Canadian
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Winter 2019
Restaurant Foodservice News Official Magazine of the Culinary Federation
BETWEEN THE FARM AND TABLE WE NEED MORE THAN GREAT FARMLAND FOR GREAT PRODUCE
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IT’S ALWAYS SNACK TIME Traditional mealtimes are giving way to all-day grazing — Page 13
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Canadian Trailblazer Susan Senecal | Cannabis Update Old Diet, Meet New Diet | Chef Q&A with Emily Wells
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contents Spring 2019 VOL. 10 NO. 1
FEATURES 13 Mealtime Supplement It’s Always Snack Time 20 Foodservice Focus Old Diet, Meet New Diet 41 Beverage Feature One Trend, Three Ways
26 COVER STORY
COLUMNS
26 Between the Farm and Table We need more than great farmland for great produce
48 Tools of the Trade Going Global
DEPARTMENTS 4 Editor’s Note Small Talk 6 Canadian Trailblazer Youth Movement 8 Chef Q&A Emily Wells: “It’s about working with what you've got” 23 Cannabis Update Going Green 54 Crunching Numbers The New Kid
17 Dollars, Cents and Soup 18 Plant-Based Indulgence
50 Marketing Context Sensitive
25 Low(er) Carb
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT 33 The Culinary Federation’s À LA MINUTE
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS (FROM OUR PARTNERS)
24 Seven Generations Later By McCormick & Company
44 Information-Driven Foodie By Reuven International Ltd.
46 The Energy-Smart Kitchen By Enbridge Inc.
“
How do we continue to improve and connect [with customers] more strongly?
Correction: In “Innovation Inundation,” which originally ran in the winter 2018 issue of CRFN, the price of Chowbotics’ Sally is incorrectly reported as CAD$30,000. Sally costs USD$30,000 plus freight and brokerage. CRFN regrets the error.
”
- Susan Senecal, A&W Canada’s CEO
EDITOR'S NOTE
&
Canadian
Restaurant Foodservice News The official publication of the Culinary Federation, RestoBiz.ca, RestoBizBYTES and RestoBizGuide.
SMALL TALK
Sometimes, the weather is worth talking about
I
t might make for bad conversation, but I’m going to talk about the weather to break the ice (and avoid puns like that from here on in). We all go through it, and it’s worth a handful of words because this winter wasn’t just another string of cold months. It was aggressive and unrelenting from coast to coast to coast. A polar vortex — a piece of meteorological jargon I’m thoroughly done with — swept down from the arctic over central Canada, leading to another phrase, “colder than Mars,” that I’m doing my best to forget. The Maritime provinces suffered record-setting snowfalls, as did the usually mild west coast. I know from my days working in restaurants that this winter probably saw less walk-in traffic and more customers skip more reservations than previous years. Who can blame them? That collective odyssey is in the rear view, though, and I feel like I can risk stretching the small talk: it’s finally spring. A thaw, a seasonal reset and something to look forward to, including longer days, the beginning of fresh local produce and the return of long-lost regulars who re-emerge from hibernation and bump guest counts back up. There might even be a handful of early patio days. This issue of CRFN is a look ahead to sunnier weather. Our Chef Q&A (page 8), features Prince Edward Island’s Emily Wells, chef and owner of The Mill in New Glasgow. Wells reminded me that few feel the cold snap like restaurateurs outside of major urban centres who, like her, don’t just run a skeleton crew for the season, but shut down entirely. The restaurant business already operates on a seasonal feast-andfamine cycle, but it’s exaggerated to the point of being something different entirely in rural Canada. The weather doesn’t affect business there — it controls it entirely. Thankfully, there’s plenty that foodservice operators can control. Read up on what in: • A look at how to accommodate plant-based eating in Jo-Ann McArthur’s “Old Diet, Meet New Diet” (page 20); • A breakdown of how operators can use geomarketing to get more fair-weather patrons through their doors in Sean Keith’s “Context-Sensitive” (page 50); • An interview with A&W Canada’s CEO Susan Senecal (page 6), who’s helping update the classic Boomer brand for modern life. At the time of this writing, I’m wearing salt-stained boots and a heavy wool pea coat is draped over the back of my chair. But the cold is biting a little less hard, and pretty soon it won’t bite at all. Restaurateurs have made it through the famine half of the cycle. Get ready to feast.
Gregory Furgala Managing Editor
4 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
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YOUTH MOVEMENT A&W Canada’s CEO, Susan Senecal, is ushering a classic Boomer brand into the Millennial and Gen Z era By Gregory Furgala
6 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
CANADIAN TRAILBLAZER
If you live in a major city in Canada, you might’ve noticed that, a few years ago, new A&W restaurants started popping up downtown. They looked polished. Glassdoored refrigerators chilled and displayed A&W’s iconic glass root beer mug; messaging on the walls spoke to A&W Canada’s new ingredients guarantee, which promised hormone- and steroid-free beef and antibiotic-free chicken; and trays holding a couple dozen tomatoes, each carefully nestled, were tilted forward and in full view of you, the customer, as you examined the menu. It all looked very slick. The restaurants were popping up in the suburbs, too, but they looked a bit different there, trafficking in more A&W nostalgia than their downtown counterparts. But wherever you lived, there were likely more A&Ws. Between 2012 and 2017, A&W Canada added 169 stores, a successbegetting-success expansion prompted by the simple logic of convenience — more stores makes A&W a closer option for more people. It was part of a new strategic direction, but that was the easiest part of the answer to the more difficult question posed by A&W Canada’s CEO, Susan Senecal: “How do we continue to improve and connect [with customers] more strongly?” A&W Canada, founded in 1956, is of an age with Boomers, whose behaviour precipitated shifts from drive-ins to freestanding restaurants to malls. But Boomers now represent a demographic with diminishing market share, and it’s no secret that foodservice operators are reckoning with the wants, needs and expectations of Millennials and Gen Z as a result. That focus has generated some industry truisms: younger generations focus on the ingredients and their provenance, and they place more importance on environmental and ethical issues than their parents did. Senecal and the rest of A&W Canada’s management team know this full well, so the question isn’t really about what Millennials and Gen Z want, but about how to adapt a legacy brand with an established set of values to a new set of consumers.
“It’s really about finding the next innovations and changes we want to make, as well as the core and traditions we want to uphold,” says Senecal. “Whether it’s TV shows, magazines, fine dining or open kitchens, how does A&W fit into that open world?” Few people are better positioned to answer for A&W than her. Senecal grew up on the south shore of Montreal where she went to school and in 1992 became an area manager for A&W overseeing about a dozen corporate restaurants there, all in shopping malls. The position, in some ways, didn’t make sense — Senecal studied genetics and graduated with a degree in biology. But in 1985, while still in school, she worked as a manager-trainee at a Burger King and found she loved the pace and people, and that she enjoyed business generally. “I didn’t necessarily think it would become a permanent job, but I very quickly fell in love with the business.” says Senecal. “I was smitten. I caught the bug.” The bug drew her into foodservice, but A&W has kept her in orange for nearly 30 years, rising through the ranks into the c-suite. In 2012, when management decided to aggressively expand and reorient its growth strategy around Millennials, Senecal was the chief marketing officer. Three years later, she became COO. Last year, Senecal became A&W Canada’s CEO, the fifth in its history and first woman to occupy the position. Senecal’s professional life is almost wholly oriented around the brand. She understands both its valuable, enduring traditions as well as what can be shed. “There’s a couple constants at the heart of our success. Since the 1970s, long before I joined, we’ve been a strategy-driven company, and that emerged out of our need to adapt to the changing world,” says Senecal. “The world changes, but our process hasn’t changed very much at all.” Senecal cites A&W’s strategy-driven approach to foodservice as one of those constants. From the start, the brand has been adaptable, evolving in tandem with Boomers’ consumption habits. That
approach is the product of regular meetings that assess strong points and weaknesses, find opportunities and, if necessary, make major changes. The meetings depend on managers speaking up, which is encouraged by what Senecal refers to as “climate.” People challenge one another, and those differences, articulated civilly, make for positive creative output. Senecal credits it for the long tenure of managers and executives at the company, including her own. “Climate allows us to live with, benefit from and leverage our differences and include those in a positive way,” says Senecal. “It’s a powerful way to manage a business.” Now Senecal has to harness those differences toward enacting purposeful change. A&W was the first chain in Canada to adopt the Beyond Meat Burger, a plantbased patty that’s about as close to the real thing as you can get. The move struck the right generational chords and quickly ran out. A&W Canada also got rid of its single-use plastic straws — another Canadian first for a large chain — using the last of them toward a cheeky 10-metre long, orange straw epitaph saying “Change is Good.” Adopting ingredient guarantees helped cement and publicize A&W’s already long-held, uncomplicated value to make good food. But rolling out the Beyond Meat Burger and dropping plastic straws weren’t strategic ends; they were strategic means. They’re focal points around which customers can sharpen their idea of what A&W is Senecal is positioning A&W Canada as the QSR for the food savvy set that seeks out new ingredients, different recipes and eat because they love eating. “That same interest that drives people into food halls, farmers’ markets, marketplaces and grocery stores is the same that’s fuelling interest in our restaurants as well,” says Senecal. A&W Canada is a Boomer, but one whose values work for Millennials and Gen Z. With Senecal at the helm, it’s been nimble enough to navigate a huge generational shift. “Guests are pushing us in certain ways. We’re responding as best we can.” www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 7
Q&
EMILY WELLS
“IT’S ABOUT WORKING WITH WHAT YOU'VE GOT” Every ingredient has a season. In PEI, the restaurants do, too Five years ago, Emily Wells made for New Glasgow, a hamlet on the northern coast of Prince Edward Island. After building a career in Ottawa and Charlottetown, Wells wanted her own restaurant, so she bought the Mill in New Glasgow, a community hall built in 1896 that spent the latter half of the 20th century earning its current namesake as a mill before being converted into a restaurant in 1998. Since taking over, Wells has been recognized by the Matador Network, an online travel magazine, as one of Canada’s best chefs and won a Prince Edward Island Tourism Taste our Island award for her creative, classic use of PEI’s local fare — skills picked up from her mother, as part of Culinary Institute of Canada’s first graduating class and a childhood spent in Europe and on the island. But while business is brisk during spring, summer and autumn, PEI’s relentless winter prompted Wells to shut her doors for the season. Spring is upon the island, though, and Wells has used the cold, quiet months to plan for 2019’s hot-weather rush.
8 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. CRFN: Tell me about your cooking background. Emily Wells: I moved to PEI in 1974 when I was 11. My mother
learned to cook really well in Europe in the ‘60s and ‘70s — that’s my connection to European cooking. Then I went to the Canadian Culinary Institute for its first two first years, from 1983 to 1985, and I’ve been cooking ever since. It’s been a long run. I’ve been at it for 35 years, horrifyingly enough.
CRFN: How would you describe your approach to cooking? EW: I think it’s about working with what you got. I think the classic methods are so important, but you have to allow for things to develop their flavour. I like to be able to look at what I have available and adapt a recipe from it. I think, in so many ways, that’s what people in many parts of the world have to do because they don’t always have the benefit of going to a massive grocery store and having the pick of everything they want. That’s not to say I don’t certainly take advantage of having the pick of what I want. CRFN: Why did you decide to buy your own place and open your
own restaurant?
EW: Sometimes I wonder! I just reached the point where I wanted
to be able to do what I believed in. I had a lot of freedom at the
Dunes Cafe. It’s an established place, and we helped to put it on the map. But at some point I just needed to have my own independence, and I reached an age — I was in my early 50s — and wanted to give it a whirl, and I knew if I left it any longer, it’d be too late. I wanted to be autonomous. And I was also hoping — I must admit this has been a learning curve for me — that I could make it a year round business, and that has been a struggle because PEI is so seasonal. I’ve kind of accepted that it’s very hard in many parts of rural Canada to keep restaurants open in the off season. It’s not just PEI and not just the Maritimes, but it’s in many places, so I think we have to adapt. CRFN: Why did you decide to run a restaurant in a rural area? EW: A big part of it was, it was in a price point that I could
purchase. I like the size of the building. It’s three storeys. I have a large prep kitchen in the basement, and there’s room to expand. Even in Charlottetown, which isn’t too expensive, I would’ve only been able to rent a small space. I wanted to buy something, and I didn’t just want to be a 40-seat restaurant. I wanted to look at something in a bigger picture. I did attempt a small space in downtown Charlottetown, but even though it’s a city, it’s still a tough go in the winter, and that’s true of many places in Canada.
CRFN: Operating seasonally, closed for the winter, open for the summer — what kind of advantages and drawbacks does that offer? www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 9
Q& EW: The advantage, certainly, is that for the bulk of that
season, at the height of that season, you’re buying local lettuce, local tomatoes, the whole thing. That’s a huge chunk of it — it’s seafood season in PEI. That’s wonderful. That chunk of your season, if you can master it, if the season is good, is a big money maker. Now I realize, looking back, I was struggling during winter. I was still open, there’d be a snow storm and I’d have to decide if I was going to close, or how many staff I’d have on, or how much food I should buy. That’s a drag with restaurants — food is perishable. I’d still rather be open in the winter, but I’m prepared to accept that probably January, February and March are not great months to be open. The drawback is a subject close to my heart. So many cooks in PEI and restaurants in PEI are not able to work year-round. The restaurant industry is really struggling to staff the businesses in the summer because they have such a short season. There are restaurants that open the first of June and they’re closed by the end of September. That’s an incredibly short season, and some of them even close at the end of August. How do you find a chef, first of all, who’s prepared to run a restaurant and work for that short a period of time? It’s tough, you know?
