What's your beef?
It’s a tough time for meat lovers. Top quality beef is scarcer and very expensive and cash-strapped customers are trading down from steak and chops to burgers. “People would rather spend $7 to $9 at the supermarket than $25 at a restaurant,” says Mark Solasz, partner in New York City’s Master Purveyors. That coupled with low supply is making it challenging for restaurants to purchase meat and turn it into profitable center-of-the-plate items—without raising menu prices....
Cutting up with the pros
Three meat industry mavens share their strategies for purchasing and menuing underutilized cuts: Scott Popovic, corporate chef with Certified Angus Beef, Michael Allemeier, certified chef de cuisine, Canada’s Beef Information Centre and Mark Solasz, partner, Master Purveyors.
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Product cutting: Flank steak
Flank steak is one of the most difficult thin meats to evaluate since it’s all muscle. Even prime grade has very little or no marbling—a typical indicator of quality. But these points can help steer you toward the best purchase....
The meat market
Supplies of beef and pork are just starting to rebound, as ranchers and hog farmers slowly ramp up production in step with moderately increased demand. But expect prices to remain elevated through the end of the year; about 10 to 20 percent higher than they were in 2009, says Bill Lapp, commodity expert and president of Advanced Economic Solutions in Omaha, Nebraska....
Promoting Portland
When Food Services of America (FSA) fights for its customers, it’s not just about beating back competitors. It’s also about fighting for customers’ survival by helping to put more “butts in seats.” The company’s Portland branch has led the way in this regard with an initiative called Dining Out in the Northwest, or DO IT NW....
Wine bargains: Go global for grape values
Searching out bargain wines is a priority these days, as operators strive to give customers a price break yet still keep margins strong. The Internet has made that job easier; even the smallest wine producer has a Web site, and even modest-sized importers and distributors put their catalogs online....
Walls and ceilings: Cover-ups
With their typical bland colors and limited materials palette, one would assume that not much thought is given to selecting the workman-like coverings for walls and ceilings in restaurant kitchens— and it’s easy to see why it might appear that way: If no one is going to see it, does it really matter what goes on them? “Kitchen walls, even though they’re out of the public eye,” says Robert Doland of Jacobs Doland Foodservice Consultants, “still need to perform to a high functional standard....
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