February 2023 - Total Food Service

MSG’S DOLAN INKS PACT WITH GOLDMAN SACHS TO EXPLORE TAO SALE

New York billionaire James Dolan has quietly moved to auction off the upscale Tao nightclub and restaurant chain.

The New York mogul’s Madison Square Garden Entertainment — the conglomerate that owns not only the landmark home to the New York Knicks and Rangers, but also Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes, among other properties has hired Goldman Sachs to explore a sale of Tao Group, sources close to the situation said.

First-round bids for Tao whose pricey clubs have long been play-

Houston Rockets and Golden Nugget Casino owner Tilman Fertitta is a rumored suitor for Tao

grounds for Wall Street financiers and A-List celebrities are being submitted now. Houston Rockets and Golden Nugget Casino owner Tilman Fertitta is a rumored suitor for Tao. The Texans restaurant portfolio includes Mastro’s, Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse, Willie G’s Seafood, the Palm Restaurant, Saltgrass Steakhouse, Grotto, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and Brenner’s Steakhouse.

Last month, a Morgan Stanley analyst calculated that Tao which operates 32 New York City restaurants and clubs like Beauty & Essex, Lavo and Bar Moxy, as well as dozens of other venues in hotspots like London, Singapore and Dubai was worth $524 million.

By that estimate, MSGE’s 67% stake in Tao would be worth $274 million, when subtracting Tao’s $85 million

in debt. Insiders say that’s a sum that could help Dolan close a $600 million gap in the construction budget for the MSG Sphere, a state-of-the-art entertainment venue he’s building in Las Vegas whose price tag has nearly doubled to $2.2 billion.

Nevertheless, insiders say Dolan wants a premium price well above Morgan Stanley’s valuation as Tao expands beyond its New York City and Las Vegas base to the Middle East and Miami.

“Jim is looking at a 12 times Ebitda multiple,” a source with close knowlcontinued on page 118

DUO PRESENTED WITH TOP INDUSTRY HONORS AT NAFEM SHOW

The North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) presented the 2023 William W. Carpenter Award and the Louise O’Sullivan Award of Excellence during its Annual Business Meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 31, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida.

The William W. Carpenter Award was awarded posthumously to Mike Carpenter, CFSP. The association’s highest honor, it recognizes an industry professional who has continually contributed to NAFEM’s success and to the enrichment of the industry.

Carpenter rose from committee member and chair, to show chair and through the officer ranks. He was NAFEM president in 2002-2003.

“When I started my involvement with NAFEM, Mike became my teacher, mentor, coach and friend, taking me under his wing as fellow smallwares manufacturers,” said Rich Packer, CFSP, president and COO, American Metalcraft, Inc., and NAFEM president.

The Louise O’Sullivan Award of Excellence recognizes a long-time NAFEM volunteer for their tireless work on behalf of the association who is not a board member or officer at the time of the award.

The 2023 recipient is Buffy Schechter Levy, The NAFEM Show director, and a 20-year veteran of NAFEM’s show management part -

ner, Smithbucklin. During her tenure, Levy implemented innovations and process improvements for The NAFEM show, while managing all aspects of the largest showcase in the Americas of foodservice equipment and supplies.

“Buffy and I have been partners on the trade show committee for more than 20 years,” Packer said.

“Her strategic vision and day-to-day management oversight, continues to make The NAFEM Show the premiere event it is today, and for what I know will be years ahead. I greatly value her guidance and friendship.”

NAFEM is a trade association of more than 500 foodservice equipment and supplies manufacturers providing products for food

preparation, cooking, storage and table service. For more information, visit www.nafem.org

Buffy Schechter Levy

Mike Carpenter

CALIFORNIANS PUT FAST-FOOD LAW ON 2024 BALLOT

Pencil in the date: Nov. 5, 2024. That’s the date that California voters could change the destiny of fast food not just in the Golden State but across the US.

In a big victory for the fast-food industry, California’s secretary of state announced late last month that enough signatures were collected to trigger a statewide referendum on the landmark Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act. The law, AB 257, was hailed as groundbreaking by labor advocates as a way to improve working conditions in the fastfood industry when it was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September.

The measure would have raised employee wages to as much as $22 an hour by the end of this year for chains such as McDonald’s and Starbucks that have 100 or more outlets nationwide.

California’s current minimum wage for all workers is $15.50 an hour. The law affects more than a half-million fast-food workers.

The newly schedule vote for ‘24 comes on the heels of a referendum that raised more than 623,000 valid voter signatures. The initiative could overturn a first-in-the-nation law passed last year.

The law also establishes a 10-member council empowered to set minimum wages and standards for hours and working conditions for California’s fast-food workers. Two industry groups, the International Franchise Association and the National Restaurant Association,

promoted the referendum that would leave its fate to voters. Opponents, who raised more than $10 million last year to fund the referendum campaign, argue that the law would burden owners of chain restaurant franchises and drive up the cost of food.

The law was temporarily blocked from taking effect in December by a Sacramento County Superior Court judge while ballot signatures were counted and verified.

The Service Employees International Union remained confident that the law will survive the election. “Despite fast food corporations’ efforts to distort the referendum process, we know California voters see through their tricks,” SEIU President Mary Kay Henderson said. “No corporation is more

powerful than half a million workers joining together to demand a seat at the table.”

The fast-food industry, which has argued the law would put restaurants out of business, and trigger more inflation, celebrated the referendum in a raft of statements.

“We’re pleased that Californians will get the chance to exercise their constitutional right to vote on this law and will continue to support the operators, small business owners, and workers that make the restaurant industry so important to our customers’ lives,”

Sean Kennedy, the National Restaurant Association’s executive vice president for public affairs, said in a statement.

Advocates said they’ll keep fighting for its passage: “Despite fast-food corporations’ efforts to distort the referendum process, we know California voters see through their tricks,” Mary Kay Henry, president, Service Employees International Union, said. Both sides are expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to entice voters in the referendum fight. Opponents spent nearly $14 million on the ballot measure to challenge the law, per California state records.

Main Office 282 Railroad Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830

Publishers

Leslie & Fred Klashman

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Michael Scinto

Art & Web Director

Mark Sahm

SCOOP News Editor and Senior Contributing Writer

Joyce Appelman

Contributing Writers

Cherry Dumaual

Francine Cohen

Editorial Interns

Claudia Giunta

Jackson Hart

Karen Jones

Keesha Joseph

Zachary Kitay

Sophia Maggio

Parker Shatkin

Phone: 203.661.9090

Email: tfs@totalfood.com

Web: www.totalfood.com

continued on page 102

“Despite fast-food corporations’ efforts to distort the referendum process, we know California voters see through their tricks.” — Mary Kay Henry

TYSON FOODS OPENS ENTRIES FOR K-12 HUNGER HERO CONTEST

Five school foodservice workers will receive $5,000 grants to benefit their district’s program

Tyson Foods is honoring K-12 foodservice operators nationwide with the return of the third-annual Tyson K-12 Hunger Hero program. Entries are now open, and five recipients will be announced in April 2023 to win a $5,000 grant and prizes to be used for their district’s foodservice program.

Winners are selected by the Tyson Foods K-12 team, recognizing individuals working in a school district foodservice program who are raising expectations and improving the cafeteria experience for children in school districts across the country.

“We’re excited to shine a spotlight on the everyday heroes in our children’s schools – the foodservice workers that help fuel our future,” said Andrew Williams, Tyson Foods’ director of channel development for K-12 foodservice. “Our Hunger Hero program allows us to celebrate those who are not only

serving nutritious and delicious meals but making a difference in students’ lives.”

Hunger Hero grant funds are used to enhance their school’s foodservice program, continuing to bring positivity and fight food insecurity in their schools. The five winners will also receive Hunger Hero branded socks, hats and aprons for the district’s foodservice staff, as well as personalized cartoon depictions of the winners to be used for future Hunger Hero communications.

Melody Lockhart, a 2022 Hunger Hero, is a 34-year foodservice worker at Dayton Elementary in Dayton, Pennsylvania. Her commitment to bringing students together and helping them overcome allergy struggles are just a couple of reasons Lockhart’s story was a perfect fit for a Tyson K-12 Hunger Hero.

“Food brings us together,” said

Lockhart. “When children come to lunch at Dayton Elementary, they know the staff cares by the smile on our faces and the food we serve.”

The submission form for entries is now open, allowing personal submissions and submissions for someone in the school district foodservice program who works hard every day to bring a smile to a child’s face while serving delicious and nutritious meals. The submission period ends on March 12, and recipients will be announced in April alongside the release of their story and personalized Hunger Hero character.

Tyson Foods’ K-12 foodservice programs are dedicated to feeding the future. With a portfolio of high-quality protein products, on-trend recipes and flavor inspirations, alternate feeding programs and accredited continuing education opportunities, this program is designed for the unique

challenges that come with keeping students nourished. Learn more at www.TysonK12.com.

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under four generations of family leadership, the Company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp® and State Fair®. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the Company had approximately 142,000 team members on October 1, 2022. Through its Core Values, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team members and serve as a steward of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit www.tysonfoods.com.

By David Joseph, co-founder, DAVO by Avalara

SALES TAX QUESTIONS? GET ANSWERS.

Tax season is here and as a business owner or manager, you’ve got your hands full. Payroll requirements, income tax and sales tax deadlines all converge at once. To get a handle on this sales tax season, we’ve got answers to your top questions about sales tax.

Where can I find my state’s sales tax due dates and tax rates?

Every state has different due dates and requirements around sales tax filings as well as unique sales tax rates. Within one state, some items may be taxed differently than others. You should check with your state’s department of revenue to understand your situation. DAVO Sales Tax offers a handy State-By-State Sales Tax 101 guide that answers the basics for each state.

What’s new for the 2023 sales tax filing season?

Because of a recent Supreme Court ruling, many states have changed their laws or enacted new ones around e-commerce taxation. In reaction to these changes, 3rd party food delivery apps have changed their terms and operational procedures. The apps may not be responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax or vice versa. It’s important to check your terms and arrangement to make sure your systems are set-up correctly to account for sales

tax collection and remittance.

Can I get a discount for paying my sales tax?

Yes, in 27 states you can get a discount for paying your sales tax ontime and in full by the due date. It pays to develop a sales tax management system to make sure you can pay on time to reap the benefits of the discount. Take advantage of the savings to invest in a sales tax automation solution.

What are common ways businesses may be overpaying sales tax?

3rd party food delivery apps open up new revenue streams for foodservice operators but they also have many operational considerations. Apps like GrubHub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats may be collecting and

paying sales tax on your businesses’ behalf. It’s important to make sure your POS is configured accurately to track what sales tax has been collected and what is owed. Each app may have different terms. You certainly don’t want to find yourself double paying sales tax!

What should I do if I can’t pay my sales tax?

You should still file even if you cannot pay your sales tax in full or at all. Make a plan to allocate funds to pay off the sales tax bill and save for the next one. The State may be more amenable to a payment plan or negotiation if you have a solid plan to make sure you can pay your next sales tax bill.

Is sales tax software worth it?

Most likely, yes, sales tax software

will save you time and money by automating the entire process. Sales tax apps, like DAVO by Avalara, seamlessly integrate into the most popular POS systems in just a simple, quick set-up. From there, the app calculates the exact amount of sales tax collected every day and sets it aside in a secure holding account. When sales tax is due, the app files and pays the sales tax owed – on time and in full.

Foodservice operators have enough on their plate. Sales tax automation removes the stress of filing on time and ensuring you have enough cash on hand to pay. Automating a back office task gives you more time to work on front of the house revenue generating activities.

DAVO Sales Tax can help you gain back valuable time to focus on the priorities that will help the business grow. With just a few minutes of set up, your sales tax process, filing and payments are on autopilot. Give it a try and see how much time and hassle you can save.

The app offers a free trial for the first month: shorturl.at/ryOZ3

As a former restaurant owner, David Joseph is no stranger to the struggles of restaurant sales tax. A self-proclaimed sales tax evangelist, David co-founded DAVO by Avalara, a sales tax automation platform that integrates directly with the point of sale.

NY STATE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR EXPANDED GAMING LICENSES TO INCLUDE RESTAURANTS

On-premises sport betting kiosks to stimulate increased revenue and meet consumer demand

The New York State Restaurant Association is urging lawmakers to expand gaming licenses in New York State to include restaurants. On-premises betting will expand the economic arsenal available to restaurants as they continue to struggle with the harsh economic environment.

Recent survey data revealed elevated costs, supply chain disruptions, staffing shortages and low profitability facing restaurant operators. Prior to the pandemic, the restaurant industry was a $50-billion industry in New York, producing $4 billion annually in sales tax revenue. New York must explore how to create a new environment for restaurants to build back and open as many economic pathways as possible.

“New York sports fans have enthusiastically embraced sports betting, either at brickand-mortar casinos or from their mobile devices and are hungry for more. New York must capture this economic opportunity and expand the type of licenses available to restaurants and meet consumer demand. The restaurant industry is well positioned to take advantage of this burgeoning marketplace

and grow New York’s sports betting footprint. We understand sports betting terminals and kiosks might not have a place in every restaurant and expanding available licenses may not be a silver bullet for the industry. However, for those where this is a fit, the additional revenue from on-premises sports betting could mean the difference between closing and survival,” said Melissa Fleischut, President & CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association.

“We firmly believe that New York

State represents an optimal landscape for leveraging the enthusiasm for sports betting at retail establishments as demonstrated by the extraordinary success of mobile betting in the first year since regulation. Expanding sports betting to the neighborhood sector, as proven in Europe for over 30 years, could play a pivotal role in recovery in the hard-hit leisure and hospitality sector, a vital component of the New York City’s economy. We believe that fostering a retail market is a question of convenience that that would

allow a sports bettor the option of patronizing a local restaurant or sports bar while enjoying a sports event as adopted in DC, Maryland and Ohio as well as Canadian provinces while contributing tax revenue for community services and infrastructure. Elys proudly supports this initiative together with the New York State Restaurant Association,” stated Michele Ciavarella, Executive Chairman of Elys Game Technology, Corp.

This concept has been tested and proved successful. Last December, a sports bar in Washington D.C reported bringing in over $1.4 million in gross gaming revenue since the beginning of the NFL season in September 2022. The increased revenue has allowed this establishment to keep their doors open and establish additional full-time jobs to those that need them.

In January 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York collected more than $900 million in taxes and licensing fees from mobile sports betting during the first year of operation providing a glimpse into the potential economic benefits that could be realized by New York businesses from expanding sports betting licenses in New York to include restaurants.

AVOID COSTLY EMPLOYMENTRELATED LAWSUITS FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY BUSINESS

Understanding your employees’ rights is paramount to protecting your business. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) 2022 reporting, retaliation continues to be the most frequently filed claim included in charges with the EEOC with

nearly 56% of all charges involving a retaliation claim 1. After retaliation, the EEOC reports a high number of disability, race, sex, and age claims.

From discrimination to wrongful termination, employment practice claims can carry a heavy price tag when businesses fail to have the right risk management procedures

and insurance coverage in place.

It’s impossible to prevent all lawsuits. However, you can take mitigating steps to reduce your business’ risk and high cost associated with employment-related lawsuits through the following best practices:

1) Create policies and procedures. The first step and most important step is to create and implement concrete policies and procedures. Make sure that there are specific ways and means to address common on-the-job issues that could lead to a lawsuit. For instance, policies addressing hiring, promotions, evaluations, changes in status, training, harassment, and termination should all be considered. It is not about eliminating all employee questions, but instead about making sure that the employer and employee expectations meet reality. The best way to institute formal policies and procedures is to work with a seasoned employment law attorney to ensure that you’ve covered all your bases as an employer.

• For many employees, the employer/employee relationship is an at-will one, meaning it can be terminated with or without cause by either the employee or their employer. The employee handbook will become the closest thing that the employer and employee have to a contract, which is why it is so vital. An employee handbook is the best way to identify and outline the rights and policies.

continued on page 104

Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President with HUB International Northeast, a leading global insurance brokerage, where he specializes in providing insurance services to the restaurant industry. As a 25+ year veteran and former restaurateur himself, Robert has worked with a wide array of restaurant and food service businesses, ranging from fast-food chains to upscale, “white tablecloth” dining establishments. Robert can be reached at 212-3382324 or by email at robert.fiorito@ hubinternational.com.

It’s impossible to prevent all lawsuits. However, you can take mitigating steps to reduce your business’ risk and high cost associated with employment-related lawsuits by following the best practices listed below

BURRATA

Soft and delicate, with a slightly sweet, milky flavor, BelGioioso Burrata is made with hand-crafted Fresh Mozzarella filled with Stracciatella, a mix of soft mozzarella shreds and cream.

Enhance your menu by creating a deluxe Caprese salad with spooned sections of Burrata beside ripe tomatoes and fresh basil, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Or enrich your pizza or pasta by topping with a garnish of this fresh, creamy cheese just before serving.

Available in 2 oz., 4 oz. and 8 oz. Burrata balls, 4 oz. balls with Black Truffles, and 8 oz. and 1 lb. Stracciatella.

For more info and samples, please contact: foodservice@belgioioso.com

877-863-2123

belgioioso.com/Foodservice

INSIGHTS ON TECHNOLOGY IN THE RESTAURANT IN LATEST EPISODE OF VIRTUAL BREAKFAST SESSIONS

Next VBS With TFS & L.Sashin In February

The David Joseph from DAVO by Avalara asked: “Is this (app) a solution looking for a problem, or is this a solution TO a problem?” The TFS co-sponsored Virtual Breakfast Session #31 panel sought to answer that and more this past month.

“Being caught in a tidal wave of info is common to the small to medium sized operator,” said host Larry Sashin. The group assembled was designed to discuss what technology had been developed to aid any restaurant operator to manage that ever-expanding deluge of data that is needed to keep your doors open and your service flowing.

All attending agreed that there’s a lot of prep work to be done before the 1st demo. David Pellon of the NY Hospitality Group stated, “We did a lot of research before we started looking at what’s out there, we made a grid…a checklist of what our problems were and what we needed help with”. Followed by David Joseph of Davo by Avalara asking an important question, “When you’re looking at apps is this a solution looking for a problem or a solution to a problem?”

Buying cool, new or even bundled isn’t necessarily the best for your needs. Everyone agreed that there is no single solution that does everything, add-ons are always needed for

a complete solution. The discussion turned to how many functions should be bundled and what bundling POS and credit card can mean to a restaurant. Jeff Feuer of IPOS said that due to higher rates, “It’s not a good idea to mix (bundle) technology with credit card clearing”, followed by Pellon stating, “After long consideration we went with Toast”, a bundled product. Pellon continued, “When we looked at the system, we were aware of the higher processing fees, but there were other factors that led us to adoption…They checked a lot of boxes.” The conversation continued, but we only have a half page, so check out the video on YouTube.

Fast forward, we moved to adoption, installation and first usage. Step one is a powerful, secure WIFI system. Old WIFI should be updated and as Joseph pointed out, “You need redundancy!” “Things happen in the cloud” added Feuer. Nothing works 100% of the time. On finally using the system, Pellon stated, “There’s a definite period adjustment”. Joseph added, “There’s no plug and play.” Feuer followed with a point that should not be overlooked. During the process so much attention is put on “the system” and what it does, but there’s a lot of twists and turns that occur between first look and up and running. The human factor plays a big part during the process. During

this time a vendor is not enough, “You really need a POS Partner” to guide you through the process”.

What system of systems should you choose for your establishment?

David Joseph chimed in, “The one or ones that make your life easier.”

To dive deeper into this conversation, go to YouTube and type in “Virtual Breakfast Sessions #31”.

Our next session (2/8/23 @ 8:45 am eastern) will be a great one: “Coffee with Liz Neumark”, the Founder and driving force behind Great Performances, the largest off premises Caterer in NYC, Founder of Katchkie Farms and the Sylvan Center, an organization that addresses children’s health.

The bi-monthly VBS-Virtual Breakfast Sessions are a production of L.Sashin and TFS. The programming is entering its second year with a goal of creating unique perspectives and solutions for the restaurant and foodservice professional.

Info on upcoming sessions that are held on Wednesdays can be found at: https://bit.ly/3xWUc0V

All past VBS’s can be seen on YouTube or at https://totalfood.com/vbs/

NEW ENGLAND’S TOP RESTAURATEURS AND FOODSERVICE PROFESSIONALS LOOK TO ANNUAL BOSTON SHOW FOR SOLUTIONS

An entire industry is focused on finding their next chapter. In light of this, a trip to the annual upcoming New England Food Show becomes more important than ever on a restaurateur’s agenda. Slated for April 2nd-4th at Boston’s Convention and Exhibition Center, the show offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions that deal with the diverse set of challenges facing New England and the nation’s restaurant and foodservice professional.

“Our industry has severe labor challenges that includes both a growing minimum wage and a shrinking front of house and culinary talent pool,” noted Stephen Clark, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. “With that in mind the show floor will be packed with technology trends in restaurant and hospitality. Automated kitchen and back-of-house solutions innovative

new mobile and online ordering systems, digital signage, menu boards, new catering and delivery service options, AI-powered customer service applications, and cloud-based analytics tools, will also be available to test drive on the show floor. We really have an eye on how quickly tech changes in our industry and a trip to our show can keep the operator on top of the very latest developments.”

The New England Food Show is an annual event that brings together foodservice professionals to network, get educated on the latest trends in the industry, and connect with suppliers and vendors. “The post-pandemic timing really offers a unique opportunity,” Clark noted. “A company providing food equipment and supplies, or a service can bring all their customers into one room and have a conversation with them. That one-on-one relationship with both existing and potential customers

was sorely missed over the past three years.” Many operators in New England have found the show to be a perfect venue to assemble their general management teams.

“Whether it’s a 10-minute drive from Downtown Boston or a 1 ½ hour drive from Maine, the show offers unique value,” Clark added. “What this is really all about is in many ways the limitations of the internet. How do you see a new product demo online, especially something that needs to be tasted? Keep in mind too that not only is it about new products, it’s also about new faces because of all the turnover in so many different industries.”

The New England Food Show has committed its resources to understand the needs of the 15,000 or so food and beverage operations across Massachusetts. “I was talking to one of our members who told me how that the show was the only place that he could get information on a number of different products,” Clark said. “He told me that he needs the show floor to be able to find and test all of the alternatives that are available. He also went on to tell me that it’s a lot easier to get out of the restaurant be able to make a good deci-

sion and not have to worry about getting lunch out to a guest at the same time.” Another operator said the Show was where she went to make many of her operational decisions for the next 3-4 months.

