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2 • May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 3
NEWS AWARDS Yale’s Food Service Chief Tabbed For Top National Silver Plate
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ale University’s Rafi Taherian has been nominated for top national 2016 Silver Plate honors for college and university foodservice from the International Foodservice Manufacturer’s Association (IFMA). The New Haven based Associate Vice President of Yale Hospitality will be in Chicago late this month to accept his award and to vie for the prestigious Gold Plate honor. One Silver Plate winner among the nine will be chosen by the jury to receive the foodservice industry’s most prestigious recognition, IFMA’s Gold Plate Award, which will be
announced at the 62nd Annual Gold & Silver Plate Awards Celebration taking place in Chicago on May 21 during the annual National Restaurant Association show. The Silver Plate honor, often called the “Academy Award” for foodservice, singles out Taherian and his team, Yale Hospitality (formerly called Yale Dining), for leading the best foodservice operation at any college or university in the nation. Taherian, who will attend along with some 1,000 other attendees at the formal ceremony, says that this award “really tells an amazing story about Yale
4 • May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Rafi Taherian
Hospitality as a whole. It is a tribute not just to our operation but to all of our employees.” Yale Hospitality includes 32 separate establishments, among them the
dining halls at the residential colleges; Commons at the Schwarzman Center; convenience stores like Durfees; and cafés and restaurants, including those at the Yale School of Management, Yale’s West Campus, and the Yale Golf Course. Taherian took over Yale Dining as it transitioned from an outsourced contract operation to Yale management. “It was very unusual at the time for college foodservice to be brought back under the management of the institu-
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 5
NEWS
SPECIAL EVENTS
NYCHA Set To Honor City’s Best At Inaugural Event
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ater this month the New York City Hospitality Alliance, a membership-based association founded in 2012 that aims to foster the growth and vitality of the hospitality industry, will host its inaugural awards ceremony at the iconic Marquee nightclub in Manhattan. The event, which takes place on Tuesday, May 10th will showcase the cuisine, cocktails and culture that define New York City, and will honor restaurants, bars, nightlife establishments, and professionals throughout the five boroughs that have made an impact on the city’s booming hospitality industry. “We have over 20,000 restaurants, bars and nightclubs in New York City ranging from your favorite mom & pops to the quintessential fine dining institutions, dive bars to velvet-roped hotspots,” says Andrew Rigie, the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance. “We are the hospitality capital of the world and we at the Alliance are thrilled to recognize, appreciate and celebrate the incred-
We are the hospitality capital of the world and we at the Alliance are thrilled to recognize, appreciate and celebrate the incredible contributions these people and businesses have made to our industry.” ible contributions these people and businesses have made to our industry.” Members of the “Nomination Committee,” appointed by Rigie, represent a wide-range of hospitality professionals with a wealth of knowledge and experience in New York City’s hospitality industry. Final nominees under each awards category are selected through Committee submission, review and voting. Award winners are determined by the majority vote submitted by subscribers of the New York City Hospitality Alliance distribution list and will be announced at the event. Award categories and nominees include:
6 • May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Big Apple Legacy Award - Goes to an individual whose success and influence will leave a lasting impact on the NYC hospitality industry Award Winner: Jeffrey Bank, The Alicart Restaurant Group (Carmine’s & Virgil’s Real Barbecue) Philanthropy Served Here Award - Goes to a hospitality industry company and charitable organization that work together to make the neighborhoods of NYC a more hospitable place – with a focus on the restaurant industry Award Winner: fresh&co / Food Education Fund Next Generation Award - Goes to an
up-and-coming or established mover and shaker who is still early in their hospitality industry career - winner will be selected by Judge’s Committee John Meadow (LDV Hospitality); Joseph Johnson (The Cecil and Minton’s); Deuki Hong (The Circle Hospitality Group) The Determination Award - Goes to an individual who started at an entry-
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 7
NEWS
NRA PREVIEW
Top Toques Head All-Star Chef Lineup For NRA’s 2016 World Culinary Showcase
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he National Restaurant Association will be highlighted later this month by a lineup of some of the nation’s top celebrity chefs to share their culinary know-how on the World Culinary Showcase stage at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show. The top toques will take center stage at Chicago’s McCormick Place from May 21-24. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn the latest cooking practices and trends from acclaimed chefs such as: MasterChef and MasterChef Jr. judge Graham Elliot, Food Network Star Champion Aarti Sequeira, as well as returning favorites like Rick Bayless, Pat Neely, Robert Irvine and more. “This year’s celebrated lineup of chefs demonstrate in real time cutting edge disciplines, techniques, and flavors on the 2016 World Culinary Showcase stage,” Lisa Ingram, Convention Chair for NRA Show 2016 and CEO and President of White Castle System, Inc. says. “Their tips, insight, and inspiration are brought to life on this entertaining stage, making the World Culinary Showcase a crowd-favorite and a must-see feature of the NRA Show.” The 2016 World Culinary Showcase lineup includes: Rick Bayless – Winner of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters and multiple James Beard award winner, author of seven award-winning cookbooks, chef/owner of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, XOCO and Tortas Fron-
Their tips, insight, and inspiration are brought to life on this entertaining stage, making the World Culinary Showcase a crowd-favorite and a must-see feature of the NRA Show.” tera, and founder of Frontera Farmer Foundation to attract support for small Midwestern farms. Anne Burrell – Host of Worst Cooks in America on Food Network, author of two cookbooks, and has worked at some of the top restaurants in New York. Maneet Chauhan – Chopped judge, Iron Chef challenger, author and James Beard Award-winner, and owner of Chauhan Ale & Masala House in Nashville, Tennessee. Rohini Dey – Leading restaurateur, proponent of Indian cuisine with her unique Latin twist across Vermillion Chicago and New York City, and an avid supporter of women. Rocco DiSpirito – James Beard Award winning chef, health advocate, and author of eleven highly acclaimed cookbooks, known for his mission to prove that healthy and delicious are not mutually exclusive. Graham Elliot – Awarded two Michelin stars for Graham Elliot, cohost and judge on MasterChef and MasterChef Jr., and the culinary director of Lollapalooza. Terry French – Winner of Food
8 • May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Network’s World Extreme Chef, this “Rebel Chef” is not one to follow convention putting passion and fun into his extreme cuisine. Jose Garces – Renowned LatinAmerican chef, and owner of Garces, a Philadelphia-based hospitality group that operates more than 15 restaurants across the country, including Amada, Rural Society, and Mercat a la Planxa. Lorena Garcia – Venezuelan-born restaurateur, chef, and author known for her TV appearances, successful chain of restaurants, and cookbooks. G. Garvin – James Beard Award nominated chef, author of Turn Up the Heat and Make It Super Simple, television host of Road Trip with G. Garvin, and founder of The One Bite Foundation. Ingrid Hoffmann – Host of Cooking Channel’s Simply Delicioso and Univision’s Delicisioso, and author of LATIN D’LITE: Delicious Latin Recipes with a Healthy Twist and SIMPLY DELICIOSO: A Collection of Everyday Recipes with Recetas Fa-
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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 Writer Deborah Hirsch Intern Alexis Robinson Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com
Retraction: In Pg. 58 of our Apr il issue, C-CAP President Susan Robbins was mistakenly identified. TFS regrets the error.
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 2016 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
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 9
NEWS
POS TECHNOLOGY
How To Win At The Google Game: SEO & SEM For Restaurants
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f all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) ensures hungry patrons are directed to yours. Search engines aspire to show the most relevant, sought after results so the person searching gets answers to their question as fast as possible. In other words, if someone searches for “Tacos in New York City,” Pierogi Heaven in Chicago won’t appear in their top results, but Los Tacos No. 1 on 9th Avenue might. You can elevate your ranking in search engine results by using SEO techniques, which make your website easier for search engines to read. The higher you appear in the results, the better because people will almost always select the websites that appear at the top. Why? Because, good SEO means fresh and relevant content. The websites at the top are the most relevant to the search keywords and often provide the best answers and information the searcher is looking for. Therefore, they’re already looking for what you’re selling and will convert into customers faster. In this post, we’ll take a look at SEO and SEM practices and how you can incorporate them into your digital marketing strategy.
es of prospective guests. If your website is written in a way that provides key information to searchers, you’ll be rewarded by appearing at the top of search engine results. Choosing keywords should be relatively simple. What is your restaurant trying to promote? What does your restaurant offer? An example would be: New York, Mexican, Restaurant, Delivery, Dine-in Once you determine what keywords best reflect your restaurant – a keyword engine like Google Keyword Planner can help you identify the best ones to use - include them in various locations on your website and on your menu, including headers, sub-headers and within body text. You only need to use a keyword once on a page unless it appears again naturally in your writing. For more specific information on keyword best practices, this is a great resource. TITLE TAGS The title tag is the first thing you see in search engine results. Their
KEYWORDS The goal is to include words on your website that reflect the search10 • May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
purpose is to describe the contents of a web page at a glance. According to MOZ.com, the optimal format for a title tag is: Primary Keyword - Secondary Keyword | Brand Name For example: Mexican Food – New York | Taco Heaven To be effective, the title tag should be under 70 characters long to ensure no characters get cut off. META DESCRIPTIONS The meta-description appears under the title tag. Its purpose is to impart an attractive summary about the page’s content; where your restaurant is, what type of food you serve and any other pertinent offerings. It should be no longer than 160 characters in length. Short and succinct, this is the carrot you dangle to prompt searchers to learn more and click into your website. MENU It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway – it’s important to include a digital version of your menu on your restaurant’s website. The
question is: what is the best way to display it? PDF seems to have the most well rounded benefits. Not only is it easy for prospects to download, read and forward on, but search engines can also identify and read through text on menus, which adds to your SEO. When you create your PDF menu, ensure that it’s not a scanned version of your restaurant menu. Scanned menus appear to search engines as an image, making it harder for the search engine to detect the characters. IMAGES There’s no better way to tantalize taste buds than by including pictures of your signature dishes on your site. When you do, you have an opportunity to optimize those pictures for image searches by adding a short description of the photo through an alt-tag. While images aren’t a significant source of traffic, every little bit of SEO helps. Many Content Management Systems (CMS), like WordPress and SquareSpace, will provide a field to add alt-tags when you upload the image, while others may have you add in the code directly to the HTML. In HTML, your link would look like this: <img src=”TacoTuesdays.gif” alt=”Taco Tuesdays”>
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 11
MIXOLOGY
WITH WARREN BOBROW
Spring Cocktails With A Story
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lavor is such a personal thing. Now add color to the equation. Are you a bartender who finds that their darker spirits seem to sell better than those lighter ones? I hope you don’t find me presumptuous when I tell you that you’re fooling your clientele. What? Dark doesn’t always mean old, just as flavor is not always a good determinate to freshness. We have to do better for our guests. Fresh juices and high quality spirits is my mantra. I have a philosophical difficulty with caramel coloring in spirits under the pretense of being old. At the recent Miami Rum Fest, I represented Mezan Rum. It’s easy to speak of Mezan because of what they don’t do to it. No caramel. No chill-filtering. No sugar added. No glycerin
Warren Bobrow is the creator of the
(for mouthfeel...) minimally pad filtered to remove the black stuff from the ex-bourbon oak casks. Bourbon whiskey casks by law can only be used one time. Then they leave the rick houses and spill their contents into the bottles that are on the shelf.. that’s Bourbon. These wet casks make their way to the Caribbean (or Mexico for aging Tequila, or Scotland for Scotch Whisky...) the list goes on and on where Bourbon casks go. But one thing is for certain, this wet wood will do well to house a portion of fine rum. So these casks will house all sorts of spirits. And the really fine ones. The ones that you never see in your favorite liquor store will make their way around the Rhumb Line in the globe. If you know someone who travels, they probably have something authentic in their bar... Seek
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out this kind of friendship, especially if they share because you’re never going to taste anything like this again- whatever it is. Rum, straight out of the cask, cut to 80 proof is one of life’s simple pleasures. The Terroir is island specific. And even distillery specific because of the yeast. If the distillery uses a wild yeast, well- you can taste it. There is a funky quality to this liquid. Rum or Rhum? I’m a huge fan of Martinique Rhum. The stuff that says Agricole gets my attention. To be fair, I don’t currently represent an Agricole so I hope that my words resonate on a personal level. I love Agricole because it’s authentic. No, I’m not from the islands- I’ve sailed all over and tasted many different rums and RHUMS.. from many, many places. As much as I call myself a well-traveled man, there are always more well-traveled folks. I’m fortunate to have spent time on our family yacht where drinking well was a true metaphor for living well.
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.
You cannot punish me for authenticity. Nor can you go wrong by experimenting with Rhum Agricole. I like mine very simply. Cane sugar syrup, Fresh lime with the skin (essential) and a hundred proof or more Rhum Agricole. Of course in my forthcoming book, Cannabis Cocktails, I infused a vinegar laden shrub into the lime and added a touch of ginger syrup- not traditional, but I did write the first book on the topic- so it certainly can be anything I want it to be. Right? And that means I added a dosage of THC.
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 13
EYE METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE SHFM Brings Annual Critical Issues Conference To Time Warner
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his year’s SHFM Critical Issues Conference focused on the harnessing communication strategies in the ever-evolving digital age in which we live and its influence on workplace culture and hospitality. The event took center stage last month at the spectacular Time Warner Center in Manhattan. Attendees were struck by the beauty of the Central Park views. This one-day, fast-paced conference focused on how to utilize digital communications to engage in crisis communications, “it’s more important than ever to stay ahead of these evolving trends and their relevance to work-
place hospitality,” noted the event chair Ron Ehrhardt of Compass. At this year’s CIC, attendees had the opportunity to experience informative sessions filled with creative solutions for effectively leveraging digital tools and strategies. Among contract management notables were Sodexho’s Sue Irukulla, Beth Apetrior, Vincent Caprio William Alffiero and Tony Lanza. Flik was well represented by Emily Lavin, David Gugelev, Harry Dorofee and Scott Davis. Aramark’s, Jeff Zettel, Evan LaSpina and Scott LaBella were on hand as well as Time Reiss and Victoria Vega. “Our goal was to help our member-
(L to R) Matt Sher of Day & Nite, American Express’ Robert Gordon, Sandy Smith of Day & Nite and M. Tucker’s Marc Fuchs
(L to R) Merlyn Bowen and Rush Sherman of Sodexho
(L to R) SHFM president Bernadette Ventura, Steve Gattullo of the Food and Beverage Association and Alexander Fish of Westin Times Square Hotel
(L to R) Gina Smith of Rock Dove Solutions, event chair Ron Ehrhardt of Compass, PBAC’s Keith Fitzgerald and Courtney Row of Rock Dove
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ship understand how to create and implement a digital strategy,” noted SHFM’s president Bernadette Ventura of Healthcare Service Corp. The conference’s second session focused on How to Engage Guests In a Digital Age. The CIC conference brought a large turn out of company liaisons including Time Warner’s Karen Quinlan, Joe Diniistrian of Bank of America, Goldman Sachs’ Joe Ventrice as well as veteran executives Kent Bain and Bill Adams. Once again a highlight of the SFHM CIC event was the “meet and greet” in Time Warner’s spectacular private reception area, which featured the
award winning fare from Restaurant Associates. The Tri-State’s service community was out in force with PROTEK’s’ Diane Rossi and John Alfano as well as large contingents from Day & Nite and Air Comfort. The Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management is the preeminent national association serving the needs and interests of executives in the corporate foodservice and workplace hospitality services. Its principal role is to enhance the ability of our members to achieve career and business objectives in an ethical, responsible and professional climate.
(L to R) Pecinka Ferri’s Joe Ferri, Jacobs Doland Beer’s Christine Gurtler and Bob Doland
(L to R) Brian Bingay of JP Morgan and Community Food Banks’ Christine Kane Perez
(L to R) Air Comfort’s Dan McCaffrey and Tracy Kelly of Sodexho
(L to R) Tony Kaszuba of RMA, Ecolab’s Barbara Kane, Kevin D’Onofrio of DCA Culinary and Melanie Marken of Jafko Foods
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 15
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
WITH FRED SAMPSON
Combating Complaints
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have been sharing my thoughts with you, the reader, for over 30 years, and from time to time I revisit subjects such as service, quality of food, protecting your brand, and other key aspects of the industry. One that I discuss with greater frequency is the importance of handling complaints, and that’s because not to do so can be costly and damaging. So again I’m asking you to take another look at how your operation handles them. There are 36 definitions of the word complaint in Webster’s New World Dictionary. No matter which one you use, a customer’s complaint should be handled without delay, and here is why. Fifteen percent of unresolved complaints will result in a loss of business. Most complaints deal with poor service and/or poor attitude, according to Bill Marvin, The Restaurant Doctor. “A typical business hears from only 4 percent of its dissatisfied customers. The other 96 percent just quietly go away and 91 percent of them never come back.” Think about this: Angry customers tell up to 20 other people when they are dissatisfied. The most deadly complaint is the silent one, the one that you never got the chance to correct and, unfortunately, the customer never returns. And finally, a customer whose complaint went unnoticed, who is also an active social media user, can do great damage to your reputation and your business. I think it’s fair to say that today’s consumer is restless, as evidenced
“A typical business hears from only 4 percent of its dissatisfied customers. The other 96 percent just quietly go away and 91 percent of them never come back.”
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
by their reaction to the election process presently taking place. There is a sense of frustration, the feeling that they are not receiving the service and attention they should, be it from retail stores, government services, manufacturers’ recalls of various products, and dealing with services that keep you waiting on your phone for inordinate amounts of time. As a result of this kind of environment, consumers are more sensitive and conditioned to what they perceive as impersonal service that is not meeting expectations. They are more demanding, defensive, and thus more critical. This puts an additional burden on an industry such as ours, where human contact is so important. It begins from the time guests enter the front door until they leave, which can be anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes. Multiply that by the number of customers you serve in the course of a day and you soon realize how exposed you can be. Are you prepared to deal with complaints effectively? Do you have a written or at least a verbal policy or procedure for dealing with complaints? Is every member of your
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staff/team aware of it? If not, they should be; unless you have a plan, dealing with complaints can be a risky business. There are many areas to consider, such as: What is the problem? When does a staff member send for management? What is the customer’s level of emotion? Is there potential liability, such as the spilling of a hot beverage or the soiling of a customer’s garment? Then there are the actions of other guests, such as talking very loud on their cell phone and allowing unruly children to run through a dining room. All of these are common occurrences, and handling them properly sends a positive message to your guests. Many establishments consider the handling of customer complaints so important that they not only have a written policy, but it is received along with the paycheck. For example, the following is a reminder to the staff of The Good Steer restaurant located in Lake Grove, NY. Their slogan reads as follows: “A McCarroll Family Affair Since 1957.” They must be doing something right; 60 years is a long time in this business. In a survey I conducted with a
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
group of consumers, I asked the following question: “When you find a need to register a complaint about an aspect of eating out, such as food, food temperature, or service, how do you feel it was handled?” Fifty percent said the complaint was handled satisfactorily, 20 percent said they were receiving lip service, and 30 percent said they didn’t complain and they would just not return to the establishment. If the group I surveyed is representative of consumers in general—and I believe they are—then 50 percent is not acceptable. Perhaps it’s time to review your policy as it relates to complaints. It costs five times more to get a customer as it does to keep one. Don’t let the customer walk out the door, never to return because of something you didn’t do. Respond to their complaint.
