February 2018 - Total Food Service by Total Food Service

2 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

24,000 SF of Rooftop and Upper Space Available at the Brooklyn Navy Yard 8,000 SF of interior space and 16,500 SF of exterior roof space available at Building 77!

Features: - Breathtaking views of Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn - Direct public access off Flushing Avenue - Recently-completed 1 million SF, $185M building renovation - Brand-new public food production hall anchored by Russ & Daughters - Adjacent to Fort Greene, Williamsburg, Dumbo, Clinton Hill and Downtown Brooklyn - Over 7,000 employees on site today, with 2M SF of new commercial space by 2020 - Negotiable pricing and usage - Immediate possession

Seeking Proposals For Use Restaurant/Hospitality/Event Space proposals encouraged Please inquire by March 30th to 77RoofRFEI@bnydc.org

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 3

NEWS

FOUNDATION

NYC’s James Beard Foundation Names Reichenbach as CEO

lare Reichenbach has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the James Beard Foundation ( JBF). The announcement was made by Frederic M. Seegal, chair of the culinary nonprofit organization’s board of trustees. Effective February 20, Reichenbach (pictured), founder of CJJR Consulting and a former executive vice president of Strategy and Business Development at BBC Worldwide and AMC Networks, succeeds Susan Ungaro, who stepped down

as JBF president at the end of 2017. “After an extensive search, the JBF Search Committee unanimously selected Clare to lead the James Beard Foundation and build on the thought leadership initiatives and ground-breaking Impact Programs implemented over the past 11 years,” said Seegal and Emily Luchetti, JBF board chair emeritus, in a joint statement. “The decision was made with input from a wide range of internal and external stakeholders on who would be the right person to expand the im-

4 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

pact and operational strength of the Foundation on a global level. In her previous positions, Clare has demonstrated the leadership and strategic vision to oversee the continuing evolution of the Foundation, whose mission is to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone.” As CEO, Reichenbach, 44, will work with the JBF staff and the

continued on page 94

Clare Reichenbach, Chief Executive Officer of the James Beard Foundation

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 5

NEWS

OPENINGS

Gordon Ramsay Doubles Down On Atlantic City With Plans For New Harrah’s Eatery

ordon Ramsay will open a steakhouse this summer at Harrah’s casino in Atlantic City. It is set to open Memorial Day weekend and will be the second Atlantic City restaurant for the celebrity chef, who opened a pub at Caesars casino in 2015. He is the star of Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” ‘’The F Word with Gordon Ramsay,” ‘’24 Hours to Hell & Back,” and “MasterChef.” The first Gordon Ramsay Steak opened in 2012 at Paris on the Las Ve-

Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay

Caesars Entertainment is the celeb chef ’s partner at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Atlantic City. Gordon Ramsay Steak, replacing The Steakhouse at Harrah’s, will be the brand’s third location. gas strip. The Gordon Ramsay Group operates a total of 33 restaurants globally. Caesars Entertainment is the celeb chef’s partner at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Atlantic City. Gordon Ramsay Steak, replacing The Steakhouse at Harrah’s, will be the brand’s third location. The atmosphere is billed as “chic, swinging London,” and the menu includes prime beef dry-aged for a minimum of 28 days and cuts such as the 32-ounce Royal Long-bone chop for two as well as American Kobe, along with Britishisms including beef Wellington and sticky toffee pudding. Harrah’s current restaurant crop includes Martorano’s (Italian) and Veracruz (Spanish/Mexican).

6 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Born in Scotland, Ramsay grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon. His restaurants have been awarded 16 Michelin stars in total. His signature restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, London, has held three Michelin stars since 2001. First appearing on television in the UK in the late 1990s, by 2004 Ramsay had become one of the best known celebrity chefs in British popular culture, and, along with other chefs like Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, and Delia Smith, he has influenced viewers to become more culinary adventurous. As a reality television personality, Ramsay is known for his fiery temper, strict demeanor, and use of expletives. He often makes blunt and controversial comments, including

Main Office 282 Railroad Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director Michael Scinto Art Director Mark Sahm Contributing Writers Warren Bobrow Faith Hope Consolo Morgan Tucker Fred Sampson Staff Writers Deborah Hirsch

Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com

Cover Photo & Styling: Joanna Garel Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2018 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements. Periodicals Postage paid at the post office, Greenwich, CT and additional mailing offices. Additional entry at the post office in Pittsburgh, PA. Subscription rate in USA is $36 per year; single copy; $3.00. Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Food Service, P.O. Box 2507, Greenwich, CT 06836

insults and wisecracks about contestants and their cooking abilities. He combines activities in the television, film, hospitality, and food industries and has promoted and hired various chefs who have apprenticed under his wing. In 2015, Forbes listed his earnings at $60 million for the previous 12 months,

continued on page 104

· · · ·

No-Fog Clear Lid Avoids Errors Secure, Leak-Resistant Closure Hot Foods to 230°F; Heat Lamp Safe & Microwavable Consumer Reusable & Recyclable Curbside

anchorpac.com

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 7

EYE

METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

Day & Nite Toasts Customers, Friends and Family to 40th Anniversary Celebration

“I

t is such a special opportunity for us to welcome so many people that have been so instrumental in making this possible,” noted Matthew Sher, President of Day & Nite/ All Service. The energetic executive’s comments came at the firm’s 40th Anniversary celebration last month at Royalton on the Greens in Melville, NY. For four decades, the New Hyde Park, based firm has offered a diverse range of refrigeration, kitchen equipment, HVAC and plumbing services including installations, repairs and sales to its diverse client base. Day & Nite’s customer roster includes a who’s who of foodservice operators. From corporate dining to healthcare and many of the top arena and stadium facilities, Day & Nite works tirelessly to serve the diverse service needs of its customer base. Among the firm’s client base are

Mr. and Mrs. Ed Pecinka of Pecinka Ferri headed a large contingent of local equipment reps

some of the most iconic names in the business and industry. “I began working with them early in my onsite dining career in the late 90’s, but I started working even closer with them in 2005,” noted American Express’ Robert Gordon. “Their attention is to the customer and their best in class technology platform. As principals they are always there to assist you and help you in any way they can,” added Gor-

don who serves as Amex’s Vice President-Workspace Services. The special event also enabled the Shers to express their thanks to their technical and inside teams that work seamlessly with the company’s customer base. “We know how hard our tech staff works,” noted Rick Sher, Vice President of Service. “We have supported their commitment with an onsite state of the art technical training

kitchen where our technicians receive regular training from factory representatives. This enables our team to diagnose problems quicker and more accurately. Our goal is for the Day & Nite technician to already be familiar with the equipment before they arrive on-site.” Day & Nite welcomed a number of

continued on page 10

(L to R) Day and Nite’s founders Ken Sher and Irwin Sher walked the red carpet

The Long Island event celebrated 40 years of high quality service to the Metro New York food service community

(L to R) The 2nd generation of Sher’s: Brett, Matthew and Rick Sher had the opportunity to welcome and thank the large group of guests

(L to R) Heritage Parts’ Joe Birchill and John Dinello

8 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

The Day & Nite team were feted by many friends including Andrew and Sonja Poma

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 9

Day & Nite 40th Anniversary, from page 8 equipment reps and dealers to the 40th anniversary event. TFS visited with reps including Mike Stella of Clements Stella, BSE’s Jeff Hessel and Joe Pellicane as well as noted dealers including Donovan Espeut and Angel Gonzalez of H. Weiss, Marc Fuchs of M. Tucker and Mr. and Mrs. Eric Weiss of StudioE. Day & Nite has worked side by side with many of the nation’s leading manufacturers of restaurant and foodservice equipment. Those firms are represented in Metro New York by nationally recognized rep groups including BSE Marketing. “Kenny and Irwin Sher are just special people with huge hearts that I have worked with since entering the industry in the early 80’s. They are two people you can always call on for help, guidance, support and a shoulder to lean on. They started with nothing and worked with their own hands, to make this business, as we know it to-

(L to R) Sal Santangelo of Chelsea Piers, M. Tucker’s Marc Fuchs, Matt Sher of Day & Nite and Tom Gillespie of Tao Group

day. What is really special is the way they have brought along the next generation and let them put their imprint on the business. Matt, Rick and Brett are an amazing team of young men that are guiding the team to the next level.” Hessel continued: “From the once and a lifetime project that we worked on at Madison Square Garden to the commitment they have made to tech-

10 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

(L-R) Mrs. and Mr. Robert Gordon of American Express with John Eagle of Day & Nite

nology and the urgency of business today, they have set the benchmark of what a responsive and knowledgeable service company needs to be today. BSE is proud to call the Sher family our friends inside and outside of business.” “We work closely with Rick Sher on the marketing committee at CFESEA (Commercial Food Equipment Service Association),” said Eric Koenig, Director of Marketing, Heritage Parts.

Macy’s Leo Deonarie (R) was among the noted guests

“Their commitment to the greater good to help our industry and not just their own company find the next generation of technicians very special.” “What we are celebrating tonight is a tribute to two generations, Amex’s Gordon,” continued. “Ken and Irwin have enabled the second generation to evolve from a service provider to a service PARTNER with solutions as opposed to just quick fixes.”

BOOTH #1425

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 11

NEWS

SPECIAL EVENTS

How Will The New Minimum Wage Rollout Affect Metro NY? Article by Allie Tetreault, Content Strategist, Toast POS

lashback to November 2016: Fast Food workers all over the country left their posts to strike for a livable minimum wage. With the help of non-profit grassroots organizations, like Fight for $15, protesters were able to help lawmakers in Minneapolis and Cincinnati recognize that the current minimum wage left millions of workers living below the poverty line. Now, nearly 2 years later, we are seeing more and more states adopt laws that promise hourly workers a minimum wage closer to the $15 goal. Between December 31 and January 1, 2018, new increased minimum wage programs were rolled out in 18 states including New York, as well as in 20 individual cities and counties who’s home states may not have decided to enact a statewide umbrella program. Certain states and cities also made adjustments to the legally mandated minimum hourly rate for tipped wage employees, which will largely affect restaurant staff. Hourly workers in the Metro New York area can expect to see an increase in their paychecks this year. Read on to learn more about the new minimum wage laws going into effect near you and across the country as we speak.

Overview of the New Restaurant Minimum Wage The federal minimum wage is still $7.25 per hour, with a tipped wage of $2.13 per hour. As Nation’s Restaurant News explains, none of these changes are unexpected. In 10 states, the increases are part of a phasing transition to reach a certain level, such as $15 an hour. Here are the states affected: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington Eight more states are increasing the hourly minimum wage to adjust to the annual cost of living: Alaska, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, and South Dakota Additionally, Washington, D.C. and Oregon will see wage hikes in July, rather than January. In Washington, D.C., the minimum wage of $12.50 per hour will increase to $13.25 per hour, and in Oregon the minimum wage of $10.25 will increase to $10.75, although wage rates are even higher for employers in the Portland area. Seventeen more states and cities,

including Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan and Nevada, have campaigns underway to increase the state minimum wage, according to the National Employment Law Project. 2018 Minimum Wage Increases by State and City Here’s a look at the 18 states affected by the increases on December 31 and January 1. 1. Alaska - $9.84 an hour. Note: State requires employers to pay tipped employees full state minimum wage before tips. 2. Arizona - $10.50 an hour, $7.50 an hour tipped wage • Flagstaff, Arizona - $11 an hour 3. California - $11 an hour for businesses with 26 or more employees, $10.50 an hour for businesses with 25 or fewer employees. Note: State requires employers to pay tipped employees full state minimum wage before tips. • Cupertino, CA - $13.50 an hour • El Cerrito, CA - $13.60 an hour • Los Altos, CA - $13.50 an hour • Milpitas, CA -$12 an hour

• Mountain View, CA - $15 an hour • Oakland, CA - $13.23 an hour • Palo Alto, CA - $13.50 an hour • Richmond, CA - $13.41 an hour • San Jose, CA -$13.50 an hour • San Mateo, CA -$13.50 an hour for standard businesses; $12 an hour for nonprofits • Santa Clara, CA -$13 an hour • Sunnyvale, CA -$15 an hour 4. Colorado - $10.20 an hour, $7.18 an hour tipped wage 5. Florida - $8.25 an hour, $5.23 an hour tipped wage 6. Hawaii - $10.10 an hour, $9.35 an hour tipped wage 7. Maine - $10 an hour, $5.00 an hour tipped wage 8. Michigan - $9.25 an hour, $3.52 an hour tipped wage 9. Minnesota - $9.65 an hour for businesses with annual gross revenue of $500,000 or more; $7.87 an hour for businesses with annual gross revenue of less than $500,000. Note: State requires employers to pay tipped employees full state minimum wage before tips. • Minneapolis, Minnesota - $10 an hour for businesses with more than 100 employees 10. Missouri - $7.85 an hour, $3.93 an hour tipped wage 11. Montana -$8.30 an hour for businesses with gross annual sales of $110,000; $4.00 for businesses not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act with gross annual sales of $100,000 or less. Note: State requires employers to

continued on page 92 12 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 13

NEWS

SHOWS

The Great Race Announced As Theme For The 29th Annual U.S. Pastry Competition Finalists will compete for Pastry Chef of the Year at the 2018 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York

eading pastry chefs from around the country will compete for the title of U.S. Pastry Chef of the Year during America’s most prestigious pastry competition hosted by Paris Gourmet at the 2018 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York. Over a dozen finalists will showcase their showpieces inspired by “The Great Race” at the Javits Center in New York City. The Pastry Chef of the Year will be announced on Sunday, March 4th at 4:00 pm during the trade show, which takes place March 4-6, 2018. America’s leading pastry chefs who are selected to participate will be tasked with creating a showpiece derived from any form of recognized racing, such as car racing, swimming, horse racing, running, cycling and boating, and will have three hours to set-up their exhibit and will be permitted one assistant. Pastry chefs will showcase their talents by creating “petit gateau buffet” (mini cake/ dessert display) and a plated dessert, exhibited along with highly technical chocolate sculpted showpieces using Cacao Noel brand chocolate. “We are thrilled to once again partner with Paris Gourmet to host the

annual Pastry Chef of the Year Competition, which is certainly a highlight of the Show,” said Tom Loughran, Vice President for the Event. “It is amazing to see the incredible chocolate sculpted showpieces from these extremely talented chefs. Board members of the Societe Culinaire Philanthropique, one of the oldest and most prestigious chef associations in the world, will preside over the judging procedures with over $16,000 of award money to be presented.” “The U.S. Pastry Competition, now in its 29th year, is America’s most prestigious pastry event and we are excited to welcome the competitors and judges to the leading restaurant and foodservice event in the heart of New York City,” stated Dominique Noel, Vice President of Paris Gourmet, the competition sponsor. “We look forward to a dazzling array of entries from the best and most creative pastry chefs.” The competition is hosted by Paris Gourmet, a leading specialty food importer and distributor sourcing products worldwide with service through-

14 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

out North America. The event is co-sponsored by Cacao Noel Chocolate, Pastry 1 (pastry ingredients), Beurremont Butter, Gourmand and Maison de Choix. For more information, visit w w w. p a r i s g o u r m e t . com. The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, now in its 25th year, brings together over 20,000 restaurant and foodservice professionals with 550+ vendors to demo (or taste) the latest products and services in the industry. The three-day event offers several feature areas on the Show floor including the Food Trends Experience, Taste NY and Craft Beverage Showcase, the new Healthy Pavilion and Pubware and Equipment Pavilion. With 40+ education sessions and Center Stage featuring celebrity chef demonstrations, this is the place to be March 4-6. All industry professionals from restaurants, catering and foodservice are invited to attend. Register by February 3, 2018 to save. For more information, visit www.internationalrestaurantny.com. The trade show is managed by Ur-

ban Expositions (www.urban-expo. com), and sponsored by the New York State Restaurant Association (www. nysra.org). Urban Expositions, now operating as Clarion UX and owned by Clarion Events produces and manages a portfolio of 36 trade and consumer events, serving a range of industry sectors including Gift, Souvenir, Art, Foodservice, Specialty Retail, Gaming, Automotive and Enthusiast Lifestyle, with offices in Kennesaw, GA, Chicago, IL, Trumbull, CT, Portland, OR, and Boca Raton, FL. Clarion Events operates over 180 events in 50 countries from offices in the UK, South Africa, USA, Brazil, Germany, Singapore, UAE, and the Netherlands. Clarion can trace its roots back to 1947 and takes great pride in being one of the oldest independent event organizers in the UK. More recently the firm has developed an international portfolio of brands and now has interests in a number of global vertical industries. The teams at Clarion create uniquely effective and stimulating environments that can serve as a platform to build businesses, enhance customer relationships and accelerate product awareness. www.clarionevents.com

BOOTH #1601

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 15

NEWS

GAMING

State of Connecticut Set to Host Sports Betting Legalization Forum

onnecticut ‘s dependency on gambling, will have an airing at a forum on casino expansion and sports gambling in mid-February organized by Rep. Joe Verrengia, D-West Hartford. He’s co-chairman of the committee that oversees gambling and favors expansion into sports. Between the two tribal casinos, the lottery, a robust off-track betting network and an approved casino plan in East Windsor, wager this: The state will embrace legalized (and lucrative) sports betting this year. Even with many open questions on how it might happen, even as

