Resources
>
BLOG

May 2014 Newsletter

May 20, 2014

There’s no doubt that 2014 has emerged as the Year of the Healthy Menu. But what does that mean exactly? Is it low-calorie food? Organic ingredients? Allergen-free? Vegan and vegetarian?

The subject of healthy menus has always presented challenges, beginning with the fact that consumers are apt to say one thing and do entirely another, saying they want to see more healthy options and then ordering fries with their sandwich and a dessert to end the meal.

That doesn’t make it any less important to give your guests the choice, however, as clients like Tender Greens and LYFE Kitchen have proven. These and other companies like them specialize in good food that their guests can feel good about ordering, but they haven’t forgotten one crucial piece of information: People are also looking for flavor and pleasure when they dine out.

To your success, Dean Small and Danny Bendas


More Ways to Menu Chicken

By Joan Lang

chicken menu

For years chicken has been treated as an also-ran by many menu-makers, who might provide an obligatory grilled chicken breast or chicken sandwich. Now this versatile protein is getting its due, thanks in part to soaring beef and pork prices and consumer concerns about health.

Several chains are successfully treating chicken to the elevated “better burger” model, coming to market with chicken-centric fast casual menus. And it’s not just about the wings.

The 24-unit PDQ fulfills its People Dedicated to Quality promise with a menu touting fresh chicken tenders in sandwiches, salads and meals, with homemade sauces and dressings plus hand-spun shakes and homemade cookies. ChocoChicken, the latest creation of Umami Burger founder Adam Fleischman, is opening its second location celebrating the unusual marriage of chicken and chocolate, wherein the chicken in steeped in a chocolate-based marinade, dredged in chocolate laced flour, and coated with a 17-spice rub before being deep-fried.

Meanwhile, Yum Brands’ new premium Super Chix concept eschews any connection to its blue-collar sibling KFC with a pared-down menu of hand-breaded chicken sandwiches, tenders, fries and frozen custard. (KFC has its own KFC eleven experiment in Louisville, with a menu that includes chicken-based flatbreads, salads, rice bowls and sandwiches, in addition to the boneless fried chicken meals.)

Domino’s has been using chicken to help nudge itself outside of the pizza box, with the new Specialty Chicken platform, which features boneless chicken with various toppings and sauces, as well as a mix-and-match program in which the poultry can be combined with pizza, Stuffed Cheesy Bread, oven-baked sandwiches and more. Wendy’s has also been very proactive about adding signature chicken items to its menu, first with the Pretzel Pub Chicken Sandwich and now the new Tuscan Chicken on Ciabatta.

Indeed, taking a familiar product like chicken and merchandising it with a unique bread and condiments has helped the bird become the most-featured protein in sandwiches and wraps , according to Food Genius.

And there are plenty of more surprising and creative ways to put chicken on the menu, not only because of its versatility and low food costs, but also because consumers are more familiar with chicken and that makes them more likely to try it in a different preparation.

Chicken Menu Sampler

There’s no reason a chicken selection has to be boring, particularly now that there is wider availability of high-quality farm-raised chicken to showcase

Chicken Two Ways for Two: Confit with puff pastry, foie gras and cauliflower roasted with black truffle, celeriac and Brussels sprouts – The Lobby, Chicago

Pot Roast Chicken with Mustard (from chef Michael Ruhl)

Sunday Night Fried Chicken (family style): Black Hog Farm chicken, mashed potatoes, creamed peas, Black Sheep collard greens and biscuits – The Black Sheep, Jacksonville, FL

Chicken Noodle Soup: Ginger, herbs, sweet soy, rice noodles – Shepherd’s Pie, Rockland, ME

Amish Roast Chicken: Moroccan couscous, almonds, preserved lemon-mango chutney, raita – The Majestic, Alexandria, VA

Chicken Waffle Tenders (from Kraft)

Grilled Chicken & Portobello Risotto: Roasted garlic, basil & Parm veggies, balsamic redux – Blu, Norman, OK
Crispy Chicken Pizza Sandwich: Grilled chicken breast, ranch dressing, sautéed spinach, diced Roma tomatoes, onion, bacon, mozzarella, provolone _ Fletchers, Anchorage

Chicken Confit: Crisped-skin confit chicken leg served over farro sautéed w/ apple & fennel; topped w/ paprika gravy – The Gerald, Seattle

Thai Coconut Salad: Mixed greens, roasted chicken, grated coconut, cucumber, roasted sweet potato, peanut mango dressing – ModMarket (Colorado-based)

Contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants if you’d like a menu consultation.


 


Tableside Manner: Dinner as Theater

By Joan Lang

 

Remember the gueridon? The opulent sideboard or tableside trolley where meat could be carved and menu items finished in view of the customer now seems like a relic, but it was all in fashion in certain kinds of European-style restaurants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A few celebrated restaurants still prepare a tableside Caesar salad or café brulot, but by-and-large this style of service has gone pfffttt in the wake of casualization—and the need to maximize seating.

But maybe it’s time for some forms of elevated service to make a comeback—service, after all, is a means for differentiation and providing a more memorable customer experience. Even something as simple as pressing down the plunger of a coffee French press when delivering it to the table achieves a level of customer engagement that will set your service apart.

Some savvy operators are even bringing back the tableside trolley, in the form of repurposed dim sum carts, as at State Bird Provisions in San Francisco and Ma Peche in New York City. Giada De Laurentiis, when she opens her new Giada restaurant in Las Vegas later this month, plans Italian-style brunch items and desserts from a roaming fleet of pink and gold carts.

It’s a brilliant way to build sales, of course, attracting a chorus of “I want that!”s even louder than the lavishly garnished cocktail or oversized dessert parading by to a neighboring table. But it also conveys personalized service in a way that few other gimmicks can. We’re not even talking about made-to-order liquid nitrogen ice cream or chefs coming out into the dining room to deliver the food, either—just good old-fashioned service with a tableside flourish.

• In honor of the beginning of the final season of Mad Men, Travelle in Chicago’s Langham hotel added tableside cocktail cart service, in the form of sleek roaming carts dispensing the specialty Madhattan cocktail, made with the customer’s choice of whiskey, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, and smoked simple syrup

Mi Dia from Scratch, in Grapevine, TX, is known for its must-order tableside guacamole, crafted in a traditional molcajete and customized with an array of interesting mix-ins, including sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts and bacon

• The concept at Penne, in Philadelphia, includes a pasta bar where guests can watch chef Eileen Watkin make such specialties as gnocchi, ravioli and linguini with seafood in a white wine-tomato sauce

• Desnuda, in New York City, offers an over-the-top Bong-Smoked Oysters in which the bivalves are smoked a la minute with lapsang souchong tea and Sichuan peppercorns

• Chefs and restaurateurs like Lafayette’s Andrew Carmellini are bringing back the dramatic art of tableside flambéing with menu items ranging from cocktails to entrees and desserts

But even if you can’t afford the cart—or the extra fire insurance—there are many simple, effective ways to provide a tableside service experience.

• Serve soup from a tureen or pitcher, ladling or pouring the liquid over solid ingredients such as garnishes in front of the customer (use a folded napkin for protection against splashes)

• Finish a shrimp cocktail at table with an optional shot of tequila or premium vodka

• Spoon dressing for salad or sauce for a meat dish from a sauceboat or caddy, along with garnishes such as cheese or croutons; the same concept works for a dessert sauce or fruit garnish

• The growing popularity of large-format dishes like roasts or family-style meals suggests a renewed opportunity for tableside carving or serving. Even presenting the item in its entirety at the table and then removing it to the kitchen for cutting and plating gets extra credit

• For “up” cocktails like Martinis and Manhattans, pour part of the mixture from a petite carafe into a chilled glass, then set the rest of the drink in a bowl of ice to keep it cold

• Create a signature dish en papillote (cooked in parchment or foil), which can be sliced open at the table to release the delicious aroma and reveal the food inside

• Mix up a dipping sauce of olive oil, cheese, hot pepper, chopped garlic and herbs at the table before presenting the bread service

• Consider adding a classic of tableside preparation or presentation, such as steak tartare or a cheese course; in the case of the steak, the meat can be ground and plated in the kitchen, but condiments such as anchovies and onions can be added to the customer’s specifications at the table

• Serve family-style side dishes in the French manner, spooning vegetables or potatoes out for each diner from a large bowl or platter

• Caramelize crème brulee or a meringue dessert with a handheld torch

• Finish affogato (gelato “drowned” with a shot of espresso) at the table, pouring the hot espresso over a heatproof container of gelato

For help upgrading your service, contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.


Negative Yelp Reviews: To Respond or Not Respond

By Emily Callaghan, Communications Manager

Any business operator can tell you that Yelp reviews can help or hurt, and since no one can please 100% of customers 100% of the time, restaurant owners can expect a less-than-glowing review at some point. In fact, negative reviews can even be seen as a positive, showing legitimacy (no concept is perfect) and honesty (all-positive reviews could suggest paid reviews). They can also provide management with important feedback.

How can restaurant owners handle a negative Yelp review? Here are the basic options:

Ignore the review: If a reviewer absolutely hated your miso-braised short ribs but most people rave about them, it might not make sense to respond apologetically. Most importantly, don’t take an isolated complaint to heart.

Note: If a reviewer absolutely “hated” your miso-braised short ribs but your restaurant is vegan, it might make sense to respond and remind them of your offerings, suggesting that they post the review on the intended restaurant’s Yelp page instead—wrapping up, of course, with a cheerful “Have a great day!”

Respond to the review: If a reviewer had an unfortunate experience—their server was rude and messed up their order, their soup was cold even after they sent it back to the kitchen—take the reviewer’s feedback seriously and take any necessary measures to ensure that other guests don’t have the same experience. Here’s how to respond:

1. Stay Cool. Before getting defensive or upset, take a breather, waiting a few days to respond if necessary. Just as Yelp reminds businesses, your reviewers are (we must assume) paying customers. They’re also vocal, and can be quick to escalate a situation if they feel it’s been handled inappropriately.

2. Public or Private? Experts are divided on responding publicly or privately, but we like the idea of a professional, well-crafted, short-and-sweet, public response, as it demonstrates to other reviewers that you’ve taken the time and effort to make right a situation gone wrong. If the reviewer seems like a loose cannon but it makes sense to respond, consider going private.

3. Mitigate. With a cool head, thank the reviewer for their feedback, apologize for their less-than-perfect experience and assure them that you’ve taken their feedback seriously.

4. Extend an invite. Ask the reviewer to stop by the restaurant and ask for you (the owner or GM), so that you can smooth over any standing issues, offer them a discount on another meal or take care of them in another way you see fit. If they leave happy, you can bet their follow-up modified review will be a positive one.


Tip of the Month

Leave it to the Hartman Group to take a good hard look at the Health and Wellness consumer. If you’d like to download the whitepaper associated with company’s 2013 “A Culture of Wellness” report detailing the four different levels of consumer engagement with wellness (Core, Inner Mid-Level, Outer Mid-Level and Periphery), click here.

Resources
>
BLOG

April 2014 Newsletter

Apr 22, 2014

Greetings!

It’s hard to say whether the House of Representative’s recent passage of H.R. 2575 “Save American Workers Act,” which changes the definition of a full-time workweek from 30 hours to the more traditional 40 hours, is really that much of a victory for the restaurant industry.

Granted, the issues raised by the Affordable Care Act are both complex and controversial, but the pendulum may be swinging more in the direction of corporate social responsibility in the eyes of the public—many of whom could be your guests. For instance, according to a recent poll by Gallop, 71% of Americans are in favor of raising the minimum raise.

This is obviously another contentious issue for restaurants. But remember the hullabaloo about Walmart soliciting donations so its own workers could afford Christmas? And who can forget when Red Lobster got itself in a PR pickle for publicly stating it would cut its employees’ hours in the face of Obamacare?

We all know that employee turnover in restaurants and lodging is disproportionately high (in fact, at almost 63%, it outpaces the private sector by a wide margin), not to mention expensive for the operator. Meanwhile, labor experts like Andrew Sum of Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies, have gone on record saying that even in today’s economy restaurants are having trouble filling jobs because they don’t offer enough hours or high enough pay.

The hospitality industry already has a long-held reputation for being an employer of last resort. It may be time for us to stop protesting so much.

To your success, Dean Small and Danny Bendas

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Using Architectural Lines in Interior and Exterior Design

By Deborah Mayne, President, Charles Ramm Associates, Inc.

Design trends—be they fashion, food or interiors—happen in direct response to current conditions, and help address our human needs.

All interiors utilize linear elements to accomplish many effects, and they have since mankind began designing buildings. In most recent times, horizontal lines in interior environments have played a significantly larger role than vertical lines, due to the emotions they play to—horizontals makes us feel secure, and give us a sense of restfulness.

Design is in constant flux, mainly driven by global conditions, events, culture, and even our economy. Perhaps the recent use of horizontal lines results from the global instability we have been feeling, which has had its effects on most of us to some degree or another. Horizontal lines help to stabilize emotions, and most importantly they help connect us visually to the earth.

 

Photography courtesy of Moreau Kusunoki Architects
Photography courtesy of Moreau Kusunoki Architects
Photo courtesy of Mara Steevensz
Photo courtesy of Mara Steevensz

 

 

How an object orients in architecture is a significant design consideration. As global conditions improve, design trends change, and the use of vertical lines and elements begins to emerge more strongly. Verticals lift the mind and spirit and give us a psychological impression of strength and steadiness; a state of equilibrium with the force of gravity, alertness yet simplicity.

 

Architects and designers use vertical linear elements to inspire awe and in some cases to diminish the significance of human scale, most notably in public spaces. Dining rooms, public gathering spaces and performing spaces lend themselves well to these vertical lines as they reinforce dignity and strength. Use of vertical lines in moderation, combined with angular or curved lines, results in a congenial space of humanized warmth and balance.

 

Photo courtesy of Gindi Holding Sales
Photo courtesy of Gindi Holding Sales
Photo courtesy of CS Architects
Photo courtesy of CS Architects

Materials and patterns of vertical design are seen with greater dominance now in architecture and interiors; these can be created with wood, stone, metal, glass, tile, fabrics, and even plantscaping, to name a few. Use of these materials with long lines and staggered patterns provides a simple yet fashionable component to the space.

 

Photo courtesy of Ann Sacks
Photo courtesy of Ann Sacks
Photo courtesy of BDG Design Group
Photo courtesy of BDG Design Group

The approach of vertical plantscaping is another current and much celebrated trend today. Living walls are green and functional in that they can be used where vertical space exceeds horizontal surface. These living walls promote immediate air quality as well as a sense of physical comfort with their effects of shade and cooling. A living wall offers a constant state of fluctuation due to seasonal color changes and growth. These walls are aesthetic in nature, with geometric, linear and organic composition. Instant results are essentially provided to an exterior space or an interior environment with a living wall, much like a beautiful painting does to a room. In a restaurant interior, they can even be planted with herbs and other edible plants. This is a trend that’s here to stay for many obvious reasons.

