September 2016 Digital Issue

BUILDING A BREAKFAST

EMPIRE For Cora Tsouflidou, founder of Cora Breakfast and Lunch, every plate tells a story

SAY SI TO FLAVOUR

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Exciting flavour profiles are driving the popularity of ethnic restaurant offerings

NAVIGATING NUTRITION Diners want healthier food — but they’re not always sure what that means

2016 EQUIPMENT TRENDS REPORT Smaller and smarter appliances dominate space-challenged kitchens

PLUS THE 2016 COFFEE & TEA REPORT

Younger consumers are impacting trends in this segment foodserviceandhospitality.com $4 | SEPTEMBER 2016

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VOLUME 49, NUMBER 6 SEPTEMBER 2016

CONTENTS 64

29

24 PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID CURLEIGH [COVER, CORA TSOUFLIDOU], JOSHUA PARSONS [CHEF STEVE HARDY]

Features

14 SAY SI TO FLAVOUR Canadian diners seeking more exciting flavour profiles are driving the popularity of ethnic restaurants By Mary Luz Mejia

41 BREWING INNOVATION When it comes to coffee and tea, a new generation of consumers is entering the spotlight By Danielle Schalk

24 BUILDING A BREAKFAST EMPIRE

47 TEA TIME

For Cora Tsouflidou, founder of Cora Breakfast and Lunch, every plate tells a story Interview by Rosanna Caira 29 NAVIGATING NUTRITION

Canadian culture takes centre stage at this year’s Canadian Coffee & Tea Show in Toronto

By Eric Alister

Diners want healthier food — but they’re not always sure what that means

By Sarah B. Hood

48 SANDWICH WARS Canadians still love sandwiches, but traditional delis are struggling for market share

By Amy Bostock and Andrew Speller

37 CULTURE CLUB Coffee Culture celebrates 10 years of offering a unique café experience with aggressive expansion planned for the GTA

By Amy Bostock

53 MAKING ROOM FOR PROFITS

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

62 NRA PRODUCT ROUND-UP

Cool new tech from Chicago’s National Restaurant Association show

Departments 2 FROM THE EDITOR 5 FYI 13 FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER 64 CHEF’S CORNER: Steve Vardy,

Adelaide Oyster House, St. John’s, Nfld.

Appliances are getting smaller and smarter as operators look to stretch their budgets By Denise Deveau

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

1

FROM THE EDITOR For daily news and announcements: @foodservicemag on Twitter

and Foodservice and Hospitality on Facebook.

PLANTING THE SEED

N

“

Many of today’s changes are being fuelled by the millennial demographic, whose choices are often spurred by being ethically and environmentally minded

”

2 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

o matter how much we like to believe we are eating healthier, sometimes our actions belie our intentions. Sure, Canadians are more educated about healthy food choices — cognizant of the importance of eating an increased number of servings of fruits and veggies, fish and seafood. But, as much as we may know and understand this truth, do we always adhere to it?

After all, who amongst us doesn’t like to indulge — even just a little a bit — when we dine out?

Interestingly, today’s consumers may opt for leafy greens at their favourite QSR at lunch but then they drench it with dressing and add fries to their order.

They may skimp on the bread basket when dining out for dinner, but then succumb to the temptation of dessert.

We may claim to eat well, but then load up on coffee and saturate it with cream and sugar. (According to statistics from the American Heart Association, cited in the July/August issue of Clean Eating magazine, Americans consume an average of 22 to 30 teaspoons of added sugar a day, instead of the recommended six for women and nine for men).

Still, despite the dichotomy, there are more, healthier alternatives than ever before. And, not so surprisingly, many of today’s changes are being fuelled by the millennial demographic, whose choices are often spurred by being ethically and environmentally minded. But, with so much healthy eating information being thrown at us, it’s sometimes challenging to make sense of the multiple messages we’re being fed. What is truly considered healthy? What does clean eating really mean? How important is it to eat organic products? And how relevant are calories as a true measurement of healthy eating?

What can consumers really believe?

With so much in flux, how should operators respond to the changing

landscape? In this month’s Navigating Nutrition story, on p. 29, writer Sarah Hood takes a look at how foodservice operators are dealing with the myriad changes and deciphering the complexity of today’s marketplace.

Amidst the changing landscape, it’s not surprising that more operators are taking the lead in offering greater choice in this area. As an example, Toronto-based Chase Hospitality recently launched a new restaurant called Planta, which claims 25 per cent of its menu is plantbased. The restaurant, which opens this month, is evidence that more chefs are now planting the seed for change.

According to Micaela Cook Karlsen, a doctoral candidate in nutritional epidemiology and author of a new book called A Plant-based Life, there is growing evidence demonstrating the benefits of switching to a plant-based diet. “Going plant-based doesn’t mean you have to give up meat and chicken totally,” she says, “but if you make fruits and vegetables the main part of the meal, and use meat to support the menu, you’ll be on your way to a more plant-based diet,” she says, adding that plant-based diets give us the best chance for living a long, healthy life free of chronic diseases.”

And, who doesn’t want that?

Rosanna Caira Editor/Publisher rcaira@kostuchmedia.com

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

EDITOR & PUBLISHER ROSANNA CAIRA rcaira@kostuchmedia.com ART DIRECTOR MARGARET MOORE ideas@margaretmoorecreative.com MANAGING EDITOR AMY BOSTOCK abostock@kostuchmedia.com ASSISTANT EDITOR DANIELLE SCHALK dschalk@kostuchmedia.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ERIC ALISTER ealister@kostuchmedia.com MULTIMEDIA MANAGER DEREK RAE drae@kostuchmedia.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER COURTNEY JENKINS cjenkins@kostuchmedia.com SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER/U.S.A. WENDY GILCHRIST wgilchrist@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER MARIA FAMA VIECILI mviecili@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER MAGGIE SPENCE mspence@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER CHERYLL SAN JUAN csanjuan@kostuchmedia.com CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSOCIATE ELENA OSINA eosina@kostuchmedia.com CIRCULATION PUBLICATION PARTNERS kml@publicationpartners.com, (905) 509-3511 CONTROLLER DANIELA PRICOIU dpricoiu@kostuchmedia.com FOUNDER MITCH KOSTUCH

ADVISORY BOARD CARA OPERATIONS KEN OTTO CORA FRANCHISE GROUP DAVID POLNY CRAVE IT RESTAURANT GROUP ALEX RECHICHI FAIRFAX FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED NICK PERPICK FHG INTERNATIONAL INC. DOUG FISHER FRESHII MATTHEW CORRIN JOEY RESTAURANT GROUP BRITT INNES KATIE JESSOP REGISTERED DIETITIAN LECOURS WOLFSON LIMITED NORMAN WOLFSON MANITOWOC FOODSERVICE JACQUES SEGUIN SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY & TOURISM MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH BRUCE MCADAMS SENSORS QUALITY MANAGEMENT DAVID LIPTON SOTOS LLP JOHN SOTOS SOUTH ST. BURGER CO. JAY GOULD THE HOUSE OF COMMONS JUDSON SIMPSON THE MCEWAN GROUP MARK MCEWAN UNILEVER FOOD SOLUTIONS NORTH AMERICA GINNY HARE

To subscribe to F&H, visit foodserviceandhospitality.com VOLUME 49, NUMBER 6 Published 11 times per year by Kostuch Media Ltd., 23 Lesmill Rd., Suite 101, Toronto, Ont., M3B 3P6. Tel: (416) 447-0888, Fax (416) 447-5333, website: foodserviceandhospitality.com.

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MONTHLY NEWS AND UPDATES FOR THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY

THE ERA OF FOOD CONCERN

Canadians’ concern with what they put into their bodies continues to expand and food operators can’t afford to ignore it

BY ERIC ALISTER

FYI

A

s Montreal-based analytics firm, Havas Worldwide Canada described in its most-recent Eaters Digest, The Future of Food, Canada has entered the “era of food concern.”

Whereas our ancestors’ only food concern was to get as much of it as possible to avoid starvation and continue procreating, food today plays a much larger role in Canadians’ lives.

Food has become a daily testament to who we are and how we are choosing to live our lives.

Such values, commonly attributed to the millennial generation, are also gaining considerable traction among baby boomers, who’ve traditionally shown less concern in the matter. In fact, 56 per cent of baby boomers now claim what they eat says a lot about who they are.

The era of food concern, according to Havas, presents a significant hurdle for the foodservice industry: as people become more engrossed with what is in the products they eat, their relationships with food brands weaken.

Throughout 2016, a greater number of foodservice operators have answered consumers’ burgeoning demands for healthier food choices that are sourced more responsibly and sustainably. The Chase Hospitality Group (CHG) is one such contender, having recently taken bold steps toward strengthening consumer trust.

The Toronto-based group, which includes The Chase, The Chase Fish & Oyster, Colette Grand Café, Kasa Moto and Little Fin, began serving 25 per cent plant-based menus at all of its locations in June, which the company says will elevate the guest experience while improving the lives of farmers and minimizing CHG’s impact on oceans and the broader ecosystem. New menu items include The Chase Fish & Oyster’s pesto spaghettoni ($19); Colette Grand Café’s quinoa and mushroom vegetarian burger ($19); and Kasa Moto’s sweet-and-spicy cauliflower ($14).

CHG’s next big announcement came in late July when the group revealed its partnership with Nota Bene owner/chef David Lee to open Planta — an entirely plant-based restaurant — in early September 2016. Located in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood, Planta’s globally inspired menu is a collaboration between Lee and CHG’s culinary leaders, chef Michael Steh and chef Tyler Shedden, and offers guests a fresh dining alternative.

THE CANADIAN ADVANTAGE

A recent article in Manitoba Co-operator, identified trust as the single most important ingredient in modern food production.

Consumers’ trust in food production practices is plummeting, but as most countries continue to focus on methods of increasing food production to feed the growing global population, Canada has zeroed in on a bigger problem — how to produce food more sustainably. Consumers in countries such as China have reached such a point of distrust in their local agriculture that online food trade has become a booming business. Canada, with its abundance of renewable freshwater and arable land, has a unique advantage in the race to become one of the globally trusted sources for food supply. The determining factor rests in the nation’s ability to make the right choices and push its food suppliers to share the common goal of sustainability.

CLEANER MENUS In August, McDonald’s announced it will begin eliminating artificial ingredients from some of its most popular menu items. These changes will include making the chain’s Chicken McNuggets, as well as other items, free from artificial preservatives and removing high-fructose corn syrup from its burger buns. By removing these ingredients, the chain strives to appeal to more health-conscious consumers following three straight years of declining guest counts at its established U.S. locations. McDonald’s Canada has yet to release a clear statement regarding how many of these changes will be mirrored at the chain’s Canadian locations.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

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NIAGARA’S BUZZING

Niagara College has launched a Commercial Beekeeping Graduate Certificate program — the first of its kind in Eastern Canada.

The launch was celebrated at the Niagara Greenhouse at the Niagaraon-the-Lake campus. Faculty, staff, students, as well as representatives of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) were on hand to mark the beginning of the program, which was developed in consultation with the OBS to meet the growing demand for highly trained beekeepers. The announcement was followed by a tour of the on-campus apiary, which includes 30 actively managed hives and will serve as a key hands-on learning environment for students in the program.

EARLS STILL INNOVATING

Earlier this summer, Earls Restaurants Ltd. unveiled its new prototype concept at Bankers Hall in downtown Calgary. Earls.67 is a oneoff prototype restaurant developed to test all new things in concept, food, drink and design.

Developed in conjunction with Glasfurd & Walker and Ste. Marie — the studios behind some of Canada’s most inspiring independent restaurants — Earls.67 was built around the essence of dining as a social connection, leading the new restaurant to build a menu focused on high-quality ingredients and share plates served in a modern, comfortable and collaborative space. “Earls.67 is what happens when the best in the business come together to think critically about the future of the restaurant experience,” says Mo Jessa, president of Earls. The restaurant is located in a 10,000-sq.ft. multi-use space and features five unique areas designed to fit guests’ different moods and desires — Lobby Lounge, Bankers Bar, Canteen, Beer Patio and a two-level, glassed-in Atrium with private dining space.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

LOGO FACELIFT

Subway restaurants recently revealed an update to its iconic logo, along with a new symbol designed to bring the brand to life in the digital space. The update is the next step in the evolution of the brand, following menu enhancements and the launch of Subway Digital earlier this year. “We are on an exciting journey to meet the changing tastes of our guests,” says Suzanne Greco, president and CEO of Subway. “The Subway brand is recognized throughout the world, and this new look reinforces our commitment to staying fresh and forwardthinking with a design that is clear and confident without losing sight of our heritage.”

The logo’s core colours have been optimized to live and work across all channels and the symbol, a new asset for the brand, distills the iconic arrows into a powerful and simple mark. Capturing the essence of the brand in a smaller footprint, the arrows symbolize the choices Subway provides its guests. The new logo and symbol, along with additional visual assets, will roll out to all Subway restaurants, communications and digital experiences worldwide beginning in early 2017.