The New England Food Show has become a leading resource for the operator looking for how to balance the growth of Takeout and Delivery during the pandemic with the return of the in-restaurant dining patron. “One of the key takeaways from the Pandemic, is that as an industry, we taught people how to eat at home from our restaurants,” Clark noted. “Our goal is to provide a look at the latest in packaging and menu items that travel well. At the same time, we have an eye towards the trends in green and sustainable packaging, we also look to provide the POS knowledge so that I’m not overloading my kitchen on a Friday night at 6 o’clock when I have a full dining room and a 20% increase in orders to go. This has actually taken us to a deep dive on how to remodel a kitchen to be able to handle the growth.”

The “Boston show” has become an important resource for menu planning trends. “Most recently, we are seeing a lot of questions about Mocktails,” Clark added. “We also understand the reality of economic cycles

continued on page 114

“How do you see a new product demo online, especially something that needs to be tasted?”

— Stephen Clark

3 WAYS TO IMPROVE THE DELIVERY EXPERIENCE AND MAKE YOUR RESTAURANT MORE PROFITABLE IN 2023

There is no denying that the food delivery industry will continue to grow following its watershed moment during the pandemic. In fact, the value of the online food delivery market is expected to equal $217m by 2026.

More than 80% of customers admit they would blame the restaurant, not the delivery provider, for a poor delivery experience. For this reason, enhancing the delivery experience is an essential step to take if you’re trying to increase the number of positive online reviews your restaurant receives.

An optimized delivery channel will not only increase customer satisfaction, it will also help you to capture more customers and increase your off premise profitability. If you’re serious about improving the delivery experience and making your restaurant more profitable in 2023, follow these 3 simple steps.

1. Reduce Your Delivery Times

If faster delivery times are not at the top of your to-do list in order to improve customer satisfaction, you’re missing a trick. After all, the quicker the delivery, the better the experience.

Improving the delivery experience begins with automation. By using the right software that is integrated with your POS system, you should be able to reduce your average delivery times by up to 30% with little or no manual intervention necessary.

Using the right system will automatically dispatch jobs to drivers based on a set of rules you choose including ‘availability’, ‘distance from restaurant’, ‘vehicle type’ etc. By automating the dispatching process you are ensuring that the optimum driver is selected every time regardless of whether you are using an in-house driver fleet, a 3rd party fleet or even one of the marketplace fleets. Additional features such as route optimization and order stacking will ensure that deliveries are reaching your customers in the fastest time possible and that both the output and income of your driver team is maximized.

2. Communicate With Customers in Real-Time

When it comes to food delivery, managing the expectations of your customers is vital.

Customers expect delivery within a narrow time frame and are conscious that the quality of their food will deteriorate if there are delays. On busy nights or during times where traffic is problematic, delays are inevitable and for customers, this can cause some delivery anxiety.

The simplest way to manage your customers expectations is by providing them with real-time order status by using a dispatch system that automatically sends them a live map which tracks their delivery drivers progress.

Best in class delivery tracking will also allow your customers to message the drivers directly and vice versa, meaning your restaurant will not have to deal with phone calls related to delivery. Even during periods of high demand, when deliveries might be running behind, customers will be satisfied because they have live updates and know exactly what to expect.

You can even use this opportunity to engage with your customers while they wait for their food by offering them a discount on their next purchase or the option to tip their delivery driver.

With our customers having sent

almost 2 million tracking links via SMS to their customers, we know that the click-through rate to branded content is 78%. In addition, the average view time of this content is 4 minutes meaning customers are eager to engage with your brand while they wait for their delivery. Therefore, this is the perfect opportunity to capture your customers’ attention and build brand loyalty!

3. Take Advantage of Marketplace Delivery Apps

The food delivery industry has come to depend massively on mar-

continued on page 112

ICONIC PIZZA MAKER DONATELLA ARPAIA EXPANDS FOOTPRINT INTO SOUTH FLORIDA

The migration of New Yorkers to South Florida is nothing new. But while many top chefs have opened outposts of successful Manhattan operations, very few have made the move full time to Miami.

With the combination of the Pandemic and a heart surgeon husband with a great career opportunity, Donatella Arpaia is writing the next chapter of her storied career in South Florida. Arpaia, has taken over operations at two Coral Gables restaurants, Redfish and Forte.

When Arpaia relocated to Miami from New York City with her husband and their young son in 2018, she was pregnant with twins. “Two years later, when the pandemic hit took advantage of the downtime to

explore Miami’s neighborhoods to determine what she could create from a unique culinary perspective. She found that opportunity with Redfish and Forte.

The former Redfish Grill has opened again as Noma Beach at Redfish with the Celebrity Chef and Food Network Star Donatella Arpaia putting her special touches on her menu. “This is really about a lifestyle with the beach right here,” Arpaia explained. “We have an opportunity to provide a full menu of options from a simple pizza to a full celebration dinner. Whether din -

ing outside under the Palms at the edge of Biscayne Bay or in the historic coral stone dining room, this restaurant is like nowhere else. It’s a slice of Florida that disappeared long ago in most parts of Miami.”

Noma Beach at Redfish is a oneof-a-kind waterfront property that highlights Donatella Coastal Italian cuisine with an emphasis on local fish and fresh ingredients. An expansive raw crude selection of appetizers, along with Donatella Famous award-winning meatballs are a must. The restaurant also serves a variety of house made pastas and

desserts. A wood burning pizza oven for Neapolitan style pizza and porterhouse steak.

Arpaia is a popular American entrepreneur, restaurateur, and television personality. She was born in 1971 and grew up in Long Island, New York. When Donatella was a child, her father, Italian immigrant Lello Arpaia, was a hardworking restaurateur raising a family. He told his little girl that she could be anything she wanted to be when she grew up—just stay out of the restaurant business. It’s a good thing she didn’t listen. Arpaia has made a career of finding restaurant opportunities. She went to college, studied law and even became an attorney.

continued on page 112

“It’s a slice of Florida that disappeared long ago in most parts of Miami.”

Donatella Arpaia stands in the outdoor dining space at Noma Beach at Redfish; From the menu: Clam and Sausage Pizza (Photos by Deanna Candelas)

Q&A WITH GRÉGOIRE JACQUET, CHEF AND FOUNDER OF GRÉGOIRE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA

French-trained Chef Grégoire Jacquet was dissatisfied working at five-star, Michelin-rated restaurants around the world. Craving independence, he left fine dining to venture off on his own. In 2002, Jacquet transformed the tradition of carry-out food by opening the first high-end takeout restaurant — called Grégoire — just around the corner from the renowned Chez Panisse in the heart of Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto. His innovative menu features all house-made ingredients and changes with the season, sourcing fresh ingredients from select community vendors and local farms to create each menu items crave-worthy flavors. As

the takeout restaurant celebrates 20 years as a neighborhood institution and home of the renowned potato puff, Jacquet has recently launched into franchise opportunities.

The revered chef shares the vision for his latest concept and plans for the future.

Tell our readers what got you interested in becoming a chef. Could you walk us through your career track?

It really started at a young age when I moved to a small village of 80 people in France. My parents were not very wealthy; they were workingclass people and moved there to have a garden and a great place to raise animals like rabbits and chickens and

to be close to farms. We had every vegetable and fruit you could think of, from artichokes and Brussels sprouts to strawberries and pears. We never grocery shopped; we were really living off the land and out of our garden. I would watch my mom cook all our meals, and I was always interested and giving her a hand.

I didn’t even know restaurants existed until I was 10 years old. We never went out to eat, and I’d never been to one. But then I went to a dinner organized by the city. It was my first time at a restaurant, and I was so impressed. The food was so good, and I had no idea serving people on that scale in public could be done.

I decided then that I wanted to

be a chef. I hadn’t been doing great at school, and they told me I should try a vocation and get two diplomas — something that’s very common in France. I enrolled in cooking school and would split my time doing culinary studies and working at restaurants around my town.

After graduating, I traveled to the U.S. and met French master chef Jacky Robert, who had a restaurant in San Francisco called Amelio’s. He told me that if I wanted to work for

continued on page 102

Joyce Appelman is the SCOOP News Editor and Senior Contributing Writer for Total Food Service and previously the National Communications Director for C-CAP, Careers through Culinary Arts Program. An industry leader supporting education and scholarships, she has been instrumental in opening career opportunities for many young people in the foodservice industry. Email her at joyceappelman@gmail.com

Chef Grégoire Jacquet; and a sampling of the high end comfort food from Grégoire including Chef Jacquet’s renowned potato puffs.

SAVINGS

25% Restaurants can save 25% annually on repair & maintenance — if equipment is correctly maintained with the proper preventative maintenance in place.

Learn how ServicePower’s field service management solution can transform your business today.

info@servicepower.com | servicepower.com

When food service equipment goes down, the heat is on to get it fixed, fast .

SELECT YOURSELF: HOW PRIVATE LABEL SPIRITS BRING PROFITS TO THE BAR

They say you always remember your first time. I sure do. Mexico. Herradura hacienda. Super Bowl

MVP Emmitt Smith of the five-time championship Dallas Cowboys was there…

Well, truth be told, he wasn’t just there. He was the reason I was there. He, and I, and a number of others gathered at the hacienda to explore the exciting new-to-us world of select barrels. The ultimate gift for the tequila connoisseur, and the foot -

ball legend who wants to show his pals a good time.

Despite our opposing team loyalties (lifelong DC football fan here) Emmitt and I found common ground when it came to finding just the perfect (for him) tequila. Experiencing alongside him the joy of tasting through a number of barrels before finding the one that perfectly suits your taste and you feel is “mine!” produced the same level of joy discovered when you descend upon that perfect suit/sweater/ dress/pair of shoes at a store; you have found something to wear that perfectly defines you and you can’t wait to share it with others.

Imagine experiencing this own joy at your bar! And… making money from it.

That’s what select barrel programs are. And it’s not just for tequila. Or winning ring-wearing, dance legend football players. These programs are perfect for your bar.

Much like the logo you’ve designed, the décor you’ve selected, the menu you created and the ambiance and hospitality experience you deliver a select barrel or signature barrel says a lot about your business. It signals – quietly, from the back bar – that you’re an establishment with serious taste and the ability to provide guests with an experience like no other.

Literally no other. And, in some cases, for a limited time.

And what’s more compelling for building guest retention than letting a guest know their experience is

Francine Cohen is an awardwinning journalist covering the business of the f&b/hospitality industry, and a proud native Washingtonian (DC). In addition to her work as a journalist she keeps busy fundraising for Citymeals on Wheels, Les Dames d’Escoffier, NY Women’s Culinary Alliance, and the USBG Foundation and serves as chief storyteller and brand steward for clients in the food and beverage sector by providing them with strategic marketing and business growth guidance. She has never met a cheese or beverage she does not like, and lives with her husband in New York; leaving him behind to visit New Orleans every summer. (Except 2020-21. Darn pandemic.) You can reach her at francinecohen@mindspring.com

totally unique? That that one blissful moment they shared at your bar will never happen anywhere else? Talk about a captive audience!

Moments like this are why Peter Nevenglosky of Rare Character Spirits created the single barrel program with his co-founder Pablo Moix. They describe the firm as an independent bottler of American whiskey inspired by traditions of Scotland where they’ve taken a page from Scotland’s Gordon & MacPhail’s book, and other bottlers with a longstanding tradition in Europe, of presenting really great single bottles curated for a group or individual.

He shares the desire to bring something to bars that for so long had been the unique purview of whisk(e)y clubs and foreign collectors, “There’s a history of interesting developments in American whiskey born out of people not wanting to buy American whiskey. So if you look at Pappy (Van Winkle) bottles in Japan, barrels done for Danny Meyer’s restaurants, there was a lot of creativity and unique labeling that has gone on, and this doesn’t even continued on page 106

The Life of Loi: Mediterranean Secrets

Known as the Julia Child of Greece, Maria shares thousands of years of knowledge baked into Mediterranean cuisine as she takes us island hopping across Greece and back home in her restaurant kitchen, the critically acclaimed Loi Estiatorio restaurant in New York City, where she puts her own spin on the dishes inspired by her travels. From the Athens rooftop of the historic Hotel Grande Bretagne that overlooks the Acropolis, to a boat moored in the Aegean Sea just off Naxos Island, to a mushroom farm on Evia Island, Maria gives us an insider’s tour of her home country from every conceivable vantage point. You’ll learn about local ingredients while she’s serving up the secrets to making some of the region’s most classic dishes.

José Andrés & Family in Spain

Join celebrity chef and global humanitarian José Andrés on a delicious journey of food, wine, and

With Joyce Appelman

TV, FILM, AND PODCASTS

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO:

fun on the gastronomic adventures across his native Spain with his three American-born daughters Carlota, Inés, and Lucía. Andrés new show travels through some of the very best food cities and regions in the world: Barcelona, Madrid, Andalucía, Lanzarote, and his birthplace of Asturias. Along the way, the family meets the chefs, food makers, and old friends who explain and explore the treasures of a country famous for its culture of cooking and eating.

Matt Sartwell, Managing Partner, Kitchen Arts & Letters Bookstore in New York City shares his book reviews...

Delectable: Sweet and Savory Baking

her work as the pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern. Her emphasis on using seasonal ingredients and employing traditionally savory ingredients in her desserts became commonplace in the years that followed, a testament to the attention home and professional bakers alike paid to Fleming. Now in Delectable, her first book since The Last Course, Fleming brings a much wider range of experience to bear on her baking. And freed from the constraints of plated restaurant desserts, she can apply her thoughtful creativity to things both humble and refined.

Consider this range:

• Kumquat tatin

• Devil’s food cake with Earl Grey cream

• Grapefruit and poppy seed rugelach

• Oatmeal and sour cherry cookies

• Tomato crostata

• Gruyere and onion cocktail biscuits

It’s easy to keep adding eye-catching recipes to this list. Fleming’s recipes are clearly written, with measurements by weight (hooray!) as well as volume. She’s conversational in her willingness to attribute ideas to the other bakers who inspired her, and easygoing about suggesting alternative applications of doughs, toppings, or anything else in your own baking adaptations. Worthy of a place on any baker’s shelf.

continued on page 110

By Claudia Fleming

with Catherine Young

Claudia Fleming changed the world of American baking with The Last Course, an enormously influential 2001 book based on

WHAT WE’RE READING: WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:

By Jackson Hart

NORTERA FOODS LAUNCHES THE NEW ARCTIC GARDENS BRANDED PORTFOLIO

Among the leading challenges facing restaurant and foodservice culinary teams is how to create a recipe for success in 2023. Operators are battling significant obstacles led by a severely depleted labor force and supply chain challenges of being able to procure the foods needed to execute menus.

With that in mind, Nortera, a leading processor of both frozen and canned vegetables, is excited to introduce their Arctic Gardens brand to the foodservice market in

the US. The company currently produces vegetables for major private label distributors and retail brands in the United States, the success of its Arctic Gardens brand in home country Canada has inspired Nortera to roll out the innovative line of vegetable products in the American market. Total Food Service spoke to Senior Brand Manager, Marie Eve Ooft and Vice President Sales North America – Foodservice, Kelley Martin about Arctic Gardens’ American roll-out and the product line’s efficiency and flexibility.

Nortera’s Arctic Gardens offering added seven unique and flavorful products: the Romanesco blend, a Kalebanzo blend, a Riced cauliflower and a rice pilaf, a mirepoix, and a slew of roasting vegetables. The brand, explains Ooft,

was partly conceptualized to help highlight and showcase on-trend vegetable choices, like their Romanesco blend, which contains delicious heads of Romanesco broccoli alongside colorful carrots and green beans: “the blend is innovative, inspiring, and fulfills our goal of providing chefs with products that are easy to use, ready to cook, and are pre-washed and pre-cut.”

The Arctic Gardens mirepoix, for example, is a testament to the brand’s second focus: making the food preparation process less of a headache for chefs. The pre-prepared French soup and sauce base consisting of finely diced carrots, celery, and onions comes cleaned, peeled and chopped to save busy chefs and foodservice professionals invaluable time and labor. The benefit of quick preparation and consistent product quality, while initially small, add up, explains Martin: “really all of the Arctic Gardens products help provide easy solutions toward driving labor and cost down.”

Nortera’s state-of-the-art Research and Development team follows market trends to create and develop new innovative solutions. They continuously test Arctic Gardens products to enhance them and

continued on page 116

“The blend is colorful, inspiring, and fulfills our goal of providing chefs with products that are easy to use, ready to cook, and are prewashed and pre-cut.” — Marie Eve Ooft

By Jessica Fassett, Art Director, Second Sight Design

CONTENT IS QUEEN: PERFECTING THE PROCESS OF CREATION

Move over King, we’re here to talk content. After you’ve defined and refined your restaurant’s logo and wordmark, it’s time to think about your imagery, a pivotal piece of the puzzle to reinforce your brand story. The content you create provides visual commentary and promotes an aspirational view to your potential guests to be used on your website, social media, email campaigns and advertising. Second Sight Design has perfected the process and we’re here to break it down.

Review Concept, Create Prop List & Budget

When concepting photo shoots, we aim to capture the essence of a property and decide what story they’re trying to tell by imagining the tone of the brand. If your restaurant is fun and trendy you may depict models smiling while chatting and eating. Or if your brand is more hip and sultry, you’d opt for a more serious engagement at the table. We discuss the most essential elements of the restaurant to feature,

including certain dishes, views, design features, tables and what prop accessories would really help highlight those touchstone details.

We love to convey a “lived in” aesthetic thinking about our target audience and what items they would have with them at the table. If you’re dining on JRDN’s boardwalk patio, a guest will likely be seated with their sunglasses and hat while enjoying their al fresco dining experience. While plated food glamour shots can be great on their own, when thinking of lifestyle imagery we aim for the messy food shot to depict a realistic view of the table. Plates half eaten, forks in hand, chips being dipped, lemons squeezed over tacos – the more action the better. Including brand-specific props like menus and coasters also helps capture a more boutique shot. Budgets are important to flush out early in the process. We’ve worked with budgets of all sizes and talking numbers up front helps manage expectations to better plan for the photographer, models, team schedules, and physical props we’ll rent or purchase.

Scout Locations

It’s important to know your location and any challenges that might exist within your space prior to the shoot. We schedule a walkthrough of the restaurant with the photographer prior to the shoot at the time of day we plan to photograph. Doing this allows an opportunity to identify and prepare for any potential lighting challenges ahead of time and gets the photographer better acquainted with the environment. To save time in the post editing process and avoiding the timely hassle of having to switch scenes or locations last minute, we plan to have the space look as clean and ready as possible by scheduling maintenance or repairs in advance.

Create a Shot List

Once we have our concept and locations nailed down, we set out to create our shot list. This frame-by-frame accounting helps us better plan our timeline, number of models needed and prop list. During this step we try to also think about where the images

will be used. Being detail oriented is key here. Often, we’ll need images for a specific ad campaign or website hero image where text will be placed over the photo. We’ll note this in the shot list so the frame includes a solid color or less busy background around the product or model. Include the whole team in this step. Getting feedback from chefs, managers, and other restaurant staff on content they would like to see is helpful in telling a wellrounded story for the brand.

Source Photographer & Models

This is where the budget comes into play. When choosing models for smaller budget projects, we’ve worked with friends, family or connections of the client who love being in front of the camera. If the budget is a little higher, we’ll work with a photographer or agency to hire professionals. We strive for diversity and look for subjects that will resonate with our audience and help tell our brand story. To give the shoot its best shot at chemiscontinued on page 108

LEARN THE RIGHT WAY TO CALCULATE RESTAURANT FOOD COSTS

Rising food costs can crush a restaurant’s profitability. The crazy part about this is many restaurants are getting worked up and, in a panic, looking at the incorrect number. When it comes to the food cost formula, there’s only one way to do it correctly, and I mean one way.

Before I share with you how to calculate your food costs the right way, let me tell you where most restaurants go wrong.

One, calculating it with purchases divided by sales. They just take all their invoices, whatever that total is and divide it into the sales that came in that month for food. Well, it’s an incorrect number because in one month, you might have ordered more product than you needed, and your

sales were slightly lower than forecasted. The next thing you know, your food cost looks falsely high the next month, you don’t order as much product because you had some from the last month. It was still good, still usable, and your sales were astronomical. With your purchases low, and your sales much higher, your food costs go low. It doesn’t work that way. That is an incorrect number.

Two, not counting everything. If you’re not taking inventories, or you are taking inventories, but you’re not counting all the things that you prep

on the shelf, the components of dishes like diced onions and peppers, things like sauces, soups, side dishes, desserts, things you make from scratch, then your food cost won’t be right. When you don’t count all your inventory, you will have a false reading on a high food cost.

Three, inflating your purchases. When your broadband distributor invoice comes in and there’s paper, janitorial, smallwares and equipment on there, those aren’t food. You don’t sell those things. So, unless you remove those and only focus on what the food purchases were, you’re going to have a high number.

Four, using a spreadsheet. I’m telling you right now, you can’t use a spreadsheet anymore. Yes, you could set it up, and it will work for a little bit, but it’s going to be hard to maintain, which leads to inaccuracy. Plus, it’s difficult to add brand new products and put them in shelf-to-sheet order that you often don’t. This leads to missing complete items that came in just that week. In a perfect world you’re counting everything using software and separating your purchases on each and every invoice.

To get your food cost, there is a basic, simple calculation: beginning inventory plus purchases gives you what your to-

tal available is, or how much food you could sell. For example, if you had $5,000 on the shelf in food product when you started the week, and you purchased $10,000 in product and didn’t open the doors at all, you would have $15,000 in product on the shelf. That’s the total available.

Next take an ending inventory at the end of the period – preferably a week, could be a month ¬–and subtract it from that total available to get use.

What is use? It’s the product you sold, what spoiled or was wasted, or even what was stolen. It’s whatever is not on the shelves for the ending inventory. It doesn’t really matter how the product leaves because the equation is math. It’s blind to reason. (That’s why we need other systems in our business to track and control how we use our product.)

But that use is the cost of goods sold, the amount of product you used for the money you brought in. Now take that use divided by gross sales – food sales alone, since we’re talking about food cost. And that gives you your food cost percentage. If you come up with a 30% number, that means for every dollar that comes in in food sales, you used $0.30 in product.

continued on page 108

When it comes to the food cost formula, there’s only one way to do it correctly, and I mean one way.