Photo courtesy of Urban Landscape
Photo courtesy of Urban Landscape
Photo courtesy of Seasons Living Wall
Photo courtesy of Seasons Living Wall

Environments are endless; so too are changing design trends. Our guests respond to all of this, both inside and out.


 


Asian Translation

By Joan Lang

Dim Sum at Ping Pong Restaurant
Dumplings at Ping Pong Dim Sum Restaurant

Until recently, a lot of Asian food has seemed out of bounds for all but the most adventurous diners and hardcore foodie types. Dim sum? Fear of chicken feet. Korean food? Funky flavors and smoky grills. Japanese and Thai food have had mainstream appeal for some time now, but between language barriers, location and lack of Western-style amenities, many other types of authentic ethnic Asian restaurants have been intimidating.

All that’s changing. Much of this has to do with realities of immigration. Second- and third-generation Asians are now well embedded in the American culture, many of them having been born into or drawn to the restaurant life. Take Michael Wang, for instance, the second-generation restaurant-family scion behind Foumami Asian Sandwich Bar in Boston’s Financial District. This tightly branded package sits at the junction of two megatrends (premium sandwiches and a fast casual format) and mixes it up with age-old cooking techniques (Korean-style barbecue marinades and the flaky Northern Chinese bread known as bing).

Or Jason Wang, who co-owns New York’s Xi’an Famous Foods with his father, David Shi, and has propelled the intriguing Northern Chinese menu from its hole-in-the-wall Flushing Chinatown beginnings into trendy neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The full-service Biang! has also joined this food-fanatic’s powerhouse.

Still others are helmed by Caucasian entrepreneurs who love Asian food and see an a tremendous opportunity in making it more accessible to a broad spectrum of diners. Which brings us to ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, Chipotle and Steve Ell’s widely publicized—and well-capitalized—foray into the contemporary Asian-fusion market.

Not surprisingly, the fast-casual niche has seen an explosion of Asian-food translations, enticing a broad spectrum diners with a familiar model of self-service ordering, friendly décor and service, mainstream menu touches like beverages and desserts, and relatively low-risk prices. The fast-casual format also lends itself to pictorial menu boards that make ordering easier.

Many of the most interesting translations of Asian cuisine into the mainstream are occurring at the hands of a new generation of chef-owners, many of whom have become celebrities in the process. Mai Pham was one of the first high-profile restaurateurs to understand the value of marrying authentic Asian food to a more approachable overall concept, at her original Lemon Grass Restaurant (opened in 1991) and now with more casual Lemon Grass Grill and Star Ginger Asian Grill & Noodle Bar.

Then there’s Bill Kim, who has fused his Korean heritage and impressive classical culinary training (Charlie Trotter’s, Susannah Foo) into the extreme popularity of Urban Belly, and the more casual Belly Shack and Belly Q, all now part of the Cornerstone Restaurant Group. Belly Q’s sleekly designed quarters and reservations-only Grill Tables turn the intimidating Korean-style barbecue model into a more modern and appealing communal experience.

And James Syhabout (who made his bones at the upscale Commis) has opened Hawker Fare in Oakland, CA, specializing in street-food inspired dishes from Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Patterned after a Southeast Asian rice bowl shop, the concept give its owner an opportunity to play in the guest-friendly under-$10-a-plate ballpark. After a fire shut down the restaurant last year, Hawker Fare emerged stronger than ever with a full liquor license and a new dinner menu featuring Northeast Thai-style specialties meant to be shred “family-style.

Here are a few more examples of the contemporary Asian fast-casual trend.

• Wow Bao: Lettuce Entertain You’s cheeky six-location “hot Asian buns” concept is snack food for the new millennium with cross-cultural dumplings, potstickers and low-cal combos

• With two locations in Southern California, East Borough promises “Fraiche Vietnamese” with elevated versions of such Vietnamese favorites as pho, spring rolls, salads and banh mi

• Also in the Los Angeles area, Take a Bao serves up righteous rice bowls, savory salads, slurpalicious noodles, tempting sides and delectable desserts”—plus the namesake bao steamed buns stuffed with everything from panko crusted fish to pomegranate steak

• San Francisco’s Bamboo Asia offers Fresh Asian Combinations in the form of a trio of separate stations dispensing custom-made versions of Japanese, Indian and Vietnamese bowls, salads, sandwiches and sushi

Ping Pong Dim Sum in Washington, DC, aims to familiarize diners with this traditional Chinese tradition by applying the seasonal, sustainable, vegetarian and allergy-friendly take on dumplings and other snacks; there’s even a menu section for beginners

• In Cedar Park, TX, PhoNatic tackles more than just the pronunciation challenge with its sleek décor and surprising authentic menu of Vietnamese appetizers, noodle soups and even beverages like the soursop smoothie


The Grilled Cheese Chronicles

 

Basil and Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Cheeseboy | Photo credit Flickr User Bing License CC by 2.0
Basil and Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Cheeseboy | Photo credit Flickr User Bing License CC by 2.0

A recent article in Forbes confirmed the mainstream validation of a trend we’ve been noticing quite a bit in the past few years: gourmet grilled cheese. Although the Forbes piece focuses on concepts that specialize in grilled cheese and grilled cheese only, such as The Melt (which is included in the article) and Roxy’s (which isn’t), the whole grilled cheese resurgence brings up a lot of interesting questions.

For the record, we believe these one-off concepts probably don’t have the widespread long-term appeal of a burger specialist like a Shake Shack or a Bobby’s Burger Palace, in part because grilled cheese doesn’t have as wide a following. The concept works in high-traffic settings like cities (see Little Muenster, in New York City’s Lower East Side), college campuses (the fascinating FeelGood nonprofit association), and food courts (Cheeseboy), but the sandwich itself is too easy to reproduce by the competition. Even Dunkin’ Donuts has jumped on the grown-up grilled cheese bandwagon, after all.

Which is not to say that making a perfect grilled cheese sandwich is the easiest thing in the world. Though beloved by starving artists and busy moms the world over, a great grilled cheese sandwich—like a beautiful roast chicken—is a test of skill, patience and great ingredients. It’s not just the bread and cheese, but also the butter, the technique, the timing, and the little twists and garnishes that separate Mom’s Velveeta special from a bell-ringer like the hot pressed Mozzarella & Tapenade sandwich at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, made with fresh mozzarella, house-made Nicoise olives, and anchovy puree.

Speaking of Cheeseboy, the company released findings from its inaugural American Grilled Cheese Survey that found that 86% of U.S. adults have eaten at least one grilled cheese sandwich in the past year. Of those 2,000-plus adults surveyed, 30% had a grilled cheese sandwich at least once a month, and 27% purchased it out of the home in the past year.

So what is it about grilled cheese? Nancy Silverton tapped into its high-low appeal early on, when she famously turned Thursday night into Grilled Cheese Night with a couple of panini presses set up in the patio at Campanile in Los Angeles, more than 15 years ago. She had the chops to realize that if she loved grilled cheese, so would her customers.

Grilled cheese taps in to the kid in all of us, with its comforting connotations and satisfying blend of easy-to-like flavors and gooey-melty/crisp-buttery textures. (No wonder so many restaurants are capitalizing on the almost universal memory of a grilled cheese sandwich and cream of tomato soups with their own upscale versions, like the three-cheese Grilled Cheese & Roasted Tomato Soup served at Founding Farmers, in Washington, D.C.—there’s even an emerging franchise called Tom+Chee that specializes in the concept.)

Then, too, a grilled cheese sandwich represents a dead-simple way to satisfy vegetarian guests without scaring away omnivores. The sandwich also allows all cheese lovers to tap into the growing artisanal and import cheese scene, from the Cheese Toasties made with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, caramelized onions and maple mustard at Cowgirl Creamery’s Sidekick Café & Milk Bar to Papi Queso’s ultra-luxe Leek and Mushroom Grilled Cheese made with Gruyere and truffled Robiola.

Which brings up the last point about why grilled cheese has captured the imagination of so many diners and chefs alike: It’s almost endlessly versatile and creative.

Here are a few quick ideas for stepping up your own grilled cheese game:

• Add sliced ripe avocado and Green Goddess dressing for ultra-creamy texture, beautiful color and the additional contrast of cool and hot

• The Croque Madame is a French grilled-ham-and-cheese classic that goes over the top with the addition of a fried egg and béchamel

• Offer a Grilled Cheese Sandwich of the Day, or a mix-and-match grilled cheese sandwich special that incorporates different breads and cheeses as well as proteins like bacon and other additions, such as strawberry jam and roasted tomatoes

• Bring back the Patty Melt, a retro lunch-counter favorite that combines the best qualities of a burger and grilled cheese

• Swap out bread for crispy waffles

• Serve grilled cheese open-faced for a variation that can also be menued as an appetizer or shareable, like bruschetta

And don’t forget: April is National Grilled Cheese Month.

Need more grilled cheese inspiration? Check out Wisconsin Cheese’s Grilled Cheese Academy website or the Food & Wine list of the Best Grilled Cheese in the U.S.


Tip of the Month

Every year, global business advisor AlixPartners conducts a survey of more than 1,000 Americans on their intentions and expectation toward dining out. Nearly a third said they expect to spend less this year. For more information about the North America Restaurant and Foodservice Review, click here.

Resources
>
BLOG

March 2014 Newsletter

Mar 18, 2014

 

Greetings!

This month, we’ve got a couple of interesting trend pieces for you.

As we travel around the country doing Discovery for clients, we couldn’t help noticing that there are a growing number of mixed-used restaurant/retail marketplace concepts being developed in big cities. Many of them in neighborhoods that are on the cusp of being revitalized—including the far West Side of New York City, downtown Los Angeles, the old warehouse district of Seattle. Urban markets have always been a part of the core personality of cities, but we can’t remember a time when they’re been such an exciting opportunity for restaurateurs, sometimes by combining retail outlets for items like baked goods and house-butchered meats.

And speaking of butchery, in-house meat-cutting programs are also one of the trends shaping a new generation of steakhouses, one that’s more inclusive and approachable than the old sirloin-and-bourbon “guy food” palaces of the 1970s and ‘80s. We’re seeing lighter options, more serious culinary technique, specialty meats, and more creativity in this new breed of steakhouse.

Finally, we’ve got a piece that covers the growing trend for buying local, especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables, and includes tips on how to integrate locally sourced produce into your operation.

To your success, Dean Small and Danny Bendas


Market Dynamics

By Joan Lang

Part-retail, part-restaurant… the new urban “food courts” are redefining what it means to be a food destination. They have also helped anchor some of the country’s best and brightest urban redevelopment plans.

Eataly, the over-the-top Italian megaplex opened by Mario Batali, et al, in New York—and now in Chicago and reportedly soon-to-be in Philly—may have been the first to draw attention to the modern food market phenomenon. And now that there are plans afoot to develop an Eataly theme park in Bologna, more food entrepreneurs will doubtless hear the ka-ching of cash in the register.

But the idea of public markets has been around since the days of the ancient Greeks. (Did you know that agoraphobia literally means “fear of the marketplace,” or agora?) Pike Place Market in Seattle, Arthur Avenue Market in the New York City borough of The Bronx, Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market : All of these are vibrant indoor spaces where citizens have come to congregate, shop and dine for decades. Wine, flowers, fresh seafood, local produce and a place to sit and have a meal amidst the bustle.

The new markets aren’t so much intended to be part of daily life, however, but part of the so-called gastro-tourism wave that is sweeping many American cities.

You could spend an entire day noshing in the new Gotham West Market in New York City—from Blue Bottle Coffee in the morning to Ivan Ramen for lunch and charcuterie and drinks at The Cannibal to cap the experience. Along with the nearby Chelsea Market and the High Line, Gotham West is helping to restore the once-dicey Chelsea/Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood to prominence, in part by being such a tourist destination.

Or take Society Fair, a new “bakery, butchery, market, wine bar and demo kitchen” in Alexandria, VA. In addition to offering a full-menu wine bar and retail ops aplenty, there’s an event schedule (Tuesday lobster night, Sunday suppers) designed to bring traffic to the location every day of the week.

Well-known Latin chef Richard Sandoval is planning a Latin American cultural center called Block 37 Chicago, with a retail market, full-service restaurant, 11 food stations (empanadas, ceviches, etc.) sharing food court-style seating, and a small “learning” center. This ambitious plan underscores one of the basic tenets of the new urban market model: the educational component.

Brooklyn Larder taps into that hipster borough’s obsession with the local, the artisanal and the sustainable with a huge selection of premium specialty foods, but also features catering and prepared foods for on-premise consumption. It’s owned by Francine Stephens and Andrew Feinberg, who developed a huge and passionate following with Franny’s —and early-to-the-table entrant in the sizzling Brooklyn food scene—who have parlayed their growing access to high-quality sources into the retail marketplace.

Fremont Collective, in Seattle, is an evolving former-warehouse complex that is emerging as a collective home for some of the city’s favorite restaurants, including Joule and The Whale Wins, plus the retail flagship evo and an indoor skatepark. Although the project may have gotten off to a shaky start, the presence of two high-profile restaurants has helped ensure its future.

Speaking of the future, the historic Grand Central Market —so recently just a dicey Mexican-shopping stop in a down-and-out part of Los Angeles—has been completely remodeled as a destination food hall that’s positioned as the gateway to the revitalized downtown. Nearly a century after first opening, today the market again houses all kinds of food-oriented options, from coffee roasters and cheese shops to such latter-day trendy restaurants as Horse Thief BBQ and Egg Slut.

Restaurateurs in search of affordable real estate have always been bellwether tenants in revitalized, up-and-coming neighborhoods. These market concepts represent a variety of opportunities, from square footage for new restaurants to all-in dream projects for ambitious operators.


 


The Steakhouse Rises Again

By Joan Lang

Trendy restaurant concepts may come and go; steakhouses reign eternal.

In fact, if anything, restaurants specializing in steak are on the upswing again, thanks to a number of different factors, including the improving economy, rising interest in protein-rich Paleo diets, increased availability of specialty meats such as grass-fed beef and heirloom pork, and the ambitions of a new generation of chefs.

From upgrades and tweaks on the classic Porterhouse-and-creamed-spinach model to modern interpretations that highlight farm-to-table or international sensibilities, steakhouses are making news again.

