August 2021 - Total Food Service by Total Food Service

NEWS

SPECIAL EVENTS

NYC RESTAURANT WEEK SPANS FIVE WEEKS AND 75 NEIGHBORHOODS

ollowing nearly a year and a half of dining restrictions and the permanent closure of more than 1,000 New York City restaurants, NYC & Company’s five-week-long Restaurant Week celebrates the diverse and delicious New York food scene. Diners can take advantage of Restaurant Week advantages from nearly 530 restaurants until August 22, 2021. Restaurant Week premiered 29 years ago as a way to welcome the Democratic National Convention to New York City. Creator of the Zagat Survey, Tim Zagat, and restaurateur Joe Baum wanted to entice visitors to visit local restaurants. As delegates and journalists roamed 1992 New York City, 95 restaurants opened their doors with dining deals. As long-time New York City residents joined the festivities, Zagat and Baum decided to continue Restaurant Week as a tradition. Other cities have followed suit with their own version of Restaurant Week. Among the driving forces in creating a vision for the bi-annual celebration has been the guidance of long time New York City restaurant executive Tracy Nieporent. The long-time marketing guru of the Myriad Restaurant group has given of himself tirelessly for the last 17 years to forge the growth of the event. Nieporent has teamed with NYC & Co. to expand the event from once a year to the addition of a second dining celebration in the Winter. “‘NYC Restaurant Week’ returns once again this summer taking on new resonance as a celebration of the city’s remarkable and resilient culinary community, and an opportunity to bring friends and family back together in support,” said Fred Dixon, presi-

“What I am really proud of is how simple we have made it for a restaurant to get involved in the program.” — Tracy Nieporent dent and CEO of NYC & Company. “We are delighted to invite diners to make plans now to dine out often and experience the diversity of cuisines that make New York City the restaurant capital of the world.” “It’s extraordinary, the greatest restaurants in the world — an opportunity for you and me to go out there and experience them… even if you don’t have a lot of money, great, great, deals,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said last month. “We know the restaurant community went through so much during the pandemic, but people fought back. The restaurant owners, the employees, they fought back, they kept their businesses going, and now Restaurant Week is going to give them more customers, and a whole lot more energy.” Today, Restaurant Week occurs

NYC’s Stone Street restaurant district at night.

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semiannually and encourages New Yorkers to push past their comfort zones by trying new cuisines and exploring the five boroughs. During NYC Restaurant Week To Go which occurred early 2021, more than 800 restaurants participated to try to recover from COVID-19-induced economic issues. Now, with almost 60 percent of New York City’s population vaccinated, Restaurant Week can return with indoor and outdoor dining along with takeout. This is the first time the event has lasted longer than a week. When traveling between the 75 neighborhoods in which Restaurant Week eateries reside, diners can try more than 50 cuisines. Additionally, restaurant categories include “NYC Classics,” “Date Night,” “As Seen on TV,” “The

Slice is Right,” and “Editor’s Picks.” Diners can choose either a dinner or a lunch priced at $21 or $39. Deals vary between restaurants, with some offering both lunch and dinner for $21 and others offering only dinner for $39. Some restaurants offer a signature dining experience for $125, which includes at least three courses and exclusive “dining enhancements.” Mastercard cardholders can register to receive a $10 statement credit on each transaction of $39 or more while dining on-site during the event. Participating restaurants include Greenwich Village‘s White Horse Tavern frequented by Beat Generation writers, and two of Daniel Boulud’s eateries — Bar Boulud and Epicerie Boulud — along with more than 500 others. Mikey Likes It Ice Cream, a Black-owned ice cream store in Harlem, will serve pop-culture inspired ice cream. Flavors include Ice Ice Mikey and Pink Floyd. Leuca, an Italian venue in Brooklyn, will serve house-made pasta and wood-fired pizzas out of its corner shop in Williamsburg. Veselka, a Ukrainian diner in the East Village founded in 1954, will serve pierogis and sweet cheese blintzes. Nieporent, who is preparing to move into a more advisory position with the New York City Restaurant Week program noted, “What I am really proud of is how simple we have made it for a restaurant to get involved in the program. This year’s event has become so important as our industry is searching to get people to go back to habit of dining again.” Nieporent continued, “But it’s challenging because so many of our participating restaurants are dependent on people coming back to work in the office building that we share our neighborhoods with.”

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NEWS

ACQUISITIONS

IMPERIAL DADE ADDS EBP AS 37TH ACQUISITION

mperial Dade, a leading distributor of food service packaging and janitorial supplies, announced late last month the acquisition of EBP Supply Company (“EBP”). The acquisition strengthens Imperial Dade’s East Coast presence while enhancing the company’s differentiated value proposition to customers in the region. The transaction represents the 37th acquisition for Imperial Dade under the leadership of Robert and Jason Tillis, CEO and President of Imperial Dade, respectively. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. Headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, with additional locations in Tewksbury, MA and Burlington, NJ, EBP is a leading distributor of foodservice products and janitorial supplies owned and operated by Meredith Reu-

“Imperial Dade’s reputation and culture of strong customer service align well with our own philosophy and values. This partnership presents a great opportunity for our team members to expand their capabilities to service our customers and grow professionally.” — Meredith Reuben, EBP ben. Family-owned since its founding in 1918, the company has built a strong reputation for its knowledgeable sales force, wide breadth of products, services, training, and high level of customer service. By leveraging Imperial Dade’s market leading platform in the northeast region, EBP customers can expect the same exceptional customized service coupled with an even greater offering of products and solutions. “I would like to enthusiastically wel-

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come Meredith and the full EBP team to Imperial Dade. The commitment to their customers and partners, along with their family first culture, makes the business a great addition to our platform,” said Robert Tillis. “EBP’s customer centric business approach is aligned with Imperial Dade’s and together we will provide unparalleled service to new and existing customers throughout the northeast,” said Jason Tillis. “Imperial Dade’s reputation and cul-

ture of strong customer service align well with our own philosophy and values. This partnership presents a great opportunity for our team members to expand their capabilities to service our customers and grow professionally,” said Meredith Reuben, owner and CEO of EBP Supply Company. “We look forward to a great partnership with Bob and Jason as we continue to deliver high-quality solutions and services to our customers.” Founded in 1935, Imperial Dade serves more than 65,000 customers across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Since CEO Robert Tillis and President Jason Tillis assumed their roles in 2007, the company has grown both organically and through acquisitions to become a leader in the food service packaging and janitorial supplies industry.