David Scott Peters is an author, restaurant coach and speaker who teaches restaurant operators how to take control of their businesses and finally realize their full potential. His first book, Restaurant Prosperity Formula: What Successful Restaurateurs Do, teaches the systems and traits to develop to run a profitable restaurant. Thousands of restaurants have worked with Peters to transform their businesses. Get his three principles to restaurant success at https://dsp.coach/ three-key-principles.

CHRISSIE BENNETT Executive Chef, Winged Foot Golf Club

With club season on the horizon, Total Food Service is thrilled to share a truly inspiring story: Chef Chrissie Bennett. TFS has collaborated with a truly gifted publisher and writer to share that story, Diana DeLucia. Many clubs are facing challenges coming out of the pandemic. As with any other foodservice segment they face their own very interesting set of obstacles. For some, it’s the vision to replace an aging membership. Prior to Covid, there were even enormous questions marks regarding the future of golf. Little did anybody imagine that during the Pandemic, golf found an entire new group of participants with members desperately seeing refuge from their couches and being locked out of traditional indoor exercise venues. Having attended the annual Metropolitan Club Managers confab for years, we are always stunned by the culinary skills of these gifted professionals. With that in mind, TFS jumped at the opportunity to have Diana share Chef Chrissie’s vision.

(In 2014, Diana interviewed Chrissie Bennett when she was the Kitchen Manager at Winged Foot Golf Club) She asked then: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully, in an executive position, and most likely in a sous chef position. I love Winged Foot so much that I am happy to work my way up here and

continued on page 38

Interview by Diana DeLucia, Golf Kitchen

have no intentions of leaving. I am very family-oriented, and Winged Foot feels like home, which is why people stay here for 20 years and more. We’re always thankful that members and management acknowledge our performance, which happens every day! To summarize my feelings, Winged Foot has been great to me, and I, in turn, need to be great for Winged Foot.

Tell us when you realized that cooking inspired you?

My parents both worked, and they took turns cooking dinner. One rainy day when I was around 11 years old, I called my mom and told her I wanted to cook something to eat. She said, “No, you are too young, and you don’t know what you are doing!” I replied, “Fine, I won’t do anything,” and then I said, “Mom, I am going to cook something!” Defiantly I went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and made Chicken Cur-

ry with White Rice. When my mom came home from work, she was impressed and started calling everyone to tell them how her little Chrissie had cooked an impressive meal. That is when I knew I was interested in cooking, and after that, you couldn’t stop me! I cooked for my family, school friends, and at any opportunity, I could. Both my parents could cook, especially on my father’s side, so you could say it’s in my DNA, my family’s genes!

My extended family is enormous, and I have many Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. I credit my family for showing me that cooking was a pleasurable activity, and to this day, I love it, whether cooking for two or 200! You can always teach someone the cooking techniques, but you can’t teach the commitment and passion needed to excel.

Tell us about your journey to one of the top Executive Chef positions in

the country.

When I first came to Winged Foot 11 years ago, it was just a Summer job. Unexpectedly, I fell in love with the place. I felt it; it was so different, and I loved the culture and began to make friends.

My first duties here were at the pantry station. I think everyone was surprised that I knew what I was doing; besides cooking for family and friends, I used to watch every culinary show in existence for hours.

I would have my notepad and jot down everything; cooking became my second nature! By my third year, I was the kitchen manager. When our former Executive Chef, Rhy Waddington, moved on in 2021, I accepted the role. I knew I was ready.

Winged Foot has been a great learning environment for you. Tell us about that.

Many people don’t realize that it is much harder to attain recogni -

tion at a private club, but the goal is there if you want to work for it. At Winged Foot, you learn much more than you would in a restaurant because you have breakfast, lunch, banquets, fine dining, events, weddings, and golf course food.

There’s so much more education in the private club space. Another great thing about this learning environment is that you have more freedom to be creative. Due to the number of oversized banquets and events, I can take traditional recipes, play around with the ingredients and find new ways to present them. I love that freedom.

Winged Foot has pushed me to be the best version of myself. The only way I could conquer Winged Foot, one of the most beautiful and fierce animals you can come across, was to be just as fierce!

continued on page 40

Founded in 1921, the iconic clubhouse of the Winged Foot Golf Club sits among majestically designed greens in Mamaroneck, NY. (Photo courtesy of WFGC)

You sacrificed a lot on your journey. Tell us about that.

I knew how much I had sacrificed to get to this position. If I came here every day, not giving my all, would it be worth all the sacrifices?

When I accepted this role, I took it very seriously. I’m a person who, if I dedicate myself to something, I’m going to work hard at it. As a woman of color in this male-driven career, I have grown a thick skin and learned much from the harshest criticism.

The most significant personal sacrifice I made during my journey to this position was missing my sister Tanya Bennett’s graduation in Italy. We are very close, and every time I feel low, I think about the moment I made that choice and how it has paid off. It helps me to push through hard times.

What was the biggest challenge when you took on this role?

When I took this role, I took it very seriously. I’m a person who, if I dedicate myself to something, I’m going to work hard at it. As a woman of color in this male-driven career, I have grown a thick skin and learned much from the harshest criticism.

Creating a team is such a difficult task. One of the most challenging struggles is taking over a group of staff that the former chef led. Getting people who have worked under someone else to accept your vision isn’t an easy task. You have to figure out new ways to separate yourself from those who were previously on the same level and then get them to buy into your ideas and goals. That is not always possible, and that’s when hard decisions have to be made. You ask yourself, how do you create a culture with rotten apples?

How do you lead your team now to build a better culture?

One thing I love to do is team building. I try to build each person up and encourage them to do their ultimate best. I talk with them daily

about the service at the end of the shift. I give credit all the time. I’m honest and open with my staff and show them their strengths. I try my best to enable them to be creative. On the flip side, I might have a team member with an elevated ego, and I need to find a way to bring them back to earth, then rebuild.

When I first got this promotion, I received a letter from a girl congratulating me. I did not remember who she was. In the letter, she reminded me about a day many years earlier when she was feeling down and was in need of a little encouragement. She told me that my words made such an impact on her life.

It is mind-blowing that she tracked me down years later, congratulating me. It was just a conversation at the bottom of the Winged Foot staircase. This made me realize how important words are.

You may not realize it, but you are a light for many people here.

Thank you! This moment is so unbelievable for me. Who would have thought getting this promotion would have touched so many individuals, both young and old?

I wanted this position for myself at first; I wanted Winged Foot. I have put so much of myself into it. However, when I was given the new role and started receiving congratulatory messages from so many people in and out of the industry, I realized what a huge accomplishment it was.

It would be fantastic for my story to go as far as God wants to take it. Words can’t explain how important it would be to me personally if I were to be an inspiration to even one person.

How has the membership responded to your new role?

I am overwhelmed by how supportive the membership has been. Rhy was here for ten years, and the continued on page 42

MICRO CILANTRO ON SESAME GARLIC NOODLES CREATED BY CHRISTINA ROSE

members loved him; they were big shoes to fill. I knew some members wanted this for me, but the support has been much more than I had anticipated. It has made me want to do better.

That’s the beauty of it. That’s why I come here every day. I want to know when someone eats my food; I want them to be blown away by it. I see this place as my extended family; I need them just as much as they need me.

Tell us about some people who have influenced your career.

The relationship I built with Mr. Colin Burns, Winged Foot’s former General Manager, is phenomenal and he will be missed. He’s been behind my back this entire time. Chef Rhy realized 11 years ago how dedicated I was, and they have both championed my development.

My father always instilled in me that I could achieve anything if I had a

dream or desire, worked hard enough, and made sacrifices along the way.

I want to bring more people into my surroundings. If I can get people to come into this kitchen, I can show them that what you put into a club is what you will get back.

From my perspective, the younger club chefs are creating new ways to run kitchen operations, especially in the last few years of the pandem -

ic. It is not based on the old-style brigade system anymore.

At Winged Foot, we have workers of all different age ranges. It’s hard to get everyone to buy into the angry brigade atmosphere. There will always be some tension because we all work so many hours, and we must try to create the best environment, so people want to be here.

How do you manage the mental health of your team?

There’s so much happening in a person’s day-to-day life that we don’t know. I talk to everyone I hire, try to get to know them personally, and build better working relationships. We all come from different walks of life. I come from a solid

continued on page 44

Delicious entreés served by Chef Chrissie Bennett at Winged Foot Golf Club include (L-R) Escovitch Snapper with Blackened Spice Rub and Escovitch Dressing; and Seared Salmon with Wild Rice and Zucchini Blossoms

“Our kitchen is a very stressful environment, and the expectations are high. We’re not saving lives; we’re just making food, but at the same time, everyone needs to receive approval from their peers, superiors, and members. You put so much of yourself into this kitchen. It becomes a massive part of your life, so I need to make it as supportive of an environment as possible.”

background, and I can honestly say that not everyone comes from that. It doesn’t matter how well someone looks or presents themselves; there might be some real deep-rooted stuff that’s happening outside of work. I try to figure out how to connect with all my staff and encourage and motivate them. If someone struggles from within, I need them to feel comfortable talking to me about it.

Our kitchen is a very stressful environment, and the expectations are high. We’re not saving lives; we’re just making food, but at the same time, everyone needs to receive approval from their peers, superiors, and members. You put so much of yourself into this kitchen. It becomes a massive part of your life, so I need to make it as supportive of an environment as possible.

How do you think we can raise more awareness of the culinary career opportunities that the industry provides?

I honestly believe we have to figure out what we can do as an industry. Each person has to do their part to come up with a system that works long-term. We need to begin by inspiring young children and teenagers.

How do we make future culinarians learn about the culture of our industry and all it has to offer?

I hope a face like mine will bring that awareness to many.

All photography by Diana DeLucia, President at Golf Kitchen, unless otherwise noted.

The hallowed interiors at Winged Foot Golf Club beckon for the finest in club dining. Chef Chrissie Bennett has answered the call. (Photos courtesy of WFGC)

J&J SNACK FOODS LAUNCHES ¡HOLA! CHURROS™ BRAND TO FOODSERVICE OPERATORS

Brand Launches As #1 In Fastest Growing Dessert Category

Launching as the number one brand in the rapidly growing mini dessert category, J&J Snack Foods’ new ¡Hola! Churros™ proves the company’s prowess as a snack and beverage leader. With expanded production now in operation, foodservice operators are assured a steady, reliable supply of a variety of churros for the new year.

“¡Hola! Churros provides operators an easy solution for offering crowd-pleasing snacks and desserts,” says Norma Jean Abbattista,

J&J Snack Foods Senior Director of Marketing – Foodservice. “According to Datassential, churros have grown by 147% in the past four years as a mini-dessert and are the fastest growing dessert overall.”

The new ¡Hola! Churros brand strengthens J&J Snack Foods’ existing leadership position among churro manufacturers by combining the best of two legacy brands. The new brand reduces operator confusion and elevates the options for unique menu applications as an easy to prepare snack, dessert, or

breakfast item. Available in loops, regular churros, and bites, operators can choose a variety of flavors or sweet fillings.

“Snacking occasions continue to grow as sales opportunities between main menu dayparts, and ¡Hola! Churros offer a tremendously easy opportunity,” Abbattista says. “Our churros can be air fried, deep fried, or baked in minutes and can be very creative carriers of flavor with dips, glazes, sprinkles, and drizzles added by operators to customize their menu offering.”

¡Hola! Churros fulfill the growing demand by customers for globally inspired menu items that are sharable and hold well for takeout, delivery, or catering. Churros have grown as a breakfast item by 25% according to Datassential.

The new ¡Hola! Churros brand joins SuperPretzel ®, ICEE®, Dippin Dots® and other beverage, bakery, and niche snack brands, providing foodservice operators a total solution for beverages and snacks.

Operators can learn more about ¡Hola! Churros at Churros.com or download an Ideas Guide for their menu and request free samples at Churros.com/Ideas-Guide.

J&J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ: JJSF) is a leader and innovator in the snack food and frozen beverage industry. For over fifty years, the company has specialized in delicious snack and beverage brands for the foodservice and retail segments, serving up fun across the U.S. market. J&J Snack Foods’ core brands include SUPERPRETZEL, the #1 soft pretzel brand, ICEE and SLUSH PUPPIE frozen beverages, and Dippin’ Dots, the original beaded ice cream. The company’s broad brand portfolio also includes LUIGI’S Real Italian Ice, WHOLE FRUIT frozen fruit bars, DOGSTERS ice cream style treats for dogs, ¡Hola! Churros, THE FUNNEL CAKE FACTORY funnel cakes and fries, and bakery brands including MARY B’S, DADDY RAY’S, COUNTRY HOME BAKERS, and HILL & VALLEY.

For more information, please visit http://www.jjsnack.com.

April 2- 4, 2023

Boston Convention & Exhibition Center Boston, MA

Register online with Promo Code

TFSP23 for a $10 Registration ($20 off)!

(offer expires February 17th)

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Anyone involved in the running of restaurants and foodservice establishments such as but not limited to:

• Restaurant Owners

• Executive Chefs

• Purchasing Managers

• F&B Directors

Find

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS:

• 300+ Exhibitors

• New Products/Services

• Keynotes

• Sampling Pavilions

• 12+ Education Sessions

• Live Culinary Demos

In partnership with:

• General Managers

• Bar Managers

• Caterers/Event Planners

• Executive Management

To register and for full details, visit www.NewEnglandFoodShow.com

HOW RESTAURANTS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES CAN BENEFIT FROM THE POWER OF IOT ADOPTION

The conditions of our current economic environment require food service management to provide more precise prescriptions for their operations. With a potential recession, inflation challenges, and restaurant employee shortage looming, the margin for error is increasingly small for restaurant operators to maintain operational efficiency and food safety. Economic uncertainty creates an environment where optimizing existing equipment investments is essential. For example, less staff available means that HACCP compliance tasks such as temperature and humidity logging

Commercial IoT solutions for restaurant operations have long been isolated and opaque, mired in fragmentation. However, today’s market is moving toward a more open approach that leverages sensors from multiple vendors, integrates with existing restaurant equipment, and uses sophisticated software featuring prescriptive workflows and automated HACCP compliance.

and reporting need to be digitalized with automatic and continuous monitoring combined with digital decisioning for the operator. The employee shortage makes higher retention rates a priority. With all these requirements, restaurants

need automated prescriptions that guide their employees — from the kitchen all the way to the corner office — with descriptive insights, corrective actions, and execution confirmation that keep food safe, compliance maintained, and customers satisfied.

Commercial IoT solutions for restaurant operations have long been isolated and opaque, mired in fragmentation. However, today’s market is moving toward a more open approach that leverages sensors from multiple vendors, integrates with existing restaurant equipment, and uses sophisticated software featuring prescriptive workflows and automated HACCP compliance. With any food service technology investment, the question of ROI is always a top consideration. For restaurant

operators at any scale, the urgency to stay ahead of the tech curve goes beyond convenience — it’s critical for achieving greater operational efficiency and supporting improved margins.

IoT Sensing as a Service offers seamless interoperability with thirdparty sensing devices and enterprise management systems, allowing food service companies to successfully leverage their existing tech stacks for task management, asset monitoring, menu management, and food safety. At the heart of this technology is the capability to:

• Protect assets — the refrigerators, coolers, and walk-ins that keep food at the right temperature and humidity levels for safe consumption and maximized customer experience. IoT-enabled food safety combined with a corresponding prescriptive analytics engine gives restaurant operators the ability to predict failure of assets before they fail, automatically dispatching technicians for preventative equipment maintenance. Longer equipment continued on page 109

By Sophia Maggio

CALIFORNIA CHEF REIMAGINES RESTAURANT AS VIDEO CONTENT STUDIO

“If we’re not recording, is it worth doing?”

For Chef Shawn Walchef, who began our interview with this question, this outlook defines his approach to barbeque – and arguably, his philosophy of life.

The secret to barbeque is often hidden in the sauce: but for this self-titled “digital sociologist,” there are no secrets. The path to success, said Walchef, begins with something nearly everyone has: a smartphone, and a story.

While Walchef didn’t grow up surrounded by tech, he established early roots in the restaurant industry, and has since adapted his barbeque business to a hyper-connected, digital era.

As a 12-year-old, Walchef bused tables at his grandfather’s breakfast restaurant in San Diego. His grandfather, Luben S. Walchef, grew up on Bulgarian farm and later raised Walchef as his own. While he admits to resenting the job as a child, Walchef now recognizes that working in his grandfather’s space – and under his tutelage – was a formative experience: one that ultimately pulled him back into the hospitality industry.

In 2008, the same year that his grandfather passed, Walchef took over Cali Comfort BBQ in East San Diego County. Today, Walchef wears many metaphorical hats, in addition to his signature snapback. He’s the founder of Cali BBQ Media, a restaurateur, podcast host, and speaker on “digital hospitality”: a kind of warmth that radiates through the cell phone screen.

In both online and offline spaces, “hospitality is about being kind to

strangers and welcoming people into your home,” said Walchef. “At my grandfather’s restaurant, there was something magical about seeing families from all walks of life come in and have ownership in the restaurant. They didn’t own the restaurant, but it was their place.”

Today, Walchef seeks to replicate that sense of place in his own restaurant; and using the power of the smartphone, he’s able to share that place with millions of people. To showcase the physical features, people, and overarching vision of their restaurants, Walchef argued,

owners must be willing to do one thing: talk to their phones. By simply recording himself and his surroundings, Walchef shows customers – as well as potential collaborators – where his restaurant is located: surrounded by a tire shop, a church, and an assisted care facility. With their smartphones, Walchef and his team record plenty of barbeque prep and rib racks, but they also record the “un-sexy” moments, he said: ones that are easy to take for granted.

These moments include the seemingly banal, like unboxing

their equipment for Toast, a payment hardware for businesses. By filming and sharing this hardware via social media, the videos ultimately fostered “a deeper relationship” between Cali BBQ and Toast, said Walchef. The content also contributes to the larger story told by Cali BBQ, in which the convergence of food and tech – enabled by smartphones – nourishes both customers and content creators.

“95% of customers just care about easy access to slow-smoked barbeque,” said Walchef. For this majority, Cali BBQ upholds its mission of digital hospitality, using Toast to ensure that customers receive hassle-free, meat-filled meals – and fast.

As for creators, nourishing their business is simply a matter of “documenting what they do in real life, telling it to the smartphone, and then publishing it online.” This content appeals to other businesses as well as the 5% of customers who care about the story: consider it a digital side dish to good barbeque.

It’s a simple model, yet Walchef recognizes that self-recording can strike fear in the stomach of the steeliest restaurateur. Recording and sharing video content are learned skills, and ones that Walchef is teaching his team. From his perspective, anyone is a creator, and job titles are never stagnant.

By cross training his staff in video content creation and the service industry, it’s suddenly possible to offer tech benefits for a hospitality job. In the world of Walchef’s making, dishwashers and bartenders learn to serve people and smoke

continued on page 114

“From the vantage of digital sociology nearly everyone has the capacity to create and share stories, drawing from those in-between moments that fall away in our memories.” — Chef Shawn Walchef

PRESENTED BY:

Q&A WITH DAWN KELLY

FOUNDER

NOURISH SPOT, A JUICE SHOP IN JAMAICA, QUEENS

OF FAMILY-OWNED THE

Her goal: cultivate community health in this food desert

It was a pleasure sitting beside Dawn Kelly at the Girl Scouts of Greater New York “Women of Distinction” Awards breakfast last fall. While we were applauding the honorees on stage, I realized, after chatting with Dawn, that she was a woman of distinction with an inspiring story about her journey to becoming an award-winning entrepreneur and role model. Dawn shares her story by answering these questions.

What is The Nourish Spot all about?

The Nourish Spot’s name speaks for itself. We want our clients, who we affectionately call Nourishers, to allow us to nourish their minds, bodies, and souls. We aim to nurture our Nourishers’ lives with good food and drink crafted from fresh fruit, non-dairy milks, nuts, proteins, seeds, veggies, yogurt and other healthy ingredients.

We partner with nonprofit organizations and the City of New York to serve as an internship training site, and through that pipeline, we hire community youth and provide fair wages for their roles as health tenders. On a daily basis, we source fresh produce to assemble into customized cold pressed juices, greek yogurt parfaits, oatmeal, salads, sandwich wraps, smoothies, and soups. We also offer homemade buttermilk, cinnamon oat, and gluten-free Belgian waffles from batter that we make daily.

Our best sellers are Green Goblin, Pineapple Mango Tango and Just Beet It and our Gingered Apple juices. Our customized salads, sandwich wraps, and hearty soups are all the rage.

Without prior food business experience, you opened this juice shop in 2015, and subsequently won accolades and awards, such as Entrepreneur of the Year from the New York State Economic Council. What gave you the courage to forge ahead, and how did you overcome the challenges and obstacles in your path?

I have been working for over 35+ years. I started out with babysitting then moved on to becoming a cashier, an administrative assistant, a librarian, a civil servant, and a PR executive. My last role of nearly 16+ years as Department Vice President

Cherry Dumaual is the Partnerships Director, The Monday Campaigns / Meatless Monday. She oversees PR and partnership development for the initiatives of The Monday Campaigns (TMC), including Meatless Monday. She has forged partnerships with leading organizations, such as C-CAP (Careers for Culinary Arts Program), the American Institute of Cancer Research, and New Jersey Healthy Kids Initiative, Prior to joining TMC, Cherry served as svp for leading PR agencies and worked with major food and healthcare clients. Passionate about learning and cooking international cuisines, Cherry has traveled to more than 50 countries where she and her husband explored local food markets and restaurants. She earned her communications degree cum laude at Hunter College, CUNY.

of Global Communications with Prudential Financial Inc. was eliminated on September 9, 2015. It was the first time I had ever experienced job loss in my 35+ year career, and it was a blow because I was in my 50s and truly thought I was making an indelible impact. At the same time, I embarked on my personal health journey to get back to a size 8 and healthier version of myself instead of being a size 16. I changed my diet to healthier foods and smaller portion sizes. While thinking about what I could do next, I saw a CNN news segment about a NYC rap artist named Styles P who had opened his own juice bar

continued on page 54

Dawn Kelly, founder of The Nourish Spot, in her juice shop

from page 52 PLANT BASED in Yonkers. I was intrigued and began to pray about it. I was divinely led to the street address of a closed venue whose former awning said DK Upholstery. My name is Dawn Kelly and as they say, the rest is history. We opened our doors for business on September 9, 2017 exactly two years to the exact date my corporate role was eliminated.

When U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand visited your restaurant, she said, “Dawn Kelly is a shining example of the entrepreneurship spirit that we see in our Black and Brown communities…” What keeps your entrepreneurial spirit burning?