• City Hall, in New York City, is emblematic of the trend, introducing a wide-ranging menu that highlights top-of-the-line steaks and a la carte sides along with other premium proteins (lobster, veal) along with raw bar specialties, lots of appetizers, and more affordable options, in the form of upscale burgers

• At Alexander’s Steakhouse, a Japanese-inflected steakhouse with two units in the San Francisco area, the menu amounts to an education in premium beef. Selections range from grass-fed beef from local ranches to no fewer than 13 kinds of domestic, Japanese and Australian Wagyu, complete with production details and tasting notes

• Michael Jordan’s Steak House, with locations in New York, Chicago, and Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun casino, sets itself apart with a wide-ranging international wine list that would do any restaurant proud

• The Grill Room, in Washington, DC, touts elaborate, daily changing seasonal preps ranging from Grilled Scallops with trofie pasta, pulled pork, cabernet reduction and Parmesan to a $56 40-Day Dry-Aged Bone In Strip Loin accessorized by crispy sweetbreads, garlic snails, hickory smoked potato, wild mushrooms in porcini cream, braised oxtail and red wine jus, an over-the-top specialty that calls to mind the money-flaunting days of Diamond Jim Brady

• LongHorn Steakhouse, the budget steakhouse division of Darden, has partnered with HMS Host to open a scaled-down unit in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport. With airlines cutting back on in-flight food options, the move follows the larger trend for well-known brands to locate in airport terminals

• Seattle’s Miller’s Guild follows the revitalized trend toward wood-fired cooking with its selection of From the Inferno proteins, such as Beef Short Ribs with horseradish, yuzu and parsley, Berkshire Pork Chop with hearth-roasted apple and pickled onion salsa. The provenance for meats (Niman Ranch, Lan Roc Farms in Washington State) is proudly listed on the menu, fresh-sheet style
• Heritage Steak, which is star-chef Tom Colicchio’s entry into the steak segment, features multiple live-fire cooking platforms (charcoal grills, woodburning ovens) as well as antibiotic-free meats sourced directly from U.S. ranchers. It’s located in Las Vegas’s Mirage Hotel, which is also home to a Brazilian–style Samba Steakhouse and the meat-centric Japonais specializing in robata-style grilled foods cooked over binchotan Japanese charcoal

• At Boston Chops, chef Christopher Coombs preps his steaks sous vide style and finishes them in a black iron pan to combine a tender, consistently cooked inside and well-seared exterior. The menu also features a number of “fifth-quarter” products such as tripe, tongue, oxtail and marrow bone, and the signature Steak Frites is offered with a choice of six different cuts, from skirt steak to filet mignon

• Fancy a comparative tasting of different cuts? Burch Steak, in Minneapolis, features more than 20 different cuts and types of beef—from grass-fed to Wagyu—many in small enough sizes to be mixed and matched and shared by the table

• At American Cut, Marc Forgione evokes the manly tradition of the New York style “beefsteak” with commodious leather banquettes and a menu of baked oysters, big steaks, shareable sides and such a la carte toppings as foie gras and bone marrow. You may not be able to smoke, but there’s the $26 Plank Smoked Old Fashion made with Woodfood Reserve, caster sugar and Nick’s bitters in a maple wood smoked glass to take up the slack

• Women drink cocktails and eat steak, too, especially at the six-location STK, which courts the fairer sex with smaller cuts of steak as well as lighter choices like Crab Cake Salad and Shrimp Rice Krispies

• Underbelly, in Houston, is hardly recognizable as a steakhouse, yet its wide-ranging menu of Wagyu shortribs, spiced meatballs, family-style roasts, smoked pork loin, Vietnamese-themed flatiron steak, and charcuterie is the direct result of an ambitious in-house butchery program


Purchasing: What’s the Big Deal about “Local”?

By Jim Campbell, Restaurant Supply Chain Management

 

Local food is surrounded by value almost any way you view it. Buying local favorably impacts taste, nutrition, the environment, and the general community where your restaurant is located. In addition to these attributes, there is a growing body of research that shows that “local” resonates more with many consumers than “organic.”

Fruits and Vegetables, Up Close and Personal: Using and promoting local fruits and vegetables conveys the concept of “freshness” and should be on the radar of every restaurateur. Buying local reduces time and distance for product delivery, which are the enemies of freshness. There is no better preservative of flavor, taste, and nutrition than freshness when talking about fruits and vegetables.

The tomato is one of the best examples of why and how “local” works best. A local tomato that ripens on the vine has a short shelf life, and that’s just fine because that’s the way you want it, delicious and fleeting.

This local tomato is also a sustainability workhorse, as it reduces thousands of driving miles that would otherwise negatively impact your carbon footprint. Everyone knows firsthand that wonderful flavor is delivered by locally grown tomatoes but we don’t always think about the favorable environmental impact of that same tomato. Transportation is fairly obvious in the environmental equation, but less obvious offenders would include refrigeration, gassing, and redistribution, all of which have negative impacts on the environment.

Better nutrition is also a component of freshness. Nutritional values decrease with time once produce is harvested, so “local” is a real friend when it comes to nutrition. More and more restaurant guests are aware of the positive attributes of nutrition, and the restaurant industry should be supporting this awareness by sourcing more fresh fruits and vegetables from their own regions when possible.

How Do We Get These Amazing Local Fruits and Vegetables? Every restaurant has at least one produce supplier, whether it is an independent produce distributor or a master distributor. This is the first place to start. These suppliers should know what is trending in their industry and “local” should be at the top of that list. If your produce supplier is not sourcing local produce you need to have that conversation. They will listen and respond.
To supplement sourcing from your current distributor you can always seek out local farmers markets, which have a growing presence in many areas of the country and increase general awareness of “local” in your community.
You can meet farmers to make purchases directly, but you can also begin to develop a business relationship/partnership with your community farmers, who are a wealth of information when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables. While this is time-consuming, the payoff in freshness makes it worthwhile. You can always make the introduction between your new farmer friend and your distributor to make those local vegetables available when you cannot get to the local market yourself.

You are going to have to collaborate with your produce distributor and local farmers to understand what fruits and vegetables are best adapted to your part of the country, as well as their seasonality. You obviously are not going to find fresh “local” oranges in the Midwest any time of the year, but there are many fruits and vegetables that thrive there throughout the spring and summer growing seasons. The rise of indoor vertical farming models, sometimes called pinkhouses, is even beginning to challenge the notion that you can’t have fresh local produce in colder climates during the fall and winter. Vertical farming may be in its infancy but many observers believe it will soon become a widespread reality.

“Local” Economic and Community Values: In addition to the freshness, nutrition, and sustainability aspects, there are economic and community payoffs to using locally grown fruits and vegetable.
Buying local keeps dollars in the community and recycles them many times over, while buying fruits and vegetables from long distances simply exports dollars that could be supporting your restaurant guests and ultimately your own restaurant.

You can gain knowledge from local farmers that will help you better manage and operate your own business, which will benefit everyone, including your customers. There is also the more intangible human connection that exists beyond economics and is community driven. Once your restaurant guests understand that you support the community, they will feel even more comfortable supporting your business.

Need help integrating “local” into your own purchasing operation? Synergy Restaurant Consultants can help you with that.


Tip of the Month

When it comes to restaurants, there are a number of things that guests tend to find very inhospitable. This article  from Business Insider takes a look at 15 of them, from not picking up the phone to writing menus that are impossible to understand. Is you restaurant guilty of any of them?

Resources
>
BLOG

February 2014 Newsletter

Feb 26, 2014

Greetings!

It’s been a difficult winter in many parts of the country, with snow and cold temperatures adding to the still-dicey economy to create supply problems, price challenges, and customers who have been less likely to go out to eat. Let’s all hope that by this time next month, the weather and the economic mood will have improved significantly!

In the meantime, we have some interesting articles for you this month. First and foremost is our associate Brad Miller’s observations about what constitutes the difference between service and hospitality—an important consideration in turning customers into guests, and one-time visitors into regulars.

We’ve also got a food-trends piece on an item almost all of us already have in our kitchens: potatoes. The prosaic spud can be a menu star on the order of such high-profile produce as broccoli rabe and grapefruit, and it’s a lot more widely accepted.

And finally, the world of websites is changing fast in this era of social media and digital change. It might be time to take a good hard look at updating yours.

To your success, Dean Small and Danny Bendas


Service vs. Hospitality

By Brad “Paco” Miller, Operations Associate

If you ask restaurant patrons what the most important aspect of the dining experience is, the most common answer is the food, followed by service and usually atmosphere. A restaurant should be all about the food, but the key to retaining patrons—and turning them into raving fans—is that elusive ingredient: hospitality.
There appears to be a common misconception in the restaurant industry, that hospitality is the same thing as service. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, service and hospitality are two different things.

Can you have good service and poor hospitality? Absolutely. Think about that great meal you had at that expensive steakhouse. Your drinks arrived promptly and the food was hot, although something was amiss. Your server took the orders, and you got what you wanted, but there was no interaction, no smiles, no connection.
When we take care of our guests, we move from simply providing service to demonstrating hospitality. There is a big difference between the two:

• Service is taking the necessary steps to provide high-quality meals within service standards.

• Hospitality is the feeling behind the service. It is how you interact with guests and colleagues—service at a higher level.
Hospitable behaviors are not something that can be forced or faked. Good hospitality is the result of having an interest in others and the satisfaction that comes from positive interactions and helping someone when there is an opportunity. They are the result of treating others as you would like to be treated, and having your colleagues do the same.
Providing genuine hospitality to guests is not difficult. The process begins with hiring great team players, although the most important piece of the puzzle is creating a culture of upholding the standards by which we deliver hospitality:

• Providing guests with friendly and personal interactions
• Engaging the guest
• Ensuring order accuracy
• Creating memorable moments.
• Smile

Hospitality is as simple as offering a smile, lending a helping hand or offering assistance when you see a need, even before it is asked for. It is also listening when a colleague or guest has something to say. Hospitality includes basics, like greeting others as you begin your shift, being in tune to non-verbal and verbal cues that might let you know how someone is feeling, and really listening when someone is talking with you.
When we show hospitality, it creates a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere for everyone… and an unforgettable experience for the guest.

For help stepping up your hospitality quotient, and your service standards, contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.


 


Potato Power

By Joan Lang
Protein costs are rising. Food trends are skewing more exotic. New kinds of produce are grabbing all the attention. With all of this, it’s easy to forget that the potato is a versatile, low-cost kitchen workhorse that guests also happen to love. Even the most obvious mashed or fried spuds are welcome on the menu, but there are also many other options. Owing to its neutral flavor and absorptive texture, in fact, you can do just about anything with a potato.

Pizza

– Mashed or thinly sliced potatoes make a delicious specialty pie topping, either simply seasoned or as a bed for other ingredients, including cheese, bacon or prosciutto, scallions, caramelized onions, fresh herbs and more. Mashed potatoes can also be incorporated in the dough, as would they would be used for potato rolls or bread.

Scalloped and Gratin Potatoes

– It’s hard to beat this classic as a luxe side dish or accompaniment, especially with steaks and simply roasted meats. Whether made up in batches or in individual portions, they can be layered with sweet potatoes or other root vegetables, flavor-boosted with cheese, or cast in a variety of global styles, such as French pommes Anna or Spanish Arogonese. One forgotten classic variation is the Swedish Jansson’s Temptation, assertively seasoned with anchovies.

Specialty Spuds

– Heirloom and other uncommon potato varieties are the darlings of the potato world, and they make a colorful and commentary-worthy premium menu addition. Fingerling potatoes of all kinds are delicious roasted, especially with equally interesting ingredients like Kalamata olives and preserved lemons.

Comfort Foods

– There is a huge lexicon of potato-dependent “mom” foods like shepherd’s pie, potato-cabbage colcannon and other pubby Irish specialties, French Canadian tourtiere , and more. In addition to being delicious on their own, these potato pies and casseroles are easy on operations, because they can be made ahead and often cross-utilize preps such as leftover mashed potatoes or homefries.

Grown-Up Tots

– Talk about the high-low trend: These pleasantly low-end childhood favorites have gone quite gourmet, thanks to chefs’ made-in-house sensibility and the addition of high-end ingredients. Caviar-topped tots, anyone? There are also restaurants that make a specialty of tot casseroles, like Mangrove Mike’s in Islamorada, FL, with its addictive breakfast Skillet Tots, topped with ingredients like corned beef hash and sausage gravy.

Poutine

– From traditional squeaky cheese curds and gravy to ultra-upscale duck confit and foie gras, this iconic specialty of Quebec has hit the mainstream bigtime. Gastropubs have adopted them, Toronto has held its first Poutine Week , and we know at least one restaurant that even features a Poutine of the Day .

Handhelds

– Fries aren’t the only spudilicious things you can pick up with your fingers. Potatoes can be used as a filling for a variety of other fried handhelds:
• Empanadas
• Causas, a Peruvian specialty of mashed potatoes rolled around various fillings
• Vada Pav is a popular street food snack in Mumbai, consisting of a spicy potato filling rolled and fried in a gram flour batter (the vada), served with a garlicky chutney-like pav
• Crisp, phyllo-dough can surround potato “cigars” flavored with Middle Eastern seasonings
• Other small potato packages include croquettes, ravioli, pancakes, waffles and pierogi

Dips and Soups

– Potatoes figure in many homey spreads and potages, particularly of the ethnic variety. On the dip end, there’s Greek skordalia, French brandade, and all-American loaded baked potato dip . In soups, the potato has a starring role in everything from elegant chilled vichyssoise to earthy Russian borscht.

Gnocchi and Other Dumplings

– Potato gnocchi are a classic of Roman cooking that have been widely adapted to both Italian and non-Italian menus alike. But there are other comforting potato dumpling dishes, including German Kartoffelkloesse and these Czech beauties whose name is as long as it is unpronounceable. (Have no fear, because there are lots of American versions too.)

And lest those original mashed and fried potatoes be forgotten, there are also lots of creative ideas waiting to be explored, including trendy thrice-fried fries and chips , elegant celery root and potato puree , Belgian-style frites with dips , mashed potato bars …..

For more ideas for potatoes in particular or menus in general, contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.


Websites 2.0

A recent article about the death of Adobe Flash has gotten us to thinking about websites. Certainly, the growing popularity of smartphones and other mobile devices has led to new technical issues (in fact, according to a recent SmartBrief restaurant operator poll, approximately 40% of respondents had a mobile site (including 16% who also supply a mobile app). In the rush to adapt Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Vine and other visual-based channels to the marketing mix, many operators have not given as much thought to keeping their website as current and user-friendly as possible.

Is it time to add this to your to-do list? Here are some things to think about when assessing your mobile-optimized website (and yes, you do still need a traditional website, even in this, the Age of Facebook):

• Flash was eye-catching, engaging and distinctive back in the day, but it’s not being supported for mobile by either Apple or Adobe, making it difficult for many customers to use, and cumbersome for operators to update. Although the move to modern open standard and HTML5 solutions is still very much evolutionary, other alternatives are available

• No more entry pages. Ever. If a user needs to wait through an introduction while the site loads, they may just go elsewhere to avoid the roadblock

• While you’re at, lose the background music. It bogs mobile-users down, and many desktop users (ones in office cubicles, for instance) also hate it

• When people can’t find a restaurant’s menu online, they’re more likely to look for other dining options. Make sure you post you menu or menus, with prices—in mobile-friendly HTML format, not a PDF (which needs to be downloaded in order to read it). Also, keep the menu updated. Few things are more frustrating for a customer than coming in for your shortribs and finding out they’ve been switched up for hanger steak.