Sports betting is very big in Connecticut right now,” Verrengia said. “I think it should be regulated and taxed.” the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to let states take sports book action, top legislative Democrats favor the idea strongly. Deep budget shortfalls will do that. The state’s take could reach $100 million to $300 million a year if Connecticut gets a jump on nearby states, and if

it were to tap into the wildly popular NFL football fantasy leagues, said House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, DBerlin. “I would like it to be one of the first bills voted out of committee and I would like for the General Assembly to act on it quickly after

that,” Aresimowicz said, 16 days before the start of the 2018 legislative session. “It’s another area where if we don’t act, I’m sure neighboring states and other areas will.” Sen. Martin Looney, the state Senate president pro-tem, is also behind it. “I believe that Connecticut should move very speedily ahead on sports betting if we are authorized to do so by the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Looney, D-New Haven. “We need additional sources of revenue.” That court case could change the national picture. For now, only four states sanction legal sports betting — Nevada, mainly, and also Delaware, Oregon and Montana, in more limited ways. They all beat a federal ban in 1992. New Jersey passed a law challenging the ban in 2012, over opposition by the NFL, NCAA and other opponents. That’s what the Supreme Court is set to decide by June, in a case the justices heard last month. “This is just lunacy. Just deal with the problems that you have and stop pretending that legalizing drugs and expanding gambling is the panacea,” said Sen. Len Fasa-

continued on page 18 16 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

BOOTH #2200

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 17

CT Sports Betting, from page 16 no, R-North Haven, the Republican senate leader. Fasano said he might support sports betting if it’s done carefully, not rushed. He cited numerous hurdles that would take at least three years to clear. Supporters, too, ask the same questions, though they see a faster result. Would the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, which own the casinos, run the sports action? If not, would their compact giving the state 25 percent of slot revenue in exchange for exclusive casino rights be in jeopardy? What if the Supreme Court finds some aspects legal and others not? Would Connecticut offer betting online? Who, exactly, would take the bets and how would the rules work? In fact, the General Assembly last year asked the state Department of Consumer Protection which regulates gaming to draft rules for sports

betting. That was part of the approval for the East Windsor commercial casino. The department now wants details on how to make it work, Aresimowicz said. One option would be to bring in the tribes to run sports betting. Another would be to turn to the 16 off-track betting locations (soon to be 17 with a Danbury opening) run by Sportech, a British firm with its U.S. base in New Haven. “We absolutely think that we’re in a good position to be involved in that,” said Ted Taylor, president of Sportech Venues, whose Stamford and Windsor Locks locations are co-branded with Bobby Valentine’s Bobby V’s restaurant and sports bar. Taylor’s point: Gambling growth is online, largely illegally, and the way to grow sports betting legally is with bricks-and-mortar locations. The bid for a casino in Bridgeport,

by MGM and perhaps the tribes, is bound to complicate any debate on sports betting and lobbying heats up in that battle. Another issue: Would gambling include college games? Opponents say gambling, which accounts for more than $600 million in state revenue, is already too pervasive and leads to addiction problems. “This is another slippery slope that we’re undertaking,” said Sen. Tony Hwang, R-Fairfield. “But this is far more insidious. When gambling gets into the game it affects the integrity of the athletic action turning what is a passionate athletic endeavor into a possibility of a financial gain one way or another.” Verrengia said he wants to hear from opponents as well as supporters at the forum. But sports gambling is already so widespread — $155 billion a year wagered, he said

that the state could do well to tap into existing markets. “Sports betting is very big in Connecticut right now,” Verrengia said. “I think it should be regulated and taxed.” That’s the view of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who came out in favor of regulated gambling on NBA games three years ago, citing its undergound prevalence. Other sports networks and the NCAA still oppose it. Verrengia said Connecticut’s sports networks — ESPN and NBC Sports could benefit from the higher viewership that comes from legalized gambling on games. The networks are fighting declining cable revenues among younger viewers. The forces of opportunity combined with need are lining up for Connecticut to lead the way in this. If and when it happens, it’s likely the state will impose strict controls.

BOOTH #1633

18 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 19

MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Mary Pat Heftman Executive Vice President, Convention & Strategic Alliances, National Restaurant Association

ary Pat Heftman has full responsibility for strategic development, execution and promotion of the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show Mary Pat Heftman has full responsibility for strategic development, execution and promotion of the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show (NRA Show), the largest annual food and beverage tradeshow in the world, BAR @ NRA Show, and the annual New England Food Show. She is also involved with strategic alliance development and oversees contracting for all Association meetings. Heftman joined the Association in 1990 and has held positions of progressively increasing scope and responsibility. Her expertise in all aspects of the very successful NRA Show has led to the development of new events, innovative programming and event acquisition. Under her leadership, the NRA Show continues to gain strength as the leading event in the hospitality industry. Total Food Service sat down with Mary Pat Heftman to discuss the upcoming NRA shows. How did you get into the industry? Great story, as a college senior majoring in marketing management I had a really astute professor at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame Indiana. He really believed in the medium

More importantly, we want them to be able to predict the things they didn’t even know that they are going to need: Game Changers! of trade shows and brought us to the Housewares Show in Chicago in January of my senior year. As soon as I walked into McCormick Place, I fell in love with the power, energy and professionalism of a face to face business event. You could just feel how a trade show could connect the dots between professional development and business growth. So I got hooked and the rest is history. I moved to Chicago and started networking. That led to some oppor-

tunities in event planning and eventually an opportunity at the National Restaurant Association. What have you learned through the years in your role at the NRA show that you will bring to the “Boston” show? What really strikes me through the years of doing this is the amount of industry challenges that get solved through business events is really extraordinary .

Mary Pat Heftman, Executive Vice President, Convention & Strategic Alliances, National Restaurant Association

What you need to keep in mind is that although the world around us has changed there remains a key constant. Trade shows harness the power of people convening together. Our shows do infact offer many of the latest and greatest products each year as you will see in Boston. What our shows create is an efficiency for both attendee and exhbitor in terms of the amount of people you can see and talk to. Our show also offers a very unique difference from finding a product on the web. In our world of food and beverage, the show enables you to consume, taste and to be able to see it cooking and test drive the equipment in use as if it were in your restaurant. Your shows have been known for bringing in some of the most sought after speakers in our industry. Our goal is to provide value with what we like to call “Thought

Last year’s crowd at the New England Food Show (Photo by Atlantic Photo, atph.com)

20 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

continued on page 22

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 21

Mary Pat Heftman, from page 20 Leaders”. We will be bringing that same approach to this year’s show in Boston with notables including the CEO of Trip Advisor Stephen Kaufer as well as television personalities Robert Irvine and John Taffer of Bar Rescue. I give a lot of credit to the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and Bob Lutz who’s just a terrific CEO for his unwavering commitment to his members to bring the very best speakers and educational program to help advance the New England food service community.

of different desires. We are incredibly fortunate to live in a country where we have so many options to fulfill our collective taste buds. Usually we ask, why come to a show? We just interviewed Jon Taffer who will be keynoting - Blew us away.. wow!! Beyond Jon, talk about what a restaurateur/foodservice operator

can look to take away from their day at the show? Not only will Jon Taffer be there but also Robert Irvine and the CEO of Trip Advisor. Our goal is to give our guests access to some of the best and the brightest. Can you walk us through some of the educational and seminar highlights?

Over the past couple of years, we are hearing from our reader operators that there is simply too much technology. How can your show help the operator create a strategy and filter through all of the options? We look at it as helping our show visitors harness data. We look at the role of our shows to help operators more easily find what they are looking for. More importantly, we want them to be able to predict the things they didn’t even know that they are going to need: Game Changers! There’s also a great opportunity to continue the education process at our show. We will have a number of social media experts in Boston just as we have at the NRA Show to help you learn how to use those tools. If we can help restaurateurs and foodservice operators be better marketers, then they can use social media tools to drive guest frequency. Are consumers looking for green, sustainable and healthier solutions ? It’s still important to both attendees and exhibitors. You will see a number of sustainable products and solutions in our booths. Healthier eating is something that’s on the table. I don’t see any slowdown in that category. But you need to keep in mind as we see the burger business continue to boom is that we are consumers who enjoy a wide variety of foods, and we are a nation of a lot

Well it’s the combination it’s giving them some exposure to a wider audience outside of New England in terms of speakers. But it’s also making sure you’ve got some of the very best operators within the New England area to their sharing and you’ll see a lot of that in our quarters in different operators from the New England area sharing their expertise. Boston is really as you probably know a very tight knit culinary community and they really enjoy being together and learning from each other and then giving them a flavor to more nationwide speakers or people from a larger continuum than some of the restaurants within Boston. As you look at your mix of exhibitors what are some of the trends that you are seeing that will be on display on the show floor? There’s a constant evolution in terms of the technology that is fueling equipment and supplies that will be on display for both front of the house and back of the house solutions. What are some of the new trends that our readers will be able to explore at the show? How about leverage about cannabis in the culinary frontier? We are doing a session on building top performers in the area of workforce development, some business operation sessions and then a number of things in the technology area.

The New England Food Show includes culinary and mixology demos, education sessions, products, samples, and much more (All photos by Atlantic Photo, atph.com)

22 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Is there a culinary demonstration component to the show that can help spur new food and beverage menu ideas? We’ve got several different chefs doing a couple of small culinary competitions and then a number of chef demos. We’ve also got a couple of mixology demos that are going on and there’s a full schedule of all of this on our web site. We’ve got about 12 different chef demos and then also mixology demos that go on throughout the three days.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 23

NEWS

ASSOCIATIONS

Elimination of Tipped Credit Would Shake Restaurant Industry

t’s no secret, New York is expensive and the Big Apple especially so for businesses. Commercial rent is high, taxes are high, and the cost of labor keeps rising each year. These economic currents create an incredibly difficult business climate for those operating in and around New York City. The weight of all of these factors can be crippling to the business community, in particular the restaurant industry which survives on small profit margins. The unfortunate news is that this climate can get worse and it may if the Department of Labor makes a determination to eliminate the tipped wage for food service workers later this year. Governor Andrew Cuomo, in conjunction with the New York State Department of Labor, released a series of hearing dates that will examine the tipped wage and determine if it should remain intact. The hearings will take place through the spring all across the state, from Buffalo to Long Island, from New York City to Watertown and will be presided over by Labor Commissioner, Roberta Reardon. In a press release that contained the dates of the hearing, Governor Cuomo said that he is “urging those impacted by this proposal to register, attend a hearing, and help us move this state one step closer toward a better, more just New York.” We agree with Governor Cuomo those who are affected by the possibility of this change need to attend a hearing and testify. And when these

servers tell their stories, we think the Governor will be surprised by what he hears. Countless servers, bartenders and other tipped employees have shared stories with us on how they use money generated from tips to put themselves and their kids through school and how this money has given them the financial wherewithal to put a down payment on their first home. Many advocates have consistently referred to the tipped wage as “sub-

24 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

minimum”, which is patently false. Every single employee that works in a restaurant is guaranteed to make the minimum wage. Tipped employees in the front of the house universally are the highest paid workers in a restaurant. The tip credit allows owners to pay these employees at a lower rate ONLY if tips are bringing them at least to the minimum wage. The overwhelming majority of front of the house workers don’t want this system to change. They are making

good money and have certainty with how much they can expect to bring home every week. By abolishing the tipped wage, the State of New York would be throwing the entire industry into flux and the results would be unpredictable. Some restaurants would be moved to do away with tipping all together to bring pay equity to both front and back of house workers. Others would be forced into letting employees go as they would no longer be able to meet these ever increasing labor costs. And unfortunately others would need to shut their doors forever, leaving an entire staff without jobs. We are asking restaurant owners and managers throughout New York to discuss this issue with their staff and make sure they understand what is at stake in this fight. Without the tip credit, labor costs could jump by as much as 50 percent and would force restaurant owners into making some difficult decisions. We as an industry need to band together to fight back against this possible tip credit elimination. It is vitally important that restaurant owners and employees ensure their voices are heard. The Governor and the Department of Labor are trying to fix a problem that simply doesn’t exist in the restaurant industry. Tipping works and servers don’t want this change. We hope that if enough people testify in opposition, the Governor and Commissioner Reardon will do the right thing and leave the tip credit in place.

Convenience Never Tasted So Good

Go ed

Ca gi un

Sc lli

Fully cooked, sliced, and ready to eat our Gourmet Canned Scungilli (Conch) is the perfect addition to your favorite recipes. From pasta and salads to scampi and fritters, or straight out of the can with cocktail sauce. These all natural Canned Scungilli are wild caught and require no cleaning, no cooking, no defrosting, no refrigeration, and no mess! A healthy choice, they’re high in protein and 0 Trans Fat. Available year round in easy open 29 oz. cans. Call 866-CALAMARI today.

dy ea .R

…

W u Yo e! Ar

Ruggiero Seafood, Inc. PO Box 5369 Newark, NJ 07105 info@ruggieroseafood.com www.ruggieroseafood.com

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 25

MIXOLOGY

WITH WARREN BOBROW

10 Tips For Getting Back To Bartending Basics

f you have been paying attention in class, you’d know that I’m pretty stuck on the classics. One of my favorite ways to show your guest that you actually care about them- and your job- is to put a glass of water down in front of anyone who sits at your bar. Why? Because it shows that you care. Even if you are up to your neck in French Martinis, take that extra second to find a nice polished glass and fill it with ice and water. Why? Because it will allow you to slow down, even if it is only for a moment, connect with your new guest and let them know that you’ll be right back. A cocktail napkin is nice too. Even if you are not busy, set that little square down on the real estate and while smiling, set the glass of water down on the napkin. Then come back when it’s right. 1. The Glass of Water. My bar mentor, Chris James makes sure that you water your guest first! Don’t forget! It’s a really nice thing to do and they’ll remember you. 2. Do not shake my Gin Martini. I will not be happy. You will not get a tip, and now you’ll know why. Stir it only. Tell me you cannot make one if you only know how to shake a Martini. Don’t make up a story of how you saw it in a Bond movie. Ugh. Stirring this venerable drink...Instead of shaking. I was out in Las Vegas a couple years ago, staying in a hotel that had a pretty decent mixology menu. But words

Warren Bobrow is the creator of the popular blog The Cocktail Whisperer and the author of nearly half a dozen books, including Apothecary Cocktails, Whiskey Cocktails, Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails, and his most recent book Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, & Tonics.

on a page don’t necessarily translate to a fine cocktail as evidenced by the well-meaning, yet completely clueless bartender on duty. It’s not that he couldn’t make a drink with a calm, grace under pressure. It’s that he insisted on shaking the living daylights out of my Gin Martini. And I say Gin because he was certain that a Martini only came in the flavor of the day- I seem to remember chocolate- and of course I wanted something a bit more restrained, like Gin with a whisper of Vermouth. It was not meant to be. 3. Vermouth. Another ugh. Do you refrigerate your Vermouth? When was the last time that you got a new bottle? Has that one in your hand been lurking on top of the reach in

26 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

since the last decade? If so, you’ve got to do something about it. Get a new bottle and keep it in the refrigerator. It’s lightly fortified wine, it has an expiration date. Once opened, a bottle of Vermouth should be enjoyed pretty quickly. Use fresh Vermouth! 4. Have a couple different kinds of Vermouth. There are dozens on the market, both domestic and imported. Make up a series of cocktails with different Vermouth as the base. 5. Ice. If you are serving really high-end Bourbon, you should buy a silicone ice tray and make your own large ice cubes. It really does make a wonderful and memorable presentation. And you can charge more. That is important. After all you are there to

make money for the house, right? 6. Glassware. I’m so over mundane glassware. I want to drink fancy drinks out of coupes and classic, fizzy drinks out of Collins glasses. Get yourself to an Estate Sale and pick out some funky glassware. Use these glasses in all your specialty drinks. They will put a smile on the face of your guest. Do it! 7. No IPA’s. IPA’s are the workhorses of most bars. They are one step above an American Lager, with extra hops stuffed into them. They have very little balance, and fewer memories. They all pretty much taste the same.

continued on page 106

Your creations are pure genius. Our fruit solutions too. For over 75 years we’ve been focusing all our energy and expertise into developing fruit solutions that promote your talent.

RMP Advertising - Photo: iStock/mediaphotos.