What keeps my entrepreneurial spirit burning is:

1) knowing that we are helping people live longer more vibrant lives

2) knowing that my family-owned businesses is investing in our community through the jobs we offer and wages we pay

3) knowing that I am setting an example for my children, family, friends

and showing them that they should never be afraid to try something new, as well as the importance of consuming a healthy diet.

Congrats on securing a fresh from service as a concession during the 2022 US Open. What was that experience like?

We aced our Year 1 concession service in Backyard 17 of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at the 2022 US Open. Earning that opportunity was historic for The Nourish Spot because the US Open is a global stage and we are a small Black woman-led family-owned business from the southside of Jamaica, Queens. I believe it was also the first time a cafe from our side of the borough had been invited to operate a concession in that iconic venue in its history. Our staff, mostly young people of color, who had never experienced the US Open in any way, my daughter, Jade and I were amazed and grateful, each and every day, as we walked onto the grounds with our badges to serve up salads, smoothies and lemonades from The

Nourish Spot concession to the worldwide audience.

What are you and Jade pursuing in terms of success for The Nourish Spot this coming year and beyond?

We dream to establish The Nourish Spot in urban areas across the country and around the world to ensure everyone can have access to fresh fruit and vegetables and the essential vitamins and nutrients they offer.

We also have dreams of using The

Nourish Spot as both an entrepreneurship teaching tool and cafeteria in middle and high schools and college campuses.

Learn more about The Nourish Spot at https://the-nourish-spot.myshopify. com/.

For Meatless Monday foodservice resources, visit https://www. mondaycampaigns.org/meatlessmonday/foodservice

The Nourish Spot hires community youth for their roles as health tenders.

Menu items from The Nourish Spot

People lined up to order at the 2022 US Open.

2023 QSR TRENDS TO WATCH FOR RESTAURATEURS

Michael Kanne, restaurant lead and Experience Consultant at Bottle Rocket, discusses the 2023 trends most likely to shake the earth in the QSR sector

Inflation is slowly beginning to level off, with December’s core consumer price index sitting at 6.5 percent. However, the costof-living crisis continues to plague the economy as consumers scramble to save. Diners are forced to think twice before eating out and when they do indulge in a little luxury, like a dinner with a loved one, or takeout after a hard day at work, they’re looking for good value – something

that makes it worth it. QSR businesses will need to do everything they can to provide memorable experiences that keep their customers coming back.

With food service businesses still suffering from supply chain shortages, their hands are often tied when it comes to pricing, but they can still provide customer experiences that make a diner feel valued. Of course, they can do this by adhering to time-

honored best practices like training their employees to be personable and attentive to customer needs, providing good food, and maintaining a clean and appealing in-store experience. However, in 2023 we will also see restaurateurs leaning into the latest digital innovations to improve order time, take a cognitive load off employees, and surface opportunities to surprise and delight customers by leaning into personalized experiences.

The Food Delivery Revolution

Food delivery platforms like Grubhub and DoorDash took center stage due to COVID-19, and 2022 saw food delivery apps remain a permanent fixture, with the average American making nearly 55 food delivery orders yearly. In 2023, QSRs will continue to embrace this ongoing food delivery revolution to reach new customer segments. However, with delivery fees eating into restaurant profits, restaurants like Chick-fil-A are leading a movement to bring food delivery apps in-house. Expect this trend to continue as leading QSR brands look to steal a slice of the pie from the likes of Uber Eats.

No Stopping AI

Artificial intelligence continues its tireless march toward transforming every sector. For QSRs, AI promises to improve efficiency while opening new opportunities for personalization. In the drive-thru space, companies like McDonald’s are using AI to program menu boards that display items based on weather and the time of day. Voice technology, meanwhile, is increasingly used to automate ordering and free up human employees for more rewarding, high-impact tasks.

Ordering Online, on App or Through QR Codes

Apps continue to open new avenues to connect with customers and boost convenience. 40 million people downloaded the McDonald’s app in 2022, and YoY downloads of the top 36 QSR apps were up 6.6 percent in December. Mobile ordering allows customers to order en route to the restaurant, cutting down wait times, increasing the number of customers that can be served, and increasing sales. Advances in machine learning mean that expected wait times for an order can be automatically generated.

As an added benefit, digitizing a customer’s buying habits on an app allows QSRs to scrutinize buying habits and personalize their offercontinued on page 114

By Ralph Bianculli, Managing Director, Emerald Brand

UNDERSTANDING HOW TO BUILD A PFAS FREE STRATEGY

As new legislation further restricting PFAS concentrations in food service products takes effect in New York and California, the time has come to consider the kinds of products you use in your kitchens. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of chemicals used in a variety of industries to heat, stain, water and grease-proof different materials, and include the well-known nonstick applicant Teflon.

The sheer versatility of PFASs means that the substances appear in many different commonly used household items including raincoats, umbrellas, shampoos, paints, and in the restaurant industry where it’s used as an additive in takeout containers, utensils, and other kinds of grease-resistant food wrappers. Considered ‘forever chemicals,’ PFASs pose a threat to the cleanliness of the environment and to human health, as studies have linked increased exposure to higher risk of elevated cholesterol levels, fetal abnormalities, kidney cancer, and asthma.

A staple of the food packaging industry since the 1940s, PFASs are most present in nonstick cookware, such as pots and pants, and in the molded fibers that give shape to those trademark clamshell take-out containers. While the amount present in molded fibers is relatively low at around 300-500 parts per million (ppm), the new bans instated by the states of New York and California, the two biggest commerce markets in the country, restrict PFAS concentrations to 100 ppm. So how can you best avoid these potentially harmful molecules?

Start with your supplier. Whether you procure your

packaging products from a manufacturer or a distributor makes no difference – ensuring your supplier is compliant with the new restrictions can remove the liability from your business. These people are at the helm of the production process and are therefore the most knowledgeable about what goes into their products. In general, it’s best to avoid consulting sales representatives or product line brokers, who are often responsible for promoting a number of different lines and probably lack much in-depth knowledge of whether their products are PFAS-compliant – they’re the jacks of all trades, masters of none, if you will. Expertise is, and always be, very important, especially as you dig into the nitty-gritty of these restrictive pieces of legislation. Manufacturers are the last line of employees working hands-on with these products –they’re heavily involved in R&D, production, and product development. Most importantly: ask for a program that is completely PFASs free across the board.

With increasing concern about the detriment of PFASs to human and environmental health, we launched our own line of PFAS-free packaging and food service products. Having

been in the industry for over 16 years alongside my father, who’s worked in packaging now for more than 40 years, we’ve noticed a lack of young talent and people who really understand sustainability, health, and wellness, and their roles in the packaging industry. We recently hosted a webinar delving into the new restrictions and how to make sure your business is in compliance with the new legislation, and it was a huge success. With hundreds of representatives and business owners present, it was clear that PFAS-exposure reduction is a primary concern to many restaurateurs and packaging executives. Now – more than ever – is the time to take a look at how the products you use could be impacting your health, and our line of Emerald Brand products achieves that goal.

The Emerald Brand line now contains no intentionally-added PFASs, which is an important distinction to make because due to the ubiquity of the chemical family, so many products and product components contain PFASs to some degree, albeit exceptionally minimal. Our production and R+D team have spent years working with our partners to create a line of products that is compliant with the 100 ppm PFAS restric-

tion, and is in the BPI testing process to be BPI compostable approved. Incorporating our outstanding line of products and taking your first step towards being PFAS-free is incredibly easy and cost-effective. Despite using an innovative formula, the Emerald Brands product line represents no additional cost or price hike to any business – priced competitively, our PFASfree product line is meant to be a one-to-one replacement for products currently in use that contain higher levels of the chemical family. Moreover, adoption of the line into your restaurant or foodservice operation won’t compromise product quality. Really, it’s a triple threat: you’re guaranteeing extra health benefits to your employees and customer base, looking out for the environment, and making no sacrifice to your bottom line. There’s never been a better – or easier – time to take a serious look at the products you use and whether they contain inadvisably high levels of the harmful PFAS chemical family. While these chemicals permeate almost every level of everyday life, thanks to our Emerald Brands product line, taking precautions has never been easier. With high quality, costeffective, and environmentallyfriendly solutions to complying with the new PFAS restrictions in the states of New York and California, Emerald Brands reaffirms your commitment to the health of your employees and customer base. For more information regarding our line of PFAS-free products, visit www.emeraldbrand.com; to view our webinar about the new PFAS ban, visit https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=KW0bhDDK3wU&t=6s.

WITH CHEF MARIA LOI

AMOROUS EDIBLES –THE FOODS OF LOVE

Ican’t help but love the month February – sure, it can often be the coldest month of the year (at least in New York, where I’m based), but it’s also the second month of the year, the month of love! In Greek we have a saying, ‘Krio krio Kairos, yia dio’ which means cold weather is meant for two, which fits perfectly with the celebration of Valentine’s Day. When it comes to this particular holiday, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the different suggestions for romantic tasting menus and aphrodisiac foods, but rest assured, when it comes to the latter, there are some specific ingredients that offer the perfect solution for culinary creativity,

health benefits, and of course, amorous effects … in particular, Mussels, Krokos Kozanis (Saffron), Lobster, and Pecans!

Mussels – The Strongest Animal in the Sea

When I was eighteen, I went with my friends and family to a small neighborhood called Kalamaria in Thessaloniki, a scenic place on the coast full of tavernas, many of them famous for their seafood dishes. Until that point in my life, I had never had shellfish. We ordered whatever the server recommended, the freshest seafood they had. They brought out something called Mydopilafo, a Greek

dish full of fresh mussels and rice pilaf, almost like paella. I could smell the aroma before the server even placed the bowl on the table—it was intoxicating, briny yet comforting, almost like the ocean. I was so excited to try something new that I started eating right away, devouring every delicious morsel. Still to this day, I crave those mussels.

Mussels, those miraculous bivalves, are not only delicious, but in ancient Greece, they were considered an emblem of Aphrodite and consumed to ignite the flames of desire. The truth is not far from the myth here, as mussels

continued on page 64

Chef Maria Loi is an Entrepreneur, Greek Food Ambassador and Healthy Lifestyle Guru. The author of more than 36 cookbooks, she is also the host of The Life of Loi, which premiered on PBS and PBS Passport in December 2022. The Life of Loi aims to build an inspirational, educational movement around the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle. Her Loi Food Products, a specialty brand built on traditional ingredients from Greece, includes pastas, beans, botanical herbs, refrigerated dips, honey, holiday cookies, and olive oil sold on QVC, at Whole Foods Markets, and in other stores. The namesake of Loi Estiatorio in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, she also has the Loi Specialty Shop at The Plaza Hotel. Connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on Instagram and Facebook, and learn more about her food philosophy at loiestiatorio.com/ chef-loi/.

Mussels with Krokos Kozanis (Greek Saffron)

Astakos me Kritharaki - Lobster with Orzo

are full of particular amino acids that actively boost the production of sex hormones in both men and women, especially testosterone!

So not only are mussels a legitimate aphrodisiac, these magnificent mollusks are an excellent source of iron, zinc, and magnesium, as well as high in protein, and low in fat – what more could you want?

Mussel Madness

Culinarily speaking, the sky’s the limit when it comes to ways to showcase this gift from the sea: a quick sauté with white wine, fresh herbs, lemon, and olive oil leaves is an easy, crave worthy dish suitable for any table … and get as creative as you like with your flavor profiles! Try cold poaching mussels in a flavorful court-bouillon paired with a silky mustard sauce for a delicately delicious appetizer on the half shell, or enjoy them raw with a squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil for a fresh, briny treat.

My favorite way to serve mussels is in the same style I had in Thessaloniki all those years ago, but I add a special ingredient that happens to also be a potent aphrodisiac … Krokos Kozanis, the Greek Saffron.

Saffron – Expensive or Essential?

Saffron is often thought to be the most expensive spice in the world, and it’s no wonder: harvesting all those delicate, fiery-colored threads must be done by hand! In fact, it takes approximately 75,000 saffron flowers to make one pound of saffron spice.

Spices have been long sought after both for their novel flavors and their passionate effects on desire in the bedroom. In ancient Greece, the use of saffron was female focused – it was said that consuming saffron would make a woman irresistible to the object of her desire. However, recent research has shown that men who regularly consume saffron and saffron infused foods also benefit from improved blood flow...

The health benefits of saffron beyond enhanced libido are many. Saffron is full of antioxidants, can help lower the risk for heart disease, lower blood sugar, boost moods,

and improve memory!

A Little Goes a Long Way

When I was growing up, the beautiful aromas from herbs and spices filled my family’s house. Greek saffron, or krokos, was a prized possession in our household because it was expensive. My Aunt Maria used it sparingly when cooking beans, fish, and many of her other signature dishes, and we always knew it was going to be a fantastic meal when we saw the vibrant red threads soaking in water or milk.

As with many things in a life, a little saffron goes a long way – the key is to let saffron bloom, or saturate a small amount of liquid being used in a recipe with its exotic flavor and deep golden color. Infuse sauces, marinades, dressings, grains, pastas, even beverages; add a small pinch to seafood and other proteins to add rich, vibrant color and flavor to you plates. Really, for any savory or sweet Mediterranean or Middle Eastern dish you create, saffron is a wonderful addition .

I must emphasize that I love using saffron with seafood – there’s something about the earthy, exotic flavor of the saffron juxtaposed with the briny, oceanic flavor of the seafood that feels like you’re bringing all the elements of the earth to one dish. The only other things needed for a perfect plate are some fresh herbs, a little bit of acid, and a textural component.

Lobster – The King of Crustaceans

Lobster, perhaps one of the most iconic proteins to celebrate Valentine’s Day, can be traced all the way back to Greek mythology as an aphrodisiac. Aphrodite, the goddess of love (and origin of the word ‘aphrodisiac’), was born of the sea. Therefore, it was believed that sea animals of all kinds were creatures of love -- aphrodisiacs.

In ancient Greece, lobsters - albeit tropical ‘spiny lobsters’, not the North American variety - were highly prized and fished. These craveable crustaceans were considered nevertheless to be a luxury item from both culinary and therapeutic perspectives. Their parts were used to treat kidney stones, as laxatives, and treatment for the im-

mune system as well as their formidable aphrodisiac qualities.

Lobster Lovers

There’s some real truth to the romantic effects of lobsters. More than just an excellent source of lean protein, lobsters are full of vitamins A and B-12, calcium, zinc, selenium, iron, and magnesium, all of which contribute to the energy and excitement needed for an amore!

Whether or not you’re gearing up for a night of passion, lobster is an excellent choice to make this Valentine’s Day. For a cost-effective dish, make a sultry lobster bisque; for an entrée, pair it with some pasta in a delicious tomato-y red-wine sauce for an amazing Astakomakaronada (lobster pasta), or to let it be the “lob-star,” by just grilling it and dressing with olive oil and lemon.

Nuts about Nuts

If I had to choose one thing to add as a textural component to any of my

dishes, it would be nuts. And while you can find walnuts, almonds, and pistachios throughout Greek and Mediterranean cuisine in both savory and sweet dishes, I think I love pecans the most. In particular, the ones my friend, Dr Orlando Gonzalez brings me from his mother Celia’s organic grove in New Mexico (Santiago Property Pecans), even though they aren’t Greek!

Pecans have a warmth and sweet undercurrent to their flavor, and though crunchy, they are such a beautifully oily nut, when you chew them, they have a certain softness I adore.

These gorgeous nuts are native to North America, and are a great source of protein and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, full of vitamins A, E, B, as well as a myriad of minerals – especially calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc! What this really means is these noble nuts are great for lowering the risk for heart disease, blood pressure, and cholesterol, and increasing virility in men!

Just a handful of pecans a day, either as a snack, or as a garnish for salads, soups, or any finished dish, packs a powerful punch of flavor, texture, and healthy advantages, whether as an aphrodisiac or just because!

Passion is in Fashion

No matter how you use these incredible ingredients, one thing is clear: these are wonderful, multitalented ingredients that elevate any dish simply for being present. Use them to elevate your holiday menu, or your personal experience this Valentine’s Day – Aphrodite is on your side, because passion is in fashion!

Kalí órexi! Enjoy your meal!

Krokos Kozanis - Greek Saffron Organic Pecans

PROTECTING THE TRADE DRESS OF YOUR RESTAURANT

When it comes to restaurants, first impressions are everything. From the moment a potential customer walks in the door, they’re taking in every detail of your establishment—the ambiance, the menu, the décor—and making a splitsecond decision about whether they’ll stay and whether or not they would come back a second, third or more times. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that your restaurant’s trade dress is protected. But what is trade dress, and how can you protect it?

What is Trade Dress?

Trade dress is a type of intellectual property that covers the overall appearance of a business’s products or services. For restaurants, this can include everything from the layout and design of the dining room to the uniforms worn by servers. In order for trade dress to be eligible for protection, it must be distinctive enough to serve as a source identifier for the business. In other words, it must be recognizable to potential customers as being associated with your restaurant. If you see the golden arches, you know you’re at a McDonalds. And you would likely know exactly where you were without looking at the sign if the staff at your local buffalo wing spot were sporting tight fitting white shirts and orange

shorts.

How to Protect Your Restaurant’s Trade Dress

There are two main ways to protect your restaurant’s trade dress: through federal trademark registration or through state common law (also known as a, “Common Law Trademark”).

Federal Trademark Registration

Federal trademark registration is the stronger of the two protections and offers several benefits, including:

• The exclusive right to use your trade dress throughout the United States, which gives you the legal right to exclude others from making

use of that trade dress;

• The legal presumption that you own the trade dress and have the exclusive right to use it;

• The ability to file suit in federal court against anyone who uses your trade dress without permission;

• The ability to record your registration with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) to prevent imported goods that infringe on your trade dress from entering the country; and

• The ability to use “Circle R” ( ® ) after your registered trademark.

To register your restaurant’s trade dress with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), you will need to file a comprehensive trade -

James M. Smedley is a member of the Firm and serves as head of the firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology law group. Mr. Smedley’s practice has focused on strategic counseling of companies with respect to protecting and enforcing their intellectual property rights, both domestically and internationally. Representative matters include trademark and patent prosecution, brand protection and enforcement, intellectual property licensing, anticounterfeiting counseling and privacy/cybersecurity counseling. James Smedley can be reached via email at jsmedley@egsllp.com or by phone at 212-370-1300

mark application that includes:

• A drawing of your trade dress;

• A description of your trade dress;

• The products or services with which you will use your trade dress; and

• The date on which you first used your trade dress in commerce.

It should be noted that federal trademark protection can only be obtained if the services are provided in interstate commerce, since the federal government can only regulate interstate commerce, not intrastate commerce. Typically, interstate commerce requires provision of services in two or more states, however, with respect to restaurants, this can be satisfied if it is clear that patrons from two or more states are serviced by a restaurant in a single spot.

Federal registrations are good for an initial 10 year period from reg -

continued on page 104

NYC STEPS UP WITH VISIONARY FUNDING PROGRAM FOR SMALL BUSINESS

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and strong in New York City but access to working capital is often a barrier to small business success and growth. That’s why we’re thrilled Mayor Adams’ and the Department of Small Business Services will now provide access to low interest, flexible financing to sustain small businesses, support their growth and help them succeed and thrive in the Big Apple.

Late last month our NYC Hospitality Alliance joined Mayor Adams, Department of Small Business Services, elected officials, and other advocates, groups, and small business owners to announce the NYC Small Business Opportunity Fund, which delivers flexible and low fixed-interest-rate capital. According to SBS Commissioner Kevin D. Kim, the loan fund aims to unlock opportunities for businesses hit hardest by the pandemic by offering flexible and affordable financing to help them recover and grow. The City is also offering weekly webinars to explain details of the program.

This new program is built for success with no minimum credit score required. The loans range from $2,000 to $250,000 with a very attractive 4% fixed interest rate. Most importantly, the Mayor and his team understand the importance of providing free business support from trusted, local, mission-driven lenders. The program features an easy application process and no application fees. It really is built for our restaurant members because it is open to businesses at all stages from

startups to growing to rebuilding.

Start-up businesses that receive assistance from the Opportunity Fund will pay only interest for the first six months, regardless of loan size, and longer-term businesses can use the loan to refinance existing high-interest debt, expand their customer base, hire new employees and more. “Flexible terms address historic barriers to ensure broad access to the fund by eliminating credit score minimums, not requiring application fees, serving start-up and growth-stage businesses, and leveraging the deep roots of local organizations to reach businesses in BIPOC and immigrant communities,” the Mayor concluded.

During the Mayor’s comments he

talked about small businesses keeping us going through the pandemic, and how they are leading the way during our economic recovery. He also outlined the theme that so many of our restaurateurs are focused on: the effort to cut red tape and jumpstart our recovery. Mayor Adams pointed to some rather encouraging numbers. With 13,600 new businesses open in the first half of 2022, including 1,800 new storefronts.

“This new loan fund will help us build on that progress and represents the next great step forward in our city’s partnership with our entrepreneurs and small business owners,” the Mayor said.

The Mayor’s groundbreaking $75

million “Opportunity Fund has a goal of funding 1500 New York City businesses. It has been made possible through a partnership between NYC and Goldman Sachs, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF), and local community development financial institutions (CDFIs), the Opportunity Fund is part of Mayor Adams’ “Blueprint for Economic Recovery” and “Small Business Forward” initiatives, which identified over 100 reforms to reduce pandemic-related fines, extend cure periods, and eliminate violations for small business owners.

To be eligible for a loan, businesses must have less than $5 million in annual revenue and be located within New York City. Applications to the Opportunity Fund have opened online, and those interested can learn more about the fund by calling the SBS hotline at (888) SBS-4NYC. In addition, the city will offer webinars to help businesses learn about the application process and the steps involved.

Andrew Rigie is the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, a trade association formed in 2012 to foster the growth and vitality of the industry that has made New York City the Hospitality Capital of the World. Learn more at https:// www.thenycalliance.org/

It really is built for our restaurant members because it is open to businesses at all stages from startups to growing to rebuilding.

UNION TEAMS WITH SOUTHERN GLAZER’S WINE & SPIRITS TO BRING NEW EFFICIENCY TO ON-PREM MARKETING

One of the challenges of post-pandemic life has been the maintenance and management of a growth in take-out and delivery while welcoming patrons back to the bar and dining areas. For many restauranteurs and nightclub/bar owners, the first step has been to reassess how technology can be used to manage their “new normal.”

