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What Restaurants Can Do to Battle Rising Food Costs

Dec 27, 2014

We read about it in the news and you see it in grocery stores and restaurants: Food prices are hitting all-time highs. Driven by increased inflation rates from commodities like butter, eggs, pork and beef, year-to-date wholesale food prices are at their highest in three years, up 5.3% according to the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index. See video below for more details:

 

 

What can a restaurant operator do to curtail the effects of food inflation? Menu optimization and innovation can point to the items you want to sell. Play up lower-cost proteins like chicken or showcase in-season vegetables and fruits in your dishes to make the most of taste and value.  Earlier this year we wrote about how you can use the versatile potato to your advantage in order to curb high food costs. And don’t forget your beverage menu: Aside from your usual sodas, consider offering coffee, tea and wine by the glass in order to maximize profits.

 

Looking for expert help with your menu optimization? Contact Synergy for more information.

 

 

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Looking Ahead: Restaurant Trends for 2015

Dec 23, 2014
Soft serve predicted as a 2015 hot food trend | Photo credit: Flickr user stu_spivack license CC BY-SA 2.0
Soft serve predicted as a 2015 hot food trend | Photo credit: Flickr user stu_spivack license CC BY-SA 2.0

 

2014 has been quite an interesting year for restaurants! In our newsletters and blog articles over this past year, we have explored new restaurant concepts, food trends, the Millennial crowd and how the economy is impacting the industry.

Here are some interesting findings we investigated:

–          Concept trends like street food and the new revolution in fast casual

–          The increasing influence of Millennials

–          Protein as a selling point on menus

–          Growing consumer concerns like food sustainability and gluten-free availability

–          Mobile tech-advances

So what do we have to look forward to in 2015?

Nation’s Restaurant News recently conducted their “What’s Hot in 2015” culinary forecast and revealed that the top four hot trends from last year—locally sourced meats and seafood, locally grown produce, environmental sustainability, and healthy kids’ meals—will remain hot for 2015 based on their survey of 1,300 chefs. However, trends like nose-to-tail and housemade soft drinks were declining. See the full report here.

This NRN.com article delves right into menu items:  “Hot restaurant menu trends for 2015,” with tacos, soft serve, spicy flavors, meat spreads, mini cocktails, and Spanish cuisine as some to watch out for.

Needless to say, we at Synergy are excited to see what 2015 brings.

 

 

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December 2014 Newsletter

Dec 16, 2014

Greetings!

For those of us in the restaurant industry, the economy is still showing a “best-of-times/worst-of-times” personality, and that’s been hard on consumers, many of whom are still feeling pretty cautious about their finances. But according to the National Restaurant Association, 2015, should see an improvement in the dining-out public’s mindset.

Fortunately, that hasn’t tamped down enthusiasm among operators, who are opening up the kinds of exciting new concepts that we try to feature every month in our newsletter.

In this issue, Synergy project coordinator Mandy DeLucia takes us on a tour of the Anaheim Packing District, one of a clutch of new urban gathering places that are opening in cities around the country, offering up a worldly mix of food and food-related retail offerings as part of a lively multi-use mix. (We covered some of these earlier in the year, too, in the article “Market Dynamics.”)

We’ve also got the latest on the Korean food boom, and a look at how some savvy operators are using social media to up their branding games.

Happy holidays, and here’s to continued success,
Dean Small and Danny Bendas

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Redefining the “Food Court”: Anaheim Packing District

By Mandy DeLucia, Synergy Project Coordinator

Anaheim Packing District

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With contemporary diners informed by the growing swell of food-related media—the scores of blogs, websites, magazines and television stations dedicated to foodie culture—standard food courts are being supplanted by destination-dining food halls.

Inspired by the eclectic charm of veteran urban food centers like Chelsea Market in New York City and The Original Farmer’s market in Los Angeles, savvy developers are re-defining the food court and incubating new concepts to produce a rich dining experience beyond the city center. By reducing their footprint and sharing a roof and common space—in some cases including back-of-house facilities like prep space and storage—new foodservice operations can reduce their start-up costs and share in the success of neighboring eateries by gaining visibility. The “veto vote” is moot when there are options to suit multiple palates, price points and dietary needs, especially when the space is anchored by an appealing central dining area.

 

The Anaheim Packing House draws its name from the site, a former citrus packing plant within easy distance of Disneyland. Developed by Shaheen Sadeghi, a visionary with two other hip retail and dining complexes under his belt, the Packing House delivers a playful and engaging environment and a carefully curated group of eateries. The central staircase doubles as a performance space and seating area which is filled with natural light from the skylights in the vaulted ceiling. Strands of natural-fiber ropes descending from architectural beams are studded with air plants and anchored in pots of ivy, creating a living Jacob’s ladder.

 

Communal seating upstairs includes tables painted to be functional backgammon and checker boards, inviting guests to linger. With a nod to the building’s origins, a vintage tractor sits amid the tables, and stair risers are papered with a photo detail of orange trees. A display case at the base of the stairs filled with faux oranges includes the painted phrase “Your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” The central staircase is ringed by a viewing gallery which encourages people-watching, with fixed trays for holding drinks and snacks at regular intervals around the railing paired with stylish stools.

 

Each concept at the Packing House has a well-developed and distinct brand identity, and the brands were thoughtfully located throughout the space, with consideration given to which concepts worked well next to each other. All dayparts are served, with Cafecito Organico delivering caffeine while the adjacent juice bar, Lemon Drop, serves up fresh-pressed juices and smoothies.

 

Diners create their own food adventure amid the variety, perhaps by starting with a drink at the Hammer Bar, situated on an elevated platform on the upper level, then moving to another spot for a first course. Diverse menu offerings encourage “team eating”; each member of the group orders from a separate concept, then the group meets at a communal table for sharing and sampling.

Hammer Workshop & Bar

While some concepts, like The Chippy, have no seating of their own, Kettle Bar, located in a cozy corner of the lower floor, features table service and full bar framed by gleaming copper. The menu features Southern specialties, from cioppino to gumbo, prepared in steam kettles in an exhibition kitchen which is glassed-in and adjacent to the communal space, giving passersby an excellent view of the show.

