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LYFE Kitchen Menu incorporates Ancient Grains

Jan 18, 2012

Move over brown rice, the new good-for-you-grains are actually ancient! Ever hear of “kamut,” “freekeh” or “farro?” Or maybe you’ve heard of quinoa, a quick-cooking seed that’s popular among those on gluten-free and vegetarian diets? Did you know that quinoa originates from South America (in the Andean region) and was referred to as sacred and the ‘mother of all grains,’ by the Incas?

Most notably, these ancient grains are revered for their great nutritional benefits. Quinoa is particularly high in protein and also contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans.

While working with LYFE Kitchen, we wanted to incorporate these healthy grains into a flavorful gourmet dish. The result is Tal’s Ancient Grain Bowl, which has been a hit amongst seekers of healthful and tasty food. Containing stir-fried gardein* tips and vegetables over whole grain farro and quinoa with sweet chile-ginger sauce, Tal’s Ancient Grain Bowl is just 559 calories and 646 mg of sodium – a truly wholesome and delicious choice.

Want to read more on the healthy benefits of ancient grains? See this article here.

LYFE Kitchen: Tal’s Ancient Grain Bowl

Tal's Ancient Grain Bowl at LYFE Kitchen

 

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Menus to help with new year resolutions

Jan 04, 2012

As we embark on a new year, restaurant operators seek out the next hottest thing in foodservice trends. Recently, in keeping with the new year’s resolution theme (i.e. eating healthy, losing weight etc.), restaurants are rolling out low-calorie menus.

National chains such as like IHOP, Applebee’s and yes, even Dairy Queen and Baskin-Robbins, are offering their guests low-cal menu items.

According to the Center for Disease Control, one-third of Americans are obese. With menus like “Simple & Fit” (IHOP), “BRight Choices frozen yogurt line” (Baskin-Robbins), and “Wok Smart” options (Panda Express), many consumers looking seeking a healthier alternative will now be met with more selection.

Read more here: Restaurants roll out low-cal menu items

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The holidays are on the menu lately

Dec 11, 2011

The smells are all too familiar and comforting – cinnamon-seasoned desserts, pumpkin-flavored coffees, and cookies shaped like Santa and snowmen all remind us of the holiday season.

Restaurant chains around the globe are showcasing their seasonal menus this time of year to help get you in the spirit and into their stores.

Take a look at some of these popular chains specialty menu items offered only during this time of year:

  •  Starbucks’ Eggnog Latte: Espresso with steamed eggnog and milk, topped with ground nutmeg.
  • Krispy Kreme: The Snowman Doughnut: “a snowman shaped doughnut frosted in white icing sporting a red icing scarf and a joyful smile”
    The Chocolate Iced with Holiday Sprinkles: “chocolate iced doughnut decked in seasonal red and green sprinkles”
    The Red Velvet Doughnut: “a rich cake doughnut topped with cream cheese icing and red velvet cake crumbles”
  • Outback’s Cookie Gingerbread Martini: “a scrumptious swirl of Monin® Gingerbread flavor handshaken with Absolut® Vodka, Kahlúa® and Baileys® Irish Cream wrapped in graham cracker crumbs and topped with a gingerbread cookie.”
  •  Burger King’s BK Cranberry Tendercrisp
  • The Coffee Bean’s Red Velvet Hot Chocolate
  • Souplation and Sweet Tomatoes’ take-and-bake Cranberry Apple Cobbler

Does your restaurant have a special menu in place for all seasons? Contact Synergy for help implementing a seasonal menu strategy.

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How good is your coffee and tea program?

Nov 17, 2011

It is one of the last things that the customer tastes so it needs to be great. The statistics speak for themselves. According to a study conducted by Technomic, regular coffee and tea still account for more reported outside of home consumption (i.e. foodservice settings), even despite steady price increases since 2008 (with the exception of frozen/ice blended coffee drinks). Coffee and tea compete well up there with non-diet carbonated soft drinks. “60 percent reported drinking regular hot coffee or tea within the last month, second only to the 62 percent of consumers who had a non-diet carbonated soft drink during the same time period.”