With the need to manage a far more comprehensive customer base, the nation’s Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol has sourced a solution for its operator customer base across the US. Union a data-driven hospitality engagement platform, has been

selected as a preferred technology provider by Southern Glazer’s. This alignment aims to support Southern Glazer’s bar and restaurant customers as they rebound from the financial burdens of the pandemic and face massive staffing shortages among increasing guest demand. Union also offers bev/alch brands unique programming and marketing opportunities.

“Technology is an important part of our customers’ ability to win, as expectations become more demanding on faster, better, and more personalized service,” David Chaplin—Chief Growth Officer, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits—noted. “Particularly as labor shortages continue to impact our customers, technology removes some of the routine tasks and allows employees to focus on better guest experiences. We’ve prioritized our own digital transformation at Southern Glazer’s with our Proof platform, a firstof-its-kind ecommerce platform where our customers can search for deals, read industry insights, and shop our products, 24/7 and on any device.”

“Staffing issues have impacted sales for many bars and restaurants nationwide and as such our alcohol suppliers are also impacted; we believe that Union’s engagement platform is the perfect solution to help our customers to combat the staffing crisis while increasing sales and improving the customer experience,” stated Chaplin. “Union’s sophisticated tool kit not only gives bars and restaurants the

ability to deliver great service and improve operations, but also the platform’s unique data capabilities arm our alcohol supplier partners with unprecedented insights and breakthrough opportunities for their products.

With the Union engagement platform, bars and restaurants receive an intuitive guest-led mobile ordering app experience that integrates seamlessly with the Union’s POS system, which was built specifically for high volume hospitality venues. Union customers see on average a 28 percent increase in sales as soon as the platform is up and running. To order through Union, guests simply scan a QR code to start the process and their drinks are delivered up to 6 minutes faster than traditional face-to-face ordering. The platform leverages its data to offer guests personalized drink recommendations and rewards.

“Our platform seamlessly combines the industry’s most powerful and reliable POS system, with a guest-led mobile ordering/payment solution, and highly granular customer data to deliver a customized experience that allows venues to treat every patron like a VIP,” Gary

continued on page 108

“Our platform seamlessly combines the industry’s most powerful and reliable POS system, with a guest-led mobile ordering/payment solution, and highly granular customer data to deliver a customized experience that allows venues to treat every patron like a VIP.”

— Gary Ross, Chief Growth Officer at Union

By Parker

INDUSTRY REPORT POINTS TO WIDE DIVERSITY OF FULL SERVICE OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES

As was to be expected, the latest restaurant industry research shows that operators across the nation are taking very different approaches to finding their new normal.

Restaurant management system TouchBistro has recently released their 2022 State of Restaurants Report, emphasizing the differences in how full-service restaurants are handling business post-pandemic. 2022 brought hope to many restaurateurs that things would return to business as usual, but that hasn’t necessarily been the case. While

sales are up and customers have begun to dine in again, the pandemic highlighted inefficiencies and rising costs that restaurant owners will now have to contend with if they intend to stay in business.

Samir Zabaneh, CEO of TouchBistro, sees the State of Restaurants Report as a way to understand the current climate in the food service industry, including both the challenges that the industry is facing as well as the opportunities for the coming year. TouchBistro conducts this research annually, collecting data from six cities (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Hous -

ton, and Miami) to determine what is next for restaurant owners. 2022 was a critical year for many restaurants, and 2023 may be even more so; with the pandemic waning, now is the time for restaurateurs to determine how to move forward and to decide which holdovers from pandemic-era business to keep and which to throw away.

What has changed in the past year, and what hasn’t? While Zabaneh says that online ordering (and especially using online services for reservations) isn’t going anywhere, the majority of diners are back in restaurants. While this is great news for restaurants that are primarily dine-in, it brings some challenges for other restaurants. Some are now essentially operating two businesses, one dine-in and one delivery, with the staff of one business; others have had to completely reconfigure their kitchen to accommodate the speed expected for delivery.

Staffing is an issue as well — with delivery and online ordering here to stay, restaurants are struggling to handle the requests that come with having both a dine-in and delivery service. According to the report, 97% of restaurateurs are short at least one position, and many are short up

to five positions. On top of that, the cost of training a new employee has risen to nearly $4,000; clearly worker retention will be key in 2023, and many restaurants are already looking for solutions, from raising wages to offering professional development opportunities. Zabaneh notes that automation in the kitchen is increasing as well: “There’s a trend going on right now towards robotics in the back of the house,” he says. “You could actually code a recipe, and these robots could prepare the recipe with the same ingredients that the chef would use.” This kind of automation could help kitchens to keep up with demand even while understaffed.

Zabaneh also encourages restaurateurs to be more meticulous with their inventory; with prices rising due to inflation and supply chain issues, it’s more important than ever to keep detailed records of what is purchased, what is sold, and what goes bad before it’s able to be used. With an inventory management system that includes sales data and food waste reporting, TouchBistro makes it much easier to manage ingredient purchasing. TouchBistro also provides a seamless way to

continued on page 118

“You could actually code a recipe, and these robots could prepare the recipe with the same ingredients that the chef would use.” — Samir Zabaneh

By Sophia Maggio

SCOTSMAN TAPS P3 TO ANCHOR NEW MARKETING STRATEGY IN METRO NYC

From a fountain soda in a quick serve outlet to a high-end cocktail on the rocks, you’ve probably seen the power of Scotsman family of ice making solutions to drive your bottom line.

The company supplies cubes, flake, nugget, and gourmet ice. Its team understands the importance of ice for discerning customers in the restaurant industry: many of whom can understand the P&L implications of utilizing the right ice between cube or flake.

We talked with Ken Harris, Regional Sales Manager at Scotsman, and Jon Bowerman, President at P3 Reps, about their recent partnership and three-channel approach to marketing.

Within this innovative three-prong framework, P3 Reps – which offers foodservice solutions for New York, New Jersey, and Fairfield County, Connecticut – manages all of Scotsman’s

interactions with foodservice dealers and consultants. ABCO, a long-time partner of Scotsman, will handle the HVAC channel and ice machine parts. Easy Ice, which offers commercial ice machine subscriptions, will continue to offer rentals with the Kold-Draft, another ALI Group ice machine company and the creator of a specialized, 1 ¼-inch ice cube that elevates any cocktail.

When asked about the ScotsmanP3 partnership behind this approach, Harris first paid homage to PBAC, the former sales representatives for Scotsman in Metro New York. “I want to express thanks, respect, and gratitude for PBAC. They’re great people and they worked hard for Scotsman and Kold-Draft for several years.”

With PBAC’s traditional rep model and the 2022 supply chain challenges, the visionary Harris saw the need for Scotsman to rethink its approach

to distribution. In response, Harris connected with Bowerman, who he’s known for years – and together, they began exploring the idea of distributing via P3.

P3 Reps is now the rep for Scotsman, and its distinct from Bowerman’s new P3 Distribution initiative. This latest branch will provide distribution services for both Scotsman and Kold-Draft throughout New York and northern New Jersey.

As partners, Harris and Bowerman are initiating the next chapter of ice machine distribution – and one of their main objectives is to cut lead times on product. P3 is set to open a warehouse in northern New Jersey, where local customers can pick up orders the day of purchase or request delivery for the next day, facilitated by highvolume movers in the area.

“Inevitably, all ice companies have lead time issues, and we do too,” Harris acknowledged. “But in the near future, Scotsman will have products stocked in Northern NJ, and high-volume movers will transport their products locally and efficiently.”

In a highly commoditized world, ice cubes are simply another product: so, what makes Scotsman unique?

Next to your neighbor-

hood ice machine, Scotsman’s cuttingedge designs stand out – coupled with its sheer breadth of products. Since inventing nugget ice over 40 years ago, Scotsman has developed machines for an impressive range of ice forms. Its machines include intuitive, front-facing lights: green lights indicate a wellfunctioning system, while red lights alert operators to potential issues.

Every Scotsman machine also features a handy QR code. When scanned with a smartphone, the code provides information about the machine’s model and serial number, warranty information, parts list, and cleaning instructions.

To simplify cleaning, owners of Scotsman’s newest Prodigy ELITE® ice machine can download a smartphone application called Icelinq, which ensures intuitive operation and cleaning. “Owners should clean their Scotsman machines at least every six months; for bars and bakeries with yeast in the air, cleaning should occur more frequently,” Harris explained.

Aided by smartphones, it’s easy for owners to stay current on machine maintenance – but what happens when technology goes awry? Customers can take comfort in Scotsman’s competitive warranty portfolio, which includes three-year and five-year warranties: three years for machine parts and labor, and five years for the major refrigeration components. And

continued on page 76

“In the near future, Scotsman will have products stocked in Northern NJ, and highvolume movers will transport their products locally and efficiently.”

— Ken Harris

SCOTSMAN/P3 REPS

from page 74

because the Scotsman warranty is onsite, authorized service providers travel to customers and fix their machines.

Going into 2023, Scotsman upholds a strong warranty and fast, easy access to its product. Yet in view of a global climate crisis, Scotsman places equal emphasis on energy efficiency. “As leaders in the ice machine industry, we strive to make everything as energy efficient as we can,” said Harris, referencing the WaterSense probes inside every Scotsman machine. These probes measure the water quality of every ice batch: if the water quality is high, the machine reuses the remaining water to make the next batch, producing high-quality ice with less water and electricity.

To make it easier for customers to decide which Scotsman machine to use, Harris points owners toward Scotsman’s online Resource Center. Customers can use the Comparison Tool to find info when upgrading

their current machines, while Selector Tool helps new customers decide which machine suits their space.

Restaurants can utilize an energy-efficient Scotsman machine to chill their customers’ waters and soft drinks; and for higher-end bar orders, they can enlist the help of a Kold-Draft machine.

Under Harris’ and Bowerman’s partnership, P3 can transport both Kold-Draft and Scotsman products on the same truck, on the same day. “Currently, the highest-volume markets for Kold-Draft machines are New York and Los Angeles, where ice aesthetics are top of mind of some of the nation’s leading mixologists,” Harris concluded.

As P3 and Scotsman merge to meet the needs of customers and their cocktails, Harris and Bowerman look forward to a productive partnership: one defined by smart product distribution, energy efficiency, and great-looking ice.

MULTICHEF OVENS & THE NEED FOR SPEED

It is a go, go, go kind of world and we are all just trying to keep up. We rush to work, we rush to get the kids to soccer practice or dance rehearsal, and if we are lucky, we can stop somewhere to grab a bite in between. Food on the go has become part of the daily routine for many. Now, more than ever it is important for businesses within the foodservice industry to serve up hot and tasty food quickly without sac -

rificing quality.

We all know that old saying, Time is Money, and that could not ring truer when it comes to foodservice output. Each and every minute, heck each and every second is vital! The faster and more efficiently your establishment is able to operate, the more people you will be able to serve, ultimately resulting in an increase in profits and growth.

The best way to implement a

foodservice program that will satisfy the patron pressed for time is by using the most qualified equipment for the job. High-speed ovens like the MultiChef can reduce cook times by more than 80%! Our ovens come in two different sizes, the MultiChef XLT & MultiChef XS. Each is equipped with convection, rapid impinged air, precision microwave, and constructed of high-quality stainless steel with a unique removable catalytic converter. Unlike traditional ovens, the MultiChef line is easy to operate and built to last.

But that’s not all they’re built for! Our ovens were built to produce delicious tasting food that is hard to resist. And we would know, after all we have spent countless hours creating awesome menu items in

our test kitchen. What kind of awesome menu items? Well, some of our favorite include Chicken Fajita Paninis, Loaded Pepperoni Pizza Fries and a classic grilled cheese. Yes, they are as tasty as they sound! The MultiChef XLT & XS are capable of holding up to 1024 recipes, so all employees need to do is select the appropriate menu item, helping eliminate human error or inconsistencies in the cooking process.

So, what are you waiting for. Satisfy the need for speed with the MultiChef and reach out to a representative today.

For more information on how MultiChef and AutoFry can help your business, visit MTIproducts.com

By Jackson Hart

NEW RISK REPORT OFFERS VISION FOR CREATING NEW RESTAURANT OPERATING STRATEGIES

Founded in 1998 as a pioneer in the niche market of smallbusiness insurance, AmTrust has since become a specialty property and casualty insurance giant employing over 6,000 professionals worldwide underwriting more than 500,000 small commercial policies. Today, the insurer prides itself on being the third-largest writer of workers’ compensation policies in the country – writing policies for one out of every five Metro New York restaurants.

Matt Zender, the Senior Vice President of Workers’ Compensation Strategy, is one of countless AmTrust professionals helping smaller institutions navigate the rocky postpandemic and high-inflation environment. With over 20 years of experience with AmTrust – including nine in his current position – Zender possess intimate knowledge of the smallbusiness insurance world; together with his team, the executive conducted a Restaurant Risk Report to help restaurateurs identify and mitigate the challenges posed by a return to the post-COVID ‘new normal.’

The AmTrust 2022 Restaurant Risk Report, cited Zender, arose from a desire to help restaurateurs better understand the lasting effects of the pandemic on the dining industry as a whole: “We would love all restaurant owners to be able to work more safely with their employees, because that benefits everyone,” Zender said of the report’s goals. As an expert in workers’ compensation claims, Zender began by addressing one of the most prominent sources of compensation claims: common workplace injuries.

As restaurants adjusted their busi-

ness plans to account for reduced in-house dining and subsequently smaller staffs, many suddenly confronted issues of increasing employee turnover and a subsequent increase in compensation claims. The executive and his team found that a larger share of new hires were younger, inexperienced individuals who, as his data suggests, are thereby more prone to accidents in the workplace:

“A recent hire,” Zender explained, “has not developed the same rhythms and routines as another employee who has been with the restaurant for a longer time.” An increase in claims relating to mechanical injuries such as crushing, which can oftentimes be attributed to newer and less familiarized employees, is evidence of the correlation between increasing turnover and compensation claim rates.

The Risk Report also outlines another significant factor contributing to the increase in compensation claims: employee mental health and stress: “Another impact of reducing staff sizes can be asking employees

to take on greater responsibilities,” Zender explained. Asking burdened waitstaff, for example, to cover additional tables can be adding much to their already full plates, especially as pandemic and economic uncertainty pile on more stress at home. As a result, AmTrust cites an increase in claims relating to mental stress –which are the highest on record – as well as fainting, and exhaustion as indicators that the pandemic increased stressors in the workplace: “These types of claims are indicative of having been out of the workforce for a while,” Zender detailed; “It can take time for employees to readjust to the routines they were used to before the pandemic.”

While the AmTrust Report contains over three pages of loss-control tips geared towards strategies restaurateurs can use to reduce and avoid the occurrence of common workplace injuries, Zender pointed to improving employee on-boarding as a surefire way of safeguarding employee safety and well-being. “Any restaurant owner that is thinking about employee safety is already ahead of 95% of their competition,” Zender noted; “A thorough onboarding process helps restaurants demonstrate to their employees what makes them successful and how to work more safely – it leads to a received message of value and helps to reduce claim volume.”

The veteran Las Vegas, NV based

executive also focused on “taking time to familiarize new employees with new equipment and mental and physical health resources is a key factor to reducing turnover, improving employee well-being, and increasing morale. By looking out for signs of stress and considering how to alleviate the burdens placed on employees, such as by extending break times beyond the statemandated minimums, restaurateurs pledge compassion and empathy, can go a long way. Additionally, investing in a better on-boarding experience can lead to lower insurance premiums for restaurants that commit to prioritizing their employees: “It feels like a risk we’d rather write,” Zender concluded.

Zender and AmTrust’s commitment to supporting small businesses is clear and timely. Their 2022 Restaurant Risk Report helps guide small restaurants through the complex claim process while also assisting them in reducing claim expenditures by outlining common injury sources and methods to remediate them. Their invaluable guide ensures that businesses can stymie both their financial and labor losses and implement policy geared towards supporting their valued employees.

For more information regarding AmTrust’s policies or Risk Report, visit https://amtrustfinancial.com/ restaurant-risk-report.

“Any restaurant owner that is thinking about employee safety is already ahead of 95% of their competition,” — Matt Zender

Matt Zender

By Parker Shatkin

RESTAURANT AND FOODSERVICE OPERATORS DISCOVER NEW BACK OF HOUSE P&L STRATEGY WITH GALLEY SOLUTIONS

Anyone working in foodservice knows that having a seamless system is the key to a well-run kitchen. Between keeping an eye on inventory, menu planning and rotation, and reducing food waste, it’s easy to get lost in the details that make a successful kitchen. When you throw in even more variables like training new hires and keeping up with vendors, the possible pitfalls can seem overwhelming, especially if you don’t have one system to manage it all.

The restaurant and foodservice industry often get so focused on building a productive culture that the basics of whether an item that is on a menu is in fact profitable or not. When trying to deal with all of these variables in an analog way, “sure enough, the kitchen breaks down,” says Benji Koltai, CEO of Galley Solutions. While working as a software engineer for Sprig, a startup that made and delivered its own food, Koltai saw firsthand the difficulties that commercial kitchens deal with when they neglect to update their operating strategy; relying on spreadsheets and handwritten recipes, these kitchens were struggling when it came to keeping up with growing demand and digital interventions like food delivery apps. Realizing that these struggles were causing commercial kitchens, including Sprig’s, to fail, Koltai wrote the program that would eventually become Galley Solutions.

“This should be automated, and that’s what clued me in to this huge gap […] in large-scale kitchens,” Koltai Galley uses a recipe-first approach to manage every aspect of kitchen

data, from menu planning to inventory tracking to reducing food waste. Something as seemingly insignificant as determining how many pounds of onions to order when a recipe calls for onions by the cup can be a waste of time and lead to mistakes when calculated by hand: over-order and you may end up having to throw out ingredients; under-order and you may not have enough. By having one system that automates the process of calculating and ordering based on recipes, these issues are much less likely to occur.

This operating strategy immediately gained traction, and Koltai was able to launch Galley with a built-in base of users who had worked at Sprig. “We knew we were on to something special when the Sprig team got to beta test Galley. Then it was back to having to

pull out their spreadsheets again and wrestle with data for eight hours a day knowing that Galley could do everything automatically for them,” Koltai says, was a game changer for many of these workers. When Sprig shut down in 2017, Koltai knew he had something that the culinary industry needed. He joined forces with his brother-in-law, the executive director of a small hospitality startup, and together from a shack on the beach they built and released Galley Solutions.

When the pandemic swept across the country in 2019 and restaurants worldwide began to struggle to survive Galley offered a service that many kitchens didn’t realize they had needed. “[The pandemic] forced restaurants to adopt technology […] which sure enough broke most restaurants, because restaurants were designed to do what they did last week,” Koltai says. “When you then blow the walls off of their dining room, they’re now getting two times the order volume, and they haven’t adjusted their purchasing behavior yet.”

Galley’s flexibility to anchor expanded takeout and delivery programs came from its roots in supporting commissary-style kitchens, meal kit companies and Doordash ghost kitchens. “We’re unlike most software in the foodservice industry […] you can

integrate enterprise-grade or custombuilt solutions with our product, he continued. This is ideal for large-scale kitchens that are already technologyforward, like delivery-based services.”

But whether you’re already building your own kitchen management system or are unsure about how to take the first step into using automating technology in your kitchen, Galley Solutions offers an operating strategy that helps you manage everything from recipe creation to distribution. Don’t worry if this seems overwhelming; recipe management and planning are the only segments required to use Galley — the rest are optional addons. That alone is worth the investment: “We’ve had people save $10,000 on sales,” Koltai concluded “because we just helped them model their recipes and they realized that they’re undercharging.”

The Galley recipe for success focus on delivering five key management tools for the restaurant and foodservice professional. Recipe management, planning (whether that’s sales forecasts or catering events), inventory management, procurement, and production all become easy to manage with the Galley system.

For more information and pricing, details are available at galleysolutions.com

“Then it was back to having to pull out their spreadsheets again and wrestle with data for eight hours a day knowing that Galley could do everything automatically for them.” — Benji Koltai

Benji Koltai, CEO, Galley

DALLAS CHEF DREYER BRINGS AWARD WINNING CUISINE TO MONARCH

Chef Eric Dreyer has emerged as one of the truly bright lights of the Dallas restaurant scene. His latest stop at the City’s refurbished National building in Downtown Dallas has proven to be a big success.

Dreyer is the top toque at Monarch in the renovated downtown building. The restaurant joins four other dining venue at the renovated downtown building. Monarch, a wood-fired modern Italian restaurant sits on the 49th floor. Kessaku, a Japanese-inspired sushi restaurant, occupies the hotel’s 50th floor. The redeveloped building also houses the Thompson Hotel, that features two other restaurants, Catbird and Nine. Monarch and Kessaku are overseen by Chicago-base chef and restaurant operator Danny Grant, who earned Michelin stars for his work in the Windy City. Dreyer says he and Grant worked on Monarch’s menu

together, which is seasonally focused and updated regularly.

Awarded for his innovation, energy and creativity, he has been named a Best Rising Star Chef by CultureMap Dallas and applauded by The New York Times for his collaboration with Dean Fearing on The Texas Food Bible, which “hits it out of the park.” Eric’s live appearances on Fox TV and his contributions to The Dallas Morning News, D Magazine, and Eater.com as Dallas’ Hottest Chef have continued to gain praise.

Dreyer was born in Houston and

grew up in North Dallas and attended J.J. Pearce High School. “I always cooked, and my mom always cooked at home,” he added. “It was always very interesting to see the successes and all what was trying to be better. She was always trying new things.” After graduating, he went to Texas Tech University before moving to California.

“(I) didn’t really know my direction. I was working catering, there was a chef … I think I was 20 at the time, and she said, ‘Eric, you’re always very interested in what’s going on back

here, can you help me today?’” Dreyer reminisced. That moment led Dreyer to go into culinary school — the chef was instructing down the road. He spent 10 years in California before he returned to Dallas, going to the Grand Hyatt Dallas/Fort Worth. His experiences on the West Coast brought him to the California School of Culinary Art in Pasadena and his start with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. He began his career working with several high-profile catering firms and restaurants throughout California before landing at The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey in 1999 — where he rotated through a variety of culinary departments to master his craft.

In 2001, a five-million-dollar renovation and new concept were brought to Jer-Ne Restaurant at The Ritz Carlton, Marina del Rey, and Eric Dreyer was

continued on page 116

Chef Eric Dreyer Prosciutto and Mozzarella Salad with Conserved Peppers

“I asked a lot of questions and soaked up anything the chef would show me. I learned the use of quality products and always enjoyed the reaction from the guests.”