• If you do change your menu virtually every day and don’t have time to put it on your website, use your Facebook page. Post a current sample menu or general menu mission statement, with an advisory and link to Facebook.
• Speaking of Facebook, it’s a great place to put the evening’s special dishes; we know several wildly popular restaurants that post specials with photography to their pages every day. You can easily do this when the staff is finalizing the featured presentation, or during your staff preshift—and you do have a preshift, right?

• While we are on the topic of social media, include links to your Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook accounts on your website home page

• Seriously consider including your wine list on your website, especially if it’s a complex one. Serious oenophiles appreciate the opportunity to prescreen the list rather than taking the time at the table, and ultimately you’ll sell more wine. While you’re at, put your cocktail and beer selections on there too

• Put your address, including your phone number, in an easy-to-find spot on your home page; everyone these days is in a rush, and they don’t want to hunt for where they’re going. (Chain restaurants, in particular, are notorious for making users hunt for their headquarters contact information.) Hot links to step-by-step directions and the phone number are wonderful functionalities for mobile users; you can embed a Google Map in your website by registering your business information with Google Places for Business

• Hours of operation should also be easy to find for those in a hurry

• If you take reservations, provide a means for customers to make them online, directly or via a widget from a service like Open Table. Customer convenience is the name of the game. It’s the same deal with takeout: online ordering capability will really boost sales

• An easy-to-find email link or form is also very helpful

• Gorgeous photography, especially of food, really sells. Bloggers and journalists love image galleries, especially if high-resolution versions are available, and even customers will benefit from being able to understand what your facilities look like and work up an appetite over your (professional-quality) food photography

Want more information? Here are a few useful links, from Restaurant Hospitality, Full Service Restaurants, and Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research.


Tip of the Month

PCI Compliance—meaning Payment Card Industry—is the process by which all companies (regardless of the industry) are required to follow very specific systems to ensure the safety of a customer’s credit card information. As part of the process, this training is necessary for all employees who may come in contact with guest credit cards. As a reminder, the PCI Compliance form that your employees have been required to sign off on in the past continues to change.

For 2014, your employees (including managers) who handle or have the opportunity to handle a customer’s credit information at any point will need to be provided the new sign-off form, updated with the newest information from the government. Training on the systems for protection of the credit information of each customer is also necessary. We can provide the updated form, the training, and the complete explanations for your staff if needed.

Resources
>
BLOG

January 2014 Newsletter

Jan 21, 2014

Greetings!

It’s now officially time to be optimistic. According to the National Restaurant Association, restaurant traffic hit a five-month high in November, even before the busy holiday season, and the Current Situation Index (which measures trends in in traffic, same-store sales, labor and capital expenditures) hit its highest level in six months. That’s our story, anyway, and we’re stickin’ to it.

To celebrate the New Year, we join the growing legion of trend prognosticators with our own annual predictions for what’s the hotness in 2014, including all kinds of interesting things that are happening around protein, from chicken to Paleo diets to the urban barbecue phenomenon.
One area that continues to outperform all others is fast-casual, and in this month’s newsletter we also take a look at how such FC niche signifiers as customizable menu formats and upgraded ingredients are rapidly spreading into the world of pizza.

And senior operations associate Mark Ladisky shares three vital tactics for making your new restaurant opening successful-seeing as how everyone’s feeling so optimistic.

To your success, Dean Small and Danny Bendas

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Pizza’s New Era

By Joan Lang

It had to happen. Sandwiches have been upgraded, burgers have gone upscale, and now pizza is being reinvented in the uber-hot fast-casual vein, with better toppings, sleeker décor, fancier amenities—and lightning-fast cook times thanks to oven technologies both new and old.

If there were any doubt, check in on the new Pizzeria Locale concept being developed in partnership between restaurateurs Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and—you guessed it—Chipotle. With its mix-and-match menu of contemporary-style thin-crust Neapolitan pizzas, glass-enclosed prep kitchen and $7 price point, Pizzeria Locale aims to do for pizza what Chipotle did for tacos all these years ago. And they’re doing it in about two minutes flat.
They’re not the only ones.

Umami Burger founder Adam Fleischman was early to the party with 800 Degrees, which promises “a 250-year-old classic in 60 seconds or less” via the eponymous custom-built wood-fired stone-hearth ovens. The menu features four classic (including Margherita, of course) and 15 specialty pies (e.g., the sauceless Tartufo, featuring mushrooms, arugula, roasted garlic and truffled cheese), plus a create-your-own option with more than 40 a la carte proteins, cheeses and vegetable toppings). Small bites and salads—including four made with the cult-favorite burrata cheese—round out the bill of fare, along with tap wine and beer.

 

The self-service line is set up Subway-style, with a complete assembly line of mise en place; by the time a guest moves through the line, the pizza is cooked and can be taken to the table. The nascent chain, based in Los Angeles, is poised to open five units in New York City—where Umami Burger has already created a controversial sensation, and the local citizenry are fiercely loyal to their $1 fold-and-eat slices.
Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza (“Custom-Built Artisanal Pizzas”) calls it like it is—the company reports that 120 seconds and a “dedicated pizzasmith” are all it takes to satisfy the inner pizza artisan in all its guests, with dozens of choices of sauces and toppings. Online ordering means that the process is even “freakishly faster.” The concept was developed by Wetzel’s Pretzels founders Rick and Elise Wetzel, and a recent franchise agreement with Millennial Restaurant Group (a partnership between Rally’s founder Jim Patterson and franchise veteran Ulysses Bridgeman) hints that expansion will be speedy, too.
In fact, some of the most exciting potential developments in the fast-casual pizzeria niche are longstanding industry heavyweights. California Pizza Kitchen co-founders Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield are said to be developing their own mall-based version (just as CPK itself opens a new prototype).

 

Buffalo Wild Wings is the muscle and bucks behind PizzaRev (“Craft Your Own”), with its robust celebrity PR and social media profile as befits its Los Angeles-area roots. An easy-to-comprehend single menu price of $7.99 gets you either a DIY pie with unlimited toppings choices, or one of eight “Our Way” pizzas such as Margherita or White Mushroom; there’s also a $5.99 one-cheese option.

 

Matt Andrew, a co-founder of Moe’s Southwest Grill, spent more than two years developing the menu and business plan for Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint (“The Original Create Your Own Pizza Joint”). The five-year-old company is now in rapid franchise mode, with more than 150 units in 10 states and D.C., on the strength of its customizable pizza format. Guests choose among three different doughs (including gluten-free), six sauces, and more than 45 toppings; there are also signature pies along the lines of BBQ Chicken and Portabella Pesto for those who are leery of decision-making. And the company is also testing breakfast pizzas.
Uncle Maddio’s differs from some of its competition in that it aggressively targets families, not only with the entertainment of DIY pizzas made in full view, but also Art Camp, Kids’ Day on Saturdays, and active marketing of birthday parties, complete with appearances by “Chef Cou Cou.”

 

And then there’s three-year-old Pie Five Pizza Co., one of four concepts in the buffet-style Pizza Inn empire, which bills itself as “the first interactive pizza experience.” P5 touts over a million possible combinations, and has a particularly healthy program of LTOs which include seasonal favorites like Hatch Chili Pie; there are also a number of salads and three kinds of signature Cookie Pie desserts. A “Circle of Crust” loyalty program awards free pies and a half-birthday pizza-delivery amenity (yes, you read that right: half-birthday), as well as participation in double-points and other promotions.

 

For help developing your pizza concept—or any other restaurant idea—contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.


 


Top 10 Trends for 2014

By Joan Lang
Here are our best guesses for some of the things we’ll be seeing more of in the coming year.

1. Poultry Takes Flight

With protein prices on the rise and chefs looking for something a bit different than burgers, short ribs, and pork and more pork, the pendulum is swinging toward chicken and other poultry. According to Food Genius, chicken is the most-featured protein in the super-hot sandwich and wrap category, at 83% and 80%, respectively. Examples include items like the Southwestern Baja Flatbread at KFC’s new eleven sister concept, and the Fried Chicken Sandwich with fried green tomatoes at Canele in Los Angeles. And in upscale restaurants, luxury chicken like Amish or Jidori varieties are showing up in dramatic preparations for two or more to share, such as the Chicken Under a Brick on the menu at Restaurant Marc Forgione in New York City.

2. DYI Customization

The Holy Grail of menu concepts today, especially in the booming fast-casual market? Mix-and-match options that allow guests the ultimate flexibility to design their own meal—and then do it again another way the next time.

Consider these relatively lesser-known brands from FastCasual.com’s 2013 list of “movers and shakers”:
Freakin’ Unbelievable Burgers – The BYOB (Build Your Burger) menu includes 6 “patty” options and more than 44 different free and premium toppings
Freebirds World Burrito – Standing up for “freedom” of choice where guests can design their own tacos, burritos, nachos and salads with different sizes, shells, formats, proteins and “freebie” toppings
Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill – Build Your Own Entrée concepts feature three platforms (pita, laffa or plate) and six proteins (including falafel, hummus and portabella mushrooms) with fresh veggies and sauces
Giardino Gourmet Salads – My Way salads offer six different greens, 35 fruits and vegetables, and enough nuts, seeds, cheeses, crouton options and dressings to last a lifetime,

3. Gluten Free = Healthy

Every few years the definition of what’s healthy on the menu changes a bit, from low-calorie to trans-fat-free and everything in between. This time around, the public pulse seems to be beating for gluten-free menu items—not just because of the number of diagnosed “celiacs,” but because so many Americans seem to be eschewing gluten. According to the NPD Group, in fact, as much as one-third of American consumers reports a desire to cut down on gluten, which has led to a tremendous increase in the number of gluten-free products in the marketplace. GrillIt, a “fresh authentic grill” chain based in Florida, exemplifies the trend, with a menu that boasts of being 90% gluten-free via options like grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, pasta and salads in the all-important mix-and-match format.

4. Modern Mashups

Forget about fusion food. This is a new generation of highly trained, multi-culti chefs who are combining ingredients, flavors and menu specialties in fun new ways that really resonate with today’s adventure-seeking diners. There’s hard-boiled eggs, feta and spicy tomato jam baked into bacon waffles at Waffle & Wolf, in Brooklyn. Spicy Tuna Nachos at Jogasaki Sushi Burrito, the L.A. area. And at Del Seoul in Chicago, sibling owners Pete and Irene Jeon have combined international street food traditions to create a menu of Korean BBQ tacos, kimchee French fries and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches with fillings like soy-sochu marinated ribeye steak.

 

Jogasaki Truck/Spicy Salmon Sushi Burrito | Photo Credit: License CC by 2.0 Copyright Flickr User punctuated
Jogasaki Truck/Spicy Salmon Sushi Burrito | Photo Credit: License CC by 2.0 Copyright Flickr User punctuated

5. Vegetable-Centric

We wrote about vegetable-forward menus in the February 2013 issue of this newsletter, and since then the trend has grown even more. In fact, among more than 100 operators surveyed by Restaurant.com, vegetable dishes ranked No. 2 on the list of most popular food trends of the year, second only to healthy options. Many chefs are realizing that a steak’s a steak, but it takes creativity to work with vegetables, and it’s also easier to support a seasonal menu concept when you rely heavily on produce. At Martha, a new American comfort food spot in Brooklyn, N.Y., with many Asian touches, the winter menu includes such vegetable-based specialties as Cauliflower Gratin, butternut squash with miso butter and almonds, Thai eggplant with fish sauce and hard-boiled egg, and arugula salad with watermelon radish and fried wontons. Even McAllister’s Deli is taking the plunge, with a new lower-calorie menu program that emphasizes its Fire Roasted Vegetable Soup.

6. Me Caveman, the Diet

By the same token, protein has never been more in favor, and the diet du jour seems to be the Paleo or “caveman” regimen which emphasizes high-quality protein, vegetables, nuts and seeds, but eschews grains (read: gluten), legumes, dairy and processed foods. Many restaurant chefs, looking to lose weight and boost energy, have embraced the primal lifestyle, and there is even a Paleo Chef service that provides meals, recommendations, recipes and consulting services to would-be practitioners. Corner Table, which claims to be the first paleo restaurant in Houston, features a number of dishes that fit the diet, including paella made with grated cauliflower rice, and a Yaya’s Salad with kale, mixed greens, sweet potato, ginger, almonds, sesame seeds, cinnamon and pumpkin seeds in a ginger-mustard vinaigrette.

7. “Conscious” Choices

Speaking of protein, the world is evolving in the direction of choices that are viewed as responsible from the point of view of consumers, the planet and the animals themselves. And this is shaking out to mean sustainable seafood, grass-fed meats, pastured pork and antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken, as well as such vegetarian options as eggs, quinoa and other grains, soy, and beans. According to a recent report from Packaged Facts and CCD Innovation, it’s not just about natural food stores and high-end restaurants anymore, either. The norms for buying and eating food have changed for good within a broad cross-section of the American population, and today’s consumers are looking for everyday ways of eating that address several key issues, including:

• Local food supplies
• Meatless meals
• Humanely raised meat
• Sustainable seafood choices, either wild or farmed

8. Next Wave Beverage Pairings

Suggested wine pairings are certainly a great guest service/sales builder, but consumer interest in craft beers, cocktails and even specialty teas are such that there are many more pairing areas to explore. Apartment 13, in New York City, goes all out with its beverage program, offers wines, beers, spirits, cocktails and more that are organized by flavor profile. Cocktails share ingredients with food recipes, such as herbs, spices and fruits, as well as infusions and syrups created in collaboration with the kitchen—the better to facilitate “synchronicity” between the cocktail and food menus.

9. The South Rises Again

The ever-popular taste for regional American food seems to be centering on the South—more than a generation after the Cajun blackened fish craze of the 1980s. This iteration, however, has a more artisanal flavor under the wing of chefs with serious training. Bo’s Kitchen & Bar Room, in New York City, hits the trend with a country ham plate with biscuits and cara-cara marmalade; Crispy Alligator with chili aioli; Spiced Louisiana Redfish;: Buttermilk Braised Fried Chicken; and Catdaddy’s Moonshine behind the bar. Carriage House, in Chicago, does it up Charleston-style with She Crab Soup, Lowcountry Oyster Roast, Shrimp & Grits, and Country Fried Sweetbreads with red pea & okra succotash.