 

Clever design features highlight the cooking process at the various concepts, and it might just be the sight of the beautiful piles of freshly sliced ribeye at The Kroft that inspire the ever-present queue for meaty sandwiches and luxurious poutines.

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Food halls like the Packing House elevate the experience of communal dining by creating an environment that entertains as it nourishes. As diners become more sophisticated and as amateur food photography in social media becomes a badge of insider knowledge for guests, we can expect to see this trend continue.

 

Look to Synergy Restaurant Consultants for help with your exciting new foodservice concept.


 


The Korean Connection

By Joan Lang

 

Photo credit: Flickr User Rex Roof license CC by 2.0
Photo credit: Flickr User Rex Roof license CC by 2.0

With its fiery flavors and pungent condiments, Korean food might have seemed like a stretch for mainstream innovation as recently as a decade ago, but that was before Roy Choi of Los Angeles’ game-changing Kogi Korean BBQ-to-Go made the “Korean taco” a household word, and before the Spicy Kimchi Burger made it onto the pages of Better Homes & Gardens.

In fact, kimchi (healthy fermented or pickled spicy vegetables, usually cabbage, radish or cucumber) has become a trendy artisanal staple, to be made in-house in restaurants just like pickles and ketchup—it’s even being used in cocktails. And gochujang may be poised to become the next sriracha. Indispensable in Korean food, this savory and pungent fermented is made from red chili, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt; it’s delicious in otherwise non-Korean recipes for wings, barbecued ribs and other meats, rice and noodle dishes, and as a table condiment with a bit of kick.

Other Korean foods that have skipped the tracks into mainstream familiarity include barbecued meats like bulgogi, spicy Korean-style fried chicken (which gets its crispiness from a special batter), and the iconic bibimbop rice dish.

It’s true that traditional Koreatown barbecue joints and other “ethnic” Korean restaurants can be an intimidating place for non-Koreans, even still: brusque, noisy, full of unfamiliar sights and smells.

But like other second- and third-generation immigrants, Korean-American entrepreneurs are merging the bold flavors and healthy yet distinctive profile of Korean cooking with Western amenities, such as English-language menus, friendly service, comfortable décor, and Western-style beverage programs.

Some very high-profile chefs have helped to lead the charge, including not only Choi—who parlayed his food truck fame into a number of restaurants and a TV show—but also David Chang, Bill Kim and Edward Lee. Make no mistake: they are cooking for American diners, adventurous ones, to be sure, but mainstream nonetheless.

A lot of it looks like what used to be called fusion cuisine, with Korean specialties like bulgogi merged with familiar ingredients like pork belly. The emphasis is on making this ancient and exciting cuisine more approachable for modern Western diners.

• At bopNgrill, in Chicago, you can have it both ways: a rice-based Bop Plate topped with the likes of chicken katsu, bulgogi or tofu & kimchi, or a Signature Burger, mostly with such Western toppings as cheddar cheese, onion rings, bacon or truffled mushroom duxelle. In any case, the Kimchi Fries (topped with caramelized kimchi, cheese sauce, bacon, scallions, sesame seeds) have become famous

• CJ Foods, a California distributor of Korean food ingredients, has opened a fast-casual restaurant called Bibigo (meaning “to mix”), with three locations in the LA area specializing in mix-and-match bibimbap, the traditional Korean rice bowl topped with meat or tofu, vegetables and sauce, and traditionally mixed with lots of red-chile pepper paste

New York Kimchi may have a fairly traditional menu except for the burgers and cheesesteak sandwiches (japchae noodles, barbecued meats, warming stews and hotpots, tartare-like yook hwe) but the emphasis on convenient delivery and office-party catering is distinctly midtown Manhattan

• Likewise, Rice Bar in Washington, DC, is also about the metro need for a quick lunch that can be ordered online and picked up in 10-15 minutes. The menu includes noodle soups and rice dishes, as well as a Chipotle-like “build-your-own” bibimbap and soup platforms that allow guests to specify the rice or noodle of their choosing, and as many a la carte vegetable and protein toppings as they want, from walnuts and corn to egg and hot & spicy chicken

Chi’Lantro, a truck that plies the streets of Houston and Austin, touts “Korean + Mexican fusion”: tacos (filled with bulgogi, soy vinaigrette Korean salad, cilantro, onion, and salsa; quesadillas (caramelized kimchi, bulgogi, cilantro, onion, Chi’Lantro salsa, “magic sauce” and sesame seeds); Seoul Burrito (caramelized Bulgogi, soy vinaigrette Korean salad, fried egg, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, onion, Chi’Lantro salsa, lime-buttered rice, and sesame seeds), plus a rice bowl, a Korean burger, and kimchi fries

• San Francisco’s Namu is appropriately SF hip, calling out the farm-raised local ingredients, small-batch sakes, and New Korean American cuisine of the three chef-brothers who own it. They have their own farm to supply Asian herbs and vegetables, a truck, and a brick-and-mortar restaurant that features three categories Cold (pickles, oysters, tartare); Plates (dumplings, chicken wings) and Comfort (stone pot of rice and vegetables, the omelet-like okonomiyaki). And it all started with a hot dog truck in Golden Gate Park

Burnt Rice Kitchen, in San Jose, has a menu that runs from the authentic (mandoo potsticker dumplings and duk bak ki fish cakes) to the flagrantly cross-cultural (Kimchi Po’ Boy and Gangnam Style Phylly sandwich), plus Happy Hour and football night. The drink list is a special triumph of multiculti fusion (sake mixed with Red Bull; pitchers of white peach soju; Ommegang craft beer)

Danji, in New York City, casts itself as a Korean-style tapas restaurant, with both Traditional and Modern categories of shareables, such as haemul soondoobu jji-gae (spicy seafood soft tofu stew); bulgogi beef sliders (spicy pickled cucumber & scallion salsa); spicy ‘K.F.C.’ Korean fried chicken wings (honey, garlic, four chilies); and kimchi bacon chorizo ‘paella’ with fried Jidori hen egg

•Among the “coastal cuisine” specialties served at The Pearl, in Nantucket, the menu has featured such things as Korean Braised Chicken Steamed bun with fuji apple kimchi and pickled cucumber; ‘KFQ’ Korean Fried Quail with scallion, sesame, radish and kimchee pancakes; and a Ssam Plate of Sizzling Pork Belly cooked on a hot rock and accompanied by “dynamite bbq” and traditional condiments.


