Published January 11, 2016
There are some things that never change in the catering business, but some things require updating every few years. You’re always going to need warmers, risers, tables and trays, but if you’re actually using the same versions of these as you did a decade ago you’re sorely in need of an update. Too many restaurants do their catering services with dishwater and presentation straight out of the 90’s, and their stodgy service may be costing them business.
Elevation is key when presenting a catering spread attractively, but the old-school look of risers covered with bunched tablecloth is out. Instead, try to find sleek metal risers or rustic wooden crates. Stay away from Velcro stick-on skirting at all costs, and take time to re-evaluate your service staff’s costuming—if they’re still in tuxedos, you might have some clothes-shopping to do.
Overall, just keep in mind that stuffy and formal are out, and dressed-down cool is in. Don’t be afraid to get playful with your displays, and strive for authenticity rather than for an antiquated sense of “class.”
Read the full article here: Is Your Catering Current and Cool?
Published January 11, 2016
Millennials have earned a reputation as a picky and fickle generation, and these tendencies extend to their choice in restaurants. To appeal to this important demographic, you’ll need to avoid being boring at all costs. This applies to everything from the words you use on your menu to the customization options for your food to the way you present dishes. Make sure to use social media effectively, and don’t be afraid to flaunt high-quality ingredients; Millennials have shown themselves to be quite willing to pay for quality.
Read the full article here: 6 Ways to Attract Millennials to Your Restaurant
Published January 11, 2016
Chick-Fil-A is ditching a bit of its Southern heritage in order to line up better with customers’ preferences for healthy items. The chain will be replacing their classic coleslaw with a superfood salad containing kale, broccolini, nuts and dried cherries. The new nutritious side was created with the help of James Beard Award nominee Ford Fry. Chick-Fil-A has long been a leader in giving customers healthy options; the chain was the first quick service brand to offer a fruit cup as a side and the first to offer a grilled Kids Meal entree.
Read the full article here: Chick-Fil-A Rings in New Year With ‘Superfood’ Side
Published January 8, 2016
Recent high-profile food safety incidents highlight the need for having a crisis-response plan for food safety incidents. An article at RestaurantNews.com tells the tale of a small restaurant chain whose response to an E. coli outbreak was exemplary and worth imitating.
When the chain realized that their lettuce had sickened several people, they immediately told restaurant general managers to discard all produce. They also switched their lettuce supplier and coordinated with government health officials to determine the precise source of the contamination, and apologized to communities that had been affected by the outbreak.
All of these measures are par for the course, but this chain went even further. They invited the media in to publicize their new lettuce-washing protocols and even gave out free food for three days in order to regain customer goodwill. They also paid all the medical bills for people who had been sickened by their food. This comprehensive response allowed the chain to recover from the E. coli crisis quickly with very little lost business.
Read the full article here: Crisis Management for Today’s Restaurants
Published January 8, 2016
Pappy Van Winkle is the most coveted and desirable bourbon in America, with people regularly waiting months or even years to score a bottle of the stuff. The Franklin county Sheriff’s Office in Kentucky recently busted a whiskey thieving operation and confiscated all of the gang’s stolen goods, including 28 bottles of precious Pappy. Although the police originally intended to sell the bourbon for charity, Pappy’s manufacturer wants the whiskey destroyed because he fears it is contaminated. Horrified whiskey enthusiasts have started a Change.org petition and a social media campaign to try to save the contraband bourbon from destruction.
Read the full article here: Oh the Humanity: 28 Bottles of Precious Pappy Van Winkle Might be Destroyed
Published January 8, 2016
White Castle, America’s original quick service burger chain, will celebrate its 95th birthday this year. The chain, founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1921, established the model for later chains like Burger King, McDonald’s and Wendy’s. The iconic White Castle slider was named the most influential hamburger in the world by Time Magazine in 2014. To celebrate the anniversary, White Castle will offer Share a Meals for $9.95 this year.