COMING EVENTS Sept. 9-11: WE Harvest Festival, Fort Malden National Historic Site, Amhertsburg, Ont.Tel: 519-736-2001; email: weharvest@gmail.com; website: weharvestfest.com/events Sept. 12: Gordon Food Service Show, Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre, Winnipeg. Tel: 866-509-5912; email: wpg-info@gfs.ca; website: gfs.ca Sept.12: CAFP’s The Changing Faces of Foodservice, The Mississauga Convention Centre, Mississauga, Ont. Tel: 905-466-5628; website: cafp.ca Sept.15-18: CHFA East Conference and Trade Show, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto. Tel: 800-661-4510; email: info@chfa.ca; website: chfa.ca Sept. 22: Kostuch Media’s Icons & Innovators Breakfast featuring George Cohon, Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Toronto. Tel: 416-447-0888 x235; email: dpricoiu@kostuchmedia.com; website: foodserviceandhospitality.com/shop Oct. 5: Gordon Food Service Show, Northland Expo, Hall E, Edmonton. Tel: 800-232-7285; email: edm-info@gfs. ca; website: gfs.ca/en/about-us/newsevents/come-join-us-in-edmonton Oct. 18: Gordon Food Service Show, PNE Coliseum, Vancouver. Tel: 800-6631695; email: bc-info@gfs.ca; website: gfs.ca/en/about-us/news-events/comejoin-us-in-vancouver Oct. 29: 2016 Canadian Hospitality Foundation Gala, Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto. Tel: 416-363-3401; email: chf@ theohi.ca; web: thechf.ca Dec. 2: The 28th Annual Pinnacle Awards, Fairmont Royal York, Toronto.

Tel: 416-447-0888, ext. 235; email: dpricoiu@kostuchmedia.com; website: kostuchmedia.com

FOR MORE EVENTS, VISIT http://bit.ly/FHevents FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

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FYI

RESTO BUZZ

Ricarda’s 134, showcasing modern Mediterranean fare made with locally sourced ingredients, opened its doors this summer at the new QRC West building in Toronto’s entertainment district. The new eatery features food stations, which allow guests to meet the chefs and see firsthand how each Mediterranean-inspired dish is prepared. There is also Lavelle a bakery and cocktail lounge featuring menus helmed by executive chef Sam Girgis and bakery head Sarah Tsai…Lavelle, one of North America’s largest rooftop pools, has opened in Toronto. Situated atop a King St. West condo, Lavelle offers a restaurant/bar experience coupled with a 155-ft.-long infinity pool. From Lavelle’s 16,000-sq.-ft. rooftop patio, guests can enjoy a view of Toronto’s skyline while sipping cocktails in the pool or enjoying French cuisine on the poolside. The menu is crafted by former La Société executive chef, Romain Avril…Joey Restaurants Group has opened its newest location, Joey Bell Tower, in downtown-Edmonton. The new spot boasts a number of features that are a first for the chain, such as an open kitchen with glass walls and a bar island, which hosts a juicing station. The menu boasts a number of new dishes created by Joey executive chef Chris Mills including Osaka-style pressed salmon sushi; Night Market Curry Dip; and Chef’s daily rotisserie chicken…lbs., (an acronym for lobster, burgers and salad, pronounced “pounds”) located in downtown Toronto, opened in June. The seafood joint seats 140 and is the brainchild of restaurateurs Jonathan Gonsenhauser and Will Tomlinson. The menu consists of only four choices — a hamburger, lobster salad, lobster roll and a whole lobster — for $22 each.

Opening a new restaurant? Let us in on the buzz. Send a high-res image, menu and background information about the new establishment to abostock@kostuchmedia.com.

IN BRIEF

In the past two months, five new Browns Socialhouse locations opened in Western Canada — in Kamloops, Surrey and Victoria, B.C., and in Camrose and Edmonton, Alta.

— bringing the chain’s total restaurant count to 58 locations. The company also opened its second London Bull eatery, this time in Fort St. John, B.C. Five more Browns Socialhouse locations are slated to open in the next few months…East Side Mario’s recently hosted the Niels Kjeldsen Pasta Challenge Award at CW Shasky in Oakville, Ont. During the event, five Canadian finalists competed for the best pasta dish. The contest’s judges, East Side Mario’s executive chef Kevin Maniaci and Barilla executive chef Lorenzo Boni, awarded Steven Brown with first prize for his vegetarian Zesty Sun-dried Tomato Feta Fettuccine…

Starbucks entered the bakery business in July, when the company announced its role as global licensee and investor in the Italian boutique bakery and café, Princi. The investment team, which includes Milan-based Angel Lab

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and Pekepan Investments, will focus on expanding the number of standalone Princi locations worldwide, as well as making Princi the exclusive food purveyor at the new Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Rooms in Shanghai and New York…Tim Hortons’ new bottled Iced Capp beverages are now available at major grocery and convenience retailers across the country. The coffee-based beverage is blended with 100-per-cent Canadian milk and comes in original, mocha and vanilla flavours…The new Earls.67 concept restaurant in Calgary has opted to eliminate tipping, instead adding a 16-percent ‘hospitality charge’ to diners’ bills. The 16-per-cent hospitality charge will be divided among all hourly staff in what will amount to a higher consistent wage…Tawse Winery was named Canadian Winery of the Year by WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada. This is the fourth time the winery has received this honour in the last seven years. Tawse Winery was previously awarded Winery of the Year in three consecutive years: 2010, 2011 and 2012…Dan Aykroyd unveiled his new Crystal Head Aurora Vodka in Toronto this summer. Named for the Aurora Borealis, the vodka is available in a skull-shaped bottle with an iridescent design to celebrate the most vivid aerial phenomenon in the world. The vodka has already won a gold medal for excellent taste from the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2016…The Citizen Restaurant + Bar in Toronto’s King West district unveiled its revamped menu this summer. Created by the restaurant’s new co-chefs — former Chopped Canada contestant, Jonathan O’Callaghan and Binh An Nguyen — the menu reflects the belief that sitting down to eat should always be enjoyable and fun

PEOPLE

Geoff Carker has joined the Pan Pacific Vancouver as the hotel’s new executive chef. Carker has more than 16 years of culinary experience, with a professional history that includes past positions with the Fairmont Vancouver Airport and Fairmont Hotel Vancouver…

Weimar Gomez is the new executive chef at Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver. A 16-year Four Seasons’ veteran, Weimar will be overseeing YEW Seafood + Bar and its sustainable seafood focus, as well as catering and events…Chef Jason Bangerter, executive chef at Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa, a Relais & Chateaux property in Cambridge, Ont., has created a new custom signature chocolate for the historic hotel and restaurant. The signature chocolate was created in partnership with Langdon Hall’s pastry chef Rachel Nicholson at the Or Noir Lab in Paris, France.

SUPPLY SIDE

Elsevier has released the latest edition of its Handbook of Hygiene Control in the Food Industry, which it showcased alongside 11 additional food science and safety titles at this year’s Institute of Food Technologists Expo…Beretta Farms has launched an online boutique butcher shop, offering delivery of frozen products across Canada within 48 hours. The Frozen Butcher offers humanely raised certified organic, antibiotic and hormone-free beef, pork, chicken and sustainably sourced seafood — all of which are frozen and individually vacuum-sealed to preserve freshness…Flashfood, a new Canadian app, hopes to put a major dent in food waste by allowing Toronto restaurants and retailers to sell leftover, discarded or unused food directly to customers at a discounted price.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

ADVERTORIAL

INTERNATIONAL HOSPITALITY EXHIBITION RETURNS TO MILANO From October 20 to 24, 2017, Host, the leading bi-annual trade fair for the retail and Hotel Restaurant and Catering (HoReCa) industry, will be showcasing the latest industry innovations and offering training to professionals.

For the last 50 years, Host has transformed Milan into the capital of the hospitality and foodservices sectors. Held in the pavilions at the Fiera Milano in Rho, a complex designed by the renowned architect Massimiliano Fuksas, Host attracts hundreds of thousands of professionals from five continents.

This year, which marks the event’s 40th anniversary, Canada will be featured as one of three target regions for the 2017 event, along with the Middle East and the U.S. The Canadian restaurant business, which has enjoyed 25 years of uninterrupted growth, has in recent times turned its attention to Host and the number of Canadian visitors to the last two Host shows has grown by 40 per cent.

The fair occupies 16 display halls and is divided into three macro-areas: Professional Catering - Bread-Pizza-Pasta; Cafes - Tea, Ice Cream & Pastry, Bars, Coffee and Vending Machines; and Furnishings and Tableware. With more than a year to go before the opening, 65 per cent of the dedicated space has already been pre-booked and more than 800 businesses and companies have reconfirmed their intention to return. The process has already begun for the selection of the 1,500 profiled buyers from every corner of the world. Their presence will boost business and help match supply to demand.

We have an agreement with Restaurants Canada association to increase the number of Canadian exhibitors and buyers

THE HAWK AND THE DAVID HAWKSWORTH’S HOTLY ANTICIPATED NIGHTINGALE RESTAURANT OPENS AT VANCOUVER’S MNP TOWER

NOW OPEN

E NIGHTINGALE ORIGINALLY ANNOUNCED IN 2014, chef David Hawksworth’s new restaurant blends the building’s historical features with modern flare for a rustic-chic look.

The space features exposed copper pipes, high ceilings, remodeled library furniture and a sleek marble bar. Located in the harbour district of Vancouver’s business core, the 7,400-sq.-ft. venue boasts 180 seats divided on two levels, with the main floor playing host to a bar and lounge, while a mezzanine houses the dining room and an expansive kitchen — complete with chef’s table.

The menu features globally influenced dishes created using local ingredients such as charred carrots with almond, cilantro, guajillo chili vinaigrette and lime yogurt ($12); burrata and anchovy toast with pepperonata and parsley ($16); cavatelli with sausage, charred wild onion, preserved lemon and pecorino ($19) and hazelnut financier served with soft praline and whipped espresso crème for dessert ($12).

Nightingale’s drink menu highlights classic cocktails, as well as local craft-beers and a wine program designed to complement the cuisine, including the Nightingale pilsner/ saison ($7.25) and Far From the Tree cocktail featuring Applejack, Cynar, elderflower, Boker’s Bitters and sparkling wine ($13).

– Danielle Schalk

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

11

There are more reasons than ever to connect with Kostuch Media GREAT MAGAZINES For almost 50 years, KML has been the foodservice and hospitality industry’s leading publisher, producing the most recognized magazine brands. Foodservice and Hospitality is published 11 times a year and features insightful analysis of the trends impacting the $70-billion industry, statistical reports that allow operators to benchmark and measure their own success, as well as profiles of the hottest concepts and chefs in the industry.

Print

Hotelier magazine, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2014, is the hotel industry’s leading national publication. Published eight times a year, the magazine features timely stories on the trends making the news, highlighting the fastest-growing segments and the most successful brands and independents, as well as regular profiles on the movers and shakers in the dynamic hotel industry.

digital

Events

Compelling websites

Spectacular events

Whether you’re looking for daily news on the foodservice or hotel industry, searching for resources to help you improve your business offerings or just eager to learn from the industry’s icons and innovators, our websites and weekly digital newsletter offer compelling and relevant information that will keep you informed. Visit foodserviceandhospitality. com or hoteliermagazine.com for daily news, feature articles or digital issues in their entirety, as well as video clips from our Icons & Innovators breakfast series and our renowned Pinnacle Awards. It’s all just a click away.

Are you interested in networking opportunities, and/or learning opportunities from those in the know? Then KML’s events should be on your todo list. We offer a range of events, from our Icons & Innovators breakfast series featuring one-onone interviews between KML editor/publisher Rosanna Caira and the industry’s leading luminaries to the renowned and respected Pinnacle Awards, and more.

kostuchmedia.com

FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER

CREATING A DIGITAL-DOOR STRATEGY

The digital door represents a $1.2 billion opportunity annually for the foodservice industry

IMAGE: DREAMSTIME.COM

T

oday’s world is becoming increasingly reliant on technology — the way we shop, communicate, manage relationships and spend our leisure time. We are in the midst of a technological revolution.

Increasingly, digitization is tied to smartphone use. In fact, in Canada, more than 50 per cent of the population uses a smartphone. Smartphone ownership has increased to 57 per cent in Canada, well above the global average of 42 per cent, and in 2015, six in 10 Canadians accessed the Internet via a mobile device.

This shift in behaviour is slowly beginning to find its way into the foodservice landscape. The “digital door” is a term used to describe any customer who accesses a restaurant through the Internet or mobile device. Currently, the digital door accounts for a mere two per cent of restaurant traffic — however, it’s growing at more than 20 per cent annually. In fact, digital-door traffic has tripled over the last four years and is estimated to represent a $1.2-billion opportunity annually for the foodservice industry.

So why is a digital-door strategy important to today’s restaurateurs? In a foodservice market challenged for growth as customers pull back on dining out-of-home, focusing on growing areas of the market is a simple strategy to increase sales.

A digital-door strategy will increase sales.

According to NPD’s Crest data, customers who enter through a digital door spend more money — average eater checks for digital

traffic are 54 per cent higher than on-premise checks for regular traffic. Furthermore, digital-door traffic drives higher average eater checks across all segments of the foodservice industry, including quick-service and fullservice dining. Driving the increase in spending is the number of items per eater ordered through the digital door — 2.9 items per eater for digital traffic compared to 2.6 items for regular traffic.

In today’s highly competitive environment, innovation is key and this is especially true when it comes to the digital door. Enticing consumers (specifically millennials) to enter through the digital door can provide a platform of innovation for payment methods, menu items and general interaction with a restaurant brand. In turn, this equates to more items per eater, higher overall satisfaction and higher eater and party checks.

To successfully launch a digital-door strategy, operators need to ensure they understand and communicate clearly with digital-savvy consumers who want multiple touch-points with restaurant brands and like to share their experiences with others. And while the concept of creating a digital door seems complex

or even confusing, the reality is it’s simply a tactic to enhance the consumer experience.