— Chef Eric Dreyer

By Salma Ahmed

GREATER OMAHA PACKING BRINGS BOUTIQUE SOLUTION TO NATION’S RESTAURANT MENUS

As the world speculates about the economic crystal ball for 2023, many brands decide to reduce their quality as a way to fight it. So, it’s rare to find a brand ready to make the difficult decision of raising prices with an uncompromising commitment to quality.

Greater Omaha Packing has made that difficult decision based on not only its own core beliefs, but those that are shared with its longtime base of restaurant chefs and foodservice professionals.

“Restaurateurs and chefs that get it right understand that the key principle that keeps customers coming back is the guaranty of that great steak that is cooked to perfection every time,” noted Mike Drury, president of Greater Omaha Packing.

The Nebraska-based beef processor keeps the core values that it established since day one, which was over 100 years ago. Because they keep the same high quality and stay consistent, they have become the fifth largest beef processor in the country.

Greater Omaha’s guide to staying consistent regarding quality starts with trust. Most of the company’s producers have worked with them for decades, and Drury talked about how the company chooses trust over popularity.

“We partner with ranchers who understand the quality that I’m looking for, ranchers who are not afraid to put a little bit more feed on the animal to make sure it can mature and can actually produce the best beef possible.”

With approximately 2400 head of cattle being processed daily, Great -

er Omaha keeps their independence as their brands include Greater Omaha Hereford™ and Greater Omaha Angus,™ which are available for both retail and foodservice.

Being an independent beef processor brand that values high-quality pays off since Greater Omaha includes large names when it comes to their customers. They provide many of the nation’s top distributors: U.S. Foods, Performance Food Group, and SYSCO with top-quality fare.

As their business is divided into food service and retail, Greater Omaha manages to balance the two sides. On the retail side, they direct their efforts toward regional retailers who are looking for quality and consistency. Greater Omaha calculates their steps as they conclude that they will work better with regional retailers than major ones.

Another step that helps Greater Omaha stay competitive is meet -

ing the diverse demands of their customers. As they deliver to all 50 states and up to 70 different countries worldwide, they embrace the fact that they have to be inclusive and offer more solutions to their diverse customers. To meet these demands, Greater Omaha’s services include the ability to do Halal certification for all of their cattle. They are also based in cattle country, a geographic area where they have long-running relationships with the same cattle producers who maintain Greater Omaha’s belief in caring for the animals.

While swirling economies lead to many restaurants modifying menu offerings to keep maintain pricing, Drury does not see this as the right decision. Caring for their end users depends on maintaining the consistency that they promised. If they changed their usual products they have been selling for many years, then they would be breaking the promise they made to generations of their restaurant and foodservice customers. Therefore, Greater Omaha chooses to raise prices if that means they will keep providing the same quality. Drury justifies their decision by saying, “ I’m going to weather the storm and if we have to charge more, I don’t want to have to apologize for it. We focus on value that way.”

Drury and Greater Omaha’s success has been built on their ability

to look at the business from their customer’s shoes. “We see their work as a form of entertainment and restaurants should realize that producing a great dining experience is more important than just worrying about what it will cost.”

Drury explains that taking the risk and removing items off the menu will make restaurants lose customers. His advice is to create a balance between costs and service. Greater Omaha decided to charge a fair price to keep providing the best service. This difficult decision comes after the realization that they have to accept raising prices to be reflective of the market, and that will reward them in the end as their customers keep receiving the same quality.

Changes in economics have often led chef and operators to look at alternatives. When asked about his opinion of plant-based replacements, Drury concluded, “as someone who is in the beef industry, I’m not threatened by that. That’s a different category. It’s a different audience.” To Greater Omaha, the only thing that matters is focusing on their audience, because as long as they provide quality and consistency, then they should not be threatened by different categories.

Operators and distributors are invited to get more info on Greater Omaha Packing’s portfolio of menu solutions at www.greateromaha. com or by calling (402) 731-1700

“I’m going to weather the storm and if we have to charge more, I don’t want to have to apologize for it. We focus on value that way.” — Mike Drury

Mike Drury, CEO of Greater Omaha

INSIDER NEWS FROM THE FOODSERVICE + HOSPITALITY SCENE SCOOP

Do you have the SCOOP on any foodservice and hospitality news? Send items to SCOOP Editor Joyce Appelman at tfs@totalfood.com

RATIONAL AG: GLOBAL SALES EXCEED €1 BILLION FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE COMPANY’S HISTORY

SCOOP heard that for the first time in its 50year history, RATIONAL, the specialist in hot food preparation, achieved a global turnover of just over € 1 billion in the FY 2022 with its iVario and iCombi cooking system lines. This corresponds to an increase of 31 percent compared to the previous year ( € 780 million).

Both product groups contributed to the growth. In the iCombi product group, sales growth is expected to be 28 percent compared to the previous year, thanks to the improving parts availability in the second half of the 2022. Sales in the iVario product group grew particularly well, with growth amounting to 57 percent.

The American markets stood out in terms of sales development, with high growth rates. “The North American market is becoming a leader for the company, with significant growth in the United States, Canada, and Mexico,” said Simon Lohse, EVP of North America. “There is so much potential here. We have just begun to get the word out about our products, especially the iVario –and the market is already responding.”

Lohse added, “Our success does not materialize on its own. Our business partners and our RATIONAL team members are among the best in the in -

dustry. Together, we faced many challenges during 2022, but we have built strong relationships with our partners in each of the three markets, and all contributed to this success.”

The RATIONAL Group is the world market and technology leader in the field of hot food preparation for professional kitchens. Founded in 1973, the company employs more than 2,300 people worldwide. RATIONAL is listed on the Prime Standard of the German Stock Exchange and is included in the SDAX.

To learn more about RATIONAL products and services, attend a RATIONAL CookingLive event to see how RATIONAL products help commercial kitchen operators do more with less space, waste, energy, cost, and stress. To reserve your place, visit rationalusa.com.

UNIQUE PLANT-BASED PROTEIN PASTA AND BOLOGNESE SAUCE A WINNER FOR TOPCO

SCOOP knows that plant-based foods have proliferated retailers and restaurants for the past five years, but no brand brought forth a pasta sauce or Bolognese with a plant-based protein utilizing an Italian Sausage analog. That’s until Red Gold developed the sauces for Topco Associates’ Full-Circle Market brand. The results were a noteworthy recognition from the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA).

First on the list of a short list of “Salute to Excellence Award” winners were Full-Circle Market Plant-Based Bolognese-Style Pasta Sauce. Its exceptional flavor within a growing consumer category was a nimble and unexpected innovation for store brand products within the Topco brand.

Topco’s entry into plant-based protein sauce items by Red Gold include a Plant-Based Bolognese-Style Pasta Sauce and a Plant-Based Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce.

“We shared Topco’s interest in the void among plant-based proteins in pasta sauces and our research and development team did an extraordinary job in creating great-tasting sauces for Topco,” says Colt Reichart, Senior Director of

Marketing at Red Gold.

Store brand dollar share among retailers was at 18.5% through October 2nd, 2022, according to IRI. As growing fears of a recession and higher costs for branded items inched up during the last half of the year, the launch of the Full-Circle Market items was well timed. As Boomers on fixed incomes pivot to store brands more regularly, the plant-based proteins pasta and Bolognese sauces will also appeal to a younger demographic of Gen Zs and Millennials who are increasingly following flexitarian diets. While vegans and vegetarians seek only plant-based diets, flexitarians occasionally consume animal proteins while striving to reduce their intake and turn to foods devoid of animal proteins. While vegans and vegetarians account for about 11% of Americans, 47% of consumers say they are striving to follow a flexitarian diet*. This combination of meatless consumers equates to nearly 60% of shoppers who will likely show interest in these new Topco products in their center store aisles.

“The market is getting crowded within the plant-based category with everything from milk, cheese and analog meats. Our plant-based protein sauces are one-of-a-kind,” says Reichart. “The sauces complement pastas, pizza, and breads that are likewise naturally plant-based and of lower cost than animal proteins to the shopper. The synergies are perfect for fueling contin -

continued on page 90

Red Gold developed sauces for Topco Associates

The iVario XS from RATIONAL

ued growth within the plant-based category and consumers looking to purchase their flexitarian, vegan or vegetarian diets with these Full-Circle Market products.”

Red Gold’s Research & Development Team has continued its work on additional plant-based protein products, including chili, with or without beans. Red Gold’s Foodservice Division offers the plant-based protein pasta and Bolognese sauces under the Red Gold brand portfolio. Red Gold offers a variety of private-label products and their latest additions include a Salsa Verde and ketchup with no sugar or high fructose corn syrup added.

*The Food Institute, 2022

GREEN RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES NEW CERTIFICATION STANDARDS

CERTIFICATION STANDARDS HIGHLIGHTS

• Represent 33 years of work with 1000’s of restaurants

• Launch of 6 New Green Badges

• Over 500 environmental standards included

• Each standard reviewed to reflect the latest science

• Add scores of new environmental steps to allow more opportunity for environmental change

• Update Education & Transparency Category

As a part of the new GRA certification standards, the GRA is launching Green Badges. To earn badges, restaurants must implement the required environmental steps outlined in the GRA’s new badge section on dinegreen.com. The badges provide a great opportunity for restaurants to communicate their excellence in specific environmental categories to consumers and may be displayed through restaurants’ websites, signage, social media, and more. Once restaurants earn the Green Badges, consumers will be able to search for restaurants by these badges on the GRA website in order to find a dining experience that fits their needs. The following are the six new badges that allow restaurants to receive recognition for environmental excellence:

• Near-Zero Waste™

• Clean Chemicals

• Vegan

• Vegetarian

• Sustainable Seafood

• SustainaBuild™

To learn more about the GRA’s new certification standards and badges, visit dinegreen.com/ certification-standards.

NEW ESTIMATOR JOINS

SCOOP learned that the Green Restaurant Association launched its completely updated restaurant sustainability certification standards. The new certification standards reflect scores of new opportunities for restaurants to implement environmental changes in the Green Restaurant Association’s 7 environmental categories:

• Energy

• Water

• Waste

• Reusables & Disposables

• Chemicals & Pollution

• Food

• Buildings & Furnishing

PECINKA FERRI ASSOCIATES

SCOOP heard that Pecinka Ferri Associates, manufacturer’s agent to the foodservice industry in the greater New York Metro area, announced that Allie De Barros has joined their team as an Estimator. De Barros brings eleven years of experience in project and contract sales to her position with Pecinka Ferri. She most recently worked at Singer M. Tucker and was integral in assisting their Contract & Design and Build teams to execute projects nationwide efficiently. Adept at analyzing project requirements and plans to gain a thorough understanding of each project, De Barros assists clients by preparing estimates utilizing

the right products for the right application. Additionally, she has developed valuable working relationships with industry vendors and contractors. De Barros has a master’s degree in creative writing from Seton Hall University. In her free time, she dabbles in graphic arts and is an avid hockey fan. De Barros speaks fluent Portuguese. To request an estimate for your foodservice equipment needs, contact Allie De Barros at (973) 812-4277 x1031 or at allie@pecinkaferri.com.

Pecinka Ferri Associates, manufacturer’s agent to the foodservice industry, represents nationally recognized equipment manufacturers, in the greater New York Metro area. The company has been combining industry knowledge with quality equipment to create outstanding solutions for over 50 years. For more information, visit pecinkaferri.com.

USDA STRENGTHENS ORGANIC CERTIFICATION

SCOOP heard that the USDA National Organic Program recently previewed the Strengthening Organic Enforcement final rule. This update to the USDA organic regulations strengthens oversight and enforcement of organic products’ production, handling, and sale.

The rule implements 2018 Farm Bill mandates, is a response to industry requests for updates to the USDA organic regulations, and addresses National Organic Standards Board recommendations.

The rule protects organic integrity and supports farmer and consumer confidence in the USDA organic seal by maintaining strong organic control systems, improving farm-to-market traceability, increasing import oversight authority, and enforcing organic regulations.

Key updates include:

• Requiring certification of more of the businesses at critical points in organic supply chains

• Requiring NOP Import Certificates for all organic imports

• Increasing authority for more rigorous on-site

continued on page 92

Allie DeBarros

inspections of certified operations

• Needing standardized certificates of organic operation

• Mandating additional and more frequent reporting of data on certified operations

• Facilitating authority for robust recordkeeping, traceability practices, and fraud prevention procedures

The rule may affect USDA-accredited certifying agents, organic inspectors, certified organic operations, operations considering organic certification, businesses that import or trade organic products, and retailers that sell organic products. Those affected by the rule will have one year from the effective date to comply with the changes.

BLENDID, JAMBA AND SODEXO OPEN ROBOTIC FOOD KIOSK IN ATLANTA HOSPITAL

SCOOP heard that a new Jamba by Blendid automated robotic food kiosk opened in January at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Operated by food service leader Sodexo, the new kiosk now offers staff, patients, and visitors refreshing Jamba-inspired smoothies 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

According to Sodexo General Manager Dyiesha Kerr, “We’ve seen rising demand for fresh, customized, contactless food options and are committed to providing innovative dining solutions. Offering a new way to enjoy made-to-order, freshly blended fruit and vegetable smoothies through

contactless and customized ordering, Jamba by Blendid kiosks elevate the food service experience.”

As food service operators aim to keep pace with changing consumer needs, leaders like Sodexo are embracing the promise of advanced automation and robotics solutions. Jamba by Blendid has eight operating kiosk locations across the country in a variety of non-traditional venue types such as shopping centers, college campuses, travel centers and now hospitals. The kiosk at Grady Memorial Hospital is the first Jamba by Blendid in a hospital and the second Jamba by Blendid operated by Sodexo; the first Sodexo-operated location opened earlier in 2022 at Georgia College & State University.

Health-conscious hospital employees, patients and visitors crave quick, fresh and nutritious food options at all hours. The 8 by 8-foot Jamba by Blendid kiosk located inside the hospital’s cafeteria now provides contactless, easy access to freshly made smoothies at any time thanks to Blendid’s contactless food automation platform, foodOS®. Kiosk users can quickly customize their smoothies – adjusting ingredient quantities, adding boosts, etc. – and order via touchscreen at the kiosk or schedule a pick-up time on their mobile phones.

Geoff Henry, President of Jamba, noted: “We’re proud to have the opportunity to provide healthcare workers with a refreshing and delicious snacking option – available to them 24/7 no matter when they’re on the clock.”

EVIGENCE

FRESHNESS DETECTING SENSORS IMPLEMENTED BY MARLEY SPOON BY MARTHA STEWART

SCOOP learned that Evigence raised $18M for Its food freshness detecting sensors that are small enough to fit on a produce packaging sticker and they plan to use the money to further develop its system’s data collection and analytics capabilities and launch additional commercial partnerships in the U.S. and Europe. The sensors can detect the temperature and time passage and uses that data to calculate the current and projected freshness of produce. Retailers, distributors, and consumers can use them to determine the realtime freshness of a product. Evigence’s sensors can give visual cues such as through color change on the sticker or have an hourglass empty to let

the consumer know when a product is no longer fresh. The company recently announced it is working with meal kit delivery company Marley Spoon by Martha Stewart. Marley Spoon implemented the Evigence solution, which allows it and consumers to ensure freshness of meal kit ingredients when they arrive at customers’ homes. The sensors track time and temperature exposure over the course of the meal kits’ shipping journey, from packing to the customers’ doorstep. When the meal kit arrives at home, customers can scan the sensor upon receipt of the meal kit to confirm freshness.

CHEF AND RESTAURANT NEWS

WASHINGTON, D.C.:

Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)—the trade association representing restaurants and the foodservice industry in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area—has announced the appointment of its new president and CEO, Shawn Townsend. Townsend has spent more than a decade in the District of Columbia government, eventually appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser as the inaugural director of the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife and Culture. Under Townsend’s

continued on page 94

The Jamba by Blendid Kiosk

An Evigence desktop dispenser having made a fresh sensor for use with food and beverage

leadership, RAMW will continue its legacy of legislative and regulatory representation, education and workforce development, marketing, small business support, and more.

SAN DIEGO:

Stefani De Palma has stepped down from her role of chef de cuisine at Addison, the only threeMichelin-starred restaurant in San Diego. The newly-appointed chef de cuisine is Jonathan Brambila, who’s been promoted from sous chef at Addison. Brambila has been working with Executive Chef William Bradley since 2011, a dream he had since completing his culinary training at the Art Institute of California-San Diego. Born in Los Angeles, Brambila grew up between San Diego and Tijuana where his parents ran a taqueria specializing in barbacoa near his middle school.

SAN FRANCISCO:

AUSTIN:

Restaurant Luminaire and bar Las Bis in the Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin will be led by San Antonio chef and six-time James Beard Award finalist Steve McHugh. The property is steps from the Texas Capitol and in the middle of the vibrant downtown arts and culture district.

NEW YORK:

NoMo SoHo has announced an expansion to its culinary team with the appointments of Iwona Luksza as director of food and beverage and Evan Bergman as executive chef. Luksza has over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry including serving as director of bars and restaurants at the Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria Resort. Meanwhile, Bergman offers NoMo SoHo over a decade of experience in both classical and modern culinary techniques. Prior to this role, he served as the executive sous chef at the Pine Hollow Club. Both Luksza and Bergman will collaborate to elevate the property’s culinary offerings at NoMo Kitchen, the Rose Garden, and the Library Cafe. The pair will also oversee the catering and events department.

NEW YORK:

Chef Nicholas McCann was just appointed as Executive Chef of Society Cafe, located in Walker Hotel Greenwich Village. McCann is an experienced and accomplished chef who is aiming to bring a fresh perspective on the restaurant’s ‘market-to-table’ concept through seasonal culinary creations reflective of the city’s local farmers and markets.

Society Café, which offers an intimate, jazz-inspired atmosphere with seasonal American fare, features produce and proteins from farmers of the Union Square. The restaurant’s art deco-inspired design, along with nightly live jazz music, sets the scene for a warm & welcoming dining experience.

With a rotating seasonal menu reflective of the city’s local farmers and markets, guests can expect to experience Chef Nicholas’ unique culinary creations alongside its intimate & classic art deco inspired space.

PORTLAND:

SAVOR, the culinary division of ASM Global, has announced that chef Roxanne Galang has been appointed as new director of culinary for the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Galang, who also held the position of chef de cuisine for SAVOR’s Moscone Center in 2017, returns to the convention venue with more than a decade of culinary expertise in the San Francisco area, including her most recent role as executive chef of premium catering for Bon Appetit at The Chase Center.

With over 20 years of experience in the kitchen, Nicholas McCann has always been passionate about food. Drawing inspiration from his family recipes, Nicholas quickly fell in love with the culinary world at a young age and began his career at The French Culinary Institute in NYC. Since then, he has worked with some of the city’s most acclaimed chefs and restaurants, including working alongside Chef Luis Bollo of Salinas before moving on to become an Executive Chef at TESSA, The Milling Room, and Corkbuzz.

At Society Cafe, Chef Nicholas looks forward to flexing his creativity by bringing a fresh perspective to the restaurant’s ‘market-to-table’ concept.

Il Solito at Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland recently reopened following a pandemic closure and now they’re welcoming Chef Casey Gipson as Executive Chef. The Chef joins Il Solito with nearly 20 years of experience in the country’s best eateries and markets across the country. Originally from Sacramento, as a child, he was inspired by the cooking shows of the 90s, especially those of Julia Child. That spark of passion for food and cooking led him to pursue studies at the California Culinary Academy before honing his skills in some of the country’s best eateries and markets across the country – from San Francisco to Maui. Most recently, Chef Gipson spearheaded backof-house operations and acted as opening Executive Chef for Food Network Star Molly Yeh’s first restaurant, Bernie’s. Prior to that, he spent eight years in Portland where he facilitated the expansion of the Migration Brewery’s culinary program to four locations and served as Executive Chef for the restaurant group that encompasses Picnic House, Barlow, High Noon and ChkChk. While he was there, he was responsible for developing relationships with local farms and purveyors to bring the rotating seasonal food programs to life at the restaurant.

continued on page 96

Chef Nicholas McCann

Chef Roxanne Galang

MIAMI:

Massimo Bottura of Netflix’s Chef’s Table is bringing his one-Michelin-starred Torno Subito to Downtown Miami later this year. It will be located on the rooftop of Julia & Henry’s, a seven-story entertainment and culinary space that is slated to debut this spring. The restaurant is in partnership with King Goose Hospitality, the group that’s spearheading the Julia & Henry project, which will be home to 20 food and drink outposts from Miami favorites like Michelle Bernstein, Jose Mendin, and Bar Lab.

CHICAGO:

Four Seasons Hotel Chicago welcomes Richie Farina as executive chef of Adorn Bar & Restaurant. Chef Farina brings more than two decades of culinary experience to his new role. He was most recently the opening sous chef at two-Michelin-starred Ever, and previously served as lead line cook at Monteverde and executive chef at one-Michelin-starred Moto. In his new role, Chef Farina will oversee the culinary operations at Adorn Bar & Restaurant, including new menu ideation, procurement, personnel management and more for the upcoming tasting menu offering. Beginning his career at the age of 16, Chef Farina went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales in 2005. He moved to Chicago in 2008 and began developing his molecular gastronomy skills and creativity at Moto.

In addition to Chef Farina, Four Seasons Hotel Chicago fortifies the culinary team with the addition of Director of Food and Beverage, Julia Casale. Julia joins the team from Four Seasons Boston, with previous hospitality experience including attending the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and serving on the Four Seasons Beverage Committee.

CHICAGO:

Sushi by Scratch, which holds a single-star rating in Santa Barbara, CA, is planning an early February debut for its parent company’s first Midwestern outpost to the former The Swill Inn space in River West. Sushi by Scratch features a 17-course omakase.

Chef Phillip Frankland Lee, who runs Scratch Restaurants Group with his wife Margarita KallasLee, bases his approach to sushi on his experience growing up in the ‘90s in LA’s San Fernando Valley,

which boasts one of the densest concentrations of sushi restaurants outside of Japan.

Lee moved to Chicago in 2010 to work with Laurent Gras and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprise’s acclaimed L2O and worked briefly with Alinea Group in preparing Next Restaurant’s opening. Lee and his wife opened Scratch Bar in 2013 in Beverly Hills as a tasting menu-only concept. Four years later, he turned the office behind the bar into an eight-seat sushi bar.

