April 2009 Blog Posts (105)

Chicken Market Expectations

The chart of the week is various chicken market trends for the next 11 weeks. It’s been well documented that chicken producer margins have been historically poor leading to a downturn in chicken production. So just like economists look at prior economic recessions and not any other normal year to gauge the current recession we are in, I have a tendency to model expectations for the current chicken markets comparing them to other years where production has been cut. And the latest year that we… Continue

Added by David Maloni on April 24, 2009 at 12:08pm — No Comments

Turning off the cameras

By now even the creatures of Uranus probably know that Domino’s reputation was jeopardized last week by two creatures with a head up their anus. Most leaders of the restaurant business are probably aware the pizza giant initially stumbled, mistakenly thinking the flap would fizzle if headquarters did or said nothing. Many likely realize the home-office snapped out of its ostrich stance to do a masterful job of reassuring patrons and other believers in the brand. But no one seems to have an… Continue

Added by Peter Romeo on April 24, 2009 at 5:00am — 1 Comment

Higher Fees are Coming

Interchange & Access Fee changes are coming and restaurants with small ticket sales will experience a greater impact from these changes.

While minor adjustments have been made to the Interchange fees that issuing banks earn; the real story this spring are changes to fees earned by MasterCard and Visa. Beginning in April 2009, MasterCard will increase its Acquirer Access Fee for processing by 270% by raising this per transaction fee from $0.005 to $0.0185. In June 2009, Visa will… Continue

Added by Ty Hardison on April 23, 2009 at 6:12am — No Comments

The Sports Bar Mystique

Occasionally, I will have lunch or dinner in a "sports bar" or similar environment. I don't drink, but sometimes, like to watch a sports event and relax. Many of these establishments have several televisions and programs, from which to choose.

I am somewhat confused, though, and the concept of such an environmetn (sports bar) is something of an "enigma".

It seems, that all the televisions inthese places, are placed on mute, and the patrons are stuck, listening to a radio… Continue

Added by Keith Bernhardt on April 23, 2009 at 2:49am — 4 Comments

Training 101

You've decided to improve operations in your restaurant by either training new behaviors or retraining old ones. Before you can begin to introduce or modify any behavior, however, you need to understand the perspective of the person you are training. What do they see? What's their understanding of what you want? Are the two of you on the "same page?" Have you been clear about the desired end result? Too often when those we train fail to meet our expectations, we assume they are just being lazy… Continue

Added by Andy Swingley on April 22, 2009 at 5:10pm — 10 Comments

Operator Men and Woman

As woman are we intimated by a man?

Wither its his ability to be a challege to you or your staff?

As a man are you intimated by a woman reguarding her beauty and intellegence?

I've had my share and it a very uncomfortable feeling because as a woman you have the gift of a different mind-set as a woman and its really not your fault we were just born that way. LOL .Men we know its not your fault either.

Is there an establishment were all staff can get along and not… Continue

Added by Andrea on April 22, 2009 at 3:30pm — 2 Comments

Battling "local palate" with Passport to Woodinville

After being challenged awhile back to a Syrah Shootout by friends from Washington (because they think Sonomans don’t appreciate wine from other areas) we decided that perhaps we had developed a bit of a “local palate.” So rather than spending the weekend at Sonoma’s “April in Carneros” off we flew to try Washington’s “Passport to Woodinville,” a two day event just outside of Seattle, featuring over 40 wineries. The weekend got off to a rocky start: we missed our flight out of Sacramento, which… Continue

Added by Margie Tosch on April 22, 2009 at 2:35pm — 3 Comments

Non-Operator Single and Ready to Mingle...The Break Up Blog Continues!

You have to remember the "out of gas" trick!

After the grieving is done, it’s time to jump back on the market! Although I haven’t been without a job since I was fourteen and haven’t been dating for the last six years, after the shock of being dumped wore off, there was a certain thrill in the air for going out and doing some job dating.

It takes some confidence to get back out on the dating scene after a good relationship goes… Continue

Added by Matt Smith on April 22, 2009 at 2:22pm — No Comments

Going Green

I love doing my part to combat global warming! Since its Earth Day, I feel compelled to write this blog to share with the FohBoh community and to reflect on what I have done in the past and what I am doing now to do my part to be green.

I grew up in a very organic environment, where fruits and veggies were grown in the backyard garden and "put up" for the winter so we would have our own produce year round. My favorites were Silverqueen Sweet Corn (we had half an acre dedicated to… Continue

Added by Kim on April 22, 2009 at 2:14pm — 3 Comments

Non-Operator A Meeting of the Minds

This week I’m in Delaware at a mastermind meeting with my Elite Members. All of my Elite Members are independent restaurant owners and each one struggles with getting outside of their own heads, their own worlds. Like so many restaurant owners, they get buried in the details of every day and just need to break away to focus on a goal. These quarterly breaks help them make great strides in reaching their goals while connecting with their peers.