The digital door can help your brand engage with consumers in a way that is convenient and flexible, provides faster service and flexible pick-up, saves time and ensures order accuracy. The digital door also gives today’s restaurant brands the opportunity to drive more engagement via loyalty and rewards, while providing the opportunity to harness and leverage key data and informational insight. l

Robert Carter is executive director, Foodservice Canada, with the NPD Group Inc. He can be reached at robert.carter@npd.com for questions regarding the latest trends and their impact on the foodservice business.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

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FOOD FILE

SAY SI TO FLAVOUR CANADIAN DINERS SEEKING MORE EXCITING FLAVOUR PROFILES ARE DRIVING THE POPULARITY OF ETHNIC RESTAURANTS

BY MARY LUZ MEJIA |

Canadian’s love of new ingredients, bolder flavours and traditional dishes has grown exponentially. For example, the once little-understood Filipino love of pig’s head meat is more broadly accepted today, as is a hearty bowl of Lebanese molokhia soup.

According to Jill Failla, editor of Consumer

14 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

Insights for Chicago-based Technomic Inc., ethnic food is on the rise in Canada, thanks in part to changing demographics and increased consumer demand for more exciting, flavourful fare. Geoff Wilson, principal at fsStrategy Inc. in Toronto, adds interest in this category is on the rise because diners are becoming more globally aware.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

Wilson sees three overarching categories in the ethnic food market that are in play today across Canadian eateries. The first is what he calls “pure ethnic cuisines,” or restaurants opened by those faithful to their culinary traditions. The second is “complementary” — chefs who use ethnic culinary traditions to complement the food they make. “Think of the Pacific Coast for example, where the flavours and techniques of Japan are being used with local B.C. ingredients,” he says. The third is the “inspired” category — restaurants taking a risk with something new. This last category trickles down to the point where, Wilson says, larger chains start to implement what eventually becomes a tried-and-true favourite. He points to Milestones’ Moroccan lamb sirloin and spicy Thai noodle dishes and even McDonald’s with its addition of sweet Thai chili sauce options on wraps.

GLOBAL INFLUENCE Restaurants embracing ethnic flavour profiles are on the rise across the country as Canadians continue to crave bolder flavour profiles and more culturally inspired menu items

Twenty years ago, Wilson says few people had used — or even heard of — ‘chipotle’ (smoked jalapeño in an adobo sauce). “Now it’s everywhere. The time it takes people to become more familiar with foods and open to them is shortening,” he says, adding, “The average person today knows more about food than my parents’ generation. We’re not just moving away from steak and potatoes to Pad Thai. It’s [more like] moving from one version of Thai to another.”

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Flavours from the Middle East, the Philippines — representing Asia — and Latin American food in general are making bold appearances in restaurants across the country as Canadians solidify their love of ethnic flavours.

FILIPINO FARE

Sitting neatly in Wilson’s purity category is Junior’s Filipino, a FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

15

FOOD FILE

TASTY TRENDS Middle-eastern fare, such as chicken tawook (left) has increased in popularity; Filipino cuisine, such as sisig, is the fastestgrowing ethnic trend in Canada (above) according to Technomic

40-seat restaurant in the heart of downtown Montreal. Failla calls Filipino cuisine “the most interesting ethnic cuisine trend I’m seeing emerge in Canada” adding that according to government data, Canada accepted approximately 50,000 immigrants from the Philippines in 2015 alone. “As a result, I’m seeing a lot of trendy Filipino cuisine pop up in urban areas. In fact, Filipino chain Jollibee opened its first store in Canada last year,” says Failla.

Junior’s co-owner and chef Dre Mejia (no relation to the author), says his food is the stuff of Filipino family gatherings, “exactly what you’d get if you visited a Filipino friend’s house.”

The cuisine is a reflection of the culinary imprints left behind over centuries of Spanish, Indian, Malay, native indigenous, Chinese and American influence.

Mejia says 75 per cent of his clientele is non-Filipino, looking for flavours a bit different than what they’re accustomed to. The city’s

hipsters, young professionals and anyone else looking to dip a foot into Filipino waters might start off with the house chicken adobo, a braised or stewed chicken dish made with soy, vinegar and ginger, served with the nation’s staple starch of rice ($13 for a main).

Those who want to up the ante go with the sisig, a popular and traditional way to serve a pig’s head. Here, Mejia uses diced pork belly, liver and ears, combined with red and green onions and Thai bird’s eye chile served on a sizzling hot plate, tableside. He cooks the pork belly three ways: braised, roasted and finally, pan fried just before serving to give the dish more flavour and texture. A side of rice rounds out the main ($15), one that Mejia suggests you wash down with a bottle of icy beer.

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FOOD FILE own Tabülè Middle Eastern Cuisine — the wildly popular independent chain of sit-down eateries with a take-out component. Starting with one location in the city’s north end, they’ll have opened four locations throughout Toronto by year’s end, serving fresh, nutrientdense, often naturally gluten-free and vegan dishes.

“I’d say 90 per cent of our menu is naturally gluten-free,” says Sideris, adding, “We also have a lot of vegetarian and vegan options.

People love it because we offer options; if their friends or family eat meat but some in the party are vegan, there’s something to suit everyone on our menu.” Pulses, fresh produce, herbs, olive oil, grilled meats, grains and citrus feature largely in the dishes. There’s even what Wilson would call “complementary” nuances, such as replacing couscous with organic quinoa for gluten-free diners in the taboule recipe ($8 for the cold appetizer).

Most of Lebanese-born chef Goraichy’s menu is traditional — selling Canadian palates on the delights of his home country is a breeze now compared to 10 years ago. Back then, he says, the “boring” cauliflower dish, which was flash fried and drizzled with tahini ($7.75 as a hot appetizer) was a no-go on menus. “I had to give samples away to get people to even give the dish a shot.” Now it’s one of its top 10, best-selling items.

FLASH IN THE PAN Tabülè’s flash-fried cauliflower with tahini has become the restaurant’s best seller

As part of the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance’s FeastON program, the restaurant will be audited annually to ensure a certain percentage of ingredients are sourced from Ontario-based farms and suppliers. “We use local suppliers. It means more paperwork, but it’s worth it in the end. I like to support small businesses, as I’m one myself,” Sideris says. An example of global-gone-local, the restaurant serves antibiotic-free, farm-raised Mennonite chicken in its tawukskewer dish, marinated for one day in a secret blend of 25 spices, served over a bed of rice with grilled vegetables, pita and pickles ($16.50).

LATIN INSPIRATION

Canadians’ propensity for travelling to Latin America for sporting events such as Brazil’s World Cup, becomes a cultural touchstone for many, says Wilson, especially given the amped media coverage countries receive during big tournaments. Steve Fernandes, general manager and co-owner of Toronto’s independent Mata Petisco Bar agrees. “The World Cup and the summer Olympics has given Brazil FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOOD FILE international attention, making this a prime time to be at the forefront of bringing that culinary scene here.”

The food at Mata is steeped in Latin inspiration, or as Fernandes puts it, “a cross between comfort-like soul food and a trendy-fusion take on Latin dishes with high-quality dining.” They’re taking the Latin American lexicon and expanding it beyond the Brazilian “all-you-can-eat” steakhouses into dishes many previously didn’t think were restaurant-worthy. Their version of the populist picanha (top sirloin) acebolada, or steak with cachaça stewed onions served over INGREDIENT SPOTLIGHT: top of cassava frites ($14 on the dinner menu), is MALAGUETA PEPPERS an example of how homey Capsicum Frutescens, or malagueta peppers, are green, tapered, short foods are being served up in chiles (5 cm in length) beloved in Brazil, modern ways.

Portugal, Mozambique and parts of The Mata team have also the Caribbean. At 60,000 to 100,000 taken Canadian favourites Scoville units, they pack a hot punch such as sliders and poutine and are about 23 times spicier than an and given them Latin flouraverage jalapeño. Not to be confused ishes. The sliders are curwith the West African melegueta peprently a blend of beef and per, which is similar to cardamom, pork served with a guavathe malagueta turns bright red when chipotle sauce and Brazilian fully ripe. When not fully grown, they’re smoked catupiry cheese called piri-piri in Portugal, and with the addition of garlic, vinegar, onions, ($11). “Dishes like this make lemon juice and other ingredients, are our food more relatable to used to make piri piri sauce. Malagueta people in Toronto. But we chiles are used in everything from stews make sure the flavours are and soups, to flavour poultry or as a right and quality is at the table-top condiment. Brazilians (espeforefront,” says Fernandes. cially those from the state of Bahia) Covering the basic bases like to drizzle a bit of the sauce or a of “burgers and fries” done malagueta spiced oil on everything from Latin-style has, after two cassava frites to a feijoada (bean stew). years of operation, opened The chiles have a slightly fruity flavour doors for their menu to and lingering heat that means business. include items such as whiting fish ceviche ($14) and octopus and chorizo over cassava purée ($18). “Sometimes, we get groups that just want our chefs to surprise them. They say: ‘Whatever you think we’ll like.’ What we do is a little different and people are responding very well to it,” says Fernandes.

On every table there are house-made, hot chile sauces and oils on offer. The team got savvy and started selling little bottles of the bright orange condiments to diners (spiced oil jars $8/each for 100ml and $8 per 50ml hot sauce jar) out of the restaurant. “We’re thinking of possibly co-packing and retailing in future” says Fernandes, because whatever diners want, restaurateurs are more than willing to give them. l FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

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FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

ICONS & INNOVATORS

BUILDING A

BREAKFAST

EMPIRE PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID CURLEIGH [CORA TSOUFLIDOU]

FOR CORA TSOUFLIDOU, FOUNDER OF CORA BREAKFAST AND LUNCH, EVERY PLATE TELLS A STORY

I

INTERVIEW BY ROSANNA CAIRA |

n 1987, Cora Tsouflidou bought a small abandoned diner on Côte-Vertu in St-Laurent, Montreal and decided to focus solely on breakfast — combining fresh fruit, cheeses, cereal, omelettes, crepes, waffles and French toast. Cora soon had customers lining up to experience her innovative breakfast menu. In this excerpt from F&H ’s Icons and Innovators breakfast series, she talks about the philosophy behind her success, her drive to innovate and her boundless passion for food.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

25

ROSANNA CAIRA: What made you get into the restaurant business?

CORA TSOUFLIDOU: Poverty made me

RC: How did you juggle being a single mother with running a busy restaurant?

CT: I took [the children] into the business

RC: What motivated the decision to expand the brand to Ontario?

CT: At the beginning, we were buying exist-

start in business. I bought a little restaurant after a bad divorce. Not bad because we were fighting over the money — there was no money, there was no alimony and I had three kids. I used to feel that was terrible and I was miserable. Today, I bless him so much — he gave me the opportunity to recreate myself.

and I put them to work. I told them ‘let’s work hard and later we’ll be okay.’ They still ask me sometimes when later will arrive.

They [started when they] were teenagers.

The youngest one, my daughter, worked the first 10 years in the kitchen with me and then she pursued another dream of hers.

My youngest son has always been there — he was in school and would come and wash dishes and clean the restaurant every single night.

ing restaurants that were not working and we would modify them and put in our formula. They were full because there was no competition. And, then, somebody asked me for a franchise. She wanted to make a Cora store but she didn’t want to be a partner with me and I said it’s impossible — I didn’t know what franchising was. But then I said, can you imagine if we don’t have to wait to save money to make the next store? I realized that somebody would pay us and they would pay the cost of the store. We can have 20 stores. And when we had 18, I said we could have 35 stores. And when we [hit] 40, I said, for heaven’s sake, we cannot do much more — maybe another 10 in Quebec; we’ve got to do something. We’ve got to think where are we going to go — and that’s how we decided to go to Ontario.

RC: Where did you open the first restaurant?

CT: It was on the island of Montreal, a

29-seat snack bar. It [had belonged to] a Greek fellow who was doing supper. But we [stayed] open until 3 p.m. — we didn’t have any supper — and right away we transformed it into a breakfast restaurant.

I remember people would be [lined up] around the building on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

RC: Not having had any restaurant experience, what was the biggest lesson you learned in those early days?

CT: [I learned] everything was possible and

that’s why I could come out with all those crazy things that made Cora. I didn’t have money to make a menu so I would just draw signs and put them on the wall. I was fortunate to realize, very fast, that though I had dreams of becoming a writer, or a philosophy teacher, I was at the right place behind the counter, because what I love is to create.

26 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

RC: What were you trying to create with that first unit?

CT: In Quebec, there were snack bars serving

bacon and eggs, ham and sausage and Aunt Jemima pancakes. So, this is where I started — that is what I was comparing myself to, so it was easy to do better. I would try everything — I remember the day I created the spinach crêpe. I told my son Nicolas, what if I chop spinach and put it in the batter and then we do a crêpe and put cheese and fold it. And he said, ‘Mother, are you crazy? People don’t eat spinach at night and you want them to eat it in the morning?’ And yet, that crazy spinach crêpe is still our most sold crêpe.

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ICONS & INNOVATORS RC: When you came here, did you have to change the concept at all or did you keep everything the same?

CT: When we came here, we did a focus

group and they asked ‘what’s that, this is not breakfast’ because breakfast [to them] was bacon and eggs. I spent two weeks in Ontario, not only looking at the restaurants, but going to supermarkets. I saw they have ham, they have breakfast sausage and they have bacon. I said these people eat the same thing — we’ll put the fruit on the plate and they will love it.

stores, we made the menus simpler and then we discovered pictures so we took out the cartoons and put in pictures. Now it’s colourful; it’s bright, it’s bold. The menu is part of the experience.

