Yes, your favorite childhood pet is also a favored delicacy in the Andes. Called “cuy,” (coo-wee) by locals in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, roasted guinea pig has a gamey taste similar to rabbit and is said to improve intelligence and focus if eaten regularly. In Cuzco, Peru, cuy is roasted …

The Anaheim White House, a fine dining restaurant in Anaheim, CA, drew an unexpected amount of criticism recently after renaming one of 12 presidential-themed private dining rooms the Obama Room. Irate customers asked to be removed from the restaurant’s email list and others swore they would never patronize the restaurant …

The Back Burner’s Restaurant Survival Guide continues with some more tips on how to keep customers coming in the door in these tough economic times. Take your product to the customer. You have already developed delicious entrees, trained your kitchen staff to cook them, and purchased all the equipment you …

The current economic downturn has affected every aspect of the American economy, including the food service industry. The NRA has projected a 1% drop in all restaurant sales for 2009 (when adjusted for inflation), potentially making 2008 and 2009 the only two consecutive years where restaurant sales have fallen since …

The movement to accurately label menu items with nutrition information is gaining ground at a remarkable pace.  In 2008, the state of California, the cities of New York and Philadelphia, and two counties in Washington and Oregon passed legislation requiring restaurants to provide nutrition information to their customers. 20 more …

Nutrition labeling is nothing new in the food industry.  Nutrition Facts have become ubiquitous on everything from milk cartons to candy bars. But up until recently nutrition information on menus was largely absent. That’s changing, and places like California and New York city have already passed legislation requiring nutrition information …

Pulque is a thick, milky alcoholic drink first enjoyed by Aztec kings in the centuries before the arrival of Spanish conquistadors.  It is fermented from the juice of the maguey plant, which is an aloe-like relative of the agave, the source of tequila and mezcal.  After the fall of the …

If you responded to this question with a confused look and the response “What is Yelp?” then you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.  Forces have been at work that you didn’t even know about, and that can be a scary thing. Yelp is an online review site …

Despite the economic downturn you’re sick of hearing about (unless you’ve been under a rock), two trends remain hot for the food service industry in 2009: food nutrition and sustainability. Even as consumers tighten belts and close wallets, they’re looking for healthy foods brought to them in an environmentally sustainable …

The food service industry is an amazingly diverse and complex world. Every day millions of meals are served by all kinds of establishments across the country. Small independent restaurants function as local hangouts where neighbors enjoy coffee or a beer while watching the game.  Huge commercial kitchens serve thousands of …