All Blog Posts Tagged 'restaurants' (201)

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

Connections that make a difference

We hear a lot these days about connecting. Today, social media has raised the art of connecting to new levels - but does this represent progress?

Back in the '50's when neighbors chatted over the clothesline in the backyard, reaching out and sharing tales of their daily lives, hopes and fears, they often related one-on-one in a more than superficial way.

Today, we have hundreds, even thousands of 'friends' and followers on Facebook and Twitter…

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Added by susan holaday on July 2, 2010 at 7:10am — 2 Comments

Restaurants Newsletters: Helping You Stick to Your Diet

Dining out can be challenging if you are trying to stick to your diet plan. A restaurant meal can create a huge damage on your diet. This is particularly true if you are going out with friends. You can find yourself eating foods that are not part of your plan. You may give in to your cravings and order a bucket of hot wings and a couple of bottle of beers. It helps to subscribe to restaurants newsletters, so you…

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Added by ChefBlogDigest on June 19, 2010 at 11:00am — No Comments

New New York Restaurant Gets Socialized

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Added by Sarah on June 16, 2010 at 2:31pm — 3 Comments

Floating Adrift Somewhere in the Specific Ocean

Young and Innocent

"Que the music..."

...This is the end

Beautiful friend

This is the end

My only friend, the end

Of our elaborate plans, the end

Of everything that stands, the end

No safety or surprise, the end

I'll never look into your eyes...again

Can you picture what will be

So limitless and free

Desperately in need...of… Continue

Added by Steve Paterson on June 15, 2010 at 7:00am — 2 Comments

Social media factoid (social media and smartphones)

35% of respondents to a recent Technomic survey say that they access social media sites on a mobile phone or smartphone at least once a day. (Source: Technomic's Leveraging Social Media & Mobile Technologies 2010 study)

Added by Erik Thoresen on June 10, 2010 at 2:24pm — No Comments

Social Media and Restaurants

This week at the NRA Show there was a lot of chatter about the future of social media and how it will be used in the restaurant world. Right now most, like myself, are just trying to find our way. Youtube is five years old and growing up fast. Facebook, twitter, and all the rest are changing by the day if not minute. There is a new tool being created constantly. So how do you figure out what, how and when? Who cares, stop over thinking this and get in on the action before it is too late.…

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Added by Michael Minichello on May 26, 2010 at 2:00pm — 22 Comments

Non-Operator Be FOHnomenal

Excellence is the unlimited ability to improve what one has to offer.

-Rick Pitino

Take heed, all front of house staff. Today's diners are armed with powerful tools that give them access to dynamic, richly presented information about your restaurant's food, wine, ingredients, service reviews, and more. They are connecting through social… Continue

Added by FohBoh on May 13, 2010 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Non-Operator Chain Restaurant Disclosure and Analysis Can Improve

Chain Restaurant Disclosure and Analysis Practices Can be Improved

In April, we had…

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Added by John A. Gordon on May 3, 2010 at 3:31pm — No Comments

It IS Easy Being Green: Part 2 – Restaurants Going Green

There are several foodservice companies that have made the jump to be green not only because it seems to be what customers want and because it is “what’s right” but also because of the money savings associated with going green.…

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Added by Kelly on April 27, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

Non-Operator FOHcus: Sci-Fi Server

Technology is changing the way we behave. I'm still not fully adjusted to the site of another driver blowing by me on the freeway, their eyes shifting up and down from their mobile device. When did we suddenly become so attached to these devices that we'd actually risk our lives to use them?

About 15 years ago, I was given a copy of William Gibson's 1994 sci-fi thriller, Virtual Light. If you're unfamiliar, it's the story of a San… Continue

Added by FohBoh on April 23, 2010 at 1:00am — 5 Comments

Restaurants With Ears: Listen To Your Customers!

In working with my main restaurant client, the highlight has been interacting with customers and responding to each and every individual. Whether positive, negative, or off-the wall, this is what it takes to build a loyal community.

It is time consuming to build a loyal following say on Twitter or Facebook, but the payoff will be worth it in the end. Here are 5 tips to get you started.

