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 …
Read More »Standardized Coding for Restaurant Products. It’s about time!
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 …
Read More »Need Your Company To Pick Up Lunch?
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 …
Read More »The Struggle Between Art and Efficiency
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 …
Read More »California & Vermont Restaurants: Are You Compliant?
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 …
Read More »Menu Trends: Ruby Red Hibiscus Flavors
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 …
Read More »Healthy Menu? Don’t Tell Your Customers
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 …
Read More »The Conflict Between Local Food And Local Government
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, …
Read More »10 Hot Trends In Food Service
Feel like you need to get caught up on what’s been going on in the food service industry? Here’s some hot industry trends that will help you get up to speed: 1. A National Tax On Soft Drinks? The advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest is promoting …
Read More »Cash or Charge: Save Money AND Give Your Customer A Discount
Credit cards have become the currency of choice in restaurants everywhere. Many restaurateurs report 80% – 85% of their customers pull out plastic when it’s time to pay the bill. For a long time now the conventional wisdom in food service goes like this: any way the customer wants to …
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