10. Urban ‘Cue

With no indigenous bbq style of their own, operators in big Northern towns like Chicago and New York can adapt any kind of ‘cue style with impunity—and that often means mixing it up with the likes of Texas brisket and Memphis ribs on the same menu. These new high-concept honky tonks also feature upgraded beverage service and other niceties, such as appetizers and salads. For example, there’s Dinosaur BBQ, with locations in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and a menu that includes everything from pork shoulder and St. Louis ribs to sausage and apple-brined chicken, plus catfish, skirt steak and even breakfast all day (smoked brisket and poblano hash). And SlowBones Modern Barbecue, in Burlington, MA, is making its own traditions with six different kinds of meat and eight sauces (you’d never see Cucumber Dill in a real rib shack, but what the heck), served with a choice of such new-school sides as Maple Smacked Quinoa.

Interested in more trends, food and otherwise? Check out these from Facts, Figures & The Future, Campbell’s Culinary & Baking Institute, Zagat Survey, Technomic, Fast Casual, and the CIA Worlds of Flavor Conference.


Three Keys to a Successful Restaurant Opening

By Mark Ladisky, Senior Operations Associate

Photo Credit: License CC by 2.0 Copyright Flickr User tribalicious
Photo Credit: License CC by 2.0 Copyright Flickr User tribalicious

 

We have orchestrated and participated in our share of openings, and in other cases we have been background support providing one specific role while others have directed the actual opening. In both cases there are some common preparations one should take when planning for a successful opening.

First, Plan it Out… Up to and Including Plan J.  We all like to think that our projects will happen on our timeline and in the order that we have set forth, but the reality of an opening is that we can’t control every variable that happens. The best we can do is sit down with a calendar and map out the best plan of action, with timelines and objectives, and be sure that when Plan A doesn’t work out as planned, that we have a Plan B and Plan C designed in advance—before the project starts—and maybe even up to a Plan J for Just-In-Case because… you never know.

If you experience challenges during the opening process and are not prepared with a good plan, then the results could include the costly waste of labor if staff is hired too soon or must be hastily trained, a waste of ordered food if the opening or occupancy is delayed, or the misfiring of press and marketing events. No matter how much you may dislike making a plan, you will regret not making one even more.

Next, Make a List for Everything. Even the most successful openings can be a very kinetic experience, with unconventional schedules and a lot to keep track of in your head. Keeping detailed lists in a project planner or even a legal pad will keep the small things from falling through the big cracks.

It’s not always everyone’s strength to be hyper-organized or to have a photographic memory, so have a set of categories worked out on something as simple as Excel tabs and make a daily practice of planning out the next day and “checking off boxes,” as we like to say.

Be sure that when you are working out your lists that you have a clear understanding of each course of events that you need to follow to avoid dead-ends on projects and goals. The time to determine your liquor pars is not when the salesperson walks in but before, and based on math and not rushed meetings. You need multiple planning sessions with all stakeholders in order to create workable opening timelines and strategies for a great opening.

Lastly, Trust but Validate. Just as keeping a list will help maintain your organization, delegating and validating will aid in your overall sanity, allowing you to focus on the big picture and trust in others rather than trying to micromanage all the details.

If you haven’t learned it by now, an opening will remind you that you can’t be everywhere and focused on everything at once. You should in the course of managing any project, but particularly during an opening: Plan to have others involved to help you reach your goals and deadlines.  Be sure that dates and goals are always shared and agreed-upon among the team, and that you check to be sure everything is on track and on time—without having to focus on all the little details of how it got done.

Being able to trust in any project starts with the human element, and whether it’s our team or yours it is critical that you have the right people around you for a successful restaurant opening. Take the time to ask the right questions of the people joining your efforts, and you will be able to reach your goals more readily and most of all happily.

Our team of restaurant experts can be involved with every element of your project from concept to design, menu and recipe creation to hiring and training and everything in between. Contact Synergy Consultants today to see how we can support you in your exciting new restaurant opening.

.


Tip of the Month

Each year, December marks the release of one of the most influential “hot new trends” predictions of the season: The National Restaurant Association’s annual “What’s Hot” survey, conducted in collaboration with the American Culinary Federation. Fast Casual has posted a particularly useful article about this year’s survey, which also contains links to the full report, as well as last year’s analysis. Have a look.

Resources
>
BLOG

December 2013 Newsletter

Dec 17, 2013

Greetings!

We’ve been busier than ever at Synergy, a sure sign that the economy is continuing its slow-but-steady recovery.

The end of the year brings many opportunities to stop and reflect on our personal and professional lives, and to look ahead to what’s next.

2013 has been a challenging but ultimately fulfilling time for the foodservice industry in general, and for Synergy in particular. The economy has been recovering—slowly and in fits and starts, but at last more reliably, and we are looking forward to 2014 with renewed optimism.

But the last few months have also been clouded by the loss of some of our guiding culinary lights. Charlie Trotter, who closed his eponymous and influential restaurant just last year, to focus on the next part of a life that was suddenly cut short. Jean Banchet, the dedicated French chef who proved that food lovers would travel anywhere for quality and innovation when he opened Le Francais in suburban Wheeling, IL. And most recently Judy Rogers, the chef-owner of San Francisco’s beloved Zuni Café, who helped to convince the world that comforting food could be a beautiful thing.

All of this serves to remind us that life is precious, and you need to grab it with both hands and hang on.

We wish all of you a holiday season filled with peace and happiness.

To your success, Dean Small and Danny Bendas

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Fast Casual Update

By Joan Lang

The fast-casual segment continues to make news, driving the lion’s share of growth, sales and innovation in the industry. In fact, according to NPD CREST, in the year ending May 2013 visits to fast casual restaurants increased 9%, while the rest of the industry was flat. Technomic tells us that the sector is now worth $31 billion, and while that’s only 14% of the overall limited-service restaurant business, its sales are growing by double digits every year.

No wonder so many ambitious entrepreneurs—including those who have made names for themselves in full-service circles—are rushing to establish a beachhead in the superhot fast casual marketplace, which accounts for 7% of unit growth.

While none of the following concepts may become “the next Chipotle” (the company that has become the Holy Grail for new FCR development), they provide a fascinating picture of the creativity that’s going on in the segment.

  • Tau Poco, a global street food concept in Birmingham, AL, was famously opened on a $15,000 budget, but it offers customers an almost infinite variety of build-your-own choices. “Carriers” include various international-style wraps and breads (Moroccan flatbread, all-American lettuce wrap), which can be accessorized with proteins, sauces and sides ranging from Korean bo ssam pork and Japanese miso to Argentinean chimichurri—the whole world is a playground for experimentation, in other words

 

  • Further along in its journey, Little Greek  is a franchised “neighborhood Greek restaurant with an American influence,” supporting locations in Florida, Texas and Arkansas. While the menu is localized, signature dishes include such approachable choices as pita sandwiches, Greek salads, and platters showcasing souvlaki, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), gyros, the Greek lasagna known as moussaka, and other familiar favorites

 

  • Flower Child, the newest concept of the successful Phoenix multi-unit entrepreneur Sam Fox (who already has a tremendous hit in True Food Kitchen), will occupy the quick-healthy-food niche that fast casual seems destined for. It will feature many socially conscious, GMO- and gluten-free ingredients and preps including grass-fed beef, wild salmon, organic poultry and veggies, salads, sandwiches and bowl-like hotpots, and there will also be wine and beer. The first Flower Child is scheduled to open in early 2014

 

  • Moving into the drive-thru arena that has so far been underexplored by fast-casual chains (with a few notable exceptions, including Mooyah and Panera) is global burrito specialist Boloco, which is testing the waters with a new unit in Rhode Island. What sets this move apart is the fact that Boloco’s brand promise of allowing customers to create their burrito concoction is at odds with the speed and accuracy concerns of drive-thru—but the company has introduced a new set combo program to address that

 

  • Newton’s Noodles, in Washington, D.C., was born from the popularity of the “Fuzu” noodles that became a house signature at Newton’s Table, a fine-dining restaurant owned by classically trained chef Dennis Friedman. Borrowing from the sweet-and-salty flavors of pad Thai, the original Fuzu recipe has been recast as a Build Your Own concept at the fast casual spinoff. And the customizable noodles have become so successful, in turn, that they have been introduced back at Newton’s Table as the basis for the full-service restaurant’s first-ever lunch menu

 

  • Launched by Thomas John, formerly executive chef of Au Bon Pain, and fellow ABP alumni Tim Oliveri, Piperi Mediterranean Grill in Boston has a menu centered around the signature gozi, a griddled flatbread that’s a variation on a traditional Turkish bread recipe. Diners can customize their made-to-order sandwiches from a list of ingredients that includes falafel, chicken, hummus, Moroccan carrot salad, olives and feta; the build is also available as a salad or mezze plate. Expect bigger things: The bread is trademarked

If you’ve noticed a buzzword pattern here to how the fast-casual segment is evolving—healthy, fresh, made-to-order, customizable, socially conscious—you’ve been paying attention. This should be an interesting ride.

 

Need help developing your new fast casual idea—or any concept, for that matter? Contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.


 


How to Make Your Beverage Program Work Harder for You

By Joan Lang

The holidays are a great season for beverage sales. Here are 10 ideas for making your beverage program work a little harder, now and throughout the year.

1. Use a Beverage Menu – The first rule of getting more from your beverage menu: Make sure you have one. Although separate menus for wine, beer and cocktails may be too much for all but the most ambitious beverage programs, you should have some kind of printed list that guests can refer to. This will encourage them to try new things and help create a signature perception. You should also seriously consider including the beverage menu(s) on your website.

2. Don’t be Afraid to Specialize – Nowadays you don’t have to be all things to all people; there are restaurants that specialize in particular spirits or even particular drinks. I Sodi, an Italian restaurant in New York City, is known for its Negronis, for example, while Chicago’s Sable recently launched a Spanish-style gin-and-tonic menu.
Check it Out: InterContinental Hotels has had considerable success with branding select bars around a single beverage category, such as RumBa in Boston and vodka at Proof in Toronto

3. Run Specials – Feature a “chalkboard” cocktail, wine, and/or beer of the day and promote it through hand-selling. Not only will this build sales, it will also allow you to test the reception of potential new products, take advantage of distributor/importer specials, and sell to holidays and micro-seasons (such as an unexpected warm spell or the arrival of pomegranates).

4. Tap the Appeal of Glassware – You already know that beverages have moved beyond the days of one-size-fits-all glasses. Make sure your glassware is commensurate with your offerings—for instance, if you have a lot of interesting beers, invest in purpose-built vessels for different varieties. And simply displaying interesting glassware at the bar may spur questions like, “What’s that neat tiki glass for?” ‘Nuff said.

5. Looks are Everything – By the same token, a beautiful-looking drink will attract attention even from those who didn’t order it (the “What’s that?” effect). Garnishes, glassware, colors and other aesthetic highlights will support that all-important premium pricing strategy and make all of your beverages more memorable.

6. Reach for the Top (Shelf) – Speaking of premium, high-end imbibes are where it’s at. The economy may still be somewhat dicey, but when it comes to spirits and beer, the action’s on the top shelf, especially when it comes to the influential Millennial set. Depending upon your concept, this could embrace anything from micro-distilled local spirits and hard-to-find specialties (can you say Pappy Van Winkle?) to traditional premium pours like Belvedere vodka and Macallan Scotch.

7. Don’t Forget the Nondrinker – From underage family members to designated drivers, there are plenty of people who don’t drink alcohol but do deserve an interesting beverage nonetheless. Possibilities for them include:

• Housemade, local/regional, and “gourmet” sodas
• Sophisticated virgin cocktails that employ the same attention to balanced flavors and presentation as their alcoholic kin
• Smoothies and juices
Bottled water
• Ethnic specialties like horchata and or the Puerto Rican barley refresher known as the Resbaladera
• Specialty tea and coffee, either on their own or in recipes

8. Consider Pairings – Wine pairings are becoming more commonplace, particularly with prix fixe tasting menus or for special events, but there are other ways to spur sales of the “perfect beverage” for any dining occasion.

• Suggest one or more wine-by-the-glass or beer pairings for each item on your menu, including specials
• Train staff to offer pairing suggestions with specific orders
• The folks at Unilever have a clever tool for pairing iced tea with food; does this give you any ideas?
Check it Out: The new Coppervine, in Chicago, casts itself as the place for pairings, offering a cocktail, beer and wine selection for every single item on the menu, from marinated olives to daily house-made ice cream

9. Explore Seasonality – Just as in the menu, cocktails and other beverages that are seasonally driven make good business sense. This works both for ingredients (such as warming spices like cinnamon in cold weather cocktails, and fresh fruit in the summer) as well as styles of drinks (heavy stouts are more appealing in the wintertime than are refreshing sour beers). Consider adding a seasonal section to your regular drink menu—but think hard before removing a popular or signature core item that regulars expect.

10. Invest in Staff Training – This is important not just for bartenders and cocktail servers, but for all front-of-house personnel. Waitstaff should be as well-versed as possible in the beverage program so they can answer questions and make recommendations; use preshift meetings, tastings and distributor resources for all they’re worth. There are also many online educational options to consider.

Owners and managers can also help by:

• Making sure no cocktail is so complicated that it cannot be made in a minute or two
• Investing in adequate equipment and supplies, including ice, glassware, inventory, and so on
• Scheduling enough people to cover busy periods, as well as prep time
• Adhering to policies and standards, such as when to cut a patron off

If you need help building your beverage program, contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.


Watch Out for Unemployment Cost Overruns

Short note on unemployment insurance: 11.2% of the expenses you are charged from the state are wrong. Meaning: Your account may be charged for people who are deemed ineligible or that past employees who received benefits are still getting them after acquiring gainful employment elsewhere or any myriad of other reasons.

Reducing improper payments and strengthening program integrity are priorities for the Administration. They are equally a priority within the Department of Labor. The problem is so big that the DOL has stated the following:

“We are aggressively working to identify new strategies and tools to support our state partners in addressing the rising UI [Unemployment Insurance] improper payment rate. [We] might also add that addressing improper payments relates to UI trust fund solvency. Particularly now, when trust funds are under extreme pressure and states are borrowing at near record levels, it is essential to ensure that UI benefit payments are made properly”

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) routinely reports an annual improper payment rate based upon data collected from audits that detect many errors that are not within the control of the state agency. As a result, they report two rates for the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program: the overall annual rate based on all sources of error, and the operational rate, which represents those improper payments.

Unfortunately, the UI improper payment rate has increased during the most recent reporting period (July 2009 to June 2010) required under the Improper Payments Information Act. The department reports that during this reporting period the overall rate was 11.2%, of which 10.6% represents overpayments.

This is unbelievable. The operational rate for the same period was 5.7%, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. There has never been more clear evidence that we as operators need to monitor, very closely, each name on the unemployment reports that we get, look at how much they were paid, and from what time to what time. Chances are (and certainly the data above proves this), one or more of our past employees have been paid when they lost their unemployment case, have been overpaid when they won or are continuing to get unemployment benefits—at our expense—even after they have gained full employment.

be substantial.