Read the full article here: White Castle celebrates 95th Birthday
Published January 7, 2016
Does your restaurant have some incredible dishes that earn raves from customers or the press? That’s great. Do you have some wonderful servers that attend to diners’ every need and make people feel welcome? Awesome. Does you bar have some classy cocktails right out of a Roaring 20s speakeasy? Super. Do you know what’s more important than having a few spectacular dishes, world-class servers, and innovative cocktails, though? Consistency.
Delivering a uniformly solid results in all areas of your restaurant business is preferable to just having a couple of incredible offerings. Obviously, it’s better to have both, but if a customer eats somewhere with one life changing dish, 2 mediocre ones and a rude waiter, they are not likely to come back for more. The food business is at root a part of the hospitality industry, and delivering a good experience 100 percent of the time is the number one job of a restaurant operator. Customers like to eat at places they feel they can trust, and if you’re inconsistent, you won’t earn that trust, no matter how spectacular your best dishes or drinks are.
Read the full article here: Does Your Restaurant Offer a Consistent Experience?
Published January 7, 2016
Cage-free eggs appear to be having something of a moment in the quick service industry, with many popular chains announcing their plans to go cage-free in the upcoming years. Wendy’s is the latest brand to announce its timetable for switching to cage-free eggs, pledging to complete the transition in its U.S. and Canadian stores by 2020. The move is just one component of Wendy’s general animal welfare program. It has worked with animal welfare experts to guide its ingredient-supply policies since the late 1990s.
Read the full article here: The Wendy’s Company Announces Timeline for Sourcing 100% Cage-Free Eggs
Published January 7, 2016
Like so many classic American comfort foods, peanut butter was popularized at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. Since then, the product has taken over American pantries, with 94 percent of U.S. households eating the stuff at home. The classic way to eat peanut butter, of course, is the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but forward-thinking chefs are taking that flavor idea and using it as the basis for innovative dishes. Perhaps the craziest new-fangled PB&J dish out there right now is the Peanut Butter and Jealousy from 50/50, a bacon cheeseburger topped with peanut butter, strawberry jam and ice cream.
Read the full article here: Peanut Butter Spreads Beyond Sandwiches
Published January 6, 2016
It’s obvious that the United States is a global culinary powerhouse, but the American food revolution has been slow to earn recognition from some international culinary competitions. The Bocuse d’Or competition, a biennial showdown held in Lyon, France, didn’t award a trophy to a team from America until 2015. The Bocuse is considered by some to be the Olympics of culinary competition, so it’s a big deal that an American team finally won silver. FSR magazine sat down with the French Laundry’s Phil Tessier to talk about what his win means for the reputation of American food in the international culinary scene.
The Bocuse d’Or is a grueling physical experience, so Phil’s training regimen was similar to what an athlete would do for the Olympics, except that it also included French language training and hours in the kitchen! Phil’s success shows that Americans can hold their own even in the stodgy traditional culinary competitions of the Old World.
Read the full article here: U.S. Chefs and Cuisine Gain Global Respect
It Might Be Time to Update Your Catering Style
There are some things that never change in the catering business, but some things require updating every few years. You’re always going to need warmers, risers, tables and trays, but if you’re actually using the same versions of these as you did a decade ago you’re sorely in need of an update. Too many restaurants do their catering services with dishwater and presentation straight out of the 90’s, and their stodgy service may be costing them business.
Elevation is key when presenting a catering spread attractively, but the old-school look of risers covered with bunched tablecloth is out. Instead, try to find sleek metal risers or rustic wooden crates. Stay away from Velcro stick-on skirting at all costs, and take time to re-evaluate your service staff’s costuming—if they’re still in tuxedos, you might have some clothes-shopping to do.
Overall, just keep in mind that stuffy and formal are out, and dressed-down cool is in. Don’t be afraid to get playful with your displays, and strive for authenticity rather than for an antiquated sense of “class.”
Read the full article here: Is Your Catering Current and Cool?
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