RC: It seems that staff enjoy working at Cora’s. Can you tell us a bit about your corporate culture. How you inculcate the right environment to succeed?

CT: We don’t keep staff if they don’t love

their job — that has been my [philosophy] since the beginning. We commit ourselves to being the international leader in breakfast specialties, offering our guests quality food and service in a warm family atmosphere.

What I call culture is really our mission statement, which today is still the same and very pertinent. We have the staff we deserve — if we are not a warm family [company], we will have lousy staff.

RC: What is your food philosophy?

CT: The experience of coming into a Cora

and having great service and great approach — this is as important as the plate. It’s a package. My food is a love affair between myself and the guests.

RC: What do you see as the biggest food trends impacting the foodservice industry these days?

CT: First it was kale, we made a kale smooth-

ALL IN THE FAMILY The Cora concept was born out of founder Cora Tsouflidou’s need to support her family. Today her breakfast empire remains a family-owned and operated business

ent. Now it’s coconut — coconut pancakes, coconut smoothies. So, we’re watching those miracle ingredients; also vegetarian and vegan. We hired a nutritionist and we need to offer more alternatives.

RC: Do you foresee a day when you would want to expand into the dinner market?

CT: I would like to be open 24 hours but I

want to keep our positioning and franchisees don’t want to extend the hours of opening. We’re in the restaurant business, but they have lives, too. It’s a family business, so they’re home for supper and [that time is] very precious.

ie last year and it’s a big seller because everybody is looking for a miracle ingredi-

RC: Looking back, you seem to have been a visionary, almost predicting the popularization of breakfasts but also the increasing popularity of fruit. What fuelled those decisions? Why breakfast?

CT: I would say Cora showed people it’s pos-

sible to make money with breakfast; that it was possible to have a profitable store with breakfast. Then other people started to make [breakfast] and it became a big segment.

RC: Part of the appeal of your restaurant is the fun approach to the menu — it’s big, bold and bright. What was the impetus for this?

CT: At the beginning, the menu was hand-

drawn — the signs on the wall and everything — it was cartoon-style. As we got more FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

27

ICONS & INNOVATORS CT: I think we’ll stay [private] for as long as

we can. We care very much for our people.

We’re not passionate about accumulating money — we are passionate about food and we’re passionate about the members of our families. We want them to succeed. And, yes, one day it will come, I guess.

FIGHTING HUNGER

Established in the early part of 1998, The Cora Foundation supports and works in collaboration with non-profit organizations trying to improve the quality of life of Canadian children. Over the years, the Foundation has been working very closely with the Breakfast Club of Canada to help provide support and food to schoolchildren so that they can start their day off right. The two groups share the same goals of well-being and education of youth across the country.

“The Cora Foundation actually [started] when we became a franchisor,” says Cora Tsouflidou, founder of Cora Breakfast and Lunch. “At that time, we were telling franchisees, if you have a family in your neighbourhood around the store that is in need, we will give something; we will help them. And then we met Breakfast Club, and what a better thing to support than children of poor neighbourhoods getting access to breakfast. Now we enroll our Canadian franchisees because Breakfast Club has expanded across Canada.”

The Foundation is financed through the profits generated by fundraising events as well as through special events created by employees and the owners of the more than 130 franchised restaurants across Canada.

RC: What are your future plans for expansion in Canada?

CT: We’re at the 130 mark now and we have

several in process, another half a dozen before the end of the year and we’re not stopping there. [There will be] another 10 to 12 in the following year in Canada alone.

We also developed a smaller model to cover some smaller cities such as Lloydminster and smaller locations — the 100-seat stores.

RC: The company is still privately owned.

Are there any thoughts of taking it public?

28 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

RC: Your son Nicolas is now president of the company. Where do you focus your energies?

CT: We promoted our director of R&D and

I‘ve replaced him for the time being. I work with the corporate chef, to tell him what is Cora — you don’t put the crêpes this way; you put it this way, and all those details.

RC: How do you define great service?

CT: If the waitress loves the customers, she

can make them have a great experience.

We do a lot of things to make sure that [our staff] are well. Because if they are well, and if they love their job and are passionate about delighting people, they will do a good job. You have to have excellence from the top.

RC: How do you get inspired to innovate these days?

CT: My early innovation was directly

inspired by my big master up there. But then, slowly, what I discovered is innovation is about daring to listen to the voice that comes out, [it’s] about taking risks. There is a huge basket in the sky full of ideas — new ideas; the new ideas that will run the next 50 years of the world. Innovation is I dared to put the spinach into the crêpes. The ideas are there — you just need to realize and accept and dare to accept your passion.

RC: What do you think makes a great leader?

CT: I don’t know yet, but I’m trying. I

thought I was a leader because I was enrolling people to the fact that we’ve got the best product and we need to be good so we’ve got to serve the best one. I’m a little bit extroverted, I don’t have difficulty talking in public. My son is the opposite, he is very low profile. But where it takes me half an hour to convince somebody, he would say two words. It’s two different styles. I don’t have a profile of what is a good leader but a mother can be a good leader for a family so, if you

extend that, the restaurateur that loves their team and shares with them the values and the mission and lets them contribute to the success, I think this is leadership.

RC: What is your advice to students considering a career in the hospitality industry? What more can, and should, our schools be doing to prepare students for careers in this field?

CT: If food is your passion — myself person-

ally, I believe food is something which will never disappear — there is a lot of future.

But if it’s not your passion, if you do it to please your mother or your father or somebody else; if you do it because one of your friends is a chef that makes a lot of money; you’re not doing it for the right reasons. If you do it because you dream when you go to bed about the new plate you’re going to do tomorrow for your girlfriend, that starts to be passion. It’s important to be at the right place because you will perform. When people want to open a restaurant, I say, for heaven’s sake, if food is not your passion, you won’t make a good boss because in the restaurant business you will work. We did work. My kids calculated, I don’t know how many years at less than minimum wage, before we made money. But I didn’t realize that — I was loving it. Don’t let the system of schooling kill your tunnel to inspiration.

Don’t let anybody tell you that you cannot make a sweet potato dip into chocolate, or maybe with coconut on top. Do things that have never been done — actually, seek out things that have never been done — that’s what I would tell them.

RC: What is the industry’s biggest challenge today?

CT: I would say competition. We have a

tremendous problem in Quebec as everybody has opened a Cora kind of restaurant.

It dilutes sales. l

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

HEALTH & NUTRITION

NAVIGATING NUTRITION Diners want healthier food — but they’re not always sure what that means

BY SARAH B. HOOD

Langdon Hall’s Ontario trout-stuffed zucchini flower FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

When it comes to nutrition

— and topics such as gluten, fat and meat — passions run high and common ground is scarce.

This is partly because scientists, regulators and the general public are working from different playbooks. Take butter: many people consider it a nutrition no-no and Health Canada currently suggests we should “limit butter,” but an extensive new study led by researchers at Tufts University in Medford, Mass., finds no link between moderate butter consumption and heart disease and even suggests it may offer some protection against diabetes.

So how should the foodservice industry navigate this puzzling and often

contradictory landscape? Here’s a roadmap of current dining trends in healthy eating.

VEGANOMICS

“I was just looking at the Google trend data for the word ‘vegan’ and even in the last year, there’s been a pretty big spike,” says Toronto Vegetarian Association executive director David Alexander. “It’s not just bigger cities that can sustain a vegetarian restaurant or bakery; you’re starting to see them in mid-sized cities.”

Self-styled “plant pusher” Doug McNish of Doug’s Public Kitchen in Toronto is perhaps Canada’s best-known vegan chef, educator and author. “Seven of 10 people who come through my

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

29

HEALTH & NUTRITION

FIVE MORE TRENDS TO NOTE

BETTER INGREDIENTS, SMALLER PORTION SIZES ARE IN CLEAN FOOD|

“People are willing to spend more for clean and healthy food,” says Cynthia Beretta, director of Sales for Beretta Farms, which supplies organic and antibiotic-free proteins to restaurants across Canada. Presentation counts. At Beaumont Kitchen, chef Michael Hay, a district chef with Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants, serves Grilled Flat Iron Steak ($38 as part of a prix fixe) with mini potatoes, chimichurri and seasonal vegetables.

FISH|

Jason Bangerter, executive chef at Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa in Cambridge, Ont. offers steamed Ontario trout-stuffed zucchini flower with anise hyssop water vinaigrette ($18) and cured Albacore tuna with cooked,

NATURE’S BOUNTY Thai Root Vegetable salad from Oliver & Bonacini (above); chef David Hawksworth’s apple and beet salad (right); vegan tostada from chef Doug McNish (below)

raw and juiced carrots and pickled wild ginger ($22). The Drake Hotel’s chef Alexandra Feswick serves rare tuna with green beans, shaved fennel and citrus vinaigrette ($27) and salmon poke ($19) rolled in coconut, with coconut milk, soy, tamari, sushi vinegar, chilis and mango-cucumber on rice.

SMALLER SERVINGS|

doors are not even vegetarian; I’ve seen the demand grow tenfold, even in the past few years,” he says.

Trained in both classical French cooking and raw-food preparation, McNish formulates many ingredients from scratch. “One of my signature dishes is a Raw Tostada ($17)

“Most of our requests for healthy alternatives come from guests looking for low-calorie and vegetarian meal options,” says Richard Jodoin, area representative - Canada for U.S.-based Firehouse Subs. The chain offers “Under 500 Calories” sandwiches and salads starting at $6.99. “Each sandwich is served with the same portion of meat as our medium sub, but we trim calories by using a smaller version of our wheat bun and smaller portions of cheese.”

RETHINKING FATS|

Food scientists now okay saturated fats in moderation, but many guidelines have not yet changed. Meanwhile, “coconut is being used in more things — yogurt, popcorn, pie crust, smoothies,” says registered dietitian Katie Jessop. “It’s high in saturated fats, but it doesn’t seem to work in the body the way we thought it would.”

HEALTHIER COOKS|

“Foodservice operators need to take interest in their own employees’ health,” says chef Hay, who feeds his line cooks morning smoothies. “I think in the industry we’re getting a lot healthier,” says chef Feswick. “That’s influencing change.”

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

PHOTOGRAPH: CINDY LA [OLIVER & BONACINI’S THAI ROOT VEGETABLE SALAD]

30 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

made with corn and carrot tortillas layered with sunflower seeds, refried beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, cashew sour cream, and then we top it with locally grown microgreens,” he says. The tostada shells are made from puréed organic corn, carrots and spices folded with ground flax seeds, then dehydrated. “They taste like they’ve been deep-fried.”

Numerous business boats are floating on the rising tide of veganism, such as Kupfert & Kim, a vegan quick-service restaurant that recently opened its sixth Toronto location, or popular raw vegan chain Crudessence, which has a retail take-out line, three Montreal dining outlets and one location in Quebec City serving dishes such as the Apollo Bowl ($17), raw vegetables on a quinoa-millet blend with grilled tempeh, kimchi and creamy ginger sauce.

Six years ago, the first Boon Burger Café opened in Winnipeg with an all-vegan menu of items such as breakfast burritos ($6.95) and burgers ($8.75 to $8.95). Now there are five locations in two provinces and the house

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When the first store opened, “there was a lineup around the block and we ran out of food.

That’s when we realized the public, even right here in Winnipeg, wants something healthy that doesn’t involve animals,” says co-owner Tomas Sohlberg, who plans to expand the concept further.

“I experimented with veganism about 10 years ago and at the time it was almost a little subversive,” says chef Michael Hay, a district chef with Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants who oversees the Café Grills and Beaumont Kitchen in Toronto.

FULL DISCLOSURE How much should you be telling your guests about what’s in the food?

I

n January 2017, Ontario will become the first province to require nutritional labelling on menus in restaurants with more than 20 locations. This move (which is also happening in the U.S.) pushes

beyond the Informed Dining program developed in B.C. and adopted voluntarily by numerous national chains.

Informed Dining participants let their diners know they can request calorie count and levels of core nutrients such as calcium for all menu items. “What’s exciting about the Ontario legislation is that [the nutritional information] is available right on the menu,” says registered dietitian Katie Jessop, noting calorie count will have to appear next to (and the same size as) the price. “What’s so important is consumers will be allowed to compare different menu items.”

A December 2013 study carried out by Environics Research for Restaurants Canada found that 92 per cent of Canadians feel it’s important to know what’s in their food. The most-desired information is (in order) total fat,

EDIBLE ART Beretta Farms serves up organic, antibiotic-free meat to the restaurant industry (above); The Drake Hotel’s Poke (right); Albacore tuna with raw and cooked carrots served up at Langdon Hall (bottom)

sodium, trans fat, calories and sugar. Almost half (43 per cent) say they want nutrition information on a restaurant’s website, which means healthy menu choices are a selling point.

In the fine-dining niche, some menu items are now even labelled as organic or GMO-free; however, some chefs caution against making claims that cannot always be backed up.

“My menus are very clean; I like there to be some mystery” says Langdon Hall executive chef Jason Bangerter. “The servers are very educated, so they can tell people some of the stories behind the food.”

So far, no other province has announced similar legislation, but, says Jessop, “Other governments are watching what happens in Ontario and the U.S.”