Tip of the Month

Each year, December marks the release of one of the most influential “hot new trends” predictions of the season: The National Restaurant Association’s annual “What’s Hot” survey, conducted in collaboration with the American Culinary Federation. Fast Casual has posted a particularly useful article about this year’s survey, which also contains links to the full report, as well as last year’s analysis. Have a look.

Resources
>
BLOG

November 2013 Newsletter

Nov 19, 2013

Greetings!

We’ve been busier than ever at Synergy, a sure sign that the economy is continuing its slow-but-steady recovery.

We recently did a dine-around and discovery trip to Manhattan to sample specialty sandwiches and coffee shops, researching ideas for a new client based in Rome—we’ll be sure to share more information with you as this project unfolds. Things are also heating up in the Test Kitchen with lots of delicious new menu items in development, including herbed lemon chicken with couscous and other tempting entrees. And we are so proud to have been part of the great new menu revamp that our client Toppers Pizza just rolled out.

Speaking of revamps, you’ll definitely want to read this month’s article by our colleague Joan Lang on the industry’s rebrands, revamps and refreshes, many of which are targeted at repositioning older concepts for the new generation of health- and value-conscious Millennials. We’ve also got some information on the retro-chic menu trend of Italian-American specialties—meatballs, eggplant Parm, red sauce. And our readers in HR may be interested in the article on Arbitration Agreements, which are so much quicker and less expensive than litigation for solving employee grievances.

To your success, Dean Small and Danny Bendas

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Ahhhhh, That’s Refreshing

By Joan Lang

Photo Credit: License CC by 2.0 Copyright Flickr by Lauren Siegert
Photo Credit: License CC by 2.0 Copyright Flickr by Lauren Siegert

When it comes to foodservice brands, there’s been a lot of refreshment going on. In fact, we recently blogged about 7-Eleven’s new initiative, which covers everything from the logo to the store design and food offerings to the logo.

 

In fact, these days the idea of refreshing an older brand—or even rebranding altogether—covers a lot more than just a new logo and snappy trade dress. The competitive marketplace demands it.

 

Established brands may have name recognition and time-in-grade going for them, but they must also keep up with an explosion of newer concepts, changes in demographics and customer expectations, and other companies that are updating in various ways.

 

In 7-Eleven’s case, the c-store giant’s first major rebrand in 43 years is all about targeting health-conscious, on-the-go Millennials with hip, colorful servery graphics, and a more inviting foodservice display that touts healthier snacks and freshly made foods such as salads, rather than roller dogs and microwaved sandwiches.
And they’re not the only company that’s manipulating the concept to change their image:

 

– Staid and pricey Morton’s Steakhouse has introduced its more casual Morton’s Grille in the Houston marketplace, with a menu that features trendy (and less expensive) “Mix, Mingle & Share” selections like short rib tacos, deviled eggs and Veal & Mozz Meatballs, plus flatbreads, salads and non-steak “Food Envy” entrees including sliders, pot roast and Chicken Chop Diane

Silver Diner, a Maryland-based chainlet that has long presented an idealized version of the iconic diner, has also been pushing the envelope in the direction of the Millennial target market. Brand revisions include significant menu changes that center on more healthful dining habits, such as a “chef-driven fresh & local menu,” and more gluten-free, vegan and under-600-calorie options

– Wendy’s has debuted a sleek new store format that includes booths, a television set, free Wi-Fi, and even a faux fireplace, designed to encourage guests to linger and enjoy more of an experience along with their burgers—part a trend that the Orlando Sentinel dubbed “the lounge-ization of fast food”

– Other QSR participants in the movement include Del Taco (which capped a multi-phase rebranding effort with new menus and an ad campaign) and KFC (with a colonel- and fried-free new concept called “KFC Eleven’)

– In a bit of flip on that trend, Panera Bread—one of the original brands to blur the lines between fast food and a more upscale mode of quick service—has reversed its decades-long promise of eschewing drive-thrus with the addition of the convenience-oriented windows in select markets

– Family-oriented Mimi’s Café has moved to what it terms a French-inspired, chef-led positioning with a more sophisticated new menu (tournedos of beef, anyone?) that caps an ambitious turnaround effort since the chain was uncoupled from Bob Evans Farms

– Old Chicago has also used a menu overhaul to drive its brand updating efforts; the ‘70s-era chain partnered with Lettuce Entertain You to plot a made-from-scratch course that includes fresh-dough pizza, more salads, pastas and shareable appetizers, and a 36-tap craft-beer program. The “pizza and taproom” update necessitated revised kitchen layouts, as well as new back-of-house systems to help ensure faster service and more efficient turnaround

– Fondue and date-night brand The Melting Pot has been retooling its menu to encourage guests to stop in for casual dining occasions, not just birthdays and Valentine’s Day. The romance and the four-course Big Night Out cheese and chocolate fondue packages remain, but there are also individual entrees like Spinach & Artichoke Ravioli, Teriyaki-Marinated Sirloin, and various proteins with mix-and-match preps and sauces

Brand efforts like these continue to make news—and can only grow in importance, particularly among brands that came of age at the dawn of the theme chain back in the 1970s and 1980s. The recent success of Bennigan’s back-from-the-dead rebranding strategy demonstrates how savvy these ambitious efforts can be.

Need help with a brand refresh of any size and scope? Contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.



Red Sauce Renaissance

By Joan Lang

 

Photo credit: CC by Flickr user Stacy Spensley
Photo credit: License CC by 2.0 Copyright Flickr user Stacy Spensley

Well, the world has come full circle—and proof that the food-trend pendulum is always swinging, the red sauce Italian joint has come roaring back after several decades’ worth of displacement by Tuscan, Roman, Sicilian, Calabrian….

 

Not that these wonderful and authentic regional Italian cuisines aren’t still popular, but there is also renewed pride in the Italian-American culinary lexicon. We’ve seen it in the surging popularity of menu items like meatballs and pizza (including news-making versions like this Chicken Parm Pizza), and in a return to casual, welcoming Italian restaurants serving comforting and uncomplicated food.

 

This is the cooking adapted by immigrants to a new land, where familiar ingredients were challenging to find but hunger for the traditional ways endured. Now in its third generation and proud of it, red sauce is born again in contemporary ways, with a taste for innovation and the kind of careful sourcing and housemade artisanship that has helped to transform so many restaurants in this country.

 

Chef and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich has certainly captured the Zeitgeist with her road trips into the heart of Italian-American cooking, but there’s a lot more going on. Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone of New York City’s Major Food Group are setting the trend on fire with their restaurants. This is especially true of their newest, Carbone, which opened earlier this year on the site of the legendary Italian-American Rocco’s. Featuring upgrades of classic Italian-American specialties like veal parmesan and linguine with clam sauce, the restaurant has become one of the hottest new spots in town.

 

Sauce restaurant is another example of the trend, which chef-owner Frank Prisinzano describes as “heavily influenced by Italian history, tradition and my childhood spent in my grandmother’s kitchen.” Part restaurant and part butcher shop for his other neighborhood restaurants, Sauce proudly touts Italo-American comfort foods like tomato “gravy” with meatballs, steak pizzaiola, and handmade ricotta cavatelli.

 

The Red Hen, in Washington, DC, calls itself an “Italian-influenced American restaurant,” serving the likes of rigatoni with sausage, gnocchi, and cacio e pepe (a simple but newly popular pasta preparation made with nothing more than good cheese and a lot of black pepper), plus flights of fancy such as wood-roasted beets with pistachios and seared veal sweetbreads with pea shoots and soft polenta. The wine list is heavy on bottles from Italy, including unusual “orange wines,” which are made by very, very old fermentation methods.

Divieto, in Doral, FL, calls its food “Italian-American fusion,” with a menu than ranges from fried calamari with marinara sauce to salmon carpaccio, veal scallopini to grilled yellowfin tuna. It’s all served up in a tin-ceilinged room complete with booths, black-and-white tile floors, and an atmospheric back bar.

 

There’s also Little Nonna’s, a new red-sauce restaurant in Philadelphia. This popular, intimate little spot does indeed serve up “Nonna” cuisine. The bill of fare includes arancini (rice balls shaped like the namesake “little oranges”), spicy pork and broccoli rabe subs, eggplant Parm, and homemade cannoli, and the house-bottle cocktails include classics like the Negroni. Most noteworthy is the famous Sunday gravy, chock full of braciole, meatballs and hot sausage, served over pasta of the night with the meats on the side—recreating an experience that legions of Italians here in America grew up with, every Sunday after Mass.
Many of these dishes are ripe for migration on less thematic menus, tapping into a collective memory of simpler times that extends beyond Italian ancestry.


ADR Agreements Make Even More Sense Now

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that courts “cannot invalidate arbitration agreements which waive class actions . . . .” While there is a fair amount of detail to this rule, the basic principle is that the only weakness to arbitration agreements was that if an employee filed as a class member, and the court approved it, the arbitration agreement was not applicable. Now that has all changed.
Arbitration Agreements, also defined as Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) Agreements, are designed (and approved by the courts) to mitigate challenges from employees. Under an Arbitration Agreement, the employees’ complaint is heard by a retired judge and is settled almost immediately, rather than going into litigation. Most all rules of court apply.

 

Benefits include a substantial reduction in time, as the time it takes to get in front of an Arbitrator is far less than is the situation with a normal court case. The decision is binding—for better or worse. All the facts are considered, and both parties go into this process understanding that what the Arbitrator says goes. The cost to defend the case is substantially less, because all the preparation and filings and legal wrangling are unnecessary. Finally, for operations that consider themselves compliant and who address their employees ‘concerns quickly and efficiently, this system is far more effective at solving issues, because you do have the opportunity to demonstrate what you have done in regards to a particular complaint.

 

There are certain regulations related to changing over to an ADR system. We recommend that you contact your labor law attorney to discuss. The benefits for you and for your employees could be substantial.


Tip of the Month

If you think offering healthy menu options is not an issue that affects your operation, think again. A new consumer survey by AlixPartners reveals that so many patrons are concerned about finding healthier choices that they are less likely to dine out in 2014—on top of decreases in restaurant traffic this year. For more details on this and other findings, take a look at this topline report from the firm’s new “2013 North America Restaurant & Foodservice Outlook: Fall Update.”

Resources
>
BLOG

October 2013 Newsletter

Oct 22, 2013

 

Greetings!

The creativity of our friends and colleagues in the restaurant industry continues to amaze and delight—every time we think that there can’t be anything else new or trending, we hear about a miso-maple doughnut or an innovative use for familiar technology.

Two of our stories this month nod to this constant ability for the restaurant universe to reinvent itself. Whereas a year ago we still would have been writing about cupcakes as the ultimate “treat” concept, now we’re seeing an explosion in the number of creative, artisanal donuts.

And those tablet computers that everyone has come to love for their personal use are being repurposed as a guest ordering system and interactive entertainment device on some of the most well-known tables in the country. And while we did a story on Yelp a little over a year ago, so much has already changed with this influential citizen-review site that the subject warrants another look.

To your success, Dean Small and Danny Bendas


Time to Make the Doughnuts

By Joan Lang

 

Krispy Kreme was just the beginning.

Doughnuts have been around for a long time (they’re variously credited to Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam and a New England sailing captain’s mother), but all of a sudden they’re having a moment, joining the ranks of such iconic American cult foods as the hamburger and the cupcake.

And it’s not just the social-media-fueled cronut craze that has caused all the hullabaloo, although the lines to try (a type of milkshake) certainly fanned the flames.

The public’s taste for affordable yet indulgent treats and a renewed interest in fried foods—not to mention the perennial appeal of something deliciously new yet still familiar—have given rise to some serious doughnut buzz. And dedicated doughnut shops are popping up like frozen-yogurt franchises after a cash infusion. Every city has its own special way with doughnuts:

• Federal Donuts, in Philadelphia, does the Brotherly Love thing selling just three things: P.T.’s Coffee, Korean-style twice-fried chicken, and handmade donuts, in flavors that range from honey (included with an order of “Fednut” chicken) to such one-off selections as Vanilla-Lavender, Banana Cream Pie, and Sticky Bun

• In Portland and Eugene, OR, 10-year-old Voodoo Doughnuts (“The Magic is in the Hole”) is famed for its unusual doughnuts, the eclectic decor of its three shops, and its iconic pink boxes, which feature the company’s logo and drawings of voodoo priests. Voodoo was one of the first donuterias to invent such formulations as the Bacon Maple Bar, Mango Tango and various ‘nuts topped with cereal, inspiring such a fiercely loyal following that fans ask to get married there

• The franchised Top Pot Doughnuts, based in the Seattle area, offers “hand-forged doughnuts” in a large array of traditional forms including old-fashioned, cake, Feather Boa (frosted and dusted with coconut) and apple fritters, as well as Top Pot cold-brewed coffee and ice cream

Tip: For a review of various doughnut styles, see this article from Serious Eats

Doughnut Plant has grown from one wholesale location in Manhattan in the mid-‘90s to a branded presence in dozens of trendy retail outlets, including Stumptown Coffee and Dean & DeLuca, on the strength of baker Mark Isreal’s quality-driven recipes and rotating daily selections. Unusual flavors like Tres Leches and Coffee Cake (made with coffee in the dough, glaze, filling and crumble topping) Matcha Te a and signatures like Doughseeds (filled mini doughnuts, with creative glaze & filling combinations) keep the cognoscenti coming back

• In Highland Park, CA, Donut Friend promises custom-made donuts with the donut fiend’s choice of platform (yeast, chocolate or vanilla cake, and “gluten-free-ish), filling (ranging from jams and compotes to fresh fruit and even cheese), glaze, and toppings (bacon, nuts, balsamic reduction). Customers can easily stray into savory territory with creations like Jets to Basil, a $5 behemoth that includes goat cheese, or build their own with the likes of Manchego, quince and rosemary

Not to be outdone, chefs like Taylor McCreary of the Chicago gastropub Park Tavern are doing their own renditions of doughnuts, in this case the popular bacon doughnuts with bourbon-pecan glaze. Roxy, in Sacramento, offers a Bag of House-Made Doughnut Holes on its morning menu, consisting of a handful of sugar-dusted orbs served with chocolate, caramel and fruit dipping sauces. And The Wine Dive, in West Palm Beach, FL, features Hot Damn Doughnuts on its dessert menu: the Louisiana-style doughnuts known as beignets, served with Cinnamon Schnapps ice cream, spicy Hot Damn syrup and candied bacon.

Then there are the doughnut product extensions—not just the Cronut but also such over-the-top mashups as Doughnut Fries and a burger sandwiched between two glazed doughnuts, known as the Luther.

It’s doughnut history in the making.


Can Tablets Replace Servers?