The result: Products and services that make your life easier and guarantee that the taste, color and texture are the closest to the fruit you can get. The secret: Selection of the best varieties, cutting-edge know-how and making sure we always stay tuned to your needs. Visit my-vb.com or join us on Facebook and Instagram. And together let’s enjoy the fruit at its best.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 27

MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Scott Feldman Founder and President, Two Twelve Management

25 plus year veteran of the hospitality and lifestyle industry, Scott Feldman, founder and President of Two Twelve Management is renowned for managing the careers of some of the most significant and notable talent in the epicurean space and executing strategic integrated marketing platforms for consumer brands. Scott’s vast knowledge and experience within the hospitality segment provides Two Twelve with significant domain expertise and operational savvy. Scott started Two Twelve after an accomplished 12-year career with American Express where as Vice President of Industry Relations he oversaw the brands Restaurant and Entertainment portfolio. Most recently Two Twelve was acquired by Blue Equity Sports Television, LLC (BEST) and today is a fully integrated management firm working with some of the world’s top epicurean, lifestyle and entertainment clientele including names like Geoffrey Zakarian, Michael Symon, Tyler Florence, Marc Murphy, Anne Burrell, Amanda Freitag and more. Named one of Crain’s New York’s 40 Under 40 in 2004 for his leadership in the hospitality industry and impact on the nation’s fast-paced restaurant scene. Scott was also named Boston University’s College of Communication’s Distinguished Alumni for 2009, one of the highest honors that the College bestows upon its Alum-

to enhance a chef, restaurateur or hospitality personalities positioning and brand opportunity outside the four walls of the “traditional” industry. How has Two-Twelve Management evolved since its inception? While we have continued to do business under our core business principals, “client first” and with integrity, we have looked to build upon past successes and bring clients a bigger and more diverse pool of opportunity. We have also made the move to join forces and become a part of the Blue Equity platform, a private investment firm with several talent related portfolio companies.

Scott Feldman poses with celebrity chef and client Anne Burrell at a recent event

ni. Along with other philanthropic initiatives, Scott serves as Co Chair of one of the Food Bank for New York’s largest initiatives and fundraisers, the Can Do Gala and Awards. Total Food Service recently sat down with Mr. Feldman to learn more about his career in this month’s

28 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Meet the Newsmaker. Please describe your background and what led you to talent management. After years with American Express managing the Restaurant & Entertainment portfolio we saw a need

You have represented some of the world’s most well known chefs including Michael Symon, Tom Colicchio, Geoffrey Zakarian, Tyler Florence and more who were some of your earliest clients, and how did you come to work with some of the top names in the industry? Almost all the names on our portfolio have been with us from the beginning and we are proud of it as it says a lot about who were are and what we do! Michael Symon and Geoffrey Zakarian were one of the first 2 names but Anne Burrell, Marc Murphy, Tom and others came soon after based on my relationship and reputation in the industry. What are the most enjoyable and

the most stressful aspects of your work? It’s trite but we love the “art of the deal”. Anyone can negotiate but to truly craft a deal for the mutual longterm benefit of your clients and the buyers is why we became managers in the first place. This comes with the stress of having to see the opportunity start to finish vs. just getting things signed but worth it every time. How has the role of the chef evolved since you began Two-Twelve Management? Please discuss the introduction of “celebrity chefs.” In 2004 when we started the company there was a lot of buzz and activity around Food Networks gaining popularity and even BRAVO making a mark with a new generation on Top Chef. We knew that while there were people who worked with the

“celebrity” set of chefs, there was an opportunity for a new slate of names to become talent. What is the path for a chef that wishes to attain celebrity status? What are the prerequisites? We are asked this all the time and while first and foremost you have to have the “it factor”, it’s about patience, practice and hard work like any other profession. There is no class in culinary school on how to be a celebrity chef and with the proliferation of “digital” based talent and a new generation of audiences, the competition is that much harder to stand out. So “Hard Work” still wins as a prerequisite. Do you believe the influence of and the culture surrounding television celebrity chefs has had a positive or a negative impact on the restaurant

and foodservice industries? I think it has been positive! The impact of Food television has just broadened the audience and introduced a younger and more “hungry” audience to the world.

aging “talent” is first and foremost but 99.9% of our clients are industry professionals first and fame came later so we try to engage on all levels, keeping an eye on what’s on the horizon.

You have been referred to as the “Ari Gold of the restaurant industry.” Please discuss your reaction to that. First a humble smile! Then I like to say I’m a good cross between the Ari character and E from HBO’s Entourage, get the deal done but also have some fun!

What does the future of Two-Twelve Management look like? With the recent announcement of us being acquired by Blue Equity, I like to say the future is all “Blue Skies”. They have been in representation in multiple areas of sports and entertainment and it affords us a great resource. I truly have not been this excited about the business and opportunity for our clients since I started the company.

What are some of the emerging trends in the restaurant industry? How do you keep your clients ahead of the curb, before industry developments become industry movements? One of the points of differentiation with us is our experience and acumen within the industry. Man-

For more information on Two Twelve Management please visit www.two12.com.

All-Inclusive Ice Machine Subscriptions

Commercial ice machine, maintenance, repairs, water ﬁlters, cleanings & more for a low monthly fee. Compare to buying or leasing an ice machine!

AFFORDABLE. RELIABLE. SIMPLE!

(327-9423)

SIMPLIFY YOUR ICE SUPPLY!

ICE

PR E

LE ICE AB CT

PREDICTAB

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 29

Q&A

EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEW

Jordan Andino Celebrity Chef and Owner, Flip Sigi, NYC

anadian born and California raised, Jordan Andino began his career at the age of 9 working at the knee of his chef dad in Toronto. He very quickly traded in his surfboard to hone his cooking style and work at legendary restaurants including The French Laundry and Spago. At his NYC West Village and Upper East Side Flip Sigi restaurants, he pulls inspiration from his grandmother’s traditional recipes to introduce New Yorkers to his contemporary take on Filipino cuisine. His dynamic demeanor put him on the radar of numerous TV networks. Appearances on the Today Show, Beat Bobby Flay and Chopped have led to his own show Late Nite Eats on the Cooking Channel. Jordan was included in Zagat’s “30 Hottest Chefs Under 30” in 2016 and People Magazine recently named him as their hottest chef. Total Food Service visited with Jordan Andino to find out what makes him tick and where he is headed next.

As chef and owner at Flip Sigi in NYC, Jordan Andino brings an authentic exuberance to all that he does. Photo by Eric Curtis.

30 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Was there a Mom or Grandma that got you interested in cooking? My cooking is really inspired by my grandmother and father. My grandmother’s Filipino cuisine and her balance of salt, sweet & spice helped mold my palate. Growing up, my dad was a chef, so I learned how to balance my grandmother’s sense

of flavor with my father’s technique, which gave me an ability to create flavor profiles that have become my signature. Interesting that you’ve become one of the nation’s leading Filipino chefs without ever living there. Yes correct, my parents emigrated from the Philippines with my mom and her family arriving in Canada when she was 14, and my dad and his family arriving when he was 16. They somehow ended up in the same area in Toronto, met and had me! Eventually my mom moved me to Los Angeles in 1997 and later left for New York in 2006. My time in Toronto, LA, and NY helped shape my culinary career. How would you describe what makes Filipino cuisine unique? Tastes? Textures? You need to look closely at the history of the Philippines to understand the cuisine. The US military occupation brought ketchup and SPAM while the proximity of China brought us rice! Most importantly, you need to understand the climate of the Philippines. We needed shelf stable items that didn’t require refrigeration. The hot, unstable environment led to the use of a lot of pork in our dishes. All

continued on page 32

BOOTH #1831

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 31

Q&A Jordan Andino, from page 30

Jordan Andino puts the finishing touches on one of his dishes. He is the chef/owner of Flip Sigi in New York City. Photo by Colin Cooper

animals needed to be used and processed immediately because the high temperatures would spoil the food. Overall, Filipino cuisine is the amalgamation of three different types of major cuisines: American, Chinese and Spanish. Are there National dishes that are staples of Filipino cuisine? A few staple dishes come to mind when I think about Filipino food. Bangus is a classic Filipino dish; it is basically fried fish soaked in milk. Another classic Filipino dish is chicken or pork adobo, which is soy and vinegar braised meat. Much of the adobo dish’s popularity comes from how

easy it is to prepare. Finally, dishes that mix both sweet and savory elements are popular in Filipino cuisine. Kare Kare is one of my favorites; it’s basically a sweet peanut butter based stew. You will also see a lot of longanisa, a sort of barbecue pork sausage mixed with paprika and sugar.

ing dishes and then peeling shrimp. From the age of 9 to 17 I didn’t do anything other than cook during the summers and winters. So if you break that down, I technically had four to five years of actual commercial experience before I even went to college; I was way ahead of the game.

Walk us through your career path. Talk about the impact that made you who you have become. I really started to immerse myself in cooking when we moved to LA, while most kids were going to camp in the summer I was in my dad’s restaurant kitchen learning the business. I started with cleaning the basement, wash-

Talk about the opportunity to learn from some of our top chefs. One of the chefs my dad trained ended up working at Jean Georges, which enabled me to land a great stage there. Because of my connections at Jean Georges, that led to a summer internship with Wolfgang Puck at Spago in LA and then with

32 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Thomas Keller at French Laundry in Napa. I then had the opportunity to work as part of a culinary swat team, with HEI Hospitality where I travelled the eastern half of the country fixing “broken” culinary operations. Eventually that landed me in New York where I took over a popular gastro-pub. What led to the opportunity on TV? I was actually working as a private chef and a friend of mine had submitted my photo and bio to Chopped. That led to an opportunity to compete against Bobby Flay on one of his

continued on page 34

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 33

Q&A Jordan Andino, from page 32 shows. That appearance really snowballed and next thing I knew I was getting calls to be on The Kardashians, Bravo, and The Today Show. That turned into 70 plus TV appearances over the past five years. Where did the name Flip Sigi come from? Very simple, Flip is short for ‘Filipino’ and Sigi means ‘go’ thus, Go Filipino. We got it right with a fresh and unique menu combined with a cohesive operational plan. Once potential investors tasted the food and saw the operation, we had a number of suitors. It actually turned out that one of my friends had a space that was perfect for the 2nd restaurant.

locations and brand. Our good vibes are supported with the right music and a spectacular graffiti mural design.

people grow. At the same time, we are looking to see how technology like ordering kiosks can make our restaurants more efficient.

What’s your approach to building a team? I am very concerned with an increase in minimum wage that we get this right. It’s a very delicate balance; we are committed to helping our

People Magazine named you the sexiest chef in America. What are your thoughts on the prevention of sexual harassment in restaurants? Here is a very simple answer with no politics: We need the return of

Is the goal to turn this into a national chain? That’s the goal. My two partners and I have designed it with a vision of a national rollout. We are fully electronic and don’t take cash. Therefore, we’re not tied down to a single store and we’re able to manage and operate multiple stores remotely. We’ve seen the Philippines’ based Jollibee chain grow in Metro NYC. What makes your concept different? They are the McDonald’s of the Philippines. We are never going to compete with them but we have very different goals than they do. Their goal is to offer authentic Filipino fare with regional dishes from throughout the country. It’s a blanketed version of food that all Filipinos can accept and like. Flip Sigi is a Filipino Taqueria that acts as the perfect introduction to Filipino cuisine. Your front of the house design is pretty funky. How did it evolve? My partners wanted my passion for our cuisine to drive the customer experience. They wanted my positive energy to represent the vibe of our 34 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

logic and human respect. I know there are close quarters, late hours and alcohol in our workplace. But there’s simply no excuse. Frankly, I think we are going to see less of it as the older generations of chefs retire.

BOOTH #1213

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 35

FAITHFUL FOOD

WITH FAITH HOPE CONSOLO

The History of New York Restaurant Week

of Douglas Elliman’s Retail Group. Ms. Consolo is responsible for the

ew York Restaurant Week is an event held twice a year in which participating restaurants in New York City offer prix fixe lunches and dinners. Considering these are the finest restaurants in town, in most cases this can be a fraction of the usual prices. The event is held in early winter (January/February) and summer (June/July). Since its inception, Restaurant Week has seen a boom in success and it has spawned similar programs in various cities across the globe. As always, it all starts in NY! The first Restaurant Week was thought up by Tim Zagat and Joe Baum and began in NYC as a lunchonly promotional event in July 1992. The two planned the first Restaurant Week to coincide with the Democratic Convention in NYC – a week filled with delegates and 15,000 reporters, looking for dining options. The weeklong event was such a success, it returned year after year with more locations, and a winter Restaurant Week launched in 2000. Over the years, it has grown beyond a one-week event to 4-weeks during the year in NYC and has become a nationwide phenomenon. Fast Forward to 2018…Now in its 26th year, hosted by NYC & Company with nearly 400 restaurants participating, get your taste buds ready for these Savory Selections… The nearly three-week-long promotion features three-course lunches ($29) and dinners ($42) at some of the City’s best restaurants. Dining deals launch on January 22 and last through

Faith Hope Consolo is the Chairman

most successful commercial division of New York City’s largest residential real estate brokerage firm. Email her at fconsolo@elliman.com

The Library at the Public House The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street Housed in the mezzanine level of the Public Theater building—formerly the Astor Library—this cozy downtown haunt pairs local fare with artistic sensibilities. Momofuku Nishi 232 8th Avenue Beloved by foodstagrammers, David Chang’s Italian-inspired outpost features unconventional twists on classic dishes.

February 9. As usual, restaurants aren’t offering their prix fixe menus on Saturdays, and some choose not to participate on Sundays, either. Check out our picks for some of the most enticing spots below. Ai Fiori 400 Fifth Avenue Located on the second floor of the Langham Place Fifth Avenue Hotel, this is one of the most exclusive locations featuring a menu that celebrates the French and Italian Riviera. Augustine 5 Beekman Street FiDi’s dining scene couldn’t be hotter and the ambiance of this French

36 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

restaurant located at the luxe Beekman Hotel represents a culinary benediction.

Morimoto 88 Tenth Avenue Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s Meatpacking District restaurant is a must-visit for any Japanese food fan.

High Street on Hudson 637 Hudson Street A spinoff of the Philly restaurant High Street on Market, this all-American spot set at the nexus of the Meatpacking District and West Village, is known for its pork.

Vaucluse 100 East 63rd Street Named for a region in Provence, Chef Michael White’s modern brasserie embodies an Upper East Side dining experience.

Lincoln Ristorante Lincoln Center, 142 West 65th Street Helmed by Chef Shea Gallante, this Lincoln Center gem celebrates the cuisine of Rome with antipasti, secondi, and dolce courses not to be missed.

New York Restaurant Week is an integral part of our City’s culinary scene and there is no doubt we are the dining capital of the world…prepare your appetite…this biannual celebration is not to be missed!

BOOTHS #1921 + 2025

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 37

HUB ON INSURANCE

BY ROBERT FIORITO & JOHN FARLEY

Protect Your Restaurant Against Social Engineering Fraud This Tax Season

irtually every business relies on a network to conduct its daily operations, including those in the restaurant and hospitality industry. This often involves the collection, storage, transfer and eventual disposal of sensitive data. However, securing that data continues to be a challenge for organizations of all sizes. Social security numbers, W2 forms, payment cards, and intellectual property have significant value on the black-market and provide opportunities for hackers to monetize your business’ data. Tax season is right around the corner, which is a time when hackers are particularly focused on W-2 forms. Once obtained, they can file fraudulent tax returns and use the data from the W-2 form to commit additional identity theft crimes. This type of fraud often occurs in a multi-stage process via an emerging tactic that we have come to know as social engineering. Criminals first gather information, then form relationships with key people, and finally execute their plan, often via email. Gone are the days where malicious actors send poorly worded emails, sophisticated methods are deployed and can fool even the most trained employee in to releasing sensitive data.

• Business Email Compromise (BEC)/Email Phishing: The email accounts of high-level business executives (CEO, CFO, etc.) may be mimicked or hacked. A request for a wire transfer, W-2 forms or other sensitive information from the compromised email account is made to someone responsible for processing transfers. The demand is often made in an urgent or time sensitive manner. • Interactive Voice Response/ Phone phishing (aka vishing): Using automation to replicate a legitimate sounding message that appears to come from a bank or other financial institution and directs the recipient to respond in order to “verify” confidential information. • Bogus Invoice: A business that has a long standing relationship with a supplier is asked to wire funds to pay an invoice to an alternate, fraudulent account via email. The email request appears very similar to a legitimate account and would take very close scrutiny to determine if it was fraudulent. The devastating effect of humanbased fraud was evidenced in the FBI’s 2016 Internet Crime Report. According to the report, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 12,005 BEC complaints with losses of over $360 million.

There are several methods of social engineering that are seen frequently, including the following:

HOW TO AVOID BEING DEFRAUDED IN THE FIRST PLACE Given the rising incidence of so-

38 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

cial engineering fraud, all companies should implement basic risk avoidance measures: • Educate and train your employees so they can be vigilant and recognize fraudulent behavior. • Establish a procedure requiring any verbal or emailed request for funds or information transfer to be confirmed in person, or via phone, by the individual making the request. • Consider two-factor authorization for high level IT and financial security functions and dual signatures on wire transfers greater than a certain threshold. • Avoid free web-based email and establish a private company domain and use it to create valid email accounts in lieu of free, web-based accounts. • Be careful of what is posted to social media and company websites, especially job duties/descriptions, hierarchal information, and out of office details. • Do not open spam or unsolicited email from unknown parties, and do not click on links in the email. These often contain malware that will give subjects access to your computer system. • Do not use the “Reply” option to respond to any financial emails. Instead, use the “Forward” option and use the correct email address or select it from the email address

continued on page 100

Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President with HUB International Northeast, a leading global insurance brokerage, where he specializes in providing insurance services to the restaurant industry. As a 25-year veteran and former restaurateur himself, Bob has worked with a wide array of restaurant and food service businesses, ranging from fast-food chains to upscale, “white tablecloth” dining establishments. Robert can be reached at 212-338-2324 or by email at robert.fiorito@hubinternational.com.