This month we’re focusing on budgets.… Continue

Added by David Scott Peters on April 22, 2009 at 2:30am — 2 Comments

Search For Rosannas

I went today and viewed a closed restaurant site today. The site was located in a strip mall but not a free standing building. I saw this place a while back but I said to my self who would come to a place located here. Well few months ago on a hockey trip I stopped in to meet a new internet friend who in a independent restaurant owner. He helped me in many ways and I started to follow him around the net watching him market his restaurant. It gave me goose bumps to feel this love he had for his… Continue

Added by Rosannas Restaurant on April 21, 2009 at 7:22pm — 1 Comment

Changing the Paradigm

BAGELICIOUS BAGEL BLOG

Apr 21, 2009

Changing the Paradigm

Making gourmet bagels doesn't happen by simply following the "recipe". Artisan bagel baking is a process. It take hands, head, and heart. There is a lot of repetitive labor involved and it's a challenge for us to stay consciously conscious while we're in the process. There are many variables in bagel baking that we have to be alert too. I was racking my brains trying to figure out how I could help keep everybody as… Continue

Added by Mary Beall Adler on April 21, 2009 at 4:44pm — No Comments

Why restaurants will survive

A friend of mine and I were having dinner last night in a Vietnamese restaurant in Boston when he inadvertently told me exactly why restaurants are going to survive this recession...at least those that are doing a good job and offer value to the customer.

"Restaurants," he declared, "are my kitchen."

Brilliant - and so true!

Several generations have now been raised in this country that do not know about cooking. However, many of them are dedicated "foodies" -… Continue

Added by susan holaday on April 21, 2009 at 8:41am — 3 Comments

Chef Gordon Ramsey: Passed his Eat-By-Date?

Chef Ramsey suffered his latest set-back last night when his 3-star Michelin restaurant dropped out of the world's Top 100 dining destinations.

Yet his protege, Marcus Wareing, who opened his new restaurant at London's Berkeley Hotel, after an acrimonious split with GordonR, his former mentor and friend, has made a dramatic entry in the list at No. 52.

Good to see… Continue

Added by Alan Williamson on April 21, 2009 at 8:39am — 6 Comments

How Does Your Company Sleep at Night?

The #1 complaint I hear from job seekers is that they never hear back from the company who they either a) sent a resume/application to OR b) had an interview with.

There is no doubt that it’s a Talent Buyer’s Market and that Recruiters are getting inundated with resumes. But, this is no excuse to blow off candidates. In addition to coming back to haunt you when the market shifts, ignoring… Continue

Added by Amanda Hite on April 21, 2009 at 8:14am — 9 Comments

Non-Operator 10-reasons why Susan Boyle inspires us

Susan Boyle’s story went viral last week. USA Today had an article that listed the 10-reasons why millions around the world connected with her. I couldn’t help but compare how so many of waiters, as service providers, are guilty like those who profiled Ms. Boyle.

The reverse is also true... how many of us are the Susan Boyle of our industry that deliver extraordinary service that is unexpected, unnecessary, unwarranted, and/or undeserved (I heard this line from FOHBOH member Bob… Continue

Added by Paul Paz on April 20, 2009 at 11:04am — 4 Comments

3 Simple Ways to Hook Up Your Restaurant to the Web-Twitter-Blog-Facebook-Thingy

Okay, okay, you've finally broken down and decided to get in on the social media train. I welcome you and you can relax because it's not too late, and it's not too hard. Each of these technologies are unique, but they all have the common goal of connecting people. In your case, it's connecting you and your restaurant to your guests. So let's get started...

#1 - Twitter

Set up…

Continue

Added by Jeff Schacher on April 20, 2009 at 10:51am — 7 Comments

Non-Operator Is Diner Hijacking The New Trend ?

At two separate restaurants in New Jersey a man approached diners and asked if they wanted anything further or were ready to pay.

They paid in cash.

He never returned.

He wasn't employed at either place.

He'll soon be taking orders at the County Jail.

Added by Paul Green on April 19, 2009 at 10:54pm — 1 Comment

From My Window: If it works for shoes, can it work for food?

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-ig-greentoms19-2009apr19,0,1059085.story

Los Angeles Times, April 19, 2009

"Toms Shoes' model is sell a pair, give a pair away"

Here's the article's spin: Serial entrepreneur establishes a business selling casual shoes - for every pair bought, another pair is given away to someone in need living in poor regions of the U.S., Argentina, Ethiopia and South Africa. So far Toms Shoes has given away 140,000 pairs of shoes. This… Continue

Added by Michael Albert on April 19, 2009 at 2:52pm — 1 Comment

Rosannas Restaurant

I was thinking on how to keep a record of my journey into ownership. I said well blogging was a way and also MS Word. Thinking a bit more I wanted to share my expirence so I decided to my space a blog. Trouble was I did not know how to return to my blog and I did not find my space interesting so now a year later I found this site fohboh and maybe I will blog a bit more.

Looking back the past years when I decided to open Rosannas Restaurant and relate my story I looked at it as a crying… Continue

Added by Rosannas Restaurant on April 19, 2009 at 12:16pm — 2 Comments