June 2011 Blog Posts (36)

I think it’s safe to say that we can all remember what it was like seeing Star Wars for the very first time. The image of the opening credits cascading at the opening, the Imperial ship coming from the corner of screen then stepping into the Cantina Bar to a world of far out aliens and a groovy jazz beat.

But can I share with you one of the oddest things that stuck with me about that film…

They did it again.  I walked away from another PR/BBI event shaking my head.  I guess I shake my head because for about a day afterward I'm speechless.  

People ask me , "How was the conference?" and I have a hard time describing the experience.  It's more than just a conference and people just don't get why it's so different.  It's for this reason I shake my head and mumble something like, "You had to be there..."

Now that I've had a chance…

Amigos Tex Mex thought to try mobile marketing after we seen that a few restaurants in our area had been successful with it, says John Lannin, General Manager. It seemed like a good way to drive business since everyone is looking for a coupon and what better way than to put it directly in their hands via text. We currently still use the entertainment book and have a few Waterford Lakes coupons out there for the movie theater and the town center. …

We would be grateful if you would take this very short survey. We are reviewing the concept of a business-to-business deals feature that would bring the a "Groupon-like" service to restaurant operators.

Saving money using the group purchasing capability of the FohBoh community would be a good thing, eh?

Got a minute? CLICK…

I'm Back.....

Today I am inspired by Michael Atkinson's post on June 2 in our corporate blog  "Seriously Dumb--We May Be Peaking" and reflections of my over 25 years in Silicon Valley seeing many "Seriously Dumb" ideas and waves of IPO's of the same of whether in our industry the service companies that go public actually deliver value to…

Recently, a group of high-profile, accomplished, Boston-area restaurateurs gathered to honor the memory of Jack Sidell.

I spent almost twenty years in Boston.  While I was there, I learned about raising debt and equity for restaurant chains, and just enough about their operations to be really dangerous.  I also developed a fondness for the industry which…

A buddy, PT, secured a large equipment order.  It should have been his all along. 

Vendors compete fiercely for business.  Buyers factor in price, quality, availability and price when make purchasing decisions. Did I mention price?

PT was awarded only a small fraction of the contract for a large project.  When the end-users inquired of his competitor (whom they favored with the greater portion of the work) as to the status of the impending delivery, they were…

As I said in my last blog I will try and give you advice on servers knowledge. tuday I will give you some inserts on wines from my book

How to present and pour the wine.

Wines must be served in the proper fashion so you will need to learn the following technique. Approach the host when he is ready to choose the wine and take the order.

Whether it is a red or white wine, have a serviette folded in the middle in…

Proper staff scheduling is extremely crucial for providing excellent restaurant dining room service. There are 2 basic concepts that can improve restaurant service immensely. In every way, a balance must be achieved by matching labor needs to the forecasted business.

The first concept is the "on call waiter" who can be scheduled for any shift necessary. The "on call waiter" function is to call the restaurant about 1/2 - 1 hr. before the work shift commences food service to see if…

HI this is my second part  to how to understand cooking, this part I have written before, about two years ago, which is my explanation about cooking.

At 7:41pm on October 8, 2009, Giuseppe De Carlo said…

Hi Giuseppe here, I just looked at Garibaldi. re food knowledge for waiters, I will agree fun does relax a person, I am not sure about it having learning retention. I belive learning has its…

Hi I have been speaking with student servers, helping them on how to set up a table, how the room shold be geometrically correct, and approach to work. up to here they do well, but the next step worries them, food? when we discuss problems that they forsee, I get questions?

I dont know anything about food, wines, bar drinks? I understand their problems I had them for years, as I explain food first, they seem to understand the logical explanation that I give, which took me years to…

I live in a neighborhood with a twice daily visit from the ice cream man. I know he’s coming because my lab and German shepherd go crazy when they hear that familiar tune – Pop Goes the Weasel.

The idea of an ice cream truck is appealing when you combine 90 degrees, lots of kids and cheap treats. However, it’s rather annoying to the parents at home with eager kids and to the neighbors who could care less about your sweet treats and catchy…

Link to video:  http://www.myfoxal.com/category/195956/video-landing-page?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=5887033

A few years ago a local news station released an exposé on a few major chain restaurants revealing that the nutrition facts that they had been disclosing to the public about some of their healthier meal offerings…