Social Media: Share and Share Alike

By Joan Lang

 

In just a few short years, social media has gone from being the newest thing in marketing to a must-have strategic component of the branding discipline. And between Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and user-sourced sites like yelp, there are a lot of moving parts to manage and integrate. Knowing what to do with them all takes considerable vision.

It’s crucial to remember that social media is brilliant at brand storytelling—in part because, unlike advertising and other traditional media, it’s a two-way street with customers. And getting guests engaged in helping you tell your brand story can take many creative forms, generating guest loyalty and a sense of “belonging” to the story that’s being shared.

• Mad Greens, the “eat better” fast casual chain based in Denver, does several interesting things with social media. For instance, it posts a Yelp link for each of its unit locations. In addition to offering easy-to-find details about the venue and giving commenters the sense that their opinions are valued, the move helps contribute to the kind of transparency that many experts are advocating as these new media head toward maturity.

Even more compelling, however, is the way Mad Greens brand curates social media content, such as Instagram and Twitter pictures, and streams it on menu boards in the restaurants. Crediting customers for their photos and including them in the very operation of the brand goes to the heart of what social media can do.

• Wendy’s is another company that has been very adept at leveraging social media. With its robust program of LTOs and special promotions (like the much-ballyhooed Pretzel Burger), the chain has plenty of news to spread the word on. In the case of the recent Bacon Portabella Melt comeback, Wendy’s hit upon the idea of using its fans’ own tweets to entice them to come in and try one. The company invited followers to share their small accomplishments via #EarnedIt then recorded the content by a voiceover artist and sent it back to the tweeter: Talk about the social media mantra of immediate, personalized, interactive, and fun.

• Nashville’s trendy Rolf and Daughters recently got a shout-out from the Food Network for its beautiful Instagram feed, which is accessed directly from the bottom of its equally enticing website. Daily posts in both color and black-and-white take viewers not only onto the plates but also behind the scenes into a world of chefs, ingredients, wine and cocktails, and cooking—just the kind of artistic voyeurism that the platform is so effective at. If you’re wondering how to chronicle the “life” of a chef-driven restaurant with strong ties to both the local community and the culinary universe at large, RAD shows you how.

• Luxury hotel chain Four Seasons has used the picture-power of Instagram a little differently, to promote ice cream specialties for virtual ice cream socials on National Ice Cream Day. Chefs at 19 different properties created ice cream treats unique to their locale for the weeklong July event, then encouraged guests to take pictures and post them during “Insta-Meets” held at each hotel. Although Four Seasons has done Ice Cream Day specials before, this year’s social component allowed the brand to get more attention from guests (and potential guests), as well as the press.

But you don’t have to be a big player with deep pockets—or even a good eye for a photograph—to leverage the power of social media. A small brewpub on a busy pedestrian corner in my hometown posted one- and two-word highlights from positive yelp reviews, tickertape-style, all around its street-facing plate glass windows, which could be seen from across the street. And that’s the essence of sharing.


Tip of the Month

Got Gluten Free?

This little cheat sheet from a group that includes FastCasual.com and QSR Web includes a surprising amount of information about demand and the size of the market, common substitutions, and quick tips for starting your own GF program. You might also want to take a look at these menus provided via Gluten Free Guide HQ.

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How Should a Restaurant Price its Menu Items?

Dec 13, 2014

 

One of the most difficult aspects about managing a restaurant is deciding your price points. You have to take into account your costs, your competition and your target market. You may have a handful of menu items or dozens. Where do you start? Are there certain strategies you can apply to offer your business an edge?

 

AmericanExpress.com’s OpenForum recently featured an excellent article on 6 steps to help determine the right price for your product or service. The piece highlights the importance of pricing based on the value you can bring to your customers, what the customer needs, what your competitors are doing, and of course your costs and cash flow.

 

We wanted to share with you some more great articles to can shed some more helpful insight onto this crucial piece of your restaurant business plan.

 

Looking for professional assistance with menu pricing? Contact Synergy for more information.

 

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Bringing in More Customers through Scent Marketing

Dec 11, 2014

You tend to hear a lot about how color is used in marketing in order to evoke certain emotions in the consumer. Greens are thought to represent health and freshness, while reds are commonly believed to conjure emotions of excitement and immediacy. However, in restaurant marketing strategy, using the sense of smell opens up huge opportunities.

 

You know that warm fuzzy feeling you feel when you smell freshly baked chocolate chips cookies? Does it remind you of home? Studies have shown that smells can induce mood changes and strong emotions and associations. Why not incorporate this into your restaurant and elevate the customer experience?

 

Actually, many restaurants already do this and recently Starbucks unveiled its mega roastery in Seattle. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room mega-store is a 15,000 square foot super store where patrons can take in the coffee culture via all their five senses, especially through smell where the aroma of the roasting coffee saturates the air. This Business Insider article notes how Panera Bread experimented with aroma by changing baking hours to take advantage of the scent of their baked goods.

 

The bottom line is that scent marketing can help you bring in foot traffic and enhance the guest experience, with the potential of boosting sales.

Coffee at Pronto photo credit: Ruth Hartnup License CC by 2.0

 

 

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November 2014 Newsletter

Nov 18, 2014

Greetings!

As 2014 rolls to a close we are reflecting on what an interesting time it’s been. Even before the passage of many minimum wage initiatives earlier this month, the foodservice industry has proved itself not only a resilient source of jobs but also a promising career pathway for hundreds of thousands of American.