CRFN: Why did you decide to get into offering live
music?
EW: We have a great space on the third floor that we
call the loft, and it’s kind of gradually developing into a space to hear live music. It’s another aspect of drawing people in. I do like the fact that there’s some really great local entertainment out there, and I’d like to see more local people coming in. In some respects, it’s about trying to recreate that concept of a tavern or pub that used to exist in these smaller communities, but sort of died off in the last 20, 25 years. All these little places that used to be in existence, they way you still see them in parts of Britain, there’s local pubs, somewhere to drop in for something to drink and a cheap bite to eat. I still like to think we could redevelop that concept which did use to 10 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
exist here. I know when I was growing up here in the 70s and 80s, there were still a lot of little towns that had a restaurant or restaurants. There’d be a Saturday night dance at the community centre down the road where people would gather. A lot of that kind of disappeared. CRFN: You’ve also dealt with a few curveballs, like when someone crashed their car into the restaurant. EW: Yes! Some poor young man, on a Sunday afternoon in
December, who I gather had too much to drink. I was in the basement prepping for a Christmas party and was the only one there. Somebody called me, and asked, “Em! Are you there?” And I said yes, and she said, “Some guy just drove into the front porch of the building!” I heard some muffled sound, but I was way in the basement of the building, had music on, and the convection oven on, and I thought it was just ice sliding off of the roof or something! So I go upstairs — and our building is right across the street from the New Glasgow fire hall, so it was perfect — and I’m covered in flour because I was making chicken pot pies or something, and there’s two fire trucks and they’re taking care of this kid. It was all settled with insurance but it was quite a sight.
CRFN: Heading into 2019, what can people expect? EW: I feel really good about it. I think there’s a lot of truth
in the fact that it takes four to five years to get yourself into some sort of groove, get your footing and sort out your financial mistakes. So I feel really good about this [season] coming up. We’re starting to put together some music for the loft and I’ve got some ideas swirling around my head for the menu. I’ve got a couple of new staff, and I’ve got some great staff that are coming back. PEI’s economy is so seasonal, given its tourism, fishing and farming. Lobster season starts the first of May, and it just sort of goes from there, and everyone gets caught up in this crazy whirlwind of activity. It goes from one extreme to another, and it’s true in the restaurant part of it, and hospitality, accommodation, fishing, farming. I think we’ll have a good year.
WE DON’T BREW OUR BEER FOR THE AWARDS. BUT HE DOES! Our brewmaster, Andrew Kohnen, threw away a successful career in logistics to pursue his dream of reconnecting with the brewing roots of his family. This carried him to the UK’s prestigious Brewlab in Sunderland, England, where he procured the alchemy that would drive his signature brewing style. He took what he could from there and ventured to Scotland, Cornwall, and ultimately to Krefeld, Germany, working in the same brewery that had belonged to his ancestors. He came home to Canada for Hockley. You could call it dumb, but we call it destiny.
Andrew Kohnen Brewmaster
HOCKLEYBEER.CA 12 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
IT’S ALWAYS
Snack Time The classic dayparts are still important, but Canadians, led by Millennials and Gen Z, are grazing more than ever By Asad Amin
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A Special Supplement to
www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 13
and from the FIVE consumption study, which captures consumption across all venues, including in home, with a sample size of 20,000 Canadians. SNACKING LANDSCAPE
Formal meal times are giving way to low key, all-day grazing. Over the past five years alone, trends observed by the Ipsos Food and Beverage Group indicate that snacking is becoming an increasingly ingrained consumption behaviour amongst Canadians. Reported snack occasions across all venues, in-home and out-of-home, currently account for 67 per cent of all consumption occasions — that’s double the size of traditional meals. Despite that share of eating occasions, snacking habits in foodservice still account for just 32 per cent of foodservice occasions, making the potential upside of expanding into all-day grazing or snacking a boon to forwardthinking operators. This rings especially true when considering that snacks are outpacing regular meal occasions in dollar growth, representing more than $12 billion of the Foodservice sector in 2018. The key to success in the snacking universe is acknowledging that Canadians no longer characterize snacking solely by a pre-defined universe of treat-oriented indulgences. Today, any food or beverage product can be consumed as a snack, from a slice of pizza to a smoothie. Consumers are blurring the lines between what’s a snack and what’s a meal. The type of food matters less now; it’s the timing the counts. These findings, as well as the following numbers, are sourced from two Ipsos Food and Beverage Group studies, including the Ipsos Foodservice Monitor (FSM)
As one would expect, snacking is most prominent in the QSR channel. Over a third of QSR traffic is attributed to snacking, compared to only ten per cent of FSR traffic. Snacking also accounts for more than 40 per cent of traffic outside of QSR and FSR — in retail, for example. Furthermore, most snacking occurs off-premise, with just 22 per cent of snacking occasions occurring on-premise. Similar to in-home snacking, the afternoon is the largest snacking daypart in foodservice. In the QSR segment, afternoon snacking represents 16 per cent of traffic and 10 per cent of total dollars, presenting a clear opportunity to drive incremental revenue for operators and manufacturers in the afternoon daypart. But in terms of growth, morning snacking has gained the most in traffic versus other dayparts. Of course, morning snack growth could be an extension of the importance of breakfast at foodservice. The morning time crunch at home continues to drive higher foodservice traffic before lunch. As a result, customers are flocking to restaurants for their morning snacks, either as a replacement or add-on to their breakfast, which incidentally is no longer the most skipped meal of the day. That distinction now belongs to lunch, which helps explain the size and importance of snacking to the afternoon. With work commitments often overlapping the traditional lunch hour, the flexibility and convenience that is granted with grazing can be quite enticing, especially while juggling hu nger pa ngs a nd professiona l commitments. The future of evening snacking could also be quite lucrative, given the explosive growth of foodservice delivery services on offer, as well as with the legalization of cannabis, an area the Ipsos Food and Beverage Group is monitoring with great interest. WHY WE SNACK
consumption tracker, which continuously tracks what 36,500 Canadians ate and drank the previous day at any given foodservice establishment via a device-agnostic survey,
14 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
The primary reasons that consumers give for visiting restaurants and other immediate consumption channels for snacking include seeking out a treat and satisfying their cravings — just like at home. Taking a break and portability are key secondary snacking drivers, particularly for daytime snacking. This aligns with the on-the-go locations where people tend to snack the most during the day, including the car.
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT When considering a daypart approach to attracting customers looking to graze, however, one needs to consider the different snacking needs that exist throughout the day. The morning snack occasion typically skews towards health, while the evening snack occasion more often veers towards indulgence. We once labelled the afternoon as the battleground where our need to maintain good health clashed with our treat-seeking indulgent cravings, but recent research findings lead us to conclude that the afternoon should be considered the middle ground — a better-for-you-snack will fulfill both health and indulgence at snacking occasions. Whether consumed needs during this key daypart. alone or with foods, beverages continue to be important to their share of stomach. SNACKING SWEET SPOT Significantly, 74 per cent of Millennials Snacking rates and motivations differ across consume a beverage when they report the lifespan of a typical Canadian. Consumers snacking. As expected, this is most prominent snack most often when they are young during the day when they consume coffee. children, tweens or teens, and less often Notable as well is that beverage-only through their thirties and beyond. Older occasions are well developed during cohorts’ aversion to snacking could be foodservice snacking occasions — 38 per attributed to early imprinted negative cent compared to 10 per cent during impressions towards snacking and its traditional meals. This speaks to the tendency to spoil appetites for traditional importance of having a beverage offering for meals. Given the aging of Canada’s snacking occasions, either as a traffic driver population and — trusting an adage — that or as a pairing vehicle for foods. old habits die hard, it is unlikely that older In line with customer needs, sweet, Canadians will change their snacking treat-oriented foods are best developed at behaviour any time soon. Thus, it is vital snacking occasions within the foodservice that foodser v ice operators a nd market, driven by bakery products (i.e. manufacturers work towards building and donuts) and desserts (i.e. ice cream). retaining brand loyalty with their Nonetheless, there remains a place in customers and consumers at a young age. foodservice for salty and savoury snacks. As a point of reference, in foodservice, the For example, hamburgers, French fries, sweet spot for snacking is among breakfast sandwiches and bagels each Millennials and Gen Z teens, close to half rank within the top ten items consumed as of whom account for all snacking occasions. a snack at QSR. OCCASION-AGNOSTIC SNACKS
Ipsos data also shows that Millennials are “liquid fuelers,” particularly when evaluating this cohort’s consumption rate of beverages
NEW TRADITION
While most consumers are traditionalists, what is evident is that the younger under-40 cohort clearly is over-developed in consumption of smaller, more frequent meals. As an operator or manufacturer, think about how your offer can be flexible and adapt to either a mini-meal or a traditional meal. These offerings, unbound by traditional mealtimes, appeal to Millennial and Gen Z cohorts, the former of which continues to drive the highest traffic growth in the foodservice market. Repositioning a current product or innovation as occasionagnostic is a first step towards a return on investment. Also, consider beverage offerings, portable packaging, daypart needs, and that the average eater cheque for a snack-based occasion is close to five dollars, about half the industry average for traditional meals. All-day grazing behaviour is demonstrably different from how customers consume traditional meals and requires a clear product and marketing approach to gain snacking occasions. Our data shows that snacking purchases in the foodservice channel are more impulsive than they are planned. This presents a sizeable opportunity to drive awareness of snacking products that are tailored to the needs of consumers, including by daypart. Snacking is now intertwined with our eating culture and has become essential to daily regimes. Consumers’ middle ground approach to eating through their snack choices all ladder up to increasingly fragmented and specialized needs. The requirement for a customized and personal approach to snacking can drive tremendous growth spaces in the Canadian marketplace.
Asad Amin is a vice president with Ipsos and leads the firm’s Foodservice Monitor (FSM) and FIVE studies as part of the Ipsos Food and Beverage Group. The Group employs 13 full time researchers. Based in Toronto, Amin leads the team of research experts dedicated to serving the market research needs of the food and beverage industry across Canada. Amin can be contacted at asad.amin@ipsos.com or 647-292-1748.
www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 15
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UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
Dollars, Cents and Soup
Bringing quality to the kitchen without breaking the bank By Michelle Campbell Too often, soup is overlooked and relegated to starter or side dish status when, if properly made with good ingredients, it can quietly steal the spotlight. But for that kind of soup, ingredients, labour and time all enter the equation, and each of those has an associated cost. So when it comes time to choose the soup you want to make and how you want to make it — hopefully you opt to make a spotlight stealer — best not choose lightly. BASE NOTES
still shine in the kitchen and create less work on the tail end, too. The added time spent washing more pots, more pans and more tools can slowly erode a healthy profit margin. Efficiency is the key to reducing costs, and quality dry mix can make for a quicker kitchen and help you save money without sacrificing the end result. WHAT IT’S NOT
Soups are readily adaptable to larger food trends, too. Increasingly health-conscious consumers in both restaurant and institutional foodservice settings have made low-sodium, cleanlabel, gluten-free and vegetarian options necessary menu items. Luda Foods noticed and responded. The Luda Pro line, for example, is entirely clean label. Meat and vegetables are locally sourced and appear first on the list of ingredients alongside the essentials, not needless filler. The Luda H line features products that are low in both sodium and fat and free of trans fat, artificial colours,
Shelf-stable mixes are often compared to frozen or ready-touse liquid stocks and sauces. But like good stock, not all dry mixes are created equal, and their quality will vary along the spectrum of price and the expertise of the manufacturer. Unlike liquid stock, however, dry mixes take up much less shelf space than frozen and liquid products, which can contain up to 90 per cent water. Moving from a liquid or frozen product to a dry option can save you space in the kitchen while also lowering costs from not paying a manufacturer Go High? Or Go Low? to add water. Criteria That step can best be handled by your cooks, but they don’t have Sodium level to be superstars. Higher hourly Ease to prepare salaries for more experienced staff will lead to more expensive Ingredients list labour costs. The less experienced the labour is, however, the higher Flavour the risk for mistakes — like Manufacturer certifications ruined soup. Plus, employees with less experience may take longer Mix quality to execute certain steps of a recipe. Minimize the necessary Manufacturing method steps with good dry mix, however, and less-experienced cooks can Yield/powder density
f lavours and added MSG. Furthermore, Luda H products are certified gluten free by the Canadian and U.S. celiac associations. For guests, it’s an added assurance that what they’re eating fits their diet, and that assurance translates into a better bottom line for any foodservice operations. Making great soup doesn’t mean operators have to sacrifice their bottom line on
expensive ingredients or use up man-hours when they could be spent elsewhere. Good soup base like Luda Pro and Luda H enables chefs to plate (and pour) dishes that they can be proud of without sweating the food and labour cost. And they don’t have to worry that they’re giving customers anything by the real thing. It’s still from scratch, just faster.