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NEWS
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
Irinox USA Announces New Headquarters
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rinox USA is strengthening its market presence with a significant investment in a brand new 10,000 square foot facility in Miami FL. The new offices will serve as the headquarters for the entire North America region, enabling Irinox to focus on and strengthen relationships in the US, Canada and Caribbean. “The move was necessitated by the significant growth the company has realized in the last few years,” noted Irinox USA president Ronald van Bakergem. As our products and solutions have become better known in the industry, demand has risen quickly. Our new office and warehousing space is 50 percent larger than our previous offices and offers a more efficient layout. “It will support our continued growth and expansion, and provide
As a global company, international business is extremely important to us and we expect exponential growth around the world, especially in the US and Canada.” a better work environment for current and future staff,” van Bakergem continued. I think it underscores our commitment to both our customers and our employees. With our new full-service offices, Irinox USA will have all the resources necessary to meet the needs of our rapidly growing customer base in the region. The new headquarters include
18 • May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
first-class facilities, with a state of the art training center (test kitchen) which will showcase the full suite of Irinox solutions, a full parts inventory and 24/7 warranty service department. “Once again, Irinox USA demonstrates its commitment to the North American foodservice industry and we are very excited about this new transition.” “As a global company, interna-
tional business is extremely important to us and we expect exponential growth around the world, especially in the US and Canada.” “Our new facility stands as a statement of our faith and success in serving Top of the Line equipment to the American market, which we have done successfully for nearly 15 years, when many in this industry are still putting the focus on lowcost commodity items.” Irinox USA’s new address is 9990 NW 14th Street – Suite #107, Doral, FL 33172. The company’s main phone number is 786 870 5064. Our website, as usual, www.irinoxusa. com “We would like to thank all our business partners for their continuous commitment and support and look forward to keep working with you,” van Bakergem concluded.
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 19
COFFEE STRATEGIES
WITH JONATHAN WHITE
Does School Ever Stop?
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just finished a three session alumni mini-course at my college. I was not prepared to go back to school in that way! The reading was tough, and thinking about the issues was even tougher. As the school year winds down, and as we are farther removed from our formal school years, one might think that “education is just for kids”. I find the opposite to be truethe older I get, the more I find out that I don’t know. With all of our daily activities, it’s very easy not to prioritize an environment of ongoing learning. But the world is changing all the time. The only way to keep up is by making a focused and deliberate effort to keep learning- formally and informally. There are many easy ways to do this. Here are a few suggestions: • Trade shows feature industry trends and allow you to interact with customers, vendors and competitors • Networking groups encourage exchanges of sales leads but also facilitate new introductions and new industry knowledge. These groups can come from local Chambers of Commerce, the foodservice world in general, or within your specific niche of the industry. • There are higher level business groups that allow key executives to dive deeply into strategic business learning, and also exchange ideas with, and receive input from, noncompetitor peers who can act as
an outside “board of directors”. I belong to Compel, which does this very well. • With online learning, Amazon and Kindles, reading or formalized learning has never been easier. There are so many easy ways to take courses, find a new business book or join a discussion group. Just using the internet to browse and learn about any subject whatsoever is easy and usually productive in a very short time. • Companywide seminarswhenever your company offers any kind of formalized program, make the time to do it! Many companies have regular classes on a variety of industry topics, or general business ideas. • Online networking- LinkedIn is more than just a job search engine! There are thousands of groups with
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members who share ideas, trends, and general information. Facebook creates another network for additional learning. • Walk around your building- this is a different kind of learning. The ideas will not come from the “outside” but from the “inside”. And who knows your business better than the people who do the jobs every day! It is amazing what the folks who strive every day to do their best can offer in so many ways to improve your operation. Whatever you choose to do, to avoid getting distracted, let me suggest three rules to insure that you will become a regular and successful learner: • Schedule your learning time, just like any other meeting. Make a written plan every month to make sure that you are doing this.
Jonathan White is the Executive Vice President at White Coffee Corporation in Long Island City, NY. Learn more about how Jonathan and his team can help you at www.White Coffee.com.
• Make sure you have a wide range of the above types of learning. Each group brings you in touch with a different set of leaders- who view various issues from a broad and differing perspective. • Create specific action plans after the book/meeting/learning so you can be sure to implement what you have learned. And keep following it up until you have succeeded. Fortunately, most of these ideas don’t require a final exam or long term paper. In some ways, your “grade” is how well you keep learning, keep adapting, and keep applying the new knowledge into your business and your professional activities. It is never too late to start, and once you do, you may find (as I have) that you can’t get enough. Happy learning!
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 21
NEWS
CHARITY
Manhattan Based Tao Creates Menu To Benefit National Autism Awareness Month
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n light of National Autism Awareness Month (April), Tao Group partnered with Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, and Eden II Programs, a school program offering a center-based full day program for 5 to 21 year-old people with autism/pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The funds raised throughout April will go towards helping individuals who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). “As an organization, we have a responsibility to provide support when and where we can,” says Ralph Scamardella, chef and partner of Tao Group. “I, personally, have long advocated for the improved quality of life for children and adults with autism and want to do as much as I can to continue that mission and raise awareness.” For the month of April, Tao Group’s restaurant brands, including TAO Uptown, TAO Downtown, LAVO Italian Restaurant, Arlington Club, Bodega Negra, and VANDAL in New York City; and TAO Asian Bistro and LAVO Italian Restaurant in Las Vegas, as well as nightlife brands such as TAO Beach, Marquee and Avenue, raised money through sales of special “blue” themed food and
As an organization, we have a responsibility to provide support when and where we can,” says Ralph Scamardella, chef and partner of Tao Group. drink items, ultimately contributing 10% of the proceeds to Autism Speaks and Eden II Programs. Additionally Tao Group hosted a group of students with autism at The Gallery at Dream Downtown for a kick-off event. Chef Scamardella began with a restaurant tour and introduction of different careers in the field of culinary arts. Following, students and volunteers participated in a culinary workshop led by Scamardella that allowed students to prepare and plate a special meal. Tao Group is a leading restaurant and nightlife company that develops, owns and operates many of the most successful food, beverage and nightlife entertainment venues in the United States. Partners Marc Packer, Richard Wolf, Noah Tepperberg, and Jason Strauss bring de-
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cades of hospitality experience to the brand portfolio. Currently Tao Group boasts operations in New York City, Las Vegas and Sydney, Australia. In New York City, the collection includes Arlington Club, Avenue, Avra Estiatorio, Beauty & Essex, LAVO Italian Restaurant and Nightclub, Marquee Nightclub, Rue 57, The Stanton Social, VANDAL, TAO Uptown and TAO Downtown. Additionally they operate all of the food and beverage outlets of the Dream Downtown hotel including room service, PH-D Rooftop, Electric Room Lounge, and Bodega Negra. Las Vegas operations include TAO Asian Bistro, Nightclub & Beach at The Venetian, LAVO Italian Restaurant & Lounge and LAVO Casino Club at The Palazzo and Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub at The
Cosmopolitan. Beauty & Essex Las Vegas coming soon. Marquee Nightclub at The Star – Sydney represents the company’s first international offering. Tao Group regularly brings the brands to additional markets via pop-up venues at noted events such as the Sundance Film Festival and The Olympics, among others. Tao Group Cares represents the charitable efforts of Tao Group. Tao Group Cares supports local charitable organizations as well as national and international programs that benefit causes near and dear to the employees and ownership of the company. Tao Group Cares raises funds through unique offerings, as well as devotes significant efforts to support selected causes. Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders – autism spectrum disorders – caused by a combination of genes and environmental influences. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by communication difficulties, social and behavioral challenges, and repetitive behaviors. An estimated 1 in 68 children in the U.S. is on the autism spectrum.
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 23
CHEFCETERA
UP CLOSE WITH METRO NY CHEFS
Chef Michele Mazza Il Mulino’s Mazza Sets Sight On 35th Anniversary Of Iconic Manhattan Brand
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azza’s challenge and gift is the ability to interpret one of New York’s truly iconic menus to a vast array of locations. From Las Vegas and Miami in the US to Tokyo and Dubai, Il Mulino outposts have turned the company into a far-flung worldwide concern. Among, Mazza’s most recent projects was a trip to Macau. “We just opened a licensed restaurant in a new casino. It was a fascinating project that required the chef to come and work with us in New York for six months. I then joined him there for a couple of months to make sure that we got off to a good start. Mazza’s story began in his hometown of Sorrento, Italy. When I was 15 I knew I wanted to follow the steps to deepen my “technique and knowledge, so I did 3 years of culinary school in Italy. After school I worked on a prestigious Italian coastal liner for ten years, doing 130 day cruises around the world. This was a very enriching experience, it enhanced my cooking skills with different recipes and variants to cook with.” He launched his stateside career in 1980 when he moved to the US and opened a couple of restaurants
of his own. When Il Mulino’s management came to eat at his Long Island restaurant Classico Risorante, the rest as they say is history. For the past two decades, Mazza has been entrusted to replicate his passion in Il Mulino kitchens in New York and around the world. Brothers Fernando and Gino Masci created Il Mulino with the idea that they wanted diners to be transported into an atmosphere much like that of their hometown Abruzzo, Italy on the Adriatic Coast, one of Italy’s most fertile regions. Chef Mazza shares the founders’ philosophy of using the best ingredients and beautifully preparing dishes for guests to enjoy. Mazza’s earthy Italian food is what keeps people coming back. From antipasti to dolci, a traditional menu has brought top life through Mazza’s vision and passion. His approach is to honor the cuisine of Sorrento and to that end he says he imports 95 percent of Il Mulino’s ingredients from Italy. Il Mulino’s most popular dish is the homemade ravioli with black truffles and creamy champagne sauce. “My goal is to make sure that all of our locations prepare it the same way,” Mazza noted. “At the same time Mazza and his Il Mulino
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team have an understanding of a customer base whose tastes and priorities have evolved. We are very flexible and that’s the way I train chefs at each location. We are here to please the customer. We do a lot of gluten-free and vegan dishes that include vegan meatballs with eggplants and have become very popular.” The brilliance of Mazza lies in his ability to continue to listen to and react to the changes of the Il Mulino customer. “There’s no question that our diners are committed to a healthier lifestyle,” Mazza noted. “So we cook with more olive oil and less salt and butter than we did in the past.” With Il Mulino’s Prime steak concept under his command, Mazza’a approach to meat is well centered. “I’m convinced that a beef in moderation belongs on a diet. So what we’ve done is find grass-fed organic beef that maximizes taste and our customers’ desires to be as healthy as possible.” As the company gets ready for its 35th anniversary, Mazza is hard at work on a yearlong celebration to be highlighted by special menus. “We want to bring back many of the legendary dishes that have been such an important part of our success.
Chef Michele Mazza
We will also create some new organic favorites to match with some of our special wines.” That vision to learn from the past and move into the future is a key element of the Mazza gift. “Of course I am concerned about the new $15 minimum wage and what happens with tipping. We need to have employees that are happy so that they can take care of our customers every day,” Mazza said. “I also know that many of our younger diners are concerned with issues like how animals are treated, so we work diligently to find farms that are focused on humane treatment.” To accomplish the goal of consistently delivering Il Mulino’s signature dining experience Mazza keeps it simple. I don’t listen to music. I don’t like too much talk in the kitchen. I just concentrate on the food. I’m very focused.
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 25
C-CAP TRADE TALK
WITH JOYCE APPELMAN
C-CAP Will Award Over $3,000,000 Nationwide In 2016
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t the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) New York Awards Breakfast, C-CAP President Susan Robbins and C-CAP Founder Richard Grausman last month presented over $670,000 in scholarships and cash awards to over 40 C-CAP high school students and alumni during the awards ceremony hosted by The Pierre Hotel. Chef and C-CAP alumna Krystal Lewis was the featured guest speaker and recipient of the OléSAY Spain Internship Scholarship. Hard work, good grades, and a lot of broken eggs paid off for Lyanna Cintron of Food and Finance High School and Samae Ovalles of Food and Finance High School, who both received full-tuition scholarships towards their Associate Degree in the Culinary Arts at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY. Jodie-Ann Williams of Harry S. Truman High School will study at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island come fall. Two Monroe College fulltuition scholarships were awarded to Darlene Reyes of Food and Finance High School and Linna Lin of Long Island City High School. Reyes and Lin will study at the state-of-the-art Culinary Arts Center at the New Rochelle Campus. Outstanding C-CAP alumni were also awarded scholarships at the ceremony. Executive Chef Aaron Bludorn and Partner Lili Lynton of the Dinex Group and Young Yun of Ment’or presented Giovanna Alvarez, Executive Sous Chef at Asiate in The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Manhattan, the Daniel Boulud Full-Tuition scholarship to the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon,
France, where she will study for five weeks beginning in May. C-CAP Chicago Alum, Krystal Lewis, the Saute/ Grill Cook at The Spotted Pig here in New York City, was presented the OléSAY Spain Internship Scholarship, an eighteen-week all expense paid stage experience at the three star Michelin restaurant Sant Pau in Spain. Later this month, at the C-CAP Los Angeles Awards Breakfast, C-CAP Los Angeles Alum Rafael Perezchica, Sous Chef, Ace Hotel & Swim club in Palm Springs, CA, will also be presented with the OléSAY Spain Internship Scholarship. Students were also awarded scholarships from local culinary schools including the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), International Culinary Center (ICC), Kingsborough Community College, and New York City College of Technology.
The 2016 C-CAP Meatless Monday Recipe Contest challenged C-CAP high school students from around the country to “get the beef off their buns” and create an innovative veggie burger. Through the contest, students are introduced to the Meatless Monday public health initiative. C-CAP announced their New York-based winner at the ceremony. The scholarship was presented to Tyler Ramos of Tottenville High School in Staten Island for his recipe, Sundried Tomato Patty. Scholarships awarded ranged in value from $2,000 to more than $100,000 to attend local culinary schools and some of the most prestigious culinary schools in the country. Some students also received C-CAP Education Scholarships, cash awards to help defray the costs of books, supplies, housing, and other expenses while at community college or another culinary school.
(L to R) Judges Giovanna Alvarez, Phil DeMaiolo, Aaron Bludorn, Braden Reardon, Susan Robbins deliberating entries at the C-CAP New York Cooking Competition for Scholarships last month
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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 at joyceappelman@gmail.com
A few days earlier, during the CCAP New York Cooking Competition for Scholarships, finalists representing high schools from across the five boroughs competed against the clock when C-CAP re-created the intensity of a restaurant kitchen at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in Manhattan for the high school seniors to face off in a savory and sweet challenge. Students were judged by a panel of local esteemed judges on presentation of the dishes, knife skills, techniques in the kitchen, taste, sanitary food handling, and timeliness. The judges included: Ashley Abodeely, Nomad; Giovanna Alvarez, Asiate; Aaron Bludorn, Café Boulud; Phil DeMaiolo, Pier Sixty; Daniel Eddy, Rebelle; Cesar Gutierrez, Café Boulud; Richard Grausman, C-CAP Founder; Krystal Lewis, The Spotted Pig; Paige Nebrig, Bouchon Bakery; Braden Reardon, NYY Steak; Susan Robbins, C-CAP President and Ted Siegel, Institute of Culinary Education. The C-CAP Cooking Competitions for Scholarships are the culmination of the C-CAP high school program for underserved teenagers at risk of leaving high school without job or college prospects. The C-CAP program offers direction, a set of useful skills, scholarships, and the potential for a fulfilling career in a growing industry.
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 27
NEWS
BEER SOLUTIONS
Bubbles In Your Draft Beer Tell All
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he next time you’re served a cold draft beer, and before taking the first sip, study the glass and observe the bubbles. The bubbles in a glass of beer will reveal many interesting things. Bubbles show attributes of the beer style being poured. The cleanliness of the glass will provide a good indication of the condition of the beer dispensing system. The process starts when the tap is opened and a glass is filled with beer. The sudden change in pressure from the dispensing system to the glass causes dissolved carbon dioxide to escape from the beer as the glass fills. Ideally the result is a (½ inch to 1 inch) thick head of well knitted bubbles, otherwise known as foam. Foam is essential to delivering the true flavor and bouquet of the brew. Each type and style of beer has its own taste and aroma characteristics. Foam accentuates the aroma and enables beer to taste as the brewer intended. The gas within the bubbles also insulates, thus keeping the beer in the glass colder longer. The head on the beer should remain until the last drink is taken. Foam (bubbles) should cling to the glass sides with each drink; this is called lacing, and is an indication the beer glass has been cleaned properly. A creamy head on a beer suggest the beer dispensing system is in balance, and that the carbonation brewed into the beer is being maintained to the brewer’s specification. A head of foam on the top of a beer is ideal; however, bubbles forming on the sides or bottom of the beer glass and then rising to the top may
indicate the glass is not “beer clean.” Bubbles form at the sides and bottom of a glass, where residue or microscopic cracks serve as starting points for carbon dioxide molecules to gather. When the carbon dioxide at a collection site reaches critical volume, a bubble detaches from the glass and launches itself toward the beer’s head. A clean beer glass should not have bubbles anywhere but in the head on top of the beer, or lacing on the side of the beer glass. An exception to this is laser etched glassware. Brewers are now marketing glasses where a logo or insignia is laser engraved into the bottom of the glass. This forces bubbles to
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form around the etching, highlighting the brewery logo. Eventually the bubbles grow large enough to rise to the top of the glass helping to maintain the head of foam. This is done to enhance the beer drinking experience and to differentiate the beer brand. Another interesting characteristic of beer bubbles was studied by a chemist, Richard Zare, the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science, who published a seminal paper on the “fizzics” of beer. Zare’s beer science pointed out that beer bubbles got larger and rose faster as they floated to the top of a glass. The reason bubbles expand and ac-
celerate as they rise is bubbles themselves act as collection sites. Each attracts more escaping CO2 or, as Zare puts it, “bubbles collect on bubbles.” The absence of bubbles usually indicates a dispensing system problem. The beer on tap may have lost carbonation and will taste flat. This is a result of the dispensing system not being set up properly or dispensing with the wrong gas. Beer bubbles provide many insights into the beer style and quality, glassware cleanliness and dispensing system condition. When served the next pint, inspect, and insist on properly performing bubbles in your beer.