John Farley serves as Vice President and Cyber Risk Services Practice Leader at HUB International. With over 25 years of experience in insurance and risk management, John leads HUB’s Cyber Risk division of consultants and brokers focused on assisting clients with achieving their risk improvement goals, providing advisory services and serving as a network security and privacy liability consultant. John can be reached at 212-338-2150 or by email at john.farley@hubinternational.com.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 39

NEWS SALES TAX Managing 3rd Party Order Apps: Order Out Of Chaos...

ust about every restaurant is using 3rd Party Order APPS such as GrubHub, UBER EATS and DOORDASH to attract new customers, increase orders and boost their bottom lines. However these APPS can be difficult to manage and have the potential to create costly sales tax liabilities for the business if not managed correctly. This can result in fines and penalties that come straight out of the owner’s wallet and in the worst cases excessive fines can be fatal to a business. State tax auditors are well aware of the challenges

associated with managing these APPS and they know exactly where to look in an audit. It behooves every restaurant owner to make sure they manage these APPS correctly and efficiently to gain the maximum ROI and avoid wasting valuable resources. These APPS create several problems because they exist outside the restaurant’s POS system. APP orders are received on a separate dedicated device such as a tablet or computer. This creates an inefficient workflow getting orders to the kitchen and increases the potential for delayed or missed or-

ders. APPS also create multiple revenue streams flowing into a merchant’s bank account resulting in a bookkeeping nightmare. Tracking and reconciling this revenue is time consuming in addition to creating a potential sales tax liability if mismanaged. Lastly, yet most importantly, many merchants simply do not understand how to enter the correct dollar amount for APP orders and in some cases they actually double pay their sales tax because they are unaware of the laws in their state. At the end of the day, profits from APPS are very slim and managing

them as efficiently and cost effectively as possible will make the difference between making and losing money. The solution is to make orders from APPS flow through the POS system making the POS the official record of ALL sales, dine-in, takeout, delivery and APPS. Unfortunately there is little or no integration enabling this to happen. To make the POS system the official record of sale, APP orders should be manually entered into the POS at the moment they are received. While

continued on page 42

Sales tax stressing you out? DAVO sets aside your sales tax daily, then files and pays it automatically. “I never think about sales tax anymore, PRICELESS” – Mayhem & Stout, NYC

www.davosalestax.com Come see us at The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York booth 2066

40 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 41

DAVO, from page 40

SETTING UP YOUR POS TO INPUT THIRD PARTY APP SALES: 1. Create a new “ORDER TYPE” (ex. Dine-in, delivery) and name it for each APP (Grubhub) This is usually done in the set-up function, consult POS instructions. 2. Create a new “TENDER TYPE” for each APP and name it for each APP, (Grubhub). This is usually done in the set-up function, consult POS instructions. 3. Enter APP orders into POS under the ORDER TYPE for that app and close them using the TENDER TYPE associated with the app. This will record the sale from each APP order in the POS making the POS the Official Record of ALL Sales. 4. If you are using DAVO Sales Tax to manage your sales tax, DAVO will use POS sales data to set your sales tax aside daily and then file and pay it when due. You do not have to do anything. 5. If you are doing your own sales tax management, when it is time to file and pay your sales tax, it is now part

of your sales tax report in your POS. There is no need to go to APP dashboards and hunt for the information. It is nice and neatly recorded in your POS records. Step two, getting pricing and sales tax correct to stay out of trouble. Now that we have the orders entered into the POS as they are received, let’s look at payments and sales tax. This is what confuses owners and is exactly where a sales tax auditor is going to look to make sure the State is not being short changed on sales tax. All APPS collect sales tax on their orders and remit it to the restaurant as part of their bank deposit. It is the restaurant’s responsibility to remit the total amount of sales tax collected by the APP to the State as part of their sales tax return. So, how much sales tax is the restaurant responsible to remit on APP sales? All of it!!! Let’s say the APP has $100 in sales with a tax rate of 7%, they collect a total of $107. The APP takes their fee of 20% or $20 and remits $80 to the restaurant. The APP also remits the $7.00 of sales tax they collected, totaling $87. This is where the auditor asks, “Did the restaurant pay sales tax on $100 or $80?” The restaurant is responsible for sales tax on the total sales of $100. If the restaurant enters the net sales amount, $80 paid to them by the APP the result will be underpaying sales tax and expose the business to potential fines and penalties for underpayment. Following the steps

42 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

above and entering orders into the POS as they are received is the best way to ensure the correct amount of sales tax is collected, accounted for and remitted to the State. The 20% fee paid to the APP is a tax-deductible marketing expense and should be accounted for as such. If your business is one of these 5 states keep reading because you may be double paying sales tax to the State. In Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Utah and Virginia APPS are responsible to collect, file and pay the sales tax to the state. Yes, APPS pay sales tax directly to the state on the merchant’s behalf unless the merchant specifically signs a waiver saying they will pay it themselves, in which case the sales tax is returned to the merchant for payment. But, ac-

cording to GrubHub, this rarely happens. In these states it’s important to still enter APP sales into the POS, but remove sales tax from each sale by making it “Tax Exempt” and recording it as such on your tax return. Many restaurants fail to do this and double pay sales tax to the State. If you have been paying sales tax on APP sales, you may be entitled to a refund for overpayment by filing amended sales tax returns. Consult your financial advisor or State Department of Revenue on how to do this. One last bit of nuance is to check whether delivery charges are taxable or non-taxable in your jurisdiction. If they are taxable, be sure to assign them a tax rate, if not, make them non-taxable. To learn more please contact us at: info@davotechnologies.com 888 659-8432 www.davotechnologies.com

KEEPING REPUTATIONS SQUEAKY CLEAN SINCE 1928. What your customers say is really all that matters. That’s why so many restaurant owners trust us to protect their reputations. And that’s something we’ve been committed to for 90 years. Learn more at westernpest.com.

this takes time in the short term, it has huge benefits in the long term including a more efficient flow of orders from kitchen to delivery and less time spent reconciling POS, APP and bank records. Doing this is also a best business practice that will increase efficiency, make happier customers and save the business time and money in the long run. Setting up the POS to manage APPS is relatively easy but varies slightly from POS to POS. You may need to consult your POS provider for more specific details on how to execute each step.

MODERN SOLUTIONS. OLD-SCHOOL STYLE.

877.219.6968 · westernpest.com CONTA CT US F OR A F RE E INS PE CTION.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 43

SCOOP 4 New Shake Shack Restaurants Are Opening Soon in NJ

Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer celebrates the new opening with his New Jersey team members

Scoop says four new locations of Shake Shack are set to open in New Jersey very soon, the popular burger chain says. A Parsippany eatery will open at Waterview Marketplace shopping center. Another location will open later this year in Wayne. Shake Shack previously announced plans to open its first Burlington County location at the Marlton Commons Shopping Center in Evesham. And in Lawrence Township, Mercer County, the restaurant has gotten approval to build a new location on Route 1. The new additions will bring the total number of Shake Shack locations in New Jersey to eight. The first one opened in 2013 in Paramus, where there are now two locations.

Iconic Berkshire’s Inn Tabs Executive Chef Scoop notes Max Kiperman has joined the Red Lion Inn culinary team as executive chef of The Red Lion Inn’s main dining room, Widow Bingham’s Tavern, and the Lion’s Den. As executive chef, Kiperman will work closely with vice president of culinary development Brian Alberg and sous chef Jim Corcoran on all future food and beverage-related development in addition to dayto-day kitchen management. With a tenure of more than 25 years in the culinary industry, Kiperman comes to The Red Lion 44 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

INSIDER NEWS

FROM METRO NYC’S FOODSERVICE SCENE

Inn most recently from Lucca in Boston’s Back Bay, where he worked as sous chef, and as culinary consultant to The Viceroy Hotel and Resort in Zihuantanejo, Mexico. Kiperman began his culinary career at Rosalie’s Restaurant in Marblehead, Mass., before training under three Michelin Chefs, including Sylvain Portay and Alain Ducasse. Kiperman now brings his expertise and passion for cooking with locally sourced products to the Berkshires. “Max’s diverse culinary portfolio and his commitment to the farm-to-table movement make him the perfect addition to lead the Red Lion Inn’s culinary team,” Alberg said. “We are confident his leadership and expertise will elevate the inn’s dining experience and continue to evolve the offerings to exceed our guests’ culinary expectations.” Kiperman’s extensive resume includes work in hotels and resorts such as The Ritz Carlton properties in San Francisco, New York City and Boston and The Four Seasons Hotel and Resort in Nevis West Indies; restaurants like On Lot Restaurant in Hong Kong and Mix Restaurant in Las Vegas; and work as a private chef in New York and Connecticut.

Connecticut Restaurant Offering Free Food For A Year Scoop notes a Connecticut restaurant chain, will reward its 2018 Customer of the Year with free food for a year. B.GOOD, an international and mission-driven fast casual restaurant chain with several locations in Connecticut, announced last month that it will start the search for its Customer of the Year. In 2018, one customer will receive a free meal a day for a year, a restaurant named in their honor for a week, and a two-day trip to Boston to develop a new dish with Chef Tony Rosenfeld, the chain announced. B.GOOD is located in Fairfield and also has locations in Greenwich, Canton and Glastonbury. “Customer of the Year has been a long-standing tradition for B.GOOD and allows us to celebrate the people who make us who we are

today,” said Anthony Ackil, co-founder and CEO of B.GOOD. “Every year, I look forward to seeing the unique ways our loyal customers showcase their love for B.GOOD.” To enter, customers are asked to tell or show in their own way why they should be the 2018 Customer of the Year. Past entries include videos, poems, songs, and other creative activities about B.GOOD. 2017 winner, Bianca, created a music video professing her love for B.GOOD.

Kosher Restaurant Soap Opera in Riverdale Scoop says the owner of a high end, glatt kosher restaurant claimed in a lawsuit that local rabbis are forcing him out of the kosher community because his wife isn’t Jewish. Dimitry Berezovskiy, owner of the Riverdale K Grill House, in a lawsuit filed in Bronx Supreme Court, alleges that his landlord Moses Marx and the rabbinical council of Riverdale spread rumors that he lost his kashrut certification in order to drive him out of business. Local rabbinical council member Rabbi Asher Bush said that the allegation is “a fabrication.” Berezovskiy opened the restaurant in 2015, determined to bring quality kosher dining to Riverdale, and that he was trying to sell the restaurant due to struggles to run a restaurant under the handicap of being certified glatt kosher. He said that the restrictions imposed by the local rabbinical council limiting what he can and cannot sell without losing his kosher certificate was making it difficult to compete with other neighborhood restaurants.

continued on page 46

BOOTH #2117

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 45

Scoop, from page 44

The Granola Bar’s Avocado Toast

Westport Duo Expands Granola Bar Concept with Pair of CT Units Scoop notes Westport residents Julie Mountain and Dana Noorily have come a long way since they opened their first Granola Bar. With five locations split between southwestern Connecticut and New York, they have their eyes set on opening another one, this time in Fairfield. Mountain and Noorily’s company the Granola Bar Restaurant Group will be opening its sixth

46 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

location next month at 1876 Black Rock Turnpike. The opening is just months after the pair launched two New York locations. “We’re very excited about Fairfield and location number six.” Mountain said, “We wanted to be up on the northern part of Fairfield. We felt like that area was greatly underserved. The space really spoke to us.” Mountain and Noorily will be setting up shop in what was once Miro Kitchen. The Asian fusion restaurant closed last spring a year after opening. The duo started their business in 2013 as a hobby, but it has since developed it into

a brand known for its array of granola-themed cafes throughout the region. The Fairfield cafe will be joining the business’ locations in Westport, Stamford and Greenwich, as well as in Armonk and Rye, N.Y. “Those just kind of came together naturally, and then additionally this past fall we learned of the Miro Kitchen space in Fairfield, and it was an opportunistic situation that we felt we needed to do,” Noorily said. While it has been five years since the first Granola Bar opened, the brand hasn’t undergone many changes from its original concept, Noorily added.

Teen Chef Flynn McGarry Will Serve $155 Set Menu at Manhattan Eatery Scoop says Prodigal teen chef Flynn McGarry’s new Lower East Side restaurant will be called Gem — and it will have both a daytime aspect and a

continued on page 48

WANT MORE REGULARS?

DON’T BE SO REGULAR.

Regular doesn’t wow. It doesn’t attract new customers. And it certainly doesn’t boost your reviews or your bottom line. So break free from regular and come to NRA Show®. You’ll get fresh ideas, make lasting connections and leave prepared to meet your challenges head-on.

Get the edge and stay ahead of your competition—only at NRA Show. • REGISTER NOW AT RESTAURANT.ORG/SHOW •

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 47

Scoop, from page 46

Chef Flynn McGarry

$155 set meal in a separately named concept. The daytime part of Gem, located at 116 Forsyth St., between Broome and Delancey streets, will be called The Living Room, according to McGarry. It’s his “idea of a neighborhood coffee shop and hang out” and will serve pastries made in-house,

RESTAURANT.ORG/NEFS

along with teas and coffees from small roasters. The other part of Gem sounds more like the kind of fancy pop-up meals that launched McGarry into fame. Called The Dining Room, it will offer 12 to 15 courses and a gratuity included in the price, along with an optional $100 wine pairing. The dinner starts in “the living room” with Champagne and snacks before moving to a kitchen for small plates, a few “family style” portions, and dessert. “The format follows a dinner party, like the ones I started throwing at 13,” McGarry, who’s now 19, writes in the announcement. Two seatings for 18 people will happen each night, from Tuesday through Saturday. McGarry — who’s been called the “Justin Bieber of food” has been popping up around town with a tasting menu called Eureka since 2014. The teen has worked at Eleven Madison Park, and a documentary about his rise to cooking stardom debuted at Sundance. But this will be his first permanent restaurant. The liquor license application, filed earlier this month to Community Board 3, lists the owner as his sister Paris, who’s presumably of legal drinking age.

Uber Buys Chang’s NYC Delivery Only Biz From Bankruptcy

Scoop notes Ando, the popular delivery-only New York restaurant from famed Momofuku chef David Chang, shut down operations, as it’s been acquired by UberEATS. The restaurant had been working with UberEATS since it launched in 2016, and now it will be fully integrating with the food delivery service. It’s unclear what the timeline

continued on page 50

Bold

Produced by

SOLUTIONS

Come to the New England Food Show to share best practices, hear new ideas and celebrate the local food scene. Get inspired by keynote speakers Jon Taffer of “Bar Rescue,” celebrity chef Robert Irvine and TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer. And take away bold solutions for your biggest challenges.

