July 2010 Blog Posts (61)

And that has made all the difference!

The other day I went to the hospital (a very rare occurrence) for a routine colonoscopy - my first. I entered the building filled with anxiety and trepidation, somewhat expecting a miserable experience. The first person I encountered, a nurse, was welcoming and smiling, friendly and helpful. She asked me to wait at a desk for a woman who could take my information.

I was heartened. Her friendliness eased the anxiety and I began to feel like this might not be so bad after…

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Added by susan holaday on July 21, 2010 at 3:46am — 4 Comments

Operator The Story of How Every Life Has a Story: Knowing Our Guests Emotions

At home I have a two year old daughter.

She is your very typical two year old. Sings her A-B-C’s, creates Pollack inspired art on the wall with Crayola and discusses the philosophical disciplines with Beddy Bear and the family dog, Lily. But what really amazes me in my daily study of her development, is her (and children in general) keen awareness to the physical and mental mind set of those around her.

If she notices a slouched posture,… Continue

Added by Ty Sullivan on July 20, 2010 at 7:30pm — 7 Comments

The Power of an Acronym

We all use them and in some cases don’t even realize it. The military, I think, invented them. I particularly love SNAFU (Situation Normal, All 'Fouled' Up). As a kid, I heard my Uncle Jack, a WWII veteran, used this one a lot with a slightly more… Continue

Added by Michael L. Atkinson on July 20, 2010 at 6:30pm — 13 Comments

You Are What You Eat. Food for thought...

“You are what you eat” is such an interesting quote. Where did it come from? A lot people have (erroneously) attributed this to the great Escoffier, and sometimes equally great Careme. But neither is documented as saying this.

The real quote that has been shortened and misquoted as “You are what you eat” is actually a translation of the French phrase “Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.” [Tell me what you eat and I shall tell you what…

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Added by Jennifer Hancox on July 20, 2010 at 2:31pm — No Comments

Online Alcohol Seller Server Training- Learning Safety techniques

Receiving alcohol training is an important and mandatory part of the training techniques to help prep those workers in the service industry. Each state has different requirements, but all are necessary

to help avoid any problems with the service of alcohol. Drinking alcoholic

beverages is a normal and often enjoyable part of many people’s evenings…

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Added by Learn2Serve on July 20, 2010 at 1:04pm — No Comments

Early Adopters, Big Appetites, and Your Evangelists!

Last week I finally ended my extensive relationship with Blackberry. It was a solid two and a half year relationship, with relatively few bumps in the road. I'm still a huge fan...but I saw something I wanted more - a "smarter", faster, and more agile phone that would allow me to do my job and share my passion for all things food.

One of the first things I did after my phone was up and running was to post photos of food I ate at different restaurants. I LOVE sharing great…

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Added by Josh Hersh on July 19, 2010 at 8:00pm — 2 Comments

Pascual Toso Alta Reserve Syrah earns 91 Points from Wine Enthusiast!

Wine Enthusiast Scored Pascual Toso Alta Reserve Syrah 2007 at 91 Points in its most recent issue (August 2010).

Among its many praises for the wine, the publication described the wine as “Deep as midnight in terms of flavors, with black fruits galore…”

Added by TGIC Importers on July 19, 2010 at 9:43am — No Comments

DAWG Talk: Challenge Tradition

When I was a kid, I really looked forward to visiting my grandmother and grandfather. They lived 30 minutes away, but for me, it was like traveling to the other side of the world.

Grandma and Grandpa were a lot of fun. They were practical jokers. They once pulled into our driveway honking their car horn. When we ran outside, we were surprised to see their entire car filled with balloons. They’d tell off color jokes, now and again, and even took painstaking effort to… Continue

Added by David Rose on July 18, 2010 at 4:14pm — 4 Comments

Does your restaurant have a mobile website?

Research company Compete has released the results of its first-quarter 2010 Smartphone Intelligence Survey, which studies how consumers are using iPhones, BlackBerrys, Android devices, and other smartphones.