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 29
Q&A
EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEW
Julie Rose President, Sweet Hospitality Group
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ow did you get into the business? I originally moved to New York to write musical theater. I graduated with a music education degree. My boyfriend at the time was also a musician and he was working in a catering kitchen in Queens called Culinary Connection. It was a company that did film and television shoots. And so I started working in the kitchen, too. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. However, the thought of having to punch a time clock if I became a teacher, was anathema to me. I’m an entrepreneur, at heart. Then what happened? I ended up working in this catering kitchen for cast and crews on television shoots. I lived in Tribeca at the time and they gave me a car. I would go at 3:00 in the morning to pick up the food, get to Queens at 4:00, load up the truck, get the food into my car, then go on the gig and set it up and I loved this. But there was a company that was a little better at this. I went and saw what they did. And they had real tablecloths, real flowers, they had silver urns. And it looked fantastic. That was the difference, the presentation. How did this turn into Sweet Hospitality? I just knew there was a better way
so my boyfriend and I heard about a theatre that needed someone to sell soda and candy so we wrote a one page proposal. A gentleman named Steve Callahan liked what he saw and gave us a chance. I spent five hundred dollars on a white table and silk flowers and I bought tableware and thought, I’m going to make this really beautiful. And I’m going to serve the stuff that I or my family would want, not just candy bars and popcorn. We didn’t have a liquor license. But we had Soho’s Sodas, one of the first specialty sodas (later bought by Snapple). Gourmet was the big word back then so I started baking, and I made banana bread, lemon squares, brownies and blondies. I’d spend the whole day baking and getting food and it was delicious. So, early on, a person from Restaurant Associates (RA) came to me and said, what you’re doing isn’t practical. I said, they’re buying it. They like it. The theater’s happy that I’m doing this, so what’s the problem? And he said, you can’t just do coffee. So how did this all turn into your business? I met some people who helped me learn what a P&L was. I was always good with numbers, and I began hiring people. I learned what
continued on page 32
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Julie Rose, President, Sweet Hospitality Group
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 31
Q&A Julie Rose, from page 30
a menu mix was, how to read what was selling, what was not. And I loved it. I realized I was developing a concession business for the theaters. That’s where it all began. What actually landed you on Broadway? The big concession companies like RA controlled the theaters. They’d walk in and say, this is what we want. Back then the theater wasn’t about being nice. It wasn’t about hospitality. They were doing you a favor, that was their attitude. It was, we’re creating the art for you. I was on the front lines, talking to the people. I would hear what they wanted, and I would try it. We tried to have a little array of everything. How do you look at what you do? I think of us as being in the foodservice and hospitality industry. So I think of trying to innovate the food and beverage space. And to do that, you need hospitality. “Hospitality’s” a buzzword today. But hospitality, to me, is just being nice, and efficient. It’s trying to get that balance right. We seem to be in the people business, and we seem to be serving food and alcohol. For me, that’s what hospitality is. What is it like today competing for a “space” you created? Here’s what I think about competition. It’s not just about being different, but it’s about having your style. And when it comes to competition, nobody can do what I do. And nobody can do what you do, right? I can’t control what they’re doing. I can only control me. We try to partner with our theaters, because it’s not just about what we want. Disney Theaters may want something totally different than the Jujamcyn Theaters Roundabout has a different style. That’s also part of the fun, being a chameleon. It’s like be-
ing an actor, about reinventing. It’s our role, so how is our partnership going to be different than this partnership? We all kind of come at it in different ways. RA started with restaurants, right? So I just look at it as trying to keep doing what we do really well, and trying to stay current, and building the relationships. I have credos. Our first is, build a relationship and the rest will come and that can mean with your client or patron. I mean that’s why I love doing this. We’re there to enhance the experience. We aren’t the experience. They’re not coming to see us. It’s on the stage and it would be really dumb for me to think that it’s about us. It’s not. I call us the concierge of Broadway and off Broadway. What about the role of cocktails and wine and things like that? How do you approach that? Do you have somebody that runs that piece of the business for you? We’ve had different people. We started doing the Cocktail on Broadway. He had 10 cocktails that became our signature very early on. We initially launched specialty drinks that were related to the shows. The Girl in the Yellow Dress was one of the drinks. And they were these delicious cocktails and he always attributed it to “Sex and the City,” which was big at the time. People were stealing our menus. It was fantastic. Now Michael Demona manages it for us. We call him the drama mixologist. And drinks have changed a lot. So, he tries to keep current. He reads the show scripts and comes up with the ideas. Do people balk at your cocktail prices? It is very expensive, but our goal is to enhance the value of the expe-
continued on page 34
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Hors d’oeuvres selection from Sweet Hospitality Group (photos from Meg Wachter)
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Q&A Julie Rose, from page 32
rience. I take it very seriously that people are coming to see the show. This may be the only theater they’re ever going to see in their life. And we don’t want to wreck their experience; we want to give them the best experience possible. What do you think makes you successful? You have to hire right. And you don’t always get it right, but it’s a type of personality. It’s like actors. You can be very shy and be a fantastic actor. Our bar manager, was so shy, you could barely have a conversation with him. But he was an actor, and when he got behind the bar, he was phenomenal. He was probably one of the best bartenders we ever had.
What’s the process for sourcing everything from coffee to food? Do you look for a relationship with a Sysco or US Foods or Dairyland or Baldor? We’ve got them all and they’ve changed, of course, because a sales rep will say, hey, I’m going to do this and I’m going to do that then all of a sudden, they’re not doing that and then you go back to the initial people. And then there are other kinds of relationships where one of our employees was walking in an airport and saw this cup of coffee that you could get a single cup of, like espresso that you can make yourself, and he loved the idea, thinking, I’m going to figure out how to do this. We may all eat something and go to the chef and say, look, can you More tasty offerings from Sweet Hospitality Group.
continued on page 36
Sweet Hospitality’s delicacies have become a staple for Broadway and Lincoln Center theatre goers. (Photo from Meg Wachter)
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 35
Q&A Julie Rose, from page 34 try this. So that’s the fun part. It’s constantly changing. We’re always thinking! What are the hot-selling food items right now? Believe it or not M&M’s still rule Broadway. It’s decadence and things that make people happy. We do menu mixing to make sure we satisfy everyone. Disney has these great lollipops, they’re beautiful. We don’t sell a lot but we still want them to create signature fantastic empanadas. People still don’t expect to go to the theater and eat. I hope our company can continue to change the expectations of what people can have in the theater.
Cocktail offerings from Sweet Hospitality Group.
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 39
RESTAURANT HOSPITALITY LAW
WITH SALON MARROW
The Basics And Pitfalls For Using The Wage Tip Credit
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mployers in the New York hospitality industry are required to pay their employees the no less than the statutory minimum wage. Nevertheless, hospitality industry employers may be able to utilize a credit toward the minimum hourly wage if certain “tipped employees” receive enough tips on an hourly basis and the employer has expressly notified the employee that the tip credit is being applied. The use of tip credits is governed by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and New York State Labor Law. THE BASICS • “Food service workers” are primarily engaged in serving food or beverages to customers and customarily receive tips from such customers. They include, among others, wait staff, bartenders, captains and bussing personnel. They do NOT include delivery workers. “Service employees” are not food service workers, but customarily receive tips. Both food service workers and service employees are considered “tipped employees.” A tip credit can only be applied to the wages of a tipped employee that is either a food service worker or service employee. In order for the employer to utilize the tip credit, the employee must actually receive tips. The minimum for a food service worker is $1.50 per hour and for a service employee is $1.95 per hour. Tip wages and job classifications must be
calculated and substantiated internally on a weekly basis. • In order for an employer to use a tip credit to reduce the hourly wage paid to tipped employees, the tip must be voluntary. Mandatory service charges tacked on to restaurant or banquet bills are not “tips”. In banquet and event scenarios, a mandatory service charge must be provided to the employee (although the employer does not receive a tip credit), unless the banquet or event contract clearly specifies that the mandatory charge belongs to the restaurant and not to the tipped employees. • Currently, all tipped employees must be paid a “Cash Wage” by the employer of at least $7.50 per hour. For food service workers, the law allows a $1.50 “Tip Credit” toward reaching the $9.00 minimum wage. Service employees must receive an actual Tip Wage of at least $1.95 per hour, but, the Tip Credit used to meet the minimum wage remains at $1.50 per hour, meaning that they too must be paid a minimum Cash Wage of at least $7.50 per hour. • Tips belong solely to the employee, not the employer, and can be used only as a credit against the minimum wage obligation owed to the tipped employee. No tips can be given, returned to or shared with the employer, but tips can be shared with other tipped employees under a valid tip pool. The employer must provide each tipped employee with notice
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that the Tip Credit is being utilized in paying the worker’s wages and each week separately designate the amount of the Tip Credit in the wage records. • An employer may mandate or employees may voluntarily agree to use a tip pooling arrangement. Employers may set the percentage of the tips to be distributed to each occupation in the tip pool. • The employer must maintain, for 6 years, records of: Tip Credits given; tip pooling; worker classifications; and the employee’s signed receipt indicating notice that the Tip Credit is being used in paying the worker’s wages. THE PITFALLS—WATCH OUT FOR THESE 1. Owners and managers, even if they are performing the same kinds of services performed by tipped employees, are not permitted to share in the tips. Tips are for tipped employees only and owners and managers are not considered tipped employees. 2. If the actual Tip Wage does not equal at least $1.50 per hour for food service workers ($1.95 per hour for service employees), then the employer cannot use the Tip Credit to satisfy the minimum wage requirement and the employer must pay the worker the statutory $9.00 per hour minimum wage. On the other hand, if the employee earns in excess of $1.50 per hour in tips (or $1.95 for service employees), then all of the actual tips
must still be paid to the employee and the employer must also pay the minimum $7.50 Cash Wage, since the Cash Wage amount can never be reduced. 3. For all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week, employers must pay overtime at a rate of time and one-half of the regular wages. Employers are still able to use the $1.50 per hour Tip Credit. However, for overtime hours based upon the current minimum wage, employers must pay a Cash Wage of at least $13.50 so that the minimum hourly overtime rate of $15.00 is satisfied. This article by no means covers all of the legal requirements for use of the Tip Credit, and these legal requirements are constantly changing. Our attorneys are available to discuss these and other legal issues applicable to your business. For more information, please contact: Richard P. Romeo 646- 843-1907 rromeo@salonmarrow.com
Salvatore G. Gangemi 646- 843-1929 sgangemi@salonmarrow.com
John Paul Fulco 646- 843-1917 jfulco@salonmarrow.com
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 41
SCOOP NYC Restaurant Creates Decadent Trump-Themed Feast: Caviar, Truffle Oil and Meatloaf Scoop hears that the owners of Vero Cafe in New York City say a loyal customer challenged them to create a Donald Trump themed dish but then another customer offered to pay them to keep that dish off the menu. With three of the major candidates hailing from New York, it seemed as though political tension among customers had never been so high, so the owners of Vero came up with a bipartisan compromise by creating five distinct dishes based on the tastes of each of the remaining candidates: For Donald Trump they will accommodate the real estate mogul from NY by serving its own Italianstyle version of the American classic topped with caviar in honor of the candidate’s fast paced lifestyle. In honor of Hillary’s Midwest roots, the restaurant will offer a Chicagostyle pizza topped with spicy Italian sausage, spicy bologna as well as a most spicy secret sauce recipe. The “‘Bernwich’ pays homage to
INSIDER NEWS FROM METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE SCENE rising political star Bernie Sanders Born in Brooklyn and a Senator from New England, the “Bernwich” is a delicious sandwich heaped with pastrami and topped with melted Vermont cheddar cheese. What better way to represent candidate Ted Cruz than with the popular Cubano sandwich boasting a delicious variety of meats, cheeses and vegetables pressed and heated together. Kasich is a meat and potatoes kind of Midwesterner. For Ohio’s governor, Vero will serve steak frites - a small rib eye steak grilled to perfection with French fries. There is one other purpose for these five exotic dishes. The Vero Cafe owners say they hope to predict the election based on which meal sells best.
on Bravo’s Top Chef and Food & Wine Special Projects Director, and the New York Times Food Section to raise funds to support the national not-for-profit’s mission to increase awareness of the importance of food and nutrition education to the health and well-being of
Spoons Across America (SAA) Spring Benefit Honored Gail Simmons and New York Times Food Section To Raise Funds for Culinary Education Programs Scoop notes that last month Spoons Across America (SAA) hosted their 2nd annual spring benefit to honor Gail Simmons, Judge
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Gail Simmons
(Photo by Annie Watt/Natalia B.)
our children. Author, TV Personality, and National Spokesperson for Spoons Across America Jacques Pépin (the first recipient of our Award for Excellence) presented the Individual Award for Excellence to Gail Simmons while Bill Yosses, former White House executive pastry chef and founder of Kitchen Garden Laboratory presented the Corporate Award for Excellence to the New York Times Food Section and Food Editor Sam Sifton in front of more than 200 guests including food industry leaders and culinary educators at The Essex House in New York City. The event also included a live auction with one-of-a-kind travel and dining packages by Auctioneer Sebastian Clark, Estate Services, Rago Arts & Auction Center. The live auction featured a tour of the Union Square Greenmarket and lunch at Breads Bakery with Gail Simmons, dinner with Jacques Pepin at Betony, and a private cooking lesson for 5 Children with Chef Bobo, Executive Chef at the Calhoun School of the Calhoun School.
ICC Hosts The New York Culinary Experience Scoop says once again, the Institute Culinary Center brought local foodies a unique opportunity last month to cook like a pro at the International Culinary Center in SoHo, where founder Dorothy Cann Hamilton and New York magazine culinary editor Gillian Duffy cooked up an all-star lineup. This year’s who’s who included Einat Admony of Balaboosta, Bar Bolonat, and Combina, Taim; Alessandra Altieri of Bouchon Bakery; Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns; Jonathan Benno and Richard Capizzi of Lincoln; Cesare Casella, longstanding dean of ICC; Chung Chow of Noreetuh; Suzanne Cupps of Untitled; Amanda Freitag of the Food Network’s Chopped; Jose Garces of Iron Chef; Zachary Golper of Bien Cuit; Kerry Heffernan of Grand Banks, Top Chef Master, Partner at Wild Fish Direct; François Hiegel of Thomas Keller Restaurant Group; Gabriel Kreuther of Gabriel Kreuther; Judy Joo of Cooking Channel’s Korean Food Made Simple; Michael Lomonaco of Porter House New York, Center Bar; Ivan Orkin
of Ivan Ramen; Ellie Pegler of Vaucluse; Missy Robbins of Lilia; Daniel Rose of La Bourse et La Vie, Chez La Vieille, Le Coucou, SPRING; Alain Sailhac, longstanding dean of ICC; Taku Sato and Ricky Estrellado of Nobu; Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club; Bryce Shuman of Betony; Justin Smillie of Upland; Jacques Torres, longstanding dean of ICC, Jacques Torres Chocolate; Miroslav Uskokovic of Gramercy Tavern; Bill Yosses of Perfect Pie Company and former White House Executive Pastry Chef. In addition, this year’s event offered food lovers an opportunity to partake in a one-of-a-kind dining experience when Chefs Gabriel Kreuther, Daniel Rose, and Justin Smillie combined their skills to present seven-course meals with wine pairings. The event’s proceeds in part will support The Future Chefs Scholarship, a program at ICC established to provide scholarships for students who wish to pursue their dream of attending culinary school.
the HHC chief executive said Chang joins Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who’s planning a fish market and a sit-down eatery The Momofuku outpost is slated to open on the pier in 2017. Whatever form the new eatery takes, it’s a further indication the Seaport is appealing beyond its longtime focus as a tourist destination. Chang’s Koren-inspired global empire is based here where Momofuku Ko, Ssam Bar, Noodle Bar, Ma Peche and new Momofuku Nisi are among the most in-demand places to eat in the city. David Chang
Chang Set To Put Stamp On Seaport Scoop notes that Howard Hughes Corp.’s David R. Weinreb, is redeveloping the South Street Seaport which is blockbuster news for foodies. Momofuku Group founder David Chang has signed a lease to develop a “dynamic new restaurant concept” at the Seaport’s new Pier 17. “This dining experience will further cement the extraordinary culinary offerings” at the new Seaport,
Parisian Style Gluten Free Makes Manhattan Debut Scoop says Noglu, the New York offshoot of the popular gluten-free Parisian bakery, has quietly opened a restaurant upstairs from its cozy storefront. Like the bakery, the Noglu restaurant, is sans gluten. Both are owned by Frederique Jules, who opened her Paris store in 2012 after she was diagnosed with celiac disease. The restaurant, which opened on Jan. 25, has only 12 seats at six
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Scoop, from page 43 tables, plus six more seats at the counter, and is accessed through the bakery via a winding staircase. The menu from chef Filippo “Giraldini includes – yes- pasta. As an added bonus, it’s run by charming host/ sommelier/novelist Kim Akhtar.
Boston’s MealPass Launches Manhattan Program Scoop notes it’s 7p.m., you log into some 100 “highly curated” Manhattan eateries, from fastfood counters to real restaurants including union Square’s Blue Water Grill and hot new Kat & Theo in the Flatiron District. Each one fea-
tures a photo of the MealPass dish it’s offering the next day. Click on both you choose and the 15-minute time frame say, 1 to 1:15p.m. in which you’ll pick it up. When you arrive the next day, your meal is handed to you, wrapped to go. No money’s exchanged you’ve already paid. On the plus side: Preordering theoretically lets you commit to a lighter, supposedly more healthful dish, such as quinoa salad or a veggie burger, before you’re tempted on-site by fatty beef and pasta. So much for the good news. The claim of ‘less than $5 a day” for lunch is true only if you use MealPass every
day. Skip even a few days and the average price quickly rises to what it would be if you ordered normally. Each restaurant offers only a limited MealPass quantity, and many ran out as early as 7:15 the night before. And, for added agita, you can’t strategize in advance, because between 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m, all choices vanish from the screen with the words, “The kitchen is closed.”
Shake Shack Added Penn Station Mix
To
Scoop hears that Shake Shack is coming to an underground concourse inside Penn Station. The
Vornado Realty Trust-owned retail corridor that includes Kmart is now upping its retail game to provide better stores with nicer storefronts that serve commuters and the neighborhood while dumping the older and schlockier outlets. The 10year lease had an asking rent of $500 per square foot for the 2,489 squarefoot store. Andrew Goldberg, Matt Chmielecki and Preston Cannon of CBRE represented the now public company started by Danny Meyer that serves up burgers fries and beer. Ed Hogan represented Vornado, in-
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Scoop, from page 44 house. The concourse asking rents are still in the $500s per square foot. Vornado has already instituted new design guidelines for its north side of this Penn Station corridor and brought in Magnolia Bakery, Pret A Manger and Duane Reade. Upstairs on the street level, it is also bringing in a better class of tenants and food such as its raved-about Pennsy, as other leases expire.
Chef Bouley Launches Innovative Health Program In Bronx Scoop says David Bouley will host the “Chef & the Doctor” series at his Bouley Botanical event space this spring, billing the dinners as occasions to celebrate food, health and wellness. The meals will pair Bouley’s cuisine with a health-focused lecture from a medical professional, who will also help curate the dinner. For example: Dr. Frank Lipman recently discussed “Busting Common Myths About Food, Health and Aging.” Dr. Lipman’s approach to medicine incorporates everything from nutritional counseling to physical therapy. There was a recent dinner with Dr. Vincent Pedre, also known as the “Happy Gut” doctor.
Donnelly Baking On Broadway for New Show Scoop says Stacy Donnelly keeps “Waitress” star Jessie Mueller rolling in dough. The play, which started previews last month, which requires a lot of it to tell the story of a waitress trying to escape a bad marriage by winning a baking contest. While many of the pies featured in the show are classics, Donnell also created originals that tie into the play thematically, such as the “I Don’t Want Early’s Baby” pie, made with an unappetizing mix of ham, onion, cheese and nutmeg. Producers Barry and Fran Weissler asked Donnelly to teach the actors how to properly roll out a crust. But there’s still some
tinkering to be done in the theatrical kitchen. “We’re working on getting the smell of pie baking into the audience,” says Donnelly, who also runs the Cute as Cake bakery in Hell’s Kitchen. “It’s a little tricky, and I don’t think the Fire Department will allow candles!”
