April 2012 Blog Posts (52)

In this digital age, most businesses have managed to stay afloat with a potential growth on the horizon despite economic struggles. Social media has played a huge role in marketing and businesses have grasped this concept to continually expand their brand. Restaurants are no exceptions. Just like any growing…

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

This past Sunday, I knew I had a busy week ahead, so in planning my weekly meals, I decided to try my hand at making meat loaves (mini loaves). I figured I could create a few meals out of…

I was reminded how insular the foodservice equipment and supplies industry can be when I went to a recent meeting. While attending the SFM’s workshop for vendors, I noticed that all talk centered around the procurement of comestibles. Supply chain management for the foodservice contract management firms revolves around their food buys. The purchasing by these largest of end-users pay scant attention, if any, to E&S specifications.

Although this is a mostly proper strategy for…

This past week I gave a lecture to a group of Innkeepers and Restaurateurs in Maine on Reputation Management. With all the numerous posts and information out there about protecting your business online from malicious reviews or reviews by unhappy customers, little thought is sometimes given to two other areas.

One, what is your local chamber or business association saying about you offline. and two, what are your employees saying about you online?

What are…

The following survey covers 10 critical imperatives to help emerging chains (and especially multitasking executives) determine how much purchasing is costing their business. This quick evaluation may help you understand your strengths and weaknesses, so you can make an informed decision about purchasing and the resources required to support profitable growth.



Your Survey Key: (1 - 5 )…

Since it is impossible for hospitality owners and operators to be on premises during all business hours, it is extremely important for the assistant managers to communicate current policies and procedures through daily logs and pre-shift meetings.

Communication is of utmost importance for superb hospitality service which involves preparation, awareness, organization and execution. Restaurants are always in a state of flux, so the best way to keep continuity is for assistant…

You probably have heard all about the benefits about using social media for your restaurant and all the different types, but do you actually know how to use it effectively? Connection to these sites allows restaurants to have almost 24 hour access to their customers and what's even better is that it's free advertising. When was the last time Facebook asked someone to pay to post how good their Starbucks frappacino was? However, if a restaurant wants to be successful in creating a social…

Every restaurant owner understands, innately, that customers like customization.  From "Hold the mayo" to "Can I have a salad instead of fries", custom requests happen daily.  

But some restaurants take this customization to an extreme level, with great results.  A New York burger joint, for instance, gives customers literally thousands of possible burger combinations as they choose…

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

Building and growing a business definitely takes time and a great deal of effort. Aside from getting a business off the ground, attracting new and keeping existing customers…

I’m working on a longterm project for a fast-growing concept, with operations already scattered over four states and more to open this year.  It’s an exciting time for this company: the concept’s been refined to enable fast growth, the capital’s in hand, and performance is strong.

One of the essential controls which was recently reinforced…

Sometimes, when you’ve been in your role for a while, it doesn’t seem like anything changes.  Work may become mundane or, perhaps, less challenging, especially when you have seen few prospective opportunities.  And, then…



Everything changes.  



A leader resigns.  A co-worker is…

A recent study showed that men are more creative when drinking beer. Whether this is true or not, the study may lead to bars and restaurants being more bold in advertising their happy hours. Indeed, restaurants and bars are increasingly turning to social media and mobile campaigns to promote happy hour specials. They may advertise on their websites or their Facebook pages, or they may push messaging via cell phones.

Happy hour advertising may seem like a great way to draw in…

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

Each time you open your internet browser it seems as if there is a new company on the rise. It may be a “tech” company, a new restaurant, an e-commerce…

Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign got a huge boost recently when our fabulous longstanding partners, the National Restaurant Association, committed to enhanced long-term support for our campaign.

At the Association’s Leadership Affairs Conference Gala on April 17th, National Restaurant Association President and CEO Dawn Sweeney announced that the organization’s commitment to work together with Share Our Strength to triple the funds raised for Share Our Strength’s No Kid…

Every week, restaurants come to us to discuss having us take over their marketing initiatives. When they do so, this is a two way interview. Obviously the restaurant wants to see what we are all about, and if we are suitable for their needs. We however also want to interview the restaurant, learn about them, what they have been doing with their marketing, where they…

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

I have the biggest sweet tooth, which unfortunately isn’t usually the best for my health. Because of this, when I’m indulging in my sweet tooth, I often try to create recipes with some health…

The Food Purchasing Agent stood at the Golden Gate,

                         -His head was bending low. 

He merely asked the man of fate,

                         -Which way he ought to go.

“What have you done", St. Peter said,

                         -To seek admittance here?”

“ I was a Food Purchasing Agent down on earth,

                         -For many and many a…

Here's a visual outline of the recent changes - many new opportunities to use images to promote your business...

When you walk down the street most of the time all you see is the tops of people's heads coming towards you. Why? Most of them are too engrossed in their iPods or cellphones to even bother to look up. They are sharing pictures, articles, opinions; just about anything that can be transferred over the web to their friends. Mobile devices have become a way of life for people today and they are becoming even more connected with each other over them.

The use of mobile…

Last week, Facebook purchased Instagram, the barely 2-year old photo sharing startup for $1 billion dollars. The New York Times recently chronicled Instagram’s road to success, struggling as a fledgling start-up to keep up with server demand as thousands downloaded the iPhone version of the app and began uploading pictures hours after it…