FEBRUARY 25-27, 2018

Boston Convention & Exhibition Center BOSTON, MA

SPONSORED BY

The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York March 4–6, 2018 at the Javits Center.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 57

NEWS

MILESTONES

Connecticut’s EBP Launches Yearlong Celebration of 100th Anniversary

hundred years ago, Isidore Baum and his brother Samuel teamed to found a company they thought could serve the paper and janitorial needs of Bridgeport and Fairfield County’s thriving manufacturing hubs. As the duo served those factories their route took them to a number of restaurants and local institutions. The pair could not have known that their small company would later become one of the region’s largest and well-respected supply firms. Three generations later EBP lives on as one of the Nutmeg State’s true success stories. After years of working with Isidore, Samuel bought out his brother and launched a rebranded company with the help of his wife, Sadye. They called this company Eastern Bag and Paper. Over the years, Eastern Bag and Paper expanded and bought out more of its competitors including Salem Paper and City Supply and Paper. It expanded its operations from Connecticut to Massachusetts, New Jersey, northern Virginia and the Washington DC area. Under the tutelage of Samuel and Sadye, and later their son Gerry and his wife Louise, the familyowned enterprise grew and prospered. It began offering its services

As distributors we need to provide expert thinking, top brands and service and training to our customers to meet their needs. not only to manufacturers but also restaurateurs, healthcare facilities and other local institutions. In 2012, the company changed its name from Eastern Bag and Paper to EBP Supply Solutions. “The rebranding was an important statement to the marketplace that we had grown to be so much more than a bag and paper company,” explained their company’s CEO Meredith Reuben. The company now offers its customers janitorial and paper items, foodservice, laundry and specialized cleaning programs. EBP Supply Solutions, like most other companies that have made it to the century milestone, has gone through several changes over the years. However, the company prides itself on the fact that it has retained its core values. “Our focus has always been on premium customer service, an appreciation for each of our employ-

58 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

ees and flexibility,” Reuben added. These are the core values that have seen the company through the past century and what the management hopes will steer it for generations to come. One of the keys to success for EBP Supply Solutions has been its ability to listen and respond to the changing needs of its customer base. “Our customers face stiffer competition and oversight,” Reuben noted. They challenge us to help them reduce their overall operational costs; providing frictionless service and providing differentiated offerings to THEIR customers. As distributors we need to provide expert thinking, top brands and service and training to our customers to meet their needs. Also, drawing from its commitment to serving the needs of its customers’ guests and patrons, EBP Supply Solutions recently launched the EBP Training Academy, where it

trains cleaning and foodservice organizations on the latest cleaning techniques in the industry. Healthcare providers have also benefited from the disinfectant programs overseen by the Milford-based organization. For the third generation leader, Reuben notes how people are treated is paramount. “One of our core values is entrepreneurial spirit. Obviously, our founders had great courage, sacrifice and perseverance to continue to establish and grow our company. In addition, there have been many executives and committed staff members who continually demonstrate an entrepreneurial mode of doing business that have made our company successful. Reuben and her management team recognize that how they nurture their EBP team becomes the template for how the company interacts with its customer base every day. “Treating employees as part of an important member of our team is value number one in our culture. I cannot be a part of every interface with our customers or with the rest of our team for that matter. Given that, we bring the best people into our organization and trust them to make good decisions and empower them to treat the business as if it

continued on page 60

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 59

EBP, from page 58 were their own. If people feel they are valued they will act in support of the overall well-being of the company, which has contributed to our success. In addition, employee loyalty and tenure retains the valuable knowledge and skills we are constantly developing within the company and thus able to best serve our customers. “Our culture is a win-win attitude and I believe our customers see that in our actions and communications. This fosters customer retention as well,” noted Reuben. There are a number of national vendors that have come to depend on EBP Supply to bring their latest solutions to their Northeast customer base. “Meredith and her team bring knowledge and passion on behalf of our mills,” noted Creative Sales President Ed Toby. “I have been working with the EBP

team since 1988,” added Bullseye’s Tom O’Toole. “Meredith and EBP have created a team that is dedicated, knowledgeable in all areas and will go the extra mile to ensure their customers have access to the most up to date detail and products from the top manufacturers in the industry. O’Toole continued: “They are a major force in distribution across several sectors in the Northeast. As market consolidation continues, the role of distribution continues to evolve. The need for distribution that is consultative, and provides training has become more important with every passing day. Our goal is to work hand in hand with our top distribution partners to provide training, accurate information and professional sale support in our trading area.” St. Louis, MO based Anchor

60 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Packaging has enjoyed a 30 plus year working relationship with EBP. “We look to them for their industry knowledge and commitment to excellence, noted Anchor spokesperson Marilyn Stapleton. With an increase in competition, distributors are no longer just order takers. They are charged with introducing innovative and/or cost savings items and measures. They realize that they must continually evolve and become master consultants to their customers. Anchor has had the pleasure of collaborating with EBP and sharing our manufacturing expertise and industry knowledge with them,” Stapleton concluded. Gene Hartman and Ron Novicio of Dart have worked side by side with EBP Supply for over a decade. “Meredith has always been driven by achieving success in all her business initiatives,” said Hartman, “She

likes to keep the organization a private family run company focusing on the customer. Meredith has retained many long term employees who consider EBP as a good career choice and not a job. For many of the reps and mills the relationship with EBP Supply has grown through the decades. “The relationship between EBP and Pactiv is a long-standing relationship that goes back through generations of leadership with both companies,” noted Daniel Henderlight. Passed down through that leadership at Pactiv has been an admiration for the Reuben family that is based on an honesty and integrity in their business dealings. “At Pactiv we often use EBP as the example of a true strategic partner,” the company’s VP Commercial, Foodservice Distribu-

continued on page 62

Industry Standard of Excellence

BOOTH

1212

SSP Paper Hot Cups and Optima® Reclosable Lids Perfect for our on-the-go life!

Bare® by Solo® Eco-Forward Products Ideal for the environment!

Flexstyle® and VSPaper Food Containers Ready for our take-out needs!

CONGRATULATIONS TO EBP SUPPLY ON 100 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE! 800.248.5960 | www.dartcontainer.com | sales@dart.biz

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 61

EBP, from page 60 tion added. “Meredith Reuben and her leadership team have always fostered a culture of accountability and trust with their internal colleagues, customers and supplier partners alike,” noted Pactiv’s national sales manager Brian Carlsen. “At Pactiv we also admire that EBP continues to invest in their business to stay ahead of trends that drive profitable growth. As our industry continues to evolve it is imperative that we work together to innovate and find ways to help our ultimate customers succeed. We are so thankful to have a partner like EBP that we can work with to drive those innovations. The combination of culture and innovation makes EBP truly unique in our industry.” As the company celebrates its 100th anniversary, its leaders remain optimistic about its future in

an ever-changing global market. Among the major changes that EBP has championed is its customer’s move towards green and sustainable solutions. “Our goal is to ask the right questions so that we understand if the customer is looking to compost or recycle or do they have another objective,” Reuben said. Once we understand that, we can match the foodservice packaging and or cleaning options that best meet that goal. We take that same approach with the other product categories we offer, whether it be our green warewash program, a can liner offering made from recycled farm irrigation tubing or any of the other product categories to help our customers shine and be successful. EBP Supply Solutions plans to embrace technology and modern innovations in the industry to remain the best in their niche. This spirit of

62 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

flexibility will help EBP Supply Solutions adapt to ensure that their customers get the outstanding service they deserve. The customer experience is a top priority for EBP, and the company has made substantial investments in technology with two main goals in mind: “First, EBP leverages technology to improve its overall efficiencies and ensure we have the products our customers want when they need them,” Reuben said. Secondly, EBP wants to ensure our customers are empowered with accurate, useful information that can be used to help them make good decisions. That includes robust online product search capabilities, easy online ordering, purchase history, order tracking, purchases versus budget comparisons, web ordering, etc. “Embracing change is how we’ve

been able to become a 100 year old company,” added Reuben. “These forces will change the way consumers eat and work and we will continue to be a leader in adapting to those changes. Even though drones and electric trucks might not make sense today, we know that drastic change is coming that will impact our customers’ businesses and what we need to do to serve them.” With that attitude and commitment it may not be too soon to check your email for the invite to EBP’s future milestone celebrations.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 63

LITTLE M. TUCKER

WITH MORGAN TUCKER

The Most Successful Human Adventure in Modern Cuisine

bsessed with the sharing and transmission of food, culture, and knowledge, Monsieur Paul Bocuse, 1926-2018, was the first champion of gastronomy recognizable on every continent. Monsieur Paul was the original celebrity chef. Jacques Pepin remarked, “Now the chefs are stars and it’s because of Paul Bocuse.” When studying the forefathers of gastronomy, we are taught about Auguste Escoffier, who created the

brigade de cuisine, establishing military style hierarchy within the culinary profession. There had certainly been prodigious French chefs before him, but it was Escoffier who codified the recipes for the five “mother” sauces and organized cooking by its fundamentals in a way that could be universally taught and understood. Young chefs are still tied to his temperament and texts. We subsequently learn about Fernand Point, who instructed us to respect the principles outlined

64 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

by Escoffier but not be tethered to them. Instead, he instructed us to evolve with changing times. “Before Fernand, the cuisinier never left the kitchen. Monsieur Point came into the dining room to speak to his clients. He sounded out their likes and dislikes and composed their dinner with them, creating dishes to their tastes.” (Source: Escoffier.com.) To our detriment, we don’t learn of La Mere Eugenie Brazier, the first French chef to attain six Michelin stars. It requires deep research to undercover her signature –connection to the soil to cook in harmony with the seasons of Lyon. Like many women left out of the history books, though, her lack of celebrity belies her profound impact. But I digress… The Bocuse family has been in the restaurant business since 1765. Similar to these French culinary legends, Bocuse was groomed in gastronomy. His father, Georges Bocuse, apprenticed alongside Point in his youth. Paul did the same, studying under both Point and Brazier. He credits Point with teaching him to “guard the integrity of the raw product.” Bocuse learned about loyalty to his environment from Brazier. Eventually joining his father at the small hotel he was managing, Bocuse secured one, two and then three Michelin starts for L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges, cooking ‘nouvelle cuisine’ which “stressed

Morgan Tucker is Director of Business Development at M. Tucker, a division of Singer Equipment Company. Ms. Tucker works with a wide diversity of acclaimed restaurateurs, celebrated chefs, and industry leaders across the U.S. Her website littlemtucker.com is an exceptional resource for equipment and supplies solutions. Morgan is based in NYC and can be reached at mptucker@mtucker.com.

fresh ingredients, lighter sauces, unusual flavor combinations and relentless innovation that, in his case, rested on a solid mastery of classic technique,” according to William Grimes of the New York Times. Paul Bocuse Restaurant has retained these stars for over 50 years and, in fact, they survive him. The government of Lyon approached celebrated local personality Paul Bocuse over three decades

ago, in an effort to gain popularity for their professional tradeshow, now known as Sirha. As the first chef to travel the world preaching the gospel of gastronomy, he had battalions of loyal followers and therefore was uniquely positioned to draw the world’s culinary elite to his homeland. What had begun as a desperate publicity stunt would soon become the world’s greatest culinary competition. As recounted in the official program, “his idea: to bring together 24 young chefs from all over the world, among the most promising talents of their generation, and have them prepare superb dishes within 5 hours 35 minutes, live before an enthusiastic audience. To decide between them: a jury composed of the most illustrious chefs of the planet.”

The competitors would be evaluated on excellence, audacity, and team spirit - pillars on which the ‘Lion of Lyon’ had built his empire. America’s disappointing performance for most of the competition’s tenure had been a sore spot for Bocuse, but this would change. The organization created by Bocuse’s son, Jerome, along with Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller, is now known as Ment’or. A note from Chef Keller explains Monsieur Paul’s request to form a foundation to support Team USA’s efforts just one decade ago. “Having fought for the French resistance in World War II, he always had a deep appreciation for America, especially after receiving a blood transfusion from an American field hospital when he was wounded.” To this day, the American flag flies

alongside a French flag at L’Auberge du Pont des Collognes. Exactly one year ago, I ventured to Lyon to witness the greatest in sport as part of Steelite’s generous donations to the Ment’or foundation. In this column, I highlighted the Bocuse D’Or 2017 as the most influential moment of American culinary history, when the United States claimed its first gold. Three years ago, I visited the Institut Paul Bocuse while on a factory trip with Revol. A proud partner and donor of the school, full production of their porcelain is located about an hour south. “A showcase for French culinary expertise and savoir-faire, Paul Bocuse Institut is the first innovative school in the world of Hospitality, Foodservice, and Culinary Arts” formed to en-

sure that the trade is poised for the future. Monsieur Paul’s presence is felt everywhere; his quotes line the corridors. The one I recall most often reads, “I work as if I will live a hundred years and I enjoy life as if each day was the last.” As memorials continue to pour in from all around the world, I’m haunted by another quote. When The Culinary Institute of America honored Monsieur Paul as the Chef of the Century in 2011, Bocuse offered this piece of wisdom. “In life, you have never succeeded. When you think you have succeeded, it means you have really failed.” Bonsoir, Monsieur Paul Bocuse. You have succeeded beyond all others in the pantheon of modern cuisine.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 65

NEWS

AWARDS

Pecinka Ferri Father and Son Duo Captures National Honors

EP RISING STAR: The MAFSI Rep Rising Star Award is intended to recognize an emerging leader at a rep firm, age 40 or younger, whose record reflects ongoing and exceptional growth in contribution to the profession and increased levels of leadership and responsibility. Successful candidates that have not yet reached a senior-level position, but their track record reflects a strong potential for appointment at the highest levels of the profession. Joe Ferri Jr. started taking AutoCAD lessons in high school, working parttime for dealers doing drafting; over summer breaks he did kitchen and hood installations. While attending Johnson & Wales for his culinary degree, he worked at various foodservice operation positions, as well as at several major New England dealerships in their contract departments. Subsequently, he doubled down on majors, and attained his bachelors in computer-aided design before moving back to the NY area. He spent five years at a major NY Metro consultant firm laying out commercial kitchens and training staff on CAD, until he was called back to the family business (where he has been an associate for the past 5+ years). He is currently VP of MAFSI Region 3 and

has held leadership positions on the board for the past 4 years. Joe has attained his CPMR certification and is engaged to be married this summer.

function and position in the industry. This award need not be presented annually. A person can receive the Tony

MAFSI TONY AWARD This is MAFSI’s summit award, named in honor of Anthony E. Mazur, and is bestowed upon an individual MAFSI (agent) member who has consistently performed and demonstrated sincere interest, effort, leadership and given time to the welfare and progress of MAFSI and the enhancement of the manufacturers’ agents’

MAFSI bestowed top national honors on Joe Ferri, Jr and Joe Ferri at their annual sales seminar in Naples, Florida.

66 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Award only once. Nominees must be in “good standing” with MAFSI and meet the Tony Award guidelines. Joe Ferri, CPMR, CFSP of Pecinka Ferri Associates, Fairfield, NJ served as the fifty-eighth President of MAFSI, and ten years on the MAFSI national board of directors, and was chairperson of the 2010 MAFSI Annual Conference as well as the chairman of the communication committee. Joe currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of his rep firm, Pecinka Ferri Associates and is CPMR, CFSP and MTC401 certified. Joe Ferri started working in sales in 1982 with Taylor Freezer in Long Island City, NY. Further experiences were logged with major dealers, an equipment importer and another manufacturer’s rep organization. Pecinka Ferri Associates was originally formed in 1972 as McKeever Dumbach, a manufacturer’s representative focusing on equipment sales. Currently Pecinka Ferri Associates is the representative of twenty-four lines covering the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut metropolitan area. Pecinka Ferri Associates focuses on bringing quality products to many segments of the market from chain accounts to food service consultants and also fosters close relationships with food service dealers. Pecinka Ferri Associates is located in Fairfield, NJ, and has twelve employees. Joe is an avid world traveler, amateur musician, and self-described wine geek. He lives in Long Valley, NJ with Karen, his wife of 39 years.

YOU EXPECT VALUE, YOU DESERVE THE BEST

WITH NORDON YOU GET IT ALL!

F O R

A L L

Y O U

C U L I N A R Y

H E R O E S

NOW REPRESENTED BY NORDON IN NY AND NJ

ONE CABOT BLVD EAST

LANGHORNE, PA 19047

800 5440400

NORDONINC.COM

INFONORDONINC.COM

800 54440400 FACEBOOK.COM/NORDONFOODSERVICE

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 67

C-CAP TRADE TALK

WITH JOYCE APPELMAN

José Andrés Discusses The Value of Mentorship & Community in Business

Joyce Appelman, is the National Communications Director for CCAP, Careers through Culinary Arts Program in New York, NY. She has been instrumental in opening career opportunities for many young people

in the foodservice industry. Email her

osé Andrés was spotlighted in the news for his heroic leadership, activating World Central Kitchen and rallying the hospitality industry to step up after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Puerto Rico, and then again after devastating fires blazed across Los Angeles and the northern regions. World Central Kitchen reached the milestone of 3 million meals served for the American people of Puerto Rico. World Central Kitchen, Chef José Andrés, and the #ChefsForPuertoRico network of chefs and volunteers have serviced communities in need, via satellite kitchens and ongoing operations. “We give thanks to the amazing people who have made it possible to cook and share these three million meals all across Puerto Rico,” said Chef José Andrés, chairman and founder of World Central Kitchen. Chef José Andrés leadership and mentorship has activated a local, committed network with a proven model that can be sustained by local part-

ners and the federal government, with the support of the people of Puerto Rico. Initially, they focused on feeding hot, quality, nutritious meals to those in need. After this concentrated period of day-to-day emergency relief and recovery, the next phase began

Chef José Andrés

68 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

with #ChefsForPuertoRico and the organization’s longstanding commitment to the island’s most vulnerable population. World Central Kitchen will invest in restoring kitchens so that restaurants can reopen in a timely manner, fueling private sector reemergence and growth and plans ongoing programs and longterm projects – including a focus on fishermen and sustainable agriculture. Chef José Andrés has shown that a job is not just about making money. It’s about having a place in the world and serving the community. And it’s about looking for a calling, not a job. To some people, a job is to the spirit what helium is to a balloon. That’s why mentoring and nurturing the next generation entering the culinary industry is so important to Chef José Andrés. With the fact that 3.2 million disadvantaged youths in the U.S. between 16 and 24 are not in school and do not have jobs. And, that as the restaurant and hospitality industry continues

at joyceappelman@gmail.com

to surge, there’s a forecast of 1.7 million new restaurant positions by 2025, there is an overwhelming need for trained, hard-working and dedicated staff. While many professionals in the industry are seeking ways to solve the problems, the pioneering non-profit Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) founded by culinary educator and cookbook author Richard Grausman, and now Co-Chaired by chef, author, and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson, has developed a recipe of lasting success centered on mentorship over the past 28 years. For his exceptional leadership and achievements, Chef José Andrés will receive the C-CAP Honors Award at their annual culinary event in February in New York City. The event will feature fabulous culinary tasting prepared by over 30 of the city’s finest chefs, and assisting the chefs gaining hands-on, real-life work experience will be more than 60 New York City CCAP high school students and alumni. True mentorship in action. According to José Andrés “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Who were your mentors and how important was mentorship for you? I have many friends who I consider

continued on page 70

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 69

José Andrés, from page 68 to be mentors in my life. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. Rule breakers like Ferran Adria taught me to always take risks, to question and think creatively, outside the box. Robert Egger touched my spirit as I saw the work he did with DC Central Kitchen and then LA Central Kitchen, and ultimately taught me the importance of empowering communities – how it’s more powerful to invest in smart, sustainable solutions than to just throw money at a problem. And then there is my team, who I learn from every day, and the people who support our work like the volunteers who helped #ChefsForPuertoRico and World Central Kitchen serve over three million meals in Puerto Rico this year. They show what it means to be selfless – like the children who waited for everyone to be served before they got their plate of food – their one meal of the day. There are amazing people all around you; you just have to look for

them. What are the most important aspects of mentorship to you as a business leader? I believe that we must always be open to others, to new opportunities, knocking on doors that we don’t know if they will open. That way, you can find a mentor anywhere – even if you are a long-time business leader, or just entering into the world of business, you can still always be learning from others if you are open to it. What are the most important aspects of building community for you and your business? To me there are many important parts to building a strong community – it is not just you and your business, but your neighborhood, your city, your country. I got involved early with DC Central Kitchen, and since then we have had a great back and forth rela-

BOOTH #1744

70 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

tionship – students from DCCK come to train at our restaurants, and our team goes there to teach and to learn. I love the work that Dog Tag Bakery is doing in Georgetown, they are filling a need for a great bakery but also serving the community by training veterans – it is absolutely amazing. And over the years I have seen how community can be built by surrounding yourself with a strong team – people you respect and trust. These are the ones you will be relying on for years to come. Some of my team members have been working with me since the very beginning when we opened Jaleo 25 years ago! What are the most important aspects of “giving back” to the community, especially in relation to Puerto Rico? Before we arrived in Puerto Rico, my team from World Central Kitchen and I, we thought we might be there for a few days, making a few hundred meals.