Restaurant Therapy With Greenwich Village Opening Scoop says Sigmund Freud may have been known as the father of psychoanalysis. But the late doctor is now also the inspiration behind a newly opened Austrian restaurant in Greenwich Village. Freud, as the dining spot is simply called, comes courtesy of Michelin-starred chef Eduard Frauneder, who has been behind the East Village tavern Edi & the Wolf and its sister bar the Third Man. With Freud, the chef is emphasizing what’s billed as a “market-driven, seasonal menu,” but one that incorporates such Austrian mainstays as Wiener schnitzel and such American dishes as a cheeseburger (a “Freud Burger,” with farmhouse cheddar, onion jam and crispy fennel). As for drinks, the wine list emphasizes central-European offerings. There’s a cocktail menu, too, highlighted by a drink called the Slip (as in a Freudian one) with vodka. Lime juice, egg whites, simple syrup and orange bitters. That’s the connection between food and drink and the good doctor? Mr. Frauneder said his new spot is intended to leave diners sated on many levels, appealing to mind and body alike. “To me a restaurant is therapeutic,” he said.
iconic landmarked rooms. Last year, knowing they’d be booted, the Four Seasons ownership, Classic Restaurants, trademarked the names of the Pool Room and the Grill Room, where diners have feasted since 1959. Classic is owned by the restaurant’s popular front men Alex von Bidder and Julian Niccolini, along with Edgar and Mathew Bronfman, whose family developed and previously owned the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe-designed tower then dubbed the Seamgram Building. While the “Four Season’s has been trademarked since 1959, Classic has also now registered the four seasonal trees logo and names as a “mark” so it could also be associated with prepared foods, such as Niccolini’s beloved pasta and tomato sauce, as well as cooking gear. In early January, Rosen paid a visit to Von Bidder. “I thought it was pretty innocuous, but then he stated he wanted to use the names ‘the Grill Room; and ‘the Pool room,’ for sure. I said that will be a problem,” Von Bidder recalled. “We sent him a cease and desist letter.” One thing for sure, Rosen said they won’t be using the Four Seasons name. “There is already too much brand confusion,” Rosen said.
Battle Flares Over NYC Four Seasons Trademark Scoop notes that the tensions between the Four Seasons Restaurant and current 375 Park Ave. building owner Aby Rosen and Michael Fuchs’ RFR holdings are percolating over the names of the eatery’s
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The Campbell Apartment
Gerber Inks Pact With MTA To Relaunch Grand Central Campbell Apartment Scoop knows that travelers in the know have long found respite from the bustle of New York’s Grand Central Station in the famed Campbell Apartment. Cloaked in lush red banquettes, gilded draperies, and a stone fireplace, it welcomes visitors with its famous Prohibition Punch after a long day or before their commute home. Behind-the-scenes, though, the cocktail bar has been anything but tranquil lately. In the late 1990s, Mark Grossich spent $2.5 million restoring the one-time pied-a-terre of railroad tycoon John W. Campbell into a bar filled with a glamorous Old World vibe and the means to make a perfect Manhattan. However, Grossich, who had been operating on a month-to-month lease, has lost the space. Grossich has sued New York’s MTA, who runs Grand Central Station, saying he was forced out through “an unfair bidding process,” but reports say he has only “temporarily staved off eviction in
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Scoop, from page 46 Manhattan Supreme Court,” and eventually will have to vacate the bar he made into an iconic spot. The MTA has signed a ten-year lease for the Campbell Apartment with Scott Gerber, who runs The Gerber Group, a hospitality company that owns bars in several hotels, thanks to a partnership with Starwood Hotels and Resorts. The group runs New York outposts like Irvington in The W Union Square, Kingside in the Viceroy Central Park, and Whiskey Blue in the W New York: they, too, know how to make a bar into a phenomenon and plan to apply these talents to their latest acquisition. Gerber said that the spot needs to be updated, and he’ll re-open it as a fresher, better Campbell. Admirers of the cocktail den and its ability to transport patrons to a different era don’t need to worry that the Gerber Group will turn it into a techno-music-blasting nightclub, though. Gerber (whom you may recognize from an episode of CBS’s Undercover Boss) said that he hopes to keep the upscale speakeasy look and feel of its predecessor. “We really want to bring the place back to what we feel it should be,” Gerber said. “It’s such an iconic bar, but we feel it’s been neglected.” They hope to have the revived Campbell Apartment ready to receive visitors in August.
‘City Club Chef Shines At Annual Knickerbocker Event A highlight of the annual Partridge Invitational Club calendar took center stage at the Knickerbocker Club in Manhattan last month. The annual luncheon held overlooking Central Park always provides a look at a history of New York. The highlight was a spectacular four course lunch prepared by one of the nation’s truly gifted club chef’s David Paulstich. Members from all disciplines of the industry including M. Tucker’s Partridge Club president Marc Fuchs of
(L to R) Knickerbocker Club chef David Paulstich welcomed Partridge Club members Larry Cantamessa of PBAC and Mr. and Mrs. Ross Gnesin to the legendary Central Park Club
M. Tucker, Diane Rossi of Pro-Tek , Hyco’s Chris Pace and the DeBragga and Spitler duo of Doug Rodda and Marc Sarrazin enjoyed the visit. The Partridge Club was formed in 1935 at the Victoria Hotel in New York City. The membership was made up of leading purveyors to the hotel, club and restaurant trade. The lunch was a Springtime celebration of the mission of the Partridge Foundation to raise scholarship funds for institutions of higher learning providing training for students pursuing a career in the Hospitality Industry. Partridge Club scholarships have been granted to such noted institutions as the Culinary Institute of America, Johnson and Wales, Cornell University, Paul Smith College and the University of Massachusetts.
BCA’s 12th Annual Food And Wine Experience Takes Center Stage BCAGlobal’s 12th Annual Global Food & Wine Experience took place last month at Espace, in Manhattan. Attendees enjoyed culinary samples paired with wine from select restaurants, winemakers, distributors and outlets from around the world. More than 50 culinary students partnered with premier industry professionals to unveil the
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latest trends in food and wine. BCAGlobal’s continuing mission is “building diversity in the culinary and hospitality industries.” This year’s Vision in Wine Award honoree, Selena Cuffe, is the founder of Heritage Link Brands, the largest importer of wines made by indigenous Africans. Participating restaurants, chefs and personalities include two-time
The BCA event showcased the talents of the next generation of culinary talent
Chopped Food Network Champion Chef Marc Bynum, with Hush Bistro, and New York’s only Black-owned gourmet ice cream cafe, Brooklyn Bell. Harlem was well represented by the famous Make My Cake and the new rum bar Solomon & Kuff and its owner and mixologist Karl Franz. Among the culinary highlights were coconut curry shrimp with pineapple slaw, herbed okra polenta with seared scallops, crispy pork and callaloo, cured egg yolk crème fraiche, buttermilk biscuit with herbed ricotta and crispy chicken skin and oxtail rillettes with habanero mango jam. The BCA is a nationwide nonprofit, educational and networking organization of hospitality and food service professionals. Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 1998, “Our mission is to create exposure and provide
educational and professional opportunities for culinary and hospitality professionals of color,” noted the association’s founder Alex Askew who co-launched the BCA as a CIA undergraduate.
Pierre Pastry Chef Commandeers Special Vanity Plate Someone at the DMV must like the award winning desserts of Michael Mignano. The Executive Pastry Chef for The Pierre, has managed to procure a licensee plate that many pastry toques would yearn for. “It’s what I do and what I love, so it was a natural for me,” Mignanao told TFS. The talented chef, whose personal mission is to transform The Pierre “into New York City’s premier sweet destination,” previously spent eight years at Four Seasons Hotels in New
York leading expert pastry teams, including seven years at the classic Pierre Hotel before it was acquired by Taj Hotels, and has appeared on several award-winning Food Network shows. In his role, at the Pierre, Chef Mignano oversees all pastry and confection creation for the 189-room property, including designing seasonal desserts and high tea specialties as well as inventive treats offered in Two E Bar/Lounge, in-room dining and for all of The Pierre’s celebrated private social events,
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FIORITO ON INSURANCE
Regaining Control of Runaway Benefits Costs How a successful company in the hospitality industry contained benefits spend by creating a culture of consumerism
Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President, HUB International Northeast., where he specializes in providing insurance brokerage services to the restaurant industry. As a 20-year veteran and former restaurateur himself, Bob has worked
D
ue to historically high claims and low employee engagement, a successful company in the hospitality industry (which we will call “Company A” for the purpose of this article) experienced a double-digit increase to their medical premiums. It was imperative that they control costs and transition to a culture of consumerism that would give employees more influence over their benefits choices and spending. They hoped this shift would make them more competitive at recruiting and retaining employees as well. “Company A” employs 3,000 (and provides benefits for 1,500 nonunion workers) across 11 states. It needed assistance after working with large brokerages that didn’t understand their mid-size company needs. The first order of business was to move the company to a self-funded insurance model, which they estimate saved them $1.3 million in the first year. This first change revealed: • the demographics behind the organization’s benefits expenditure
with a wide array of restaurant and
• the medical services most utilized • the medical services that were underutilized • the groups of employees who generated the majority of claims “We came to the conclusion that we had a lot of employees that virtually didn’t touch the plan and a few employees that were really sick. The large claims were really driving the expenses – 90 percent of costs were incurred by five percent of employees,” said their VP of Employee Benefits. “This told us that adding copays and changing employee contributions wasn’t going to do much to change how employees access medical care. We worked on a different approach – to drive employees to make better decisions about the services, providers, and facilities they’re using--leading to quality outcomes--which ultimately would help mitigate some of the costs.” “Company A” switched their medical network saving them an additional $320,000. They rolled out a new high deductible health savings account (HSA) plan. They continued their drive toward consumerism with the rollout of an additional
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HSA plan in 2015. • With about 40% of the deductible contributed by the company, both plans allow employees to accrue funds for their health care expenses and become more conscientious consumers of their own health care. • Initial cost containment strategies saved “Company A” over $1.6 million within the first two plan years. • Enrollment in the consumerdirected health plan (CDHP) increased to 67% with the addition of the HSA offerings. • Employee contributions were eventually cut by 20% and out-ofpocket limits were reduced, making the company’s benefits more competitive and further solidifying employee engagement. Just about every plan change has been received very well. The employees have been appreciative that contributions have not increased since 2011. Response to the other initiatives has been positive as well. The multi-year plan framework shouldn’t be underestimated in achieving cost containment and employee engagement success. Ad-
food service businesses, ranging from fast-food chains to upscale, “white tablecloth” dining establishments. For more information, please visit www.hubfiorito.com. For more i nformation on HUB’s Employee Benefits practice, please visit www.hubemployeebenefits.com
ditionally, the newfound focus on consumerism led “Company A” to the integration of multiple employee benefits and cost containment strategies that have successfully driven employee engagement over time. Due to the convergence of rising health care costs, employee needs, and health care reform compliance, the story of “Company A” is significant, but unfortunately, not unique. Restaurant and food service companies such as this and yours should proactively work with their broker and look into their employee benefits package to focus more on consumerism, drive down costs and increase employee engagement.
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NEWS
NRA PREVIEW
Fools Gold NYC’s Friedlander Set To Vie For Top NRA Star Of The Bar Title In Windy City
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ix regional winners including New Yorker Matt Friedlander for Manhattan’s Fools Gold are set to battle for top national honors later this month in Chicago. The annual National Restaurant Association competition pits the six regional finalists of the 2016 Regional Star of the Bar Market Challenge against each other in a battle for top national honors. The upcoming Star of the Bar Finals at BAR (Beverage Alcohol for Restaurants) as part of the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show®. Taking place at Chicago’s McCormick Place on Sunday, May 22, the Finals will be emceed by Spike TV’s Bar Rescue Host and Executive Producer Jon Taffer, with a panel of judges selecting the overall winner of the annual mixology competition. This national cocktail competition invites six finalists from leading culinary cities - including Chicago, San Diego, Boston, Charleston, New York City, and San Francisco - to mix up the most innovative cocktail creation using Jägermeister, exclusively imported and distributed in the U.S. by Star of the Bar sponsor Sidney Frank Importing Company. Finalists from each market are flown to Chicago to face off in a live event
New York Finalist Matt Friedlander of Fools Gold NYC will look to bring top honors back to the Big Apple with his “Any Which Way But Left,” blending Jägermeister with aperol, amaro, molé bitters, and a grapefruit peel garnish. on the 2016 NRA Show floor for a chance to win the coveted Star of the Bar title and $5,000 grand prize. The annual Star of the Bar regional competition series kicked off in Chicago on February 29 at Gallery at GreenRiver, with regional competitions concluding in April at Twenty Five Lusk in San Francisco. The complete list of regional finalists competing for the overall Star of the Bar title at the NRA Show this May include Chicago Finalist: Carlos Cuarta of 90 Miles Cuban Café His Winning cocktail: “Curt’s Summer Dram,” a complex cocktail created with Jägermeister, rum, passion fruit, lemon juice, and bitters. Brian Prugalidad is the San Diego Finalist. His Bracero Cocina regional winner was “Finishing Move: Serious, Serious Punch,” a complex cocktail using pineapple, pisco, bitters, and cinnamon bark syrup
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to complement the Jägermeister. Tenzin Samdo of Trade-Boston will feature his “56 Secret Admirers,” a mix of Jägermeister, mezcal, ginger beer, bitters, and candied ginger. Charleston Finalist: Teddy Nixon of Bar Mash will compete with his “Day Tripper,” a tropical blend of toasted coconut pineapple rum, pineapple juice, lime, orgeat, peychaud bitters, and absinthe along with Jägermeister Baron Stelling of Paragary’s Midtown and The Shady Lady Saloon in San Francisco will present: “The Stag Savior,” blending Jägermeister with gin, lime juice, grenadine, and apricot liquor, topped with dashes of bitters and absinthe. New York Finalist Matt Friedlander of Fools Gold NYC will look to bring top honors back to the Big Apple with his “Any Which Way But Left,” blending Jägermeister with aperol, amaro, molé bitters, and a
grapefruit peel garnish. Friedlander’s Fools Gold is a craft beer and American whiskey bar. It’s cloaked in a vintage-y, industrial decor with a custom-designed temperature-controlled tap system that rotates 30+ local and international craft beers (as well as select wines, whiskies and cocktails) on a daily basis and offers a selection of 80+ American whiskies. Its kitchen operates late into the night and serves a variety of delicious house-made bites and specials (check out the daily $1 oyster happy hour) as well as a kickin’, alcohol and comfort food-fueled Brunch on weekends. Weekly beer events with domestic breweries and whiskey tastings offer the public a unique chance to nerd out tete-atete with proprietors Patrick Donagher of Beerly Legal Group and Rob Morton of Distillery about brewing and distilling intricacies. Absinthe-fireshot-blowing Friedlander has built a reputation by satisfying the most fanciful and obscure craft cocktail requests. In addition, the bar boasts 7 wall-suspended wide-screen televisions to satisfy the various sporting interests of long-term New Yorkers as well as those new transplants looking to support their home team while enjoying a quality brew.
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NEWS FURNITURE Party Rental LTD. Brings Four Decades Of Customer Satisfaction To New Furniture Launch
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hat does it take to mold a business from a six-car garage right behind a New Jersey liquor store into the nation’s leading party goods and special events rental firm? The success that Party Rental enjoys today is a direct result of the vision of Michael Halpern and his wife Sunny. From the garage in 1972 to a 10,000 square-foot location a year later, and now some 400,000 square feet of warehouse space, the Party Rental Ltd. story reads like a great movie script. Pretty hard to imagine that a business of this size grew from liquor store customers of Oprandy’s
We are designed to be an outsourced partner to all of our customers. And as such, we need to supply them with what they need,” Gottlich noted. Liquor Store in Englewood, N.J. Oprandy’s rented tables, chairs and glasses as a service to its customers who were coming to buy beer, wine and liquor for their home parties. The original inventory consisted of 100 wooden chairs, one style of china, 50 tables and a few assorted odds and ends. Michael and Sunny
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Halperin acquired the rental business from Oprandy’s in April 1972. “When they acquired the business, they stopped focusing on the local New Jersey pick-up business that the company was founded on and expanded their focus to reach over the bridge into New York City,” says Alan Gottlich, the firm’s Execu-
tive Vice President. “Very early on, they knew that to make a difference, they were going to need to be a trend-setter in the industry.” “Michael Halpern was the visionary and Sunny Halperin had the business savvy to execute his vision,” Gottlich added. “In those days, most caterers carried hotel quality china, and plain white linens. There was, believe it or not, no such thing as a round linen. Everything was in squares, which were used as overlays. As Michael partnered with the caterers, he quickly understood -- obviously through
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RESTAURANT RENAISSANCE
WITH FAITH HOPE CONSOLO
Food on the Forefront: A New Brooklyn Navy Yard
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he Brooklyn Navy Yard is the massive industrial park created in what was once a thriving naval base comprised of 300-acres across Brooklyn’s waterfront. The Navy Yard included a hospital and once employed 70,000 people. The federal government closed the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1966, but private shipbuilding continued until 1979. New York City bought the 300-acre site after the Navy Yard closed, but did nothing with it for 20 years and it fell into ruin. Between 1966 and 1996, New York City only invested $3 million into the Navy Yard. In the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, the City began to take interest again, and from that moment on, $250 million has been invested from public/city funds and $750 million in private funds. Just like the rest of Brooklyn, the transformation is underway. Opening in June 2016, Building 128 is the new 84,000 square foot facility where the American shipbuilding location once was and is hi-tech with the creation of New Lab “New Lab is a community of hardwarecentric designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs leveraging advanced technologies to create meaningful new products. We offer a place and platform for inciting new paradigms
Faith Hope Consolo is the Chairman of Douglas Elliman’s Retail Group. Ms. Consolo is responsible for the
in manufacturing and seek to nurture companies who are pushing boundaries and developing the next evolution of responsible enterprises. We are home to a group of innovators in robotics, nanotechnology, material science, biology, industrial design, and physical computing working together to rethink, redesign, and unleash products that enrich our lives.” New Lab is home to 50 companies, set to open its doors in Spring 2016, featuring private studios & co-working, lounges & open spaces, prototyping shops, event space, meeting rooms and cafes; all in open natural lighting. Building 77 will take up more than 1 million square feet of space, and is slated to be unveiled in 2017. Office and shared work spaces, private event spaces, and a massive groundfloor food hall that will be anchored by the first Brooklyn outpost of Russ & Daughters the legendary familyrun Lower East Side store taking 14,000 square feet. R & D will move its bakery and food production operations from Bushwick to the Navy Yard. The new space will also provide shipping and catering services and a restaurant serving breakfast and lunch. Workers and visitors will be able to watch Russ & Daughters’ manufacturing facilities through
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glass walls – a concept that will be used by many tenants of the food hall. This all falls under the concept of making shopping and dining an “event” or “entertainment” center and the Brooklyn Navy Yard is all about that. The top two floors will be known as The Beacon, offering unobstructed views of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, 140,000 square feet of commercial space, and 11 foot ceilings. Building 77 will also feature 16,000 square feet of usable rooftop space and eight 1,200-square-foot private terraces. Among the new Navy Yard’s list of amenities is a free shuttle service with Wi-Fi, seven additional Citi Bike stations, and 1,600 parking spaces. The Navy Yard’s two-loop shuttle service will run every 10 minutes and connect to 13 nearby subway lines and will bring workers not just to local subway stations but also to the LIRR. Other massive projects include the Green Manufacturing Center, Dock 72, Steiner Studios and Admiral’s Row. Wegmans, the beloved grocery store chain, has won out over three other proposals to replace part of Admiral’s Row meeting the neighborhood’s need for affordable food shopping and the chain’s
most successful commercial division of New York City’s largest residential real estate brokerage firm. Email her at fconsolo@elliman.com
promise to bringing 200 full-time jobs and 600 total jobs to the area, more than twice that of any other proposal. The store will be developed by Steiner NYC, and is expected to open in 2017. It will be New York City’s first Wegmans and, at 74,000 square feet, it will be larger than both the Red Hook Fairway and the Gowanus Whole Foods. The Mast Brothers Chocolatiers are building a new factory and “chocolate brewery” at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Michael and Rick Mast are taking over a 65,000-square-foot space to be their headquarters and production facility. They will double their existing workforce. Also coming to the Yard; Brooklyn Roasting Company, and Kings County Distillery. With such expansion, this area is on track to become not only a technology incubator but a foodie’s paradise! Happy Dining!