By Brad “Paco” Miller, Operations Consultant

Are we witnessing the end of human interaction in restaurants? As Chili’s Grill & Bar rolls out tabletop tablet computers in 823 units across the U.S., the industry must answer this question: Can tablets replace servers?
Chili’s is certainly not the first to venture into tabletop tablets. Applebee’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Robin and Uno Chicago Grill have tested tablets, in one form or another, in selected stores. Even Umami Burger and California Pizza Kitchen are joining the trend.

According to the largest tablet vendors, Ziosk and E La Carte, maker of the Presto tablet, your appetizer sales should increase by 20%, dessert sales should jump 30% and servers should expect a 15% increase in tips! These vendors also tout faster ticket times, leading to more table turns, and huge increases in signups for loyalty and email programs.

Both the Ziosk and Presto tabletop tablets offer similar functionality: ordering (limited items or full menu); payment with credit card or prepaid account; games; jukebox features; loyalty club sign-ups; Facebook/social media access; and advertising/promotions.

Then there’s the iPad, which Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse uses for its wine lists and dessert menus only, but with no ordering ability. According to longtime Fleming’s server Thomas Martinez, “I’ve seen my dessert sales increase and it helps with wine pairings. There’s an educational (component). Once customers know how to use it, it’s a great sales tool.”

Tablet computers have already demonstrated their usefulness in streamlining ordering and the payment process. They’re also great marketing tools, with significant upside in such areas as real-time guest survey results, customer database building and connectivity to social media. But the ability to replace the human factor has yet to be seen; most operators view tablets as an experience enhancement, not an alternative to service.

The next question is always “How much will this cost me?” According to Ziosk and E La Carte, the systems can be relatively inexpensive through leases. If you opt to go the mobile app route, ETab International offers programming of a mobile application that can be downloaded on your smartphone or tablet. Although you won’t have to purchase the hardware, there will be a cost associated with programming and maintenance of the app.

Is this all really necessary? The future will tell. Until then, if you really are thinking about rolling out tablets in your restaurants, here are a few things to consider before you hop on board:

• Tablets are not server replacements, but experience enhancements
• Prior to purchase, reach a team consensus on your goals and strategy for the tablet’s use
• Using tablets requires regular training, IT, WiFi and support procedures
• Tablets should be compared based on durability, battery life, and POS-compatibility

And don’t forget to stock more desserts.

For more information on technology and your restaurant, contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.


The Evolution of Yelp

By Joan Lang 

In the nine years since it was launched as a user-generated review site, Yelp  has become a formidable social force—both the bane and potential ally of businesses everywhere, including restaurants. Why? More than half of all users make a decision to purchase (or not) based on what they see on the site.

Although Yelp gets criticism from disgruntled restaurants as well as the likes of Consumer Reports, the company claims that more than 100 million consumers checked its listings in 97 U.S. and international markets in just the first three months of this year alone. Search for a restaurant you’re interested in, in fact, and its Yelp profile is apt to appear second only to the restaurant’s own website.

Sites like Yelp have virtually obliterated the hegemony of the local newspaper review and other paid, professional criticism—not to mention services like Zagat Survey, the original crowd-sourced restaurant guide. Yelp’s brilliance lies in the fact that it allows any person who has an opinion to become a citizen reviewer, to the tune of some 42 million contributed reviews.

And Yelp’s influence is growing, not least with new features such as health-inspection scores, an online ordering platform, and mobile posting capability—with more than 10 million mobile apps in use, this will greatly increase the number of reviews. The company has also acquired the online reservation service SeatMe, which will enable users to make a reservation directly from a restaurant’s Yelp page.

But there are less positive issues. Fake reviews—including those posted by businesses themselves—have emerged as the preeminent threat to the trustworthiness of user-generated content. According to a recent Harvard study, 16% of restaurant reviews in the test city of Boston were fake, although Yelp says that its filters discard about 25% of its submissions.

Then, too, review sites have empowered diners in a way that no one could have foreseen as recently as five years ago, leading to some notable bad behavior on the part of customers who will hold the threat of a bad yelp review over a restaurateur’s head.

All of this has greatly increased the difficulty operators have in managing their online reputations. But there are many ways that restaurant management can maximize their engagement with Yelp and other public-forum reviews and use them in very positive ways.

• Claim your free Yelp business account and take advantage of the tools it offers, such as private and public messaging, which can be used to respond to users, correct misconceptions, and address specific complaints

• Use your profile proactively to make your restaurant as appealing as possible to your target audience and potential new customers, with information such as hours of operation and forms of payment, links to menu, photos and more. Update it when anything changes; a service like Single Platform can do this automatically across a variety of social sites

• Monitor your reviews regularly, both so you can respond professionally and appropriately to reviewers’ opinions, and as a source of free constructive criticism. Tales of owners who discover problems like a rude hostess or parking problems because of yelpers are legion (and so, too, are the instances of business owners who have gone postal on reviewers —don’t do it)

• Consider designating a trusted employee or even subscribing to a service to track and distill crowd-sourced comments, for the purpose of spotting and implementing the insights gained. Google Alerts is another valuable tool for monitoring all of your online reviews

• When it makes sense, address negative comments and concerns publicly, rather than privately, so that other readers can see that you care, and are taking active steps to correct problems and address commenters’ concerns. (You may want to email the critic privately first, to get more information and make sure you’re understanding the reason for the unfavorable comments.) This is how negative reviews can be turned into positive ones, and build sales

• Private responses are a tasteful and appropriately personal way to thank yelpers who have written nice reviews, particularly if you know them as regulars or local tastemakers, such as bloggers.

• Check carefully for false reviews, flag them and get them removed. If a review states that your brunch is overpriced but you don’t serve brunch, you’re dealing with hearsay, mistaken identity or disgruntlement

• Get the most out of the reach Yelp gives you by using resources such as Yelp Deals, partnerships and other events that will get more customers through the door—and, hopefully, boost your ratings, which can translate to greatly increased sales, according to at least one study

• Strengthen your reputation through other social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, in order to build your own community . Collectively, these tools give you what is known as social proof, which is a powerful source of new sales and customer engagement

Never “hire” a review or make your employees seed your profile with good comments; it could backfire big-time, up to and including fines


Tip of the Month

Want more information about Yelp and online-reputation management? For a detailed report on Yelp and other crowd-sourced review sites, see this article from Top Ten Reviews. Also of interest are the following links to qsrweb.com (how to control crowd-sourced content), Fox News (for ideas of fun ways to use Yelp reviews, both positive and negative) and Open Forum (with a two-part expose on advertising solicitation and more). The subject of Yelp marketing gets good coverage from SEO expert Jackson Lo and on Social Media Examiner.

Resources
>
BLOG

September 2013 Newsletter

Sep 24, 2013

Greetings!

It seems like the foodservice industry is reinventing itself at a furious clip. Segments are blurring as chefs open casual establishments and entrepreneurs mainstream ethnic menus. Established players are making sweeping changes to design, menu and marketing message, on the order of Bob Evans’ new Express concept or Wendy’s sophisticated new building design.

In fact, throughout the industry, rebranding, brand extensions, turnaround strategies and brand refreshes are the order of the day. We’ll be writing more about these in future newsletters, including news about many of our own brand repositioning projects.
In the meantime, we invite you to enjoy this month’s articles, including strategies for making health-conscious diners more comfortable, techniques for bringing out the best in your staff, and lots of ideas for making kids’ menus more appealing.

To your success,

Dean Small and Danny Bendas

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Start Kidding Yourself

Taco Bell’s recent announcement that it would stop serving kids’ meals spoke volumes about attitude toward children’s meals, in many restaurants, especially at a time when the industry is catching considerable flak from consumer groups.

Of course, not every restaurant is appropriate for kids—Taco Bell itself is the favorite of a core group of young adults who are barely out of childhood themselves—but for many operators, it pays to please the younger generation, and their parents. In fact, for lots of parents and kids, dining out means time together as a family.

And yet look at any 10 kids’ menus, and nine of them will likely offer fried chicken tenders and fries, with maybe an optional side of applesauce or fresh fruit.

Photo credit: Flickr CC by jamieanne "Raspberry Yoghurt Parfait"
Photo credit: Flickr CC by jamieanne “Raspberry Yoghurt Parfait”

Applying some creativity to your children’s menu can help build family loyalty; here are some ideas:

1. Alphabet Soup, loaded with lots of diced vegetables, with or without turkey or chicken meatballs and a bowl of grated cheese on the side—or make it Tomato Alphabet with cream of tomato soup

2. Chop! Chop! Salad, a kids’ version of chopped salad with fun veggies (corn on the cob cross-cuts, Baby Bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, etc.), torn lettuce, cubed chicken or turkey, crumbled turkey bacon, Swiss cheese (older kids can choose blue), chickpeas and hardboiled egg wedges or “roses”, served in an oversized bowl so they can mix it up to their heart’s content

3. Homemade fruit leather or fruit roll-ups

4. Healthy Finger Foods: deviled eggs; smoked turkey and pickle cornets; stuffed mushrooms

5. Skewered Fruit with Honey-Yogurt Dip; use a plastic straw for a safe alternative to an actual skewer

6. Yogurt Parfait with Berries and Granola, layered in an attractive tall clear glass and served with an extra-long spoon

7. Sweet Potato Fries or “Tots” with ketchup

8. Crudites with Dipping Sauces, incorporating easy-to-handle vegetables like baby carrots, celery sticks, grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and iceberg lettuce chunks with several different dips

9. Fruit Glazed Baked Chicken or Turkey Tenders, served with crispy potato wedges

10. Turkey Swedish Meatballs with Curly Noodles, made with low-fat sour cream

11. DIY Fish Tacos, pairing baked salmon or cod with tortillas and a caddy of garnishes including mild salsa, low-fat sour cream, shredded lettuce and cheese, etc.

12. Grilled Cheese, Tomato and Turkey Bacon Sandwich on whole wheat bread, or omit the turkey

13. Carrot-raisin Salad or Confetti Coleslaw (shredded cabbage with julienne carrots, red cabbage, sweet peppers, etc., mixed in)

14. Rice and Noodle Bowls, made with vegetables and chicken or tofu; experiment with different broths, like miso or sesame, or menu them as a mix-and-match option so kids can customize

15. Thanksgiving on a Bun sandwich with gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce; a whole wheat bun is a nice better-for-them option

16. Banana Split Boat, made with soft serve or frozen yogurt, banana, citrus slices, berries, raisins, and/or grapes; top with granola, Graham crumbs or nuts for a crunchy finish

17. Loaded Pizza topped with kid-friendly veggies, reduced-fat cheese, and barbecued chicken or sliced turkey meatballs

18. Peanut-butter crackers or sandwiches made with sliced banana or fresh strawberries instead of sugary jelly

19. Roll-ups of all kinds, including wrap sandwiches, lettuce rolls, and sushi-type rolls

20. Fruit-laden smoothies and low-fat shakes

21. Ravioli and Tomato Sauce, or substitute tortellini or another fun stuffed pasta shape

22. Mac-and-Cheese Casserole with vegetables like peas, broccoli, spinach and/or tomatoes “snuck in”

23. Stuffed Baked Potato, or make them mini using a pair or trio of new potatoes with different fillings

24. Date and Nut Sandwiches with Cream Cheese, cut into triangles

25. Banana S’Mores (‘nuff said)

And remember that even simple presentation tricks like cutting sandwiches, pancakes and grilled chicken into fun shapes helps make kids’ menu items more appealing, fun and memorable.


5 Strategies for Building Staff Performance

By J. Clyde Gilfillan, Synergy Operations Specialist

Top-flight management performance is the price of entry in today’s very competitive restaurant market—it’s simply a mandate at this point. Are you engendering peak performance with staff or are you inhibiting it? Are you positioning yourself and your staff to work at elite levels or just maintaining an adequate level of efficiency, production, and execution?

Today, all leadership must not only be incredibly consistent, capable, and competent, it must also be exceptional, creating that one-in-a-hundred team that outperforms and out-produces the competition.

Let’s look at five methodologies you can use to keep your business and your team working at peak efficiency and optimum performance levels, at all times.

1. Communicate Effectively

• Your team needs lots of positive feedback; give it to them.

• Similarly, never underestimate the power of praise and recognition for team members—in front of others.

• Never ignore or sugarcoat underperformance issues. Address them quickly, instructively, and with compassion.

• Conducting sincere one-on-ones with staff members, and considering them vital for growth is a hallmark of effective leadership.

• It is important that you listen to your people and not just hear them. We “hear” sounds, but we “listen” (and comprehend) people.

2. Train Effectively

• You must develop your staff. It is that simple. Each and every day work with them to be better at their core competency.

• Teach teamwork and not individualism; each member is “special,” but the team is most important.

• Be a mentor and set up a mentoring system in your business at all levels.

3. Create a Positive Work Environment

• Set your people up for success and not failure—allow them to flourish without your ego getting in the way; let them have the “glory,” so to speak.

• Give your people the proper tools to get the job done; it’s amazing how many leaders too often assume that people know what to do or have the tools to do their job.

• Give your employees a sense of self-worth, and that they are contributing to the big picture. Everyone needs to know they are important and valued, especially when they feel a sense of being part of something big.

• Creating a fun, safe, hassle-free, and clean environment to work in has been a hallmark of many top-flight companies; in fact, many have made this their rallying cry for years.

• Always ask the question: Would you want your child to work here? You know what the answer should be. Is this the reality in your work environment?

• Be the employer of choice in your community, the go-to place where everyone wants to work—and will tell their friends and family this.

4. Strive For and Achieve Consistency

• You must be firm but fair with all employees; deep down, people are looking for firm, fair, and consistent treatment. The key here is fairness, not favoritism; consistency, not ever-changing leadership behavior or action.

• Be clear about levels of standards, levels of expectations, and levels of performance for all team members. Clarity is Job One for leaders.

• Decisions should be consistent across all departments and all employees.

• All managers should be on the same page, have the same objectives, and work toward common goals.

• All managers must have the same vision of what they want the business to be and where it is to go; this must come from the leader.

• “The rules” apply to everyone, including yourself, and you must demonstrate this.

5. Opportunity and Growth

• If you and your organization are not growing, then you are losing ground to your competition—this means growth of spirit, growth of sales and profits, and growth of team members.

• You should always focus on self-improvement first.

• You should create a sense of upward mobility in your business

• You should always look to promote within first

Using these methodologies will help you and your business move forward diligently and with purpose. The cornerstones, however, are commitment and discipline to stay with these principles, incorporate them into your strategic and tactical plans, and “live” them everyday in order to make them habits within your organization.


What’s Healthy Now

By Joan Lang 

 

Photo credit: Flickr CC by bittenword.com "Dijon-Cilantro Tuna Salad on Whole Grain Bread"
Photo credit: Flickr CC by bittenword.com “Dijon-Cilantro Tuna Salad on Whole Grain Bread”

Recent research from the NPD Group revealed what many of us already know implicitly: People like to indulge themselves when they eat in a restaurant. In fact, only 24% of U.S. consumers say they eat healthy when they dine out, compared to more than half of foodservice visitors who say they are healthy eaters at home.

