Chef Alex Atala, son of Lebanese immigrants and raised in Brazil, is himself a blending of cultures separated by huge geographical distances and divergent attitudes. Perhaps this is why he is perfectly suited to bring the flavors of Brazil to global prominence. Chef Atala achieved recognition by creating a hybrid …
Read More »Bars and Restaurants Using Spotters To Increase Profits
A bar spotter, or “nightclub secret shopper,” is a person sent into a bar by the owner or manager to conduct a secret quality control review of bar staff. Spotters carefully observe bartenders and other employees, watching for telltale signs of theft and misconduct. Most spotters were once bartenders themselves, …
Read More »What Are Your Restaurant’s Perks?
The Stew blog, written by the Chicago Tribune’s food beat staff, posted an interesting article recently talking about the little perks that make a restaurant meal a more pleasant experience. Yet as great as these perks are, they seem pretty generic – best practices that any restaurant worth its salt …
Read More »Kogi Is Kool – How One Taco Truck Is Taking LA By Storm
Los Angeles has long been famous for roaming taco trucks that service the myriad neighborhoods of this sprawling metropolis, serving classic Latino fare.L.A. is also known for its distinct Asian cuisine, which is often blended with more traditional American foods to create wonderful hybrids. Well, now Korean BBQ, a hot …
Read More »12 Restaurant Management Tips
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 …
Read More »Green Consumer Trend Still Going Strong
Every restaurant has had to deal with revenue and expense challenges over the last year. And many have probably wondered whether green practices and products in their restaurants are worth their while, both in terms of cost to purchase and the time it takes to implement new green consumer trend …
Read More »Don’t Take Coffee For Granted
Every restaurant serves coffee. It’s one of those standard beverages that any food service establishment takes for granted: restaurants of all kinds have always served coffee, and will continue to serve it forever. But unlike other standard beverages like Coke or Pepsi that are made by a third party, coffee …
Read More »Do Price Reductions Dilute Your Restaurant’s Brand?
In a very well written post on Waiternotes.com titled “Self-Fulfilling Prophecies,” the author examined in-depth the price reduction strategies the owners of the two restaurants where he works have employed over the last year. The main point revolved around how cut-rate specials were bringing in more traffic (although not more …
Read More »Restaurant Management Tips: More Is Not Always Better
Large parties present a difficult choice for restaurant managers. How many times have parties of 12, 16, or even 20 shown up at your restaurant ready to experience the great food and service you have to offer? Your initial reaction is probably: “Great! We love more customers!” Of course you …
Read More »Why Employee Benefits Are A Food Safety Issue
One of the biggest sources of contamination in any restaurant are the people who prepare and serve your customer’s food. According to official food safety regulations, sick workers are supposed to go home, or even better, not come in at all while they are capable of spreading germs. Unfortunately, two …
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