His Café Grills serve a Thai Root Vegetable Salad ($13) with spiralized beets, daikon radish, carrots and zucchini, Thai basil, mint, edamame, chili-lime dressing and cashew butter.

“We have started offering vegetable plates almost as sides,” says Alexandra Feswick, chef de cuisine at The Drake Hotel in Toronto.

“We have a vegan potato rösti ($15) that’s always on the menu; it’s grated potato with no egg or flour, and herbs. It’s not even labelled as vegan.”

32 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

HEALTH & NUTRITION ROLLING OUT THE OPTIONS Vegan food trucks counter the carnivore current

Move over, poutine — even food trucks are getting healthier, with full-fledged vegan

trucks on the road. Loving Hut Express has been veganizing Vancouver’s Yaletown district for five years.“It’s grown enormously; in the beginning, no one even knew what vegan was,” says manager Vicky Reshetylo. “Not only vegan people come, but people who would like to try vegan.”

Reshettylo serves premade burgers ($9 to $11), but makes her own condiments, “so we know for sure the ingredients are good.”

Jeff Merkel has operated The Vegan Extremist in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area since mid-May. “We’re the first vegan food truck in Toronto; we became known pretty quickly and got a lot of publicity.”

His most popular dish is chana masala, a chickpea curry served with paratha (flatbread).

Like all his curries, it’s $9 (medium) and $13 (large). “Philosophically speaking,” says Merkel, “if veganism is going to be sustainable and successful as a movement, you can’t focus on recreating traditional North American foods as vegan.”

Ontario’s Eastern Mediterranean chain Me Va Me Kitchen Express operates two fulldining outlets and a growing roster of franchises. “One of the biggest sellers is falafel ($11.95) — it’s vegan — and we do lots of dip salads such as hummus or Labanah & Za-atar,” says owner Albert Nachomov. “It’s a big seller for us with bread [or] whole Romaine lettuce leaf.”

But can a plant-based menu be profitable? “Costing comes down to the product you’re bringing in to serve,” says Jason Bangerter, executive chef at Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa, in Cambridge, Ont., which boasts Ontario’s only FiveDiamond dining room. “So if I’m serving my guests the best product I can possibly get, it costs more. But if people want that special ingredient, they understand it’s going to cost a bit more.”

“I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the profitability of a beet, for example,” says chef David Hawksworth of Vancouver fine-dining spots Hawksworth and Nightingale. “It’s more about what

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“I speak to my chef friends and say, it’s a revenue stream; you have to dedicate some labour to producing that, but the people will

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come,” says Nachomov. “With plant-based ingredients, they can still get away with charging what they charge for a piece of meat, or close to it.”

GLUTEN-FREE PUSHBACK

Although only one per cent of the population has the serious condition known as celiac disease, and no more than six per cent

of the population is gluten-sensitive, about 22 per cent are currently gluten-avoiders for nonmedical reasons, according to The Gluten Free Agency in Toronto.

“Gluten-free is here to stay, but the hype over gluten-free is over,” says registered dietitian Katie Jessop.

Chefs agree. “The gluten-free thing has probably hit the pinnacle,” says Hawksworth.

Nonetheless, his varied menus offer choices both vegan and gluten-free diners will appreciate, and gluten-free options remain strong selling points in the right setting. Bangerter reports that at his traditional weekend afternoon teas, “gluten-free is huge.”

Peter Chiu recently launched his Torontobased Basil Box chain, a fast-casual Asian food concept based on fresh ingredients

cooked to order that allows guests to build a customized box ($9.45). “Everything is gluten-free; many of our sauces are vegan,” he says. “It’s driving our business quite well; people that don’t have those dietary restrictions still appreciate [it].” Chiu will have five locations by 2017 and hopes to expand throughout North America.

Innovative foods continue to pop up, too.

Edgy Veggies, for example, is a vegetablebased gourmet snack cracker available in major retailers. “It’s wheat-, peanut- and GM-free,” says Edgy Veggie Foods principal Christy Conte, who’s launching single-portion packs for foodservice in flavours such as Smoked Sweetcorn & Chipotle Peppers and Sweet Red Pepper Sriracha.

“The generation that’s coming up, the millennials, have more interest in health and food and they’re more willing to try new things. Not paying attention to that market segment is absurd,” says Hay. “But I’m also noticing a change in the older generation: the Boomers and the Gen Xers. It’s not just a small segment; it’s going to be very large.” l

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PROFILE

CULTURE CLUB COFFEE CULTURE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF OFFERING A UNIQUE CAFE EXPERIENCE WITH AGGRESSIVE EXPANSION PLANNED FOR THE GTA

PHOTOGRAPH: BRIAN SUMMERS [PERRY OUZOUNIS AND AZIM AKHTAR]

STORY BY AMY BOSTOCK |

As one of the Canadian coffee segment’s best-kept secrets, Coffee Culture Café &

SERVING UP SUCCESS Perry Ouzounis, VP Operations (left) and Azim Akhtar, Marketing manager

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

Eatery has been methodically and strategically expanding its footprint of European-style cafés across the country since 2006. Operating under the banner of Mississauga, Ont.-based Obsidian Group Inc., Coffee Culture has grown from a single 10-table location in Woodstock, Ont. to 52 Canadian units (with an additional 18 stores in development), boasting an average footprint of 2,000 sq. ft. and 50 to 60 seats.

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

37

PROFILE “From the small-town roots of Woodstock and other remote markets, we’re beginning to entrench ourselves into the GTA,” says Perry Ouzounis, vice-president of Operations for Coffee Culture.

“But one thing we’ve stayed connected to — and this comes from the top, from the owner — is if we’re truly going to make inroads into this very competitive market, we need to offer something no one else offers.”

Differentiating itself from the competition is at the core of Coffee Culture’s business plan and has helped the brand achieve $30 million in sales in 2015. “We wanted to be different from the other guys,” says Kurt Hein, the chain’s Culinary Development manager. “We never wanted to be Tim Hortons; we wanted to be a European-style café, a destination.”

The original Coffee Culture menu reflected that philosophy, with simple, easy-to-execute fare.

“We had some of the same items as the other guys because we had to have familiar items,” explains Hein. “But we also had unique offerings and that’s really been the core of our differentiation from the beginning.”

Beyond its four custom coffee blends and numerous specialty beverages, Coffee Culture offered a selection of fresh-baked goods, made in-house daily, and gourmet, made-to-order sandwiches and wraps. “In the beginning we had a unique sandwich carrier,” says Hein “It was a ciabatta half-moon bun made by hand in Toronto. It was on the menu for nine years and we developed a lot of sandwiches on this bun — it became our thing.”

But, he says, changing demographics and customer preferences have made the iconic bun “a bit passé and it fell by the wayside.” The new hot-seller is the Asiago bagel, hand-made by a U.S. supplier. ‘”We run with products we feel are unique to us,” says Hein, adding he plans to introduce a new cheddar ciabatta bun this fall.

When choosing suppliers, such as current partner, Mississauga-

A CULTURE OF CARING

A privately-owned Canadian company, Obsidian Group Inc., parent company of Coffee Culture, feels a special connection with the communities it serves.

“Over the years, we’ve donated a lot of funds to a number of local organizations,” says Peter Karamountzos, VP of Obsidian Group, whose father Gus founded the company.

Recently, the company surpassed its goal of raising $250,000 for London Health in five years by collecting $256,000 in only four. The money went to the hospital’s Act Now Foundation, which helps care for cancer patients and their families. This was a personal choice for Karamountzos, who lost his grandmother to cancer in 2011. “The support we received from the hospital staff was tremendous so we wanted to help,” he says.

Last year, the company also raised $41,000 towards a $100,000 surgery for three-year-old Bentley Mitchell of Guelph, Ont. who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, a condition that’s left him unable to walk on his own. In July, Bentley and his father came to the golf tournament and updated everyone on his progress — he can now take 60 steps on his own without his walker.

In 2016, Obsidian Group partnered with Trillium Hospitals to fund the revitalization of the Mississauga hospital’s outdated cardiac-care unit. The $250,000 goal will purchase new equipment for emergency cardiac procedures. “It’s in our community,” says Karamountzos. “We’ve all used its services or had it touch our lives at some point.”

based Ace Bakery, Coffee Culture gravitates towards those that can offer crafted and home-made looking products. It has also begun serving European-imported products, including a new line of Italian pastries coming soon.

“We’re really focusing on bringing back the European café element to our menu, whether it be baked goods, sandwiches or cakes,” says Hein. “We’re looking at adding some old-school items — tiramisu, Black Forest cake, [foods] that are traditionally European — that’s where we’re going to put our flag in the ground.”

More than 80 per cent of the products used in Coffee Culture’s operations are from Ontario and Quebec, including its chicken, turkey and the fresh local eggs used in the brand’s famous breakfast

38 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

sandwiches. “Our standards are pretty high,” says Hein, adding the menu is changed at least twice a year and limited-time offers, such as the recent Reese’s promotion, rotate every 10 to 12 weeks. Coffee Culture executives meet with a franchisee marketing committee four times a year and get feedback on what consumers are asking for, as well as opinions on new products/initiatives.

Recognizing the changing trends in foodservice, Hein’s team will be introducing a gluten-free bun as well as gluten-free pastries and cakes. Many menu items are already non-GMO and some are even dairy-free or soy-free. For the past 18 months, nutrition and allergen information has been available for all Coffee Culture products.

COME FOR THE TASTE, STAY FOR A VISIT

A trip to Coffee Culture is about more than just the food, it’s about the experience, says Azim Akhtar, Marketing manager. “When we started, we had booths and fireplaces and TVs — that just wasn’t being done at the time.”

In partnership with Toronto-based designer, Squarefoot Design, Coffee Culture has perfected the comfortable, warm and relaxing atmosphere that has become the brand’s signature.

“People like to sit on comfortable seats, especially if you want them to stay,” says Akhtar.

To celebrate the brand’s 10th anniversary this year, it embarked on a redesign of the cafés. “A lot of our new locations and many of our renovated stores boast a new feel. New marble tables, couches, fire-

places and floors have been added to create a lighter tone, an elegant ambiance and an updated, European-inspired flair,” says Akhtar, adding that a significant investment was also made in patio furniture and exterior LED signage. “[The redesign] was an extremely collaborative process,” says Ouzounis. “We were careful to stay close to our roots; enhance the image without going too far left or right. It’s been an evolution and we’re not stopping — we’re excited for the future.”

In addition to its Ontario outposts, Coffee Culture has four stores in the Manitoba market (with one more on the way) and is considering partnerships in Saskatchewan. Outside of Canada, the brand has found success in Erie, Penn. with a combination of stand-alone units and kiosks in medical centres. The company is now focusing on making inroads into the GTA. “Our approach is somewhat changed,” says Ouzounis. “We want to raise the brand awareness with a focus on the GTA. Not necessarily the downtown core; that becomes a very expensive proposi-

PROFILE tion but the outlying communities such as Ajax, Mississauga and Brampton.”

By the end of 2016, Ouzounis says Coffee Culture will have nine locations in the Durham, Ont. region where “people know Coffee Culture like they know Tim Hortons.”

But expansion, he says, is a lengthy and tedious process. “We need to ensure [new locations] financially fit our business model.

From a community perspective, [we need to] look at does our brand lend itself to the community we’re about to invest in? We want to choose a market that will allow us to be the “go to” place — where we’re going to be the community café.”

Currently, all of the stores are franchised with a handful of corpo-

rate stores in transition. According to Peter Karamountzos, Obsidian Group’s VP, a Coffee Culture franchisee has to be “passionate about the coffee business, quality products and excellent service; someone who will be invested in their business and be a hands-on operator.”

A new store costs franchisees $350,000 — all in, including franchise fees. The average investment is $160,000, with the difference coming from a bank loan. “Our franchising department watches what’s out there in the industry and who is moving where,” says Ouzounis. “Often you want to follow where others are, but sometimes you get into a competitive community where that pie can only absorb so many slices.”

“We’re looking for planned growth that puts our franchisees in the position to succeed. Just because they have interest, we don’t just give them any location,” explains Karamountzos.

Competition in the already crowded coffee space is always an important factor for his team, says Ouzounis. “We need to understand what the competition is doing and where they’re at with their concepts. We want to be trend-setters.”

The company’s strongest competition comes from coffee chains such as Second Cup and Starbucks but, adds Ouzounis, they’re indirect competition. “We’re in a space nobody else is in right now.”

Ouzounis has seen tremendous growth in the 26 months since he joined the Coffee Culture team but he says the brand has no plans to slow down. “We’re determined; we believe we can take this brand to 125 stores in the next four to five years.” l

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POURING FOR PROFITS

BREWING INNOVATION When it comes to coffee and tea, a new generation of consumers is entering the spotlight

BY DANIELLE SCHALK

C

anadians love their coffee. In fact, according to Toronto-based NPD Group, as a nation we consumed 2.3 billion servings of the caffeinated beverage in 2015, up nearly 10 per cent from 2014.

Traditional hot-brewed coffee remains the segment’s top seller, accounting for 76 per cent of servings sold. Hot specialty coffee checks in at 14 per cent and

iced specialty coffee at 10 per cent. Despite its small share of sales, iced-coffee beverages have experienced increased popularity, growing by 10 per cent over the last five years. During this same period, hot specialty coffee servings have grown by four per cent, while hot-brewed coffee experienced a decline of one per cent.

Lesser-known brewing methods are trending as consumers — particularly younger diners — seek greater variety.

