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Cary Miller Presents: PEOPLE SELLING THE FOOD INDUSTRY

Jason Brent and Scott Malak are with J&J Gaming, an Illinois based Video Gaming company which prides themselves on bringing their deep expertise to the video gaming experience. In addition to offering its customers a wide variety of popular video gaming selections, they also specialize in pool tables, darts, and other arcade style gaming to help keep your customers in your establishment longer. J&J has excellent customer support, 24/7 service, and route management software to make sure your video gaming machines are maximizing revenue. If your gaming contract is coming up for renewal or if you are considering gaming for your operation to help create a fun atmosphere, contact Jason or Scott today. You can see their ad on page 29 of this issue Earl Haraguchi and Frank Bicek are with Kikkoman, a firm making foodservice tastier every day. With all types of bowls more popular than ever, Kikkoman is leading the charge of helping restaurants to add depth of flavor to every menu item. For any Asian-style bowl, the secret is the sauce — and Kikkoman is the source. Their foodservice sauces save labor and add authentic flavor. Use them right from the bottle or mix, match and add creative touches to make signature sauces and dressings of your own. To get samples of Kikkoman products, call Frank Bicek. You can find his phone number in our Buyers Directories under Asian Food Products.

Morkata Shonora the founder of Chicago-based Anno Coffee,

a firm directly importing organically grown and naturally processed Green Coffee coming from the most fertile highlands of southern Ethiopia. Morkata has amassed immeasurable experience with Ethiopian green coffee production from farming to processing for commercial consumption. Morkata’s family has more than 25 years of experience in coffee, working in domestic supply to the central auction in Ethiopia and working directly with their grower farmers in Guji area of Ethiopia to exporting beans all over the world. The beauty of Anno Coffee is that they offer Green Coffee FOB Chicago at a very approachable price with no minimums. For those who wish to roast some of the finest coffee in the world contact Morkata today for free samples. You can see his ad on page 4 of this issue.

Edgar Moreno is the president of sales and marketing for his

family business, Ole Mexican Foods. He is joined by his daughter (and the next generation of leadership) at Ole, Jaylynn Moreno. Ole was founded in 1988 by Edgar’s mother Veronica, who made her tortillas using traditional ingredients and techniques passed down to her though generations. Today Ole is one of the leaders in the tortilla industry, with a full line of over 125 foodservice items and a full line of retail products. Ole products are available at most retail stores and foodservice distributors, which are made using the same principals that their small, family owned business embodies. Nicola Tangredi is the founder of Giorgio’s Naturals, a locally based producer of handcrafted dry aged salami founded in 2019. He is joined by his friend and mentor, Mario Rizzotti, an Italian Culinary expert, Iron Chef America Judge, and brand ambassador. Giorgio’s Naturals was established with the goal of uniting the old-world salami making traditions with a contemporary and modern feel. Their story traces its roots of making salami to the European tradition of slow drying meats. The product is sold to foodservice and retail operations and is produced in a USDA and 3rd party inspected plant.

Gilmar Arellano is the founder and owner Hay! Straws,

a firm producing straws and flatware Made from 100% bamboo which are fully compostable and gluten free. All of these items are wrapped for hygiene and convenience. The firm’s products include tall and standard size straws, bamboo cutlery, stir sticks and other items. If you are looking for more eco-friendly options, check our Hay! Straws.

SBA Finds $180M in Unused Funds

The National Restaurant Association wrote a letter to the Small Business Administration urging the agency to disburse $180 million in unallocated Restaurant Revitalization Fund money to eateries that qualified for the pandemic relief funding but never received it. “Now more than ever, every dollar appropriated by Congress for restaurant relief needs to be unlocked and put in the hands of operators struggling to keep their doors open,” the association’s Sean Kennedy wrote in the letter.

– Source: Restaurant Business

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States Spending Most on Dining Out

Washington DC spends the most on dining out, a new study shows. The study, conducted by meal kit comparison site Meal Delivery Experts, analyzed the average amount that households in each US state spend on dining out per year and compared them to find out which state spends the most.

The District of Columbia comes out on top, with its average household spending more than $6,000 dollars every year, which corresponds to $116 a week. This might be due to its position as capital of the country, where quality of life is expected to be more expensive in every aspect.

Second on the list is New Jersey, where dining out costs each household $4,918 a year, resulting in a spend of $94.59 per week. This is considerably lower than first placed

DC, but less than $100 more than the state in third place.

Massachusetts comes in third with $4,833 per year, $92.95 per week, while Maryland is fourth with an average of $4,780 per year spent by households on dining out, corresponding to $91.92 per week.

California closes the top five, and along with Hawaii, which comes in ninth, is the only state in the top 10 that is outside of the East Coast. Californian households spend an average of $4,739 on meals away from home each year, which corresponds to $91.13 spent each week.

The analysis was conducted by MealDeliveryExperts.com, which analyzes, reviews, and compares meal kit providers in the US. — Source: mealdeliveryexperts.com

Dining Out Spending Each Year: Top 20 States

Rank State Average Amount Spent Dining Out Per Year

1 District of Columbia 2 New Jersey 3 Massachusetts 4 5 Maryland California 6 Connecticut 7 8 Virginia New York

9

Hawaii 10 Washington 11 Colorado 12 New Hampshire 13 Alaska 14 Minnesota 15 Illinois

16 Utah

17

Texas 18 Delaware 19 Rhode Island 20 Oregon $6.051 $4.918 $4.833 $4.780 $4.739 $4.553 $4.435 $4.391 $4.381 $4.376 $4.298 $4.115 $4.113 $3.988 $3.963 $3.949 $3.802 $3.790 $3.747 $3.684

Amount Spent Per Week

$116.37 $94.59 $92.95 $91.92 $91.13 $87.56 $85.29 $84.45 $84.25 $84.16 $82.65 $79.13 $79.09 $76.69 $76.21 $75.94 $73.11 $72.88 $72.05 $70.86

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Walmart Buys Fleet of Delivery Vehicles

Walmart has signed an agreement with advanced mobility company Canoo to purchase 4,500 allelectric vehicles with the option to buy up to 10,000 units, a key component in achieving Walmart’s zero-emissions target by 2040. The vehicles will be driven by Walmart associates to deliver online grocery and general merchandise orders beginning in 2023.

– Source: Progressive Grocer

Some Dave & Buster’s May Change Into Main Event Units

Dave & Buster’s is considering converting some of its large locations into Main Event units as a part of Dave & Buster’s $835 million deal to acquire the eatertainment chain. The spacious units will better suit Main Event operations, which include large-format games such as bowling and laser tag, and could allow Dave & Buster’s to open small- to mediumsized locations in the same market following the conversion. Chicagoland’s Most Experienced & Knowledgeable

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Nicole Makowski and Century Energy president, Mike Hyman

Century Energy Helped Me Save Over $15,000 Last Year!

“We’ve worked with other brokers/consultants in the past, but none ever delivered the value that Mike and Century Energy

Solutions continually does. He is relentless in his drive to control gas and electric costs while reducing market risk. Mike’s strategy protected our bottom line in February 2021 from the high cost spot market, we hit our budget. So while others are worrying about how to pay hugely inflated gas bills, I am able to maintain focus on running my business. I would recommend

Mike and his Total Energy Strategy to anyone in the food industry.”

— Nicole Makowski, Owner, Makowski’s Real Sausage Company

See How Much You Can Save Today Call Mike Hyman: 630-817-3164