Move over Morton, iodized table salt is losing its popularity as more chefs and food products are using sea salt instead. In fact, in 2010 alone, sea salt has been introduced to nearly 1,350 food products.

So what’s so special about sea salt, anyways? Actually, sea salt has many differences in comparison to its table salt counterpart. Harvested from evaporated seawater, sea salt has a coarser and crunchier texture and also is bigger in surface area. Many favor sea salt because they say it is more flavorful. Moreover, because of sea salt’s stronger flavor profile, you may find yourself using less of it than regular table salt, which can result in a lower-sodium diet.

Even big names in the fast-food industry are getting in on the trend and marketing their use of sea salt. Take the popular chain, Wendy’s, for example. They’ve just introduced their new Natural-Cut fries with Sea Salt – a bold move in the french fries wars amongst big name rivals like McDonald’s and Burger King. New products guru from Mintel, Lynn Dornblaser believes that sea-salt has the potential to “grow as fast as low-carb did.”

So who else is using sea salt? Campbell’s, Target brand Archer Farms, and Whole Foods are all proudly labeling sea salt on their packages. If you want to offer a new twist with your menu items and appeal to this new trend, there are many things you can do with salts. Did you know you can smoke them or even flavor them with other seasonings such as mushroom powder, smoked paprika or even lemongrass? Smoked salt is a really easy way to add smoked flavor to any food. Its strong aroma is ideal on meats and vegetables.

Will this new trend affect your restaurant menu?

What’s the best marketing tool for a new restaurant? Some may say the best option is direct marketing like giving out coupons, while others believe word of mouth is king. In this age, social media has dominated in terms of creating buzz for businesses. Facebook and Twitter are the big names most people think of when it comes to social networking and naturally many operators are turning here to create awareness of their businesses.

But have you ever heard of Foursquare? No, not the childhood game you used to play during recess. Foursquare is a unique social networking tool that can bring eager new traffic to your restaurant. How does it work? “Foursquare is a mobile application that makes cities easier to use and more interesting to explore. It is a friend-finder, a social city guide and a game that challenges users to experience new things, and rewards them for doing so. Foursquare lets users “check in” to a place when they’re there, tell friends where they are and track the history of where they’ve been and who they’ve been there with.” You reward people for checking in at your establishment – the more they check-in, they’ll have higher chances of achieving “Mayor” status and in turn, you reward this frequent guest with special discounts!

So how do you get started? After creating a business profile on FourSquare.com, you’ll want to make sure people know you’re registered and offering great deals. On your website, place a badge that says “Find Us on FourSquare.” You can also place a sign in your restaurant (like a window sticker) that says this as well.

What kind of incentives can you offer? You can use Foursquare’s tools to create customized specials:

• Mayor Specials: unlocked only by the Mayor of your venue. Who’s the Mayor? It’s your single most loyal customer! (the user who has checked in the most in the last 60 days)
(“Foursquare has deemed you the Mayor? Enjoy a free order of french fries!”)
• Check-in Specials: unlocked when a user checks in to your venue a certain number of times.
(“Foursquare says you’ve been here 10 times? That’s a free drink for you!”)
• Frequency-based Specials: are unlocked every X check-ins.
(“Foursquare users get 20% off any entree every 5th check-in!”)
• Wildcard Specials: always unlocked, but your staff has to verify some extra conditions before awarding the Special.
(“Show us your foursquare Swarm badge and get a free drink!”)
• And more to come!

Some Foursquare ideas for restaurants:

– Half-off drinks every Thursday when you show that you’ve checked-in.
– Free entree when you become a Mayor!
– Buy one get one free coupon for every 6 check ins!

Essentially with Foursquare, you can build a great new repeat customer base for your restaurant. It’s fun, it’s social, and it’s gaining a lot of attention!