Michelle Campbell is a marketing specialist at LUDA Foods, a manufacturer of dry soup, sauce and seasoning blends for the foodservice industry. For more information about LUDA Foods, visit www.luda.ca.
Lower cost product
Higher quality product
Higher sodium
Lower sodium
5-10 minutes, more work required
Instant (add to any temperature water), pre-measured packaging
Longer, more confusing, less recognizable ingredients
Shorter, cleaner, more recognizable ingredients
More typical “enhanced dry mix”
More like homemade
No certifications
More certifications such as SQF, Gluten-free, Kosher, and Halal
Lumps and unmixed ingredients
Smooth, homogenous mix
Make to stock (large batches held in warehouses)
Make to order in smaller batches for freshest products
Very heavy, lower yield per gram (salt is heavier, flavours are lighter)
Light and fluffy, higher yield per gram, more intense flavours www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 17
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
PLANT-BASED
INDULGENCE What’s healthy has caught up to what’s tasty
By Greg Boyer
When it comes to restaurant menu choices, consumers are increasingly looking for healthier, plant-based options that are still crave-worthy. Restaurateurs have taken note, and increasingly, menus are loaded with rich vegetarian options; occasionally, they’re given a menu of their own. That’s not just anecdotal; in the past four years, plant-based items have seen an eight per cent increase in menu presence.
18 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
Clearly restaurant operators have taken note of these shifting consumer tastes and are eager to ensure their guests have a restaurant experience that meets their expectations for health and for taste. Because unlike the healthy menu items of yore and the desire for all things low calorie, low carb and low fat back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, today’s healthy menu items are also delicious and deliver on taste. Rising consumer inclination towards maintaining healthy lifestyle has pushed the consumption of healthy food ing redients and food products. Functional foods full of antioxidants like nuts, seeds, microgreens and raw juices have taken centre stage, and restaurant operators are taking notice. McCain has a wide range of easy-toprepare vegetarian products made with quality ingredients that can become the cornerstone for a signature dish and deliver that healthy indulgence consumers crave. Products like McCain’s Root Vegetable Medley give customers the chance to indulge without overdoing it — and serve as great options for dipping, an app or as part of a shareable appetizer platter. These fries also make for a profitable side upgrade, helping to increase cheque average. Additionally, they’re easy to prepare regardless of the experience level of your kitchen and can be customized to suit operators’ preferred flavour profiles, plating styles and additional ingredients to create custom and memorable dishes and sides with minimal effort.
foodservice. There’s the constant challenge of ripeness. Keeping a steady supply of perfectly ripe fruit at any given time can also cause kitchen headaches. One solution is to consider frozen, ready-prepared avocado slices, like McCain’s Crispy Avocado Slices. Practical and affordable, these battered avocado slices only take minutes in the fryer, reduce back of house complexity and deliver that healthy indulgence consumers crave. HEALTHY INDULGENCE ON YOUR MENU
CONSIDER THE AVOCADO
Moving well beyond the avocado toast phenomenon, this fruit is finding its way across the menu as a healthy indulgence – for example as a topping on burgers or as a base ingredient in a healthy dip. Over the past four years we’ve seen avocados increase in menu penetration of 32 per cent. This rise is due in part to the versatility of avocados — not only across menu but also across day parts. We’re seeing avocado featured in breakfast menu items like breakfast burritos as well as a feature ingredient in salads, sandwiches and dips. While avocados are flexible and versatile, they are also notorious for being difficult to work with in commercial
Menu analysis is an important part of building a successful restaurant. As you plan your menu, there are several critical factors to consider. Finding the right balance between associated costs, what consumers crave and delivering on expectations with signature dishes is key. McCain products do double duty, providing both back of house efficiency and menu versatility since they can act as, or be part of, several menu items, and re place higher cost ing redients throughout the menu. For example, try tossing McCain’s Battered Cauliflower Bites in buffalo sauce for a savoury veggie alternative to wings at a much lower food cost. Plus, plant-based versions of traditional staples offer an alter native to consumers who are looking for vegetarian options. Greg Boyer is the marketing director for McCain Foodservice.
www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 19
FOODSERVICE FOCUS
OLD DIET, MEET NEW DIET
Consumers are eating more plants, less meat and upending longestablished dietary norms By Jo-Ann McArthur
Fads burn bright, then burn out. Plant-based eating may have seemed like a niche trend at one point, but it’s now established and evolving in the mainstream. The far end of the spectrum, veganism, which advocates for quitting all animal-derived products, including meat, eggs, dairy and even honey, is still uncommon. Towards the middle of that spectrum, however, is flexitarianism, which is exactly what its name suggests: being flexible and ethical about food decisions. It’s also referred to as a blended diet, and it’s blurring the lines between veganism, vegetarianism and old-fashioned meat-eating, and it’s catching on in a big way.
20 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
PARADIGM SHIFT
Consumers typically don’t adhere to one definition, but the majority are reducing their meat consumption, a decision now endorsed by the federal government. This year, the Canada Food Guide will be updated for the first time since 2007. A draft released earlier this year showed a significant change from the old four-food group model. Meat and dairy are now a single category, and there’s an overall shift to vegetables, grains and more plant-based protein. It’s in line with other national approaches to food and nutrition, as well. In 2017, the French food agency ANSES recommended increased consumption of pulses at the expense of red meat and poultry, and Switzerland’s new food guide suggests reducing meat consumption by 70 per cent. Academia’s on board, too. In January, the Lancet published a report that recommended halving the global consumption of red meat, and reducing it by 80 per cent in developed countries. While promising to be good for your health and good for the globe, it didn’t eliminate entire categories of food the way veganism does. In effect, it recommended a balanced approach to eating — a blended diet — which Canadians are eagerly taking up. A recent Dalhousie University study notes
that more Canadians across cultures and across generations are reducing meat consumption for animal welfare, the environment and for their own health. The Dalhousie study also reported that vegetarians and vegans now account for nearly 10 per cent of Canada’s population; that’s more than 2.3 million vegetarians and 850,000 vegans. Sylvain Charlebois, who lead the study, says the survey, believed to be the first of its kind in Canada, also shows people under the age of 35 are three times more likely to consider themselves vegetarians or vegans than people 49 or older. Regardless of labels, it’s clear that flexitarianism or some other form of blended diet is on the rise. You need to plan your menu to appeal to vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, and meat-eaters. The Dalhousie study notes that, worldwide, selective eaters outnumber omnivores. Plan accordingly. TAKING ADVANTAGE
When thinking of blended options, consider how your customers engage with flexitarianism and blended eating. Are they going meatless before 6 p.m. or practicing meatless Mondays? Did they observe Veganuary? Launched in the U.K. in January 2014, Veganuary is a registered charity that encourages people to adopt a vegan lifestyle
for the month. Both in sum total and sustained interest, Google Trends shows that searches for Veganuary are still dwarfed by searches for flexitarianism, but it still generates a surge of engagement in January. More to the point, it demonstrates how flexible flexitarianism really is. Despite the abundance of different labels, people engage with blended diets in different ways. There’s no single approach. Are we at a pivotal point in dietary history? Are consumers ready to ditch the divisive labels associated with plant-based diets? What are the major players in the industry doing to stay relevant and profitable? Research shows that customers are more likely to try a vegetarian meal when dining out due to their own lack of confidence in cooking these foods at home. How can you make your menu more flexitarian-relevant? A&W Canada was successful with its foray into flexitarianism, running out of its Beyond Meat Burger within a month of its launch. Why was it so successful? It promised the same indulgent experience as a regular A&W burger. It normalized the offer by treating the Beyond Meat Burger as part of its regular menu and serving it in a similar way to the other burgers on the menu. A&W made it easy for customers refrain from eating meat and feel a little virtuous about it,
IF YOU SERVE ONTARIO SERVE ONTARIO
We can help public sector institutions serve more local, Ontario food. The Greenbelt Fund helps you buy more local, supporting Ontario’s farmers and economy. Ontariofresh.ca has the tools to connect you directly to farmers and see what’s available. | Visit www.greenbeltfund.ca to get started. 01/19-62872-2
www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 21 62872-2_GBF_2019_Serve_7-125x4-75.indd 1
2019-01-17 1:31 PM
FOODSERVICE FOCUS kind of like opting for those sweet potato fries over French fries on the side. U.S. burger chain Sonic enjoyed some flexitarian success last year with its Slinger, a classic burger made with a blended meat and mushrooms patty. It was so popular the Slinger returned in the fall of 2018 after its initial summer-only run. The blended burger allows customers to enjoy a tasty burger while reducing their meat intake. Plus, mushrooms cost a lot less than beef, making for a healthier bottom line, as well. Taco Bell took it a step further, testing a vegetarian
menu and becoming the first QSR to be certified by the American Vegetarian Association. It’s a logical extension of an already veg-heavy menu (think beans, guacamole and salsa) and makes meatless meals accessible to the masses. A&W, Sonic and Taco Bell played to their strengths and made it easier for their customers to reduce their intake of meat and add more plant-based food. A&W and Sonic are known for burgers and several of Taco Bell’s ingredients and preparations were already amenable to flexitarianism.
None of the chains attempted to reinvent themselves or ask customers to alter their perception of the brand. They lowered the barrier to entry. Don’t forget beverages. No longer just about refreshment, drinks are increasingly being used as meal replacements and gap fill-ins. Should you be offering a plant-based milk, as well as protein powder options? How can best work alongside your existing menu? (Bottomline bonus: customers have already been trained by the coffee shops to pay more for that plant-based option!) NICHE NO LONGER
®
High quality and great tasting products – from the kitchen to the tabletop, all in one convenient caddy. Leading brands on your tabletop say a lot. Contact us to get started. askus@frenchsfoodservice.ca www.frenchsfoodservice.ca 1.866.428.0119 *Reg. TM McCormick Canada. ®Reg. TM The French’s Food Company LLC. Used under licence.
22 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
So what shouldn’t you do? Don’t relegate vegetarian or flexitarian options to a separate section. Make it clear dishes are plant-based, but treat their descriptions like you would any other dish. Taste is still number one, so make it sound delicious while also having that health-and-planet halo. Position reduced-meat blended and meat-free options at the top of the menu (not as an add-on) or at the front of selfservice counters. Make it part of your overall menu. Tie into existing trends like Meatless Monday. Promote diverse cuisines and dishes where pulses and vegetables are the stars of the meal. Consider serving smaller portions of free-range, organic, pasture-reared and locallysourced meat, and market them as a distinctive specialty. Develop plant-based food options that appeal to your entire customer base, not just the preconceived notion of who’s a vegetarian and what they like — who they and what they like have changed. Be sure to reach out to your suppliers to see what products they are developing. They can be a great resource. For example, Maple Leaf Foods has recently redefined itself to become the most sustainable protein company on earth. And they are acting on this vision by combining their recent purchases of Field Roast Grain Meat Co. and Lightlife Foods, Inc. brands to launch a new plant-based food company called Greenleaf Foods, SPC. The large-scale dietary shift isn’t a burden; it’s an opportunity. For the more agile foodservice operations, an opportunity. Jo-Ann McArthur is the president and founding partner of Nourish, a marketing agency that specializes in food & beverage, working across all aspects of the food ecosystem. Clients include producers, processors, retailers, manufacturers, food service, and restaurants. Nourish has offices in Toronto, Guelph, and Montreal. McArthur can be contacted at j@nourish.marketing, or sign-up for the agency’s monthly newsletter at www.nourish.marketing/. Want to know more about blended diets and other trends, and how they’re going to affect your business? Download your free copy of the 2019 Nourish Trend Report today.
