Ever try going out to eat with a group of friends but can’t agree on a place? Mary wants Greek, but Tim’s craving Thai. Susan, however, has a hankering for New York style pizza. Well, the food hall is your answer, and they’re on the rise!

Think of a food hall as a reinvented food court that delivers an immersive food experience, rather than just a place for a quick bite after a day of shopping. Food halls act as a gathering place for people to try various cuisines from different food stalls. 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, new concepts and 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 with an appealing central dining area.

Having a food hall presence is a great way for restaurant operators to showcase a single product or platform like outrageous doughnuts, the most amazing porchetta sandwich and unique takes on poutine. Diners create their own food adventure amongst the variety, perhaps by starting with a drink at one location, then moving to another spot for a first course or dessert. Diverse menu offerings encourage team eating, wherein each member of the group orders from a separate concept, then meets at a communal table for sharing and sampling. Operators capitalize on this phenomena by offering limited menus, specializing in one menu item and doing that item extremely well, effectively becoming the subject matter expert in that item.

Check out 8 food halls arriving on the scene, via restaurantbusinessonline.com – you might find one in your area! Nearby Synergy’s headquarters we find a couple of exciting food halls opening soon—SteelCraft in Long Beach, Calif. will feature merchant specializing in ramen, pizza, waffles, Hawaiian shave ice, coffee, chocolates and more. Trade Food Hall in Irvine, Calif. will serve up fried chicken, fish and chips, ice cream, and gyros to name a few.

Garlic has got to be one of the most widely used ingredients in the world. In cuisines across the globe, garlic lends itself as a go-to flavor enhancer for various dishes. Its pungent and spicy profile seems to make just about everything taste better.

Ok, you garlic lover, you. Want to try a different version of garlic? One that’s sweet and savory at the same time? Try black garlic. This stuff is wonderfully different—soft, sweet (like molasses), chewy, sticky, savory and fruity. This is a specialty that’s commonly found in Asian cuisine, created by taking bulbs of garlic and cooking them at a temperature of 140 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit in a humid environment from anywhere from two weeks to a month or so. The final product comes out to look like garlic but with a dark brown to black color.

So, how do you eat it? This Huffington Post article’s got some great recipes to get you started: How To Cook With Black Garlic, Which Isn’t What You Think It Is

Check out the video below for the recipe:

“I don’t have time to market my business (or the money).”

When I speak with clients, 9 out of 10 times I hear the same thing. Small chains and start-ups don’t have the benefit of having a marketing department, and those that do, often wait for the “field marketing team” to step in and help build sales. After all, “Isn’t that what the marketing folks get paid for?” It’s a mindset that affects too many operators and brands.

With the business of simply running a restaurant, one can’t fault operators for not having the time to work on local store marketing efforts such as getting out in the community and driving business. Sometimes, there really isn’t much time. And when there is, how do you actually grow your business when the marketing tools in your “local store manual” are the same programs that everyone has seen for 20 years? I mean, does a corporate “Kids Eat Free” promotion really work if your restaurant is located near offices and industrial spaces?

To keep things simple and hopefully start a stronger marketing mindset, I’m going to be sharing simple tools and tactics to get you started with a better understanding of what is possible when time and money are an issue. Yes, you might have heard a few of things before but hopefully you will learn something new or better yet, make you think of something you can build on that is specific to your brand and situation.

At Synergy, we believe in creating strategic and efficient solutions to your problems. Marketing your restaurant should be easily understood, support your brand and effective without being cumbersome for you, your staff or your guests.

My hope is to share tips and answer your questions about the world of restaurant marketing.

Send any marketing and brand questions to randysynergyconsultants.com or @randylopez On Twitter and I’m looking forward to getting started on this conversation with you.

-Randy Lopez

Marketing and Branding
Synergy Restaurant Consultants

I had wonderful time this year at the International Pizza Expo. It was amazing to try pies from different pizza artists and speak with genuinely pizza-passionate restaurant owners. During my time at the expo, I had the pleasure of presenting to attendees during my session on, “Controlling Food and Labor Costs in a Pizzeria.” I spoke about five simple strategies to reduce food and labor costs to help the overall financial performance of your restaurant.

