The top burner grates only need replacing if they have cracked due to metal fatigue or if they have been dropped and broken.  To replace, simply pull the broken grate off the top of the range and then place the new grate over the burner. Before taking action from the …

Ivar’s Seafood Restaurant in Seattle, Washington pulled off a brilliant piece of restaurant marketing recently, resulting in a 400% increase in clam chowder sales. How did they do it? Well, it’s a funny story actually.  Ivar’s dreamed up this scheme to get a kooky story going in the local media …

The 24/7 lifestyle has been creeping further and further into American cities over the course of this decade.  People are out later more frequently, and many restaurants, especially in urban centers, are responding by catering to late night diners.  If done right, the late night scene can energize your restaurant …

We’ve all had one of those managers who’s just a little bit more hardcore than everybody else.  Usually they’re pretty harmless, if not a little annoying.  You just have to roll your eyes and get through the extra training seminar they scheduled. A St. Joseph, Missouri Sonic manager probably takes …

Keeping up with the latest and hottest trends in food service could be a full time job in itself.  Luckily for you, The Back Burner is here to keep track and distill things down into manageable chunks.  This is a quick rundown of the trends we’ve been tracking over the …

One area of the restaurant industry we have continually focused on here at The Back Burner is management.  I don’t have to tell you that restaurant managers are often overworked and under appreciated  and that’s on top of the stress involved with trying to manage a business in one of the …

House Bill 3962 passed the U.S. House of Representatives last Saturday, and with the vote, which was a close one, the first steps have been taken towards comprehensive health care reform in America.  The primary provisions of the bill include: Roughly 96% of Americans would be covered Businesses with less …

One of the big things in campus cafeterias over the last couple years has been trayless dining. Several hundred college food service operations removed trays from their dining facilities, and left the students to eat what they could carry. The initial programs were a huge success, and continue to be …

Since 1993, the FDA has required manufacturers to print nutrition labels on food packages. As Americans become increasingly obese, health-consciousness has powered the trend toward full nutrition disclosure in restaurants as well. The theory is that if we see the caloric impact of foods, we will make healthier choices and …

The Food & Drug Administration announced in October that it would place a ban on untreated oysters coming from the Gulf of Mexico.  Louisiana is the primary harvester and exporter of Gulf oysters, and the industry accounts for $318 million dollars each year. Gulf oysters have been deemed a food …

Nutrition information on menus is a trend in food service that doesn’t seem to be going away.  Legislation is still working its way through Congress that would require menu labeling.  In the meantime, New York City has had its own menu labeling law for fast food chains in place for …

Maybe you missed the announcement by the National Restaurant Association, GS1 US and the IFDA concerning the new initiative for standardized labeling of restaurant industry products, or maybe you saw it and overlooked the potential impact it could have on your restaurant. The rest of the planet already has retail …

The “restaurant family meal” is a central event in many well-run restaurants.  Just before the dinner rush front of house and back of house staff gather to enjoy a well-cooked meal prepared by the chef.  The family meal is a great way to foster positive interaction and a feeling of …

Without a doubt, company Christmas parties aren’t what they used to be.  The days of opulent parties stacked one after the other are clearly behind us.  On the other hand, there’s definitely some opportunity for restaurateurs looking for a little extra Christmas income. That’s because companies want to show some …

Here at The Back Burner we try to provide as many resources as possible for your success.  Over the past six months we have published a treasure trove of restaurant marketing tips that can help you get more butts in seats.  I don’t have to tell you that it’s been …