The key result: consumers are increasingly turning to their phones to discover local businesses. Businesses must shift their marketing… Continue

Added by Steven Wei on July 18, 2010 at 3:04pm — No Comments

Non-Operator FOHcus: The Nerve Center of the Restaurant Industry

The economic downturn in late 2008 set off a series of events leading to a complete shift in the culture at my restaurant. This was a neighborhood spot, the kind of place where 'waiters come to die'. There was very low turnover, a steady income, an appropriate level of autonomy, and a very wealthy clientele. I had been there for 7 years, an eternity in this industry.

Unfortunately, the pressures of reduced business and a bad management hire turned this once smooth operation… Continue

Added by FohBoh on July 16, 2010 at 8:30am — No Comments

Non-Operator Why Provide Nutrition Information?

As most of us know menu labeling laws only affect larger chain restaurants, but I am getting a lot more clients who are smaller chains and even independents. In an industry that vigorously fought menu labeling, why now are so many operators starting to provide nutrition information voluntarily. I thought up and researched a few reasons, and now I’d like to share them with you:…

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Added by Alyson Mar, RD on July 14, 2010 at 7:00pm — 3 Comments

Our Future Workforce Needs Some Help

One of the staggering factoids that came out of last week's National Governor's conference was cited by Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack - "75 percent of American young adults ages 17 to 24 are unable to enlist in the military primarily because they fail to graduate high school,have a criminal record, or are physically unfit." …

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Added by Joni Thomas Doolin on July 14, 2010 at 10:45am — 3 Comments

Non-Operator The Breakup

We’ve been going steady for a long time, but now I’m writing to tell you that we are through. I’m older now than when we first met, and frankly, I’m tired of the way you treat me. Do you even remember when we first met? I was 10 and on a family vacation to…

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Added by Chase Leblanc on July 14, 2010 at 9:17am — 1 Comment

Targeted Twitter Search Made Easy

There have been a lot of great posts here on FohBoh about listening to your customers online. Nate Bagley had a great post a few weeks ago and Jenna Gross had a fantastic reminder about acknowledging customers -- which is another way of listening to customers. I also wrote about a… Continue

Added by Josh Hersh on July 14, 2010 at 6:27am — No Comments

Open Letter to SCAA Members from Coffee Fest Founder

Coffee Fest Show is the first client I

landed for Chalkboarder, a company

I founded early in 2009, that provides social media strategies and

other services. The following is an Open Letter to members of the

Specialty Coffee Association of America, distributed by Chalkboarder on

behalf of our valued client, Coffee Fest. Jeffrey J Kingman,… Continue

Added by Jeffrey J Kingman on July 13, 2010 at 7:31pm — No Comments

FourSquare, Gowalla, Whrrl... Names Your Business Should be Familiar With

If you haven't paid attention to location-based services like FourSquare, Gowalla, Whrrl, etc. its about time you do. Location-based services are at the intersection of where online and offline circles meet. When someone checks into a location on LBS they can allow their online community to see their physical location through the service… Continue

Added by Jill McFarland on July 13, 2010 at 2:24pm — 3 Comments

Non-Operator Here We Grow Again!

FohBoh has moved from its humble digs in a converted carriage house on a historic strip of old San Jose to an office park on Technology Drive just minutes from the new San Jose International Airport.

In true start up fashion, we subsisted for nearly a year in a space too small, too hot, and too funky for all our tastes. It's the Silicon Valley way; take an idea, find a garage, and tinker around until you find the right mix.… Continue

Added by FohBoh on July 12, 2010 at 11:00am — No Comments

Non-Operator Mid-Year Review - How are You Doing?

Well, we have all celebrated July 4^th and now find ourselves right in the middle of the year!

I find the middle of the year to be just as exciting as the beginning of the year.…

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Added by Kathleen Wood on July 11, 2010 at 8:30pm — 1 Comment

Think about them before you build your site

This may…

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Added by Tony Treadway on July 11, 2010 at 10:07am — No Comments

Is Service Really Important ... a Plea in the form of a ?

To my peers in hospitality I need a favor to help me before opening my new Service Arts Institute (Schools for the Service Arts).and jumping headfirst into a new and exciting adventure in Service.

I'm finishing up my four-year full-time consulting assignment for a NY/NJ based Restaurant/ Catering Group and getting back to the Service Scene by hopefully opening some new Service Training Schools with Ed Godziszewski…

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Added by Ian Maksik on July 10, 2010 at 5:16pm — No Comments