Technomic’s 2015 Canadian Breakfast Consumer Trend Report indicates sales of coldbrew and pour-over coffees will grow at chains as demand for specialty coffee drinks continues to increase.

TEA TIME

Canadians continue to show an increased interest in tea, fuelling growth in menu offerings for the category. Technomic’s MenuMonitor reports specialty tea beverages experienced significant growth in Canada over the past year, appearing on menus 12.4 per cent more often in the first quarter of 2016 than in the same quarter of 2015. Hot tea FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

also experienced a 4.7-per-cent increase during the same period.

These statistics come as no surprise to James Kenny, senior foodservice and specialty channel manager at Tata Global Beverages Canada, who identi-

fies specialty-tea beverages, such as tea frappes and lattes — specifically those featuring matcha tea (a finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea) — as the top tea trend of 2015.

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

41

POURING FOR PROFITS

SPECIAL DELIVERY Sales of specialty drinks has seen significant growth

Kenny attributes tea’s steadily increasing popularity to the demographic shift currently affecting all facets of the foodservice industry. “The younger generation seems to accept tea a lot more than the generation before,” he says. “We were coffee drinkers and the next [genera-

tion] drinks tea at Davids Tea, tea shops and even Starbucks.”

These preferences suggest tea is being chosen for its health attributes rather than for the dose of caffeine it offers. The Tea Association of Canada, based in Toronto, has played a significant role in promoting this mindset.

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This spring, it launched the #DrinkTea Campaign in Canada to further promote the benefits of tea consumption. The campaign’s social media-friendly imagery includes slogans such as “Calorie Free! Drink Tea!” and “Real Men Drink Tea”.

Starbucks has clearly embraced tea’s growing market share. According to the company’s most recent Teavana Business Update, the tea category in Starbucks stores has been experiencing double-digit growth across both its U.S. and Canadian portfolio. Over the past two years, the chain has released seven new handcrafted Teavana tea beverages in Canada, including new flavours of its Teavana shaken iced teas, a limited-time citrus green-tea latte and the Teavana White Tea Youthberry Granita.

When purchasing tea and tea beverages, Canadians are seeking sustainability. “Not unlike with coffee, they’re looking for the knowledge they’re drinking a beverage that is good for the livelihoods of people,” explains Tata’s Kenny.

Interest in single-origin and single-estate teas is also growing as some of the country’s more educated tea drinkers are looking for teas from specific regions, such as the Darjeeling district of India. In fact, Kenny identifies this as a key trend garnering consumer and operator attention this year — mirroring the growing popularity of single-origin coffees.

SPEED DEMONS

In today’s competitive environment, the country’s biggest players are looking to offer a unique customer experience in order to gain market share. Within the last year, both Starbucks and McDonald’s launched express café concepts in Toronto’s busy downtown core, catering to people on the go.

McDonald’s Canada was the first out of the gate, debuting its first stand-alone McCafé location in Union Station late last year and a second one early this year at First Canadian Place. The small-footprint cafés feature the full McCafé beverage menu, limited seating and selforder kiosks.

Starbucks wasn’t far behind the competition, introducing its express concept to Canada in February, also in Union Station.

The location offers a pared-down menu and a walk-through experience with no seating.

Specialized locations are not the only way Canada’s coffee giants are working to speed up service and increase convenience — last fall, Starbucks introduced its Mobile Order & Pay option to the Canadian market. This addition to the chain’s popular My Starbucks Rewards app allows members to order ahead — skipping the long lineups — and pick up their order at the bar when they arrive at their chosen location.

During RBI’s year-end conference call, Daniel Schwartz, CEO of RBI, indicated Tim Hortons also plans to expand its digital offerings in the near future. “We think we could drive the ultimate guest experience by improving the ability to get great service via mobile, digital and pre-pay. “We made a significant investment to bring in top talented engineers to build this out.”

Regional players are also getting in on the digital action.

Ancaster, Ont.-based Balzac’s Coffee Roasters, Ottawa-based Bridgehead and Calgary-based Good Earth Coffeehouse each offer their own mobile apps, which

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combine mobile payment with the brands’ loyalty programs.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

JUST POUR

based Tata Global Beverages Canada. As consumers The latest ready-to-

shift away from sugary carbonated drinks, iced tea is

serve coffee and tea products are making it easy for

becoming an increasingly popular alternative. “People

restaurant operators to expand their offerings in this seg-

are looking for something to replace [soda] without going

ment without significant investment in additional training

all the way to water — they’re still craving flavour and an

or equipment.

impact on their palate,” he adds.

Beverages such as cold-brewed coffee and kombu-

“People are starting to appreciate their local artisan

cha (a fermented tea beverage) are gaining popularity,

producers, whether it’s beer, wine or coffee [and tea],”

filling the void left by declining soda sales. Both products

says Mike Roy, brewmaster at Toronto-based Station Cold

have benefited from the craft-brewing boom, with local

Brew Coffee Co. “People appreciate the accessibility,

producers sprouting up from coast-to-coast.

quality and convenience of a bottled coffee product that

Cold-brew and kombucha taps are also becoming a common sight at cafés, juice bars, bars and restaurants.

maybe they would like to enjoy rather than soda or a highsugar juice [beverage],” he adds.

Further evidence to this trend is Starbucks’ focus on

Kombucha is particularly popular at establishments focused on healthy eating such as Toronto’s Kupfert &

RTD beverages. This summer, the company launched

Kim, Nourish Vancouver and Crudessence in Montreal.

six new products (excluding flavour variations) in the

This naturally fizzy beverage is packed with health bene-

U.S. with its RTD partner PepsiCo Inc., representing the

fits, including digestion-aiding probiotics and antioxidants.

largest-ever addition to Starbucks’ RTD portfolio.

Tim Hortons has also introduced its own addition to the

Unique ready-to-serve iced teas are also a viable option. Brands such as GoodDrink Beverage Co. and

RTD market — bottled Iced Capp beverages. “We know

Empower T offer a diversion from the usual.

our guests are always looking for convenience so we’re

“Ready-to-drink (RTD) iced tea has grown significantly

excited to give them the option to enjoy an Iced Capp any

in the out-of-home channel,” notes James Kenny, senior

time, whether they’re at home or on the go,” says Tammy

foodservice and specialty channel manager at Toronto-

Sadinsky, EVP Retail, Tim Hortons.

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Competition in the coffee and tea segment is fierce; leading the pack are the usual suspects, with Tim Hortons maintaining its perennial position as the country’s top-performing coffee chain, as well as the topperforming operator on F&H’s 2016 Top 100 Report.

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In response to the more adventurous natures of millennials, the chain has been exploring new flavour profiles. Last year, Tim Hortons launched two limited-batch coffees in select Canadian markets as part of a series of blends sourced from renowned growing regions around the world.

Last April, the brand’s iconic Iced Capp lineup received a new addition with the launch of a maple-flavoured version.

Keeping with what seems to be a Canadiana theme, a new latte — dubbed the Latt-eh — was recently made available in select markets for a limited time.

The new latte features Arabica espresso and 100-per-cent Canadian-sourced milk.

This past year saw dramatic developments for McDonald’s McCafé brand. The QSR chain

made its first foray into the traditional café space with the launch of its standalone McCafé concept late last year. The locations are part of the company’s ongoing strategy to build on its reputation as a leading coffee brand and offer greater access points. The new concept features a smaller footprint than traditional McDonald’s restaurants, allowing the McCafé brand to expand into high-density urban locations.

“Our two McCafé standalones are exceeding our expectations.

Early indications [show] this is a very successful endeavour,” says Catherine Crozier, head of McCafé Platform (Business) at McDonald’s Canada. “The cafés have been met with great response and it’s exciting to see them as ‘must-attend’ destinations with our guests taking self-

POURING FOR PROFITS

ies and sharing their experience on social media.”

The company also introduced several products exclusive to the standalone locations, including a mocha latte made with Ghiradelli chocolate syrup and the McCafé Affogato made with Oreo cookie crumbs, soft-serve ice cream and a shot of espresso.

The concept currently boasts

two locations in downtown Toronto — one at Union Station and the other in First Canadian Place. As Crozier explains, the company isn’t currently looking to expand the café’s presence, opting instead to focus on the existing locations for the time being. “While we’re currently focused on these two locations, we continue to receive interest not only in Canada, but around the globe, about this new concept,” she adds.

Cold beverages have been a key focus at Starbucks this year, with offerings such as the Teavana Shaken Berry Sangria Herbal Tea, Affogato-style Frappuccino and Granitas making their debut.

This summer, the brand also launched the Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato — the company’s first iced-beverage to

feature its Single Origin Sumatra Coconut Milk (launched last August).

“Following the highly successful nationwide launch of Starbucks Cold Brew last summer, we’ll use the same thoughtful craft and eye for innovation as we do for hot coffee to deliver an exceptional new menu where craft meets cold,” says Peter Bond, director of Beverage & Promotion, Starbucks Canada.

‘We’ve seen iced beverages do incredibly well in the Canadian market year-round, so there’s a lot of opportunity in cold, particularly handcrafted beverages with innovative flavour.”

According to Bond, Starbucks has seen approximately 30-percent growth in the performance of its iced beverages over the past two years, representing “one of the fastest-growing areas” of

the brand’s business. “Starbucks expects the category of cold coffee, including espresso, to double in the next five years,” he adds.

REGIONAL ROASTS

Smaller and regional coffee chains continue to carve out a share of the market, thanks to loyal local followings. These establishments are often ahead of the curve compared to their larger counterparts, as the smaller size allows for swifter roll-out of new products and ideas.

Calgary-based Good Earth Coffeehouse has cranked out several new beverage offerings in the last year, including the Spicy Mexican Mocha, featuring a hint of smoky chipotle flavour.

The brand also introduced the Five Spice Tea Latte, Earl Grey Frappe and, the recent launch of three cold-brew coffee flavours,

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POURING FOR PROFITS as well as a Shaken Black Tea Lemonade and Cherry Green Tea Lemonade.

When it comes to developing and introducing new menu items, Gerry Docherty, president and CEO of Good Earth Coffeehouse admits it’s a bit of a balancing act. “It’s really about listening to our customers and understanding what it is that they’re looking for in their local coffee house,” he says. “We, of course, stay on top of industry trends, while being diligent in ensuring these trends are a fit for the Good Earth brand.”

Regional café brands tend to appeal to their clients through a strong set of core values customers can identify with. Good Earth, for example, puts great focus on its coffee farmers through direct and ethical trade practices, wholesome food, envi-

ronmental consciousness and support of the local community.

Ottawa-based Bridgehead got its start as a fair-traded coffee and tea company and its coffeehouses continue to source from small-scale farmers. The brand also has a strong commitment to the environment, demonstrated through its offering of porcelain and glassware for sit-in enjoyment as well as compostable cups and containers for to-go orders.

Similarly, Ancaster, Ont.’s Balzac’s Coffee Roasters has built its brand on the cornerstones of “artisanal, sustainable, local and natural” offerings, including organic, locally sourced milk.

EVERYONE ELSE

Though the coffee café category continues to flourish, experts believe traditional foodservice

establishments continue to miss out on the check-inflating opportunities coffee and tea can offer.

During a panel at this year’s Restaurants Canada Show, segment experts Jeff Williams, strategic account manager – Canada at Bunn-O-Matic Corporation and Tata’s Kenny highlighted key factors preventing these beverage offerings from reaching their full potential. Williams identified front-of-house staff ’s lack of knowledge and training as a key factor hampering sales of aftermeal beverage offerings. “At the end of the day, it’s the staff that are presenting these products to the client,” he explained. “There is no doubt that part of the theatre behind our products is someone’s ability to represent them [to the guest].”

Kenny believes restaurant

operators need to put a greater focus on making tea part of the dining experience. “Make tea as important as a dessert or the appetizer to complete the meal,” he suggests. “There is an experience around it.”

Part of achieving this is ensuring teas are displayed more prominently on menus. “[Tea] is a category unto itself; it’s not just hot beverage, it needs to have a very prominent place on the menu,” Kenny adds. l

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SHOW PREVIEW

TEA TIME The Tea Association of Canada continues its mission to promote tea culture in Canada and educate operators on serving the beverage at this year’s annual Canadian Coffee & Tea Show.

BY ERIC ALISTER

T

GRAB A CUPPA The 2016 edition of the Canadian Coffee & Tea Show offers seminars, tastings, product demos and insight from experts during its two-day stop in Toronto

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

he not-for-profit Tea Association of Canada (TAC), will be returning to this year’s annual Canadian Coffee & Tea Show, happening on September 25 and 26 at The International Centre in Toronto. Since 1954, TAC’s founding members — originating in Sri Lanka and India — have worked to promote tea consumption in Canada.

For this year’s event, TAC will offer seminars on the intricacies of serving the world’s second most-loved beverage, as well as conducting its Tea Sommelier certification examination.

On opening day, Monin’s director of Beverage Innovation, Angela Thompson will share insider secrets and insights on the latest flavour-innovations in coffee, iced tea, soda, lemonade and more. She will teach participants how to utilize a single product in numerous applications and how to create seasonal limited-time offers in order to maximize profits.

The Canadian Coffee and Tea Show kicksoff at 8 a.m. on Sept. 25 with a coffee cupping basics workshop — where participants will

be taught how to taste coffee to evaluate its quality — followed by TAC’s tea industry update from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., sharing the latest information on the most important issues affecting the production, distribution and sale of tea.