MONROE, CT:

BELOVED MONROE CARL ANTHONY TRATTORIA RELOCATES AFTER 25 YEARS IN CLOCK TOWER SQUARE

Chef/Owner Sam Devellis Joins Market Hospitality Group

In 1998, Carl Anthony Trattoria introduced its brand of hospitality to the charming town of Monroe, CT. Chef/Owner Sam Devellis took what was once a neighborhood pizza joint and created a modern, Italian-infused restaurant and gathering place that would quickly take the town by storm. The restaurant’s vibrant design aesthetic, lively bar scene, and innovative Italian menu solidified Carl Anthony Trattoria’s standing within a then, up and coming, Fairfield County dining scene. Soon to follow was Carl Anthony Restaurant Group which included Gioves Pizza Kitchen, Carl Anthony Catering, Carl Anthony Pizza Truck, and Bill’s Drive-in, elevating the brand’s presence throughout the region and among hungry food enthusiasts.

“Our success was rooted in our fearlessness and our commitment to creating a truly unique dining

experience,” says Devellis, “We didn’t have social media then. Our guests have always been our influencers, taking us on this amazing journey all these years.”

DeVellis and his team are now embarking on a new chapter that will see Carl Anthony Trattoria’s 477 Main Street location close, only to re-appear in a nearby neighborhood, in early 2023. Devellis and his Carl Anthony Restaurant Group have entered into a partnership with Market Hospitality Group. Spearheaded by restaurateur Eli Hawli, Market Hospitality Group is comprised of 10 restaurant locations which started out in 2011 with Market Place Kitchen & Bar in Danbury and soon added Market Place Tavern and Mercato, Italian Kitchen & Bar locations dotted throughout Connecticut. The restaurant group now owns Bills Drive-in and Key Largo Fisheries in Key Largo, FL, brands that came with a tremendous amount of history, and now are being nurtured by Market Hospitality Group. Carl Anthony Catering will continue to operate, as will all of their food service venues, and catering and pizza truck events.

The partnership of Eli Hawli and Sam DeVellis takes Market Hospitality Group to a new level - a powerhouse restaurant company that continues to raise the bar throughout Connecticut and beyond. Two new locations are slated to open in 2023. Mercato Italian Kitchen at The Shoppes at Farmington Valley in Canton and at The Fountain Square in Shelton.

NEW SCANNERS WILL HELP FOOD WASTE—DON’T SQUEEZE THE AVOCADOES!

SCOOP heard that OneThird, a startup from The Netherlands, is hoping to help us reduce the number of avocadoes going to waste. The delicious fruit is one of the most difficult to get right when it comes to determining ripeness. They have built a line of spectral scanners that determine the freshness of an avocado. The scanner looks at the spectral fingerprint of an avocado, it compares the data gathered to its database to determine how ripe the fruit is and then sends the information to its app. OneThird isn’t the only company with a spectral imaging scanner targeted at grocery retailers to determine avocado freshness. Last year, Apeel debuted their avocado scanner, which it built using technology acquired from Impact Vision.

Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee

BRIDGEPORT RESTAURANT PARTICIPATES IN SECOND ROUND OF UPGRADES WITH UNITED ILLUMINATING ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM

Beverly Pizza has been serving customers in Bridgeport for nearly six decades. Last year, owner Elias Katsetos was approached by Artis Energy Solutions about an opportunity to save energy through United Illuminating’s Small Busi -

ness Energy Advantage Program.

Providing free energy assessments and recommendations for efficiency upgrades, the Small Business Energy Advantage program can help customers save energy and improve operation costs.

Katsetos was no stranger to small business incentives offered by United Illuminating (UI) and Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG), subsidiaries of AVANGRID, Inc. Back in the late 1990s, UI helped replace light bulbs at Beverly Pizza with the standard for energy-efficient lighting at the time. Advancements in lighting technology and UI’s holistic approach to identifying energy savings opportunities for customers provided new upgrade options this time around.

With incentives from UI totaling almost $43,000, the restaurant was able to make nearly $61,000 in improvements. The upgrades included new interior and exterior lighting, LED bulbs installed in its two outdoor signs, replacement of the old gas furnace and gas fired water heater with new high-efficiency equipment, installation of an ENERGY STAR® certified high-

New technology available increases comfort and provides additional energy savings

efficiency air conditioning unit and updated vending machine controls.

“This time, in addition to updating lighting, they determined our furnace from 1981 was at the end of its life and came up with a proposal that would satisfy our needs,” said Elias Katsetos, owner of Beverly Pizza. “Our big exterior sign light was using a lot of electricity because of its fluorescent lights, and the difference is noticeable already with the new LED bulbs.”

Operating in a distressed community with a qualifying average peak demand energy use, Beverly Pizza was also able to take advantage of UI and SCG’s Micro Business Energy Assistance Pilot (MBEA) incentives, which covered 75 percent of project costs. MBEA incentives are now integrated into the Small Business Energy Advantage program.

“The incentives made the project financially feasible and allowed the restaurant to save energy, which is good for the environment, and make improvements that are good for the business and the neighborhood,” said Kim Peters of Artis Energy Solutions. “The upgrades made are critical to restaurant businesses to ensure their customers are comfortable.”

During hot summer months, the new air conditioning unit kept the kitchen and restaurant cooler. The contractors worked in the dining room each day before the restaurant opened and then moved to other

spots in the building so as not to disturb the customer experience.

For decades, Energize Connecticut programs have been helping small businesses find ways to make their operations more energy efficient and support improved comfort and aesthetics.

“This project is a great example of how the program has evolved through the years, not just to provide the latest in technology and solutions, but also to assess the bigger picture and apply a variety of offerings to help our customers,” said Colleen Morrison, Small Business Program Manager, United Illuminating. “Returning to the program can provide a host of upgrade opportunities for businesses, everything from weatherization, HVAC, AC, heating and aerators to refrigeration controls and advanced lighting options.”

Customers looking to benefit can either call the 1.877.WISE.USE line (877.947.3873) or signup through BusinessEnergyCT.com

Energize Connecticut helps you save money and use clean energy. It is an initiative of the State of Connecticut, the Connecticut Green Bank, Eversource, UI, SCG and CNG, with funding from a charge on customer energy bills.

Information on energy-saving programs can be found at EnergizeCT. com or by calling 877.WISE.USE.

Beverly Pizza Owner Elias Katsetos pulls a fresh hot pie from the oven

Beverly Pizza in Bridgeport

SIX DIFFERENT WAYS TO SCALE UP YOUR KITCHEN’S PRODUCTION

When you first started your food business, you may have begun creating products in your home kitchen. Indeed, you may still be producing food items at home or in a small commercial kitchen. But as your business becomes more and more successful, you will need to look at how to scale up your kitchen production. Here are six ways to do precisely that.

1. Move to Bigger Premises

When you are ready to significantly increase your kitchen’s production of food products, you will need to find a bigger kitchen.

You can either rent or buy premises that come with a large kitchen or move into an empty space that you fit out with existing and new kitchen equipment.

Whichever option you choose, make sure you spend time carefully working out costs. After all, moving into a new kitchen needs to make sound financial sense.

Furthermore, when scaling up your production, you will need more employees, so ensure you factor in those additional costs as well.

2. Adjust Your Formulas for Scaling up Your Food Production

When making recipes for more people at home, you can simply double or triple your recipe using the same ingredients. But when you scale up your production for commercial food products, things are not that simple. For instance, when producing large quantities of your foods, ingredients may not behave in the same way, so you would need to adjust your ingredients and the quantities of your ingredients in order to achieve the same tasty recipe when you are producing

large quantities of your food products.

You may also need to swap one ingredient for another if you find the ingredients you currently use are too expensive when you need to buy them in bulk in order to meet your price target.

Furthermore, the stability of ingredients may not meet the needs of your new process and the finished product could have a different taste or texture, so you will need to spend some time experimenting to ensure you can reproduce your recipes, without compromising on quality, at a large scale.

3. Consider Changing Your Sourcing Strategy

Do not assume that your sourcing strategy will remain the same when scaling up your kitchen’s production. Sourcing larger quantities of ingredients can impact your business in multiple ways.

For instance, you could need to rewrite formulas in order to hit your price point and, if you use specialty ingredients, you could find it difficult to source them in the new larger quantities that you require.

You may need to find a new supplier, and that could further affect your costs. While ingredient costs generally do not have a significant impact on profit margins at a small scale, they will impact your profit margins much more once you start scaling up.

So, make sure you look at the ingredients you need and do plenty of calculations before you proceed in scaling up so that you can identify whether you need to change your sourcing strategy.

4. Invest in Larger Industrial Machinery

When producing food products at a larger scale, you will need to invest

in larger, industrial machinery. For example, you will probably need industrial mixer machines.

Mixing is a complex process, so you will need to spend some time looking at what your requirements are so that you can select the right mixers and other machines.

After all, mixing fifty gallons of ingredients will be a very different process from mixing ingredients in a 2,000-gallon tank.

There are multiple types and sizes of mixers available and you will need to use your expert knowledge to select the right ones for your purposes. For instance, you could need static, highshear, or helical mixers.

Choosing the wrong mixers or other food production machinery can be costly, both in terms of expense and quality, so make sure you look at your specific requirements before you proceed with buying items like mixers.

5. Consider Your Production Requirements and Future Needs

When considering your production needs so that you can do things like purchase the appropriate equipment, you also need to consider your future needs. You should have a plan for business growth in place. With your plan in hand, you can better determine your current and future production requirements.

For instance, you could be planning on producing limited seasonal food products, in which case you will need to factor in the equipment you will need and the costs of producing new lines.

Alternatively, you may be planning to deliver your food, in which case you could need to find a reliable on demand delivery service.

6. Pay Attention to Yield Loss

When scaling up your kitchen’s production, you need to pay even more attention to potential yield loss than you already do. After all, when you use large quantities of ingredients, it is more likely that you will have a higher amount of product loss if you do not put practices in place to prevent it.

For instance, getting a thick food product out of a large vessel will require new mechanical aids if you do not want to lose a significant proportion of the product when transferring it from the large vessel.

You may need to employ scrape agitation, vacuum, or pressure methods to ensure all of the product is attained during transference.

You could also look at repurposing waste food products. For instance, leftover cheese during the production of a food product could be repurposed as a food product itself.

Final Thoughts

Scaling up your kitchen’s production in the right way, so that you can maximize production at a cost-effective and profitable level, ultimately comes down to good planning.

You should spend a lot of time looking at the things you need to do to scale up and then work out the costs for each factor in order to make your growth successful.

So, to recap, you should:

• Move to Bigger Premises

• Adjust Your Formulas for Scaling up Your Food Production

• Consider Changing Your Sourcing Strategy

• Invest in Larger Industrial Machinery

• Consider Your Production Requirements and Future Needs

• Pay Attention to Yield Loss

him, he would help sponsor me to be a worker in the U.S. and do all the paperwork — I just had to pay. It was a great deal, so I got a J1 visa and moved to the U.S. with one bag at just 19 years old.

At Amelio’s, I learned a lot about managing people. Jacky was really a great boss who took care of his employees, and when the time came for me to move on, he helped me get a job at the Ritz Carlton as a banquet chef. It was a very complex learning curve, but I learned a lot about operations and numbers. I was with the brand for seven years, opening kitchens and clubs all over the world.

But after some time, my wife and I wanted to start a family, so we decided to return to the Bay Area and open Grégoire. When I started cooking, I never thought I would own my own restaurant because I would see how hard it was for my bosses. But I quickly realized I was done working for somebody else. The only logical thing for our family was to open a place that I would enjoy working and people would enjoy coming to, and that was close to home.

What makes Grégoire different from other takeout restaurants in the Berkeley, CA area?

When I opened Grégoire 20 years ago, it was something nobody was doing. No chef wanted to put their food in the box. Chefs, in general, are very stubborn and think their food is only good 10 seconds after they make it and put it on the plate. But at the Ritz, I learned how to adapt fine dining to be served in big quantities, and thought it was possible to do the same thing, but takeout style and without compromising the quality of the food.

Over the years, I’ve seen more concepts try it out and an insurgence of delivery companies, but it’s something we’ve always done. We created our box to be the best container; we designed it around the food. It’s been successful at making Grégoire stand out as a takeout restaurant in the area.

Are you experiencing any supply chain issues?

Of course. Like everyone else, I have experienced issues. The good thing is that I deal with vendors with years of experience that I trust. I have known some of them for 30 years, so I have faith in them when they run out of a product and recommend a substitute that’s just as good as what I normally order. There can be issues with the supply, but we’ve been more impacted by rising prices than a lack of available foods.

Tell us about the local vendors you source for ingredients.

Many years ago, when I was working for Amelio’s, we started buying products from a farmer. Years later, when I came back and was opening Grégoire, I was trying to source the best products and went to a farmers’ market in Berkeley, and the same man was there. I asked him to do business with me, and he’s been our provider for things like onions, cabbage, broccoli, squash, asparagus and tomatoes. They come three times a week and are our go-to for locally-sourced produce.

Tell us about your innovative culinary hub kitchen model.

When I first looked into franchising, I wanted to keep the same model that Grégoire has, with a seasonally changing menu and fresh ingredients. It’s worked so well for us for the last 20 years, so why change it? But it wasn’t easy to look at the franchise model and think about training franchisees on new recipes we create every quarter and ensuring they do it the same way everywhere. Even the potato puffs have a pretty intricate recipe and must be perfect every time.

In brainstorming about ways to do it, we decided on building a central kitchen where we prepare and cook the ingredients ahead of time to be ordered and delivered to locations daily. By doing so, we have control of all the preparations. It is much easier to train someone to build and put a sandwich together than to

teach them to make sauces and do production techniques.

You recently announced expansion plans with your franchise launch. How have you streamlined technology & operations for franchisees?

I’m a numbers guy. I need data in order to make educated decisions on the food, the prices, the products, etc., so we decided to automate a lot of the processes we do. We already have software that will do inventory, product ordering, invoicing and everything on one app. It will make the process a seamless and easy one for the franchisee as well as for us, the franchisor. The culinary hub will order the raw material from our vendors, and it will come and be priced at market price. All the recipes are already in the system, so we know exactly how much one ounce of something costs. At night, the franchisee will order products, and we will invoice them through the app, which will go straight to their accounting software. With all the data collected, anyone in the system can easily see how much product is used and how much we need. We have the power to make sure that they always have the product and always stay supplied.

What piece of advice would you give budding franchise owners?

My piece of advice to franchisees is not to be scared. We have removed the headache of running a restaurant from the equation by moving the back of the house to the culinary hub. We are always here to help, and we are close by locally for any questions. It’s a team effort, and we will be there every step of the way.

Do you feel there is one attribute that successful franchise owners share?

I want our franchisees to be friendly and customer oriented. I need them to love people and love servicing their community. I cannot teach someone to be nice, but I can teach them to put a sandwich together and run a business. They have to take care of the employees and create an environment where they care for one another. I am looking for a franchisee with whom I can go have a drink and hang out with on the weekend.

What are the most common mistakes you see franchise brands make?

It’s not all about money, and your growth should not always be based on cash flow more than quality. Not caring about customers and employees is a mistake. As a franchisor, you should focus more on that than the bottom line.

Learn more at gfranchise.com

The exterior of Grégoire in Berkeley, CA

• Make sure the handbook is a living, breathing document that is updated, reviewed, and revised with counsel at least annually, as each year there is new case law, new legal issues that may not have ripe case laws and new considerations that should be included in the employee handbook. It is important to have each employee sign the handbook to show they are aware of and agree to the policies and procedures inside.

• Insurance companies follow claims and litigation trends so they ask a lot of questions in their underwriting process. Documented policies and procedures will enable you to examine exclusions or risks specific to your business and their impact/defense as it relates to employee liability. Working with an experienced broker will ensure all liabilities unique to your business are considered.

• When you’re getting employ-

ment practice insurance or renewing it, the question to ask is: do you actually have the necessary policies and procedures in place to ensure defensibility?” You’ll have to prove yourself each time you get insurance by providing information about past claims and what remedial actions were taken.

2) Document it. Keep a written log of disciplinary and absentee issues, complaints and anything that falls under HR’s jurisdiction.

• This documentation will serve as the first line of defense should an employee discrimination claim be filed against you, as you’ll have written proof of what happened with a disgruntled employee along the way.

• If you have to defend an employee termination, for example, based on their absenteeism, you’re going to have to build a case and documentation is going to be key. You’ll

need to be able to say: the employee was 50 minutes late, 20 times and provide the dates and specifics.

3) Understand third-party risks. Look at your risks from a third party standpoint. Consider the legal ramifications of your vendors, clients, customers, potential employees, and more being a potential liability. Make sure whoever is interfacing with third parties is trained and understands employment practice risks so they don’t cause a liability that could lead to an employment practices claim.

4) Know your recourse as an employer. Employees aren’t the only ones that have legal recourse to file a claim. Employers (especially when they hold workers’ compensation policies through private insurers) have recourse as well. Employers have rights and shouldn’t be afraid to speak up if there’s a fraudulent

claim and more.

5) Retain a comprehensive Employment Practices Liability (EPL) insurance policy. An employer is more likely to have an employment practices liability insurance claim than a general liability or property loss, according to studies conducted by the Professional Liability Underwriting Society. A good broker will determine which EPL policy is right for your business and, in the event of a claim, help you amend your policies and procedures for successful renewal.

Any business can be the target of a potentially devastating lawsuit. Safeguard your business against any employment-related risks through the best practices describes and comprehensive EPL insurance protection.

1. https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc-fiscal -year-2022-agency-financial-report

LEGAL INSIDER

from page 66

istration, and can be renewed indefinitely, so long as the trade dress continues to be used in interstate commerce.

State Common Law Protection

If you choose not to register your restaurant’s trade dress federally, you can still receive some protection under state common law. However, state law protection is more limited than federal protection and does not offer all the benefits. Some of the key differences between federal and state protection include:

• There is no exclusive right to use your trade dress under state law; anyone can use it unless they’re using it in a way that would cause confusion among consumers;

• You do not have the legal presumption of ownership under state law; you will need to prove that you own a superior claim to the trade dress in court;

• You typically will need to bring suit against infringers in state court,

rather than federal court; and

• You cannot record your state law rights with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, meaning that your ability to limit importation of infringing goods is limited.

State law protection may be sufficient if you only operate your restaurant within one state or if you have no plans to expand beyond state borders anytime soon. Howev -

er, if you think there’s even a chance you might do business in multiple states or countries down the road, federal registration is always going to offer more comprehensive protection. In fact, having the federal registration can be used as a first step to filing an international trademark registration under the Madrid Protocol, which provides a pathway for trademark registration in up to 129 countries.

Conclusion

When it comes to protecting your restaurant’s trade dress, you have two main options: federal trademark registration or state common law protection. Federal trademark registration offers more comprehensive protection and should be considered if there’s even a chance you might do business outside of your home state at some point in the future. However, if you’re only likely to operate within the borders of a single state, state law protection may be sufficient for now.

When it comes to protecting your restaurant’s trade dress, you have two main options: federal trademark registration or state common law protection. Federal trademark registration offers more comprehensive protection and should be considered if there’s even a chance you might do business outside of your home state at some point in the future.

include things like whisky clubs that apply stickers with images of the Incredible Hulk, and more.”

It’s unlikely an Incredible Hulk sticker is going to entice a guest to pay a premium price for a glass of whiskey that can’t be found anywhere else, so Rare Character asked, “What if we brought that idea back, but in a thoughtful way. What if we offered a range of bourbons and ryes with package identity that brought the account’s vision to life and deliver meaningful value?”

It worked for Nate Hedlund, the Beverage Director at Sahara Las Vegas who oversees twelve bars on property. He was eager to have an offering unique to the resort that would create guest delight and inspire guest loyalty in a different way than he had before.

We all know that private barrels are not entirely new concepts at this time, it was a long time ago that Mr. Smith and I went to Mexico, but it may be a long time since you considered it. You can, like Smith did, go to a hacienda and pick out your own barrel of tequila to keep on your shelf, or head south to somewhere like Buffalo Trace for a private barrel select which looks cool when sitting on your shelf. It signals something to the guest…that it’s one of a kind and unique because it is only available there.

But… it is still a bottle of a well known spirit. It’s not truly seen as your own.

At least not until you put your own custom designed label on it. And that’s the piece that really appealed to Hedlund, especially as the resort was marking its 50th anniversary. He explains, “When you do a private barrel of a spirit it’s cool because you picked it out, but with Rare Character, we can market the property. You can make a whiskey barrel come to life with the graphics.”

He brought that barrel to life with design that boldly announced the bar’s heritage and made it a destination as he says, “We started off with a hi rye barrel and the very first

Sahara sign was our logo. The next barrels we chose ended up in bottles where we glammed it up a little bit and our label moved into the 1960s and took on the look of the playing cards of that era. This year, at our 50th anniversary, we took another high rye that had been aged in madeira casks and selected an abv of 52%. There’s a reason for all of it; for example, we opened in 1952, and Madeira is made in the country closest to the shores of Africa.”

That sort of “only here” story appeals to the whiskey connoisseur looking for a memorable and unique experience. And draws them in to the Sahara as Hedlund attests, “With all these serious whisky drinkers we build a relationship with them through the property they’re at. We’ve had whiskey collectors drive in from San Diego to try our Sahara Whiskey.”

Trey Wade, the man newly tasked with leading the Private Barrel Program at Blue Run Whiskey and overseeing their corporate partnerships and culinary alignment recognizes the value in a bar putting its mono -

gram on a bottle of his spirit and he looks forward to making the curated experience more widely available to bars beginning in the spring.

He comments on the value of having a bar of private labeled Blue Run on your bar when trying to appeal to a select customer, “To distill it down – no pun intended - a private or single barrel is a way to offer a limited time offer that’s representative of the true craft of this whiskey, but in a focused and targeted way.”

This ability to target a certain kind of customer (hopefully the kind which will come back for more,

come back to see what else is next, and will send their friends in to try it) is a commitment, but one that can pay off when you commit to creating a curated experience around a single product.

Wade notes, “Everything that’s going into our barrel program is dedicated to giving the buyer a tailored experience – I get to choose: proof, blend, design aspects – this is a program where the consumer gets to touch way more of the process than I’ve ever seen. This offering is an opportunity to see what those inputs look like individually.”

He continues, “We only have a certain number of barrels allocated, so this says exclusive! You’ve shown yourself as a quality space for folks to consume spirits and you’re able to say we picked this product because it represents who we are as a bar. Or, in Hedlund’s case, a bar, a restaurant, and the package store on property where guests who loved what they sipped at the bar can buy a bottle and take home a piece of the Sahara.