But when we landed we understood the scale of the problem, and quickly learned a valuable lesson about the urgency of NOW. Instead of going to an office building and discussing what needed to happen, we did what we do best – we cooked. We went to chefs, to kitchens, to food trucks, and started making a plan to feed hundreds of people, then thousands of people – and ultimately our team served over three million meals. Don’t let planning get in the way of action! What’s your advice for the next generation of leaders? Be like the three Musketeers – “all for one and one for all” – never forget the people around you. There is a proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” The best successes are those that are shared, and the most helpful failures happen when everyone can learn together.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 71

ASK ANDREW

PRESENTED BY

FROM THE NYC HOSPITALITY ALLIANCE

NYC Hospitality Alliance Set To Tackle Key Issues At February Conference

ith so many issues on the table facing our members and the communities they serve, we are looking forward to our annual State of Industry conference later this month. On Tuesday, February 27th, from 2pm to 7 pm at NYIT Auditorium on Broadway, we’re bringing the industry together for important discussions about the hottest trends and issues impacting the New York City hospitality industry in 2018. It never ceases to amaze me just how many issues there are to challenge our members as they try to stay focused on maximizing the dining experiences of their guests. At the 2018 event, we’ll be talking about the political environment for the restaurant industry, current and proposed laws, and what the industry can do to effectively advocate for

sensible reform and representation. There will also be in-depth conversations about how the industry is addressing and stopping harassment, developing prevention policies and changing culture to eradicate unacceptable sexual behavior. Another panel will talk about how to survive in today’s unforgiving and competitive restaurant market. We’ll also have a special presentation based on a report about how the next wave of automation and technology can change the restaurant industry. I also want to share a little background on how our Alliance team created this year’s agenda. It is our duty and frankly fascinating to have our finger on the pulse of the hospitality industry. We regularly speak with our members and our Board of Directors about the issues that impact their businesses. Since we

72 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

represent the industry in the halls of government and the media, we’re also in the know about the laws and trends our members care about, and those on the horizon. So after much discussion and deliberation we select topics we believe are the most relevant and will draw a crowd. We are thrilled with the amazing lineup of panelists. They represent a cross section from restaurant operators to government affairs and legal experts. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear the insights of some of the best and the brightest including Leslie Ferrier, Vice President of Human Resources at Momofuku. Carolyn Richmond will be talking about employee relations and harassment; Rob Bookman of Pesetsky & Bookman and Jamie Van Bramer of Yoswein NY will discuss The Alliance’s government affairs initiatives.

Andrew Rigie is the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, a trade association formed in 2012 to foster the growth and vitality of the industry that has made New York City the Hospitality Capital of the World.

What we have also tried to do is to build a line-up of speakers that actually live and breathe the topics

continued on page 108

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 73

LEGAL INSIDER

WITH AMANDA FUGAZY FROM ELLENOFF, GROSSMAN & SCHOLE LLP

Have Your Voice Heard In The Battle to Keep the Tip Credit

ew York Governor Andrew Cuomo appears to have no idea how difficult it is to run a profitable restaurant in New York. He has again raised the prospect of eliminating the tip credit in NY, and consequently requiring all your front of house staff to be paid the full minimum wage. I want to give you the info you need to be heard in this battle. Currently, New York and 42 other states allow employers to pay tipped workers a lower minimum wage provided that gratuities bring an individual worker’s pay up to the full minimum—this is called the “tip credit”. As you likely know, the tip credit is an hourly credit against the full hourly minimum wage that the law currently allows employers to take on tipped employees as long as the employee makes at least enough tips to bring the individual up to the full minimum wage. Currently, the full minimum wage for employers in NYC with more than 11 employees is $13. The tip credit for food service workers is $4.35. So, if you are a restaurateur, you can pay your staff with responsibility for direct customer service $8.65/hour ($13 minus $4.35). The $8.65 is often referred to as the “tipped minimum wage.” Next year, the minimum wage is increasing to $15, and the tipped minimum wage will increase to $10. If Governor Cuomo has his way, the tip credit will be eliminated and the restaurateur will be stuck with paying a minimum of $15/hour to all its staff, including tipped staff.

If Governor Cuomo has his way, the tip credit will be eliminated and the restaurateur will be stuck with paying a minimum of $15/ hour to all its staff, including tipped staff. The Governor apparently fails to realize that eliminating the tip credit is bad for business and bad for workers. Denying restaurateurs a tip credit will put NY owners in a disadvantaged position like no other—it will be one of only 7 states to have no tip credit. Moreover, the federal law only requires restaurateurs pay workers receiving tips $2.13 per hour—more than $6/hour less than NY currently! Even given the current tipped minimum wage of $8.65, there are only 5 states with higher minimum requirement for tipped employees, and if the pay requirement for tipped employees in NY rises to $15/hour, NY’s pay requirements will likely be the highest in the nation. Add to this the notoriously low profit margins, skyrocketing rents, six minimum wage increases in a row, the dramatic increases in minimum weekly salary for exempt workers, mandatory medical, paid sick time, paid family leave, and scheduling regulations, and you have to ask yourself—how much can you really charge for that burger? How can the Governor actually expect you to take a 33% hit on your direct labor costs for service workers in addition to everything else? And, that is not even the craziest

74 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

part about this-- the craziest part about this is that eliminating the tip credit will certainly hurt the very people it’s proposed to help- the service employees. It can’t be believed that this cost can be passed onto customers thorough increased menu prices without negative repercussions. Patrons will leave smaller tips. Employers will cut overtime, hours, shifts and staff to save money. Restaurants may even move to a no tipping model, which in a city where servers make about $25/hour on average with tips, will likely result in a reduction in pay. Additionally, in the Governor’s proposal, restaurants have been grouped with a number of other tipped industries including car washers, beauticians, dog groomer, tow truck drivers, wedding planners and tour guides. We have the deepest respect for the hard working men and women in those fields, but you and I both know, the restaurant industry has far different dynamics. The tipped minimum wage should be left intact. What I am proposing is that you get involved and be heard. Governor Cuomo has scheduled hearings where the public may speak their opinion on this topic. The hearings will be presided over by

Amanda Fugazy is a partner at Ellenoff, Grossman & Schole in New York City. She is the head of the firm’s labor and employment group, and has a focus on the restaurant and hospitality industry. Fugazy offers a variety of services to the industry, including working with her clients to ensure that they are in compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. She can be reached by phone at 212-370-1300, or by email at afugazy@egsllp.com

State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon and will be held in New York City during the week of June 25, Syracuse (March 12), Buffalo (March 21), Long Island (April 20), Watertown (April 25) and Albany (May 18). You can register to attend by sending an email to hearing@labor.ny.gov . Given the expectation of overflow crowds preregistration is strongly recommended. Your statement will be limited to 3 minutes. Priority in seating and speaking will be given to those who preregister. Accordingly, I urge you to register today at hearing@labor.ny.gov and have your voice heard to save the tip credit.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 75

SEDERHOLT ON RESTAURANT FINANCE

Buying Or Selling A Restaurant – What’s It Worth?

hat’s it worth? What am I willing to pay? How much do I think I can get?? These are the age-old questions that revolve around almost everything we do. In most cases the value of something is based upon a comparative analysis. It’s easy to compare the price of a case of tomatoes or 10 lbs. of ground round between vendors as they are basic commodities. You have a preconceived notion of their value and use that as your starting point before looking at additional value propositions. The value of business is a blend of numbers and qualitative influences. There needs to be a meeting of the minds on the measurable benefits giving value for the buyer and seller. The best description I have ever heard is that “value is a mutually agreed upon hallucination”. Two parties need to come to a mutually agreed upon position in order to make a transaction work. Is a one bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side worth $1.1MM?? Not for me, but there are hundreds of them sold yearly. Does a $20,000 diamond – just a rock make any sense? If you really think about it, these are both totally illogical aren’t they? So why do they sell? Why will someone buy? To break the spell on the restaurant value mystique you need a logical starting point for value – buyers and sellers need to craft a “win / win” transaction or it will never happen. “Fair market value” is often based

To break the spell on the restaurant value mystique you need a logical starting point for value – buyers and sellers need to craft a “win / win” transaction or it will never happen. upon a multiple of annual earnings often measured before taxes, interest depreciation and amortization or “EBITDA”. In the restaurant business it is VERY rare for an individual owner to report their earnings accurately so this number is often illusive. The owners job is to find ways NOT to show earnings and lower their tax exposure. Over all the years that I bought, sold and brokered over a hundred restaurants and I came up with a simplified way to place a value on a restaurant. Others have their own formulas, but this has worked for me. To determine that starting point, I use the average annual reported sales then calculate a purchase price between 20 and 40% of that number. This valuation adjusts depending on a number of important variables. Among them are: • Quality of location, visibility, parking, facility, equipment. • Favorability of lease – you will be stuck with this for a long time! • Sellers willingness to finance – “hold paper”. • Sellers eagerness to sell. • Brand Equity – a good reputation that can be continued – or not.

76 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

• Existence of external influences that could add or detract from the restaurants value like being downwind of a sewage treatment plant! Dave’s Quickie Restaurant Valuation: • Get the last three years of sales from tax returns. Don’t accept claims of cash “under the table”. If it isn’t reported – it doesn’t count. Calculate the average annual revenue and then calculate 30% of that number. Your starting point. • Dig into the lease which is your primary fixed cost: • Is rent below the current per square foot cost for restaurants in the area? Add 2 - 3% if yes, or subtract 2 – 3% if not. • Are there 10 years or more remaining on the lease with favorable increases – if so add 5%. If escalations are high subtract 5%. • Are there less then 5 years remaining on the lease? If so subtract 10% or just walk away. • Are renewal options at “fair market value” or “current market value” at time of renewal? If

David Sederholt is the Chief Operating Officer of Strategic Funding, a leader in small business financing since 2006. Before this, David spent 30 years in the restaurant business and has owned and operated more than a dozen restaurants. As a direct lender, the company offers a variety of financing options and has provided over $1.25 Billion to approximately 20,000 businesses across the United States and Australia.

•

so add 0%, as they are worthless. Is “Assignment of the lease not to be unreasonably withheld”stated? If so add 2 – 3%. If not you might not be able to sell the restaurant without the landlord owning you. If no favorable assignment clause- RUN away! Is total occupancy cost (rent, taxes, common charges and insurance) below 7% of the average annual sales? If so, add 2 – 3%. If not subtract 2 – 3%. Over 15% walk away.

continued on page 102

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 77

PIZZA STRATEGY

FROM NEW YORK BRICK OVEN

Competing With The National Pizza Chains

ompeting with national pizza chains for a slice of the pie is tough. When you look at some of the factors on their side you wonder how any small mom and pop location can ever compete. Yet there are thousands of successful pizza places around the country that do not have the buying power, the advertising, and marketing budget, or the ability to rent the high dollar, high profile locations. Much less the ability to saturate an area with multiple stores. You may ask yourself how they can do it. Or better yet why would they do it? Because an entrepreneur is fearless (well maybe) and an entrepreneur is crazy (like a fox) but most of all an entrepreneur is relentless in his pursuit of his goal. This relentless quality is what makes America great and allows David to compete and sometimes slay Goliath in the in the pizza industry. The same holds true for any endeavor and one of mine is the revolutionary war. The audacity of these colonists to think they could defy mother England and win, yet they did. It required incredible strength, drive, and persistence but it was done. The same can be applied to any business but we are talking about pizza. First of all, there is a thing called personality and the corporate world, while making for consistent and predictable pizza will never be as fast, flexible or creative as the small time, local pizza makers. This is where the local guys and gals have a distinct advantage, they can identify and adapt with the

neighborhood. Personality is another factor in creating an image and a destination. No matter how great Papa John may be in person, his photo in every store he owns will never take the place of the local town pizza man’s

78 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

greeting. Several examples come to mind where the pizza man was the local baseball, football or soccer coach. This established a huge rapport with not only the kids but the parents as well. How about the fact that every fundraiser for every activity from local sports, pet adoption, churches, schools , veterans, disabled, fire and flood victims are continuously supported by the local pizza man without hesitation despite the volume and ever increasing demand for dona-

tions. The local pizza man is a go-to guy for meetings and politicians too. This builds a brand loyalty and downright devotion to some small operators. Now add the ability to use fresh ingredients because you can buy daily rather than the huge orders corporate has to make to keep food costs down and you get another advantage as a little guy. Next, comes social media which can never be underestimated. Loyal followers love to “check in” and chat about their great pizza and shoot photos of it for Facebook. Despite having lots of followers and customers, there are only so many photos you can post of the same old Domino pizza. Some places like The Original Goodfella’s Brick Oven Pizza on Hylan Blvd. Staten Island and Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitano on Neptune Ave in Coney Island have been elevated to a cult following status because their fans are so loyal. Would you rather bring your relatives in from out of town to a chain restaurant that they probably already have in their town or to a special local favorite? Would you rather eat fresh wholesome ingredients or mass produced cookie cutter pizza? Would you rather go to a place where everyone knows your name or a place where you are literally given a number? This is the difference in the David vs. Goliath approach and a smart, talented small town operator will always be able to beat the big guy if he treats people well and makes a great product.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 79

LIZ ON TABLETOP

TABLETOP SOLUTIONS

Don’t Let The Harsh Winter Fool You, Club ’18 Season Is Just Around the Corner

heard on the radio the other day, that we were about to have the first day with 10 hours of light for the new year. That can only mean one thing: that sooner or later the severe cold of this winter is going to give way to some warm weather and with it the launch of a new club season. In fact, we are finalizing our plans for the annual Club managers show in Westchester.

That got me thinking about lessons learned from last year and some thoughts on trends that we are seeing that could be of value to the club management community as you get ready for the upcoming season. Among the carry-over topic from last year is redefining who you are competing with. Is it with the restaurant in town or in Manhattan or is it with yourself? As we work with

80 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

our clients, through all segments of the industry, it’s clear that although everyone needs to worry about the competition, the real key is to understand what you can do better than anybody else and work to your strengths. In serving the club business as as we have for years, I see those strengths as traditional vehicles in-

continued on page 82

Liz Weiss is the President and coowner of Armonk, NY based H. Weiss Co., a division of BHS Foodservice Solutions. She is known nationally as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on tabletop design. The Michigan State graduate is also actively involved with WPO-Women’s Presidents Organization. Comments may be sent to eweiss@hweiss.net.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 81

Liz Weiss, from page 80 cluding friends coming to the club for an elegant Friday night dinner or even a casual midweek bite to eat. I also think that every one of those opportunities serves as a calling card for the marketing of your banquet and catering facilities for the upcoming season. We have a farily simple strategy to follow inter terms of how to allocate your table top inventory as you get ready for a new season. Most country clubs have more than one dining room to serve members and their guests. So why not allow the “old china” to go to the banquet and catering dining areas and purchase new tabletop items each for the members’ main dining room. Our first step in many cases is to reassess the use of each space as we enter a new season. Typically we see the use of the main dining room for

those elegant dinners or small business gatherings. We then see the halfway house, pool, bar for lunch and causal dinners. Of course the Banquet facilities and patio are then earmarked for catering. We like to work with clubs to help them find complimenting service from space to space so that they can properly identify the amount they need to purchase going into a new season. For instance, a club can create efficiency with the purchase of 9” Salad plates that can be used in the dining room as a luncheon plate. We also notice that the clubs that get it right, are the ones in which the club manager and chef have a consistent view of what they are trying to present. We notice when we work these teams that they arrive at a shared vision of exactly who their end user/member customer is.