Monday’s events close out with a coffee retailer panel featuring leading figures in the coffee industry who will discuss emerging trends and threats that operators need to monitor in order to protect their businesses.

A tea-tasting guided by TAC tea sommeleier, Shabnam Weber, includes a variety of teas from different regions of India and Kenya for guests to acquaint their palates with more exotic flavours.

Other sessions include a seminar on crafting blended drinks; a TAC seminar on tea preparation for the 21st century; a FairtradeCanada-hosted luncheon focused on discussing how effective fair trade practices in the coffee industry can lead to improving the lives of small-scale farmers and marginalized workers; and an advanced coffee tasting session. l FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

47

SANDWICH WARS

Canadians still love sandwiches, but traditional delis are struggling for market share STORY BY AMY BOSTOCK AND ANDREW SPELLER

48 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

PHOTOGRAPH: DREAMSTIME.COM [SANDWICH IMAGE, OPPOSITE PAGE]

SEGMENT REPORT

When Zane Caplansky opened his first pop-up restaurant in Toronto in 2008, his goal was to do for deli what Starbucks has done for coffee.

“I noticed the deli industry was disappearing in the city and saw an opening,” says Caplansky, whose great-grandmother used to make corned-beef sandwiches for the workers in the Spadina and Richmond garment district in Toronto. “We caught the imagination of the city, customers and investors, so we opened up on College Street (in Toronto) in 2009. I’m carrying on a tradition that’s been in my family for four generations.”

His timing couldn’t have be better, as Canadian consumers continued to gravitate toward sandwich options.

In fact, according to Chicago-based Technomic Inc.’s 2016 Canadian Sandwich Consumer Trend Report, approximately 56 per cent of consumers eat deli sandwiches once a month or more — a three-per-cent increase over 2014.

“On the independent level, we’ve seen a resurgence of the classic deli concept,” says Kristin Menas, associate editor, Canada & Adult Beverage at Technomic Inc. But while most people associate deli food with quaint mom-and-pop type operaFOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

tions, Menas says, in reality 68 per cent of diners typically purchase sandwiches from fast-food sandwich restaurants, compared to 31 per cent who frequent local independent sandwich shops.

And this, says Robert Carter of Torontobased NPD Group, will be the traditional deli’s undoing. “The majority of the deli category are within the independent [restaurant] segment, which has been hit really hard in the last couple of years in terms of the number of unit closures,” says Carter, noting more independent Canadian restaurant units closed last year than ever before. “In order to be successful, restaurants need to expand beyond their core offerings — they can’t be known for one specific item — so the deli category is particularly challenged in this market.”

Caplansky’s Deli is bucking the trend.

“We just opened our first franchise at the beginning of May in Yorkville (in Toronto) and so far it’s been very successful. Now we’re looking at new locations and for franchisees across the country,” he says.

Caplansky attributes the success of his brand to diners’ increased demand for transparency when it comes to their food. “People

DELI DELIGHTS (clockwise starting at top left) Traditional deli sandwiches such as the Reuben are still in high demand; Caplansky’s is growing its deli brand across the country; Sid’s Deli in Toronto offers a niche menu, which appeals to deli purists

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

49

SEGMENT REPORT what we do, we do so well.”

For Doug Hibberd, owner of Sid’s Deli in Toronto and 30-year veteran of the deli industry, offering a niche menu is what makes his restaurant successful. “When people come in here, they want meat. Reubens are very big; and what I call a “Rachel”, which is like a Reuben, but uses pastrami instead of corned beef.” like to know where their food comes from,” he says. “Local is an important trend, as is handmade, homemade and authentic food.

This is what we’re hearing from people.

They want to know you can stand behind and explain all the details of the food they’re about to eat. They want to know the story behind the food — that kind of authenticity really does matter to people.”

Between the restaurant, the catering business and the iconic blue food truck, Caplansky’s serves more than 10,000 people a week. “My business has been growing at an average of 22 per cent year-over-year for the past seven years. I’m really not feeling the sense of competition from the QSRs because

FIGHTING FOR SANDWICH SHARE

As consumers clamour for healthier, leaner and increasingly plant-based menu choices, is there still a place for the traditional deli offerings?

“Only nine per cent of consumers say their favourite sandwich to eat away from home for lunch is a deli sandwich,” says Menas. “Comparatively, six per cent say deli sandwiches are their favourite type of sandwich to eat away from home for dinner. This is compared to other options such as burgers, subs/hoagies/heroes, chickenbreast sandwiches, wraps and breakfast sandwiches.”

Non-deli operators are now starting to steal share, with QSR and fast-casual chains eating into delis’ business and clientele. For example, Arby’s Canada now offers Reuben, Double Reuben and Double Montreal sandwiches — all made with Montreal smoked meat — and Montreal-based Presse Café has added a Montreal Wrap with smoked meat, sauerkraut and pickles in a rye tortilla to its menu.

“I don’t know if [traditional] deli food is perceived as being healthy,” says Carter.

“The thing we know for sure is the innovation coming through a chain such as Tim Hortons — the number-1 sandwich player in Canada — where they’re doing a deli-style sandwich, even Subway with some of its deli-style subs — that is putting pressure on the independent delis.”

Caplansky says he’s not afraid of a little competition. “Competition’s great and I expect to compete and win,” he says.

“When it comes down to it, if a customer is looking for a good homemade, handmade meal at an affordable price and

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it’s between me and McDonald’s, I bet I would win that customer.”

He says his customers still crave a “nice fatty smoked-meat sandwich on fresh rye bread” and notes the deli classic is by far his best seller. “It’s my signature dish. You can’t beat a handmade, homemade, fresh brisket smoked-meat sandwich.”

In fact, he’s banking on it as he moves the business forward into the franchising world.

A Caplansky’s franchise will cost approximately $150,000 to $200,000 and concepts include simple sandwich counters as well as sit-down restaurant units. In terms of expansion, Caplansky has his sights set on Vancouver and Calgary, as well as additional Canadian cities with populations of more than 150,000 people.

For Hibberd, increased competition inspired him to rework Sid’s menu to appeal to a wider range of customers, without sacrificing its deli roots. “We’re near a lot of competition,” he says. “Druxy’s is close, Subway is always close, so what we did is adjust our sandwiches to cater to [customer demand]

CL 60 WORKSTATION

for smaller, more affordable portions — now we do a four ounce, six ounce or eight-ounce sandwich.” His top sellers include corned beef and pastrami — on rye, of course.

To be considered a “good deli” and stay ahead of the competition, Hibberd says what you serve with the sandwich is as important as the sandwich itself. “One thing people do to rank [a deli] is check out the pop fridge.

If you don’t have black-cherry [pop] or Vernors, then don’t even bother opening your doors.”

Hibberd also added soups to his menu and made them available for take-out, allowing customers to take a bit of deli home with them. “Matzah ball soup is, by far, the best seller. That has never changed in the deli industry — it’s the one constant. We’re

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SEGMENT REPORT also the only deli in Toronto that makes flavoured latkes. The best-sellers are the potato and leek latkes.”

This type of menu diversification, says Carter, is what delis need to survive, citing Pickle Barrel as an interesting case of how expanded offerings can impact sales.

According to F&H’s 2016 Top 100 Report, Pickle Barrel recorded $61.5 million in sales

in 2015, up from an estimated $51.5 million in 2014. “It was more of a traditional deli in the beginning but it recognized the need to expand beyond a core offering in order to stay relevant and grow,” he says.

In February, the iconic Druxy’s Famous Deli chain announced the acquisition of Williams Fresh Café, resulting in a portfolio of 70 delis, cafés and kiosks across Ontario.

“For the past year, we evaluated options to break into the growing fast-casual restaurant segment,” says Peter Druxerman, Druxy’s vice-president of Marketing. He says the deal will see Druxy’s sandwiches added to the Williams menu and Williams’ hot beverages and desserts served at Druxy’s locations — allowing the brand to cross-promote across all dayparts.

“It’s not possible in the Canadian market to have a singular focus,” Carter adds. “The deli operators such as Caplansky’s, who do a good job and have a loyal following — that’s what it really comes down to. Can they get loyal customers and can they get them to come back more often because they can’t compete [with bigger chains] when it comes to getting new customers in the door and they can’t compete on price.”

Marketing is another advantage large chains have over independent delis, Carter notes, but Caplansky says you don’t need to have a large marketing team to effectively promote your brand. He uses social media as an alternative to an expensive advertising budget. “It levels the playing field for small independent operators who don’t have the same money or muscle the other big chain restaurants do. I can reach hundreds of thousands of people by using social media and it allows me to talk directly to the customers, which is great because if there is an issue, I can handle it directly and right away.

People throw around the word “brand” and to me that means the customer’s experience with your company.”

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According to Carter, the deli segment is just too narrow, too specialized, to survive longterm. “The lunch daypart is challenged, more people skip lunch than any other meal. The growth in the market is breakfast and that’s taking away from lunch daypart. Everyone is trying to get the lunch consumer and it’s putting huge pressure on the deli segment.

If I was an independent deli operator, I’d be opening early and offering breakfast.”

Hibberd is more optimistic. “There aren’t many delis left, period. But, I watch New York City and have found the trends that happen there, two years later they happen in Toronto. Right now in NYC there are delis everywhere — I figure the trend will get here in the next 18 months.” l FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

EQUIPMENT TRENDS REPORT

MAKING ROOM FOR PROFITS Appliances are getting smaller and smarter as operators look to stretch their budgets

BY DENISE DEVEAU

IMAGE: DREAMSTIME.COM

W

hile every year the foodservice industry experiences a shift in drivers behind purchasing decisions, factors such as the economy, the cost of doing business, space or energy efficiency consistently come into play. In 2016, however, industry experts say the overwhelming considerations are footprint, staffing challenges and costs. Equipment choices are following suit, as operators seek out innovations in shrunk-down versions of workhorse appliances, multitasking and intelligent appliances, and/or products to help maximize human resources or stretch menu offerings.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

Joel Sisson, president and founder of Crush Strategy Inc. in Mississauga, Ont. says in working with operators, the focus in recent months has been on appliances that deliver consistent results and are easy to use. “Even though operators want to be energy efficient, that’s a distant third, because it’s harder to realize the savings.”

MIGHTY MULTI-MACHINES

Staffing shortages have operators looking for appliances that perform multiple tasks while doing the thinking for you, Sisson says.

“The available labour pool for back-of-house is terrible. The best way to deal with that is to

invest in better pieces of equipment and less of them.”

The latest combi-ovens and rapid-cook systems help alleviate the issue of judgement to some degree, Sisson says. “You can set them up and they pretty much know how to cook things. And countertop rapid-cook systems [TurboChef and Merrychef] are ideal for quick heating and cooking in small spaces.”

Multi-function, smart appliances are among the most sought-after pieces of equipment these days, confirms Doug Feltmate, foodservice and hospitality consultant with Ottawabased Planned Foodservice Solutions. “The biggest multi-

tasking piece is still the combi oven — Electrolux, Rational, Alto-Shaam and Combitherm have all come up with a version of a self-cooking centre that does a lot of the work for you.

They’re becoming mainstays in commercial kitchens. If you add automated cooking features, your oven becomes another cook on the line.”

Feltmate says the availability of ventless combi-oven units is a huge game changer. “Pretty well every manufacturer has a self-ventilating unit that meets all local codes. With them, you can make changes to an existing restaurant without affecting ventilation and the major capital

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

53

EQUIPMENT TRENDS REPORT A Thermomix commercial unit costs approximately $2,500, while Bellini has brought the price down to about $600 for a home system.”

SIZE MATTERS

top and a sous-vide machine, “you can get away with not needing venting. It can certainly drive your decisions on how you put your menu together. And stackable countertop combioven units are becoming almost standard. That’s a big change from five years ago.”

ON THE CHEAP

According to Boyce, another driver in today’s economy are appliances that allow operators to work with less expensive proteins or extend the life of food items to reduce waste.

Sous-vide is one essential.

“A lot of chefs are using it now because it can take inexpensive and undesirable meat cuts and seafood and make them incredibly tender, while containing all the moisture and flavours. It helps control menu pricing.”

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costs that go with it.”

On the smaller side, Kevin Boyce, program coordinator at Holland College in Charlottetown, P.E.I., says thermal mixers — which serve as a slow-cooker, stand mixer and food processor — are making a comeback for the same reasons.

“They can do milling, grinding, grating, kneading dough, chopping vegetables, crushing or whipping. They also cook, fry and steam, yet are only the size of a large domestic coffeemaker.

Across the board, manufacturers are offering shrunk-down versions for space-challenged restaurant owners — from stackable combi-ovens to underthe-counter refrigerators.

“A lot of restaurants that used to consider 5,000 to 6,000 sq. ft. are looking for 4,000 to 4,500 sq. ft.,” Sisson says. “We’re seeing a lot cutting out 1,000 to 1,500 sq. ft., where possible, to get occupancy costs down while maintaining the same number of seats [so] kitchen size definitely comes into play.”

Bar 120 restaurant at Pearson International Airport, for exam-

ple, has a finishing kitchen space that’s a mere two by four meters, according to John Placko, culinary director, Modern Culinary Academy in Toronto. “We had to think carefully about our equipment choices.”

His selections included a rotary toaster, Panini grill, two warming drawers, a Sousvide Supreme unit (a second PolyScience unit is in the commissary), a TurboChef, a PolyScience anti-griddle, a Pacojet micro-puree blender and an induction cooktop — along with some under-the-counter refrigerators and freezers. “If it wasn’t for these pieces, I don’t know how we could have executed a consistent menu.”