Other key findings in the study include

– 14% of consumers report making more regular hot coffee purchases today than they did two years ago
– 73% of consumers find green tea to be more appealing as a hot or iced tea flavor. The number of green tea products found on chain menus has increased in recent years, according to MenuMonitor data.
– From the years 2007-2010, there was a 15.9% in coffee sales for grocery, drug and mass merchandise stores

Read the entire Technomic press release here

Are you offering coffee and tea at your restaurant? Is your coffee and tea program up over last year? If you’d like a professional menu analysis please contact Synergy.

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Let’s have a toast to local beverages!

Nov 13, 2011

Today and in recent years, there has been a lot of talk regarding local foods and ingredients. There’s a great deal of consumers now that feel that purchasing local is a great way to support the community as well as the idea of being green (product is shipped from a short distance, for example) and sustainable. This sense of local pride and social responsibility is accompanied by the feeling of quality, too.

Locally produced spirits, wines and beers is a great example of the local trend. LYFE Kitchen, the new health conscious fast casual restaurant, offers biodynamic wines and local beer on tap. The wonderful thing about beverages on tap is that since there are no glass bottles being used, there’s a significant reduction of a restaurant’s carbon footprint.

Moreover, biodynamic wines are free of preservatives and additives, and the farming practices implement a reduction of pesticides and chemicals used in the vineyards. “LYFE Kitchen’s wine director, Scott Worsham further explains, ‘We’re going beyond recycling to complete reusability in our wine program. Our guests will not only enjoy some fantastic, clean wines, but the keg wines ensure maximum freshness and a lower price point as well.'” Read more about LYFE Kitchen’s local offerings here.

How are you tapping into the local movement? Is your establishment interested in offering local menu items? Contact Synergy for more information on how to revamp you menu.

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New level of customer service caters to man’s best friend

Oct 06, 2011

Hot Dogs, hamburgers and Milk Bones? Doesn’t sound like your typical kids menu – That’s because these items are for your four legged friend and not your kids! Within the last few years more and more store and restaurant owners have been catering to customers traveling with their dogs. By offering hospitality services for pets, such as handing out free treats and putting out fresh water bowls, businesses can entice more people to stop by their shops. Some restaurants are even allowing specific seating areas complete with dog friendly menu items where dogs can dine with their owners. The extra attention is just another way for business owners to offer unique customer service that distinguishes them from the rest of the pack.

Here are some great restaurants offering fun and unique services for both pet owners and their pets:

dog-friendly-restaurants
Here are some great restaurants and events offering fun and unique services for both pet owners and their pets:

The Forge in the Forest
Fifth and Junipero Avenues
Carmel, California 93940
831-624-2233

Diners will find an extensive menu of American and International cuisine that also includes vegetarian and low carb choices, a full service bar, and a variety of California-grown fine wines. This dog friendly restaurant offers a special doggy menu and a private patio for guests with canine companions. Dogs must be well mannered and leashed.

Check them out at: Forge in the Forest

Cafe Limelight
1016 Cedar St.
Santa Cruz, California 95060
831-425-7873

Dogs are always welcome at Cafe Limelight. Our outdoor patio with plenty of shade provides a great place for you and your best friend to dine together. In fact we love dogs so much they even get their own menu!

Check them out at: Cafe Lime Light

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More restaurant chains offering healthy kid menus from First Lady’s health initiative

Oct 03, 2011

The statistics are quite staggering — in the United States, nearly one-third of children are considered overweight or obese. This coupled with the fact that Americans are spending more than half of their food budget on fast-food makes for a strong case toward healthy menu options for children.

In light of first lady, Michelle Obama’s anti-obseity initiative, Darden Restaurants (whose popular chains include LongHorn Steakhouse, Red Lobster and Olive Garden) has restructured it’s kid’s menus. Children’s food choices will no longer offer fries and sodas, but instead more healthful offerings like fruits, vegetables and low-fat milk.