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 59
NEWS
NEW OPENINGS
Highly Anticipated Eatery From Danish Culinary Icon Opens In NYC
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gern, translating to ‘acorn’ in Danish, a seasonally driven restaurant and bar with Nordic roots from Claus Meyer and acclaimed Icelandic Chef Gunnar Gíslason (best known for his critically lauded restaurant, Dill, in Reykjavík), opened last month in New York City’s historic Grand Central Terminal. Perfectly timed with the New York debut of Kid’s Table, Meyer’s now global initiative that introduces children to the world of fine dining, the first meals served at Agern were offered exclusively to participating children. “We see Agern as a culinary immigration story, where we bring flavors and ideas from our home countries to New York, but with the intention to celebrate the place where we are. Food matters beyond pleasure, and we are extremely curious to explore the landscapes that surround us while building new relationships with farmers, foragers and food producers here,” says Claus Meyer, co-founder of restaurant noma and the man who ideated the New Nordic Cuisine. “It took us nearly five years to understand that the word “Nordic” is not fundamental to the New Nordic Cuisine, and that those philosophies have a concept of time and place at their core.”
We bring our inclusive and unpretentious approach to food from the kitchen into our dining room. Agern will be a calm and welcoming setting in the heart of the bustling Terminal,” says General Manager Katie Bell (formerly of Blue Hill New York and Per Se). At Agern, Gíslason and the team, including Chef de Cuisine Joseph Yardley (formerly of Acme) will work with the New York region’s distinctive and best available produce, collaborating closely with artisan farmers and suppliers to develop the seasonally rotating menu. “Our menu places an emphasis on the virtues of the plant kingdom,” says Gíslason. “Later this spring we will launch our own artisanal butchery, providing great meat, fish and shellfish dishes, while keeping true to our goal of exposing humble produce, such as potatoes, parsnips and beets, to time-honored techniques that unlock their flavor potential. We want to elevate these simple and underemphasized ingredients by treating them as diligently as the culinary world does with foie
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gras and lobster.” Opening for dinner service first, Agern offered two tasting menus at lunch and dinner, one of which was vegetable only. In addition to the tasting menus, a selection of a la carte dishes were available in the main dining room, at the bar, or the chef’s counter, which sits central to the dining room. The opening menu features an assortment of snacks and small plates such as potato bread, lovage and skyr; split pea tofu; mackerel, dashi, horseradish and celtuse; cod, fennel and nasturtium; beef heart, salsify, young cress and sumac; and salt and söl baked beetroot, crème fraîche, horseradish, and huckleberries. Bigger plates include lamb, roasted and braised with sunchokes, dill, and buttermilk; roasted
duck breast, arctic thyme honey, rutabaga and herb duck-jus. The dessert menu includes a parsley root mousse with parsley sorbet and a frozen pine soufflé with skyr granite and pine nut crumble from the hands of Rebecca Eichenbaum (formerly of Wassail). Breakfast, which will be offered in the coming weeks, includes a section dedicated to eggs, grilled breads and porridges, such as sweet barley porridge with pear, quince, cream and roasted almond; and an array of dairy dishes such as Danishstyle ymer with green gooseberries and granola and fresh house-made juices, like beets, horseradish, lingonberry; and kale, apple and pine. Freshly baked breads will be made in house daily for Agern by Meyers USA Head Baker Rhonda Crosson (formerly of Bouchon Bakery). The Beverage Program Aligned with Agern’s culinary philosophies, the restaurant’s beverage program highlights American wine, beer and spirits, with an emphasis on sustainable and low-intervention producers, with offerings, including coffee beans, rotating seasonally. Meyers USA Beverage Manager Jonas Andersen (formerly of Gustu, La Paz, Bolivia) and Agern Sommelier Chad Walsh (formerly of The
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NEWS
FOOD SAFETY
A Bit of London in the Nation’s Capital: Duke’s Grocery
I
n a city with a large population, hoards of tourists and politicos, plus a bevy of restaurants, it’s not easy for a restaurant to stand out. But Duke’s Grocery is doing just that. A week doesn’t go by without a stellar review or press mention of Duke’s Grocery. Best Bites describes Duke’s Grocery as the best restaurant for brunch in Dupont Circle. “This brick-walled, Brit-inspired East Dupont destination for oversized sandwiches and strong cocktails draws daytime diners with a chalkboard brunch menu. Our favorite hangover cure: the English brekkie, a strapping plate that includes bacon, braised mushrooms, runny eggs, toast, and roasted tomato.” What is Duke’s Grocery doing to garner rabid fans and earned media? Easy Ice sat down with owner Daniel Kramer to learn how this casual neighborhood joint has positioned itself as one of DC’s go-to restaurants. Easy Ice: Congratulations on your success, Daniel! I read you take your inspiration from East London “greasy spoons”. How did you come up with the concept for Duke’s Grocery? Daniel: Duke’s Grocery is inspired by a very unique part of London, historically an affordable (by London standards) working-class part of town with tons of creatives and immigrants. The community is an eclectic mix of artists, immigrants and blue collar folks. You’ll find a curry shop next door to a gritty pub, an Asian restaurant with a diner down the street. There’s an edgy, avant-garde feel that I wanted to bring back to DC. We love this juxtaposition of cuisines, food and ingredients from
around the world. Easy Ice: Tell me more about your unique brunch offerings. Daniel: Brunch is a big deal in Washington DC and every restaurant has it’s own take on brunch, which is our most heavily British service. We offer bangers, black pudding, white pudding, haggis and rashers. Customers love our outdoor patio. We’re on the sunny side of the street and have 5 large communal patio tables made from beautiful reclaimed wood. Add bottomless mimosas and bloody Mary’s, and you’ve got a really fun atmosphere! Easy Ice: Sounds like a great place to chill. But I have to ask for a description of your menu items as I’m not familiar with some of these. Daniel: Black pudding is blood sausage and very popular. White pudding
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is scrapple in the traditional English preparation. Rashers is English-style back bacon, a kidney shaped piece of pork with a thin strip of fat around the edge. Unlike American bacon, rashers are not processed meat. Customers love it! Easy Ice: Very cool! You’ve garnered a lot of positive press including being named Best Burger in DC by Zagat and Thrillist. Daniel: Our burgers are our bestsellers as we have them on every one of our menus; brunch, lunch, dinner and late night. Burgers are of course a very American dish and they’re huge in London right now too. We’re big into seasonal and fresh ingredients, which are reflected in all of our menu items, including our burgers. Our commitment to seasonal ingredients means we always have something new on the menu. Our focus is intensely on quality and consistency. Easy Ice: That’s really smart. Consumers crave the freshest ingredients. Another menu item that’s getting a lot of press is your take on a classic Cubano. Tell me about it. Daniel: Our Cubano is a more substantial spin on the traditional preparation. In addition to ham, we’ve added fried chicken and avocado.
Easy Ice: Wow, that sounds delish! As a neighborhood joint, who’s your clientele? Daniel: We get everybody; locals, regulars and tourists. We’re familyfriendly plus we have a late night service, with our kitchen serving until 1am Wednesdays – Saturday. Happy hour is hopping too. We have cocktail, craft beer and wine specials from Noon – 7pm on weekdays. Easy Ice: It’s no wonder Duke’s Grocery is a success! As a noteworthy and successful restaurateur, what advice would you give to up and coming restaurant owners? Daniel: A couple of things are critical. First, don’t skimp on your equipment. You must have reliable cooking, refrigeration and ice making units. I chose Easy Ice over buying an ice machine for those “just in case” scenarios. You don’t want your ice maker going down during a busy service. Easy Ice’s program is simple. I’ve had to use their Breakdown Ice benefit once or twice and it went really smoothly. Another tip is to establish strong relationships with your landlord and your neighbors. That’s simply the right way to operate. We’re excited to be opening another location soon - Duke’s Counter, across the street from the National Zoo. Duke’s Grocery is open for brunch, lunch, dinner, happy hour and late night dining. Reservations accepted for parties of 6 or more. For more information, please visit: http://dukesgrocery.com. For more details about how ice machines work, please visit www.easyice.com.
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 65
LITTLE M. TUCKER
WITH MORGAN TUCKER
“You cannot understand the otherness of places you have not encountered.” ~ Travel author Andrew Solomon
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uthentic Creole flavors smoked through flawless blue skies as intoxicating jazz accompanied us on our culinary journey of New Orleans. Any exhaustion we had from karaoke at The World Famous Cats Meow just a few hours earlier was quickly forgotten once we arrived at FoodFest. After devouring crawfish and catfish in multiple preparations, and reticently tasting alligator, we sucked down oysters and savored beignets. By late afternoon our foodie crew was in a food coma, toasted from the sun and oversized
bloody marys. All the nostalgic stories I had heard of NOLA had come to life. The day couldn’t get any better. And then we had family dinner at Mopho, where proud local Michael Gulotta elevates indigenous flavor to insurmountable heights. A dear friend of Steelite, this Best New Chef presents approachable cuisine bursting with flavor on quality English dinnerware. The restaurant is welcoming, the concept is ingenious, and the meal is worth more than its own column in TFS! Before leaving town, I joined col-
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leagues at Shaya for even more gastronomic genius. I had met Chef Alon a few months earlier at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, unaware of his resume or influence in the culinary community. His tranquil courtyard instantly transports you to Israel and his cuisine bursts with authenticity and history on Dudson Evolution dinnerware. An unspoken rule amongst New Yorkers is that you cannot call yourself a local until you have lived here for a decade. Looking down the barrel of my tenth year in the city has certainly triggered the consideration that I may in fact not be a true evangelist of the big apple. I am completely satisfied with that. We must loosen our grip on the places we come from in order to find the places we are going. Don’t get me wrong, my confidence often stems from knowing that once “I’ve made it here, I can make it anywhere.” And returning to NYC for a few days to take a meeting at Per Se or dine at the Ai Fiori bar before Chef PJ
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.
Calapa departs the celebrated property still feels more like home than seat 4F or Room 502. However, having the big apple as my hometown also fuels my passion to make it everywhere else. I spent the latter part of the month in Miami, focusing on building our Miramar office’s distribution business and celebrating the latest class
of Star Chef’s Rising Stars. Many would already consider Chef Brad Kilgore a superstar because dining at Alter makes you excited about the future of food. His small garden adjacent to the space is a work in progress, his presentation is award winning, and his pastry chef wife Soraya inspires and compliments his cuisine. In between sales calls and Wynwood Wall’s selfies, I also toured Front of the House’s impressive new showroom in South Florida’s up and coming MiMo district. In just fifteen years, these entrepreneurial designers have turned their company into an industry leader. Our strongest porcelain partner is ready to make
a big statement at NRA. Will I see you in Chicago in a few weeks to admire amazing new lines from FOH and Steelite and enjoy food from the latest rising stars? Don’t drag your feet. As the late, great Merle Haggard said, “by the time you get close to the answers, it’s nearly all over.”
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 67
RESTAURANT STAFF MANAGEMENT
WITH LEEANNE HOMSEY
Training Great Work Ethic To Millennials Fast
F
irst, may I suggest that you try understanding that millennials have no concept of what we know as great work ethic. The work ethic and values that we grew up with are so far removed from their possibility of consciousness that if you try to address it you will probably only drive yourself crazy. Because we grew up with at least one parent who worked tirelessly on the land or loyally for one company from early in the morning until late at night for years, that is our experience of hard work and a great work ethic. “Nose to the grind-stone” and “up-hill both ways in the snow” are phrases that we regularly heard and had a crisp mental image of. Mothers who shaped our reality and values would regularly remind us of how hard our fathers worked for us each and every day, how hard he worked for each of our toys and for every meal on the table every night. Well, fast forward twenty years and twenty million divorces later and no one is home developing their children’s respect for authority or at home putting the fear of god into the ones who don’t take care of their belongings. No one ever hears, “Wait until your father gets home!” because let’s face it no one is home. Most of America is now a two household or two income family trying to make ends meet, in competition with the Jones’s or their ex to try to
If millennials are raised only to think about themselves then why not train from the, “What’s in it for me?” point of view. make time with them more pleasant for their children than their time with their ex. Add to that the millennial’s exposure to job insecurity, massive social media over-night successes and you have yourself a recipe for a bad hire every time you need to fill your less than glamorous position. Because any which way you slice it, millennials are not being raised to think like we think so here is how to outsmart them: If millennials are raised only to think about themselves then why not train from the, “What’s in it for me?” point of view. What is in it for them if they… come to work dressed and ready, what is in it for them if they “get off script” and actually engage with customers. What’s in it for them when they discover why a customer chose to come to your restaurant today. How they benefit personally when they can ask customers if they had ever been to the restaurant before, what their favorite dish or table is and how these conversations benefit them per-
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sonally, NOT the restaurant. When millennials hear that they could be building a huge list of fans now for use later, that is a language they understand. When they hear that fans are “psychologically willing to wait longer and complain less” this is a concept any waiter of any age will appreciate. If you keep more of your training / coaching emphasis on your employee’s personal benefits and less on the prospect of more money, you will win the trust, respect and hard work of even the youngest and “greenest” of your employees. When they believe that you have “their back” in the big picture and not just that of the business you will start to see great employee work ethic and less employee turnover. Every employee knows that when you say more sales = bigger tips your goal is more profits for the business and they might be 100% on-board with using their sweat equity for your gain but tell them that the customers are coming one way or the other it doesn’t matter to you either way and that you have ways to turn
LeeAnne Homsey is a monthly contributor to Total Food Service Magazine and offers a one thousand dollar discount to subscribers for her “Hospitality Tips For Bigger Thanks” 16 step customer engagement training course. Call to train your staff “engagement selling” and stop your employee turnover.
each customer into their own personal fan who will gladly wait longer for food, leave great tips and glowing reviews, bring Christmas cards filled with cash, give them more time, energy and community than they could ever imagine… these are the things millennials are inspired by and will happily work for. Otherwise you are “working up-hill both ways in the snow” trying to train something that is actually imperceptible to an entire generation of employees that you actually need. For more training ideas, call 1-646462-0384
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 69
RESTAURANT OPERATIONS
WITH KEVIN PAIDER
Food Service Software Saving Time and Money
T
he challenges of running any type of food service operation are numerous and can be complex in nature. Owners, operators, managers, and employees all are looking for ways to make their jobs easier and the world of technology is ready to assist. The solution must address some very basic needs. It must be convenient and easy to use, it needs to help increase productivity, and it needs to help control costs and save money. There are a large number of software products available to help food service operations. Each operation must assess their situation and look at options that will cover both the range of its needs and the depth of detail to positively impact its productivity. To choose the right software product you should evaluate the following categories. Cost Savings - Let’s face it, everyone knows that the bottom line matters. With the costs of running a business always on the rise any type of program that will save money can help make a difference. • Food Costing Programs are a core need. They compute what your food cost is and break down the information that is part of that calculation. This makes it much easier to look at actual costs compared to theoretical costs and focus on the gaps to improve your margins. • Purchase History Tracking is
Each operation must assess their situation and look at options that will cover both the range of its needs and the depth of detail to positively impact its productivity. Kevin Paider has over 25 years of
another important feature. Knowing how you spend your money is the number one way to control your checkbook. Using a software program to monitor your purchases can show you price comparisons and trends. • Bid Comparisons is a feature that can help make informed shopping decisions. This will import the price list from competitors and recommend which vendor to buy from.
individual, by department, or for the overall operation. Extra value comes with a comparison between hours scheduled and actual hours. • Scheduling programs are the fundamental base of managing labor costs. It is improbable to hit labor goals without properly forecasting a proper schedule. Various scheduling programs create templates that can be used on a regular basis or for special occasions.
Efficiency - Everyone is looking for assistance to decrease redundancies, save time and increase the productivity of the operation. • Inventory Tracking is an important feature to help save you time. Efficiencies come from creating inventory count systems that are placed in a walking order. This savings of time can then be multiplied with each inventory event. • Labor Management programs provide the opportunity to closely monitor the hours being spent to perform various jobs. This can provide a detailed breakdown by
Communication - People want to implement software systems that share information. Using different software products may provide the best way to meet your needs by mixing and matching the various functionalities. • Sales Interfaces integrate Point of Sale system information into other programs. This will show a depletion of inventory and assist in purchasing recommendations. • Accounting Software programs are utilized in many companies. Having a program with the ability to import your invoices will save
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management experience in the food service industry. He has trained implementation and use of POS and back office software programs, and has opened restaurants as both a manager and trainer. Kevin is currently a Training Manager with ChefTec specializing in on-site trainings, food cost and food safety presentations.
you time. Additionally most software programs that interface with accounting software have the ability to set up accounts with the same naming conventions. • Payroll Integration is another feature that can assist an organization to transfer information from one software system to another. These types of programs allow your labor management software to communicate directly with your payroll software system. Menu Analysis & ProductionThere is a growing need to better
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PEST ELIMINATION
Dining with Danger What Health Risks Do Pests Pose to You, Your Staff, and Your Guests?
T
he Danger One of the greatest fears on the mind of every restaurant is that one of our guests could get sick from food that we served. This is why proper food handling procedures, sanitation, temperature, etc. are so vitally important to our day to day operations. But health risks are also why excellent pest elimination practices are absolutely essential in our restaurants. Even the most cursory examination of the topic of pests will
reveal that these creatures can be vectors of disease, and while this year everyone will be thinking about mosquitoes and the Zika virus, (and rightfully so), there already exists the potential for serious human health risks in the pests that are currently surrounding your restaurant. Here are a few to be aware of: Roaches Few creatures make us recoil as much as the cockroach, whether it’s German, Oriental, American, or any
of the other 3,500 species that inhabit earth. But more than their physical appearance, we must be aware of the grave health risks cockroaches pose to our diners and staff should they enter our food service establishment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed over 40 different pathogens that cockroaches carry that are transferrable to human beings. These include bubonic plague, infectious hepatitis, leprosy, pneumonia, polio, salmonella, and typhoid fever just to name a few. They are also responsible for food poisoning, nematode worms and internal parasites. Furthermore, their dander has been linked to both allergies and asthma. Cockroaches have the capability to live almost anywhere, including our kitchens, our deliveries, our storage areas, even our dining rooms. Their capacity to infect our staff and customers cannot be overstated. Rodents When we think about diseases carried by rodents, many of us think only of the black plague of medieval history. The reality is that the common mouse and the Norway rat pose a number of serious health risks to patrons and employees of our restaurants. Rodent expert Robert Corrigan lists nearly twenty contagious diseases carried by mice and rats. A few of these include food poisoning, Hantavirus, Lyme disease, Trichinosis, Rickettsial pox, rabies, and Weil’s
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Dr. Joel R. Grassi is an Accounts Manager at BHB Pest Elimination. He is certified Bed Bug Specialist and a NYS licensed applicator. If you would like him to provide you with a complimentary assessment of your restaurant as it relates to pest management, please contact him at 212-242-3383 or joel@bhbpest.com
disease, among others. The word “rodent” is from the Latin verb meaning “to gnaw,” and that’s exactly what rodents do, constantly gnawing their way into your establishment and seeking to spoil your products. And as they find their way into your restaurant they leave behind droppings, urine, and sebum (the oil from their hair), all of which can contaminate the food that you are about to set before your guests. As bad as a rodent or roach sighting in our restaurant is, even worse would be a health incident where a guest is sickened because of pests. Understanding the seriousness of pests is the first step in avoiding these health dangers. In part two we will look at the health risks caused by stored product pests and flies, and we will discuss ways to protect ourselves and our guests.