CANNABIS UPDATE
GOING GREEN
Competing against giants like Tim Hortons and Starbucks, Second Cup has looked elsewhere to grow its business By Gregory Furgala
The relationship between cannabis and food feels like an organic one. It’s certainly not new. Cannabis cafes have — illegally — existed in Canada in one form or another for decades. Coffee laden with CBD oil, a compound derived from cannabis, has become a common-ish wellness product, and it’ll be joined by others. Deloitte predicts the market for cannabis will reach $5 billion in five years, and found that 13 per cent say edible cannabis is their preferred method of consumption. For now, though, the legal sale of edible cannabis is still months away, and the exact regulatory framework is in flux. That hasn’t stopped Second Cup Coffee from exploring the space, though. Last April, Second Cup announced that it had partnered with National Access Cannabis, a network of medical cannabis centres across Canada. The venture isn’t about manufacturing edibles (at least there aren’t plans at this time); it’s about the soonto-be thriving retail scene for over-thecounter cannabis and how Second Cup and NAC can best leverage each other’s assets and expertise. Second Cup has a sizeable retail footprint, counting 270 stores, 24 of which are company-owned. Despite improving its cash position last year to $14.1 million from $3.3 million the year prior, Second Cup finds itself lagging behind major coffee purveyors like McDonalds, Starbucks and Tim Hortons. The partnership is a chance to change that. According to April’s announcement, NAC will apply for licenses to dispense cannabis products, and afterward work with selected Second Cup
franchises. In an email Second Cup CEO Garry MacDonald writes that the new dispensaries would be a separate business from Second Cup and operate under its own brand name, Meta. Second Cup, meanwhile, will remain focused on specialty coffee. It is, in a sense, a real estate deal, and it could foreshadow other changes. MacDonald says Second Cup is open to “any opportunity that will satisfy our objective to maximize shareholder value.” For now, though, it’s limited to exploring
the cannabis space in Alberta and Ontario via Meta. Whether or not that will include incorporating Second Cup’s expertise in the café space is an open question. Cannabis lounges haven’t been legalized, but pending regulatory approval, MacDonald says Second Cup is open to the opportunity. Given its retail presence, it’s certainly wellpositioned to do so. Plus, there’s a handful of successful precedents (even if they were technically illegal). The intuitive approach to cannabis and foodservice might be to focus on edibles, but while Canadians wait for them to be worked into the legal cannabis landscape, the more realistic goal would be to examine how foodservice operators’ infrastructure could be leveraged as a new revenue stream. The entry of the large multinationals that Second Cup is competing against, like McDonald’s and Starbucks, may be all but inevitable, but legal cannabis is in its infancy and the territory is largely unexplored. For assetrich foodservice operators, it could be the chance to leapfrog the competition.
www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 23
ADVERTISING FEATURE for Chefs
Black Pepper Shrimp with Green Mango and Avocado Slaw Yield: 4 servings This recipe was created for Club House for Chefs by Rich Francis, Founder Chef of The Seventh Fire Hospitality Group Inc.
Generations Later HOW ONE CHEF IS HITTING RESET ON THE INDIGENOUS PALATE
Ingredients: 12 each large shrimp 1 tbsp Club House Coriander Seed 1 tbsp Club House Black Pepper, Ground 1 tbsp Club House Sea Salt, French Mediterranean 1 tsp Club House Garlic Powder ½ cup canola oil ½ tsp lime juice, to taste Pomegranate & Herb Dressing 1 tbsp chives, minced ¼ cup lime juice & zest 2 tbsp cilantro stems, chopped 2 tbsp mint, chopped 1 tsp Club House Dill Weed 1 tsp Club House Parsley Flakes, Dehydrated ½ each jalapeño, minced ½ tbsp pomegranate syrup ½ tsp Club House Sea Salt, French Mediterranean, to taste ½ tsp Club House Black Pepper, Ground, to taste Green Mango & Avocado Slaw 1 each ripe avocado, diced 1 each green mango, julienne
Born in Northwest Territories and raised in Six Nations, Ontario, Chef Rich Francis has never left home without his Indigenous roots in mind and heart. From traditional foods in his school lunches to his first ever signature dish, a salmon cured with cedar, sweetgrass, sage and ceremonial tobacco, it was only a matter of time before this Stratford Chefs School graduate and Top Chef Canada finalist became a leading force behind Indigenous foodservice and public reconciliation education, all while building a legacy as chef-owner through the Seventh Fire Hospitality Group. We recently caught up with Chef Francis to discuss the generational motivations behind his culinary endeavors, all while bearing witness to the creation of his spiciest feature yet, Grilled Black Pepper Shrimp with Green Mango and Avocado Slaw, made for Club House for Chefs and seasoned with care using Club House Black Pepper. Piper nigrum, a.k.a. black pepper, is an evergreen vine found in India’s Malabar Coast. It’s complex, versatile and earthy, and was a must-add to the dish. The idea for the flavourful feature came into formation after an encounter with an Indian chef while Chef Francis was visiting and eating his way through New York. “The Indigenous food you see today is from a colonial perspective, it has been contaminated by colonization.
What I do is go back prior to contact, about seven generations, and utilize the old ways and make something new today in the modern world. The role of spices and seasonings is total gamechanger because not a lot of people have a mental palate for sweetgrass, for example, or a lot of the ceremonial medicines that we use. I’m utilizing them as a means of delivering flavour, to find our culinary identity out of cultural genocide.” When he’s not in the kitchen, presenting keynotes on truth and reconciliation or working on his television productions, Red Chef Revival and The Wild Game, you can find Chef Rich Francis in the field finding new ways to open peoples’ minds and palates through modern, sophisticated takes on sevengenerations-past traditional cuisine. “It’s not that I have to overcome the challenge of the colonized palate or that people need to learn something, I want people to unlearn what they’ve previously known about Indigenous food and then start again. I want people to see that Indigenous cuisine is intricate, sophisticated and has so many moving parts that covered get covered by the term Canadian cuisine.” Photgraphy: Image of Chef Rich Francis: Ryan Mah, Black Rhino Creative Image of recipe: Kyla Zanardi, Benson & Oak
Garnish 1 each lime, wedged 1 each cilantro, fresh 1 each shallot, crisped INSTRUCTIONS: For the Shrimp: In a spice grinder grind all spices except Club House Sea Salt, French Mediterranean and Club House Garlic Powder to medium, fine consistency. In a bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. Add shrimp and marinate for 30 minutes and reserve. Preheat grill to high. Remove shrimp and transfer directly to hot grill. Cook on one side until slightly charred. Flip and cook until just cooked through for approximately 2-3 minutes. Season with lime juice and more Club House Sea Salt, French Mediterranean. Set aside. For the Dressing: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk well until incorporated. Adjust seasoning as needed. For the Slaw: Add the avocado and mango to dressing and combine well. Refrigerate until ready to use. For Serving: Place green mango and avocado slaw on wooden board and place four shrimp on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro, crispy shallots and lime wedge. Chef Insider Tip: Multi-Use Pomegranate Syrup Use pomegranate syrup to dress avocado and mango salad, as a drizzle on a poke bowl or to marinate pork tenderloin.
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
LOW(ER) CARB Canadians are eating less pasta, but not that much less By Gregory Furgala
Let’s start with the bad news: pasta has lost some ground on Canadian menus. According to Technomic’s MenuMonitor, its rate of operator penetration went down 1.6 per cent in 2018 and 0.3 per cent over five years, with item count down 6.7 per cent over the past year and 15.1 per cent over the past five. At the risk of disappointing nonnas everywhere, pasta is on the decline. There’s more silver lining than dark cloud, though, because pasta’s overall menu penetration is still very high. Technomic reports that 51.4 per cent of operators feature it on their menus, with 84.9 per cent of casual restaurants, 75 per cent of contemporary casual restaurants and 72.1 per cent of fine dining restaurants menuing pasta. It’s even climbing on children’s menus, with operator growth up 9.1 per cent and item growth up 9.2 per cent. Despite the decline, pasta is more or — in this case — slightly less, as popular as ever. There’s other positive movement too. Grana Padano, which is similar to
Parmigiano-Reggiano, grew on menus by 27.8 per cent from Q3 2017 to Q3 2018. In the same period, parsley and butter grew by 13.6 per cent and 7.4 per cent, respectively, while pepper, basil and parsley all remain amongst the top herbs and spices in menued pastas — all necessary for classic, uncomplicated preparations like spaghetti al limone and cacio e pepe, the Roman staple featuring just spaghetti, pepper and cheese. Likewise, cheese, garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms are all ensconced amongst the top five ingredients in pasta dishes. Diners aren’t married to the old country, though. From Q3 2017 to Q3
2018, pepperoni and green peppers saw 13.6 per cent and 6.9 per cent growth in Canadian pasta dishes, respectively, while chives and curry both found their way into the top five herbs and seasonings for pasta. Canadians’ tentative venture into unusual ingredients is to be expected, though; Technomic also reported that 52 per cent are willing to try a new or unique sauce. The moral of the story: menu the classics, but don’t be afraid to include a newschool pasta or two. There’s no reason to raise the alarm over pasta’s recent decline — it’s still ubiquitous, and Canadians are eating plenty of it. Nonnas, rejoice. www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 25
COVER STORY
BETWEEN THE FARM AND TABL The GTA’s Greenbelt helps feed southern Ontario, but a food system is more than just farms By Gregory Furgala
Advocates for farmland preservation in Ontario enjoyed a victory recently. After a public outcry, the provincial government pulled back a controversial provision of Bill 66, its Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, that would’ve have opened up Ontario’s Greenbelt to development and threatened a broad crescent of provincially protected green space containing some of the best farmland in the country.
26 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
COVER STORY
LE
www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 27
COVER STORY
Established in 2005 by the provincial Greenbelt Act, the Greenbelt stretches from Niagara in the south, around the Greater Toronto Area until terminating near Cobourg in the east, south of Peterborough. It encompasses and protects 800,000 acres of sensitive wetlands, woodlands and cultural heritage resources. The 2006 Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, a policy tabled under the 2005 Places to Grow Act, complements it. Together, the Greenbelt and Growth Plan have helped define the broad strokes of growth in the Golden Horseshoe for the past decade. A recent draft amendment to the Growth Plan reaffirms the Greenbelt’s importance: “Its fertile soil, moderate climate, abundant water resources, and proximity to markets support agricultural production that cannot be
28 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
duplicated elsewhere in the country.” The draft then concludes that the region’s rich agricultural land needs to be protected, acknowledging it as a vital part of Ontario’s agri-food industry. “The finite supply of quality agricultural lands that feed the region and beyond must be protected to ensure a vibrant rural and productive agricultural economy and a secure food supply for future generations.” The Greenbelt and Growth Plan balance the needs of cities and towns against those of rural communities, environmental priorities and agriculture. The two sides of that coin, urban and rural, work as a system. That duality plays out in foodservice, too. When chefs and restaurateurs are enthusiastic about an ingredient — say, a Niagara peach — they typically wax poetic about terroir, that overall sense of place that sums up an area’s soil, sun and microclimate. It’s the story behind the food, a selling point. But they don’t start romanticizing that peach’s trip to the restaurant, which in the GTA, almost inevitably took it through the Ontario Food Terminal. While lacking in pastoral imagery, the OFT is key piece of the GTA’s food system, and since being built in southern Etobicoke, just next to Toronto, in 1954, it has grown hand-in-glove with agriculture here, serving as a central point of distribution. The Golden Horseshoe’s terroir grew that peach; it didn’t put it on your plate, though. Ironically, the draft amendment to the Growth Plan that acknowledges the Greenbelt ’s
importance puts that necessary distributive step at risk. The draft calls for the creation of provincially signif icant employment zones (PSEZ), protected sections of economically important land that will help with long-term economic development and job planning. Despite its importance, the OFT isn’t included in one. When asked if the OFT was considered at the outset, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said the province consulted on a list of 29 proposed zones, but did not specify whether that included the OFT. The spokesperson affirmed that, at this stage, there hasn’t been a final decision. Even at this early stage, though, the OFT’s exclusion has prompted speculation that its lands next to the lakeshore could face pressure from other developments. In a letter to Toronto City Council, Al Brezina, the executive director of the S out h Etobicoke Indust r ia l Employers Association, requested that the city address the issue with the province. “A potential conversion of the Food Terminal lands would impact these food businesses located locally in South Etobicoke, as well as others in the region,” Brezina wrote. “The act of designating some of the city’s presently designated employment lands as Provincially Significant Employment Zones, puts pressure on the non-designated lands for conversion.” Like the Greenbelt protections, the PSEZ are meant to shield land deemed vital to a functioning,
“The place is the stock exchange for fruits and vegetables.”