After years of handwringing about obesity and legislation to require menu labelling, it’s still the consumer who’s driving the bus, and they don’t necessarily want to stop at the salad-and-club-soda station. And yet as an industry, we can’t ignore the USDA and Michelle Obama and the watchdog groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)—and we certainly can’t ignore that 24%.

The one word answer to the conundrum? Options. You can’t force customers to put down the french fries, but you can give them the choice of a side salad instead, without charging extra for it or making the thing a special request.

Use “variety” and “customization” as a starting point – It’s a given that customers want lots of different choices and the ability to customize their own dining experience: That much has always been clear. A restaurant in my neighborhood that specializes in over-the-top sandwiches like pulled pork and Grilled Triple Cheese & Bacon also offers the option of ordering any “sandwich” served on salad greens, instead of bread. How smart is that?

Cooperate with special requests – People are going to ask for sauce on the side, or double broccoli instead of broccoli and mashed. No staff eye-rolling, please. Let the servers be empowered to fulfill such requests, no big deal. And if you just can’t do it, maybe the manager could politely explain why, and offer up some kind of recompense.

Offer lots of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables – Many experts surmise that “fresh” equates to healthy in today’s marketplace; uber-successful concepts like Panera and Chipotle have demonstrated this. And nothing says fresh like the fruits and vegetables of the season. Use them throughout the menu. It’s very on-trend in this farmers’ market age, and it’s also a lot better for food costs than filling up the plate with protein.

Make sure healthy food tastes good – This may seem like a big duh, but healthy does not mean flavorless or boring. Even food that meets some of the strictest dietary requirements, like low-sodium, can be enlivened with herbs, citrus, chilis and other bold ingredients. And don’t forget the role that appearance, texture, color, aroma and even temperature play in satiation. Think of a Vietnamese spring roll or a piece of hot, freshly grilled salmon on a bed of cool fruit salsa—nothing unappealing there.

Pay attention to whole grains – Americans are starting to appreciate the flavor, texture and healthfulness of whole grains, from 12-grain sandwich bread to farro salads. In fact, grains are beginning to have a culinary moment, so be sure to build them into your selection of bread, sandwiches, side dishes and more.

Consider smaller portions – Let’s face it: A lot of people eat more than they need to, or should. Even if your concept is known for big portions, you can offer half-portions of popular items for less money, facilitate sharing of items like appetizers and desserts, or even play around with reducing the size of the actual plate. Some customers will thank you for it.

Answer demand for gluten-free and other food restrictions – If you haven’t gotten the requests, you’ve been living under a rock. For many customers, avoiding certain foods is what keeps them healthy, and the availability of selections that don’t include wheat, shellfish, dairy and other common triggers makes good business sense

Add some vegetarian or even vegan selections – These aren’t just for hippies and Buddhists anymore. Lots of people eschew meat to save calories, money, boredom or because they like the sound of that grilled vegetable lasagna description. On a well-written menu, even the meat eaters should have to look twice to find the items that don’t have it.

Focus on the kids menu – If the kids can eat healthy, their parents will be happy. And while kids can be even more demanding than adults, it certainly can’t hurt to put items like cut vegetables and dips, grilled or broiled chicken, fresh fruit, and low-fat dairy products on the children’s menu, especially if you have these ingredients on-hand anyway. They may not get ordered very frequently, but their very existence speak volumes about your commitment.

Look at all the menu categories – There should be at least one better-for-you option in every single menu section, including soups, appetizers, salads, side dishes and desserts. Oftentimes, these can do double-duty as the vegetarian or vegan selection, so why not make the effort?

Take a look at a good healthy menu – In the spirit of Steal this Idea, study the menus of successful healthy concepts and figure out what they’re doing right—and what strategies you can “borrow.” For starters, check out what’s on offer at LYFE Kitchen, Seasons 52, Hip CityVeg , Zoe’s Kitchen, and Dirt Candy.

Need help adding “healthy” to the selections on your menu? Contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants


Tip of the Month

If you haven’t read this article in QSR yet but want a powerful source of potential new brand ambassadors, read “How to Tap into the Mom Network.” Quick-serves aren’t the only segment that can benefit from the authoritative voice of “mommy bloggers” who support and promote your family-friendly restaurant brand.

 

 

Resources
>
BLOG

August 2013 Newsletter

Aug 20, 2013

Greetings!

We’ve been busy lately at Synergy Restaurant Consultants. New locations are being added in the foodservice economy, and more operators are interested in the potential of approachable, fast-casual concepts and the consumer appeal of such opportunities as snacking and the late-night daypart.

The Synergy process often starts with discovery, when key team members go out in the field and see what the competition is doing in any given geographic market or menu segment. On recent fact-finding excursions, we’ve been out to visit gourmet hot-dog and sausage concepts, pizza, ice cream, healthy menu options, Korean food, bakeshops, and of course burgers.

We’ve made an important new hire and forged some significant partnerships that will help deepen and strengthen our ability to provide our clients with the resources we need. In particular, we are welcoming Emily Callaghan on-board as our new Communications Manager.

And we’ve signed contracts with several new companies, including Tai Pak in Culiacan, Mexico; Ciao in Rapid City, SD; and Great Wolf Lodge properties throughout the United States.
Happy August to us all.

To your success,

Dean Small and Danny Bendas

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Controlling Workers’ Comp Costs

The costs associated with workers’ compensation have been identified as one of the top 5 costs of operating a restaurant . Experts will tell you that if you want to reduce your expenses, keep a close eye on the claims and the reasons for the claims. When you get a claim for workers’ comp, investigate it fully; find out the reason it happened, figure how it could have been avoided, and review what tools or systems can be put in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Reporting is the issue and the answer. If the operators on the ground who are supervising the locations on a daily basis—unit management, in other words—are aware of the core reasons for claims and provided with the tools and/or systems to stop future problems, they will be more effective at keeping incidents from happening. Repetition of claims is our worst enemy in trying to reduce reducing these costs. For example, if you focus on employees with multiple injuries and/or similar accidents that start occurring in multiple units, attention can be placed on these issues. When you focus on a specific problem, there will be solutions.

Restaurant operators who have been successful in this process (saving tons of money in the process) point to the same solutions: immediate analysis of a trend of injuries or specific equipment causing injuries allows them to address the problem before another incident can occur. Strong operators also understand the importance of their response to the employee during the process:

“Companies can produce significant reductions in disability costs when they improve the way supervisors respond to employees’ symptoms or concerns about work-related injuries. In some cases, the impact of the supervisor’s response on the disability outcome was more important than the severity of the injury or the quality of medical care. Workers who feel blamed, mistrusted, and belittled by their supervisors had considerably longer work absences than those whose supervisors expressed concern and talked to the injured worker about the availability of transitional work”.

On the other end of the workers’ compensation spectrum is the management of the claims. As with any other cost in our business, workers’ compensation is a game of managing those that manage our programs. With brokers recommending that every claim be filed with them (incurring an administrative cost, immediately), carriers focused on assessing reserves for claims on their books, and workers compensation attorneys adding billable hours from both sides of the claims, we employers are on our own. Your team is the only one who will care about your claims. When you manage them aggressively, you can reduce the cost of each claim substantially.

Constant communication by support personnel, return-to-work programs to assist the employee getting back to work, and managing the services that they are getting (many of which are unnecessary and that we pay for) represent the simple answer to reducing one of the most impactful cost increases that we are facing today in the restaurant business.

Sources:
EHS Today; Worker’s Compensation Costs Spiraling Out of Control; http://ehstoday.com/safety/best-practices/ehs_imp_37978

Fit 4 Work; Worker’s Compensation Educational Series; The Importance of Supervisor Training; www.Fit4Work.com.


Watch Out for the Other Guy—The Retail Guy

As if there weren’t enough competition already in the restaurant world comes this prediction from The NPD Group that prepared foods from supermarkets and other retail outlets will grow twice as much as restaurant visits over the next decade, clocking a growth rate of 10% versus the restaurant industry’s forecast of 4%.

There’s only so many meals to sell, in other words, and the retail market will build its share at the expense of the foodservice one. And we’re not talking rotisserie chicken here. These retailers are taking their pages directly from the restaurant playbook.

Anyone who’s been to a well-outfitted Whole Foods (which has almost 100 stores currently in development by the way), Byerly’s or Fresh & Easy will find this easy to believe—to say nothing of the growing roster of specialized gourmet grocery and prepared-foods stores that also offer fresh, convenient and healthy restaurant-quality options that can cost just a fraction of the price of a sit-down meal.

Take, for example, the fast-growing Greensboro, NC-based Fresh Market chain, which promises “high-quality products in a unique and inviting atmosphere, delivered with a high level of customer service.” Sounds like a pretty nice place to get dinner, doesn’t it? The company currently operates 135 stores in 26 markets, including such booming areas as Florida and the mid-Atlantic.

Or Wegman’s, the East Coast chain that actually hosts Amore Restaurant and Wine Bar in one of its Rochester, NY, stores. The company is so serious about the authenticity and appeal of the new restaurant that it sent a team of employees to Europe to research eating places in rural Italy and Switzerland.

New Jersey’s Kings Food Market recently doubled down on a new MarketSquare concept that includes such chef-inspired meal options as a hibachi station, hand-rolled sushi, hot soups, a fresh pizza bar and prepared sandwiches, as well as a full-service café dispensing pastries and specialty coffee.

And Mariano’s Fresh Market, a chain of 10 specialty grocery stores in the Chicago area, recently opened a flagship location in Frankfort, IL, that features the first of many planned Todds BBQ outlets, where customers can enjoy house-smoked ribs and other specialties either sitting down in the store or packed up to take home.

Then there are the convenience-stores and drugstores that are also horning in on the ready-to-eat market. No surprise why: At c-stores, prepared foods capture the most sales of any department, and many convenience-oriented road warriors find c-stores and QSRs to be quite interchangeable for their meal and snack needs. They fact that they can gas up the car and grab a quart of milk for home only adds to the incentive. As a result, food sales in the sector are booming.

Meanwhile, the behemoth drugstore chains continue to lock out the mom-and-pops by offering more and more amenities. Walgreen Co., for instance, is opening high-end stores that feature sushi chefs and a huge selection of alcohol, including $100 bottles of tequila and a touchscreen “virtual bartender” to tell you what to do with it. And Duane Reade has put fresh food on the menu in the form of sushi, sandwiches, salads, sandwiches and even beer to go with them.
.
Big retailers have big resources: square footage, parking, large staffs and the R&D support of corporate headquarters, access to ingredients, convenience and—as it is often pointed out—more of a commitment to healthy options. Restaurant operators can take the lessons where they find them, by paying attention to ways in which they can compete. Consider delivery, grab-and-go options, dedicated parking, online ordering, bulk packaging and other conveniences, and make sure you have menu items that don’t add to the calorie- and fat-load. Oftentimes, busy consumers are picking retail prepared foods as an alternative to cooking at home, not necessarily to eating out.


Tacos in Translation

 

tacos

One of the new breakout menu items of the last year or two has been the taco. Once a typically Mexican or Tex-Mex specialty consisting of a corn tortilla rolled around a filling, the taco’s trajectory in the United States has become both more authentic (thanks to increased interest in street food and taqueria concepts ) and more inventive (thanks to chefs like Roy Choi and the phenomenal popularity of his mashup Korean-style bulgogi taco).

What can’t you put in a taco, after all? Having recently wrapped up the opening of our project ¿Que Pasa? Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar in Rapid City, SD, we’ve been paying lots of attention to tacos lately, and have seen and tasted some amazing ones.

• In Los Angeles, where they know from tacos, the hip Xoia Vietnamese Eats serves crispy tacos stuffed with pho beef, which is long-simmered in a fragrant broth of cinnamon, star anise, and fish sauce and topped with fresh cilantro, red onion and Sriracha

• At Orale Mexican Kitchen, in Jersey City, a team of Rosa Mexicano alumni is serving up 8 different signature tacos, such as the Machin, which is filled with roasted bone marrow, crispy pork belly and shredded cabbage, and the Vegetariano with sautéed seitan, garlic, chipotle and rajas (charred poblanos and onions)

Huahua’s Taqueria opened in July in Miami Beach, with a menu featuring traditional as well as contemporary tacos, such as Grilled Mahi with cabbage, radish, cilantro, onion, and chili-lime vinaigrette, and BBQ Short Rib accessorized with pickled jalapeño and sweet heat coleslaw

• Tacos are getting the Jean-Georges Vongerichten treatment at ABC Cocina  in New York City, where the menu offers not only sweet pea guacamole and jamon Iberico, but also sautéed mushroom tacos with mole, kale and lime

• Also in New York, there’s Alex Stupak’s Empellon Cocina , where the out-there “taqueria” selections include Wild Spinach with chicken confit and hazelnut salsa, and the deli-riffing Shortrib Pastrami with pickled cabbage and mustard seed salsa

Mez Contemporary Mexican, in Durham, NC, serves $2-3 Happy Hour tacos encompassing Southern-inflected fillings, such as grilled chile rubbed North Carolina catfish fillet and pulled beef brisket with chipotle aioli. Daily specials might take the form of Pulled Pork Tacos (three flour tortillas filled with slow roasted pork. topped with habanero-peach salsa and crumbled feta cheese)

• In Salt Lake City, Taqueria 27 is billed as a modern Taqueria featuring unique interpretations of Latin American street food; the menu touts the P.B.L.T.A. (pork belly, lettuce, tomato and avocado with jalapeño mayo in flour tortillas); Grilled Pears & Roasted Beets (flour tortillas with spinach, blue cheese and Balsamic syrup); and Duck Confit (with fire roasted veggies, Chipotle Crema and crispy leeks)

• Almost immediately after shuttering their beloved West Town Tavern in Chicago, Susan and Drew Goss have reopened the space as the fast-casual Chicago Taco, showcasing $3 tacos (fried chicken with grilled corn; shortrib and sherry-garlic slaw; duck with apple, fennel and pesto cream; and smoked lamb shoulder with tomato Worcestershire and ginger-jicama-celery pickle ), plus house cocktails like the Salted Watermelon margarita

Meanwhile, fast-casual Mexican concepts in the mold of Chipotle are spreading the gospel of upgraded QSR tacos, using higher-quality ingredients (e.g., all-natural chicken), more authentic spices and seasonings (including chiles beyond jalapenos), and distinctive, housemade salsas.

Like two slices of bread, tacos are great because the tortilla can act as a vehicle for just about any saucy or flavorful filling—as the growing universe of creative taco concepts proves.
For help making your menu more innovative, contact Synergy Restaurant Concepts.


Tip of the Month

Curious about prepared foods and what the competition is doing with them? Check out this white paper from Technomic, where you may even get some ideas how to fight back.