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EQUIPMENT TRENDS REPORT

SPACE SAVER Sous-vide machines have become an affordable musthave for space-challenged kitchens

values are unchanged. Units, however, don’t come cheap — typical pricing can run up to $18,000 for a large system for catering and commercial hotels.”

Then there are appliances which simply make more sense in a cost-conscious world because they can keep overhead costs down, including staffing.

Retherming, for example, is making a comeback as a means to work more efficiently, Boyce says. “It’s an older technology that has become very trendy. It used to be you needed an army of cooks lined up in a big row to put food on plates and pass it down, creating an inconsistent product. Now you can plate cold, roll a rack full of plates into the oven and rethermalize it slowly and safely according to prepared settings. What normally took 10 to 12 chefs

can be done by two or three.”

Chef/consultant Darren Brown says the cost of ventilation is also steering more operators to induction, immersion circulators and rapid-cook ovens. “When you consider that hoods represent one of the most significant equipment costs at $60,000 to $100,000, it makes sense to have a lot of small appliances working together that can run without hood fans — especially when you’re tight on space.”

CREATURE COMFORTS

Smaller, tighter spaces don’t always lend themselves to a comfortable work environment, but the right equipment choices can certainly relieve the burden.

Induction shines in this regard. Not only are induction appliances more efficient and cook more quickly, they

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Affordability is a key contributor to the sous-vide resurgence — from $600 to $2,500 for commercial systems from PolyScience, and as little as $200 for home versions such as Anova.

Food dehydrators are also gaining popularity. “Again, that

goes back to the economy,” Boyce says. “A lot of kitchens are using dehydrators on items that normally go to waste; for example mushrooms you can’t use up or fennel flowers. They cut and dry them and grind them to a powder to use as a seasoning for salads and steaks.” He adds dehydrating goes hand-in-hand with the increasing interest in charcuterie programs. “Chefs may want to dehydrate before they smoke or vice-versa.”

Along the same lines, freeze dryers — an appliance Boyce describes as an anti-griddle with a dehydrator on top — are a sought-after kitchen essential.

The main purpose is to save product and waste and freezedry it in a short time. “It saves the integrity of the product more than dehydrating. The flavours, smells and nutritional

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EQUIPMENT TRENDS REPORT don’t create external heat in the kitchen. “Induction only generates heat when pans are in contact, so [they] run 30 per cent to 40 per cent cooler versus a traditional kitchen with gas-fired cooktops,” says Christopher Moreland, executive chef for Chesher Equipment in Mississauga, Ont. There are also plenty of energy-efficient enhancements that improve comfort levels in kitchen spaces, Feltmate says.

“Ventilation from leaders such as Halton and CaptiveAire are being integrated into buildingmanagement systems to enable remote monitoring.”

There are even smart dishwashers that are helping to reduce labour, while making dish room space better places to work, Feltmate adds. “All the major players such as Hobart

FOOD EQUIPMENT CO.

and Champion are coming up with heat-recovery dishwashers that don’t emit heat or steam.”

A BREADTH OF CHOICES

Equipment innovation is not limited to mainstream items.

Brown says urban cultivators for microgreens are showing promise in terms of both sustainability and quality. “It’s an easy case for ROI, they’re great for the environment and from a health and nutrient standpoint because you don’t harvest until you use the product.”

Smokers are moving to the top of the list for many operators, Sisson says. “There has been a huge increase in smokers because they allow you to be more cost-effective by using cheaper cuts of meat and you don’t need to watch them.”

Feltmate also reports major

R

ETTE BIGGER & B

’s

GRAND

breakthroughs on the fryer front in terms of energy efficiency and zero-heat recovery times.

There are now electric deep fryers that enable 100 per cent transfer of energy into the oil, and have removable elements for easier cleaning, Moreland notes.

“The problem is energy-efficient fryers can be more expensive.

An entry level Vulcan PowerFry 5 gas fryer and the Standex Ultrafyer for example can cost $3,500 to $5,000 versus $700 to $1,000 for a basic fryer. But they last forever and there’s less oil degradation, so [they] pay for themselves in the end.”

Charbroilers and griddles are showing significant improvements in heat transfer, Moreland adds. “Some newer griddles have an aluminum core along with thermostatic snap action built into the metal for a more accu-

rate and consistent temperature read. Vulcan’s IRX infrared charbroiler has emitter panels that can heat up to 800° and disperse energy across the entire bottom without flare-ups from dripping grease.”

Another wish-list item is solid-fuel ovens. “We are getting more requests than ever for wood- and coal-burning pizza ovens. There seems to be a romanticism about it that appeals to chefs,” Moreland says.

THE COLD FRONT

While large-scale refrigeration units haven’t seen an abundance of changes, Feltmate reports a growing interest in rapid/blast chillers, particularly on the smaller operations side. “They were once for institutional applications. Now, smaller operators are interested from a food-safety

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EQUIPMENT TRENDS REPORT aspect so are willing to invest $8,000 or $10,000 for a smaller unit.”

Moreland agrees that beyond large-scale operations, money is not being spent on walk-in refrigeration and freezer systems.

“Younger chefs, especially, don’t use freezers much because they are working with local foods and want to use them at the peak of freshness. If they do, it’s a very small one.

Operators are also moving to customized units to fit different spaces.”

BEVERAGE BUZZ

When it comes to tea and coffee makers, it’s all about precision and consistency, Brown says. “Machines are focused on quality, control and precision. There are some amazing all-in-one machines for super high-end ser-

vice environments that can put out high-calibre lattes more consistent than a barista’s.”

One of Brown’s favourite technologies is a siphon vacuum extraction tea and coffee brewer from Utah-based Alpha Dominche, which can programmed by an iPad. Moreland notes two intriguing trends on the coffee front. The first is “super automatic” machines that can dispense every type of beverage with a single push of a button. “We’re even seeing operators transition into using pod brewing. Nespresso now has a whole commercial division and is trying to get these systems into chains. Right now, the challenge is the cost-per-pod is 50 to 75 cents, while fresh ground espresso is around 15 to 20 cents. You lose a lot of margin, but you do gain in terms of consistency and quality.”

The other trend is custom roasters and percolators. “It’s more to address the artisanal side of coffee making,” Moreland says.

On the drink-dispensing side, coldpressed juice machines are also gaining traction, Brown says. “Most operators start with smaller systems that cost about $2,500. When you get to the $15,000 massive hydraulic presses, they’re a totally different product. Another key trend is intelligent dispensers that integrate with your POS system.”

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER

Moreland says the biggest trend on the technology horizon is the connected kitchen. “A lot of operators want intelligent equipment they can interact with — whether they’re in the kitchen or not.”

And manufacturers are answering the call, he says. “The Amana ACP high-speed oven countertop appliance, for example, changed its control panel to a Wi-Fi-based touchscreen similar to an iPhone so customers can update new cooking processes, create menus, take pictures of dishes or do any other programming remotely.”

Italian supplier Lainox has gone one step further with its Naboo combi-oven, which uses Cloud-based technology to enable chefs to post recipes for downloading.

But this is only an inkling of what the connected kitchen will become, he adds.

“What you are seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we can expect to see in the next five to 10 years.” l

60 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

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NRA SHOW PREVIEW

TRENDING TOOLS

Innovative new products were the order of the day at the annual National Restaurant Association Show

ON POINT Escali has launched a full line of timers and thermometers designed for foodservice professionals. Thermometer offerings include both digital and mechanical variations with specialized models designed for applications — from measuring freezer units to piping-hot deep fryers. The line of timers boasts unique models capable of timing multiple events, as well as combined timer and thermometer models.

Escali

DOUBLE TIME Star Manufacturing’s new IRCS4 Split-Belt Conveyor Toaster features dual conveyor belts with independent power controls and programmable speed, allowing for product flexibility and accurate, repeatable results.

The IRCS4’s digital-control platform is simple and intuitive and features an easily accessible USB port for quick updates.

This impinged air toaster is also cool to the touch, ensuring maximum safety and operator comfort.

Star Manufacturing

RAISING THE BAR Libbey Foodservice has added three new lines of premium barware to its Master’s Reserve Collection. The Symmetry line offers curving profiles and a thick sham. The Modernist line is unassuming yet bold, with a contemporary feel. It features thicker sidewalls and strong lines for high-performance durability. The third line, Renaissance Stemless, combines classic elegance and modern aesthetics for luxury wine glasses that suit any celebration.

Libbey Foodservice

STEAM FREE Alto-Shaam has introduced waterless hot wells to its line of equipment. The Halo Heat drop-in hot wells are designed with an optional narrow footprint to accommodate up to three full-size hotel pans. By removing the need for water, the new hot well removes the hazards and costs associated with steam-heated technology, while extending holding capacity and saving space.

Alto-Shaam

62 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

SLEEK HEAT The new Rapide Cuisine Induction Range by Hatco Corporation boasts durability and performance while remaining portable and low profile.

Through a Magnetic Power System, the range delivers the highest power in its class. The system also features programmable preset modes, timer, automatic shut-off and compatible pan detection. The unit is ideal for a variety of applications including buffet lines and other front-of-house applications.

Hatco Corporation

SERVICE SQUARED Vollrath Company debuted its new Cubic Buffet System, which fuses modern elegance with flexibility. The new buffet line includes bowls, pedestals, beverage dispensers, cutting boards, platters and more, which are easy to combine in a wide array of display configurations. The system’s stackable options save valuable storage space when not in use and are quick to assemble for fast setup and takedown.

Vollrath Company

COLOUR ME ORGANIZED Keep your kitchen organized with Rubbermaid Commercial Products’ new line of colourcoded storage and preparation products. The seven-colour system helps facilitate the safe handling of food, with a color palette designed to fit the unique needs of the commercial kitchen. The product range includes cutting boards, tongs, high-heat spatulas, square containers and lids, round containers and lids and a cutting board rack. This line will be available starting October 2016.

Rubbermaid Commercial Products ICE CREAM DREAM Stoelting’s AutoVend system is designed to cut down on floor space and staffing needs. This selfserve frozen soft-serve vending machine dispenses two flavours individually or combined as a twist, along with up to four toppings in multiple sizes. The system has a footprint of 18 sq. ft., is plug-and-play ready, operator programmable and sends realtime data. It accepts cash, credit and debit payments as well as coupons and mobile payment options.

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CHEF’S CORNER

MAKING WAVES

Chef Steve Vardy’s The Adelaide Oyster House is taking the East Coast by storm

BY ANDREW SPELLER

A

his teeth by learning the restaurant business from the ground up.

“One of the first jobs I had was as a dishwasher at the age of 14 and I haven’t left the kitchen since,” he says. “[I] really couldn’t imagine life without it; it’s given me almost everything.”

After graduating from Algonquin College’s Culinary Management program, he honed his skills working with some of the best chefs Canada had to offer, including world-renowned chef Michael Smith.

He’s taken home four consecutive CAA/AAA Four Diamond Awards, as well as Ottawa’s inaugural Epicurean Chef of the Year award in 2006 and a third-place finish in Canada’s Gold Medal Plates — dubbed Canada’s unofficial Culinary Olympics.

Vardy’s skills are in high demand among celebrities. During the course of his career, he’s prepared meals for A-listers such as The Rolling Stones, Counting Crows, Robert Plant, Joni Mitchell, Diana Krall, Journey, Liam Neeson, Kate Blanchett, Wayne Gretzky, Tori Spelling, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger, Rick Mercer and “too many NHL’ers to list,” he says, adding Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Justin Trudeau (before he was PM) have all been clients.

While the Adelaide Oyster House is still new to the scene, Vardy is already looking ahead — his dream is to settle in B.C. “My only goal is to live in Tofino one day soon,” he says. “[It’s] my favourite place on earth and the only place that feels like home to me.” l

BITS & BITES What do you like to eat at home?

Nachos and noodles

Favourite culinary destinations: British Columbia and Central America

64 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2016

Favourite food memory?

Nanny King’s bread

Favourite ingredient Green onion and yuzu” FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

PHOTOS: JOSHUA PARSONS [STEVE VARDY], DREAMSTIME.COM [BITS & BITES]

cclaimed Canadian chef Steve Vardy describes his new restaurant, The Adelaide Oyster House in St. John’s, Nfld., as being “like a house party every night — a really, really busy house party. [It’s a] ‘be-kind-or-leave’ sort of approach, with food and vibe heavily influenced by the places I’ve been.”

His culinary style, he says, is intensely personal. “I cook what I love to eat and from the influences of my travels,” explains Vardy. “It’s all over the map, but has to be sexy and vibrant. I believe a chef ’s style is a reflection of who they are.”

A joint venture between Vardy and his two partners, Peter Quintin and Peter Brushett, The Adelaide Oyster House opened to rave reviews in 2014 and has been generating buzz from coast-to-coast.

In 2015, the seafood-centered joint was number seven on enRoute Magazine’s Best New Restaurants in Canada list.

While the menu is constantly being refreshed, some of the current features include Albacore tuna sashimi with lemon, truffle oil, Newfoundland honey, popcorn and almond crumble ($14); Wuxi pork belly with fresh egg noodles, ginger-scallion sauce, red chilies and nuts ($18); broiled oysters Adelaide served with house-made bacon, cream cheese, jalapeño, panko and parmesan ($19); and Torched Tuna Tataki with house-made wakame (edible seaweed), Chinese black mushroom salad and ponzu ($15).

Vardy didn’t start at the top in Canada’s culinary world — cutting

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