May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 73
EYE
METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
J. Kings Focus on $15 Food & Wine Spectacular
J
ohn King had patiently waited to share his East End Grapes and Greens Distribution Center with the Metro New York Food Service community. The award-winning distributor finally took the wraps off the company’s Calverton, Long Island facility. “We are so very proud of what this represents,” King noted at last month’s annual J. King Spring show. In 2012, J. Kings took over a former plumbing supply facility in Baiting Hollow/Calverton on Long Island’s East End and converted the facility into a center of cooling and packaging vegetables, storing wine and distributing the many diversified products of Long Island’s farmers. The event gave the Hamptons/ Montauk community their very own show in preparation of the upcoming summer season. In addition a number of Long Island and New York City operators made the trek in search of those game changing signature menu items that keep customers coming back. Among the highlights were a booth dedicated to Acai Bowls that are hot as consumers seek healthier options. There was also a vast array of “local to table” options including fresh duck from Crescent Ducks’ Doug Corwin and the latest harvest from the highly acclaimed Satur Farms. Whereas the industry has
recently latched onto the concept of local/farm to table, it has been a way of life for the Holtsville, NY based distributor for some 40 plus years. EYE loved visiting with J. Kings always energetic corporate chef Chris Neary and Kraft Henz’s Do-
reen MacKenzie. EYE spotted Zorn’s Kathryn Onorata and Merrill Zorn, Tim Diasio of Hormel, Island Oasis Michael Orfinger, Larry Topal of Nestle Professional, Admirations’ Yvette Martin and Matt Lucchetti of Bake ‘n Joy. The show’s theme of “15” was
spot on as the industry scrambles to find solutions to the newly mandated New York State minimum wage of $15 per hour. Among the J.Kings tips for show guests were the best “15” wines to put on a menu as well as the 15 top bar snacks, noodle bowls and of course craft beers.
The visionary John King (L) welcomed guests including new restaurateur Andrew Gettis
North Shore University Hospital of Manhassetts’ nutrition team was well represented by (L to R) Valery Kalllen, Kathleen Carozza, Carol Vonpernian, and Alexandra Bukosik
The show enabled manufacturers including Kettle Cuisine’s Alice Cummings to display their latest menu solutions to J. Kings vast customer base
The Rinx team came to the show looking for new menu ideas to feed everybody from current NHL Islanders to hockey and figure skating beginners
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 75
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76 • May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
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May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 77
RESTAURANT EXPERT
WITH DAVID SCOTT PETERS
Stop the Bleeding Now For decades restaurants have been run with one key number in mind to ensure they have a chance of making money. That key number is called prime cost.
W
hat is prime cost? Prime cost is the grand total of your total cost of goods sold, which includes both food cost and liquor (also known as pour cost), and total labor cost. In order to have an accurate prime cost number, you must be on an accrual accounting system (sign up for a consultation, and I’ll cover accrual accounting with you). To calculate your actual cost of goods sold accurately, you start with your beginning inventory, add to it your total purchase for that period (in this example, let’s say one month), then subtract your ending inventory. This sum product of this calculation will give you your total cost of goods sold (the total of all product you physically used or left your shelves during that month). You can quickly see that if you don’t follow this formula and show your total purchases as your cost of goods sold that you will NEVER have an accurate number to evaluate your business… and that’s how many businesses go wrong fast. Now, while total labor cost sounds simple, and it really is, many restaurants still calculate this number wrong. Total labor cost includes not only the total wages your em-
ployees have earned for that period (again for this example we will use a month), and this is where most restaurants stop, but it also includes total taxes, benefits and any insurances paid (workers’ compensation and health insurance). What is the ideal prime cost? While I am not a trained economist, I am not a certified public accountant and I am not a statistician, what I am is a restaurant expert who works with more than a hundred restaurant owners in all of North America on a daily basis. And what I can tell you is that if your restaurant is doing at least $800,000 or more a year that the prime cost target is 55 percent. The margins are just too tight to go any higher. How to get to 55 percent I know what you are thinking: “NO WAY! There is just no way I can achieve that target prime cost and still have anybody on the floor to serve the guests or in the kitchen cooking food, or without reducing the quality of the product I serve.” The reality is there is a way, and I have members achieving it over and over again. Prime cost is something I come back to again and again because it’s
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the magic number. It’s a core component of my teaching. But for the purposes of this blog post, let’s look at some sample labor strategies and systems you can use to get you closer to 55 percent. • Budget Labor: Use our labor allotment system; members have seen a minimum reduction in labor cost of at least 1 percent and many as high as 10 percent. It’s much easier to hit a target when you have one, and it’s that much easier when you’ve spelled out for your managers how much money they have to spend, how many FTEs (full-time equivalents) and how many hours they have to schedule each and every schedule in order to stay within your budgeted targets. • Tracking: Track labor on a daily basis enables management to make small changes on a daily basis to stay on budget. • Training: Implement a training system (we offer one for full-service and one for quick-service as well as for management training) to reduce labor costs due to lower turnover and increased sales due to happy guests. While the list goes on, these are actionable systems you can implement today and will be on your way to a 55 percent prime cost. What is
David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, speaker, coach and trainer for independent restaurant owners. He 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.
really incredible is they work for any restaurant, no matter what kind of service or food you serve. No matter what path you choose… TAKE ACTION! And get your prime cost to 55 percent.
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FOOD SAFETY
WITH NOELLE IFSHIN
Where Oh Where Has My Margin Gone? The Changing Labor Environment and How It Affects Restaurants
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eople outside the restaurant industry are often surprised by how small restaurant profit margins actually are. To say margins are razor-thin would be an understatement, as the average profit margin of a restaurant is 3-5% of total revenue. Labor expenses are a restaurant’s largest expense and the external forces on labor are keeping many restaurateurs up at night. Labor-related issues will be the biggest challenges facing the restaurant industry will need to rethink their business models to handle the changes that are coming. Here are four items that we are advising our clients to watch carefully: Tightening of the Job Market Finding top talent is becoming increasingly difficult for restaurant operators. With the improved economy, the growth of the restaurant industry and the continued low labor participation rate, finding quality staff is challenging. According to federal data, the restaurant industry alone added 40,000 jobs, or 16% of all workers to the US economy in February 2016. With increased competition for talent, the cost of recruiting and hiring new employees has become more and more expensive. Moving forward, employee retention will be a cost saving impera-
Noelle Ifshin has over 20 years of experience in the restaurant and
tive and restaurants must work to slow the revolving door of employee turnover. Conversely, working short staffed has its own costs associated with overtime pay, poor product quality and customer service. Higher minimum wages – Minimum wage increases disproportionately affect restaurants as the foodservice industry employs close to half of all the people in minimum wage jobs. It is therefore no wonder that operators are worried about where the minimum wage issue is going. Many states and municipalities – such as California, Seattle and most recently New York City and New York State – have passed accelerated, higher minimum wage laws that are forcing operators to rethink their labor and compensation models. New regulations governing hourly employees – Paid sick leave, spread-of-hours rules and healthcare insurance are additional changes to the landscape that operators must prepare for now and in the near future. Ensure that you are fully versed in all the laws and regulations that affect your restaurant, so you can in 2016 and beyond. Restaurants plan for any economic impact of these in advance. If you need help in understanding these very important rules, get it. Not planning
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can put your restaurant at risk for a lawsuit. Changes to the federal overtime laws – The U.S. Department of Labor is working towards changes in defining who is an “exempt” vs. “non-exempt” employee. This will have a major impact throughout the restaurant industry. Traditionally, salaried employees - such as restaurant and bar managers, chefs and sous chefs - perform manual tasks throughout their day while managing their staff. New regulations may re-categorize these positions as ”non-exempt “based on the job functions and entitle them to overtime pay if their salaries are below a certain amount. Should this happen, operators will be required to rewrite their manager job functions and descriptions due to the potential economic impact of these changes. With these big labor challenges, it will be crucial for operators to become more and more efficient to preserve their bottom lines – especially for smaller mom & pop operators. As discussed in Between the Lines – Operational Challenges That Can Make or Break Your Restaurant: “Restaurant success depends on many things, but it can all boil down to one question: Where does the money go? Having a handle on your
hospitality industry. She has been instrumental in growing several companies, utilizing many different concepts, and was a successful revenue management leader with a national harbor cruise company, which operates in several markets across the Eastern US. Prior to founding 4Q Consulting, LLC, Noelle has functioned in an array of roles for various organizations ranging from front and back of house, single unit management, and multi-unit director, as well as company-wide profit management duties. Email her at noelle@4qconsult.com.
operation is a key to answering this question. Have processes and procedures to reduce economic drains, train your staff to follow them and hold them accountable.” Not adapting and hiding your head in the sand will lead to poor management and poor fiscal controls – which can make those margins evaporate faster than a sauté pan of boiling water. Don’t know where to begin? Do you know how to put policies and procedures in place to be as successful as possible? www.4qconsult. com can develop customized operational guidelines to meet your needs.
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NEWS
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
Ageless Block Brings Boundless Enthusiasm to New Rep Venture
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etro New York’s equipment and supply dealers have a new course for their design build solutions. The YBR name on the door may be new but the energy behind the firm is one Hal Block and veteran industry executive Rick Rivera. From cooking line to refrigeration, the new YBR partnership combines the experience of long-time manufacturer’s rep Block and the major foodservice specialty hardware and plumbing background of Rivera. Headquartered in Neptune N.J., the team serves the metropolitan New York-New Jersey area. The company, Young Block Rivera Marketing (YBR), is a launching with a comprehensive line-up of factories. “Our mission is to help local dealers and consultants design and build cost effective solutions on behalf of their end-user customers,” Block explained.
“Young Block Rivera builds on the rich legacy of our founder, Philip Young,” said Block, former president of Young Block Associates. “Our goal has always been to be the best manufacturer’s rep in the business.” Block, who has been in the foodservice industry for 50 years, brings his wealth of experience to the venture, while Rivera, 12 years with the company, has also spent 10 years with a major foodservice specialty hardware and plumbing manufacturer as a North East Territory manager. He pointed out that dealers are seeking the same thing today as they did 50 years ago. “Quality products, good back-up, reliability, and competitive pricing. Times have changed; from the days we had to trace drawings on onion skin paper, where today it’s transmitted to us electronically. Everything has sped up.”
Young Block Rivera builds on the rich legacy of our founder, Philip Young,” said Block, former president of Young Block Associates. “Our goal has always been to be the best manufacturer’s rep in the business.” 82 • May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
“Dealers have prospered by being creative, flexible, and adjusting their marketing strategies to the challenges of the market today,” Block noted. To answer these needs, YBR has put together a number of synergistic lines, which provide a platform for solving foodservice problems, competitively priced to help dealers add to their bottom line. The role of the rep will continue to be an invaluable asset to the manufacturer, consultant, or dealer, according to Block. “Our group is positioned to meet the demands of this ever-changing market. Our industry is accustomed to change and no matter how drastic, we adapt to
the business climate to answer our customers’ needs.” Block is a well know national figure as well. He formerly served as MAFSI president and president of Young Block Associates. “I am excited about our new firm and the opportunity to pioneer and build new lines, expanding it and making it a leading rep firm for years to come,” Rivera added. “The future is a dynamic one filled with many challenges and together YBR Marketing and our manufacturers will provide the necessary expertise to the dealers, consultants and end users in this vibrant territory,” Block concluded.
The legendary Hal Block (R) has teamed with Rick Rivera (L) to create a new rep firm Young Block Rivera Associates.
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LIZ ON TABLETOP
TABLETOP SOLUTIONS
Redefining Green And Sustainable For Food Service
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hen Springtime comes life moves outdoors once again. We just celebrated Earth day. So it started me thinking about what we can do for the environment. At H. Weiss we work with our customers on a day-to-day basis concerning our thoughts about the en-
Liz Weiss is the President and coowner of Armonk, NY based H. Weiss
vironment which are often based on an equipment based response. We may be working on a plan for a new restaurant in Manhattan or a corporate dining facility in New Jersey. So on behalf of our customers, we are trying to do our part by finding energy efficient dishwashers and cooking equipment for them. As
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we work with them, we think about the return on investment on new equipment with our energy bills. We now even think about how better insulated equipment saves on airconditioning or noise. Each of these considerations is an integral part of our client’s commitment to their community and environment. What I would like to have you
Co. 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.
explore with me this month is expanding your green and sustainable
mindset to include environmentally consciousness with our durable tabletop choices. At H. Weiss, we welcome the opportunity to assist you to broaden your horizons by talking to us about many of the innovations that we have discovered as we work closely with manufacturers and the local rep community as well as shopping the key shows. In recent years, we began to look at wood and bamboo picks as an alternative to plastic picks, mostly for the aesthetics. Bamboo is a quickly renewable resource, quicker than wood. There are also economic reasons, as bamboo tends to be less expensive. We end up on the good side of the environment. Many of the top manufacturers are also working hard to reduce their carbon footprint. Cardinal is known to be the cleanest glassware producer in the world having exceeded DEP and EPA standards. The front of the house has a green office and warehouse complete with a field of bamboo. Several tabletop manufacturers have green initiatives: Bauscher is ISO 04001 and 50001 certified. Steelite International has been certified to the ISO 14001:2004 (If you have technical questions about the certifications just drop me a line). We are also finding several really intriguing hybrid solutions that enable both environmental responsibility and cost savings. Elite and G.E.T. offer melamine mixed with bamboo, which is attractive and durable. These items have about 30% bamboo and last as long as most melamine items. Bugambilia and Front of the House offer collections that are made almost exclusively from Bamboo, The
Bugambilia Bambooserve collection comes in 5 attractive colors including natural, red, and black. There are plateware and serving items. The product lasts for 1000 washings. Front of the House Platewise collection has interesting organic shapes with matte finishes and others with wood grain finishes on more modern shapes. These items will last for 2000 dishwasher washings. All this while looking great. There’s no question that Bamboo seems to be the gold standard in carving out a new strategy. I would also like for you to explore some of the options that Poplar wood and Palm leaf disposable serveware offer. Palm leaf product feels substantial and looks natural. We are big fans of Poplar wood. Since these items are made from trees, they manufacturer (FOH) which is able to make larger items that hold liquids better. They are also able to make plates and utensils. Many different shapes for attractive presentations are available in these materials. I’m also convinced that what began as an environmentally based shopping has now evolved to socially conscious consuming. So now there’s an opportunity to consider as you are selecting vendors that there are equipment and supply dealers like H. Weiss and manufacturers including FOH who are certified Minority/Woman Owned Business Enterprises. So now your customers can toast the summer with their PBA free Tritan “glass” (from Cardinal, GET or FOH) and you as the operator get the satisfaction on knowing that you are doing your part for a changing environment. May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 85
HOW GREEN ARE YOUR WAYS?
WITH PETER KAPLAN
Understanding The Environmental Impact of Your Energy Consumption
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ll forms of electricity generation have varied environmental impact on air, water and land. Of the total energy consumed in the United States, about 40% is used to generate electricity, making electricity use an important part of each person’s environmental footprint. Producing and using electricity more efficiently reduces both the amount of fuel needed to generate electricity and the amount of greenhouse gases and other air pollution emitted as a result. There are many actions you can take to reduce the environmental impacts of your energy use. Start by discovering the extent of your carbon footprint and acting to lessen that footprint on the environment. Switch to cleaner energy resources such as solar, geothermal, and wind since they generally do not contribute to climate change or local air pollution since no fuels are combusted. Be more energy efficient. Energy efficiency means delivering the same (or more) services while using less energy. EPA’s ENERGY STAR program is the best place to start for guidance on how to save energy, save money, and protect the environment. Behind each blue ENERGY STAR label is a product, building, or home that is independently certified to use less energy and cause fewer of the emissions that contribute to climate change.
Peter Kaplan has served as Chief
Today, ENERGY STAR is the most widely recognized symbol for energy efficiency in the world, helping families and businesses save $300 billion on utility bills, while reducing carbon pollution by two billion metric tons.
Operating Officer and President of United Energy Consultants since 2005. Behind his leadership and 20+ years of de-regulated energy and risk management experience, United Energy Consultants has developed several proprietary procurement and software systems that are a benchmark in the industry. Email him at
Today, ENERGY STAR is the most widely recognized symbol for energy efficiency in the world, helping families and businesses save $300 billion on utility bills, while reducing carbon pollution by two billion metric tons. The consumption of fossil fuels has been going at a steady pace since last century and has contributed much to the degradation of our environment. Climate change, global warming, extinction of several endangered species, depletion of ozone layer, increase in air pollution are few of the effects from which our environment is suffering. Although many countries have taken steps to move toward clean and green energy sources like solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy to save energy, still there is a long way to go before we can leave fossil fuels behind and depend on these natural sources of energy for our daily needs. Hopefully, with these steps, we can conserve energy and make this planet a better and clean place for our future generations to come.
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peter@uecnow.com
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NEWS
RESTAURANT DESIGN
Legendary Long Island Restaurant Designer Shares Secrets
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f you’re thinking of opening a restaurant – or already running one – you might want to consider contacting Michael Starr. Well-known throughout the industry for his wealth of knowledge, Starr and his Starr Restaurant Design Associates firm helped countless restaurateurs for years get their establishments up and running efficiently and economically from meeting all health department requirements, accommodating the disabled, figuring out how to run exhaust, supplying equipment and furniture, meeting with building departments, executing a turnkey design for new build or renovation Starr has delivered for his eclectic customer base. “I have a tremendous advantage from all my years in the business,” Starr acknowledged. “And I have continued to help restaurants react and respond to changing business conditions.” Starr can help operators with everything from obtaining a certificate of occupancy (CO) to choosing equipment to designing and outfitting a restaurant from top to bottom. He’s designed everything from a pizzeria in Maine to a yogurt shop franchise to even a partnership with Weight Watchers to promote one of
“I have a tremendous advantage from all my years in the business,” Starr acknowledged. “And I have continued to help restaurants react and respond to changing business conditions.” its products. “Believe me, I know what it takes to be successful,” he pointed out. “It takes a lot more than luck in this business.” A request from his parents that he be a dentist saw Starr having none of it. “I joined the Army, they sent me to cook, butcher, baker school in Texas. Then I got stationed in Germany for a year and a half,” he recalled. “I used to go once a month to Paris and I used to see beautiful restaurants. And I decided when I get out; I don’t want to cook anymore. I want to learn how to design restaurants.” So he went to the New York School of Interior Design and worked for hotels and restaurants, country clubs and military clubs, but after 12 years, decided to give it a try on
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his own. His daughter followed him to the design school. Soon it was a family affair. Starr’s son Phillip started bringing in the kitchen equipment for restaurants, putting the legs on furniture, sweeping the floor, then moved to doing the advertising, sales, and marketing. “If we weren’t doing the plans, we were selling equipment. If we weren’t selling equipment, we were selling furniture,” Starr said. But the biggest thing Starr did was design and outfit restaurants. He worked with building departments and architects and helped the engineers with hood duct and fire systems. The Starr story reflects an ability to continually re-invent himself and his company. He battled through the loss of his son and the economic
downturn. The Long Island designer has returned his firm to pre-eminence. Starr Restaurant Design Associates has recently designed dozens of new projects as well as a previous chain wide rollout for Pancake Cottage. One of the advantages of working with Starr on a project is the access to his very special knowledge base. He can be reached by phone (516)300-9130 or via email at restaurantplans@aol.com. The firm’s web site is also a valuable resource: www.nyrestaurantdesign.com Starr shared his keys to success: “It starts with the operator having a very clear understanding of the lease, I also suggest spending the money on a market survey.” Starr’s insight on the build out process includes several key points. “It starts with an honest assessment of the time needed to drawing plans to work with the architect and then going through the permit process. Starr also brings a unique knowledge of potential pitfalls. “I always make sure that my clients understand how gas exhaust and hot water are going to flow.” Starr offers a no-obligation consultation for Metro NYC operators to discuss their upcoming projects.
