June 2011 Blog Posts (36)

Attention Boys and Girls:

I’ve got every excuse in the book but I’m not even going to attempt to explain why my bucket list has gone done the tubes.  I will however own it and ask for a reprieve from my friends and fellow bucket list participants.  

I know something about me.  I’m either all in or all out and for the past couple of weeks I’ve been the latter.  Here’s a rundown on my inability to deliver on my bucket…

Earlier this week during an in-office conversation about America’s obesity epidemic (these conversations happen a lot at FoodCALC) I was reminded of a Time Magazine article from a few years ago that really struck me.  I handed the article off to my colleague Lara Baldwin who also had some of my similar thoughts on the matter I thought I’d share them with you:

Childhood obesity is a hot topic these days, and it seems that…

Chance the Gardener: As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden. In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And…

A friend just mentioned to me that Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple (as if you don’t know who he is) had hired top business school professors to work up a project they call Apple University. It seems as if they are producing business case studies that review major decisions made by the Apple team over the years in an effort to capture, and make available internally the business magic that polishes the Apple.

Major business schools utilize the business case study as a foundational teaching…

 I was speaking earlier this week with one of this industry’s sages, who must unfortunately remain nameless for today’s purposes (as his board might not appreciate some of his views on today’s subject).  We were musing about the wave of M&A transactions which have occurred in the restaurant industry in recent months -- changes in ownership at companies of all sizes, large and small, but generally excluding the very largest among…

Brandon every body should read your last post because you make a lot of sense, Brandon, I did say redifine, you go in the difence, which is understandble, and you gave a good arguement, but you cant take a small sentance, and work on that only, I also stated, I will discuss all of my post with everybody, and I would point out what is for and what is against, this new computerised Item,  when you enter this portals you will always loose, if you only look at it one way, in which way will the…

How will the customer experience vary from visit to visit?  The ability to create a consistent and repeatable customer experience has been a formula for success for brands for decades.  The ability to manage the expectations of the consumer has led many organizations from a small start to a raving success. You might get two chances to impress a new customer, but asking…

I come from an Italian family.  Those of you familiar with Italian tradition, know sharing a meal tops the list.  Growing up, no matter what aunt, uncle or cousin we’d visit there always seemed to be an excuse to eat.  Didn’t matter the time of day, whether you had just finished a meal elsewhere or if you didn’t like what was being served you always had to “mange” which of course is Italian for eat.  I was always relatively skinny as a kid so my aunts…

Apologies for coming late to this story. The winner of NBC's America's Next Great Restaurant, which initially opened locations in LA, New York, and Minneapolis, is now down to just one restaurant in the Mall of…

I'm preparing to interview one of the leaders in loyalty-based customer retention and have come up with some starter questions - 

1. Loyalty has been called a tactic by some and a strategy by others.  Who's right??
2. A loyalty program is built on rewarding the customer in some way for their…

I know people tend to look to the consumer sector as a place to start using social media. After all, we are all consumers and the Internet is about you, right? Not completely. The Internet's value proposition really has three applications: (1) By you, (2) About you and; (3) For you. …

On Thursday, June 16 the Bethesda Naval Bowling Center hosted STRIKE! Out Children’s Cancerhonoring Jaiwen Hsu, a Bethesda middle school student who was diagnosed with cancer last October. His friends organized the Giant Bowling Fundraiser Party, with profits going to cancer research atChildren’s National Medical Center and a fund for families who can’t afford cancer…

All..

Last week I reentered the FohBoh Blogsphere with this post in a somewhat disguised attempt to elicit operator feedback about the value to the industry of the services provided by two companies:  Open Table (already public) and Groupon (filed to go public).  Rather than open a…

We hear about “going green” everywhere these days—from the liquid we use to wash dishes down to the compostable cutlery served at quick service restaurants.  As a nutritionist and a full-fledged “foodie,” the first thing I think of when I’m asked about the best way to start your “going green” journey is obvious: food!  Food that is nutritionally dense is also the same food that is the most sustainable for our environment.

In theory, we are forced to think about food a minimum…

Does anyone know a good source to bench mark fine dining restaurants in Chicago?

I know that fuel prices are up and margins are thin in the airline business. The airlines are struggling and we all know it.  I heard the following story from a friend of mine the other day that I felt compelled to share with you.

My friend is like a triple medallion,…

I’ve been in the restaurant business my entire career.  I have enjoyed the challenges and successes and I’ve learned a great deal from the failures.  I have a real passion for the people who work in the business, especially those who work in the restaurants. 

Much has changed since I…