Personally, if I never hear another story about H1N1 (swine) flu again, I’ll die a happy man.  Unfortunately, the grim reality is everyone is going to have to take steps to combat the spread of flu this winter, and restaurants are no exception.  Organizations like the National Restaurant Association are …

All over the country food service has been suffering from a decline in business meals, and the upscale eateries of midtown Manhattan are no exception.  Manhattan steakhouse Maloney & Porcelli’s is fighting back with a deceptively simple tool it recently made available to its customers that has the entire business …

As if you didn’t have enough on your plate trying to keep your restaurant’s head above water this year, some in the food service industry are starting to talk more and more about changing some basic assumptions about employee compensation. The traditional model has been to pay your kitchen by …

Great Lakes pizza, on Chicago’s north side, has been getting A LOT of press lately.  The tiny pizzeria has only been around for a little over a year, but in that time the reputation of owners Nick Lessins and Lydia Esparza has catapulted Great Lakes into one of the hottest …

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 …

If you’re in the food service industry in either California or Vermont, then this blog post is for you. New legislation in these two states changes the kind of faucets and pipe fittings that can be installed in restaurants and commercial kitchens starting early next year.  California Assembly Bill 1953 …

Hibiscus, the beautiful tropical flower, is now making its way into cocktails, teas, and desserts in some of the trendiest urban restaurants.  The taste is described as both fruity and floral, with a tartness not unlike lemon.  From the perspective of presentation, hibiscus flavored drinks and desserts turn an appealing …

According to a new study by the Council of Hotel And Restaurant Trainers (CHART), 53% of the restaurants surveyed had cut back on their employee training budgets.  Only 19% increased their budget, with the rest remaining the same.  The study covered a wide variety of restaurants, from small independents to …

Ask anyone sitting on their couch around dinnertime if they want a healthy pizza, and you’ll probably get a lukewarm response.  Not that people don’t want to eat healthier.  Study after study has shown that consumers, when asked when they aren’t actively ordering food at a restaurant, want healthy menu …

Want to know what makes a restaurant succeed where others fail?  Is it because your food is the best around?  Do you offer customers an incredible value for their buck they just can’t get anywhere else?  Or is your staff so professional, so incredibly well trained, that customers just can’t …

Mixology is a hot trend in food service.  More and more bars and restaurants are investing in exotic flavors and unique blends to make cocktails that draw customers in and tantalize their taste buds.  There are even professional “mixologists” who dedicate their time to the art of developing the next …

For all the buzz around using social media like Twitter and Facebook as marketing tools for restaurants, a recent study by Chalkboard.com indicates the majority of restaurants aren’t catching on.  Establishments in three major urban centers, New York, San Francisco, and Portland, OR were surveyed about their internet and social …

Ok, so this hit my desk in the early AM on 9/9/09: “Restaurant.com Stretches the Dollar with 90% off Gift Certificates”. A limited time promotion they are running using the date of 9/9/09 as an excuse. I don’t care what day it is on the calendar this is a terrible …

There’s a new movement afoot in the urban centers of this country.  It started sometime last year and is still in its infancy, but given enough time, it could become the next MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter of the social media revolution. It’s called “hyperlocal” social media.  One of the pioneers …

As I have noted on The Back Burner before, more and more restaurants are sourcing their food locally.  And restaurants in urban areas are even turning vacant lots, empty roofs, and bare terraces into herb and vegetable gardens, yielding fresh produce for their customers.  The trend has taken off quickly, …