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NEWS
DRAFT BEER DISPENSING
Patented Beer System Guarantees 32˚ Beer
C
hill-Rite is an engineering and manufacturing corporation specializing in the manufacture of complete draft beer dispensing systems. ChillRite is the original solutions manufacturer. The design of their systems has changed the industry from accepting warm, problematic draught beer to expecting ice cold…PERFECT beer. Chill-Rite has raised the standards by which beer is consumed and dispensed in the U.S. Chill-Ite is represented in Metro New York and New Jersey by TD Marketing Company, who has taken the role as the liaison between factory and customer, and provide turnkey installation and service.
We spoke with Danny Murphy, owner of Danny’s Steak House/ Sushi located in Red Bank, NJ as they just installed new Frozen Yeti Towers and a built in Frozen Liquor Dispensing system working with Frank Doyle and his team at TD Marketing Company. How has the Chill-Rite 32 system helped your business? It’s brought in a new customer base and improved profitability. We chose to go with the Frozen Yeti Towers and built in the Frozen Liquor Dispensing system for an eye appealing affect. Something very different in the Red Bank, NJ area. Chill-Rite 32 perfected this technology. It really works! The ice affect gets our customers fighting to sit at that side of the bar. They are
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totally intrigued by this. It looks so cold you are practically forced to try a draft beer or shot just for your curiosity. Our customers tell all of their friends about it and before we knew it we started seeing an even younger crowd and new people coming into the restaurant. Word of mouth goes a long way. Did you notice any Return on your investment (ROI)? Absolutely, our liquor sales increased and we are getting 100% of the beer out of every keg. Our bartenders NEVER pour foam. No waste at all. We believe that the Chill-Rite 32 system paid for itself within the first year. Our suppliers fight for the real estate / advertisement to show off their brands.
What is some of the feedback you are hearing from your customers about Chill-Rite 32? This is the coldest beer we have ever had. Best Martini in Red Bank. Can’t wait to come back.I just called my friend to come down and meet me to see this in person. These are just a few of the comments. Would you recommend Chill-Rite 32? This is the only engineered system I would ever recommend. I almost don’t want to share this with anyone else and keep it just for Danny’s Steak House. It’s a one of a kind system that will truly make a difference in your restaurant and bar. I highly recommend Chill-Rite 32.
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT:
INTERNATIONAL CULINARY CENTER
Katzie Guy-Hamilton Owner of Clean Eats Dirty Desserts
K
atzie Guy-Hamilton is a nationally recognized Pastry Chef and creative recognized as a Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America by Dessert Professional Magazine in 2014. Her most recent role for chocolate brand Max Brennar International placed Katzie in the lead of their Global Food and Beverage business, overseeing innovation and serving as brand ambassador for media spots and events. Prior to this, Katzie ran the Pastry departments at Grand Hyatt’s New York flagship in Grand Central and the celebrated pastry program at New York’s trendsetting Ace Hotel. She trained in California under pastry maven Sherry Yard at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago Beverly Hills. As the graduate of the French Culinary Institute and recipient of its Outstanding Alumni of the Year for 2011, industry-leading talents earned her a spot on Season Two of the television cooking competition, Top Chef: Just Desserts. Interests extend beyond the professional world through community impact work. Extra curriculars include sharing healthy cooking skills with Goal4Kids youth in Harlem and serving for 2 years as Co-Chair of October Ball which benefits the Catholic Big Sister’s and Big Brothers Organization. Katzie embodies the concept of living mindfully balanced and is training to become a certified Health Coach by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Katzie’s mission is to inspire others to explore their happiest selves through clean eating, delicious indulgences and a collective approach to integrative health.
Katzie has appeared on Fox Network, Martha Stewart Radio, CBS, Food Network, Bravo TV and Internationally appearing in Japanese, Australian and Korean media. Where did you grow up and who impacted you as a child that led you to pursue a career in pastry? I grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 45 minutes outside of Boston. I had the idyllic New England experience in a neighborhood with tree-lined streets, kids all in the same age group, lemonade stands and flashlight tag. This environment definitely fostered my creativity. I realized I loved to feed people and spent my teenage years making treats for family, friends and anyone who would eat them. Ultimately, I made the decision to pursue this hobby as my profession, where to this day, the simple pleasure of sharing a treat with a loved one or to foster a connection is something that still brings me the most fulfillment. How did you get into the industry? I started at my summer camp, opting to work in the kitchen one summer instead of being a counselor. I thrived in the environment and was able to see the direct exchange between my hard work and other’s happy faces. I went to culinary school at The French Culinary Institute (now International Culinary Center) in New York City and paired that experience with an externship at the Gotham Bar and Grill under Pastry Chef Deborah Racicot. I think the classic French discipline, paired with flavor forward New England desserts
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Katzie Guy-Hamilton
presented in a fine dining environment was a lucky move for me. I was able to connect classic techniques with execution that was my own personal style from the beginning. After school I flew off to work for Sherry Yard at Spago Beverly Hills where I connected with Sherry’s dynamic nature. Being trained within the bounds of California cuisine is a huge advantage both in savory and sweet disciplines. Young pastry cooks understand the importance of beautifully executed bases (think doughs, creams, cakes, etc.) being paired with unbelievable produce to create desserts that have remarkable depth of flavor regardless of whether or not they are executed in a casual or intricate manner. What specifically attracted you to the International Culinary Center? Sherry Yard’s first cookbook “The Secrets of Baking” broke down pastry into foundational techniques, which I then built on to create more intri-
cate desserts. This approach was also reflected in the curriculum at the International Culinary Center in a way that I could grasp and I knew it was the right move for me to go there. I feel strongly that it was the best place for me to start, learn and gain confidence. The school balances having a broad sampling with enough repetition of techniques to leave students ready to take on more and hone their skills further in whichever area they choose. Finding the middle ground between lacking confidence and being too ego driven is a tough space to achieve and I feel the ICC helps their graduates get to this middle ground beautifully. What were a few of the standout lessons you’ve taken with you from the International Culinary Center? I was taught to edit myself very early on at ICC. I believe it was some sort of strawberry, pink peppercorn, rosemary and chocolate puff pastry concoction that, while delicious in theory, none of the favors were allowed to stand out. Allowing a flavor or a pairing to shine in a way that is not contrived is important to me while layering ingredients in desserts to this day. I was also taught a lot about time management and organization. While it is a lifelong practice, understanding your end goal and how to get there is all about taking the right steps, evaluating and organizing yourself. It definitely pays off. You worked at the Hyatt. What role does/should food and bever-
continued on page 112
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NEWS
FOODSERVICE PLUMBING STRATEGIES
Day & Nite’s Popular Plumbing Division Brings Comprehensive Portfolio Of Solutions To Tri-State Operators
T
here are two systems that every restaurateur must make sure are working right to avoid plumbing problems, according to Jay Jarkow of Popular Plumbing. Partnering with Day & Nite All Service in 2011, the companies help operators stay ahead of issues that can shut a restaurant down. “Drains that can collect flies and grease traps that are not properly catching the grease head the list of things that can set you up for disaster,” Jarkow noted. But there are other issues, like water demand and hot water failures, along with the health concerns and smell that can come with malfunctioning drains and grease traps that keep the fully licensed and insured Popular Plumbing and Day & Nite busy. “A lot of times, restaurants get leaks on their hot water and cold water pipes because they’re getting heavily used,” said Jarkow “And with water supply, you’ve got people throwing pots at faucets, faucets breaking. This is an everyday occurrence in a restaurant kitchen.” When there’s no hot water, there’s a problem with the health department, Jarkow acknowledged. “So we’re involved in ensuring that these critical systems are repaired on a timely basis so the restaurant doesn’t have downtime.” But Jarkow pointed out that most of the work for foodservice plumbers come from problems with drains and grease traps. “The drains are where the sewer flies or fruit flies breed. They
A lot of times, restaurants get leaks on their hot water and cold water pipes because they’re getting heavily used,” said Jarkow. “And with water supply, you’ve got people throwing pots at faucets, faucets breaking. This is an everyday occurrence in a restaurant kitchen.” lay their larvae on old food debris that goes down into the floor drains. And the floor stinks. Exterminators’ are trying to kill the flies, but they’re not getting down the drain. So we have a drain line jetting contract solution that we provide to foodservice businesses. Jetting coupled with our proprietary microbial injection program that we install on grease traps to prevent grease build-up and sewer flies and larvae developing, is a one two punch that knocks out these otherwise disruptive and costly issues.” Only a licensed plumber with the proper washing equipment can actually clear the inside of these pipes to completely eliminate food debris and the accompanying larvae. “This is not for a pest elimination company to do. This is for a specialty plumber to accomplish,” Jarkow explained. Plumbers are also involved in making all gas connections, running all the properly installed gas piping. “Any violations that the restaurant might get because gas piping wasn’t done correctly is a big problem. We can do all of those things,” Jarkow reported.
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When it comes to drains, the water supply lines in a kitchen are critical. “Water goes to every one of these pieces of equipment in a commercial kitchen. They have to keep integrity, last, and be maintained,” he added. “In the dish wash area, there’s water on the floor. The Board of Health doesn’t want to see any water on the floor. They want to know that the floor drains are draining properly and in the right places.” “The grease trap is a big thing,” Jarkow said. “It’s something that has to be maintained under the Department of Health. They actually send inspectors around to make sure that the restaurant is maintaining the grease trap, and that it doesn’t fill up with too much grease. You have to empty the grease. A way to make sure that everything stays on the up-and-up is to get our monthly maintenance contract for your grill trap.” To prevent a problem with grease, the company installs an injection system that injects microbes automatically and warms water automatically at night as the kitchen closes. “And these
microbes eat up the organic matter so larvae from the sewer fly can’t breed (we get it from the source which also eliminates foul odors). They eat up the FOG, the fat, the oil and the greases. It’s actually like a digestive bacteria that converts these things back to H2O,” Jarkow asserted. “So you don’t get the stink and the grease-caked build-up that you normally get. We then come once a month, skim out the grease trap of any non-organics, and replenish the microbes. We take pictures and pH readings and send them directly to our customer so they know that their grease trap is a well-maintained machine.” What he tells every restaurant, every foodservice facility in existence, the two major things to look out for are drain line and getting quarterly jetting contracts to keep the food debris and the larvae out of the drains. “And a grease trap maintenance program should be figured into every budget,” Jarkow advised. When restaurants don’t maintain these things, they react to the problem. “And let’s face it, that’s usually Friday or Saturday night. When they proactively take care of it, they’ll have no worries, they’ll have no back-ups and save on otherwise costly and disruptive emergencies,” he concluded. “Plumbing is a lot different than every other service because it’s always an emergency.” For more information on Day & Nite / All Service, please visit WeAreTheOne.com.
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NYCHA Awards, from page 6 level job in the hospitality industry and is now in a leadership role - winner will be selected by Judge’s Committee TBD: Hospitality industry professionals requested to submit up to 250word submission describing a suggested nominee Hearts of Hospitality Award presented by Fox Rothschild LLP - Goes to an individual who is recognized for excellence in the profession of human resources in hospitality - winner will be selected by Human Resource Professionals in Hospitality Angie Buonpane (Union Square Hospitality Group); Susan Spikes (Hill Country Hospitality); Yvonne Mancini (Crafted Hospitality) Four Stars Award - Goes to a critic/ reviewer/writer who has established an industry-following for hospitality news coverage Ryan Sutton (Eater New York); Mimi
Sheraton (formerly of The New York Times, Time, Conde Nast Traveler, Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue); Steve Cuozzo (New York Post) Hospitality Award - Goes to a favorite restaurant in each borough as chosen by hospitality industry professionals Brooklyn - Peter Luger; Roberta’s; al di la Trattoria Bronx - Mike’s Deli; Bronx Alehouse; Roberto’s; Pasquale’s Rigoletto Manhattan - Katz’s Delicatessen; Gramercy Tavern; Sylvia’s Restaurant, the Queen of Soul Food™; RedFarm Queens - Taverna Kyclades; Kabab Café; Phayul Staten Island - Denino’s Pizzeria & Tavern; Lorenzo’s Restaurant, Bar & Cabaret; Ruddy and Dean Steakhouse True Taste of NYC Award - Goes to an iconic dish served at an iconic NYC restaurant 2nd Ave Deli (Hot Pastrami Sand-
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wich); Totonno Pizzeria Napolitano (Thin-Crust Coal-Oven Pizza); J.G. Melon (Burger) Nightowl Club Award presented by E.B. Cohen Insurance & Risk Management - Goes to the important and/ or influential club and/or operator Marquee New York; Brooklyn Bowl; Output Nightowl Bar Award presented by E.B. Cohen Insurance & Risk Management - Goes to the important and/ or influential bar and/or owner Employees Only; 67 Orange Street; Electric Room at Dream Downtown HospitalityGuruAward - Goes to the restaurant with the best food Social Media presence – makes you drool, laugh and captures your attention Joe & Misses Doe; Milk Bar/Christina Tosi; Black Tap Burgers Hospitality Technology Award - Goes to a technology platform en-
hancing the way the hospitality industry operates (nominees are members of the Alliance) ADP; AYC Media; BentoBox; ChefMod; delivery.com; Dine Market; Harri; NCR Aloha; Paycom; Tripleseat; Valiant; Vitabyte POS; Wisely The New York City Hospitality Alliance is a non-profit-trade association representing restaurants and nightlife establishments throughout the five boroughs. Formed in September 2012 by a group of well-noted hospitality operators, The Alliance provides a unified voice for the industry in the halls of government, in the media, and is a one-stop resource for industry-specific advice, education, events and costsaving services. Through the support and involvement of its members, The Alliance is committed to advancing – with a clear and unified voice – an agenda focused on opportunity, economic investment and job creation.
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Bobrow, from page 12 Not in this recipe, but you get the gist. Make your Ti-Punch as you desire. My intellect is somewhat swayed by being out at sea. If you haven’t done it before, don’t. It’s not like being out on a cruise ship. Far from. You might actually have to... sail. Martinique to me is not a place that you go to soak up the sun on beaches- although I’m sure that activity is available to you- especially the area that experienced volcanic activity. The beaches are gorgeous and the ocean a blue that reminds me of royalty. When the sun is just right and the language is swirling in the background you could be on Cloud Nine. Martinique is that kind of place. I couldn’t imagine working in the cane fields. I wouldn’t last a day. Now I understand why Rhum placated the worker. It’s rough out
there. Razor sharp machetes flying into inches thick cane.. sharp fronds. Syrup that sticks and attracts biting insects. The heat. What does this have to do with Rhum? It’s the base.. The soul. When you drink Rhum Agricoleyou drink passion. So this spring I suggest that you make for your guests a new (but very old) cocktail. The Ti- Punch. Ti Punch Ingredients: • ½ lime, cut into small chunks • 1 oz. Cane Sugar Simple Syrup- it’s available commercially • 3 oz. Rhum Agricole of your choice.. I love the ones that Ed Hamilton is bringing in.. Authentic!
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Prep: 1. Add the lime chunks to a clean glass 2. Muddle with a splash or four of the Cane Sugar Syrup 3. Add a bit of Rhum Agricole (I use the 100 proof blanche) 4. Decide early how much Rhum you will use because you are “Choosing your own Death” if you make it too strong in the hot sun of the French Caribbean. Mezan Panama and Mexican Cola The Mezan Panama Rum is a magnificent beast. Especially with a full bodied Mexican Cola and Chocolate Bitters Ingredients: • 2 oz. Mezan Panama 2006 • 6 oz. Mexican Coke – Cane
•
Sugar 2-4 dashes Bitter End Mexican Mole’ Bitters (a bit spicy, these are.. really!)
Prep: 1. To a Collins Glass- add cube ice 2. Add the Mexican Cola 3. Pour Over the Mezan Panama 2006 4. Dot with the Mexican Mole’ Bitters Serve with a smile!
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Yale Foodservice Chief, from page 4 tion,” says Taherian, “and it was also extremely challenging.” The transition, he explains, required building a team to provide operational leadership, purchasing, menu development, culinary quality assurance, communication, facility design, and finance and business administration all while convincing the university community that the new foodservice system would indeed be an improvement. “Much has changed during his eight years at Yale,” Taherian says. Sustainably sourced, wholesome food is now served in all venues at all meal periods (rather than being reserved for one dining hall or one meal period). What differentiates Yale “Hospitality from most of its peers is that sustainability and wellness are not just initiatives, but have been implemented across all operations, often years before others in the industry did so,” says Gerry Remer, director of supply chain and sus-
tainability for Yale Hospitality. Beginning with an “Erase the Waste” initiative in 2008, Yale Hospitality has continued to reduce its overall use of resources, including food, energy, water, and chemicals. Organic waste is composted and non-organic waste is recycled. “Sustainability has been a central part of what we do,” says Taherian. “As we have moved toward healthier eating, we also work hard toward creating a healthier environment.” Yale Hospitality serves some 14,000 meals a day on campus, but Taherian says that his team’s greater mission is to create memorable experiences. “Food may be at the center, but what students and guests remember is the experience,” says Taherian, noting for example, that graduating seniors often cite the Freshman Holiday Dinner when freshmen are treated to a formal holiday-themed meal in a decorated
University Commons at the Schwarzman Center as one of the highlights of their Yale experience. “In all of these, food is the catalyst, but what we are really doing is creating events that bring parts of the university together,” says Taherian. “Food, after all, is really about relationships, and that is what our students and other members of our community are doing here having conversations in our dining halls and building relationships.” In addition to supporting local and regional farmers and businesses through its purchasing choices, Yale Hospitality donates food to several New Haven soup kitchens, including the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen and St. Thomas More. In 2012, Yale Hospitality launched the Northeast Purchasing Group Initiative to partner with other large-scale institutions on purchasing, and in 2013, Yale Hospitality hosted the first
Northeast Purchasing Group Sustainability Conference to explore consensus around sustainability criteria and goals. With these institutions’ combined purchasing power comes the ability to influence availability and affordability of sustainable and healthy food options, not just for institutions but for the public, Taherian says. “It is also a bonus to have staff members that are at the top of their craft,” he continues. “Yale Hospitality is a nationally recognized organization and in the past several years, Yale chefs have won gold medals in the National Association of College & University Food Services competition, and in 2015 the staff members in the Yale Bakery won the university’s Linda K. Lorimer Award for distinguished service.” Taherian says that winning the Silver Plate Award is also a testament to wider support of the university and its community.
BREWED TO PERFECTION Offer your guests the true taste of spring with the flagship brew of the Roscoe NY Beer Co - the Trout Town American Amber Ale. It pours a beautiful light copper amber color with a nice white foamy head with nice toasted notes and a subtle citrus hop finish that is not overly bitter. It’s the perfect ale that compliments the freshness of spring. Visit us online or email inquiries@roscoebeercompany.com for more about us! OUR LINE UP Trout Town™ American Amber Ale Trout Town™ Rainbow Red Ale Trout Town™ Brown Ale
Trout Town™ Eagle IPA Trout Town™ Two Rivers Rye Trout Town™ Tail Ale
145 Rockland Rd., Roscoe NY | 607.290.5002 | RoscoeBeerCompany.com 100 • May 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
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Details & Dimensions • The Purse Perch is manufactured in Mexico, made of high-quality tubular steel and extremely durable high-grade plastic. • Height is 42½”– a perfect height to allow maximum stacking of handbags, briefcases and hats, yet still be unobtrusive within your décor. • Weight is only 3.2 lbs, yet is capable of holding approximately 10 plus handbags or totes, while supporting a weight of 100 lbs plus. • We minimize freight costs by packing the unassembled Purse Perch in a shippable box with dimensions of 30 ½” long x 7 ½” wide x 2 ½” deep. Easy assembly in minutes
www.purseperch.com What is The Purse Perch? Corporate The Purse Perch Inc. 4 Floyd Wycoff Road Headquarters Morganville, NJ 07751
Now hiring distributors and reps, please call 908-692-0054.
