challenge my editors to the theory of Fast Casual. Is it a segment or is it something even more? Many of my years tracking this segment were dedicated to the differentiation of itas it deals with challenges like its competitive counterparts of QSR and Casual Dining.

The real test of a segment often involves the awareness level of a consumer, how they perceive the segment, how they address it and how they interact with the segment. QSR is clearly identified… Continue

Added by paul barron on March 17, 2009 at 5:25am — 1 Comment

Non-Operator Real Roots Irish Isn't Corned Beef - It's Hedgehog

Archeological evidence shows nomadic people in what we now call Ireland over 8,000 years ago, with agricultural development beginning in the Ceide fields of Mayo County aronnd 3,000 later.

A History of Irish Cuisine at Ravensgard .org relates the following:

If any attempt is made to record the history of Irish Cuisine and diet it should start with the use of the cauldron a large three legged pot which was… Continue

Added by Paul Green on March 17, 2009 at 2:25am — No Comments

Non-Operator Can Employees Be Friends With the Boss?

Doing an assignment for a class I came across this article. I found it interesting and decided to share it.

Can Employees Be Friends With the Boss?

By Tom Rath

Published 09/3/2007

When compared to time spent with relatives, children, customers, colleagues, or bosses, time spent with friends is rated as being the most enjoyable, according to a recent study. On average, time spent with a friend ranks even higher than time spent with your spouse. How could… Continue

Added by Daniel on March 16, 2009 at 7:33pm — No Comments