The cutting-back on foods high in sodium, fat and calories extends also to other famous restaurants. Some big chain such as Chili’s, Denny’s and Burger King participate in a program called Kids LiveWell where they list menu items that meet healthier criteria.

Menu scrutiny is not limited only to kids’ meals — by next year, federal law requires chains to list each dish’s calorie count.

If you feel your restaurant menu needs a healthy makeover, please contact Synergy.

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10 Ways to Build Restaurant Sales

Sep 30, 2011

In a new article appearing in the September 26 issue, Nation’s Restaurant News shares a number of great industry ideas for “10 ways to build business inside your restaurant’s four walls”—all of them “touch points” for the consumer’s dining out experience.

We’d like to add a few ideas of our own.

One: Make an Online Connection

• Be sure to post a current menu online, on both the website and Facebook, including prices
• Investigate a means for taking reservations as well as comments and criticism online
• Put your address and phone number on every page of your website

Two: Dress Up Your Outdoor Décor

• Ensure the safety of arriving guests with such basics as level pavement, minimal steps (if possible) or at least ones that are clearly marked, and adequate lighting so there are no darkened areas or blind spots
• Smooth the transition from indoors outdoors to in. If you operate in a cold climate, for instance, provide a heated “airlock”-type double entrance, or at least a heavy curtain with a clear way through to the dining or indoor entrance area
• If possible, display your menu somewhere that’s accessible and well-it, so passers-by can have a look before they decide

Three: Make Your Greeting Count

• In addition to friendliness and a warm welcome, there are nuts-and-bolts issues that should be addressed in the entryway or lobby as well, such as a place to put down packages or purses while removing coats (not to mention a place or a means to store coats), and/or a bench that’s enough out of traffic for a guest to wait for a car or another guest without having to go to the bar

Four: Tap Your Sales Keg

• Make sure there are nonalcoholic options for those who are not imbibing, for whatever reason. If they’re special enough—flavorful, signature items with appropriate glassware and garnish—you can even charge a premium for them.
• Make sure the bartender acknowledges a waiting guest even if he or she can’t take the order immediately

Five: Get a Rave Review

• Consider such tableside service touches as pouring a sauce onto an entrée, splitting up or providing additional plates for a dessert that customers say they will share, or tossing a salad tableside

Six: Fine Tune Your Food

• Try to respond to guests’ concerns about food allergies or intolerances, portion sizes, substitutions and “custom orders” by establishing clear policies and procedures with employees, and empowering both service and kitchen staff to follow through
• Make sure the menu is easy to read and understand from the point of view of such elements as typeface/size and layout, and the way the categories or organized, as well as table lighting

Seven: Show off Your Chef

• Consider including the name of your chef and other important kitchen personnel, such as the sous chef, on the menu
• Likewise, you may want to include a bio of your chef on the website, or even a blog, recipes and other, more personalized messaging from the kitchen. Chains such as Oceanaire Seafood Room are doing this to great effect

Eight: Rev Up Sales at the Drive-Thru

• At the risk of sounding xenophobic or un-PC, make sure the person taking order speaks clearly and without an accent that may be hard for the customer to understand
• Be cognizant of the fact that cars come in many sizes, from low-to-the-ground sports cars to big SUVs, when determining the height of speakers, window exchange areas, and the like

Nine: Make Guests Feel at Home

• Be aware and take steps to correct issues such as drafts and hot or cold spots, speaker “shadows” and the like
• Lighting, lighting, lighting (appropriate for your target customer, adequate without being too bright, and adapted to the function of the location—e.g., reading the menu at the table, the entrance to the restroom areas)
• On the subject of restrooms, if possible their entrance and layout should afford every possible privacy. They should not open directly into the dining room; if yours is a small restaurant with minimal room for a corridor, at least provide some sort of screen. And designate a staff member to check them regularly for cleanliness, availability of supplies, and so on

Ten: Leave a Lasting Impression

• Presenting loyalty cards, coupons and other materials to departing guests is all well and good, but make sure to do it with subtlety—consider leaving these on the table with the check or place them near the door where customers can grab them, if they want to

For more ideas on how to build your business, contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants

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Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Sep 28, 2011

Buy me some peanuts… and pulled pork sliders with a local craft beer on the side?