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The Purse Perch is the comfort zone for those who carry a handbag, briefcase, or a hat into a restaurant, hotel, office, salon, or into a home or bedroom. As it stands close by you, The Purse Perch is the perfect location to relieve concern for your personal belongings until you are ready to leave.
Support a weight of 100 lbs plus
42½” Great balance when supporting weight
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Party Rental, from page 56 meeting and getting to know their business -- that they wanted to take it to a new level,” Alan explained. “That meant having the quality and styling of products that would enable the caterers to serve a restaurant-quality service in an off-premise location.” “From the very start, they had a great feel for fine china, flatware and glassware in a wide range of colors and styles,” Gottlich explained. Our company quickly became the fashion forward industry leader and remains that way today. “We are designed to be an outsourced partner to all of our customers,” Gottlich noted. “And as such, we need to supply them with what they need. We’re constantly meeting with our customers to try and understand what the needs are, what their future needs are going to be and where our inventory has
gaps in it that we need to fill in order to accommodate their needs. That’s a mainstay of our purchasing, sales and design teams- to engage with our customers all the time.” Ultimately, customers are the trendsetters in the industry, Gottlich maintains. “They know what’s trendy so we need to support that and we obviously need them to provide that constant input.” But that’s not easy to accomplish. “We are purchasing for tomorrow’s season, so we are about a year ahead of time in that sense. Our designers and internal purchasing teams are currently evaluating the colors, designs and the styles of what will come out in spring of 2017. So we need to be ahead of the game,” Gottlich says. To do that, the company’s purchasing and design specialists are constantly traveling to shows as well as to manufacturers they have rela-
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tionships with for custom design products. “We import about 70% of our products,” Gottlich said. “Our products need to be rentable. So they have to go through the industrial cleaning process and withstand the type of transportation and handling our business requires. For all new products, there is a lot of testing and a lot of quality control. From a styling point of view, we go everywhere from Paris to Germany and throughout the U.S., and are constantly trying to evaluate future trends,” he adds. And the styles are different from place to place; something the company has to be very aware of. “New York definitely has its own style, but New York style is very different from Washington D.C. style. Paris does lead the tabletop trend from a design point of view. There’s no doubt about that. But a lot of product ac-
tually comes out of places like India, which produces a lot of handmade products that are unique and different. They have a different kind of design.” This month will mark an exciting new chapter at Party Rental Ltd. as it debuts its furniture division. “We’ve never offered furniture before and it’s a natural extension of what we do to offer a one-stop shopping experience for our customers,” Gottlich outlined. “The kind of furniture we’re looking at has a versatile and a timeless look.” The Furniture collection has over 100 unique pieces and includes the new Metro line, which is modular lounge furniture that’s available in 100 different configurations, including black and white options, and the
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Party Rental, from page 56 Somerset line, which is resin wicker furniture geared more towards the outdoor look, but can be used indoors as well. The furniture division is a separate section of the warehouse, reconfigured and redesigned to accommodate this new part of the business. “We brought in different kinds of racking systems and material handling systems that enable us to store and manage furniture,” Alan says. “We have identified a special crew who is highly trained in the wrapping, delivery, and handling of all these items. While the company is very excited about its growth into this new business offering, it acknowledges that it brings a new skillset to be executed. “We’ve done a lot of test runs and internal preparation, because again our reputation’s on the line. When we come out with a new product, we can’t do it in a way that is on a trial basis. It has to meet our quality execution level,” Gottlich elaborated. As with most businesses, technology has been playing a big part. “Technology has been a cornerstone to our success. We consider ourselves the industry leader in technology. All of the technologies that we use are proprietary and self-created. We have a team of 10 IT people led by an IT director who is constantly developing, updating and changing what we use. We have everything from GPS technology for all of our trucks, automated routing systems, RFID chips in our linens, scan technology in our equipment, inventory management systems, warehouse management systems, all customized to the unique way of how we do business.” “As you know, it’s a fast-paced business. We have over 3,000 SKUs of products and we take 50% of our orders within 24 hours of delivery. So there’s a lot of complicated lo-
gistics and there’s a lot of moving parts. And it all happens through the aid of technology because, without technology, we could never have grown to the level we are at today.” Gottlich knows that a key to Party Rental’s success is in the quality of the management. “You’ve got to have a really dedicated and uniquely gifted team. We have the most experienced and talented sales staff in the industry. Every one of our sales team members, before they were selling rental products, had a background in the industry of some sort, from the catering side, food service side, or even from the floral side. They bring to the table a skill set where they understand our clients because they were in the business and in the client’s shoes at one point in their career. And each sales person is a party animal, meaning they love this business. They are completely invested in being there with our clients throughout the life cycle of an event. This industry is a 24/7 business. And that’s the level of dedication that we have in our team.” Party Rental Ltd. is quite excited about all the opportunity New York City offers. “There’s a lot of construction, a lot of building going on,” Gottlich said. “We’re going to be a part of all that. It is absolutely astounding the amount of activity in New York City, all the new money coming in and the high profile events that continue to happen and outdo each other, and year over year, continue to grow.” The company has even grown beyond Metro New York to become the East Coast’s largest party rental supplier. “Today we are housed in four warehouses and five showrooms, which service New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C.”
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ChefTec, from page 70 understand the ingredients included in the food being consumed. • Recipe programs provide the opportunity to utilize software to capture all of the critical information. A database of recipes is created with ingredients, portions, and procedures. • Nutrition Analysis is increasing in popularity due to increased government regulation on labeling. Software programs use a nutritional database to produce a label that will comply with current standards. This increases the ability to meet the needs of people with dietary restrictions and food allergies. • Lot Tracking is a function that allows you to trace the path of ingredients throughout the establishment. This can be helpful if there is a product recall or a foodborne illness outbreak.
• Production Modules help determine how much food to produce. Linking menus and recipes to generate recommended prep production levels increase efficiency and minimize waste. While some products are very specific and are built to address a specific type of needs other products combine functionalities to meet a group of needs. Most operations use a combination of systems. When looking at software I recommend you consider what functionality is important, research the products you are interested in to determine what each is capable of doing on its own and if it is compatible with other software programs. This should help you in the quest to save time and money.
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ICC Alumni Spotlight, from page 92 age play at a hotel? How has a hotel’s approach to food and beverage evolved? Food and beverage is intricately intertwined with a guests stay at Hyatt, or any hotel for that matter. Guest needs range from accessible coffee in the morning to quick lunches, late dinners or snacks that are available for a variety of cravings. You not only are catering to a guest that is on vacation, and with that mindset, but experiential dining experiences are important. You are also dealing with business travelers that spend their time as road warriors and need a semblance of balance via the food and beverage offerings they gravitate toward. Add the complex system of in room dining, how to make it current, managing operations and finances for a large hotel and banquet hall that handles events of 1,000 on a regular basis and you have a very dynamic production list. You have to adapt to each of the dining outlets while streamlining the production of the larger events. It is pretty amazing in a world so focused on healthier eating, that pastry, dessert and chocolate are more popular than ever. Why? And what role should decadence play on a menu? Believe it or not, I am a health coach as well as a pastry chef and food and beverage director. My philosophy is quite simple: I encourage people to stop demonizing desserts, by taking responsibility for their health and wellness through clean eating of whole real foods. The more you take care of yourself the more likely you are to appreciate the best desserts and they stop becoming a vice. Balance is as overused as rejuvenation and integration; however respecting your body allows you freedom to appreciate a craft like pastry.
charities. What role does that play in terms of who you are? Is it ironic that a pastry chef is teaching and advocating for healthier eating? You must give back. Whether financially or with your time. I have always stood by the fact that I am so lucky to have had the experiences, opportunities and guidance throughout my youth and career. Not everyone is as lucky. If I am able to impart knowledge, time, inspiration and encouragement to those that may not receive it on a daily basis I am sharing my gifts with the world. I do not want anyone to live in a bucket of excess or denial of pure joy. Your health is directly related to your overall success both professionally and personally. If I can promote health as a vehicle to pursue your dreams, as well as walk this talk, I am doing my job. What career advice would you offer recent pastry school graduates? Focus. Work hard. Say yes to everything. Be humble. Take care of yourself. Burning yourself out isn’t sexy. You can still be driven and keep a grasp on what matters. You do not and should not know everything. Learn the basics. Listen. Be grateful for the people that are teaching you. It is hard to do and such a gift. Remind yourself that your ego is crap now and always—trust me. Work to keep your soul filled with the fantasy driven world of desserts and the rest will come. Crystal ball, what lies ahead? Clean Eats | Dirty Desserts and hopefully a golden retriever named Sears. To learn more about the International Culinary Center’s awardwinning professional programs, visit www.culinarycenter.com or call 888-324-2433.
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POS Technology, from page 10 ADDRESS One of the first things prospective guests look for when choosing a restaurant is location. They’re not alone. Search engines look for this too because it is a determining factor in the relevancy of the results they choose to display. Make your physical address or addresses known. LINK JUICE AND CONTENT SHARING The more places that link back to your website, the more search engines recognize you as an important and relevant search result. Yelp, TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Yellow Pages, and Zomato display your key business information and are easy backlinks to your site. In addition to this, when bloggers and online publications link back to your website, their search engine ranking rubs off on yours, increasing your search engine
clout. The SEO term for this is “link juice” and is defined as “the power or equity passed to a site via links from external or internal sources. This power is interpreted as a vote of recommendation towards your site and is one of the most important factors in determining your site’s search ranking.” Thus, the more your website is linked to by other highranking websites, the more credible your website becomes in the eyes of search engines. GOOGLE+ PAGES All marketing roads should lead guests to your restaurant’s front door and Google+ gives searchers the map. Half social review site, half general information page, a Google+ business page is an essential – and free – page that restaurateurs can employ to increase their SEO. Managing this page is important: it’s the
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most searchable place beyond your website and it’s home to a star-rated review summary. Make sure you fill in all required fields and provide the necessary verification to be included on Google Maps.
only appear to people in a specific location, and you set a daily budget to control your spending. It’s good to note that Google Adwords should be used in addition to other SEO strategies.
GOOGLE ADWORDS Google Adwords is the paid version of SEM. While the strategies we’ve discussed so far focus on organic and free ways to increase your SEO, Google Adwords is an additional, paid approach. Essentially, using Google Adwords, you are bidding on a prominent search engine position at the top or along the sidebar of Google and the keywords that will position you there. The more searched the keyword, the more competition there will be for top spot. Of course, like any digital advertising campaign, you can set geographical perimeters so the ad will
SO.... In the big, complex world of the internet, effective SEO and SEM can draw a straight and narrow map from hungry searchers to your website. But SEO is not a ‘set it and forget it’ initiative that yields instant results. Ranking well takes time, so be patient. Remember, the main goal of SEO is for past, present, and future customers to be able to find you on the web. If you’ve employed these easy SEO and SEM tactics, the answer will be yes, and the result for searchers is sure to be delicious – and we aren’t just talking about the link juice.
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Scoop, from page 48 weddings and conferences. A key focus has been developing new sweet creations for catering menus, including impressive dessert buffets for meetings, parties and gala weddings that draw on his extensive two decades of pastry expertise. The wheels come in handy for the Long Island native. An alumnus of SUNY Farmingdale and father of two, Chef Mignano delights in spending time with his extended family.
NYCHG and AIWF-NYC Set For Night Of Bowling A pair of Metro New York’s young and most influential associations are set for their annual bowling get together this month. On Monday, May 9th at 6pm industry professionals from a wide range of foodservice and hospitality will gather
at Bowlmor Times Square for an evening of food and libation. Tickets and information are available at info@aiwfnyc.org. “It’s a great chance to mingle with industry experts and score some strikes,” noted AIWF-President Morgan Tucker. Bowling is optional. White Russians are encouraged and the event is a great opportunity to build your industry network. The American Institute of Wine & Food is a non-profit organization founded by Julia Child, Robert Mondavi, Richard Graff and others in 1981 to advance the understanding, appreciation and quality of what we eat and drink. The New York Chapter is one of many across the United States. Along with sister chapters and the national organization, AIWF promotes an exchange of ideas that benefit both profession-
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als and dedicated enthusiasts. Established in 2009, The New York City Hospitality Group (“NYCHG”) is a New York City centric organization dedicated to the restaurant and hospitality industry. NYCHG is comprised of the best in class resources specializing in providing services for every facet of a food-
service operation. The mission of NYCHG is: To create a forum in which hospitality professionals and entrepreneurs can exchange ideas, solve problems and share information through educational seminars and industry events.
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NEWS
CONCESSIONS
New Hartford Ballpark Set To Debut This Month With Focus On Foodservice
D
evelopers of a 6,000seat minor league baseball stadium just north of downtown are set to bring baseball back to Connecticut’s Capital city later this month. The stadium has been on a tight deadline that required its completion by May 17 to allow the Hartford Yard Goats Double A Eastern League baseball team time to move in. If the benchmarks are not met, the city hasd the right to remove Centerplan as the contractor and begin collecting damages. The team’s foodservice operation is being guided by Tim Restall. The Yard Goats General manager noted: “We view Dunkin Donuts Park as Connecticut’s largest restaurant. Food is a very big part of the Ballpark experience.” Restall has a long history of working in ballparks from West Michigan to designing the ball-
park food service in Manchester NH He will be assisted by the team’s Vice President of Operations Austin Sagolla and Professional Sports Catering. “The main challenge in designing and building the foodservice operation was creating enough point of sales with limited counter space. because of the size of the ballpark site,” Restall added. Because of the size of the concession stands, walk in freezers were eliminated from the concession stands. We had to create a centrally located freezer for back up product. “It’s interesting that the very same
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issue of a small footprint for the ballpartk actually made running beer lines easier,” Restall added. Dunkin Donuts Park also will feature extensive suite service. Each suite will have an attendant to handle all of their needs throughout each event. Suites will have access to the YG Stadium Club presented by Frontier. The stadium will offer a full bar, as well as a concession stand that features rotating entrees along with ball park favorites. “Suites will also have the opportunity to order from our Suites Catering Menu that will include all of your traditional ball park
staples mixed with “higher end” and creative items you wouldn’t expect to see at a ball park,” Restall explained. The Yard goats have also made a committment to bringing a local flavor to their menus. “We will have a kiosk called Hartford Flavors,” Restall outlined. “It is a cart in the ball park designated to featuring a rotation of local restaurants offerings. We will also have Scott’s Jamaican Beef Patties, U.S.S. Chowder Pot Chowder and Bear’s BBQ (all Hartford based businesses). We will
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Agern, from page 60 Dutch) have assembled the cocktail and wine menus for the restaurant, showcasing the great diversity of domestically made wine, beer and spirits, utilizing thoughtfully-made products with a sense of place and a deep respect for their origin. Celebrating the restaurant’s Nordic roots, Agern will also serve Meyer’s sparkling apple wine from the island of Lilleø. The cocktail menu features drinks made with spirits from American small batch producers and a selection of distinctly Nordic products, including selections of traditional Aquavits, as showcased in the Skagen cocktail made with aquavit, sea buckthorn and lovage. Curated by Head Roaster and Barista Omar Maagaard (formerly of Coffee Collective and Meyer’s Estate Coffee in Denmark), the coffee program at Agern reflects the global origin of the beans, roasted in a distinctly Nordic style, notably lighter with a more nuanced flavor and unique individual characteristics. The beans are meticulously selected through direct trade sources, allowing their flavor profiles, imparted by soil, climate and minimal tampering, to reflect their unique terroir. The restaurant in its design, as well as in ambiance, exudes and welcomes guests with a sense of hygge; the non-translatable Danish word for “coziness,” or the creation of a warm atmosphere to enjoy intimate, social gatherings, often related to coming together for a meal. “We bring our inclusive and unpretentious approach to food from the kitchen into our dining room. Agern will be a calm and welcoming setting in the heart of the bustling Terminal,” says General Manager Katie Bell (formerly of Blue Hill New York and Per Se). The 85-seat space is tucked away in what was once a hair salon and the former men’s waiting room of
Grand Central Terminal in the early 20th century. Christina Meyer Bengtsson of Heartwork Design and partner Ulrik Nordentoft led the design team in close collaboration with architect of record and design Richard H. Lewis, along with Graphic Designer Søren Varming of Punktum Design. The design of Agern incorporates a color scheme of natural taupe, sand, matte grey and cream, which plays with wood-cladded
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banquettes and walls to create a warm, Nordic-inspired ambiance. Patterns using various shapes and sizes of white oak create the floor for the restaurant, and grey, and cream chevron-patterned tiles line the entrance floor and walls, designed by File under Pop, to contrast the Dinesen woodwork.
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Hartford Ballpark, from page 118 also have local beer- Hooker Brewery and City Steam Brewery.” Last month’s milestone was to have all structural steel in place and exterior walls weather tight. Jason Rudnick, principal for the developer, Centerplan Development Company affiliate DoNo Hartford LLC, said that the milestones are important to gauge progress, but his company is focused on the finish line. “We’re pleased we reached the
milestone, but our focus remains on May 17,” Rudnick said of the date of the final milestone, the deadline for delivering the completed stadium. “Everyone on site is motivated with a purely positive focus to complete the ballpark.” The milestones were set after the project fell behind schedule and far over budget late last year. The team, the city and the developer agreed in January to provide mon-
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ey to cover the $10.4 million funding gap for the stadium, with the provision that certain milestones be met to ensure the ballpark would be able to host a home opener May 31. The next milestone is to achieve water-tight roofing. After that completion of exterior brick; completion of the left-field concession stand kitchen; and delivery of the ballpark. Mark Banfield, construction manager for the stadium, said that about
80 percent of the roofing is already water tight and that with about 260 people working in the park every day, with double shifts and Saturday hours, he is confident that the remaining milestones will be met. Sean Fitzpatrick, director of development services for the city, said he recently visited the stadium and is impressed by the sense of urgency at the site in recent weeks. “The milestones were designed to give us increased confidence that the project wouldn’t fall behind again,” Fitzpatrick said. “Today was a confidence-building day.” “It’s a day-by-day process and we continue to focus on the next milestone,” Fitzpatrick said. “We don’t want to give anyone the impression that we’re there yet.” Dunkin’ Donuts Park was originally scheduled to open April 7. As a result of construction delays the team played 28 of its “home” games on the road.
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NRA All-Star Chefs, from page 8 voritas con Sabor Latino. Vivian Howard – James Beard nominated chef, owner of Chef & the Farmer and The Boiler Room in Kinston, N.C., star of “A Chef’s Life,” and is known for seasonal, locally sourced dishes inspired by the rich culinary traditions of eastern North Carolina. Robert Irvine – Host of The Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible and Restaurant Express, seen on Dinner: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America, and The Next Iron Chef, and author of two cookbooks Mission: Cook! and Impossible to Easy. Pat Neely – Owner of Neely’s Barbecue Parlor, author of cookbooks such as Back Home with the Neelys and Down Home with the Neelys, and host of Down Home with the Neelys. Aarti Sequeira – Host of Food Network’s Aarti Party and author of Aarti
Party: An American Kitchen with an Indian Soul. Richard Sandoval – Over 18 years of experience in the industry, and the international restaurant group, Richard Sandoval Restaurants, was named one of the “25 Coolest MultiConcept Companies” by Restaurant Hospitality. Ming Tsai – James Beard Award winner, chef/owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Mass. and Blue Dragon in Boston, Mass., host of Simply Ming, and has authored five cookbooks. Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises more than 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 14.4 million employees.
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W E N
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