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NEWS

LEGISLATION

GOV. MURPHY SIGNS BILL TO PROVIDE $135M IN FEDERAL AID TO SMALL BUSINESSES IN NJ

overnor Phil Murphy signed legislation late last month providing additional aid to small businesses as New Jersey continues to provide support to small businesses as they recover from the pandemic. The bill provides $135 million to small businesses throughout the state and will be administered by the Economic Development Authority as part of its Phase IV Emergency Grant Program and NJ Community Stage Relief Grant Program. “As small businesses throughout New Jersey continue to struggle from the economic aftermath of COVID-19, we remain committed to providing them with the resources they need to recover,” said Murphy. “Together with our partners at the federal level, the EDA and other departments have provided more than three quarters of a billion dollars to our small business community as we emerge from the pandemic stronger and more resilient.” Applications for the grants are now available to restaurants, nonprofits and arts organizations. But for some businesses, while the aid is welcomed, it is still not all that they need. “There was never in my mind that I was going to close it. Because these people there are loyal to me, need a job,” says K.T. Tranh. Tranh has owned the Simply Vietnamese restaurant in Tenafly for more than 10 years hosted the Governor’s bill signing. But March 2020 turned

“As we move past the pandemic, it is imperative that we aid our surviving businesses and provide opportunities for new businesses to prosper. This $135 million appropriation will provide valuable aid to our businesses across the state as we begin to resume normal operations once again.” — Linda Greenstein her world upside down because of the pandemic. “There was nobody around. The streets were empty and we just – personally, we didn’t know what was going on,” she says. “No meat, no food, no toilet paper, no masks.” She says that her business plummeted and she had to adjust to doing takeout only. Workers left due to fears of the virus. But at a critical moment, the state gave her a lifeline of federal stimulus money. “It was only $6,000, but I cried. I really cried, because $6,000 when you’re against the wall is a lot of money,” says Tranh. The governor used Simply Vietnamese as a backdrop to sign the business bill into law. It sends $135 million more federal dollars to small businesses in New Jersey, including $15 million to bars and restaurants, which are still struggling to recover from the pandemic. “Governor Murphy understands that the setbacks small businesses faced during the COVID-19 pan-

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demic continue to impact them long after they reopen and return to full capacity. That is why supporting small businesses is a central component of the Governor’s plan for a stronger, fairer recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “The $135 million in additional COVID-19 relief funding enacted today will be a lifeline to small businesses as they reopen and return to full capacity. The targeted funds for restaurants, arts and culture organizations, and child care providers will be particularly important in ensuring businesses that were severely impacted by the pandemic have the resources they need to make a full recovery, and the Governor’s focus on ensuring equitable and inclusive distribution of resources will move us closer to of a stronger, fairer New Jersey economy.” In the Senate, the bill was spon-

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Main Office 282 Railroad Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director Michael Scinto Art & Web Director Mark Sahm SCOOP News Editor and Senior Contributing Writer Joyce Appelman Contributing Writers Morgan Tucker Francine Cohen Leslie Super Editorial Interns Wyatt Semenuk Claudia Giunta Alycia June Cahn Brian O’Regan Eva Karoun Scott Hank Bedingfield Phone: 203.661.9090 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com

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Follow @TotalFoodService Cover photo courtesy of Upward Projects Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2021 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements. Periodicals Postage paid at the post office, Greenwich, CT and additional mailing offices. Additional entry at the post office in Pittsburgh, PA. Subscription rate in USA is $36 per year; single copy, $3.00. Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Food Service, P.O. Box 2507, Greenwich, CT 06836

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By Hank Bedingfield

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

DENVER’S RESTAURATEURS PREP FOR A POST PANDEMIC BOOM

s over a year of take-out and delivery dominance looks to subside and patrons flood back to their beloved restaurants in Denver, the recent history of COVID devastation is almost drowned out by post-pandemic optimism. Total Food Service wanted to find out how the Colorado capital’s restaurant community is faring in the nation’s fastest growing city. “Pre-pandemic, more than 300 restaurants were opening each year in Denver. The city emerged as a leader in sustainable food sourcing and had an array of rich international cuisine,” Colorado Restau-

“We worked closely with the Governor and his team to implement programs and laws assisting restaurant recovery such as the Winter Outdoor Dining Grant Program, which funded outdoor dining initiatives around the state with approximately $2.5M, industry-specific vaccination clinics, sales tax retention laws, waived licensing fees, the Colorado Jumpstart Incentive, and the extension of alcohol for takeout and delivery.” — Erin Dewey rant Association Communication and Membership Coordinator, Erin Dewey said. “As restaurants recover we hope to see all that growth and character and more.” For an industry that employs around ten percent of the state’s workforce, where over 75 percent of restaurants are independently

owned and operated, Governor Polis showed multifaceted support. “We are grateful for Governor Polis’s willingness to have some open conversations with us about the needs of Colorado’s local restaurants during this crisis,” Dewey proudly said. “We worked closely with the Governor and his team to

A sampling of the cuisine from James Beard award-winner Alon Shaya, executive chef for Safta in Denver, Colorado.

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implement programs and laws assisting restaurant recovery such as the Winter Outdoor Dining Grant Program, which funded outdoor dining initiatives around the state with approximately $2.5M, industry-specific vaccination clinics, sales tax retention laws, waived licensing fees, the Colorado Jumpstart Incentive, and the extension of alcohol for takeout and delivery.” While statewide support has been robust, national relief has not supported Colorado or Denver restaurants as promised. “The support tailored to restaurants and their specific needs was a major win for our industry,” Dewey acknowledged. “However, these funds only reached a fraction of the businesses that need them. The Small Business Administration (SBA) estimates that they need at least an additional $50 billion just to fund the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) applications submitted before the application portal was closed.” To meet this need and address such a glaring gap in support. The CRA calls for a Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act. “A replenishment would direct $60 billion in funding to the Small Busi-

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NEWS

EXPANSION

FORMER MLB HURLER TODD STOTTLEMYRE SETS SIGHTS ON NATIONAL EXPANSION OF POKÉ CONCEPT

ith four locations in four locations in Arizona, Koibito Poké has set its sights on building national footprint. With former Major League baseball pitcher Todd Stottlemyre at the helm, the company is anticipating expansion over the next 12 months into a dozen new markets by offering a lucrative package to potential Franchisees and area developers that including royalties and benefits. The team already has already secured interest for additional locations throughout Arizona and in states including Texas, Nevada, North Carolina, South