Meanwhile, new concepts including robust fast-casual brands are changing the way guests think about convenient, affordable, quality-oriented dining, while a spate of high-profile revamps and new concepts among established players reveal just how much energy there is in our industry.

One of the most notable aspects of many of these new and refreshed concepts is the idea of the open kitchen, where the people who cook the food can interact with the guests who order, proving the freshness and cooked-to-order customization of food today. And so it’s interesting to note that recent research that this trend also incents the kitchen staff to make better food when diners can see them.

And we’ve also got a couple of articles for you here, about mobile technology, new-wave street food, and the importance of brand identity.

To your success, Dean Small and Danny Bendas

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Mobility Issues

By Joan Lang

Photo credit: Flickr user Vernon Chan License CC by 2.0
Photo credit: Flickr user Vernon Chan License CC by 2.0

 

We live in an upwardly mobile society—technologically speaking at least. The numbers are pretty astonishing:

• There are more than 327 million cell phones in use in the United States, outstripped only by China and India
• 90% of the American population owns a cell phone and 58% own a smart phone; that’s growing fast, as devices become more affordable and 3G and 4G networks advance
• 45 million Americans use their phone as their primary device for internet access
• Mobile devices account for 55% of internet usage in the U.S.; apps made up 47% of internet traffic and 8% of traffic came from mobile browsers

Not surprisingly, this has had—and will continue to have—a huge impact on the restaurant industry. According to a recent article in USA Today, more than one-third of respondents in a National Restaurant Association survey said they would be more likely to use restaurant tech than they would have been just two years ago—for online ordering, for redeeming loyalty rewards, checking wait times, and even for paying checks.

And while the trend may be driven by Millennials, make no mistake: All demographic groups are in on it.

It goes without saying that if you haven’t done it yet, your website should be optimized for mobile, preferably through responsive design which adapts to multiple devices, so that guests can view the menu and other details, link to driving directions on a map, and click-to-call the phone number no matter where they are. Social media integration is another common feature.

More brands are going the route of dedicated mobile apps, which can feature anything from the simplest info (store hours, contact, etc.) to sophisticated geolocation functions (finding the nearest location of a chain, for instance), interactive nutrition, games and more.

Convenience-oriented diners, particularly Millennials, are starting to look for online/mobile ordering, and brands as diverse as Subway, BJ’s, and Olive Garden have implemented the service—to say nothing of to all the restaurants that outsource to companies like GrubHub and Seamless.

Despite concerns about fraud and privacy, one of the latest wrinkles in the game is mobile payment—led by Starbucks with its own dedicated mobile wallet, which links to the company’s rewards program. Like the declining balance in a college meal plan, the much-emulated app allows a customer to prepay into an account for future use, saving credit card information to facilitate the easy reload of funds.

Mobile payment will be the wave of the future for many brands, and mobile-payment solutions like Square, PayPal Here and the new Apple Pay are already making this service more accessible to businesses.

Some of the most recent restaurant industry mobile moves accomplish other things as well:

• In a move to combat long wait times, Outback Steakhouse has introduced Click Thru Seating, which allows guests to put their names on a wait list using a mobile device, and then use it to check their progress in real time

• Taco Bell’s new mobile app—and its now-infamous pre-launch social media blackout—includes not only ordering and prepayment, but also access to exclusive app-only offers and gifting

• Pizza Hut’s Xbox 360 online delivery app has succeeded in moving more than $1 million dollars’ worth of pies

• Upmarket restaurant operator Mook Group uses its iBeacon app to identify and award personalized, discretionary perks to regulars, VIPs and others while these guests are right in the restaurant

But while such sophisticated mobile-tech advances might seem to be the provenance of big chains and other multi-unit operations with deep pockets, my neighborhood Thai place has a wicked little online ordering function that incorporates nuts-and-bolts like hours, the menu, favorites and previous orders, coupon input, and the ability to pay with a credit card. Do I use it whenever I get takeout—even when I really have a taste for pizza? You betcha.

For more information, check out the infographic Technology on the Menu.


 


Street Food 2.0

By Joan Lang

 

Belly Shack Menu
Belly Shack Menu

Americans have had a long and satisfying relationship with street food, from pretzels and lemon ice to hot dogs—in fact, the famous Chicago Hot Dog, arguably the country’s original fast food, was invented by an enterprising street-cart vendor who boosted up the value of a wiener by topping it with the equivalent of a salad to create a more balanced meal in a bun.

And so it is with the iconic market snacks and street food fare of other countries, from the elote (corn on the cob) of Mexico to the steamed palm hearts and kanom buang crepes of Chiang Mai, Thailand. These traditional specialties have fueled the working classes for ages: fast, delicious and affordable. And they serve as great inspiration for a new generation of hip food concepts here.

Some international street food specialties—like Belgian frites and Middle Eastern falafel—have already made their way to our shores. Others are arriving fast and furious, in the form of restaurants owned by second-generation entrepreneurs and widely traveled American chefs.

Many of these “Street Food 2.0” concepts fit into the fast-casual model—not surprising since they emphasize convenience and affordability. Mexican street foods, with their corn-based carriers such as tortillas and sopes, were among the first to undergo a mainstream QSRtranslation, but South of the Border street foods still have plenty of room to grow.

In addition to quality-oriented fast-casual taco shops like Chronic Tacos and White Duck Taco Shop, accomplished chefs like Alex Stupak are experimenting with upscale versions of street food favorites, at New York City’s new Empellon al Pastor. Meanwhile, Richard Sandoval has turned the corn-based street snacks known as antojitos into specialty fare at many of his restaurants, including Tamayo, Maya and La Biblioteca de Tequila.

But the street food trend is happening to other ethnic niches. Shachi Mehra, formerly the chef of London’s upscale Tamarind restaurant, has opened Adya, located in the much-anticipated Anaheim Packing District multi-use urban gathering place in California. Adya (which means the origin of the five senses) offers the “fresh Indian flavors” of traditional chaat snacks, as well as tandoor-cooked kebabs, pavs (a kind of filled sandwich roll, described as Bombay-style spicy sloppy Joes), griddled-wrap kathi rolls, curries, and cooked-to-order breads, upgraded with ingredients like Laura Chenel goat cheese, seasonal organic fruits and vegetables, and a creative wine and craft beer list. There are also daily specials, many of which are vegetarian, like the rest of the menu. Thalis (combination lunches) and other attractively presented food items are served on lightweight metal plates, as they would be in India, and the bright, contemporary space includes a glass-enclosed kitchen surrounded by counter seating.