If you couldn’t make it to the expo or my session, you can still check out my presentation!  Sign up for our free useful restaurant industry emails AND get access to download my presentation slides. Just click here to subscribe. For any questions on improving your pizzeria, email us or call 888-861-9212.

–Dean Small

Some kitchen gadgets only serve one purpose—an avocado slicer, can opener, a coffee maker. Well, actually, the French press can do more than make great coffee. Instead of indulging some mimosas this Sunday during your brunch, you can try a hot toddy, à la your new multi-purpose French press.

At Moneygun in Chicago, mixologists are serving up signature hot toddies using French presses. If you’re unfamiliar, a hot toddy (hot Whiskey in Ireland) is a warm cocktail, typically made of liquor, hot water, honey, and spices. Utilizing the French press like a tea pot makes it easy to create your own unique hot toddy and can elevate your breakfast or brunch experience.

Get the Moneygun Hot Toddy recipe here.

There are just some foods that always stay at the top of our “comfort food” list. Yes, we’re talking about cheese–it can be warm, it can be cold, sweet or savory, yet always delicious in all forms. It is quite hard to find those who dislike this versatile, delicious ingredient.

While comfort dishes like mac’ and cheese, grilled cheese and pizza often come to mind when thinking of crave-worthy meals where cheese is prominent, we wanted to share the spotlight with others that may not be so well known. So cheese-lovers, without further ado, try out the cheesy and scrumptious dishes below:

1. Beer cheese- is this the next ultimate bar snack? If you haven’t heard of it, beer cheese does sound a bit peculiar (or extremely delicious?). Actually, there are two kinds—beer cheese dip and beer cheese spread. Right now we’re loving beer cheese dip. A dip that’s made of cheese, beer, mustard and your choice of seasonings. Pretzels, chips, bread—all fair game for dipping! Get the recipe.

2. Queso flameado- “flamed cheese” is the translation for this awesome dish (aka “queso fundido” and “choriqueso”). It’s cheese. It’s chorizo. It’s flambéed (or broiled). And it’s absolutely delightful! Get the recipe.

3. Korean corn cheese – simple but so tasty. Often found at Korean restaurants (think fried chicken, or BBQ joints), corn cheese is a side dish concocted of cheese (like mozzarella), corn kernels, mayonnaise, seasonings and herbs, baked to bubbly perfection. Get the recipe.

4. Paneer pasanda- This Indian dish consists of paneer (fresh cheese) slices in savory and smooth, aromatic tomato, onion and cashew paste curry gravy.  Get the recipe.

International flavors are what’s hot all across the country on every menu you see. African flavors are perhaps the most popular of them all, with Middle Eastern flavors following closely behind.

When surveyed, professional chefs stated that African, Latin American, Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean flavors were the biggest influences for menus this year. It’s not just about fusing them with familiar cuisine either. Culinary experts are delving deep into the authenticity of each cuisine, using traditional methods to produce the true ethnic flavor. Both fusing cuisines together and creating authentic dishes from each culture are indeed hot food trends right now.

Most of these new international flavors all feature heat but it’s more of a flavorful and aromatic blend of spices and sauces than it is of intense heat. Adding a layer of ethnic flavor is what takes the cuisine to the next level.

A great example of this is the sweet yet spicy gochujang Korean barbecue sauce. It’s thick and is often used on meats. We’re also seeing kimchi, fermented cabbage, popping up everywhere, including on top of burgers. And of course, that’s not all. Warm Middle Eastern flavors with spice mixtures that include cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, allspice and ginger are on the rise.

Perhaps the spice to keep an eye on the most is turmeric. It’s been touted for its incredible healing ability. It’s often what is found in most curries, giving it that yellow hue. Everywhere you look, you’ll see turmeric in cocktails and in menu items like turmeric roasted chicken a variety of other dishes.

Because today’s consumer is concerned with health and wellness particularly in dining options, turmeric is definitely a spice that is driving the innovation behind the culinary creations that today’s chefs are dishing out. It adds an element of ethnicity while adding healthy benefits, which is a huge force driving this dining trend.

For the last decade, parents have begun to really demand a change in the kinds of meals available to their children. Where we once saw limited options that usually contained fries, a burger, soft drink and a cheap toy, we’re now seeing more options for healthful choices as well as items that are seen as gourmet.