82 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

If that “customer” is the club member, they may want to have a crested item like a logo’ed dinner plate. If they are membership driven, they want to start with the menu type that the members are looking for, develop the menu, then look for tabletop that serves that. Best in class club’s focus on the course being served as they decide on service for their a la carte programs rather than the flexibility of the tabletop inventory that is so valuable for catering. We also see clubs that succeed with tabletop for catering focusing on utilizing a recognizable manufacturer. For instance a brand like Lenox may be a best bet- placating the “mother of the Bride/ bar Mitzvah boy” crowd. In this case- simpler the better as not to interfere with event décor.

As we work with our customers, we are also seeing a number of geographic trends. Downstate, the trend is to more light, simpler, farmto-table fare. There are elegant and smaller portion sizes served on smaller plates and in many cases with a focus on sharing. We are seeing tabletop that has a handmade feel, with organic shapes especially in many cases where entrées are being served in bowls. Upstate, there is still a trend to larger simple white plates. But the fashion of tabletop is finding its way to the North Country. We see many of our chefs from Metro NYC looking for a better quality of family life and better ingredients and moving North. They then take that flair for fashion to their new outposts. The summer club season is also

continued on page 96

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 83

RESTAURANT COMPLIANCE

WITH RADA TARNOVSKY

Food Temperature Violations: Using Time As A Control

emperature is a critical violation that is taken seriously by inspectors. Proper temperature is a big deal for good reason. Food that is out of temperature can result in a “B” grade, render food unsafe to eat and lead to closure Food must NEVER be out unless in active use or being cooked. “In use” means it is being prepped or cooked, and that is the reason it is out. Otherwise, food must be held at correct temperatures. That is the rule. It doesn’t matter if the food is on shelves, near the grill, on racks or on prep stations. Unless it’s “in use”, DOH inspectors will cite it as

“out of temp “and ”unattended”, a very common violation and a critical one. A violation that could potentially cost a lot in fines, and bring you over the 13 points to a B grade. What about food that’s used often for service? In a fast paced restaurant, it is time consuming and inefficient to constantly retrieve the same food from lowboy refrigerators. Timing is everything, in life and in the kitchen… Using “ Time as a control” permits operators to hold food out of temperature while in use, during service. It is the optimal solution for

just about all food*. The Breakdown... • Hot food can be held out of temperature for 4 hours. • Cold food can be held for 6 hours with the condition that the food doesn’t reach 70°F within the first 4 hours, allowing for the additional 2 hours. • All food must be labeled accordingly and discarded at the elapsed time.

torney, who co-founded Letter Grade Consulting to help food service operators comply with regulations set forth

Educating the Staff… A properly trained staff is a key component to a violation free kitchen. Try to hold seminars monthly, but communicate with them daily. Make sure they know the rules, if using “time as a control”, teach them how to label. Make sure they know what’s going on in the kitchen/ prep stations, so that they can properly explain to the DOH Inspector what is happening with the food. Guessing or improvising can lead to violations, fines and unsafe foods. Using

84 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Rada Tarnovsky is a practicing At-

Time

by the NYC Department of Health. Servicing restaurants, hotels, theatres, corporate cafeterias and schools, Letter Grade Consulting provides operators with preemptive solutions, education and training to sustain the highest level of food safety, remain inspection ready and maintain the “A” in the window. Rada can be reached at rt@lettergradeconsulting.com

control has its benefits if used properly. Labeling something with a time, means you have to be diligent about discarding it, remember there is no putting it back into the refrigerator. Which is why “time as a control” should not be used for everything. Operators need to decide which foods this would work for. Excercising proper portion control is a must. *view the complete rule with exceptions and pre-made labels

BOOTH #1830

OUR AGING ROOMS At BelGioioso, cheesemaking is an art. Our American Grana®, an 18-month Extra Aged Parmesan, takes patience to produce. We deliberately choose not to cut corners and aging rooms are our commitment to traditional cheesemaking methods. By aging on natural wooden shelves, our Master Cheesemakers follow the proper steps to ensure what is best for this cheese. Available in whole wheels, cuts, shredded and grated.

belgioioso.com Aging Room, BelGioioso Pulaski Plant, WI December 2016

BelGioioso_AgingRooms_TotalFood_June2017.indd 1

5/24/17 4:23 PM February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 85

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

WITH FRED SAMPSON

Game Changer

inimum Wage Madness: 42 Different State and Local Wage Hikes Ring in the New Year. That was the lead in a white paper issued by the Employment Policies Institute, a nonprofit think tank that conducts research on employment issues such as the minimum wage and health care. It went on to make this observation: “Mind-boggling patchwork of minimum wage increases: 14 different rates in New York State, 13 different increases in California.” For your information, I offer this thumbnail sketch of the minimum wage history in New York State. The federal minimum wage became law in 1938 and was $.25 an hour. That was 80 years ago, when many industries were exempt. That tells you that we, as a country, were still in the grips of the Great Depression. The foodservice industry was not covered until the mid-fifties. It was never intended to be the “going wage,” but rather the floor. It also, over a period of time, became a leveraging tool for organized labor, in that whenever the minimum wage was increased, those negotiating for unions demanded that the differential between those belonging to a union house and a nonunion shop be maintained. Until recently, minimum wage rates and adjustments were determined by tripartite panels (made up of three members from the public, three members from organized labor, and three representing the public, which members were appointed by the governor). Hearings were held throughout the state. The nine-member panel would negotiate and then send their findings

Fred G. Sampson is the retired President Emeritus of the New York State Restaurant Association. He began working with NYSRA in 1961. Within the next four years the NYSRA more than tripled its membership and expanded from one regional chapter to eight. Sampson played roles in representing restaurants on issues including paid sick leave, minimum wage, liquor laws, a statewide alcohol training program and insurance plans. Comments may be sent to fredgsampson@juno.com

and conclusions to the Commissioner of Labor, who in turn would meet with the governor. The governor would either accept it, ask the panel to make some changes, or reject it. As a result, the end product always brought an increase. However, at least the various industries were given a chance to present their case. What has happened in New York State is that now the governor has eliminated allowing the affected industries an opportunity to present their position in an appropriate forum and explain how any proposed increases would affect both his/her businesses and employees. Now if there are any hearings about wages, they will be during the budget hearings and would have great difficulty in receiving the attention they deserve. In the final analysis, while the governor always had the power to approve or reject a proposed minimum wage, industry participation in shaping it has been eliminated and that is an enormous game changer. Not only is it a game changer, but it has been politicized and will become

86 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

an issue every two years, similar to the early days of Social Security increases. Prior to 1973, every two years during the congressional elections, the members were inundated by their constituents. Groups picketed their offices, disrupted meetings, and so on. Finally, they gladly passed legislation using the Cost of Living Adjustment, more commonly known as COLA, to determine the increase. For example, a number of states, including Florida and New Jersey, determine increases in their minimum wage by using this measurement. They are both considered cosmopolitan states and similar to New York. Florida’s population exceeds New York’s by a slim margin and is increasing every year by 300,000. Florida has a restaurant population in the top five. While New Jersey is smaller geographically, it is similar in many ways to New York. Few people outside the industry and government fail to take into consideration the fact that tipped employees’ income is continuingly increasing, as menu prices are—due to operators’

costs. So does the consumers’ tipping, simply because most consumers tip on the basis of the total check. These recent increases are steep and severe. For example, New York City will go from $11.00 to $15.00 in three years. Remember, we are talking about the floor. Then you have the differential. When the last minimum wage increase took place, Moody’s Rating was quoted as saying that maintaining the differentials would cost operators more than the increase in the minimum wage. As I write this, it is my understanding that the governor wants to do away with all tip credits. Why would he do that? It’s like ignoring a sales person’s commission. The IRS seems to think that they have value; just ask them. Why doesn’t the governor? Could it be that waiters and waitresses vote? Note: During my tenure with the New York Restaurant Association, I was appointed to three minimum wage boards by three governors.

BOOTH #1460

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 87

REAL ESTATE PERSPECTIVE

WITH JEFF KRAVET

A Little Respect Is A Key Ingredient To Success

see how hard my real estate clients work everyday. A little respect would go a long way so when a bartender siphons profits from a bar owner by giving away free drinks in the hope of a big tip that is stealing in my book. The justification that they are his/her customers really offends me. He/ She doesn’t purchase the liquor nor does that bartender pay the rent or utilities. In order to appreciate why it’s so personal to me you need a little background on how I grew up. Nice Jewish boy from the Bronx my Dad had furniture stores in the Bronx, peaking at a total of 13 stores, which mom called “the 13 original colonies.” Weekends for me were, “Get in the car son, we are looking for new locations.” As Dad says, “If you can sell, you will always make a living.” There was, however, a problem on the horizon. The employees in my dad’s stores were stealing. The stores eventually crashed and burned, as the salesman devised a plan to sell the furniture from the store and not record the sales with the warehouse manager, who was in on the theft and split the profits with the salesman. In those days there was also cash, which was easier to steal. When it came time to repay the debt my dad had taken on

Would tying bartenders’ income to commission on every drink sold eliminate the temptation to give away free drinks? Jeff Kravet is a Licensed Real Estate

to fund the “unprofitable business” he was forced out. The crooked sales employees, knowing you could buy the business and make it profitable if you didn’t steal, “bought” the business from my dad on the cheap. My dad left the Bronx a beaten man, and I went to sell and lease real estate. It is safe to say I despise stealing of any kind; it just rubs me the wrong way. So when I see it with customers I represent, it opens old wounds. I’m at happy hour with the same guys every night. Happy hour drinks are $5.00. The bartenders know me, they like me, and I order 2, 3, or 4 drinks. The bill is always $5.00, same for all the guys. We all know the drill: bartenders take care of us with free drinks, we take care of them with a big tip. Sure, bar owners have safeguards against this practice - having regulated pours and matching them to the number of drinks sold and to

88 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

the day’s receipts - but if someone is intent on stealing from you they are going to figure it out. I know the bar owners where I was getting my free drinks, so I called them and told them of the issue. Though they know I don’t hesitate to voice complaints, the information from this complaint they appreciated. Jeff, the owner pleaded, “ I can’t fire my best guys, they have a following and everyone asks for them. If they left, they would take a lot of my regular customers. I realize there is going to be some pilferage, but I just have to accept it.” What’s wrong with this picture? It kept me up at night. How do you fix this? I think I may have found an answer in Costa Rica of all places. It turns out that everyone receives 10% of everything they sell, for both food and beverage. They all share the 10% commission on the

Broker NY/CT for Kravet Realty LLC. Jeff has been representing tenants and landlords in NYC and Stamford, CT for the past 20 years. He can be reached 24/7 at 203-430-7811. or kravetjeff@gmail.com

gross receipts and pool the tips for each shift. Most importantly, no one ever tried to give me a free drink on this vacation maybe it was the 10% commission they received on every drink they poured? Would tying bartenders’ income to commission on every drink sold eliminate the temptation to give away free drinks? I would love to hear the pros and cons from any bar owner on this universal topic.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 89

RESTAURANT EXPERT

WITH DAVID SCOTT PETERS

Tracking Sales the Right Way If you don’t, all of your prime cost numbers will be wrong

he key to calculating your restaurant’s prime cost starts with using the right sales figures. Prime cost is your total cost of goods sold [food, NA beverage, liquor, bottle beer, draft beer and wine cost] plus your total labor cost including taxes, benefits and insurance. What do you mean, David, the right sales figures? Sales are sales, right? While on the surface the short answer is sales are sales, the long answer is there are gross sales and net sales. So what’s the difference and why does it matter? Gross vs net sales The primary purpose of this article is to make sure you are using

The primary purpose of this article is to make sure you are using the correct sales figures when determining your prime cost and that starts with defining the difference between gross and net sales.

David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, speaker, coach and trainer for independent restaurant owners. He

the correct sales figures when determining your prime cost and that starts with defining the difference between gross and net sales. One of the challenges in understanding the difference often comes from the fact

90 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

that the vast majority of point of sale (POS) systems label net sales as gross sales, and you don’t even know you’re looking at the wrong number. Gross sales is the ring at the register, before discounts and not including sales tax. Sales tax is the pleasure the government gives us to collect their money and penalize us as if they were the mafia if we borrow it and pay it late. Sales tax collected is not a sale. An example would be if you sell a burger at $10 and the customer used a $5 coupon when paying for the burger, $10 would be gross sales, the sale before the discounts are taken off the ticket. Net sales is the ring at the register, after discounts have been removed and not including sales tax. Using the example above, you sell a burger at $10 and the

is the developer of SMART Systems Pro, an online restaurant management software program helping the independent restaurant owner remain competitive and profitable in an industry boxed in by the big chain restaurants. Download a free report to discover the #1 secret to lowering food and labor costs and running the independent restaurant you’ve always dreamed of. Learn more about how David can help you at www. TheRestaurantExpert.com.

customer used a $5 coupon when paying for the burger, $5 ($10 gross sale minus the $5 coupon/discount) is your net sales. As I mentioned before, the vast majority of POS systems get this wrong. Most POS systems label net sales as gross sales. Take a look and you will find that the column on your daily sales report that is listed as gross sales has discounts already

continued on page 98

BOOTHS #1931 + 1945

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 91

Toast, from page 12 pay tipped employees full state minimum wage before tips. 12. New Jersey - $8.60 an hour, $2.13 an hour tipped wage 13. New York - $10.40 an hour, $2.90 an hour tipped wage. • NYC - large employers (of 11 or more) - $13.00 an hour, $8.65 tipped wage for food service workers, $13.50 for fast food workers (defined below) • NYC - small employers (of 10 or less) - $12.00 an hour, $8.00 tipped wage for food service workers, $13.50

for fast food workers (defined below) • Long Island & Westchester $11.00 an hour, $7.50 tipped wage for food service workers, $11.75 for fast food workers • Remainder of New York State $10.40 an hour, $7.50 tipped wage for food service workers, $11.75 for fast food workers According to the state’s Department of Labor, the minimum wage increase for fast food workers ap-

plies to any employee whose job duties include customer service, cooking, food or drink preparation, delivery, security, stocking supplies or equipment, cleaning or routine maintenance. An establishment is considered a fast food restaurant if it “offers limited service where customers order and pay before eating, including restaurants with tables but without full table service and places that only provide take-out service,” according to the state Department of

Labor. However, the minimum wage increases only apply to restaurants that are part of a chain of 30 or more locations nationwide or in New York. 14. Ohio - $8.30 an hour, $4.15 an hour tipped wage 15. Rhode Island - $10.10 an hour, $3.89 an hour tipped wage 16. South Dakota - $8.85 an hour, $4.325 an hour tipped wage 17. Vermont - $10.50 an hour, $5.25 an hour tipped wage 18. Washington state - $11.50 an hour. Note: State requires employers to pay tipped employees full state minimum wage before tips. • SeaTac, Washington: $15.64 an hour for hospitality and transportation employees • Seattle, WA: $15.45 an hour for businesses with 501 or more employees that don’t offer medical benefits; $15 an hour for businesses with 501 or more employees that do offer medical benefits; $14 an hour for businesses with 500 or fewer employees that don’t offer medical benefits; $11.50 an hour for businesses with 500 or fewer employees that do offer medical benefits • Tacoma, Washington: $12 an hour What This Means for Restaurant Employers and Workers The National Restaurant Association has advocated that raising the tipped wage and the minimum wage would “limit hiring, increase prices, cut employee hours, or implement a combination of all three,” according to CBS News. Of course, there are many pros and cons to raising the minimum wage. A few pros are bridging the front- and back-of-house wage gap and lowering your restaurant turnover rate. A few cons are that your restaurant may have to raise menu prices, and thus reset guest expectations or cut employee hours to make up for the loss.

92 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 93

Reichenbach, from page 4

After an extensive search, the JBF Search Committee unanimously selected Clare to lead the James Beard Foundation and build on the thought leadership initiatives and groundbreaking Impact Programs implemented over the past 11 years,” said Seegal and Emily Luchetti, JBF board chair emeritus. board of trustees in directing the strategic, programmatic, financial, and management operations of the James Beard Foundation. Her responsibilities will include overseeing the James Beard Foundation Awards; the JBF Women’s Leadership Programs; the James Beard House dinners and events around the country; the Foundation’s scholarship programs; and the JBF Impact Programs, which include the Chefs Boot Camp for Policy & Change, the JBF Food Summit, and the JBF Leadership Awards. “It’ll be a privilege to explore new ways for the Foundation to be at the forefront of the culinary conversation, advocate for its wide-reaching initiatives, and provide support to this unique community of change agents,” said Reichenbach, who will report to the JBF board of trustees. “I am greatly looking forward to working with the Foundation’s dedicated staff in strengthening its role as an indispensable organization for culinary leaders around the world.” At CJJR Consulting, Reichenbach’s clients included New York Public Radio, NBCU, and Samsung. Prior to that, she was EVP of Strategy & Business Development for both AMC Networks and BBC Worldwide. At the BBC, she was responsible for the development and implementation of corporate and divisional strategies; developed the organiza-

tion’s global commercial strategy; and led strategy for BBC’s television arm. Her accolades include CableFAX’s “Most Powerful Women in Cable,” Multichannel News’ “Women to Watch,” and Management Today’s “35 Women Under 35.” Reichenbach has a B.A. from Oxford University and completed the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School. Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late James Beard was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful, and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader convening. The Foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs.