adaptable economy from tracts of single-family dwellings and growth, the latter of which, at least, the Golden Horseshoe is expecting plenty of. By 2041, its population is expected to grow to 13.5 million, an increase of roughly four million people, and they’ll need places to live. The concern is, as they’re conceived now, the PSEZ will protect land from sprawl housing but channel it elsewhere. As a piece of provincial legislation, the Growth Plan compels cities to abide by it, meaning municipal planning will have to be drafted in accordance with the province’s intentions. In an interview, Brezina noted that the PSEZ could be problematic for industrial and semi-industrial employments areas across the GTA. In Toronto specifically, he notes that, like residential land, there’s demand for employment lands as well. “Companies in those areas that are left out could see their area change in use over time, from employment to industry, to non-industrial,” says Brezina. Where municipal and provincial employment zones match, there won’t be much change, but there’s concern for what will happen outside of them. ON THE OUTS
The Ontario Food Terminal is the hub around which the spokes of the GTA’s food system turns. More than 900 million kilograms of fruit, vegetables and horticultural products are shipped annually by the OFT’s 21 warehouse tenants and 400 farmers’ market tenants. Its 5,000 customers www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 29
COVER STORY
aren’t limited to the GTA, or even Ontario — they’re scattered throughout Quebec, Atlantic Canada and the Northeastern United States as well. Major grocery retailers, mom-and-pop conveniences stores, foodser vice operators, farmers’ markets, food banks — even florists — depend on the OFT running smoothly. It contributes $1.5 billion in direct economic impact to Ontario’s economy. Indirectly, it’s estimated it contributes $2 billion more. Bruce Nicholas, the general manager, treasurer and secretary of the OFT, says that the place is incredibly good at what it does. “The place is the stock exchange for fruits and vegetables,” says Nicholas. “You can’t get it more efficient than we have it on the place.” Sylvain Charlebois, a professor and food system researcher at Dalhousie, echoes Nicholas, and considers the OFT
a crucial piece of infrastructure. “For the GTA, it’s a critical point of distribution and assortment,” says Charlebois. “It’s able to support the foodservice sector, food retailing, independent retailing, and those players are critical to the GTA’s economy, so absolutely.” “ You really need it,” continues Charlebois. “It’s part of the distribution model of the GTA, otherwise you’ll have issues supporting the foodservice sector. If they repurpose the land, I can’t imagine the GTA being served properly without another terminal somewhere, or a hub of some sort.” Charlebois notes, though, that the existing network of roads, nearby food processors and other food businesses were established in concert with the OFT growth. Nestled in southern Etobicoke, just west of old Toronto, the OFT is abutted by highways and
railyards, and only about a 20-minute drive from Pearson International Airport. The location is one of the secrets to the OFTs success, says Nicholas. “For the [restaurant] trade, that’s the centrepoint. From there, the tentacles spread out over South Etobicoke. That’s why we can run that market on that site in 2019 so efficiently.” By way of warning, Nicholas points to the Maryland Food Centre Authority, which is intended to serve Baltimore and Washington D.C. At one time it was located in the heart of Baltimore, but is now between Baltimore and D.C. in Jessup, Maryland. It’s closer to both, but ideal for neither. Nicholas says the move hurt the smaller foodservice operators that deal in smaller quantities of product and couldn’t make the drive several times per week. “The smaller buyers can’t get out there,” says Nicholas. “It’s been proven that the key ones are downtown, and that’s where we are.” “It’s like a white elephant to us,” Nicholas says of the Jessup facility. Nicholas points to other successful North American food distribution centres, like New York’s Hunts Point, or centres in Los Angeles and Chicago, that are in the heart of the city and accessible. The OFT was established to help Ontario farmers get their crops to market and compete with American farmers, and it’s been wildly successful where it is, becoming a critical part of eastern Canada’s food system. Now, the GTA is home to 60 per cent of Ontario’s agri-food processing, with countless other businesses depending on that infrastructure as well. It’s like man-made infrastructural terroir — a s et of c omplex , i nt erdep endent conditions that enable the OFT to thrive, and us along with it.
UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION
Kathy Macpherson, vice president of research and policy at Friends of the Greenbelt, a charitable organization, says the Growth Plan and Greenbelt protections go hand-in-hand. “We need to look at how we grow. How do you manage that growth in a responsible way? The Growth Plan tries to support municipalities in a way that uses less land, and that won’t use infrastructure in an inefficient way.” Per acre, in terms of dollars, Macpherson says the Greenbelt is 66 per cent more productive on average than farmland elsewhere in Canada and contains 52.6 per cent of Ontario’s fruit acreage and 10.7 per cent of its vegetable acreage. It’s right next to Canada’s largest urban population as well. While shifting a piece of existing infrastructure is easier than shifting a microclimate, doing so would likely make the system less efficient and more costly for consumers. Those ill effects would most likely be unevenly distributed as well, says Charlebois, falling primarily on small businesses. While those rising costs would affect everyone, they could be borne easier by large distributors. “I’d be very, very concerned for independent retailers in the foodservice operators for sure. It would probably give a leg up to larger distributors like Loblaws and Sobeys. The larger independents and national players would benefit from
seeing the termina l close,” says Charlebois. “The oligopoly would be reinforced.” For independent restaurateurs, corporate chefs, food and beverage directors — anyone involved in the industry in southern Ontario — the growing population should facilitate a period of growth. But the Golden Horseshoe is already house-hungry; with an extra few million people to shelter, it’ll be even more so. The Greenbelt is — rightfully — still protected from that sprawl, and newcomers are still expected to make Ontario their home. Provincial land left unprotected by provincial legislation will be at risk, important or not. SPEAKING UP
At present, the most immediate threat to Ontario’s food system has been fended off. Protections against Greenbelt development were preserved, and if the public reaction against provincial government’s intention to relax them is any indication, they’re very popular. In a series of statements that Greenbelt city mayors made to the Toronto Star, it was made clear that their constituents valued the environment, the Clean Water Act (which developers could’ve effectively skirted) and smart, efficient growth. Mayors in Burlington and Caledon singled out agriculture, while others spoke generally of sustainability. There’s
a public appetite to protect the Greenbelt, but Nicholas says he’s heard the question being asked: “Can we move the terminal?” Zoning is beyond his pay grade he says, and he concedes that, sure, maybe there is some other, better spot. But it’s financially self-sufficient and in the past decade has invested $47 million in upgrades. It’s getting bigger, with dependent businesses establishing themselves nearby. That’s possible in no small part due to where it is. It has adapted to a changing market, becoming a point of sale as much as a hub of distribution, and it’s all tied up in a 40-acre patch of south Etobicoke. Between small retailers, major grocery stores and farmers markets, it’s difficult to say exactly how much of the produce that shuffles through the OFT ends up being used in a commercial foodservice setting. As valuable as Greenbelt farmland is, it’s only part of southern Ontario’s local food system, and protecting farms while failing to do the same for distribution would be tantamount to the same thing: a diminished food system and diminished foodservice industry, with the negative impact disproportionately felt by the sma l ler, i ndependent players that a re so often at the bedrock of food culture. Farmers in Niagara are still growing incredible peaches; we need to ensure they get to market. www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 31
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COMMUNAL EFFORT Just like its abundant crops of fruit and vegetables, the Culinary Federation will thrive in Niagara DEAR MEMBERS, I’m looking forward to gathering the entire Culinary Federation at the 56th Annual National Conference. This year we’re heading to the Niagara region, one of Canada’s agricultural hubs, where the climate and terroir are perfect for growth, and the perfect setting for this year’s theme, “growing our community.” The conference committee is hard at work finalizing an impressive lineup of presentations, interactive workshops, networking events and culinary adventures, all surrounded by the incredible beauty and awesome power of the Falls. The education program will be as diverse as Niagara’s harvest. Members will have the opportunity learn about sustainability and foodservice, professional knife skills, ice carving (featuring the Canadian Ice Carving Society), wine tasting, all things beef, on-trend equipment and how to save money by eliminating food waste. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Culinary Federation conference without some fun. In that spirit, the third Annual Culinary Team Challenge is on the agenda. It’s not often we gather all 22 branches of our nation-wide community of dedicated, passionate culinary professionals. It’s the rare opportunity to learn from one another, grow, share in each other’s successes and analyze where we can improve. Just as importantly, it’s the chance to strategize about how best to grow and sustain the Federation going into the future. The afternoon on day one of the conference will be dedicated to a collaborative session, “Building the Federation Branch-by-Branch.” Members will leave with actionable techniques on how to recruit new members, build and nurture an effective board of directors, plan for succession, fundraise, capitalize on sponsor support and learn how to be good volunteer leaders. Some bad news, though: the Guinness World Record attempt that you may have heard about has proven to be more logistically challenging than anticipated, so we’re going to hold off this year. We hope to bring the idea back in the future, though. Despite the hiccup, the 56th Annual National Conference is a can’t-miss event, and we want every member there. Registration is open and is easily accessed through the National Conference link at culinaryfederation.ca. Thanks to our members for their time, ongoing support and dedication to the Federation. Now let’s grow our community together!
Simon Smotkowicz President, Culinary Federation
34 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
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Q+A JEREMY LUYPEN:
“WE’RE A FAMILY”
The Culinary Federation’s newest regional vice president talks about his background, the Okanagan and what the CF has done for him Interview by Gregory Furgala IN FEBRUARY, the Culinary Federation elected chef Jeremy Luypen as its new western regional vice president. Based in Kelowna, B.C., Luypen has a built a career working in the Okanagan Valley’s culinary scene and is currently the executive winery chef at Summerhill Winery and an instructor in Okanagan College’s culinary arts program, his alma mater. À La Minute chatted with him about his career, giving back to the community and being the newest CF leader. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. À La Minute: Tell me about your professional background. JEREMY LUYPEN: In my grade seven yearbook, it says, “when I grow up, I want to be a chef.” It wasn’t a path I set on, though. I took psychology and philosophy and focused on conflict management, but it just wasn’t what I really wanted to do. I was playing basketball at university here in Kelowna, and I felt like I might as well give it a shot and went to culinary school. I fell in love with it. I had a great instructor who set me on a really good path and helped me get my first job, and it kept growing and growing from there. After I got my Red Seal, I headed out to Calgary for my first executive chef job and took a steakhouse there through a rebranding process. That was great, but I missed the Okanagan Valley, so I decided to come back and spent some time in the Hotel Eldorado, Terrafina Restaurant and Predator Ridge Resort, and later found myself at Summerhill Winery. ÀLM: When did you first join the Culinary Federation JL: I joined as a young apprentice back in the day, but kind of fell out of touch with it when I moved to Calgary. When I got back, I was talking to a buddy, and he said, “If you’re going to live in the community you might as well give back to that community.” He wasn’t even in the Culinary Federation — he had a different profession, but we had started talking about making an impact in our communities. He joined the board for another association, and I joined the Culinary Federation. ÀLM: How has it shaped your career? JL: Career-wise, it’s been really good. I’ve had the opportunity to travel. I’ve met some amazing chefs along the way. For us, the Valley has an amazing bond of chefs. The Valley is driven off of tourism, and we all get together to promote it because it’s an amazing place to be. It’s a lot of fun, and we have great restaurants, great wineries and some great microbreweries. We’re a family.
ÀLM: Why did you decide to take on a leadership role? JL: Part of it was Anthony [McCarthy] asking me if it was something I’d be interested in. I’ve been quite vocal through the whole rebranding process, and I like to think I represent the generation of chefs that’s coming up. I want to give them a voice, and give the Federation a look from a different point of view. My background isn’t the same as the founders and current board members. I didn’t get into this when I was 14, 15, 16, like most chefs did. I didn’t spend a tonne of time in large hotels. I’ve always been working in restaurants and have a different view from the frontlines. ÀLM: What’s your plan for the Federation going forward? JL: I think it’s just to help move the Federation forward. If we’re going to go through this rebranding process, let’s have some fun while we’re doing it and give the Federation a different point of view. ÀLM: The conference in Niagara’s coming up — what’re you looking forward to there? JL: I think there’s a fun educational component. And I live in wine country, so it’ll be fun to visit Ontario’s wine region and see what they’re doing there and what they’re like. I’ve had Ontario wines before, but it’ll be fun to visit those places. With the Federation, it’ll be interesting to talk about the rebranding and see where we’re going with this. www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 35
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DINNER, THEATRE
After ten years, Saskatoon’s Chefs’ Gala and Showcase is bigger, better and more glamourous than ever By Jordan Rutherford
WHEN ANTHONY MCCARTHY, executive chef at the Saskatoon Club, organized Saskatoon’s first Chefs’ Gala and Showcase a little over 10 years ago, he had humble hopes, dreams and aspirations — a nice supper with some friends and family where the local culinary arts could be celebrated through fine dining and awards, courtesy of the Saskatoon Chefs’ Association. Today, the event is more than just an amazing culinary experience. It has become a pseudo fundraiser and showcase for some of Saskatoon’s top independent arts groups, including Little Opera on the Prairie (co-founded and led by McCarthy’s wife, Anastasia Winterhalt), Live Five Independent Theatre and Ritornello Chamber Music Festival. Both McCarthy and Winterhalt, who co-hosted, knew they wanted to push the envelope this year — to go bigger, to do a little extra — in celebration of a decade of galas. Part of this meant calling on the top local culinary talent to do something extraordinary for the evening’s seven courses.