1. Find Your Voice:…

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Added by Josh Hersh on April 21, 2010 at 10:41am — No Comments

Is the high-end in for a backlash from its own clientele?

A very weird thing is happening this Spring. I know of two high-end restaurants, one recently opened and another about to open, that seem to be drawing a bit of a negative backlash reflective of the growing dichotomy between haves and have nots.

Commenting on one, which opened this Spring with a prix fixe menu with two options - tasting ($95) and full dinner ($145) and a high priced wine list, a friend confessed that he was upset by the excess in a time when "we're still in…

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Added by susan holaday on April 15, 2010 at 9:07am — 1 Comment

Non-Operator Video: What Onr Thing Consistently Made Money for Bars in 2009?

After listening to a range of bar owners, hospitality consultants and beverage industry suppliers at the conference sessions at the Nightclub & Bar Show, the one constant in every business that grew in 2009 was how social media drove that growth. Let me… Continue

Added by Barry Chandler on March 14, 2010 at 11:34pm — No Comments

Why service matters so much

Sometimes we think people eat out because of the food - and certainly that's oftentimes the draw that brings them away from their kitchens.

But it's clear to me that service sets the tone, enhances the experience and can contribute to the desire to return.

Yesterday was set-up day for the New England Food Show. A friend and I went over to set up my booth, a relatively simple thing to do as it's pretty uncomplicated.

Going to the registration desk to pick up my… Continue

Added by susan holaday on March 14, 2010 at 5:55am — 8 Comments

I'll stand up for the facts any day!

I got mad yesterday at a Grub Street report of Uno Chicago Grill's closing of its Porter Square (Cambridge, MA) restaurant. They noted that lease negotiations were cited as a reason for the closing but went on to imply that it may have been a sign that the chain was going "the way of Brigham's," the ice cream concept that wound up going out of business.

In response to what I felt was a snide and unfair implication (not to mention uninformed), I commented (or tried to) that chains may… Continue

Added by susan holaday on March 5, 2010 at 5:05am — No Comments

TAP Project 2010 - Get Involved

As business owners, it has always been our goal to give back or help make the world a better place. We admire companies like TOMS Shoes who do just that . . . their motto, “one for one”. Every pair of shoes a customer buys they give one pair away to a child in need. That's awesome!

While we don’t make shoes, we still want to do… Continue

Added by Christine van Rooy on March 2, 2010 at 8:09pm — No Comments

Operator - Chef How to Properly Use Olive Oil

Don't Bake or Cook with Olive Oil

I don't care what the Food Network Chefs do or say, don't to cook or bake with olive oil. It is downright stupid to heat olive oil. Olive oil is extremely healthy and should be stored and consumed with great care. Buy the good stuff and keep it in a cool and dark place and keep it airtight. And don't bother with anything other types of olive oil beside Extra Virgin Cold Pressed. The other olive oils are not worth consuming, all the goods are in the first… Continue

Added by Marcus Guiliano on March 2, 2010 at 4:38am — No Comments

Non-Operator The Future Is Up For Grabs

The web is up for grabs. We are all cartographers now, discovering the nooks and crannies, the inlets and isla's of this new world. All the old rules and restrictions have come down. They were proved to be worthless. They worked for an earlier era, but only just barely. And now we are all tremendously liberated and absolutely terrified. Can you feel it? I do, all day, every moment, that sense of utter horror at the newness of everything around us. It almost feels like an acid… Continue

Added by Zachary Adam Cohen on February 15, 2010 at 12:05pm — 6 Comments

Bring people together - the need has never been greater!

Danny Meyer has done it again! Mailalino, his newest, Roman-style restaurant in the Gramercy Park Hotel, received two stars today from The New York Times' Sam Sifton who points out:

"Yes, the impetus for change here was Mr. Schrager’s hotel. But it is Mr. Meyer who has brought New Yorkers to the room, to the view, back to the neighborhood. His restaurants have almost always done this in some way. They encourage their customers to appreciate what sits outside them, to rediscover… Continue

Added by susan holaday on January 20, 2010 at 6:01am — 1 Comment