94 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

BOOTH #1833

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 95

Liz Weiss, from page 82 defined by beverage and cocktail menus and the changes that come each year. The most interesting trends are on the Mixology front with Infusions, bitters, hot sauces, use of herbs, frozen fruit as garnishes. Based on that, we see savory and healthy on the horizon rather than sweet. Our vision for this summer is lots of frozen non-alcoholic drinks using herbal teas and herb garnishes. We are also convinced that Summer ‘18 will mark the return of elegant cocktails in sexy coupe glasses that we have not used in years. These glasses feature etching as well as cut and pressed rocks glasses. Local will also remain a focus whether it is wine, beer, liquor.We are hearing from our customers that it is nice to support local business, but when they are good, really good, it’s even better. 6 Point beer, Baby

Bourbon, Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley wine are all really good. At BHS, we have a team of sales professionals who are knowledgeable with their territories, and are also supported by tabletop specialists. Our goal is to help clients find and suggest appropriate settings for everywhere and to lend our years of experience in working with the club professional to help you find the right look. Several of our staff members are chefs and have tremendous insight into food, trends, preparation etc. We understand that Club dining is an “animal onto themselves”. The H. Weiss team has always been in tune with this and brings this expertise to the BHS team, happily. Not only for tabletop, but for the equipment and disposable solutions.

96 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

check out our new products Features

Features

Production rate of 2 cones per minute

Takes just 3-4 minutes to preheat Includes small plastic scoop and measuring spoons Great for carnivals, fairs, and other festivities

Easy controls Sugar scoop for pouring floss 21” Diameter bowl Floss bubble sold separately

Durable stainless steel frame and kettle

Spinner head holds 4 oz. of floss sugar

Red powder-coated top with clear plastic panels and illuminating warmer light for maximum visibility

*Also available without drawer COTND-21 COT-21

PCM-8L

*Pictured model (PCM-8L) is 30”H *Also available in 23”H (PCM-8)

www.admiralcraft.com February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 97

David Scott Peters, from page 90

removed, making that number your net sales figure. The importance Why is it important to understand the distinction between gross and net sales? The down and dirty answer is, so you can calculate your prime cost correctly. If you use the wrong sales figures, your food cost will look high and you might fire your chef over it. Your pour costs will look high and you might fire your bar manager over it. Heck, you might fire your general manager over the fact that they cannot get their numbers under control and the reality of it is, they actually may have their costs in line, but you were using the wrong sales figures to calculate it. Use gross or net sales

Great! So which sales figures do you use to calculate your prime cost? GROSS SALES! Let me show you why. Let’s say you asked your chef or kitchen manager to do a recipe costing card for a burger to come in at a 30 percent food cost target. He or she does exactly that, creates a burger recipe costing card using $3 in product and decides you can sell that burger for $10. Divide (the cost of the recipe) by sales (the menu price) to get your food cost, in this case 30 percent. Let’s say you decide to run a BOGO offer (buy one, get one free) for burgers. This promotion is wildly successful at driving guests in the door. That means for every other burger you sell, you are discounting $5, making the gross sales figure $5, not $10, and the net sales figure $5. The recipe costing card still requires

98 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

the kitchen to use $3 in product. When calculating food cost off of net sales, use ($3) divided by sales (net sales of $5), gives you a cost of goods sold equalling 60 percent. It’s doubled! Now let me ask you a question, is it your chef or kitchen manager’s fault that you decided to run an aggressive coupon offer and that his or her food cost has shot through the roof because of it? No, your chef or kitchen manager has no control of promotional discounting. To be fair, you must measure your chef or kitchen manager off of gross sales, not net sales, to know if they are running the kitchen properly. Don’t get me wrong, discounts need to be tracked and controlled. Because discounting is real money you don’t collect. It’s like saying to your guest, “no thanks, don’t pay

me what the menu says. Go ahead and just give me less.” And the last time I checked, cash is still king in your business. It’s how you pay your bills. You can’t go to the power company with a case of steaks and say, “Boom, we’re even!” If there was not discounting and your chef or kitchen manager followed recipe costing cards and brought in the labor to handle the business as budgeted, the correct measurement on how they are doing their jobs is when you use gross sales to calculate your prime cost. If you need more help understanding why gross sales are the key to accurate prime cost numbers, contact TheRestaurantExpert.com today.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 99

HUB, from page 38 book to ensure the intended recipient’s correct email address is used. • Beware of sudden changes in business practices. For example, if a current business contact suddenly asks to be contacted via their personal email address when all previous official correspondence has been on a company email, the request could be fraudulent. Despite these efforts, organizations can still fall victim to a social engineering scheme. These incidents can be reported to the joint FBI/National White Collar Crime Center - Internet Crime Complaint Center. The initial concern after such an event often focuses on the amount of stolen funds. However, there could be an even greater threat since these incidents often involve the compromise of personally identifiable information, which can be later used for identity theft of multiple people. This will often trigger legal obligations to investigate the matter and to communicate to affected individuals and regulators. This often leads to litigation and significant financial and reputational harm to businesses. Costs to comply with privacy law can include fines, legal fees, IT forensics costs, credit monitoring services for affected individuals, mailing and call center fees and public relations costs.

cases involving voluntary transfer of funds, even though they were unknowingly transferred to a criminal. Other insurers might add policy language to crime or cyber policies to cover this situation. Having a knowledgeable specialist walk you through the exposures and properly address them with the right insurance product will ensure your balance sheet is protected and assist in mitigating the event when it occurs.

INSURANCE PROTECTION Fortunately, the insurance industry has developed policies that can transfer these risks. Crime insurance policies can cover fraudulent funds transfers while cyber insurance policies may cover costs related to unauthorized access of protected or sensitive information. However, the insurance buyer needs to be wary of various policy terms and coverage limitations. For example, some crime policies can contain exclusionary language for 100 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

All businesses need to be vigilant in addressing the ever-evolving risks related to their most valuable assets. The most effective risk management plans aim to prevent social engineering fraud incidents from happening and mitigate the damages if they do. Turning your employees from your weakest link and into your greatest asset in the battle is the first step towards prevention. Working with a specialty

insurance broker, who understands the coverage issues and negotiates coverage that is customized towards your business’ risks, is key in guaranteeing balance sheet protection and preventing a disruption to your business. For more information on HUB, please visit www.hubinternational. com.

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 101

Sederholt, from page 76 • Realistically rate the condition of the facility, equipment, furniture and fixtures. If you can use FF&E in good condition add 5%. If there is little or no value subtract 5 – 10% • Keeping the name, goodwill and reputation? Add 5 - 10%. If not, add 0%. • Keeping the existing staff and this adds value? Add 2 – 3%. If not – 0% • Location quality, visibility, traffic, parking etc? This is subjective… add or subtract 2% - 5%. An Example: • You find a neat 2,000 sq ft restaurant that has been in business for 3 years with average annual sales / revenues of $1 million. Sales have been declining since opening from $1.1MM year 1, to $1.0MM year 2 and $900,000 year 3. The asking price is $475,000 with no owner financing or holding paper.

• 30% of the $1MM average revenue is $300,000 – your base number. • 7 years remain on lease with no written renewal options . Sorry 0% • The lease assignment says, “Not to be unreasonably withheld” – add 2% or $6,000. • Total annual occupancy cost $55,200 with average sales of $1MM is ~5.5% – BUT – declining sales and a 3 – 4% increase in rent, taxes etc., per year gets you over 7% fast and climbing if YOU can’t drive sales quickly enough. Therefore I would subtract a minimum of 2% or $6,000 from the value. • The base rent is $25.00 per sq ft with other local restaurants paying $23 and $27 per sq ft. Nothing special - add 0% • The place is nice but you are going to have to remodel the dining room. The kitchen equipment and infrastructure will all be used giving you

added value – add 3% or $9,000. • You are not going to keep the name or goodwill. No value so add 0% • You are going to keep the staff that all seem competent and eager to stay on – a time and money savings. Add 2% or $6,000 • This is a decently trafficked downtown location with dedicated parking, however there is a public lot for guests across the street. They cancel each other out – add 0% My Valuation – Base Value - $300,000 Lease Benefits $ 0 Assignment Value+ $6,000 Occupancy Costs - $6,000 Market value rent $0 Equipment, Facility + $9,000 Name & Concept $0 Staff + $6,000 Parking & Location $0 . Estimated Value $327,000

Now assume that a well run restaurant will make 10 – 20% EBITDA, however a restaurant with marginal sales below $1MM can struggle and will earn less because fixed costs have greater impact with lower sales. This restaurant is currently unprofitable at $900,000 with declining annual sales – a risky negative. Forget your ego – what’s it really worth?? Pay this price and if you can hit these profit numbers it will take you approximately 3 and a half years to recapture your investment. Over the remaining 4 years of the lease you might get a return on your investment of $400k to $600k. Is that worth it to you? Not sure of a strategy for your restaurant? You can email me at dsederholt@sfscapital.com to discuss your options.

In today's economic market, value, credibility and reliability are critical when deciding who to buy seafood from. That's why Fisherman's Pride® is the #1 source for Frozen Calamari and a large selection of other seafood products including Cleaned Calamari, IQF Calamari Rings, Breaded Calamari Products (Fries, Rings, Rings & Tentacles), Clams (Vietnam White & Chinese Hard Shell), Octopus, made to order fresh Gourmet Salad (Calamari, Octopus & Mixed Seafood), Mussels (Half Shell, Whole Shell & Meat), Grouper, Swai, Flounder and Scungilli (Frozen & Canned). Our years of experience and strict quality guidelines ensure you get incomparable value, variety and service from all of our products. Call Fisherman's Pride® today.

102 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 103

Gordon Ramsay, from page 6 and ranked him the 21st highest earning celebrity in the world. By this time, Ramsay’s interest in cooking had already begun, and rather than be known as the football player with the gammy knee, at age 19, Ramsay paid more serious attention to his culinary education. After weighing his options, Ramsay enrolled at North Oxfordshire Technical College, sponsored by the Rotarians, to study hotel management. He describes his decision to enter catering college as “an accident, a complete accident.” In the early 1980s, he worked as a commis chef at the Wroxton House Hotel then ran the kitchen and 60seat dining room at the Wickham Arms. Ramsay then moved to London, where he worked in a series of restaurants until being inspired to work for the temperamental Marco Pierre White at Harveys.

After working at Harveys for two years and ten months, Ramsay, tired of “the rages and the bullying and violence”, decided that the way to further advance his career was to study French cuisine. White discouraged Ramsay from taking a job in Paris, instead encouraging him to work for Albert Roux at Le Gavroche in Mayfair. While at Le Gavroche, he met Jean-Claude Breton, now his maître d’hôtel at Royal Hospital Road. After working at Le Gavroche for a year, Albert Roux invited Ramsay to work with him at Hotel Diva, a ski resort in the French Alps, as his number two. From there, a 23-yearold Ramsay moved to Paris to work with Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon, both Michelin-starred chefs. In Master Chef series 3 episode 18, Gordon Ramsay stated that Guy Savoy was his mentor. He continued his training in France for three years, before

giving in to the physical and mental stress of the kitchens and taking a year to work as a personal chef on the private yacht Idlewild, based in Bermuda. The boat also got him to travel to Sicily and Sardinia, Italy to learn about Italian cuisine. In 1998, Ramsay opened his own restaurant in Chelsea, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, with the help of his father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson, and his former colleagues at Aubergines. The restaurant gained its third Michelin star in 2001, making Ramsay the first Scot to achieve that feat. From his first restaurant, Ramsay’s empire has expanded rapidly, next opening Petrus, then Amaryllis in Glasgow (which he was later forced to close) and later Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s. He hired his friend and maître d’hôtel Jean-Philippe Susilovic, who works at Petrus and also appears on Ramsay’s US TV show

Hell’s Kitchen. Restaurants at the Dubai Creek and Connaught hotels followed, the latter branded with his protégé Angela Hartnett’s name. Ramsay has opened restaurants outside the UK, beginning with Verre in Dubai. Two restaurants, Gordon Ramsay at Conrad Tokyo and Cerise by Gordon Ramsay, both opened in Tokyo in 2005. In November 2006, Gordon Ramsay at the London opened in New York City. In 2007, Ramsay opened his first restaurant in Ireland, Gordon Ramsay at Powerscourt, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Powerscourt, County Wicklow. This restaurant closed in 2013. In May 2008 he opened his first restaurant, Boxwood, on the US west coast in The London West Hollywood Hotel (formerly the BelAge Hotel) on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.

Hotelex

HotelexShanghai

Hotelex

HOTELEX Shanghai

Scan QR / Register

2,352

Excellent Exhibitors

220,000

SQM Exhibition Space

143,500

Professional Visitors

104 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Contact us Organizer: UBM Sinoexpo Limited Tel: 86 21 3339 2242 Mr.Alex Ni E-mail: Alex.Ni@ubmsinoexpo.com Contact in USA: UBM Asia Ltd. Tel:516-562-7855 Cecilia Wun E-mail: cecilia.wun@ubm.com

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 105

Bobrow, from page 26 Try to purchase Porters, Stouts, Bitters, Gose, Pilsners. Anything but IPA. 8. Clean Dishware. See your barback? He’s engaged in his job, polishing the glasses with a lint free cloth, making your juices, all from scratch. He’s polishing the stainless and making sure that everyone has water at the bar. Your tools are spic and span. Your bar mats are clean and not greasy. Your ice and specialty ice are perfectly cut and cool. Your bottles are gleaming and there are no fruit flies. I was in an expensive Denver Airport restaurant recently. With my Duval Ale, in the correct glass, nice touch, I noticed the glass was a breeding ground for fruit flies. Big fat ones. And they find me very desirable. So put out white vinegar in containers in your kitchen with plastic wrap on top and holes added. The fruit flies find this aroma irresistible. Don’t serve me 9 dollars per bottle

beer with fruit flies. UGH. 9. Punch of the day. I’ve spoken about this prior. If you are not making punch, every day, step up your game and make one. Get Dave Wondrich’s marvelous book on Punch. Read it. Use it. Stop complaining! Make Punch! Get Steven Grasse’s book on Colonial Spirits! Do it! It’s fun! 10. Stop using so much Rosemary. No one wants to taste an entire stalk of rosemary. It’s so overpowering! Use a couple of needles crushed in your fingers. That’s all you need. It’s really strong stuff, be subtle in your flavoring. Buy several different kinds of bitters as well. Angostura is marvelous stuff, but there is a plethora of bitters on the market. And please, when I ask for a Pink Gin, know that this drink is only two ingredients. Angostura and Gin. That’s it!

106 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 107

Rigie, from page 72 the attendees care about. Operators including Tren’ness Woods-Black of Sylvia’s Restaurant, Magnolia Bakery’s Bobbie Lloyd and John Rigos of Aurify Brands will offer attendees insights into what leading operators are doing within their businesses to be successful in today’s marketplace. The program will also feature a session on: The City That Never Sleeps. The city’s new Office of Nightlife and Night Mayor will serve as the intermediary between city agencies, residents and the nightlife industry. Nightlife mavens discuss how this office will promote an economically and culturally vibrant nightlife industry. Our goal is to provide real talk from real experts. Most importantly, the program allows attendees to be a part of the conversations they care about.

This year’s State of the Industry event represents the vision that we have had since we began in 2012. Our goal continues to foster the growth and vitality of the hospitality industry on behalf of our restaurants, bars, taverns, nightclubs, lounges and hospitality member establishments in New York City. We hope that you can join us. You can learn more about the conference and get tickets at www. theNYCalliance.org.

108 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

DO YOU SERVE THE LATEST TRENDS IN BEVERAGES? We do and we’d be happy to help you!

Citrus Honeydew Strawberry Mango Tangerine Green Tea Blueberry Cucumber

ITH

MAD

E PUR E CAN R A SUG

800-SEA-BREEZE (800-732-2733) SEABREEZESYRUPS .COM

BOOTH #1016

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 109

W E N

Grease Interceptor

EnduraXL has been designed from the ground up to meet the needs of the modern operational foodservice environment.

Compact Footprint, with a Lifetime of Performance

Represented in Metro New York by: enduraXL.com Tel: (201) 525-1433 Fax: (201) 525-1437 dmm@dmmreps.com

DMM Enterprises

110 • February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

February 2018 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 111

BOOTH #1715