Published November 23, 2015
Perhaps no Thanksgiving dish inspires more debate than the mixture of cubed bread, binders, and seasoning that is baked and served as a side. Should it be made with breadcrumbs or fresh bread? Should it contain sausage, or oysters, or nuts? Is it called stuffing or dressing? Eater has an article that discusses one traditional way of preparing this classic dish, Southern cornbread dressing cooked in a baking tray rather than inside the bird.
Read the full article here: Everything You Need to Know About Southern-Style Dressing
Published November 23, 2015
According to a 2013 study by the National Restaurant Association, approximately 79 million Americans will turn to restaurants for at least some of the food they eat on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. With that in mind, restaurateurs across the country have the difficult task of trying to satisfy diners’ cravings for traditional flavors while trying to put their own spin on classic dishes. FSR Magazine has a piece in which several chefs talk about the calculations that went into their Thanksgiving menus for this year. The consensus: stick to the holiday standards, but use unexpected flavors to add zest and interest to timeworn dishes.
Read the full article here: Balancing the Unique and Classic on Thanksgiving Menus
Published November 20, 2015
There is a serious shortage of talented cooks in the restaurant industry, and it’s changing the way food service businesses are run. The places hardest-hit by the talent shortage are expensive metropolises like New York and San Francisco, which have seen cooks flee to cheaper cities to escape ever-climbing rents. The increased demand for high-quality restaurant food in cities that have not traditionally been dining hubs is also contributing to the dearth of qualified chefs.
For most of the history of the restaurant industry, cooks were seen as being infinitely replaceable. Many kitchens were run by tyrants who berated their staff, and low wages were the norm. Now that restaurant labor is more valuable, the collective power of cooks to negotiate better working conditions is much higher. Restaurant operators are having to think of novel ways to keep their employees loyal, and abusive managers are no longer tolerated in many kitchens.
The problem for restaurant operators is that restaurants are a very low margin business, so it can be hard to find ways to raise wages in order to attract talent. Some restaurants are finding alternative perks to increase employee loyalty, including yoga classes and mid-shift dodgeball games.
Read the full article here: Not Enough Cooks: Restaurant Industry Faces Talent Crisis
Published November 20, 2015
The consumer research firm Mintel predicts that the craft beer market will grow 22 percent in the next year. But what sorts of craft beer are people buying? Data from iPourIt sheds light on demographic factors that affect beer preference. According to the data, women tend toward lighter styles than men do, and beer aficionados are willing to spend more per pour than casual beer enthusiasts. Age also affects beer preference, with younger drinkers buying newer (to America) styles like lambic, sour, and cider.
Read the full article here: What Types of Beer Different Consumers Go For
Published November 20, 2015
The Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index measures whether LGBT workers at U.S. companies are offered the same benefits and protections as their non-LGBT counterparts. The Index, which gives companies a score out of 100, awarded perfect scores to 24 food, beverage, and grocery companies. A representative of the HRC commended food producers and grocery stores for their commitment to making their workplaces inclusive and friendly for all employees.
Read the full article here: Food, Beverage, Grocery Lead Charge in Fostering Inclusive Workplaces
Published November 19, 2015
Consumers are beginning to care more and more about the ethical and ecological ramifications of the food they eat in restaurants. The number one hot term on restaurant menus according to the National Restaurant Association’s culinary trends survey was locally sourced meat, closely followed by locally sourced produce.
It’s assumed that local food has a lower environmental impact because less energy is used to ship it, but only 11% of the carbon emissions caused by the food system are generated by transport. 83% of food-related emissions are caused by food production itself. Thus, if consumers and restaurants are looking to reduce the carbon footprint of their meals they should try to find farms that use water efficiently and employ no-till farming techniques rather than just thinker that local equals environmentally friendly.
Another assumption many people have about food sustainability is that farmed fish is worse for the environment than wild-caught fish. In reality, the ecological impacts of farmed versus wild-caught are complex, and change depending on species. Mollusks like oysters, clams, and mussels are better for the environment when farmed, but it is harder to determine whether it is better to farm or catch fish like salmon or trout.
Read the full article here: 3 Eco-Myths About Food Sourcing
Published November 19, 2015
A third of the world’s population is active on social media in some way. Social media platforms have become essential for reaching out to customers in today’s business market. Franchising.com has a guide explaining the benefits of social media activity for restaurant operators and other franchise businesses. The guide also includes a quick run-through of the differences between Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for business use.
Read the full article here: It’s Essential to Have a Strong Social Presence
Published November 19, 2015
The research firm Dinova LLC has found that corporations have spent nearly ten percent more in restaurants in quarter three of 2015 than they did one year ago. The growth of corporate spending during this period far outstrips sales growth in the restaurant industry as a whole, which was only 1.5 percent. These statistics suggest that corporations are sending more of their employees on business trips, a trend that experts believe will continue.
Read the full article here: Report: Corporate Restaurant Spending Increasing
Published November 18, 2015
Urban Outfitters may be better known for rompers and skinny jeans than it is for pizza and burrata, but the chain has been trying to integrate food service concepts with its stores for the last couple of years. In a move that surprised even the company’s investors, the clothing chain has acquired Marc Vetri’s Philadelphia-based family of esteemed Italian restaurants. Urban Outfitters plans to open new Pizzeria Vetri locations inside or close by several of its stores in the Philadelphia region.
Read the full article here: Urban Outfitters Will Buy One of America’s Most Celebrated Restaurant Groups
Published November 18, 2015
One unique aspect of the restaurant industry is the fact that food service professionals often come from a long dynasty of cooks, servers, and restaurateurs. Countless restaurant workers got their start by running a register or washing dishes in their family’s businesses growing up. It’s amazing to see how a love for food and hospitality can continue in families from generation to generation.
Richmond News has an interview with chef May Chau of Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant in which the chef discusses how working in her grandparents’ restaurant in Hong Kong gave her a life-long passion for Dim Sum, the family of small Cantonese dishes like dumplings and buns that is a weekend midday staple in cities across the globe. The chef talks about how her childhood experiences inspired her to never cut corners in her recipes, which can be time-consuming and expensive, and how her love of food makes tough ten-hour restaurant shifts worth it. She has one disappointment: her children don’t want to follow her in the family business and carry on the tradition.
Read the full article here: Coffee With…May Chau
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