Carolina, Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Washington, Rhode Island, and Florida. Leading the brand’s nationwide expansion is Koibito Poké’s Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO Stottlemyre, who is a 3-time World Series Champion. According to Stottlemyre, the company aims to set itself apart from others by serving healthy food that has great advantages to building the body’s immune system — and by a commitment not to follow the standard but to become it. Founded in 2018, Koibito Poké is the leading Arizona poké restaurant influenced by traditional Hawaiian and Japanese flavors and ingredients. Koibito Poké (Koibito meaning “love” in Japanese) to show their bodies some love — by providing

“I am so proud of everyone at Koi Poke that worked so hard to make this happen and I am thrilled that Todd and his group are going to take what we have created and make it a national brand.” — Sarah Bowers them with fresh, clean whole foods that are good for them and taste good too. Koibito Poké now offers a superior model that focuses on efficiency and simplicity offering the customer an elevated healthy fast casual dining experience. The new restaurant design provides easier kitchen movement, a more open floor plan and large floor to ceiling windows which create a modern and inviting atmosphere for its customers. Guests will enjoy the open visibility of the energized concept with direct views of the menu and line up

Todd Stottlemyre, Koibito Poké’s co-founder, chairman and CEO.

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of fresh ingredients right when they walk in. Both indoor and outdoor seating is available. The move comes after Stottlemyere and his private equity partners bought six Koi Poke units in Arizona earlier this year. With that deal, the former Major Leaguer will also lead the company’s national franchise efforts. “I am so proud of everyone at Koi Poke that worked so hard to make this happen and I am thrilled that Todd and his group are going to take what we have created and make it a national brand,” Sarah Bowers, founder of Koi Poke, said. Stottlemyre’s on the field acumen has also found its way into success in his post diamond career. He became an analyst for Merrill Lynch and has founded a number of companies along the way. Among his first moves in taking the reins was to change the name of the concept to Koibito Poké. Under his stewardship, the fresh build-your-own Hawaiian poké bowls, debuted a brand-new design Scottsdale, AZ that will be the model for future franchise locations across the country.

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NEWS

EXPANSION

FORMER MOMOFUKU CHEF JOINS FOXTROT TO CREATE NEW CULINARY VISION

rban convenience-store chain Foxtrot is launching a “mass expansion” that includes an additional 50 new stores nationwide within the next two years. The brand is currently in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Dallas, and it will be adding New York; Austin, Texas; Boston; Miami; Los Angeles; Houston and others to the roster. Foxtrot flagship stores are underway in neighborhoods such as Chicago’s Gold Coast, Washington, D.C.’s Dupont Circle and Old Town Alexandria in Virginia, all slated to open later this year. Additionally, Foxtrot is expanding to other new markets in early 2022 with eyes on Austin, Miami and Boston. New store formats will be twice as large as Foxtrot’s earliest models, the company said, and they will feature “expansive on-premise dining, enhanced cafe menus and in-store merchandising that leans into and anticipates trends within the CPG landscape.” Foxtrot has tapped the former

Momofuku executive chef Tae Strain to lead culinary development. Foxtrot’s new stores will amplify the “a.m. and p.m.” neighborhood experience, from locally roasted espresso in the morning and discovery-based shopping throughout the day to a wine shop and bar in the evening. Foxtrot’s proprietary digital app powers its omnichannel relationship with its customers, who shop the retailer an average of six times each month, spending evenly between instore and delivery, said the company. With the expansion, Foxtrot will continue to offer 30-minute delivery and new five-minute pickup service, as well as nationwide delivery. The brand has an affinity for curating a space for customers to shop local and small, conveniently, as well as for “anticipatory retail, stocking culinary-forward, data-sourced items.” It offers plantbased snacks, stress-fighting “adaptogenic” chocolates and probiotic energy drinks.” We first introduced ourselves to

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“In an increasingly digital world, and especially as we exit the pandemic, we believe retail will continue to thrive if done right—beautiful spaces, tailored to the neighborhood, highlighting local makers and artisans, and providing a friendly, warm gathering space for all.” — Mike LaVitola customers through online only, rapiddelivery of our dream convenience store,” said Mike LaVitola, co-founder and CEO of Chicago-based Foxtrot. “In the years since, we’ve realized the pivotal role the physical shops play within neighborhoods. There’s no better way to spark discovery than by browsing shelves, and no better platform to elevate local makers than giving them a home in the neighborhood. As consumer preferences shifted online this past year and delivery soared, we were fortunate to see our stores continue to thrive, and act as true hubs of the

community when people were seeking connection. In an increasingly digital world, and especially as we exit the pandemic, we believe retail will continue to thrive if done right—beautiful spaces, tailored to the neighborhood, highlighting local makers and artisans, and providing a friendly, warm gathering space for all.” Foxtrot also merchandises using data-driven “anticipatory” retail. By understanding trends in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) space, Foxtrot can be nimble with respect to in-store merchandising, anticipating what consumers will be coming through the door for and to make it easier for them to discover and purchase, come back often but not have the same experience each time. This approach has driven Foxtrot to launch its own private-label products in wine, ice cream and snacks. The brand is a well-funded venturebacked company with $65 million in funding. Notable investors include Imaginary Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, Monogram Capital Partners, Blue Hill at Stone Barns’ David Barber, David Chang, former Whole Foods CEO, Walter Robb and Sweetgreen Co-Founder Nicolas Jammet.