No doubt about it, when it comes to concessions we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto—and we mean no disrespect to that great state in the middle of the country. Like all American diners, sports fans, moviegoers and other entertainment buffs have become more sophisticated in their demands, and the old model for concessions is falling by the wayside.

And this certainly spells opportunities for chefs, restaurateurs, and others in the food and beverage biz who are hungry for additional sales and ways to expand their brand recognition.

• In San Francisco’s AT&T Park and other big baseball stadiums, fans can get a glass of wine to go with their hot dogs, thanks to vintner-sponsored wine bars and other by-the-glass programs

• Movie theaters are now becoming destinations for dinner and a movie. At Lincoln Center in New York City, for instance, Indie Food & Wine offers up organic veggie dogs and artisanal chocolate courtesy of the folks who own the hip local ’inoteca restaurant group. There’s popcorn, yes, but it’s truffled Indie Food & Wine at Lincoln Center

• Meanwhile, Nighthawk Cinema in trendy Williamsburg, Brooklyn, offers burgers, smoked brisket sandwiches, and drinks in your seat, thanks to a Prohibition-era law that’s finally being overturned. Care for a Southern Vacation (Old Forester with mint, lemonade and orange bitters) to wash down that viewing of “The Help”?

• Matt Del Regno, new executive chef at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Ohio, where foodservice is provided by Levy Restaurants of Chicago, manages all the concessions at the facility, including clubs, the VIP Lounge, and tailgate catering

• Following the pattern developed at the Mets’ new Citi Field complex—where Danny Meyer famously headed up the development of concessions—management at the giant Madison Square Garden have brought in prominent local chefs like Drew Nieporent and Jean-Georges Vongerichten to prepare such specialties as lobster rolls and hand-carved prime rib

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Lost and Found: Your Dining Pleasure

Aug 26, 2011

Buzzwords for our time: Low sodium; calorie counts; good cholesterol/bad cholesterol; high fructose corn syrup; gluten-free. When did eating right become such a grind? And what’s become of the pleasure of simply enjoying food?

With all the news coverage, government legislation, nutrition watch-dogging and often-conflicting scientific reports, many consumers are confused about what’s healthy—feeling guilty and exhausted by efforts to find a healthy way of life. And many people equate healthy eating with more expense and less flavor. It seems like we’re losing all the fun.

Fortunately, amid the recent rush to add healthier options to menus, some operators have found a way to keep the pleasure principles intact:

A preview of a not-fried-chicken LYFE Kitchen menu item debuted at a 'forkraising' event Thursday in Palo Alto. Credit: Aaron Selverston

LYFE Kitchen. The meaning of LYFE—Love Your Food Everyday—says it all. Set to open this fall in Palo Alto, the first in a planned new chain of quick-casual restaurants will showcase a menu offering great-tasting food that is convenient, affordable and good for you—and good for the communities it serves. Chefs Art Smith and Tal Ronnen (known for their comfort food and vegetarian cuisine, respectively) have developed a menu that champions flavor, but no item contains more than 600 calories.

• Solbar. Michelin-starred chef Brandon Sharp has nothing against meat; he’d just rather work with all the beautiful fresh produce abounding in the Napa Valley. But it’s entirely your choice: Every menu is divided into “healthy lighter dishes to nourish your soul,” and “hearty cuisine to comfort your body.” All that and local, seasonal ingredients make for what Cooking Light magazine recently called some of the tastiest “light-conscious” food in the country.

True Food Kitchen. With four locations in Arizona and California, True Food offers a globally inspired menu that’s true to Dr. Andrew Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Food Pyramid. By integrating whole foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals with principles of flavor, freshness, variety, quality, nutrition and balance, TFK executive chef Michael Stebner aims for signature menu items that customers can enjoy as well as feel good about eating.

Need help balancing the pleasures of food with consumer demand for healthier offerings? Contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.