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November 2011

Features

Asian invasion
Fresh, accessible takes on Asian ingredients and cooking techniques. Inviting, contemporary décor. Friendly, English-speaking service. Westernized trappings like wine and beer, specialty cocktails and desserts that aren’t made of red beans. They’re all part of a flurry of openings, upgrades and reboots aimed at wrapping Asian food in a more approachable, mainstream package that combines authentic food with the kind of amenities that appeal to non-ethnic diners....
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20-Minute University

Selling wine in a down market
The first time I realized how severely our guests were cutting back on wine purchases was in early 2009. After a not-so-busy Tuesday at the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, when we’d served about 100 guests, I noticed that there had been only one bottle of wine sold. All other was by the glass. This fact, combined with the doubling of sales calls from distributors and wineries eager or desperate to sell whatever they could, started me thinking....
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Cover Stories

Why you're not happy--but could be
The Champagne corks should have been popping for Eric Justice. Barely into his 40s, the admittedly driven chef had achieved the sort of success that instructors recount in culinary schools to stoke students’ dreams and determination. He was overseeing culinary operations for one of the industry’s hottest concepts, making a good income from a company hailed as a great and challenging place to work....
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How to stay happy when your restaurant stresses you out
We asked seven experts – including restaurant consultants, life coaches and bestselling authors–to offer their tips on keeping happy and coping with stress in the restaurant industry. Here’s what they came up with. David Wood Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Culinaire Dallas, TX...
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Menu R&D

The sandwich generation
Sandwiches continue to surge in popularity, thanks to a convergence of several forces. Today’s diners see sandwiches as a healthier, fresher more affordable choice—especially in the quickservice segment. The competition is fierce among fast-casual players to build premium sandwiches that satisfy this customer demand and differentiate their menu....
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A toast to the wrap
The best selling sandwich at Togo’s is the quarter-pound pastrami, “but at certain of our locations, there’s a strong demand for veggie options,” says Renae Scott, VP of branding and marketing. That was the thinking behind the launch of Viva Veggie, a toasted wrap that debuted this fall in all 242 locations of the San Jose, California-based chain....
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Grape expectations
Now that local produce is done for the season or in storage in many parts of the country, there are still tasty late fall and winter selections that can excite a chef and add color, flavor and creativity to the menu. Consider grapes, for instance. Juicy red, green and black table grapes from California and other domestic sources are available through January. In the thick of winter, grapes from Chile and other points south are abundant. While it’s natural to snip a cluster to garnish a plate or add to a salad, grapes can go beyond those applications....
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All steamed up
Say the word “steamer” front-of-house, and you’re referring to a soft-shell clam. Say “steamer” back-of-house, and you’re talking about one of the most-used pieces of cooking equipment. There are two basic types of steamers. In convection (or pressureless) steamers, a fan circulates the hot steam throughout the unit to cook. Pressure steamers allow the steam to build up in the chamber to cook the food more quickly. Both types of steamers are available in gas- or electric-powered models....
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Tempting the soft drink customer
Although consumption of carbonated soft drinks fell last year and CSDs lost market share, the category is still effervescent.  Sugary soft drinks are frequently maligned by watchdog groups, who blame them for a number of ailments. At the same time, the category has been slowly losing share to “better-for-you” beverages such as RTD teas, bottled water, sports and energy drinks and functional beverages....
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Skills

How to stay union-free
Unions are looking hard at the restaurant industry and apparently seeing opportunities for the organized labor cause. Actually getting traction may be challenging, but if you combine recent activity by groups like the IWW Food & Retail Workers Union and Restaurant Opportunities Centers United with recent initiatives that would make forming unions a relative snap, sticking your head in the sand isn’t the best course of action....
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MonkeyDish

Labor unions set their sights on restaurants
Think labor unions are someone else’s problem? Think again. While unions and other workers’ rights groups haven’t fed well at the restaurant trough to date, that scenario is poised to change. In fact, the American labor movement has set its sights on the service sector and may soon be headed, bullhorn in hand, to a restaurant near you. Consider:...
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Investigations of wage violations become more aggressive
There’s never a good time to cheat your workers out of their hard-earned pay. Having said that, now’s an even worse time to do it. Cities, states and the feds are getting more aggressive—and are working more closely—in nailing companies that play fast and loose with employee wages. And restaurants are one of their prime targets....
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