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Kitchen

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August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 13

by Gabrielle Reagan

CHEFCETERA

CHEF MCCORMICK RETURNS TO COLORADO TO CREATE VISION FOR ASPEN BASED HEALTHY EATING CONCEPT

his past year encouraged a recalibration of priorities for many, including Chef Robert McCormick whose recent return to Aspen reflects a desire to support small business by way of fresh, local ingredients. Named Executive Chef and Partner for McQueen Hospitality in June, McCormick now joins Mawa McQueen in expanding beyond her two existing restaurants, catering services and GrainFreeNola products. While hyper-focused on crafting simple, nutrient-dense menu options, he also hopes to bring leadership creation and teamwork to the forefront for McQueen Hospitality. “We’re running restaurants but we’re also creating leaders,” McCormick said. “For a restaurant, that’s almost the core business.” McCormick is no stranger to teamwork when it comes to kitchens. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, he landed his first line cook position in high school not knowing at the time it would become a career. He simply enjoyed the energy and vibe of being part of a team and, of course, the cooking. Inspired by his high school culinary teacher, McCormick got serious about kitchens as a career path and eventually applied to the CIA where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts. After culinary school, McCormick spent years working with world-renowned chefs Gunter Seeger in Atlanta and Daniel Boulud in New York. Both of whom he

credits as individuals who refined his leadership skills in the kitchen and introduced the concept of farm-totable long before it became a catch phrase. Here he learned that good food and the techniques necessary to prepare it could be both simple and refined. “I often channel back to chef Seeger’s style of cooking and the simplicity in ingredients, McCormick said. Gunter really took my career to the next step in a lot of different ways.” After the financial downturn of 2008, McCormick moved to Colorado landing the job of Executive Chef at Aspen’s Forbes 5-star restaurant, Little Nell. Here he first met Mawa McQueen, at the time a server at

Chef Robert McCormick

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the restaurant, and the two quickly formed a strong bond. McCormick spent years working in Aspen, starting a family and falling in love with the outdoor lifestyle of Colorado including the strong farming community that made planning nutrientdense menus boasting fresh, local ingredients easier to execute. After leaving Colorado, McCormick worked as Brand Chef at True Food Kitchen whose menu, based on the teachings of Dr. Andy Weil, was created around anti-inflammatory eating with a focus on micronutrient density ingredients. “At True Food, it’s about nutrient density but when you work in fine dining places it’s more about flavor and freshness,

McCormick said. But at the end of the day they’re actually one in the same. If something tastes amazing and fresh and vibrant, it’s going to have all those things that you actually need.” Mawa McQueen’s story parrallel’s McCormick’s culinary vision as it inspires the fresh and eclectic ingredients McCormick enjoys procuring and preparing. Born on the Ivory Coast of West Africa, McQueen spent her childhood in the suburbs of Paris and both destinations are reflected well in her offerings including roasted jerk chicken, fried plantains, lentils and the nutrient-dense African grain fonio. Described as a “traditional French bistro with an Alpine vibe” by McCormick, the menu also features coq au vin, duck confit and fresh salmon. With a deep resume and diverse background in farm-to-table and corporate kitchens, McCormick is perfect for bringing the industry knowledge and corporate leadership experience necessary to help McQueen Hospitality scale up and move towards expansion. McCormick and McQueen are also working to expand their small-scale Crepe Shack eatery beyond Snowmass, opening a second location in Aspen this summer. However, first and foremost McCormick is adamant about readying leaders, tightening up the kitchen team and crafting healthy, fresh menu options. No buzzwords necessary. He plans to let the food speak for itself.

BURRATA

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FIORITO ON INSURANCE

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS THROUGH A HARD INSURANCE MARKET FOR HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES

ospitality has been one of the most impacted industries by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, almost four in 10 of all the U.S. jobs lost since last February haven been in the leisure & hospitality industry, according to a 2021 Department of Labor (DOL) national jobs report— triple the number of the nexthardest-hit industry and accounting for 39%1 of all jobs lost to pandemic. As hospitality businesses continue on the road to recovery post-pandemic, rebuilding operations and generating income are not the only challenges they face as many industry-specific operational risks remain. Insurance coverage to protect organizations against the financial impact of those risk exposures is a large expense in any business budget and today’s hard insurance market is going to keep the financial pressure on recovering businesses. Getting through this challenging time requires hospitality businesses to have present themselves in the best possible light to enable their brokers to present the best-case scenario to insurers. This means that in partnership with your insurance advisor, demonstrate to the marketplace why they should want your business (i.e., a good loss history and corrective measures taken to prevent similar losses from reoccurring, proactive risk management/transfer

practices, proper safety protocols, and property upgrades.) In layman’s terms, a hard insurance market is the upswing in a market cycle when insurance premium rates are escalating, and insurers are disinclined to negotiate terms. Underwriting standards tighten and insurers closely monitor insurance rates and manage coverage capacity. Through the remainder of 2021 and beyond, insurance buyers will continue to feel the effects of the hard market in the hospitality industry. Underwriting losses, poor industry results, decline in investment income due to lower interest rates, an increase in natural disaster claims, social factors, such as “social inflation” of claims and ‘once-in-a-century events such as COVID-19, are all factors directly contribute to the state of the market.

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On the property insurance side, water damage and catastrophic weather events have been costly for insurers while on the liability side, increasing claims for slips and falls, have led to expensive lawsuits. Some companies have stopped offering hospitality insurance, exiting the space, and resulting in fewer players in the market. The economic fallout from the global pandemic includes lower interest rates, pushing premiums higher yet again as insurers can’t rely on investment behind the scenes to remain profitable. Additionally, concern relating to COVID-19 related liability claims is tightening the market even further. So, what can hospitality businesses do? Within such an environment, underwriters carefully review submis-

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.

sions, questioning and reviewing every detail of information on the application. Together, with your insurance broker, work towards a professional submission that highlights the strengths of your risk management efforts. Completing an insurance review and gathering information takes time. Here is what you can do to improve your situation in this hard market: • Be Proactive: Providing your updated information to your broker early in the renewal process will allow you to obtain your renewal terms sooner and address options with your broker. • Be Complete: Insurance underwriters have limited time to go back and forth with your broker requesting missing information - assist by ensuring your file is complete. • Be Current: Improve maintenance, implement Risk Services recommendations, undergo an operational evaluation – underwriters favor and value clients that take care of their business. These are just some of the ways you can get ahead of rising premium costs and navigate the current state of the insurance market. Now more than ever, it is imperative to work with your insurance advisor to review your coverages and to understand what your P&C policies cover, what they don’t and the best ways to mitigate the individual and unique risks of your properties.

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NEWS

PLANT BASED MENU SOLUTIONS

NOTED AUTHOR/CHEF NICOLE PONSECA LEADS UNMEAT INTO US FOODSERVICE AND RETAIL MARKETPLACES

he addition of plant-based menus is accelerating rapidly. They are quickly finding their way onto menus in Metro New York and across the nation. With the growth of way of what is being termed a “Flexatarian” diet, Century Pacific Foods has brought a full line of plant-based products. Their unMeat line is being intro-

duced to restaurant and foodservice professionals. Last month, the East Coast buying team at Restaurant Depot and the NYU culinary team hosted cuttings at their facilities in New York. Among the unMeat products they had the opportunity to sample were the company’s plant based burger patties, Hungarian sausages, nuggets and minced meat offerings.

