Featured Blog Posts – December 2008 Archive (56)

Non-Operator Something to think about as the year ends

At the close of this year a couple of quotes come to mind.

"It is not what life does to you it is what you do with what life does to you."
"Change is inevitable. Growth is optional."

The power of choice. "We all have the power to think about what we think about. Most of us do not make that choice."

Please add your own quotes or oneliners to the list.

Added by Mel Kleiman on December 31, 2008 at 10:43am — 3 Comments

The light behind the darkness

I received an e-mail today from a printer about how publishers will think about changes in the year ahead, and it contained the following:

I SALUTE YOU!

There is nothing I can give you which you have not;

but there is much that, while I cannot give, you can take.

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today.

Take Heaven.

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant.

Take… Continue

Added by susan holaday on December 31, 2008 at 5:03am — 5 Comments

Non-Operator Profitably is Priority #1 – Words of Wisdom

I am a restaurant expert, teaching my SMART systems to independent restaurant owners all over the country (and the world). I teach through speaking engagements, training workshops and coaching sessions. What it all boils down to — I talk a lot!

But with all my talking, my single goal in life is to help the independent restaurant owner not only survive, but thrive, in the sea of chain restaurants out there.

With this in mind, I have a treasure chest…

Continue

Added by David Scott Peters on December 31, 2008 at 2:00am — 8 Comments

Organic Wine Match of the Day: Tandem Porter-Bass Chardonnay

If you enjoy reading about the best and latest organic wines and ideal food matches without the gibberish, check out my new daily online column on Denver Wine Examiner and subscribe. Today's story:

Chard, schmard… if you think all California… Continue

Added by Randy Caparoso on December 30, 2008 at 8:16am — 1 Comment

Women Bloggers make the Top 12 Most Influential Women of 2008 list

I Stumbled Upon this article from About.com

Top 12 Most Influential Women of 2008 - Women Who Made Headlines in 2008. I was stoked to see a Social Media influence in the top 10.

Here is their list:

1. Hillary Clinton - Woman of the Year and Glass Ceiling Cracker

2. Michelle Obama - The Nation's First African-American First… Continue

Added by Amanda Hite on December 30, 2008 at 6:24am — 1 Comment

Organic Wine Match of the Day: Badia a Coltibuono & Wintry Stews

I've just begun a new daily online newspaper column (re Denver Wine Examinerr) that will focus on one organic, biodynamic or sustainably grown wine each day, matching it with a dish (plus recipe) or cheese. Without, of course, the usual wine geek gibberish. If this sounds like fun, get a gander at today's entry, and be sure to sign up to subscribe on the… Continue

Added by Randy Caparoso on December 27, 2008 at 12:15pm — No Comments

Top 5 Ways to Drive Your Private Dining Business

In April of 2008 I wrote a blog post on my company website on the 5 ways to drive private dining business. In April the recession talk was picking up steam but most restaurant operators felt that the their private dining business was "just for December" and were not too concerned. What a difference eight months make!

I thought I re-post the blog with the hope that it helps everyone who wants to make private dining a larger part of their revenue mix.

Here it… Continue

Added by Jonathan Morse on December 27, 2008 at 11:57am — 2 Comments

Cracks in the credit freeze?

Amid all the bad news about the industry’s prospects came a little-noticed hopeful development: Restaurant companies are getting their hands on capital again. If you think that’s the sort of yawn-inducing stuff that only lightens the hearts of guys in green eyeshades, consider what it means for everyone in the business.

Even if you’re not a shareholder, competitor or employee of Landry’s, you should be cheering founder and CEO Tilman Fertitta for getting an $81-million line of credit… Continue

Added by Peter Romeo on December 24, 2008 at 6:42am — 2 Comments

Beyond basic adaptation

In this tough economy, nickels matter more than ever before.

In this series of Success Stories, I'm going to talk about necessary innovations that go beyond basic adaptation like cutting costs. I’ll be following up with effective initiatives in several functional areas, including:

*Vendor Management;

*Building on distribution opportunities for your brand;

*Driving Sales including catering opportunities and food catalog sales;

*Production Efficiency for these new… Continue

Added by Erle Dardick on December 24, 2008 at 1:00am — 5 Comments

Danny Meyer says it best

A short news item in Crain's New York Business recently sums up what's going on very succinctly. Dany Meyer, head of Union Square Hospitality Group, the owner of some of Manhattan's most acclaimed restaurants such as Union Square Cafe, Eleven Madison Park (recently honored by Relais & Chateaux) and Gramercy Tavern, was talking about the current state of the stock market and the economy, comparing it to "really bad weather."