In fact, a field trip to the Anaheim Packing District project represents a tour through some of the most exciting interpretations of international street food in the country. It’s home to 20 different restaurants and food merchants, including Pop Bar (handcrafted gelato, sorbetto and yogurt on a stick); The Kroft (poutine and market-inspired sandwiches); The Iron Press (beer and waffles); Crepe Coop (made-to-order crepes); Black Sheep Grilled Cheese Bar; and Sawleaf Café (Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and pho), as well as Wheat & Sons artisanal butcher shop, Buy ‘n Bulk spices and nuts, a juice bar, coffee roaster and more.

Verts Kebap, a red-hot new fast casual in Austin, celebrates the Berlin-style Middle Eastern doner kebap (or kebab), a gyro-like Turkish lamb specialty that’s cooked on a giant vertical rotisserie and then served wrapped in flatbread with vegetables like tomatoes, onion and cucumber. Launched by two former UT Austin business school grads, Verts Kebap plays off the street food’s healthy, fresh perception, with a nod to contemporary customization demands with a mix-and-match variety of formats (wrap, salad, traditional bread), proteins, veggies and sauces. There are nine locations in Texas, with more on the way.

Belly Shack, in Chicago, is chef Bill Kim’s ode to Korean street food, with an assist from his Puerto Rican wife, Yvonne. That means red curry pork Meatball Sandwiches, Korean BBQ Beef with steamed buns, the Belly Dog (a hot dog topped with egg noodles, pickled green papaya and togarashi fries), and Quinoa Ssam Sandwich (a vegetarian and gluten-free lettuce wrap filled with black beans and Asian pear-fennel kimchi). There’s wine and beer for the neighborhood crowd, as well as Vietnamese iced-coffee and Korean sodas.

Rincon Argentina, in Boulder, CO, is all about the empanada,

Rincon Argentino, in Boulder, CO, is all about the empanada, that Latin American “hand pie” that is the ultimate expression of versatility and portability. At At Rincon, that means nine different traditional empanadas and five different open-faced variations, available by the piece, dozen and half-dozen (cooked or frozen for take-home). There are also Milanesa sandwiches, gluten-free tartas (small, corn-based pies), and mini-empanadas, plus salsas like chimichurri sauce and sides.

The most interesting thing about all of these next-generation street food concepts is that the experience has been transformed from a hardcore ethnic adventure into a distinctive niche that appeals to Millennials and other food-loving mainstream diners.


It’s all in the Brand

By Randy Lopez, Marketing and Branding Strategy

Like everyone, I like to go to Disneyland. As my kids grew up, my wife and I get away now and then to walk around, get on a few rides (when the park isn’t too packed), and spend a relaxing time. There are some great restaurants and nothing beats a delicious meal at Blue Bayou, inside the Pirates of the Caribbean. Truth be known, we’re annual pass holders—not rich, but that initial purchase of a pass makes you feel like you made another down payment on a car.

One of my first jobs in high school was working at Disneyland. As a “cast member,” I sold burgers and ice cream at the now-defunct Carnation Gardens. Holding five ice cream cones in my left hand while making change in my right gave me a huge start in multitasking which would serve me well when I learned to bartend at Friday’s. I didn’t realize it then but walking through an almost empty Main Street at 6 in the morning or after the park was closed taught me about branding and creating an experience for the guest. That’s because without guests, lights would still be on, ambient music would still be playing, and you could see the detail that went into creating the “happiest place on earth”—without the crowds and distractions.

As a brand builder and consultant, my time at Disneyland and other influential brands, including like Buca di Beppo, Red Robin, and Wolfgang Puck, served me well. More than 30 years later, I still look back on those times and places when considering the elements of branding. In branding, it all comes down to one goal, and Disneyland is as good as any to illustrate that goal: Create a memorable and distinctive perception of your concept or product in the mind of the guest.

How does a single-unit restaurant or chain create the kind of emotional response and brand presence with the power of a huge theme park? Here are a few ideas to consider, gleaned from my time working with Disneyland and other amazing brands:

1. Set the stage. Disneyland was created by storytellers. Walt Disney enlisted studio designers, artists and builders to create his theme park. As a filmmaker, he realized that you need to immerse the guest in the experience; that every detail needed to reinforce the story he was trying to tell. The next time you’re at a Disney theme park, notice the trash bins in every attraction. Shield-sided Fantasyland trash cans support the decor and “brand” of that area, and would never be seen next to a plant-life-painted trash bin placed in Adventureland. For your own brand, does the color and imagery of your logo, menus, and decor tell your story?

2. Fill the senses. Walk into your restaurant. What do you see? Smell? Hear? Touch? When you visit a Disney property you’ll hear a Barbershop quartet on Main Street. Walk further toward the castle and you’ll smell fudge being made at the candy store (notice the small vents below the front windows designed to produce this experience). Does your music mix turn off potential guests with inappropriate choices or volume? Do your guests smell great food being prepared or worst of all, nothing?

3. Tell your story. Lack of a cohesive vision, years of employees and management putting their own “spin on things,” vendors creating menus and signage design as “value-added” services… these can create a disjointed and confusing brand story. The only thing that matters is what your guests think of you, so take a look at your concept and ask yourself if you’re giving them the right tools and messages to describe you to their friends and better yet, create their own memory of your brand experience.

In the long run, you may or may not get to be as big as Disneyland but every strong brand started with one location that told the story well, delivered an exciting and innovative product, and became a brand leader. From logo to menu to the last bite, make sure your brand is echoed in each moment and tells a story.

Your story.

Let me know your thoughts and contact me if you have any questions regarding your brand or creating one.