Award winning Chef Nicole Ponseca has teamed with Century Pacific to introduce the Companies line of plant based solutions to operators and distributors including her recent cutting at Restaurant Depot.

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The unMeat team has set its sites on assisting the potential chef, restauranteur and the distributors that serve them to easily adapt the line to their menus to accomplish that, they have added Nicole Ponseca to their team in an advisory role. The founder and CEO of New York’s Jeepney Filipino Gastropub and winner of New York City’s Battle of the Burgers has partnered with Century Pacific Food to create exiting signature menu suggestions for the restaurant and foodservice professional. During last month’s cuttings in New York at NYU and ‘Depot, the gifted toque created menu items that included a signature burger, tacos and even her plant based take on a hot dog that had guests raving. Chef Ponseca’s book I Am Filipino was released in 2018 and has been lauded as Best Cookbook of the Year by the New Yorker, Boston Globe, the New York Times Book Review, and more. While researching the book in the Philippines, she met Gregory Banzon of Century Pacific Food, who introduced her to her newest venture: the unMEAT 100% plant-based burger. “We have seen some incredible flavor profiles enter the market and completely disrupt it, and I think unMEAT is only going

to further that disruption.” As experts in engaging customers, Century Pacific suggests that restaurants that have never offered a plant-based product make it an additional or special offering. This will draw the customer’s attention to a healthier option. “They’ll be able to get a good burger or a good for you burger,” Banzon commented. While plant-based products are ideally healthy, Banzon and his unMEAT product recognize a customer’s hesitancy towards venturing into the plant-based world. “There are typically three concerns: unpronounceable ingredients, the product will be higher in price, and it won’t taste like real meat. Our simple ingredients keep the cost down while delivering nutritional information our customers are familiar with and can pronounce. With less than ten ingredients that you’d find in any culinary kitchen, consumers can trust what’s in the product.” Century Pacific’s experience in consistently delivering flavor with our science nutrition team has allowed us to produce a healthy plantbased burger that genuinely tastes like a meat burger. We have created a plant-based burger that looks like meat, tastes like meat, and is priced like a regular meat burger.”

“We have seen some incredible flavor profiles enter the market and completely disrupt it, and I think unMEAT is only going to further that disruption.” — Chef Nicole Ponseca

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REOPENING STRATEGIES

WITH LAURA CRAVEN

THE RETURN OF TRADE SHOWS ARE CRUCIAL TO ANSWERING TOMORROW’S CHALLENGES

hile masks are coming off and face-toface gatherings are being welcomed once more, the need to take every necessary safety precaution in the food industry is not going anywhere. As the leading independently owned and operated distributor of facilities maintenance supplies, equipment, and packaging in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean, Imperial Dade has been committed to meeting health and safety measures since before the stress of Covid. With our hands-on demonstrations and seminars, we encourage operators to challenge their cleanliness standards to guarantee guests can trust their safety and health procedures.

We sell 25,000+ products and these shows will give customers the ability to pick up and touch items while asking questions that will give them the right information about how these items can create solutions for their business. The term “new normal” has been popularly discussed not only within the foodservice industry but within the realm of hospitality. Those businesses that were lucky enough to keep their doors open understand the urgency to adapt to this new normal. They were able to embrace and successfully implement changes to their day-to-day proce-

dures and cleanliness standards. Businesses that may have had to shut down completely may still need assistance; they didn’t have a year and a half to learn and work out the kinks of how Covid affected health and safety measures. While they cannot go back to the way they originally operated, with the right resources to help them navigate and explain the nuances of the expected health standards they can be directed to new strategies and supplies. In my role as Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Imperial Dade, the need to communicate with customers about safety precautions is important to establishing trust with customers. From a cleaning for health standpoint, we need to take cleaning and disinfecting to the next level. This means every staff member in a restaurant is trained to properly clean and disinfect. It is no longer The highly anticipated return of trade shows including Imperial Dade’s upcoming Secaucus event one or two people responwill enable industry professionals to once again touch and feel the latest industry innovations. sible for this task, but rather

20 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Laura Craven is the Vice President, Marketing & Communications at Imperial Dade. Laura oversees marketing and corporate communications for Imperial Dade, a national distribution company headquartered in Jersey City, NJ. Her responsibilities include marketing communications, brand and reputation management, internal and external communications, experiential marketing events, and media relations. Laura has been with the company for over 17 years and has contributed to the organization’s growth and brand awareness. A LEED AP, Laura consults on sustainability initiatives and as a GBAC Trained Technician she assists customers develop cleaning programs.

the entire team. In order for this to happen, ensuring you have the right type of supplies is vital. When guests are able to physically see staff properly cleaning surfaces they are more likely to come back, having gained trust with their cleaning process. Communicating what you are doing to ensure customers’ safety can go a long way. This can be through infographics posted on the front door about the steps you as a business are taking to keep guests safe. It can also be detailed information on your website or a post on your social media. The other component to cleanliness safety measures is dishwashing. While there is currently an issue with staffing, investing in a commercial dish machine is a smart investment. Not only are these machines reliable, they work 24/7 and will not call in sick. The ROI on dish machines is quick. Commercial dishwashers are calibrated to wash and dry properly according to health codes, eliminating the risk of health code fines.

continued on page 96

August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 21

TREND TALK

WITH JOYCE APPELMAN

HERMANN REINER,

PRESIDENT, THE CHEFS DE CUISINE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

ou may be familiar with some of the professional associations that offer networking, professional development, mentoring and scholarships, and have you heard of The Chefs de Cuisine Association of America? Hermann Reiner, a restaurant and hotel industry veteran, became the president of The Chefs de Cuisine Association of America in 2017 just in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Association with the mission to enhance the prestige of the culinary profession by raising the standards of pro-

“Mentoring and networking has to be personal – people don’t forget you once you meet them personally – build your network to last for a long time.” fessional knowledge, skill and service of the profession. The national organization includes Executive Chefs, Chefs, Sous Chefs and Pastry Chefs. A native of Austria, Reiner had a 22-year career with Hilton International Hotels, with HI properties in