Crain's quotes him as saying: "You can decide to stay in… Continue

Added by susan holaday on December 23, 2008 at 8:30am — 2 Comments

Looking ahead to a brighter new year

The old year is winding down and here in the northeast, it's really cold and blustery - the wind is howling down my chimney as I write. Will Santa bring us a better New Year and an end to the drumbeat of bad news, commentators who can't stop commenting on it, and grumpy detractors who want to connect the President-Elect to the very belligerent and possibly criminal Illinois governor.

What lies ahead is up to us! I began a column on my website early this year called "Value Vault,"… Continue

Added by susan holaday on December 22, 2008 at 12:31pm — No Comments

Fantasy Island or Exile Island?

As this is the first article I have posted as "A Feature Columnist," I would like to say thank you to the Directors of FohBoh for their confidence in me, allowing me this opportunity to share my expertise with the entire FohBoh Community.

If you have followed my previous postings, you know my strongest assets are in management, personal… Continue

Added by Bill Baumgartner on December 22, 2008 at 2:21am — 16 Comments

Bailout for Santa's elves? Blame gift cards.

This just in from Fohboh North:

NORTH POLE – The United Brotherhood of Elves confirmed today that it is mounting a work stoppage until something is done about restaurant gift cards.

“No kid wants a lousy wooden horse anymore,” grumbled an elf who identified himself as Skunky. “All the little bastards and their parents want are iPods, flat-screen TVs and gift cards. Oh, those damn gift cards!”

The elves say they’ve lost confidence in the ability of North Pole CEO… Continue

Added by Peter Romeo on December 19, 2008 at 5:00pm — 6 Comments

National Restaurant Association's forecast for next year: Ugh.

The industry's leading association predicted Friday that the restaurant business will have to persevere through another difficult year, with the forecast figures indicating that transactions will decline. The National Restaurant Association data suggest that this is a bad spell of historic proportions for the trade, through the prospects vary from segment to segment and from region to region. Here's my take on the NRA's forecast:… Continue

Added by Peter Romeo on December 19, 2008 at 3:50pm — No Comments

The Dollar Again and Again

The chart of the week is the US dollar index. As noted in previous reports, the US dollar index soared during the late summer and early fall as the financial markets debacle gained steam. If you remember, a rising US dollar value is academically deflationary for commodities because it makes our products more expensive overseas. Most recently, however, we have experienced a dramatic shift of the trend of the dollar. The US dollar index moved 8% lower from December 3rd until December 17th. Why?… Continue

Added by David Maloni on December 19, 2008 at 2:36pm — No Comments

Dude, awesome new stuff from the King

I never feel so old as when I’m covering Burger King. The chain has really deepened its personality in recent years in part through marketing efforts that strike me as bizarre, but clearly resonate with the throngs of young men who love “Punk'd” and “Jackass” (shows that catch real people in practical jokes and goofs, for those of you who think MTV is still a music-video channel). They’re the legendary “super heavy users” whom every quick-service chain wants to woo, be it with meatloaf-sized… Continue

Added by Peter Romeo on December 17, 2008 at 9:31am — 3 Comments

How eco is a Christmas Tree?

From The Guardian

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree

In these eco-aware times, what sort of Christmas tree can be justified?

Leo Hickman has the answer

It's at this point each December where I begin to feel as if I'm being haunted by the ghost of Christmas dilemmas past. Every year most of us go through the ritual of… Continue

Added by Mark McKellier on December 17, 2008 at 6:53am — 3 Comments

What is your top 20% worth?

Traditionally in economic times such as we are experiencing, top talent becomes even more crucial to an organization. The ability to cut costs while maintaining and driving sales becomes even more acute than in a prospering economy. In the surveys I have conducted over the past several years, co's have stated that the top 20% of their mgmt staff has equated to driving the majority of their sales as well as their brand by as much as 67%. How do you feel those numbers stack up in today's… Continue

Added by Bill Lins on December 17, 2008 at 6:12am — 2 Comments

Think You Are Too Old To Try Something New?

Age isn’t always a factor in your success or failure.

Consider these famous examples:

Actor George Burns won his first Oscar at age 80.

Golda Meir was 71 when she became prime minister of Israel.

At age 96, playwright George Bernard Shaw broke his leg when he fell out of a tree he was trimming in his backyard.

Painter Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until she was 80 years old. She completed more than 1,500 paintings after that; 25… Continue

Added by David Hottle, CPC on December 17, 2008 at 6:06am — 1 Comment

Non-Operator Your Menu, Make it Work for You

As a new FohBohist, I thought long and hard about what topic to cover in my first post. In this economy, I want to focus on tips operators can put into action right away that will impact their bottom line.

I have probably worked with more than 1,000 restaurant owners at this point in my career, on top of the 20 years I spent in restaurants. Through my experience I have seen one mistake repeated over and over again: menus developed without cost or profit consideration.

I… Continue

Added by David Scott Peters on December 17, 2008 at 3:00am — 13 Comments