Tip of the Month

The National Restaurant Association has assembled a wealth of information in its Health Care HQ knowledge center, including news, state-by-state guidelines, and online tools such as employee notification to help operators adjust to the new rulings.

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How Can Your Restaurant Target the Millennial Crowd?

Nov 16, 2014

Millennials, those aged at approximately 18-34 years old, are the largest generation in American history. They’re confident, tech-savvy, connected, choosy, adventurous and their impact on the economy is of utmost significance. By 2017, this age group is predicted to spend $200 billion annuallyaccording to Advertising Age!

 

Consumer market research group, NPD Group, reports that Millennials continue to be “heavy users of restaurants.” NPD further notes that Millennials made over 14 billion visits to restaurants in the year ending June 2014.  It’s no surprise that this segment is highly influential. If you’re a restaurant operator, it’s time to start paying attention to this all-important crowd.  But you can’t expect to grab this group’s attention by merely tapping into social media, as QSR Magazine notes in this article.

 

Also known as “Generation Now,” “Generation Y” and “Generation We,” this diverse consumer base takes into account many factors when making a purchasing decision, from trusting recommendations from friends, to seeking unique dining experiences. So as a restaurant, what can you do to draw them in? The National Restaurant Association explores some ways to connect to this group in order to help restaurants expand their Millennial customer base in this informative piece, “Generation Now: Marketing to your Millennial audience.” Also be sure to read FSR Magazine’s, “What Millennials Want,” for more great tips.

 

 

 

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Spice up Your Beverage Offering with Tea and Coffee Cocktails

Nov 13, 2014

When you think of cocktails, you may conjure up images of margaritas, martinis, Bloody Marys and Mai Tais. But a newer trend is bringing the spotlight back to some other familiar faces. Combining coffee with alcohol has produced plenty of delicious cocktails concoction in the past (White Russian, anyone?). Tea has also been a staple in famous drinks such as the bourbon iced tea. Now, there are newer, more inventive ways to showcase coffee and tea in cocktails.

 

If you ever wondered how you can jazz up your cocktail menu to entice guests and garner more sales (especially toward the Millennial crowd), here’s some inspiration for you! The varying flavor profile combinations you can achieve by mixing and matching different types of brewed teas and coffees will only be limited to your imagination.

 

Check out these exciting coffee and tea based cocktails to get your creative juices flowing:

  •  BFB Highline’s Right Swipe: rum, cilantro simple syrup, and a Darjeeling-hibiscus tea from Owl’s Brew
  •  1022 South J’s Hot Spiced Toddy: bulleit rye, allspice dram, honey, black tea,  and lemon
  • Emmanuelle’s Filibuster: Jamaica rum, 5 year Demerara Rum, Swedish Punsch, spice curacao, allspice Dram, raw sugar, and cold-brewed coffee.
  •  Geraldine’s The Scarlet Carson: Tanqueray gin infused with jasmine and rose petal tea, Campari, lillet blanc, grapefruit, and honey syrup

Hot tip: want to cut down on prep time? Try tea concentrates and cold-brewed javas! Happy mixing!

 

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October 2014 Newsletter

Oct 21, 2014

Greetings!

There’s an old Chinese proverb: May you live in interesting times.
Well, that’s for sure: Ebola, terrorism, the stock market, rising food prices, the weird weather. To say nothing of ongoing uncertainty about the long-term prospects for the economy. Is the consumer mindset improving, or are people still cautious about spending?

This is no time to be taking your eye off the ball. No time to slack off on menu innovation, server training, or keeping your décor fresh and inviting. In addition, it’s certainly no time to be turning your back on what your guests want—as this San Francisco food truck owner has clearly done.

Everything’s got to be on point in this marketplace. We at Synergy Restaurant Consultants can help you with that.

To your success,

P.S. For a look at what one Denny’s is doing to keep it new and fresh, check out this You Tube.

To your success, Dean Small and Danny Bendas

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Fast Casual: More From the “Next Chipotle” Front

By Joan Lang

Google “next Chipotle” and you’ll see all sorts of evidence that the public’s awareness of the fast casual dynamic has reached critical mass.

Indeed, oversaturation in the fast food marketplace and demand for fresher, healthier, more authentic food is behind a growing defection from traditional fast food in favor of the Chipotle/Panera/Five Guys model.

We’ve written about (and been involved with) many of the contenders before, including LYFE Kitchen and other “fast fine” brands. But the precepts of experience-oriented premium quick-service—better-quality fresh ingredients, menus designed for guest customization, Millennial-friendly ambiance that encourages hanging out, and an open-arms attitude toward technology and social media—continue to change the American expectation for quick and affordable dining out.

Here are some companies to be aware of, some of which have been around since before the term “fast casual” was even coined.

Farmer Boys puts a name to the all-prevailing trend to the locally and ethically sourced menu, as practiced by this 79-unit Southern Cali-based breakfast-and-burger chain. With more than 75 items, the selection is more diverse than that of the typical burger emporium—in addition to burgers, there are numerous breakfast plates, sandwiches, omelets and takeout worthy Go Bowls, as well as salads and wraps, sandwiches, and fried fish and chicken plates. Real ice cream shakes serve triple-duty as beverage, snack and dessert. Founded in 1981, the chain began franchising in 1998. Interestingly, Farmer Boys’ “mascot” is a scarecrow, predating Chipotle’s controversial but undeniably heart-tugging animated version.

Zoe’s Kitchen is pulling ahead of the fast casual fresh-Med pack with a newly sharpened “Live Mediterranean” positioning that touts made-from-scratch food that draws from the founders’ Greek heritage. Zoe’s success owes much to the accessible appeal of its menu, which emphasizes foods that are healthy first, Mediterranean-style second, such as pita sandwiches, kebabs and salads, plus sandwiches and fresh sides; convenient pre-packed takeout food, Dinner for 4 meals, and catering hold a special place of pride in the Zoe’s business formula. The Plano, TX-based Zoe’s, which first debuted in 1995, has about 130 company-owned restaurants spread across 15 Southern and mid-Atlantic states.