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Seven-Act Play The soup course, the first of evening, was prepared by chef Todd Clark of Boffins Public House. This was Clark’s fourth year at the gala and his first not creating the dessert. Recalling a dish he was introduced to while training in France, Clark prepared an artichoke velouté and a sort of dumpling coated in black bread crumbs and filled with foie gras pâté, cream and Saskatchewan-picked morel mushrooms, all finished with a touch of chive oil. The rich, flavourful dish was a perfect first course for the evening. The salad course was prepared by chef Eliot Lang of the World Trade Center Saskatoon at Prairieland Park. Red, white, gold and candy cane beets were topped with a touch of goat cheese, slivered almonds, watermelon radish, locally-grown radish shoots and finished with an orange vinaigrette. This non-green salad was light and refreshing on the palate. McCarthy and chef Dana Chadorf of the Saskatoon Club were up next with the appetizer course, which was one of the evening’s most visually stunning and technically-crafted plates. It featured albacore tuna ceviche with scallop puffs, poached shrimp, squid ink caviar, kalamansi gel, micro wasabi, fennel custard and more. Each bite offered a new flavour combination to explore. Joseph Jackson, manager of OLiV Tasting Room was called up next to deliver the palate cleanser. Jackson concocted a strawberry-peach balsamic that he drizzled over a gin and tonic sorbet. In Jackson’s own words, it was “simple, elegant, had liquor and was great.” Chef Layne Ardell’s, corporate chef from the event’s title sponsor, Prairie Meats, took on the main course. Since Ardell represented a family-run butcher shop, there was a bit of excitement that this course would deliver the meaty goods, which he met with a generous plating of cold-smoked, peppercorn Canadian beef striploin alongside dauphinoise potato; local, organic, braised lentils; candy cane beets; acorn squash and a merlot-butter jus. Chef Scott Torgerson from Delta Hotels by Marriott and the Radisson’s Chris Corkum took on dessert. The pair opted for a take on an opera torte, building up layers of hazelnut joconde, coffee butter cream and chocolate ganache. The plate also featured a blood orange and Grand Marnier sauce, hazelnut-chocolate feuilletine crumble with caramelized sugar and an aerated chocolate ganache. It was decadent, accessible and a delightful exclamation mark on the night. A cheese course, the last of the evening, was prepared by chefs Chris Hill and Steve Squirer of Taste Restaurant Group (Squirer, sadly, wasn’t
available to present the dish). A trio of cheeses, including manchego, brie and a Champagne cheddar, was accompanied by a sour cherry gel flavoured with hibiscus tea, black tea and star anise; pickled local mustard; mustard micro greens and an everything-spice lavash cracker. The Taste Group team delivered a plate rich with flavour and worthy of exploration. Although the names above were the highlighted chefs of the evening, not enough thanks and compliments can be paid to the culinary arts students of Saskatchewan Polytechnic who stuck around after working the live appetizer stations during the cocktail hour to help each course come together. It was a great opportunity for the students to learn in the moment and rub elbows with the region’s top culinary talent. Rounds of Applause If an amazing seven-course meal and high-quality entertainment weren't enough, the gala also serves as an awards platform for the Saskatoon Chefs' Association. Awards are handed out to culinary students and full-time working chefs alike. Culinary Federation president Simon Smotkowicz, duly impressed by the quality of the evening's courses, presented Dana Chadorf, junior sous chef at the Saskatoon Club, with the Saskatoon Culinary Association Chef of the Year Award. She is the first female winner in its history. The Junior Chef of the Year award went to Casey Smart, a second-year culinary student who demonstrated active participation and passion working alongside junior and senior chefs in the name of learning. A People’s Choice award for the most-loved course of the evening was also voted on. Tables had to come to a group decision as to what course they would vote for. It was no easy task considering the quality on offer, but chef Todd Clark’s soup course won the evening, marking the first time a soup course has won the People's Choice at the Saskatoon Chefs' Gala. Chefs weren't the only winners though. There was a silent auction with offerings from over 40 sponsors. Many a guest went home with something in hand, while three arts organizations were also winners as funds from ticket sales and the silent auction went to support their efforts. A special auction was also held where guests could bid on a special night of dining — 10 courses for 10 guests, cooked by two of Saskatoon's top chefs. McCarthy played auctioneer and the bidding went to $2,400. Generous, yes, but truly a steal of a deal. A second dinner was sold for the same price raising the special auction fundraising to $4,800. Epilogue Generosity and graciousness — these important characteristics are integral to the success of the Saskatoon Chefs' Gala and Showcase. The generosity of all those who provided their time, effort and dollars to making the event a success for chefs, entertainers, organizers, sponsors and donors. And with such generosity, comes much humility and graciousness. McCarthy was thankful to all those in attendance, who shared kind words and who contributed to the night's success. The Saskatoon Chefs' Gala and Showcase may be a fusion of culinary and entertainment artistry, but its success is in the community McCarthy and Winterhalt have surrounded themselves with. It’s what keeps them coming back year after year to make this event even better. www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 37
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TAKING ON THE WORLD After an impressive performance at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg, Culinary Youth Team Canada is ready to take on the next challenge By Peter Dewar LAST NOVEMBER, Culinary Youth Team Canada headed to Luxembourg to compete in the 2018 Culinary World Cup, taking on some of the world’s top junior talent and leaving with an unforgettable experience. Fifteen national junior teams took part, with five groups of three going head-to-head-to-head against one another and earning points toward gold in two categories, buffet and hot kitchen. Canada took on Belgium and Austria, finishing with silver medals in both disciplines and placing 8th overall. Team Canada also came agonizingly close to earning gold medal points for its Restaurant des Nations menu. It was a learning opportunity and a chance to experience what it takes to compete at this level. Team Canada observed, watched and, most importantly, learned a lot, and intends to take that information and turn it into a winning performance at the 2020 IKA Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany. The team is currently developing the food program for Stuttgart and practices diligently in the team lab at the Culinary Institute of Canada. The American Culinary Classic, which is being held in August, will offer Team Canada the perfect opportunity to practice. F o l l o w Yo u t h Te a m C a n a d a ’ s j o u r n e y a t youthteamcanada.com.
HELPING OTHERS HELP OTHERS Members of CF Oakville stepped up to provide hot food in frigid weather JANUARY 19, 2019 marked the 20th Anniversary of Project Winter Survival in Toronto – an anniversary that no one wants to celebrate. Once again, the Culinary Federation stepped up to help a community in need. Project Winter Survival is a oned ay e ve n t w h e re 3 , 0 0 0 w i n te r sur vival kits are packed and distributed to front-line agencies working with the homeless. These kits provide warmth and essential supplies that of ten make the difference between life and death on the streets, particularly during harsh winter weather conditions. More than 100 volunteers braved frigid -20 C temperatures and a snowstorm to get to the event where the kits were packed and ready for 38 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
distribution in record time. Thanks to the Oakville branch, whose members b r ave d th e b lis te rin g co ld in a makeshift outdoor kitchen, volunteers were treated to a delicious lunch of fireside chili and buns before they ventured outside to pack the agency vehicles. Sincere gratitude to chefs David Evans , Jordana Britt and Stephan Schulz for their dedication and perseverance during preparation, and to chefs Rick Secko as well, who along with Evans donated a generous amount of food — we couldn’t have done it without your help! For more information about Project Winter Sur vival, visit engageandchange.org.
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DINING WITH THE GOAT A trip to Chicago and a dessert with an unexpected twist By Jessica Charette ON A RECENT business trip to Chicago, I had the pleasure of dining with some team members at Girl and the Goat, and it was exceptional. The warm and earthy interior provides a comfortable vibe in which to explore flavour — and explore we did. Each dish, all served family style for sharing, presented intriguing and crave-able flavour combinations. Note for potential visitors: if you’re not eschewing wheat, get every bread you can get your hands on, which each comes with an impeccably paired spread and condiment. My favourite was the seeded sourdough with soft paneer and pickled golden raisin — it was heaven. We had too many savoury dishes to recount, but a definite standout was the crisp braised pork shank with buttermilk dressing, butternut squash kimchi and naan. Everything was delicious, but for a gal like me with a sweet tooth, there was one particular dessert that stole my heart. The Newly Weds Foods Global Chef Team had gathered in Chicago for an innovation session on curry, and there on the dessert menu was a cocoa-coconut semifreddo with macadamia praline and curry feuilletine. Rich yet delicate, it was a divine marriage of smooth and crispy textures with a sweetness cut by both cocoa nibs and the subtle application of curry in the feuilletine. I've been experimenting with various curry blends in a range of sweet applications and was excited to experience it in yet another format. And really, that’s what the life of a chef is all about — getting excited by food.
“THAT’S WHAT THE LIFE OF A CHEF IS ALL ABOUT — GETTING EXCITED BY FOOD”
Top Left: CF Windsor Executive selfie with Helmut. Top Right: CF Windsor Members with CF President & CF Central Region VP. Bottom Row: CF Windsor Members evening highlights with CF President & CF Central Region VP.
COMING AND GOING As Windsor Chapter members welcomed Federation leadership, they said goodbye to one of their own By Adelina Sisti APPRECIATIVE WINDSOR CHAPTER members excitedly welcomed Culinary Federation president Simon Smotkowicz and central vice president David Franklin, who took the time to visit Windsor and meet with teachers and students at St. Clair College. After touring the school, we headed to nearby Torino’s Restaurant for a wonderfully delicious meeting. We also took the opportunity to wish our outgoing treasurer Helmut Markert the best of luck as he continues his culinary journey in Muskoka. He’ll be missed on our executive board, and we cannot thank him enough for all his hard work and dedication over the years that he's served, both at the local and national levels. Best wishes, brother!
www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 39
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GOING WEST TO THE EAST COAST
Born and raised in Italy, Vince Di Nillo swapped the Mediterranean for the Atlantic and found la dolce vita in Newfoundland By John Scurry
VINCE DI NILLO was born in 1937 in Rosello, a small town about two hours outside of Rome. His cooking apprenticeship took him through Italy, France and England, and in 1956, he arrived in Canada. De Nillo spent time in Montreal before settling in Newfoundland in 1959, where he built an accomplished career and raised a family. Di Nillo’s impact since has been immeasurable. He spent 22 years as chef at the St. John’s Holiday Inn and led the kitchen at the Battery Hotel before retiring in 2005. Even after retiring, Di Nillo still occasionally worked with Bidgoods and Red Oak Catering. Throughout his career, Di Nillo has hosted several high profile guests, including Bob Hope and Nikita Khrushchev, and event spent time in the limelight himself as the face of Catelli pasta. Despite his busy schedule, De Nillo also spent more than 20 years as a dedicated volunteer for the Children Wish Foundation, Gower United Church and many other worthy causes. De Nillo helped established the Chef ’s A ssociation in Newfoundland in 1978, and has dedicated much of his time to it since, judging competitions, chairing fundraisers and, over the year, holding all positions at least once. During this time, Vince has won Chef of the year for Newfoundland and Labrador on several occasions, and for Atlantic Canada twice, although his biggest accomplishment with the Association was winning National Chef of the Year in 1991. Vince enjoys cooking everything from moose to mussels, but he holds a special place in his heart for his native Italian cuisine. From making fresh goats cheese in the mountains of Italy as a child, to preparing baccalà campagnolo on a small island in the middle of the Atlantic, Di Nillo has built a career, a life and a home in of our little corner of Canada. It’s been our privilege, and we couldn’t be happier.
“VINCE ENJOYS COOKING EVERYTHING FROM MOOSE TO MUSSELS, BUT HE HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN HIS HEART FOR HIS NATIVE ITALIAN CUISINE.”
40 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
BEVERAGE
ONE TREND, THREE WAYS
Non-alcoholic beverages have gained a following that wants new flavours, healthy halos and mocktails that look like the real thing By Sophie Mir
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Non-alcoholic drinks remain a top mealpart at Canadian restaurants. In fact, almost all Canadian operators (99.4 per cent) menu non-alcoholic beverages, per Technomic’s Ignite menu data (and if not menued, then they’re almost certainly available). According to Technomic’s 2018 Canadian Beverage Consumer Trend Report, beverage consumption from foodservice has remained steady over the past two years, with consumers purchasing 3.3 beverages per week on average. That popularity has given operators the chance regularly test out new trends, both to quickly gather data and keep things exciting, and operators’ efforts are driving three major trends in non-alcoholic drinks — functional ingredients, innovative mocktails and cold-brew coffee with new twists.
Flavours like turmeric and matcha, and beverages like kombucha, not only offer distinct, bold flavours, but also connote health and wellness benefits. For example, kombucha not only provides a tart and slightly sweet flavour addition to popular drinks, but it is also packed with antioxidants. With 41 per cent of consumers reporting that they are ordering kombucha, operators should incorporate it. And the shouldn’t stop there. MOCKTAILS 2.0
Fastest-Growing Non-alcoholic Drinks: 1. Bottled beverage (+87.5) 2. Chiller (+12.5%) 3. Restaurant original/mocktail (+9.1%) 4. Frozen blended coffee (+8.9%) 5. Iced coffee (+8.5%) 6. Flavoured water (+8.2%) 7. Latte (+2.8%) Source: Technomic Ignite menu data Base: Q4 2018; Q4 2017-Q4 2018
cent, respectively). At the same time, 38 per cent of consumers overall report that they would like restaurants to offer healthier beverages. When asked if they would be likely to order beverages that offer functional benefits, 23 per cent of consumers said they would, which skews even higher for younger consumers. Both limited- and full-ser vice restaurants are increasingly featuring trendy functional ingredients in a variety of beverages. Asian-inspired flavours in particular are growing rapidly, with turmeric up 80 per cent in non-alcoholic drinks in the last year. Likewise, cardamom and matcha also rose by 33.3 per cent and 4.7 per cent in beverages, respectively, and kombucha saw a 26.9 per cent bump. For example, Good Earth Coffeehouse recently debuted its Turmeric Latte and Earls Kitchen + Bar offers KeVita Ginger Kombucha, spotlighting its beneficial probiotics in the online menu.