Not every bar has the ability to let guests take home with them what they loved in their glass, but they do have the opportunity through private barrel programs to choose the spirit that best represents their menu and offer bartenders a robust story to tell guests.

Worth the time and effort and storage space to get involved and find a new way to delight your guests? As Wade points out it is really, “No different than chef going to the market to pick his ingredients.”

try on camera, we set up a meet and greet prior to the shoot to get the models better acquainted and comfortable around each other so the photos come across effortless and uncontrived. When choosing the photographer, it’s important to reference their portfolio to make sure their past work is similar to what we’re trying to achieve. Here we’ll cross reference our mood boards to make sure their editing and style matches our inspiration. A photographer with experience shooting both restaurant glamour images and capturing lifestyle is the ideal combo.

Create Mood Boards & Wardrobe

Next, we’ll gather inspiration images for posing and scenes we’d like to mimic that fit the brand aesthetic and honor the shot list. Having these on hand are helpful for the photographer and models. It lets them know what you’re trying to achieve and acts as a great reference guide if the team gets stumped on the posing or on a scene. We search the web or Pinterest and then collage them into a pdf document depicting inspiration for the wardrobe, color scheme, overall vibe, lighting and posing. We then send wardrobe notes to either the stylist or models ahead of time with detailed instructions on what we’re looking for to review prior to. The wrong outfit or styling can have the potential to ruin a shoot so it’s worth it to get all the small details dialed in.

We Live & Die by the Schedule

With so many moving parts, the day goes by in flash and you don’t want to

from page 34 PETERS

Now, that is the only way, and it is the right way, to give you the right number.

Here it is in summary:

Beginning inventory + purchases - ending inventory gives you use. Divide use by sales and that’s your food cost percentage. That’s it.

With the right number, you can make proactive changes back on your

wrap it up having left shots untouched. We detail our scenes and timeline down to every 10 minutes. This allows for the day to move smoothly and keeps the crew on schedule. Having a strict timeline allows us to accomplish our full shot list with some extra time to adlib new ideas that may sprout day of and capture natural chemistry happening within the scene. We account for set up time between locations, meal breaks, and outfit changes. Once we hire a photographer and models, we’ll create call sheets with arrival times, shooting times and which scenes will happen when. We include sunrise and sunset times and update the weather forecast about 3 days out. That way we know if we’ll need to plan more time or reschedule for inclement weather because what good is an oceanfront dining shot in a rain?

Showtime

All hands on deck! Before each scene, we provide direction to the photographer and models via the storyboards. Throughout the shots, we help pose or position the models and make changes as needed. Our producer and team are onsite and ready to provide support or spring into action if needed. We come prepped with snacks and are all experts in holding the light reflector. As we’re shooting, we’ll review images with the photographer before we move on to the next scene. This lets us know if we need more time for reshoots or if we nailed it. Don’t be afraid to speak up during this stage to make sure you capture exactly what you’re after.

Ross, Union’s chief growth officer.

“This connection between the POS and guest-led experience, helps enable bars and restaurants to deliver an improved customer experience that elevates check size on average by 28%.”

Southern Glazer’s selection of Union as a preferred technology solution provides operators with a way to help address challenges with both increased minimum wage and a depleted labor force. “Our guestled ordering and payment technology triples each server’s capacity, allowing more of the restaurant or bar to be open for business,” Ross noted. “60% of hospitality locations are operating at reduced capacity which not only equals lost revenue, but has adversely impacted venue review ratings and consumer experiences. Union’s model improves the customer experience by reducing their wait time by 80%.”

Today, bev/alch brands need to rely on expensive, unmeasurable,

and often ineffective sampling programs to recruit new drinkers on-premise. Union’s innovative “on-premise” marketing reaches millions of consumers every month, directly on their mobile devices, while out at the most popular independent bars and restaurants. With Union, brands can: directly communicate key selling facts directly to account GMs and owners, guarantee new consumer trial, driving liquid to lips by reaching consumers while they’re ordering and precisely measure results while acquiring granular consumer insights.

“Helping our customers drive successful consumer experiences is our focus,” Chaplin concluded. “We understand the difficult circumstances our on-premise customers have experienced since the pandemic began and identified Union as a unique solution to address many of their existing issues and help them improve sales and guest satisfaction.”

budget. To get back on budget, if your food cost is high, you can look at recipe costing cards, re-engineer your menu, look at waste sheets to stop mistakes, use your key item tracker to prevent theft, or even change your menu. You can do so many different things from portion controls to tracking properly.

Budgeting is the key word. Knowing your food cost is one thing. Knowing where it should be for you to make money is a totally different story.

from page 48

life extends the value of capital investments and mitigates the risk of downtime during store hours.

• Cook, warm, and cool food based on HACCP compliance protocols for specific customized menu items.

Enhancing Traceability Throughout the Food Chain

When it comes to food safety, the speed and precision at which a restaurant or food service provider can identify the source of foodborne illness are the key ingredients for fighting contamination. The quicker restaurant operators can pinpoint the source of contamination, the faster they can stop the distribution of unsafe food. The better the accuracy, the less product that must be thrown out. Greater visibility, enabled by IoT sensing capabilities, protects consumers through a digital trail that empowers food service providers and public health agencies with the information they need to react with speed and intelligence.

Traceability goes beyond in-store operations alone, however. Foodsafe temperature and humidity levels need to be maintained from farm to fork, and everywhere in-between. Unfortunately, some truck drivers try to save on gas costs by cutting corners and turning off refrigeration in the middle of their journey between production facility and restaurant. Truck drivers turn on the refrigeration again at some point in their journey with enough time to get the product back to safe levels and no one is the wiser. Without the proper traceability processes in place, store operators are unaware of the intermittent period without refrigeration. To protect food in transit and the customers that will eventually consume the food, the right sensing, reporting, and alerting technology needs to be implemented throughout the cold chain.

Promoting Profitability with Waste Reduction

Preparation, quality, safety, and waste reduction are all critical considerations for restaurant operators.

It’s estimated that the combined

food waste of QSR and full-service restaurants in the U.S. totals somewhere between 22 billion to 33 billion pounds each year. In total, the U.S. restaurant industry is missing out on $2 billion every year in potential profits. Waste reduction is a massive opportunity for improving profitability for restaurant operators.

Day-to-day kitchen operations provide several risks of food waste. For example, if the kitchen staff cooks too much chicken, what are the food-safe strategies that can help

remedy the situation? Prescriptive workflows and automated guidance help cooks pivot from their initial menu plans and follow the HACCP compliant methods for cooldown and reuse of chicken — making chicken salad with unsold chicken that would otherwise go to waste. Beyond prescriptive workflows, training itself can be automated to operate in real-time, leveling up employees with varying levels of experience. IoT-enabled guidance and training prevent unnecessary waste,

providing easy-to-understand corrective actions and confirmation of execution.

Without real-time data capture and corresponding actionable insights, reducing food waste by any meaningful amount is increasingly difficult. However, armed with the tools to increase efficiency and improve productivity, kitchen staff can make substantial progress in the fight against food waste, making the restaurants they work in more profitable and more sustainable.

Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect

By Will Guidara

How does the GM of a Michelin 3-star restaurant think about hospitality? Will Guidara, who led the front of the house team at Eleven Madison Park and The NoMad, believes passionately that the best businesses, restaurants or otherwise, dedicate themselves to exceeding expectations at a level that no customer can predict.

Unreasonable Hospitality is Guidara’s guide for any business with customers, luxury or not, that wants to grow and be recognized for what they do. His advice extends from setting expectations, both for how employees deal with customers as well as each other, to building an approach that can grow with the business, and to having the creative flexibility to cope with the unexpected situations that challenge any business.

Guidara’s account is not a litany of success after success. His advice is built on conviction and practice but also on humbling experiences that showed him how important it is to plan and to recognize when plans have to change.

Writing with a clear, conversational voice that is free of feel-good jargon, Guidara gives managers and owners tools to distinguish themselves and their dreams.

Editor’s Note About Podcasts- Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, including on Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Audible & more.

The Good Food Fellas

You’ve listened to them on Roland’s Food Court, you can now tune-in to listen to Roland Campos and Gennaro Pecchia share their vast knowledge of fine dining, food tasting and shared love of food and drink with legendary chefs, cookbook authors, food stars, industry icons, celebrities and comedians. Episode #1 premiered in January

with guest Michael Solomonov.

The Real Eats with Kelsey and Pete Chef Kelsey Murphy, winner of MasterChef Season 11: Legends, and Pete Ferriero, Director of Her Name is Chef, and Sorry, We’re Closed host a food centric podcast where they talk to Chefs, Restaurant Owners, Contestants of Food TV, exploring the dish on all thing’s foodie.

PROFITABLE DELIVERY

ketplace apps for online ordering and delivery. They have a lot to offer when it comes to capturing more customers so it is essential that you list with them all.

Listing with all 3 marketplace apps will undoubtedly bring lots of new customers, repeat orders and revenue. Will it cannibalize a little of your direct customer volume? Yes. But the incremental volume will outweigh this. At a cost of 15%, this makes sense. But where the economics fail to stack up is paying that additional 15% for the delivery aspect of the service.

Many restaurant brands have moved to a self delivery model where they use their own drivers to deliver all orders. With the right dispatch system, this makes commercial sense. Furthermore, during times of high demand or when they have a shortage of drivers, the right system will automatically direct the affected deliveries to a 3rd party fleet so that fulfillment is never compromised.

For those that prefer to outsource all of their deliveries to a 3rd party provider, there are many options. You can choose to have all volume delivered through a single delivery marketplace provider at significantly reduced rates or you can use one of many local 3rd party fleets available through your dispatch system provider. You’ll find that the rates available are significantly lower and can lead to savings of up to 24%.

Once the right fleet solution for your restaurant has been identified with the best price and coverage, you will be able to expand your delivery areas or extend your trading hours because profitable fulfillment is no longer a concern.

Remember, online food delivery is expected to amount to 217m by 2026.

Rethinking your delivery model and getting the delivery experience

from page 20

DONATELLA ARPAIA

from page 22

Early in her career, Arpaia worked as an assistant food editor for Bon Appétit Magazine as well as a food stylist for Martha Stewart Living.

In 1994, at the age of twenty-three, Arpaia opened her first restaurant, Bellini, in Manhattan. The restaurant was a success and Arpaia opened two additional venues: Dona and davidburke & Donatella. The restaurants often feature classic Italian foods, ranging from fish and shellfish to pastas, risottos, and veal dishes. Her signature pizza had become a staple at her restaurants. Her last venture in New York City prior to relocating was to debut The Prova Pizzabar in Grand Central Station for high-traffic areas with quick transition times.

right for your customers will help your restaurant brand to capitalize on this growth potential.

Begin the journey to improving the delivery experience by reducing your delivery times, communicating with your customers and using the right fleets.

These simple steps will not only improve the experience for your customers but also drive efficiency and profitability back into your delivery channel.

For more tips visit our website (www.vromo.io/blog/), where we offer even more insights into how you can scale your restaurant delivery channel in 2023.

Once again, with her sights set on South Florida, Donatella Arpaia is set to write another chapter in what has become an iconic career.

Dining on the waterfront at Noma Beach at Redfish

(photo by Oro Padron)

from page 50

meat to perfection; but they also develop the storytelling savvy needed to navigate a digital world.

In a world where many claim to be storytellers and content creators, it seems fair to ask: what makes a story, and who qualifies as a content creator?

Walchef doesn’t claim to have all the answers, “from the vantage of digital sociology nearly everyone has the capacity to create and share stories, drawing from those in-between moments that fall away in our memories.”

The morning commute to their kids’ school, the unboxing of an Amazon package, locking the door to the kitchen after a hectic day: in

2023 QSR TRENDS

these moments, Walchef said, restaurant owners have an opportunity to hit record, reflect on what they’re doing, and why they’re doing it.

Walchef invites customers and other creators to witness these instances, and to share the truth of what it’s like to run their businesses, in ways that distinguish them from others. Building a business is about studying and spotlighting these moments, experienced by real people on a global, online stage.

In the audience? An unlikely assortment of barbeque lovers, restaurant owners, and creators. Moved by the spirit of curiosity, all have the capacity to learn from one another.

from page 56

ing accordingly. Trends likely to hit the headlines in 2023 include dynamic pricing, personalized menu items and upsells, app-only offers, and deals based on individual preferences. Trends like contactless ordering have also seen QR codes and app clips enter the ordering ecosystem. App clips, small parts of a larger app that open without the need for a download, represent just one more example of reducing digital friction in a physical world.

Omnichannel isn’t Going Anywhere

On their mission to fuse digital and in-person experiences, perhaps the biggest pitfall facing restaurateurs will be going overboard with tech implementation. If QSR leaders have learned anything from 2022, it’s that technology will never completely replace human interaction. QSRs will want to make the most of the latest innovations, without losing sight of human and physical touches

An omnichannel approach that balances digital transformation and efficiency with human spontaneity remains the goal. The National Restaurant Association’s State of the Industry report found that 78 percent of restaurant leaders view digital

solutions as a way to support staff amid labor shortages rather than replace them. In case you were hoping for the end of the sit-down dining experience, it’s still a long way away, with 68 percent of diners indicating that they prefer traditional dining service to delivery, takeout or drive-thru.

In 2023, food service brands looking to build engagement and conversion want to be building customer relationships across every possible touchpoint. That means looking at all the latest innovations and strategizing about how they can be seamlessly integrated into an omnichannel ecosystem. Every diner has their own unique preferences for interaction with a brand, and each point of contact should integrate seamlessly with every other. It is important to remember, the magic happens by considering the holistic experience, not just targeted parts of the diner journey.

and will be hosting a butchery demo on the use of less-expensive beef cuts. We also have an eye towards the challenges of food allergens with Chef Ming Tsai’s culinary keynote.”

“We built the show’s educational program by listening carefully to the needs of our membership,” Clark noted. “We started with an overview of culinary trends, not only what is happening across the country, but different models that are being explored in Europe. The starting point was to help our operators look at their Post Pandemic P&L. That then moves into takeout and delivery and outdoor dining. The next track is then to look at the tech from Web 3.0 to robotics and of course non-traditional talent recruitment. We even have a focus on helping the operator to understand how social media which was focused on Facebook for so long has now migrated to TikTok.”

The Clark led MRA advocates for the Commonwealth’s restaurant industry. During the pandemic, the MRA advo-

cated for legislation to expand outdoor dining, authorize cocktails and mixed drinks to be included in to go orders and lobbied for additional resources including direct grants and monies to provide funding for lighting, texts and heating.

The MRA was at the front of the battle to pass a bill limiting thirdparty delivery fees. The MRA advocated for payroll tax credit for restaurants and reimbursable paid sick leave program for leave during the state of emergency. Clark and his team pushed for restaurants to continue to push for a relaxation of pandemic related protocols.

“We understand the challenges of the Big 3: Labor, Supply Chain and Inflation. With that our goal is to help our restaurant industry build their 2023 and beyond strategy,” Clark concluded. “The show is all about an opportunity to reconnect on so many levels.” Exhibitor and attendee information can be found at www.NewEnglandFoodShow.com.

ARCTIC GARDENS

from page 30

provide additional usage recommendations. The team also works in tandem with Marketing to create delicious recipes and how-to videos. Both are featured on the website with a goal to inspire and educate chefs on proper product preparation and help elevate them to fulfill their highest potential. “Every year we add about twenty new recipes to the website,” noted Ooft, “so there are definitely plenty of options available to chefs and restaurateurs in search of inspiration!”

In addition to easing the burden of menu creation for both chefs and restaurateurs, Arctic Gardens also ensures flexibility as restaurants supplement smaller protein portions with more sides or vegetable dishes. “The three criteria that most restaurants are searching for in their products are lower calories, lower sodium, and lower fat,” observed Ooft. As both Americans and

restaurants embrace the noticeable shift in dietary habits towards increasing vegetable consumption through the adoption of a vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian lifestyle, Arctic Gardens continues to expand its pre-made product offerings, now providing chefs with over seventy different products ranging from a seven-bean salad to diced onions. Even better, noted Martin, is that “all of our Arctic Gardens offerings are grown from non-GMO seeds. They are also vegan and vegetarian appealing to a wide and growing audience.”

Being flexible and reliable was a tenet of Nortera’s business ethos during the pandemic and continues to be even as we settle into the current post-pandemic ‘new normal.’ “We actually experienced heightened demand for our frozen and canned products during the pandemic,” remarked Ooft, “primarily

due to supply chain issues – we saw a renewed consumer interest in our ability to provide our goods quickly and consistently.” Similarly, Martin added that “as restaurants pared down their menu offerings, shrank their business, and contended with smaller staffs, they needed less expensive and conveniently-sourced products that had longer shelf lives.” Such remains the company’s focus as the economy endures a lengthy period of high inflation and subsequently elevated pricing of goods. Nortera’s pricing is normally locked in for the entire year as Martin put it, so that even if inflation increases during the year, “customers and chefs can still enjoy the same consistent product at the same consistent price determined at the start of the year.”

Nortera’s line of Arctic Gardens products is a clear win for chefs across the nation. Providing fla -

vorful and well-rounded selection of high quality canned and frozen vegetable products, the company ensures restaurateurs receive a consistent and reliable product; “Most consumers,” quipped Martin, “don’t realize that getting from the field to the freezer takes approximately four hours, and by quickly locking in the fresh flavors, textures, and nutritional values, we’re providing a better product that has not been sitting on the grocery store shelf for so long.”

With quickly prepared products and fantastic chef support, menu creation flexibility, and the offer of cost-efficient solutions to combat rising inflation, Nortera looks out for its customers.

For more information regarding Nortera and its line of Arctic Gardens-branded products, visit www. arcticgardensfoodservice.com.

CHEFS’ HIGHLIGHT

from page 84

named sous chef for the famed establishment. Jer-ne was quickly named the best fusion restaurant in Los Angeles in 2003. The next year, he was given the opportunity to re-launch another AAA Four Diamond restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Dearborn. With the opportunity to return to his Texas roots in 2005, Eric became chef de cuisine for the Grand Hyatt DFW, where he was awarded the “Grand Hyatt Rising Star Award”.

In 2007, Eric was recruited to join the pre-opening team of Dean Fearing’s namesake restaurant, Fearing’s at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, where he now serves as Chef de Cuisine. Outside of the kitchen, Eric lends support to the Young Texans Against Cancer organization in numerous ways, participates in local and national charity events, and has raised awareness by showing appreciation for the area’s farmers and artisans.

Dreyer’s success has been spurred by his unique background. “I grew up in Dallas and have always had a passion for food,” he noted. “At 21, I

moved to California and worked at a bank. When the bank hours allowed, I worked for a catering company as a server, but I always found myself in the kitchen. The chef saw my passion and recommended culinary school. I was able to work for a high-profile Hollywood caterer, then to The Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey. I asked a lot of questions and soaked up anything the chef would show me. I learned the use of quality products and always enjoyed the reaction from the guests.”

His goal of consistently creating creative fare by remaining uncompromising in finding the highest quality ingredients. “The Chefs’ Warehouse provides us with the best products and ingredients,” Dreyer said. “Our signature dish with them is the Prosciutto and Mozzarella Salad with Conserved Peppers is a simple, straightforward classic. The 18-month aged prosciutto that we source from the Chefs’ Warehouse is the focal point, and the flavor, paired with fresh imported buffalo mozzarella, is a great start to any meal.”

add and remove ingredients that are new or unavailable. “TouchBistro offers] the ability to give your server a prompt to add ingredients to an order to make a menu item more profitable, and you can change that on the fly based on the inventory that you currently have,” says Jackie Prange, TouchBistro’s Director of Marketing. This kind of menu flexibility is crucial to maintaining sales this year — 20% of operators reported that ingredient shortages was their number one challenge in 2022, and customers are responding positively to this kind of adaptability.

Flexibility is also crucial for marketing using today’s quickly-changing technology; where Instagram used to be the primary social channel for restaurant advertising, it’s becoming clear that TikTok has taken its place. Prange emphasizes that at the moment, TikTok’s algorithm is the

best one out there, so it’s a good time to jump on the bandwagon. However, it’s always unclear how long a social channel will be on-trend, and there is already talk of TikTok possibly being banned in the US due to security concerns. While TouchBistro doesn’t handle social media for restaurants, they do provide other methods of customer engagement such as loyalty programs. Being open to new ways of advertising is going to be necessary not only this year, but for the foreseeable future.

The findings in this report by TouchBistro and research firm Maru Matchbox are more important than ever; at this crucial time for many restaurants, having the ability to handle all aspects of business on one platform is necessary. From inventory to POS to staff management, TouchBistro makes it easy to keep everything going smoothly amidst the chaos.

TAO RESTAURANT SALE

edge of the sale said, which would be nearly $800 million. “It’s probably worth seven to eight.” “Lots of rents on Tao properties are up in the next five years,” the source added, explaining why the multiple should be in the single digits. “You also have to continually reinvest.”

In 2017, Madison Square Garden had acquired its controlling stake in Tao for $181 million, with Tao founders Marc Packer, Rich Wolf, Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss retaining a minority stake in the business. Tao has lately recovered from business woes that started even before the pandemic. The company was at risk of defaulting on its debt in 2019 after its revenue fell in half. MSG came in and loaned Tao $49 million after Tao lender JPMorgan refused to roll over its full $100 million loan, sources said. Tao has continued to grow in 2022. Last year, Tao Group paid $99 million to acquire Hakkasan Group — a global chain of upscale restaurants and clubs with outposts in London, Las Vegas the Middle East and Asia. The company recently announced plans

from page 2

to open its first ever TAO-branded resort in Orlando, FL. completing the company’s 360-degree approach to full-service entertainment experiences. Created in partnership with Unicorp National Developments, TAO Hotel will serve as the anchor for O-Town West - a $1 billion, 350acre mixed-use community development located in stunning Southwest Orange County. Longtime partner Rockwell Group will design the property, which will flawlessly embody the upscale nature of all Tao Group Hospitality branded locations. The luxury hotel will encompass a TAO Asian Bistro, rooftop experience, meeting space, fitness facility.

For more than 20 years, Tao Group Hospitality has been a leader and innovator in the entertainment and culinary industry operating more than 70 branded locations in over 20 markets worldwide. Tao Group Hospitality has experienced rapid growth in recent years, expecting to open nine branded locations in 2022 with at least ten more planned in 2023.