Backyard Bowls promises “Better Life Through Better Food” in the distinctive form of acai bowls, build-your-own meal platforms based on the trendy Brazilian berry (pronounced ah-sah-EE) which is widely reputed to be an anti-aging superfood. Bowls start with a smoothie-like acai puree, variously topped with granola, yogurt, fresh fruit or vegetables, and honey, to which guests can add a la carte enhancements such as bee pollen, flax seeds and spirulina. There are also breakfast bowls based on oatmeal, quinoa and muesli, as well as “real food” smoothies. With three units in the Santa Barbara area and born of the surfer culture there, the concept is tailor-made for today’s generation of diners who may eschew dairy, meat and gluten—standard ingredients include nut milks and protein-rich hemp, but no animal products save for organic yogurt and honey/pollen (for which agave can be substituted).

 

Acai Bowl from Backyard Bowls | Photo credit: Flickr user Robert License CC by 2.0
Acai Bowl from Backyard Bowls | Photo credit: Flickr user Robert License CC by 2.0

Named to the Nation’s Restaurant News 2014 Hot Concepts list, Chicago-based Protein Bar anticipated Americans’ interest in high-protein diets with a menu of protein-packed Bar-rito wrap sandwiches, salads, healthy blended drinks and raw juices, and convenient bowls including breakfast, chili/soup, and lunch combinations—much like the diet that helped founder Matt Matros lose 50 pounds. The selection is designed to welcome vegan/vegetarian, gluten-free and food-allergy lifestyles, with an emphasis on food that is quick and healthy, promising nothing less than helping its fans change the way they eat on the go. The fact that there is a location at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s new Shop & Dine development is proof of the concept’s appeal.

Better-taco concept Rusty Taco got validation of a different sort when it was bought into by wunderkind wings giant Buffalo Wild Wings, which has had its own land-office success by concentrating on one menu item done to the nth degree. Amid a plethora of growth-driven fast-casual taquerias now emerging, nine-unit Rusty Taco stands out for the relative authenticity of its menu (i.e., tacos filled with items like picadillo and brisket) and the availability of what the Dallas-based concept proudly describes as margaritas “made with cheap tequila and fresh lime juice.” With Pizza Rev already in its investment stable (and growing quickly as a result), BWW is clearly betting on fast casual to give it more headroom to expand.

Synergy Restaurant Consultants has deep expertise in the area of fast casual concept development and operations.


 


Waste Not, Want Not

By Joan Lang

 

Photo credit: Flickr user petrr License CC by 2.0
Photo credit: Flickr user petrr License CC by 2.0

The numbers are absolutely mindboggling. According to a study conducted at the University of Arizona, restaurants in the United States throw out something like 135 million tons of food a day, or as much as 10 cents on every dollar of edible goods purchased, in part because of the growing trend toward fresh, on-demand menu concepts. The really shocking part: That study—representing some of the most recent comprehensive research available—was conducted in 2005. What can 10 years of fresh menuing have done to those statistics?

Not only can most operators ill afford that kind of waste, but an increasingly savvy customer base is becoming more aware of the problem. After all, according to the Food Marketing Institute, households are responsible for most of the country’s food waste, at 44%, followed by restaurants (33%) and grocery stores (11%).

Despite garnering some heat in the press for making waste a low priority, the restaurant industry is taking the lead in addressing the problem. Darden concepts has been working on the problem for more than a decade, with such programs as Darden Harvest (food donations), organic recycling, and more. Forward-thinking fast casual concepts like Snappy Salads are building sustainability and green practices such as landfill diversion into their business plans.

Five Michelin-starred chefs from France staged a Dustbin Banquet for 5,000 to call attention to the issue.

Here are some things you can do to reduce food waste in your operation, remembering that it’s not only good for food costs but also for the environment:

• Carefully rethink portion sizes. In the larger scheme of things, it may not necessarily be a good thing that guests know you as the place where you can’t possibly finish an entrée.
o Monitor the amount of food that comes back to the kitchen on plates, even if it’s packed into doggie bags (which may sit in the back of a guest’s refrigerator before ultimately being thrown away). Consider resizing accordingly
o Other options include offering half- and smaller portions, including selections for both younger and older diners. (Table 24, in Orinda, CA, even has two sizes of children’s menus, because “littles” not only eat differently but are also bound to eat less than “middles”)

• Get rid of garnishes that are unlikely to be used or eaten, like the tired leaf of kale and orange slice that decorate so many plates. Have servers ask guests if they want fresh lemon or tartar sauce.

• Get a better handle on forecasting and purchasing procedures in order to reduce the amount of unnecessary food coming in the back door—maybe you don’t need that standing weekly order for asparagus

• In a related vein, organize food storage to encourage rotation and easy access, as well as tighter inventory. Too often, food can get lost and overlooked in a poorly organized walk-in.

• Make full cross-utilization of food a goal—and a creative challenge. Just to use one common example, leftover bread can be repurposed in many interesting and profitable ways, beyond crumbs and croutons.
o Thick slices of day-old brioche can be used to create bostock, a sweet breakfast pastry from France—or adapted as a savory snack or starter

o In Italy, the first of the season’s olive oil is made into a fettunta, or “greased slice.” At Nico, in Chicago, the concept has been turned into an entire profit-building menu signature
o Cut leftover sliced bread into slim slices, brush with oil and seasonings and bake, to serve as a garnish or finger food

• Commit to landfill diversion through source reduction, composting, recycling of spent oil (which also addresses energy costs) and other efforts.

o There are commercial composting machines that can “digest” waste into valuable black gold in just 24 hours, without the smell and mess normally associated with compost

• Wherever possible, practice nose-to-tail cookery, a newly trendy form of whole animal usage that actually stems from traditional farm-based peasant cooking. The idea of using everything can also be applied to fish (“fin-to-tail) and even vegetables (“root to stalk”).

• Look into food donation programs such as local food banks or City Harvest, which helps build a sense of community.
It’s no accident that many of these initiatives are two-fers, in that they’re also good for your brand’s image—all the more reason to consider implementing as many as possible.