Düsseldorf, Caracas, London, Tehran, and Vienna before moving to New York. He also worked for more than 13 years with Inhilco, Inc., a subsidiary of Hilton International as Executive Chef for the former world-renowned restaurants Windows on the World and as Director

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

of Operation for all 12 restaurants at the former World Trade Center. Additionally, he was Food and Beverage Director for the Shanghai Hilton, Area Food and Beverage Director of Hilton for the New German States, and Corporate Food and Beverage Director for Medallions Hotel in the USA and for Hampshire Hotels based in New York City. He was the co-author for the food portion with Kevin Zraly covering the wine section of the Wine and Food Book of Windows on the World published in 1986 by Sterling, for the 10th Anniversary of the famous restaurant. Reiner is the proprietor of VISTAHospitality International, LLC, an international executive search and recruitment company for the hospitality industry placing top talent and executives worldwide. How long have you been a member of Chefs De Cuisine Association of America/New York? I’ve been a member since 1978. My Executive Chef at Windows on the World asked me to join. How many professionals are affiliated with the Association? Over 1,000 professionals from the Tri-state, across the country and Europe.

The Chefs de Cuisine Association of America Board, Standing left to right: Arlindo Fernandez, John Bennet, Pietro Mosconi, Pasquino Vetiello, Jan Skrkon, Sanjay Shetty. Sitting from left to right: Robert Walljasper, Hermann Reiner, Joseph Collora, John Luey

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continued on page 94

August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 23

MEDITERRANEAN MENU TRENDS

WITH CHEF MARIA LOI

GREEK YOGURT – A SUPER FOOD? NO… A MEGA FOOD!

uscious, creamy, thick, tangy, satisfying, indulgent… I’m talking about Greek yogurt. One of the most popular food items today, you can find it in a variety of flavors and styles. Perfect to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, snack or dessert; fantastic to use in cooking or baking; Greek yogurt is an all-day, all-the-time food. To me, Greek yogurt isn’t just a food, it’s a way of life. I’ve been making yogurt for as long as I can remember, since I was a little girl. I used to watch my mother with a sense of awe as she heated the milk – how did she know when the temperature was right? Though yogurt making was a bi-weekly activity at my house, my sense of wonder never faded. My siblings and I would all help our mother ‘put the yogurt to bed’, by covering the pot with blankets, to allow it to rest and turn into the yogurt we loved. Hours later, we would bundle the fresh yogurt into cheesecloth, and hang the bundles

in the kitchen, allowing the excess whey to drain. As the yogurt strained, it became thick, delicious, and tart – I could hardly contain my excitement; I would ask one of my sisters to help me take down one of the bundles so I could have the first taste. Like many Greek families, we always got together for a Sunday afternoon meal, where yogurt was often a guest of honor. My grand-

mother would use yogurt to tenderize and marinate the meat, mixed it into pies and pasta dishes, and served it along side vegetables, bread, and salads – there was rarely a dish on the table that didn’t have yogurt involved in some way. My grandmother would say that yogurt was the food for all ages, from babies to the elderly, and she was right! The paradigm of a healthy trifecta, Greek yogurt is full of protein, calcium, and probiotics. Containing nearly doubly the protein of regular yogurt, Greek yogurt is great for filling you up and nourishing you; the calcium is great for building strong bones AND maintaining them as you get older; and probiotics are necessary for a healthy digestive system. At Loi Estiatorio, yogurt makes it onto the majority of my plates, both savory and sweet. It helps create the perfect balance of flavors and textures in the food I make, adding a creamy, luxurious, tangy element

Chef Maria Loi is an Entrepreneur, Greek Food Ambassador and Healthy Lifestyle Guru. The author of more than 36 cookbooks, she will also host a new show, The Life of Loi, debuting on PBS in 2021, which aims to build an inspirational and 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 and olive oil sold on QVC, at Whole Foods Markets and in other stores. The namesake of three restaurants, her current one is Loi Estiatorio in the heart of Manhattan. Connect with her on LinkedIn and learn more about her food philosophy atloiestiatorio.com/chef-loi/.

that enhances all the other flavors present. I eat it often for breakfast or as a snack, and enjoy finding creative ways to use it in my foods: • Use Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise or sour cream for potato salads, deviled eggs, or onion and spinach dips. • Use Greek yogurt as a topping for pies, tarts, and other desserts. • Marinate your proteins in yogurt to help tenderize and flavor them.

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Uses of yogurt in Mediterranean cuisine include (top) Greek Yogurt with Honey Drizzle; (bottom L-R) Loi Macaroni in Yogurt-Feta Sauce, Dakos- Barley Rusks with Loi Tzatziki, and Yogurt Cheesecake with Honey (Photos courtesy of Loi Estiatorio).

24 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 25

NEWS

By Hank Bedingfield

RECRUITING STRATEGIES

WORKSTREAM LOOKS TO REVOLUTIONIZE HOW INDUSTRY RECRUITS AND TRAINS TALENT

orkstream hopes to bring hiring into the modern era using text, automation, and the latest technology. Recruiting, hiring, and on-boarding hourly employees effectively and efficiently has always been a challenge for the restaurant and hospitality industry. Workstream wants to streamline the entire process to maximize efficiency and allow business owners to focus solely on maximizing their customer’s dining experience. “When we first launched our customers used paper applications, walk-in interviews, and many of them had to manually post on several job boards to hire workers,” Co-Founder Max Wang said. “With Workstream one posting goes to over 25,000 job boards. You can also screen applicants using questionnaires, quizzes, even get them to upload 30 second videos, and after that applicants can select their own interview time slots.” Using digital automation and directly texting applicants, Workstream reduces the time and resources needed for the hiring process and sharply raises the conversion rate of applicant to employee. Regular engagement through Workstream also helps businesses interact and hire a growing population of transient workers in the evershifting gig economy. “Restaurant owners have to embrace the mobility of their employees. Many will come and go, and this fluidity plays right to the strength of Workstream,” Wang said. “Gig economy workers are always on the move. That’s why we use text and

SMS. People are always checking their texts and automated SMS texting is the key to how we can bridge the gap of hiring gig workers.” As COVID-related difficulties ripple across the restaurant industry and owners continue to struggle with labor shortages and hiring difficulties, Workstream hopes that their technology-driven solution will provide industry-wide relief. “There will always be folks who refuse to return to the workforce, but for those who are seeking work, you have to be the first to reach them and leverage technology to increase the spread of your job posting and fill the gaps that are present,” Wang said. “That is the advantage of Workstream. You can reach out to anyone with automated SMS and email and cast an incredibly wide net.”

