August 2010 Blog Posts (72)

Operator Marketing Meltdown: The Week That Wasn’t

There comes a time, particularly towards the end of the summer, when you just don’t care anymore. I’m not saying that in a bad way or in a “goodbye cruel world” tone but, rather an “it’s the end of the summer, no one is around/it’s about to get really busy/I need to step back and recharge” kind of way.

Not such a bad thing really.

It’s one of those weeks where the weather was gorgeous yet I was stuck indoors, at a…

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Added by Ty Sullivan on August 31, 2010 at 8:30pm — 6 Comments

Operator The Misuse of the word Chef in a job discription

I am looking for work here in California and I have come across many of the postings in newsprint and online. I have to now ask questions to the prospective employer, if indeed they are looking for a chef. This has happened on serveral occasions. Why are the employers doing this? and how are they getting away with false advertising?. The one I see the most is "line chef" what the heck is a line chef? How about calling it what it is "line cook." Employers want to make it attractive by using the… Continue

Added by Paul on August 31, 2010 at 11:24am — No Comments

Fear Not the Tweetup

Imagine a crowd of antsy, tech-hungry customers pouring into your restaurant. Imagine check-ins happening one right after another, tweets bouncing around like ping pong balls, and texts being volleyed back and forth mercilessly. This crowd is starved for human affection, interaction, and are just happy to see the light of day...

Okay, hold on, take a deep breath. Fear not -- Tweetups are your friend.

I laughed at this definition…

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Added by Josh Hersh on August 30, 2010 at 10:00pm — 2 Comments

Remembering Katrina

It's hard to believe it's been five years. I trend to mark the calendar each year, and have since my wife Kim and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in a Mash-style restaurant build as part of the relief effort at Pass Christian. It was like being in a war zone. Boats and cars in trees. Houses blocks from where their foundations were. A bank vault alone, without a bank. It was a life changing experience. This was a 10 days reality check and we all changed. One can't go through… Continue

Added by Michael L. Atkinson on August 30, 2010 at 2:00pm — No Comments

DAWG Talk: Prideful Negotiation

It’s back to school time in our household. This is the time of year when we focus on a fresh start - new learning, new friends, new teachers, and, of course, new clothes. I could never imagine how fast kids grow. The marks on the wall behind their doors show my kids have grown 2 full inches taller, each, in the last 4 months. While they are 2 years apart in age, they are within 5 pounds of one another.

So, last week, we prepared ourselves for what was in store. First, we… Continue

Added by David Rose on August 29, 2010 at 1:22pm — 2 Comments

I Love The Restaurant Business

I

Love The Restaurant Business

I have worked in restaurants almost

continually since I was sixteen years old.

I have a college degree.

I have a 140 IQ, even… Continue

Added by Me,The JerBear on August 29, 2010 at 12:06pm — No Comments

Non-Operator I Guess They Didn’t Get the Memo or Did They?

My 17 year old thinks I’m a bit over the top when I’m evaluating customer service and he’s probably right. However in these two situations I’m about to describe you tell me if my perspective is in line or out of whack.…

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Added by Bill Campion on August 28, 2010 at 6:00am — 7 Comments

Non-Operator Case Studies – How Real Businesses are Benefiting from Nutrition Facts

There have been a few studies that have looked at the affects of menu labeling/nutrition information disclosure in restaurants. Most of them, not surprisingly have had very modest results. But I have been reading about some restaurants that have seen some pretty impressive changes in sales and diner ordering habits. I thought I’d share some with you:

Le Pain Quotidien…

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Added by Alyson Mar, RD on August 25, 2010 at 7:00pm — 3 Comments

Messy Food: The New Prim and Proper?

When I was in Elementary School, my sixth grade teacher told us about her relative that made and dressed up "Big Macs" and other food for photo shoots. She bursted all of our bubbles, revealing that most of the food you see in advertisements are in fact FAKE! Made of plastic, rubber, and other impostors. Regardless of whether the photos were real or fake, it still made me crave the REAL thing!

The Wall Street Journal has an enjoyable article today called…

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Added by Josh Hersh on August 25, 2010 at 8:58am — No Comments

Non-Operator You Gotta Be a Dork Before You Can Be Cool

You know how there are just certain “rules” in life? Like you can’t have 20”1 biceps unless you workout or you can’t control the weather? There’s no denying that you can’t be cool unless you are a dork first. I know the ladies might disagree but George Clooney was a dork at some point in his life. Nobody is exempt from this…

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Added by Bill Campion on August 25, 2010 at 3:06am — 10 Comments

Does your gift card program break the new federal law implemented as the CARD Act?