FUNCTION AND FORM
This infusion of exotic, functional ingredients in beverages is meeting consumers’ desire for both health and innovation. According to Technomic’s 2018 Canadian Beverage Consumer Trend Report, 23 per cent of consumers said they would like to try new and unique beverages offered at restaurants, with 18- to 34-year-olds reporting significantly higher than consumers ages 35 and up (31 per cent to 18 per 42 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
Among consumers who have had a mocktail in the last month, 43 per cent ordered from a foodservice location or restaurant. Operators are responding to consumers’ interest in mocktails, with menu mentions increasing by 9.1 per cent in the past year. The top restaurant segments that serve mocktails are upscale casual dining (50 per cent), fine dining (43.2 per cent) and contemporary casual dining (33.3 per cent), meaning there’s still a lot of room for limitedservice restaurants to expand their current offerings. In all segments, however, operators are finding new ways to diversify their mocktail selections with fresh and uncommon flavours. To wit, in the past year, both hibiscus and rose saw massive growth in menu mentions in mocktails, up 100 per cent and 300 per cent, respectively. For example, Cactus Club Cafe rolled out its Hey Hibiscus mocktail made with a blend of hibiscus and rose, and Wolf in the Fog in Tofino, British Columbia, spotlights its The Body is a Temple mocktail, featuring hibiscus grenadine. Mocktails are still dominated by fruit, including lime, lemon, strawberry, pineapple and orange, but there’s consumer demand for operators to explore less-charted territory.
BEVERAGE Seasonality counts with the beverage segment too. According to Technomic’s 2017 Canadian Flavour Consumer Trend Report, 29 per cent of consumers reported that their preferences changed with the season, so come spring and summer, operators should spotlight w a r m fl o r a l fl avo u r s. S e a s o n a l preferences resonate particularly strongly with women, with 35 per cent reporting seasonal preferences compared to just 22 per cent of men. To further drive traffic with women, operators should incorporate floral elements on spring and summer menus that are especially curated for women. In what’s perhaps a sign that mocktails are joining non-alcoholic beer in the mainstream, non-alcoholic spirits are finding their way into commercial foodservice. Seedlip, a non-alcoholic spirit mimicking gin, is popping up in mocktails like Earls Kitchen + Bar’s Spring Gimlet. It appeals to the 33 per cent of consumers (including 41 per cent of younger consumer) that say they would likely purchase mocktails that taste like they contain alcohol, and normalizes the mocktail offering, potentially attracting new consumers.
should be unsurprising: almond milk is the fastest-growing ingredient in coffee. DIFFERENT DRINKS, SAME TREND
The overall trend shows up on different menus in different places and in different ways, but overall, nonalcoholic beverages continue to provide opportunities for innovation among Canadian foodservice operators, with 65 per cent of consumers agreeing that they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers new flavours and 62 per cent stating that they are likely to return to the same restaurant if they like a new flavour. As a result, operators shouldn’t be afraid to explore seemingly unusual combinations and layer different trends on one another to invigorate their nonalcoholic beverage menus. Restaurants that do it best will undoubtedly stand apart from the competition and gain new patrons.
Top 10 Nonalcoholic Drinks 1. Soft drinks/fountain drinks 2. Juice 3. Bottled water 4. Iced tea 5. Hot tea 6. Coffee/filter coffee 7. Specialty tea 8. Fruit smoothie 9. Milk/chocolate milk 10. Latte Source: Technomic Ignite menu data Base: Q4 2018; Q4 2017-Q4 2018
Sophie Mir is an associate editor for Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based foodservice research and consulting firm. Technomic provides clients with the facts, insights and consulting support they need to enhance their business strategies, decisions and results. The company’s services include publications and digital products as well as proprietary studies and ongoing research on all aspects of the food industry. Visit technomic.com for more information.
NEW TWISTS IN COLD BREW COFFEE
Cold-brew coffee’s popularity continues to grow, with a 35 per cent increase of cold brew menu mentions in coffee. In addition, 15 per cent of consumers say they would like more restaurants to offer it. And as cold brew saturates the foodservice market, restaurants are adding a new spin on it as well. Starbucks Canada recently added cold brew blended with plant-based protein, bananas and dates. Second Cup Coffee Co. recently menued a salted butterscotch cold brew coffee, while Jugo Juice developed a line of smoothies featuring cold brew as well. Since 34 per cent of younger consumers say they’d like restaurants to offer more flavour combinations in drinks, operators should continue to experiment unlikely combinations featuring cold brew, and that differentiate themselves from competitors. Another way concepts are diversifying their cold brew selections is by offering and spotlighting dairy alternatives, including coconut- and almond-based milks. For instance, two of Jugo Juice’s three cold brew smoothies feature nondairy milk, and along with its salted caramel cold brew, Second Cup menued an almond milk cold brew mocha, which
SHAKE, SAUCE OR DRIZZLE You can count on Lawry’s Wings Seasonings to deliver big, bold flavour to freshly cooked wings in a delicious, crispy coating. Just toss in the seasoning, then either sauce or drizzle with Cattlemen’s® BBQ sauce or Frank’s RedHot® to quickly create signature wing flavours. Together, they’re a winning combination! For more menu inspiration, visit www.clubhouseforchefs.ca *Reg. TM McCormick Canada ®Reg. TM The French’s Food Company LLC. Used under licence.
www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 43
ADVERTISING FEATURE ONE IN A FOUR-PART SERIES
Chef David Cocker
Corporate Research Chef & Business Development Manager Reuven International Ltd.
INFORMATION-DRIVEN FOODIE Technology hasn’t just put the latest and greatest phones in people’s pockets or the clearest HD televisions on their walls. It has created the general expectation that what people want to know should be instantly available. Whether it’s the latest news, up-to-the-minute scores or, for food, detailed and accurate product information, people want to know. It’s not enough to tell a customer they’re eating chicken; consumers in 2019 want know about nutrition, allergens and ingredients. They want to know everything about it from the moment it hatches right up until the chef plates it, including how it is raised, what it was fed and how it was processed. Despite everyone’s expectation that they have information at their fingertips at all times, too much can be as undesirable as too little. It can be difficult to sort out the useful from the useless, the good from the bad. It can be overwhelming, but it’s critical information to have, and it backs up the cues, clues and signals customers do pick up on, like “clean label” and “ethically sourced.” It’s also creates a unique opportunity for foodservice operators to engage with their guests. Not only can they sell the dish, but they can sell its story and where it came from. Reuven International Ltd., a supplier of premium poultry products for more than three decades, recently launched its Reuven Naturals product lineup to provide premium poultry products that are minimally processed and contain only natural, antibiotic-free ingredients. More importantly, Reuven International Ltd. has a new informative website to provide all the information a consumer or customer may need. Recognizing the growing consumer demand for natural label products, antibiotic-free (ABF) and minimally-processed foods, Reuven developed its Naturals line with simple, familiar ingredients that are Halal certified and free from ingredients containing gluten, nitrites and phosphate. These products would make a great addition to any menu as the Reuven Naturals line is
low sodium for the sodium conscious and has a neutral flavour profile that is easy to incorporate into recipes. Reuven International ensures it is providing the highest quality poultry to the Canadian foodservice market by working with a select group of manufacturing partners, many of whom are vertically integrated and maintain full control of their product from hatchery through further processing. This ensures a top-to-bottom view of the supply chain and the utmost control over traceability,
animal welfare and hatchery conditions. As a result, Reuven Naturals is made using certified humanely-raised poultry, and Reuven ensures all feed is free from animal byproducts and antibiotic growth promoters. The chickens that are used in the production of Reuven Naturals has ready access to fresh water and a healthy diet. They’re provided a comfortable environment with shelter and sufficient space to express normal behavior, freeing them from fear, distress and suffering. All stages of the animal’s lifecycle are well maintained and assessed regularly to ensure all animal welfare policies and programs are strictly adhered to. Reuven International Ltd. is keeping its ear to the ground, listening to what its customers want and what consumers are demanding. Reuven provides a lineup of innovative poultry products that are sustainable, ethically-sourced products, enabling foodservice operators to meet customers’ demands. It’s the natural extension of Reuven’s mission to supply innovative, high-quality poultry products to the Canadian foodservice market.
Chef David Cocker is the Corporate Research Chef & Business Development Manager at Reuven International, the global poultry experts. With a wealth of culinary creativity, industry expertise and a unique culinology research chef background, he helps create innovative recipes, does detailed product analysis and leads customer ideation sessions from their state-of-the-art test kitchen. For more information about the latest trends in the poultry industry call 416-929-1496 or visit www.reuven.com
44 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
Your Natural Choice Our Reuven Naturals line of fully cooked chicken products are made with hand trimmed whole chicken breast using only simple natural ingredients. Reuven Naturals contain NO artificial preservatives, flavours, colours or sweeteners.
• Made with simple, natural ingredients • Made with NO Gluten containing ingredients • NO added nitrites • NO phosphates • Chickens are grain fed with NO animal by-products • Certified humanely raised chicken • Halal certified
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SPONSORED CONTENT Enbridge Smart Savings
The Energy-Smart Kitchen Reducing energy (and costs) in foodservice By Matt Bradford It takes a lot of energy to feed a restaurant. That's why, in their bid for greener and more cost-friendly operations, more and more foodservice providers are turning to the experts for sustainable solutions.
46 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
“Energ y eff i c i e n c y i s n' t n e c e s s a r i l y s omething that's going to attract more people through your door, but it is something that will help build your brand and reduce operating costs over time," explains Neil Saunders, Energy Solutions Consultant (ESC), Enbridge. "So, while there's not much 'sizzle' around the topic of energy efficiency per se, many restaurant and commercial kitchen owners are actively pursuing ways
SPONSORED CONTENT
“Restaurant and commercial kitchen owners are actively pursuing ways to lower their electrical, water, and natural gas consumption because of the long-term benefits they receive.”
to lower their electricity, water, or natural gas consumption because of the long-term benefits they receive from doing so." A controlled kitchen There is no shortage of energy-saving measures in the foodservice industry. Among the most impactful is adopting energyefficient equipment such as ENERGYSTAR® qualified steam cookers, combination ovens, natural gas fryers, and dishwashers along with high-efficiency under-fired broilers. In addition, says Saunders, there is benefit in installing a control kitchen ventilation system which can automatically modulate the speed of the exhaust fan motor to suit one's real-time demands: "If you're just preparing food, or in between big meals, then your exhaust fan doesn't have to run at 100 per cent speed. That's why control kitchen ventilation systems use monitors to assess a restaurant or kitchen's current demand and adjust the speed of the fan to match. This leads to a tremendous amount of gas and electrical savings over the long-run and huge incentives from the natural gas and electrical utilities." Saunders adds, the return on investment for such a system is typically under three years, noting, “Natural gas and electricity can get very expensive for commercial operations, which is why it's worth calling someone like myself in to discuss how these pieces of equipment can help save energy and how Enbridge can support their purchase.”
from investing in energy-efficient equipment,” says Saunders. “Then, if they want to move forward on any of the initiatives we discuss, I can help get the process started.” Saunders, also helps customers take advantage of Enbridge's numerous energysaving incentives and programs. Thes e i n c l u d e f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t fo r i n st a l l i n g energy-efficiency kitchen equipment (e.g.,
ENERGY STAR® rated) and funding up to 50 per cent of a custom retrofit project through Enbridge's Fixed Incentives, Enbridge’s Custom Retrofit Incentives. “We help make the connection," he adds. "We utilize our brand to promote energy efficiency and link our customers to the most effective technologies, practices and industry partners to help them find savings in their busy operations.”
Neil Saunders is an Energy Solutions Consultant, business development & customer strategy, commercial markets with Enbridge Gas Inc. (operating as Enbridge Gas Distribution). For more information on Enbridge's energy-saving programs, incentives and services visit enbridgesmartsavings.com/business, call 1-866-844-9994, or email energyservices@enbridge.com
Partnering for savings There is little time to breathe in this fastpaced sector, let alone find time to focus on energy conservation. Therefore, there is an a d v a n t a g e t o p a r t n e r i n g w i t h E n e rg y Solutions Consultants like Saunders to identify and discuss one's options. “I can offer a full energy analysis of a customer’s restaurant or kitchen to let them know what kind of savings they can expect www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 47
CLEAN SLATE
Proper sanitation is critical to running a restaurant but gets the short shrift in training. It’s time to fix that By David E. Smith A clean and inviting environment is essential to a great restaurant experience that brings customers back for repeat visits. But if front-of-house cleaning is so important to business success, why is it often done by staff with no training on how to do it properly? The answer is simple: too often, we just don’t know what we don’t know. Here’s a look at the top five mistakes in front-of-house restaurant cleaning and how you can avoid them: CLOUD-BASED CLEANING
We’ve all seen it. Restaurant staff wiping down tables and chairs with a trigger sprayer of general cleaner and a cloth. What happens? Along with
hitting the table, the trigger sprayer creates a cloud of chemical vapour (volat i le orga nic compounds, or VOCs) that ends f loating through the air above it, as well. It’s breathed in by staff and customers, and drifts into open food on occupied tables. That’s galling unto itself, but it can spell catastrophe if a patron with breat h i ng i ssues happ ens to b e sitting nearby, not to mention the
48 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
danger to employees from repeated exposure. The solution is simple: train staff to spray the cloth, not the area to be cleaned. Then, thoroughly wipe the surface to remove soil and bacteria. DIFFERENT SURFACE, SAME CLOTH
Unless they’re properly trained, most staff use the same side of the cloth throughout the cleaning process. What’s wrong with that? Nothing, if you don’t mind having soi l a nd bacteria spread from surface to surface throughout your dining area. If the risk of food-borne illness (and
TOOLS OF THE TRADE the PR nightmare of food poisoning) doesn’t sound appetizing, be sure your staff understands the correct way to use cleaning cloths for the most effective (and hygienic) results: 1. Colour coordinate microfiber cloths and designate different colours for different surfaces. 2. Fold each cloth in half, then in half again. This creates eight cleaning surfaces; four on each side of the cloth. 3. Use one side of the cloth to clean a surface such as a table, then turn the cloth over to clean the chair. 4. Fold the cloth back so that the two soiled sides are together; continue to clean another chair, table etc. using each of the other two sides. 5. When all four surfaces of the first side of the cloth have been used, unfold the cloth and refold in half, soiled sides together, and then in half again. This creates four new surfaces with which to clean. 6. When all eight sides of the cleaning cloth have been used, place it in a container designated for soiled foodsurface cleaning cloths. UNCOMMONLY CLEANED COMMON TOUCH POINTS
Common Touch Points (CTPs) are those areas that receive the highest frequency of contact from staff and patrons’ hands. These typically include menus, garbage bin handles, door handles, Interac key pads and chair backs and arms. Each of these surfaces is contaminated by hundreds of hands (or more) in any given period. They harbour cold and f lu viruses to E.coli and other harmful bacteria. CTPs should be thoroughly wiped daily with a g ener a l pu r p o s e cle a ner a nd microfiber cleaning cloth. SPILL SLIP-UPS
Spills may be inevitable, but taking care of them properly isn’t. Often the mop and solution are so dirty they simply spread the soil across a larger area rather than effectively removing it. The resulting wet f loor creates a slip and fall hazard, too. Train your
team to manage f loor care with the following key steps to improve both cleanliness and safety: 1. Stock the cleaning closet with multiple mop heads so they can be laundered frequently. This ensures that a fresh mop is available for each day’s shift. 2. Instruct staff to empty cleaning solution frequently and rinse mop buckets before refilling them with fresh water and cleaner. 3. Consider an auto mop/dry system, especially designed for small areas, to make the job faster and more effective. You can also look at new highabsorbency mop and pad systems to clean spills effectively and leave floors nearly dry, and safer for both patrons and staff.