10 Great Little Ideas

Success in the restaurant business is built on a lot of different parts—the big things, of course, with menu, décor and service, but also a lot of little things, like sales builders, brand differentiators, cost tweaks, and more.

Hey, what’s the little idea? Consider something like one of these:

1. Red Robin’s 20-year-old Bottomless Fries concept—which has since expanded to include endless servings of healthier side dishes such as cole slaw, sweet potato fries, steamed broccoli and side salad—does a number of useful things. It reduces waste because the truth is that most people don’t actually eat all of this plate-covering item. It provides a customer touch point each time the server returns to the table with a “refill.” And at a time when chain restaurants may seem interchangeable to many guests, it allows the burger concept to be “that place where you can eat all the fries you want.” Not bad for such a low-food-cost item.

2. There’s nothing new about promos and discounts, but that doesn’t mean yours need to be boring.

• Base a special menu on an epic culinary R&D trip, as Bluestem Brasserie in San Francisco does with its Thursday night American Road Trip menu.

• Mile End Deli in Brooklyn nods to the age-old Jewish tradition of Sunday night Chinese food with its specially priced family-style “Sunday Chinese” menu.

• Make like an old-fashioned department store and stage a January White Sale promotion, marking down all “white goods” by a certain percentage: chicken, veal, pastas, potato side dishes, white wine, gin and vodka drinks. Rather than being a simple discount, it’s fun and creative and could turn guests on to new menu offerings they wouldn’t normally try.

3. At Cotogna and Quince, Michael Tusk’s side-by-side restaurants in San Francisco, spring means it’s time for the annual Sidewalk Smallwares Sale, where gently used plates, glasses, silverware and other tableware are set out on sidewalk tables so neighbors, customers—and not a few startup restaurateurs—can buy such upscale brands as Heath and Rosenthal for $2-30. The annual event helps clean house and finance necessary replacements, but it also reminds attendees that the restaurants are there; in fact, many pop into Cotogna to sample the new brunch afterwards.

4. Calorie labelling may be a headache for many operators, but for trendsetting Modmarket, key nutritionals are printed right on the receipt, where customers can see what their meal cost them in more ways than one. The strategy helps the Denver-based chain—which, at 12 units, isn’t even required to provide this information—make no bones about its healthy fresh menu positioning.

5. It’s been done before but bears repeating: Slow nights like Monday are a great time to offer half-price deals on wine, by the glass or the bottle. Even if it means selling vino at cost (and it probably doesn’t), the move brings out customers and gets them spending on dinner or small plates as well.

6. Speaking of wine, subscription wine clubs not only reward affluent and sophisticated guests for their patronage, but they also build loyalty and repeat business—especially if you offer discounts on wine purchased in the restaurant—and may even help increase buying leverage, rounding out case orders to meet a minimum buy. They also allow the beverage team to taste and test new wines on some of your most educated palates, who will be most anxious to provide feedback.

7. Oysters have that reputation, and with both demand and supply growing, why not make them the centerpiece of a romantic Date Night special, offering $1 oysters with the purchase of bubbly by the glass or bottle to couples, who may very well end up staying for dinner or coming back another time. Of course you do it on a slower night, like Sunday or Wednesday.

8. Make friends with parents and help groom the next generation of restaurantgoers by giving a discount to well-behaved kids. Other guests will thank you, too, especially if you promote the reward on the menu and your website, so the little darlings cooperate from the moment they sit down. Come to think of it, there are hotels and restaurants that also offer classes in manners for kids.

9. The popular breakfast for Sunday Supper at Brenda’s French Soul Food in San Francisco came about by accident because people were still lined up for breakfast when the place closed at 3 p.m. on Sundays. So now the breakfast/brunch menu stays in force all day, with the addition of more substantial items like Hangtown Fry (a traditional San Francisco oyster-and-bacon egg scramble), Shrimp & Grits, and sandwiches and burgers after 5 p.m. The strategy not only pleases late-rising locals, it also adds several turns during what used to be the Sunday afternoon to early evening dead zone.

10. Half-portions of pasta are fairly common in Italian restaurants, but how about smaller-size portions of other foods, including more traditional protein-based entrees? It doesn’t necessarily mean lower average checks: Anything on the menu that can easily be served in a smaller portion, from salads to fish to chops (a half-rack of lamb, for instance, or a 5-oz. serving of grilled salmon) could be a welcome temptation not only for the value-conscious, but also for dieters, older children, seniors, or even people who want to create their own “small plates” or sample additional items.

Turn to Synergy Restaurant Consultants for more business-building ideas.


Tip of the Month

Looking for more information about reducing food waste? Here are some resources:

We Hate to Waste
End Food Waste Now
USDA Food Recovery and Donation portal
Food Waste Reduction Alliance
Sustainable America
Green Restaurant Association

 

 

 

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Don’t Underestimate the Power of Branding

Oct 11, 2014

Brands give consumers familiarity and comfort. They lend reassurance and a kind of guarantee that allows people to place faith in their purchases. When shopping around at the grocery store or even making dining choices at a restaurant, consumers like to look for brands they’ve come to love.

For example, guests at a restaurant might already expect to order a Coke or a Sprite beverage to go with their meal. Even further, many consumers opt to patronize certain restaurants they feel have a great reputation, either from their own personal experience or simply from the branding efforts put forth by the company.

Think about brands such as Starbucks, McDonald’s and KFC which spread their reach on a global, massive scale. Many consumers come to instantly recognize and place trust in these brands.

How can your restaurant increase your branding? Here are some conventional and unconventional ways:

• Offer great exceptional guest service. Train your staff to treat your customers right and give them an incredible experience each time they visit your restaurant.

• Actively engage your target audiences on social media. Post photos, specials, and chat with your customers. Let them see the human face behind the business.

• Run or sponsor a charity drive in your community.

• Build a loyalty program that rewards guests with freebies and discounts for frequent visits and referrals.

• Get unique and creative with your packaging – make it a conversation piece!

 

Do you need assistance with your restaurant’s branding? Contact Synergy for more information.