On Sunday, August 22^nd, the new federal gift card law (often referred to as the "CARD Act")went into effect. If you know about this at all, you are in the minority. A simple web search will turn up short outlines for how the law affects consumers or holders of gift cards, but almost nothing to help independent restaurants without their own general counsel,…

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Added by Seth Gardenswartz on August 24, 2010 at 10:03am — No Comments

Operator - Chef Top 10 Reasons to Support Organic in the 21st Century

1. Reduce The Toxic Load: Keep Chemicals Out of the Air, Water, Soil and our Bodies

Buying organic food promotes a less toxic environment for all living things. With only 0.5 percent of crop and pasture land in organic, according to USDA that leaves 99.5 percent of farm acres in the U.S. at risk of exposure to noxious agricultural chemicals.

Our bodies are the environment so supporting organic agriculture doesn’t just benefit your family, it helps… Continue

Added by Marcus Guiliano on August 23, 2010 at 11:00am — No Comments

Pasteurized Shell Eggs

Last week, the country suffered from the one of, if not the largest egg recalls ever. Almost half a billion eggs were recalled due to salmonella. While this is a serious matter there is a alternative that is much safer. Pasteurized shell eggs DO NOT have salmonella in them. These are fresh eggs which go through a pasteurization process and kills the salmonella on the inside and outside of the eggs. This is something that cannot be done at home. There are some misconceptions by consumers that… Continue

Added by Jon Smith on August 23, 2010 at 9:33am — No Comments

Non-Operator Taking Back Our Power!

On July 4, 1776 the founders of our country signed their names to the Declaration of Independence. This document became the foundation for uniting the many states of America. Our forefathers had the insight to write a very powerful document. The second paragraph clearly states: ” We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of… Continue

Added by Kathleen Wood on August 23, 2010 at 1:00am — 4 Comments

Merchant Services - Which is more important, Pricing or Service?

Which is more important to your restaurant, having the lowest price for credit card processing, or is it worth it to pay a little more and have dependable service. Many companies sign you for the processing and you never see them again. Is that an issue, or is the relationship with these companies unnecessary? What are some things you would like to see these companies do to help you do your business?

Added by Stephanie Clements on August 22, 2010 at 11:15am — No Comments

"Kids Eat Free"

I saw this banner in front of a restaurant the other day "Kids Eat Free" and I thought to myself...When don't they?

Added by Les on August 21, 2010 at 9:00am — No Comments

Non-Operator Is the F&B business ready?

I was very recently reading a magazine article by a member of the Foodservice Consultants Society International and was intrigued by the points he was embracing. The lack of educational resources for the up and coming professionals in consulting roles for the food and beverage sector in North America and world wide.

According to wikipedia (not necessarily a bulletproof source, but still useful) there are over 500,000 full and limited service food service establishments…

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Added by Joel Lazeski on August 20, 2010 at 12:52pm — No Comments

Refined Foodie/Pop Culture Foodie...And Everything in Between

For awhile I had been reluctant to call myself a foodie. I'm not sure where this came from, but I always thought of a foodie as someone with a "refined taste" for "fancy" food. You know -- those upscale restaurant-goers and abrasive critics.

It sort of reminds me of the question you were asked in literature class in high school or college: Are you more into high culture (literature and classics) or pop culture (Twilight, anyone?). It all speaks of that created…

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Added by Josh Hersh on August 20, 2010 at 9:30am — 6 Comments

Operator - Chef Vegan Diet Protects Against Pollution

Animal protein has the potential to carry toxin chemicals in the fat deposits. And the bad news is they keep building up and concentrate. So when we eat these un-clean proteins then these same chemicals get into our fat deposits. This is an ongoing problem that will plague adults for years. In the video I talk about the worst and best protein… Continue

Added by Marcus Guiliano on August 20, 2010 at 9:04am — No Comments

Attention All Servers - Do You Give Your Guests the Service They Really Want?

Here's a newsflash for servers. Your job is to do more than make drinks and take orders. You are here to "serve" your guests. They don't just come to your restaurant to eat - they come for the experience.…

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Added by Amanda Brandon on August 20, 2010 at 7:40am — 4 Comments