26 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

“We have seen applicants accept less pay to work at a restaurant where they feel valued and cared for.” — Max Wang Lack of manpower has given hourly workers more leverage than ever and has necessitated more innovative recruitment and hiring practices than ever. The present empowerment of labor demands that business owners appeal to applicants with benefits, care, and added support like never before. “The short-term solution to hiring issues today is to provide workers more benefits and create a culture that people want to work in where the job is enjoyable and there is room for employee growth,” Wang

said. “We have seen applicants accept less pay to work at a restaurant where they feel valued and cared for.” The long-term solution to hiring and labor issues is more complicated and demands, according to Wang, a total overhaul of hiring practices. “Job seekers and applicants today want the least painful process possible. So the restaurant owners have to make the process as easy as possible if they want to fill positions,” Wang said. “Is it easy for applicants to submit all your necessary documents? How quickly can they start work and make their first paycheck? I feel that the improvement of the whole industry in hiring will boost the confidence of people and encourage more people to pursue a career in the restaurant industry.” Through Workstream applicants can also complete the on-boarding process which is typically time-consuming and punctuated by stacks of paperwork. With a handheld app, potential employees can digitally fill out and sign forms, coordinate tax information, and even complete training videos. “We want to automate as much of the cumbersome hiring process as possible so that the business owner can focus on keeping the doors open,” Wang concluded. Operators and business owners can visit workstream.us/totalfood for more information.

August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 27

MEDIA CORNER

With Joyce Appelman

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:

MODERN MARVELS Adam Richman explores food all over the U.S. and includes small business owners coupled with wellknown companies as he tries to understand what goes into making some of the most promising food products. He follows the journey offering behind-the-scenes views of our nation’s favorite and most nostalgic foods; from raw chocolate ingredients grown on artisanal Hawaiian cacao farms, to the fantastically gargantuan factories making billions of ice cream cones per year, to your favorite snack brands and fast food restaurants. Richman hosts the revived version of Modern Marvels which ran nearly 700 episodes from 1992 to 2015. Season 18 is streaming on History. com. WOLFGANG The new documentary is an intimate portrait of the life and work of the original “celebrity chef,” and the man who not only invented the smoked salmon and goat cheese

pizza but mentored a generation of chefs while building a restaurant empire. Wolfgang Puck as the ebullient proprietor of celebrity-saturated Spago, purveyor of frozen pizzas to the masses and ubiquitous presence on TV magazine shows. But before all he blazed the trail as one of the first true celebrity chefs, there was an uncertain boy who grew up in a poor Austrian family with a difficult stepfather, who left to work in France at just 14 years old before coming to Hollywood. “Wolfgang” is streaming on Disney Plus.

Matt Sartwell, Managing Partner, Kitchen Arts & Letters Bookstore in New York City shares his book reviews. JAPANESE ART OF THE COCKTAIL, THE: RECIPES, TIPS, AND TECHNIQUES FROM KATANA KITTEN IN NYC AND BEYOND

28 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

BOOKS, TV, FILM, AND PODCASTS

WHAT WE’RE READING:

by Masahiro Urushido This handsome and detailed book showcases the Japanese cocktail aesthetic as it flourishes at Katana Kitten, a bar in NYC’s West Village run by Japan-born Masahiro Urushido. Urushido’s reputation encom-

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO: passes both a meticulous attention to detail but also a whimsical playfulness evident in the bar’s name. The Japanese Art of the Cocktail is a serious bartender’s book. Professional mixologists will have no trouble embracing drinks which require the likes of previously prepared syrups or sesame-oil washed whisky. In fact, specific drink recipes aside, this is a source of many imaginative ideas for drink components, from a shiso-quinine cordial to a walnutbased orgeat. Good to see such a thorough address of this subject by someone very well respected in the field. SEND CHINATOWN LOVE LETTERS A community zine with over 50 contributors, by NYC for NYC This vibrant ‘zine, combining features, photos, recipes, games, poetry, and illustrations, is a fundraiser for a project that supports businesses in New York City’s many Chinatowns, all of which have been devastated by the global pandemic as well as surges in anti-Asian sentiment. Produced in a limited release, it includes contributions from an impressive array of New Yorkers who understand the vital importance of these neighborhoods and communities, including Omsom Co-founder, Kim Pham, illustrator & graphic designer, Naomi Otsu, New York Times photographer Poupay Jutharat, chef Hannah Wong, street artist & muralist Peach Tao, and many others.

The portrait that emerges is poignant and yet often exuberant, demonstrating a resilience that deserves support. 100% of the proceeds that Send Chinatown Love raises from this effort will “will go directly to providing need-based financial assistance

and business improvement services for struggling AAPI merchants that continue to recover from the adverse effects of COVID-19.” In addition, Kitchen Arts & Letters will contribute $5.00 per copy sold to their endeavors.

FOOD TANK WITH DANI NIERENBERG Food Tank’s Danielle Nierenberg chats with the most important folks in the food industry about the most important food news including food waste, hunger and food safety, twice a week. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podchaser

POINT OF ORIGIN Point of Origin is about the world of food, worldwide. Each week they travel to different countries exploring culture through food, examining its past and present, and what it teaches us about who we are and how we came to be, hosted by Stephen Satterfield. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify

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August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 29

HOSPITALITY MARKETING

WITH REV CIANCIO

10 POWER MARKETING MOVES FOR YOUR RESTAURANT GUARANTEED TO GENERATE REVENUE

How to Quickly Increase Your Acquisition and Retention

arketing for a restaurant brand is hard. It’s a lot of tedious actions that happen over and over that you hope to improve upon with each move. Sounds like working the line in a kitchen right? It doesn’t have to be hard. You just need the right road map to point you in the right direction so you can start to master your marketing. Here are 10 marketing moves that you can start to implement today that are guaranteed to increase guest acquisition and retention.

1. Update your Google My Business profile (for every location.) Consumers search Google for what they crave and once they have decided to dine with your brand, they need to see your hours of operation, your menu, your photos and what credit cards you take. They also look at photos of your food. Update your GMB profile at least monthly to help ensure the customer journey. 2. Update all your listings

Google owns the majority of search but consumers have lots of ways to discover your restaurant and much like Google My Business, you want to optimize the journey on each of them. Starter list: Yelp, Facebook, Foursquare, Bing, Yahoo, Tripadvisor and yp 3. Add a first time discount code as a Google post When consumers are looking at your Google My Business profile, they are at the bottom of the funnel.