And so, 2010 will soon be coming to a close. What indulgent treats will be dominating the restaurant industry landscape in 2011? Well, cupcakes have had a great run in the last few years, with names like Sprinkles and Crumbs driving droves of sweet-tooth foodies forming lines out the door at their locations. A recent article published by Nation’s Restaurant News shows that pies will be making a come-back this coming year.  Upon reading that article I headed to NYC for a food eating mission and guess what I had for dessert?

The all-American dessert and comfort food, though less glamorous than fancy cupcakes or international favorites like tiramisu or flan, may very well be in the forefront in 2011. It’s predicted that even savory and bite-sized pies will gain popularity as well, not to mention the inventive, “pies blended into milkshakes” variety.

In New York City, up-and-coming restaurant Hill Country Chicken, a unique concept, serves casual fried chicken and pie. Owner Marc Glosserman ‘s goal was to create a restaurant that honored his childhood memories unpretentious, Texas home style cooking. Specializing in pies is what caught my eye on my visit – at Hill Country, there’s an impressive selection of pies, from whole pies to mini pies, all handmade fresh, daily. There are actually a dozen, carefully chosen different pie varieties and yes, they serve pie shakes! A piece of pie, a few scoops of ice cream and a splash of milk completes this decadent drink. To leverage this trend think outside the box and be innovative in your thinking!  How is this for an idea: “Pie In The Sky” which could be apple pie and ice cream served in a foot tall margarita glass.  When it comes to menu innovation our team makes it a point to keep its finger on the pause of industry trends.

Deliciously satisfying, pies are the ultimate American comfort food. Keep your eye out for more pie concepts coming out in 2011.

The popular franchise Hooters, best known for hot wings and hot servers, has new similar concepts giving them a run for their money. Focusing on more upscale food and better guest service, restaurant chains like Tilted Kilt, Brick House and Twin Peaks are competing for the mid-thirty year-old male target demographic.

Not surprisingly, men respond very well to an all-female wait staff. At Tilted Kilt, a gastropub, service goes beyond just attractive faces and skimpy outfits. Each waitress is required to follow particular customer service rules like introducing themselves by their nicknames, covertly writing down the customers name and using that in the 10 minute conversations they keep going on with each guests. This system is designed to build a special connection between guest and server and ultimately to bring in more regulars. Waitresses here divulge that on busy nights, they can make upwards of $150 just in tips. With just 14 locations in the US, Tilted Kilt hopes to expand very soon to new areas.

It’s not just fast casual eateries and pubs that are targeting this demographic. Sexy baristas are drawing in many regular clientele as well. Coffee establishments as small as a drive-thru stand (Cowgirls Espresso of Arlington, Washington) have exploded in popularity with waitresses making and serving specialty drinks in revealing outfits. And at Baristas Coffee Co. based in Kent Washington, each day there’s a special costume theme like Naughty Nurse or Catholic School Girl. Business is booming at these so-called, “sexpresso” establishments.

It’s clear the growth in these businesses comes from knowing who their target customer is. The point is, define your target customer and build your concept to drive them in if you too want to reap the full potential of your concept!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just granted 5 jurisdictions, Los Angeles County, Broome and Schectedy counties in New York, New York City, Shawnee County in Kansas, and Shasta County in California, $1.9 million for sodium-reducing initiatives in foodservice establishments, including restaurants, school, grocery stores and food suppliers. The goal of this 3 year grant is to raise awareness of the health dangers and effects of foods prepared with large amounts of sodium and to initiate at least one major sodium-reduction policy in each region.

For example, Los Angeles County is planning to launch a program to monitor the compliance of restaurants with federal menu labeling mandates, which requires restaurant chains of 20 or more to post nutritional information, like sodium and calories. The case for regulating our salt intake has been a hot issue in the past decade as many Americans have suffered illnesses and death from heart-related conditions that may derive from high sodium diets. Many diners these days are seeking out restaurants that can cater to a healthy lifestyle. At Synergy, we are experts are reverse-engineering menu items to accommodate specific nutritional guidelines. If you feel your restaurant requires a nutritional menu update, please contact our offices for a complimentary evaluation.