Mac and cheese will likely always be a kids’ meal staple in most restaurants. However, it’s been getting a gourmet facelift by being crafted with artisan cheeses or having slightly familiar but more upscale ingredients being added to it. Instead of ham, you might see prosciutto or chunks of crab or lobster. And the kids are loving it.

Artisan breads made of healthy whole grains are taking over too. Where sandwiches were once served on sugary white bread, kids’ meals are now changing the bread and rolls. The children don’t even notice this gourmet move. Wraps are also popular for kids’ meals.

Many restaurants are embracing the gourmet trend on the kids’ menu, changing things up just enough to give it that gourmet touch without being too unusual so as to intimidate young diners. What this means is that instead of “ham and cheese” as a sandwich offering for children, we’re seeing organic, health-fully cultivated foods that take us back to our roots. So today’s “ham and cheese” is now wild-raised shaved ham with country-churned cheddar cheese or something equally as earthy and inviting.

What’s great about this food trend is that it’s been a long time coming that children should be steered away from over-processed foods that can hardly be considered food. It’s refreshing to see children embracing these items too, likely unaware of the difference and simply enjoying the simplified meals that gourmet ingredients afford them.

Watch for this shift in kids’ meals from fast food to fast casual to sit-down restaurants. It’s a positive shift that ties well into the health trend and keeps going on the upswing.

America’s love affair with ice cream continues to burn hotter than ever. It’s always been a popular treat for children and adults and is a relatively easy to please menu item to add to a dessert section. But in the ever-evolving culinary scene, offering simply chocolate or vanilla scoops of ice cream isn’t going to bring people back in for more.

Ice cream and gelato too should be creamy and rich. And while consumers will never tire of vanilla or chocolate ice cream, most will skip dessert if the offerings aren’t that exciting. After all, who wants to pay $5 for an ordinary scoop of sub-par ice cream?

Chefs are responding and really having fun with this trend by creating their own unique flavors of ice cream and gelato in-house. They take great care and pride to bring whimsical flavor ideas to life. Sometimes, these offerings are simply meant to accompany a slice of cake or pie, but every chef out there knows that serving it with vanilla or chocolate ice cream is totally out of style.

Think pecan pie with caramel cinnamon ice cream or dark-chocolate infused raspberry gelato served alongside a rich chocolate tart. Simply reading the names of these artisan flavors is enough to peak a consumer’s interest in ordering dessert. It encourages salivation and desire. Chefs that want to develop a loyal customer base keep this trend in mind, searching for ways to take other flavors into the creamy and dreamy world of ice cream.

Expect to see the ordinary flavors take a seat on the sidelines while restaurants everywhere hone in on this artisan-created ice cream trend. Combined with this, you’ll also see some savory options of America’s favorite dessert being offered. Don’t knock it until you try it!

Everyone has heard of heirloom tomatoes, but now heirloom everything is sprouting up in the mainstream. Chefs are loving these simple, earthy ingredients. Heirloom has such a nice ring to it, especially when you include it in the description of a dish with heirloom vegetables.

When a fruit or vegetable is called “heirloom,” it means that it’s from an old crop. These old plant breeds have been around since prior to the types of modern growing and breeding practices that we now have in America today. While the name “heirloom” might just sound fancy to most restaurant guests, true gourmands know that eating heirloom fruits and vegetables is a rare treat. It’s a chance to indulge in the distinctive flavors and genetic traits of these fruits and vegetables that have remained unchanged for ages.

So chefs everywhere are snatching up the chance to use heirloom fruits and vegetables. A ho-hum beetroot salad becomes much more exciting when topped with heirloom vegetables like atomic red carrots and Chiogga beets. In fact, many of the names of these heirloom plants sound much like hipster names, which makes them even more appealing when splashed onto a menu.

Grass-fed organic USDA prime cuts of beef couldn’t possibly go better with cowhorn potatoes and heirloom garlic. Predictably, heirloom varieties seem to have either cutesy or fancy names, but it all translates to bigger sales in the restaurants that serve them.

Not only do they look and sound fancier than regular produce, but heirloom produce happens to taste even better. The robust and hearty flavors that have been preserved over time are truly marvelous and something that should be embraced. Thankfully, consumers feel the same way and what’s happening is lots of high demand now for these once-rare varieties that are now making a major comeback. On menus and in supermarkets everywhere, get ready to see a boom of heirloom offerings.