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SAME OLD, SAME OLD
Using the same floor cleaner throughout the year can result in damaged floors. While a good neutral cleaner can handle day-to-day grease, grime and spills, the winter months present an entirely different challenge. Salt and calcium can erode f loor surfaces and create a permanent white haze. To avoid this, adjust your floor cleaning system to include a salt/calcium neutralizer on bad weather days. Be sure to change entrance matting more frequently as customer volume increases to reduce the amount of water, grime and salt tracked onto floors. You’ll also reduce the risk of slip and fall injuries. CLEANING UP THE CLEAN UP
If these common cleaning mistakes are happ en i ng i n you r fo o d s er v ic e environment, the time to make a change is right now. Re-think your operation’s front of house cleaning tasks and make them a priority. Invest in training, proper tools and cleaning products. Ask your cleaning and hygiene product supplier about the latest innovations to improve cleaning efficiency and quality while reducing labour and cost. The result will be improved customer experience and perception, more repeat business and a healthier environment for customers and employees.
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David E. Smith, cleaning, hygiene & sanitation director at Bunzl Canada has more than 25 years’ experience in the cleaning and hygiene industry. David is a recognized expert in infection prevention and control and a passionate promoter of cleaner, healthier public spaces. Please direct questions to: David.Smith@Bunzlcanada.ca. www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 49
CONTEXT SENSITIVE Start marketing to people when it matters most
By Sean Keith
Despite an expected year-on-year sales increase for the sector as a whole, competition among Canada’s food and beverage outlets remains fierce. New advancements in technology mean customers have more options than ever when it comes to dining out, ordering in, picking up, having groceries delivered or preparing a subscription meal kit. It’s no wonder one of operators’ top challenges this year is actually getting customers through the door.
50 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
MARKETING
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In this increasingly digital landscape, how can you convince a customer to visit your establishment over your competitor’s just around the corner? That answer starts with a combination of personalized promotions and proximity. INTRODUCING MARKETING IN THE “NOW”
Marketing in the now focuses on engaging customers with personalized offers when they’re in a prime position to act on them. This concept, also k nown as contextua l ma rket i ng, ref lects a shift in consumer behaviour towards greater convenience (think here about the growing popularity of Google’s Near Me search feature). According to our latest food and beverage research, when it comes to d i n i n g o ut , t h i s t r e n d t owa r d convenience shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, we found Millennials are 30 per cent more likely to conduct
Near Me searches compared to only 19 per cent for other generations. But only a handful of operators are embracing contextual marketing strategies to drive revenue growth: our research shows less than a third of operators use data for on-premise personalization and developing customized offers. That means the Operators who engage in contextual marketing can leapfrog their competitors in a big way. There’s a clear advantage here if operators can seize it. The good news is contextual marketing promotions can be implemented in three easy steps:
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Using geolocation technology built into customers’ mobile devices, foodservice operators can recognize when consumers enter a certain radius of their brick-and-mortar location. Connect customer data: With the right back-end systems, operators can connect Recognize nearby customers:
www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 51
MARKETING
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Operators who engage in contextual marketing can leapfrog their competitors in a big way. 0 Brand Culture Marketing & Promotions
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52 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News
”
customer data across touchpoints, including email, social media and point of sale. By creating one unique customer ID, operators can better understand when and how their customers engage with them, as well as what they order. Send personalized promotions: When a business can see a customer is nearby their establishment, and has a holistic view of that customer’s preferences, it can engage in dynamic marketing. For example, sending an offer to that customer then and there, that is tailored to complement their favourite menu item. Of course, transactional offers aren’t the only type of promotions that can be ma rketed contextua l ly. Emot iona l rewards and offers are equally (if not more) adept at engaging customers. These can range from secret menu items and VIP experiences to social benef its sharable with friends and family. The capability to identify, test and optimize the way customers are engaged is a comp el l i ng tool for operators looking for new ways to win. These types of contextual offers cut through the noisy F&B marketing landscape and show your customers that you understand them. Customers are much more likely to act on a convenient offer that reflects their order preferences when they’re in a position to act upon it. This leads to more foot traffic, higher revenue and more loyal customers in the long run — win, win, win.
MARKETING BUSINESS-WIDE BENEFITS FOR OPERATORS
Apart from increasing the likelihood that consumers wi l l respond to promotions, there’s a variety of additional ways that contextual marketing can assist in driving revenue. For starters, customers naturally spend more time at restaurants and bars than they do in a ty pica l retail environment. This increased dwell time gives operators a much larger window of time to upsell their customers using contextual marketing promotions — say, with an offer for another order of their favourite snack. Operators can, and should, lean into this dwell time advantage as a way to increase per-visit spend. Contextual marketing also assists in preventing offer clash, where the same one customer receives different or competing offers from the same brand. Foodservice operators have an advantage here over other business types: by knowing customers’ current location, they can determine whether customers are already sitting in their establishment and then avoid sending a redundant or irrelevant offer enticing them to come in. Preventing offer clash guarantees a seamless experience regardless of the customer engagement channel, once again increasing the likelihood of customer retention and loyalty. DIGITAL CAPABILITIES OPERATORS NEED
Contextual marketing has the potential to drive benefits throughout the business, but how can foodservice operators get
started? To implement these types of marketing in the now promotions effectively, operators need the right digital capabilities. These include: Operators need to think mobile-first. Consider the different digitally-enabled mobile interactions you have (or should be having) with your customers. Offering a branded mobile app is an effective way to interact directly with your customers via their always-on devices. A way to identify: Operators need a means to identify when a customer is on-premise. For example, when a customer connects to an on-premise wifi network with their mobile device, they immediately become identifiable to the business, even if they choose to remain anonymous. A way to interact:
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A way to connect data and deploy real-time offers: Once a customer is nearby or
on-premise, operators need to target them dynamically. There are solutions, powered by advanced customer relationship management (CRM) analytics and marketing systems, that can simultaneously connect data from different marketing touchpoints and deploy offers in real-time. Research shows that 71 per cent of Canadians are dining out up to 10 times per month. Paired with the rise of mobile technologies and trend toward convenience, Canada’s food and beverage industry must continue to evolve. Operators who implement a contextual marketing strategy centered around the customer experience will see significant revenue growth this year, and success well into the future.
Sean Keith is the director of new business development at Eagle Eye, a leading SaaS technology company that enables businesses to create real-time connections with their customers through digital and mobile promotion solutions. Recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Global Shaper, Sean helps brands in the retail, food and beverage and hospitality industries implement digital transformation initiatives to better understand customer behaviors and drive revenue growth among Canadian businesses
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www.restobiz.ca | Spring 2019 53
CRUNCHING NUMBERS
The New Kid
MILLENNIALS CHANGED FOODSERVICE. NOW THEIR CHILDREN ARE DOING THE SAME
By Mark Jachecki Millennials are entering parenthood, and not surprisingly, their kids are picking up on their food savvy, creating an increasingly important family demographic in commercial foodservice in Canada. Brands have noticed, too. Operators and chains that didn’t offer kids’ menus previously, like Tim Hortons, have recently rolled out menus intended to appeal to Millennial parents’ notions of healthy eating, convenience and kids’ satisfaction. Newer, health-focused chains like Copper Branch are capitalizing on the market as well. There’s plenty of money to be made. First, the numbers. The Millennial family demographic represents 131 million visits annually, growing on average by 12 per cent since 2014 along with driving $901 million in sales, growing on average by 16 per cent — that’s more people spending more money. Traffic and dollar growth in commercial foodservice is generally flat. Gen X, for example, still drives more overall traffic and dollars (164 million visits and $1.3 billion respectively), but it’s stagnant, showing a loss of one per cent CAGR since 2014. Overall, parents tend to over-index their kids-like-it-there motivation for visiting a restaurant on surveys. Millennial parents, by contrast, under-index it, balancing their kids’ preferences with other factors when making their decision. For example, compared to Gen X parents, Millennial parents are more likely to visit operators they regularly go to and that are budget friendly and actively seek out specific menu items.
Winning With Parents and Their Kids Needless to say, when it comes to winning with this new cohort of parents, brands must take several factors into consideration. Millennial parents have less time than previous cohorts. According to NPD data, they spend close to half the time preparing meals versus Gen X and are more likely to purchase home-meal replacements or subscribe to a meal-kit delivery service. When it comes to out-of-home meals, they’re more likely to seek out restaurants that offer drive-thru, take-out and delivery options. Millennial parents make up 37 per cent of all digital orders, with the vast majority being for delivery. Operators need to think about how they’re making the purchase process as frictionless as possible. Millennials already skew towards QSRs, and Millennial parents are no different. They’re busier than previous generations; they put a premium on convenience and meals are less structured. Health and food quality are primary concerns, as well, and Millennial parents extend them to what their children eat. The change is reflected in what kids eat and drink at restaurants. Over time, servings of carbonated soft drinks, milk, juice and French fries have trended down, while breakfast sandwiches, bottled water, tap water, home fries and hash browns have become some of the fastest growing items. Another wrinkle: AllerGen, a network of academics studying autoimmune disorders, noted in its 2015 SPAACE survey that 6.9 per cent of children under 18 have an allergy, putting a fine point on the importance of carrying alternatives like dairy-free milk and plant-based proteins. Not having them could be a dealbreaker for potential customers. And like their Millennial parents, children typically have more developed palates than children did a generation ago — it’s worth looking considering dishes other than kids’ menu go-tos like grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken strips. Kids have an influence on where families dine out and as a result operators not only need to provide menu items that kids will love, but also consider how their packaging and in-restaurant environment will drive fun and excitement for this consumer. Concepts like Dave & Busters and Cineplex’s Playdium are good examples of this. The Future of Food Marketing In Canada, the federal government has been working for more than a year and a half to develop rules that will restrict food and beverage marketing to children. At the heart of the debate is a Senate bill to amend the Food and Drugs Act introduced in September, 2016, intended to limit unhealthy food and beverage ads aimed at kids. As it stands, some of the limitations being recommended include restrictions on packaging and whether or not toys and books can be included with certain meal items. While the nuances of this bill have yet to be ironed out, one thing appears to be certain – the future of marketing food to kids in Canada will likely be impacted. However, while these changes will undoubtedly have an impact on the Canadian foodservice industry, Millennial parents are already seeking healthier options. Savvy operators will most certainly find new and innovative ways to appeal to Millennial parents and their children before a law forces them to. If they want to keep up, they might have to.
Chef Jachecki is a consultant with the NPD Group and chef professor at Humber College. He began his career in the classic European tradition of a rigorous apprenticeship at Toronto’s Regal Constellation Hotel in the late 80s. From there, he took the lead as Chef of Dining Rooms of The Estates of Sunnybrook (Vaughan Estate) for six years, before joining the award-winning restaurant 360 at the CN Tower for two years. In 1998 he was named the Executive Chef at one of Toronto’s premier hotels, The Westin Harbour Castle. After his time with Starwood Hotels, Chef Jachecki was the chef 54 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News of a successful Toronto catering company for seven years before joining Canyon Creek Chophouse as Corporate Executive Chef in 2007.
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56 Spring 2019 | Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News