David “Rev” Ciancio is a former New York City bar owner and knows exactly how hard it is to operate and brand a hospitality business. He is now a hospitality marketing consultant, customer and technology evangelist with more than 20 years experience in B2B digital marketing and business development, specializing in hospitality marketing, content, local SEO, reputation management and influencer marketing. He helps technology companies, brands and restaurants to acquire and retain customers. Rev is known as an “expert burger taster,” pens hospitality and marketing tips on his Instagram @revciancio, as well as his LinkedIn Profile. He believes that Pizza is a religion.

Create a Google post that has a first time customer discount. Give them a solid reason to take that last step to become your guest. 4. Use Facebook and Instagram ads to attract hungry locals The fastest, easiest, most effective way to reach people that live or work near your stores and have never dined with you is Facebook and Instagram ads. They are cheap, have intense targeting and can reach people while they are scrolling through social media before they jump to Google or GrubHub to search for what they crave. Start the journey for them with ads in their social media feed. 5. Reply to your reviews Research has proven that restaurants who respond to reviews get more positive reviews. Research has also shown that consumers look at reviews before they decide where to dine next. Plus, it’s just good hos-

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August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 31

Q&A

EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEW

LAUREN BAILEY

Restaurateur and CEO & Co-Founder, Upward Projects

auren Bailey is an established restaurateur as well as the CEO and co-founder of community focused restaurant group, Upward Projects. Bailey is responsible for continuing the group’s growth while maintaining its vision. Her success is evident through favorite restaurants across the southwest such as Postino, Joyride Taco House, Windsor, Churn Ice Cream and Federal Pizza. In 2014, Bailey was inducted into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame and honored as the Food Pioneer by the Arizona Restaurant Association. The hospitality industry is not the only place Bailey shines. She is also a steering committee member for Devour Phoenix as well as a board member of the Entrepreneurs Organization, the Grand Canyon University Colangelo College of Business Advisory Board, and the Tyrann Mathieu Foundation. Total Food Service reached out to Lauren Bailey to learn more about her future ambitions as a restaurateur and Upward Projects’ goals, mission and vision, as well as her commentary on some of the industries’ greatest challenges coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a prominent restaurateur in Arizona and CEO of Upward Projects, how did you first get involved in the

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Lauren Bailey, Restaurateur and CEO & Co-Founder, Upward Projects

32 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Shop Online: allenbrothers.com - or - For Chefs: chefswarehouse.com August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 33

Q&A

LAUREN BAILEY, from page 32

food industry? I was actually going to grad school in New York City for an art degree and spent one summer working at a restaurant in Nantucket, Massachusetts. While I was on the island I just fell in love. Seeing all of these incredible chefs who are living in this beautiful place I just thought, this is everything I love about life — it’s people, the food, wine, design, creativity, entrepreneurship. That summer, I knew my ultimate dream was to have my own restaurant. How did that dream turn into 19 restaurants and five concepts across the American Southwest? Well, I was always thinking and planning and picturing how my restaurants would look. I was 22 and I would pull pictures and cut out photos from whatever magazines I could get—food magazines, design magazines—and make binders full of menus and concepts, like a scrapbook. What was it like opening your first restaurant? Opening my first restaurant was a real struggle. It quickly showed me the gritty side of entrepreneurship. I had saved $30,000, which really doesn’t get you very far in the restaurant industry. I had to find a way to get more capital very quickly, so I begged and borrowed money from everyone I knew. I maxed out all of my credit cards. I took out a second mortgage on my house. I would work 80 hours a week and eat ramen every night. This constant financial insecurity, pouring everything into the restaurant, and eventually restaurants, went on for ten years. How did you get through that time to where you are now? I think what most people don’t realize about starting your own business and chasing your dream like

this is the amount of drive it takes. The businesses and restaurants that survive are run by people who are willing to do what most people aren’t. When you’re tired and beat and everything is going wrong, you have to be able to push through and pick yourself up. Growing your company from one restaurant to 19, how have you built a team and shared vision in your restaurants? Throughout the journey and growth of these restaurants I really prioritized finding incredible employees and empowering them. I became pretty maniacal about taking care of my employees as the company grew. One way we do this is by fostering a sense of autonomy among every employee. Each worker has a direct avenue to reach me and our executive team and offer their ideas, criticisms, or feedback. People want to feel that their work matters and that they are seen and heard. We make sure every team member has a creative, entrepreneurial spirit. Each restaurant has its own unique spirit as well. Over the past year and a half how has Upward Project and your restaurants survived the COVID-19 pandemic? As difficult and heartbreaking the past year has been, it was a great time to be an entrepreneur. We are used to getting kicked in the face, having no money, and having to adapt and change rapidly. I think all the experience of my early career, with all its challenges and difficulties, was incredibly valuable over the course of the pandemic. With restaurants and business opening back up now we feel more committed to our customers than ever. People fell back in love with restau-

continued on page 36

34 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 35

Q&A

LAUREN BAILEY, from page 34

rants and have realized how important food and that shared space are. I think all the excitement about restaurants that was bottled up for so many months is going to help greatly with recovery. For Upward Project as a whole, it’s really reassuring to know that we have the tools and knowledge to survive such a tough time. What kind of innovations did you bring to your restaurants to get through the pandemic day-to-day? It was really all-hands-on-deck. We rallied and just focused on the task at hand. More technically, we had to pivot towards take-out like everyone else. We immediately partnered with Toast, which allowed us to process take-out orders and arrange third-party deliveries, and got really creative. Food from the Postino restaurants naturally travels well and we focused on creating meal packages for families and date nights and making custom take-out bags with a customer’s name and really fun stickers. We focused on trying to create really special moments for people during a tough time. We looked at it as a privilege to be the best part of someone’s day. We were also lucky geographically to be in a state where we didn’t have to fully shut down in an area that, thankfully, didn’t suffer as much as other parts of the country. What innovations that came out of COVID are you hoping to retain as the country shifts back to normalcy? Especially at Postino we weren’t really thought of as a to-go place so it’s a great opportunity for us to reach that market. We definitely want to keep those extra sales now that people know that we offer great takeout. We’re really focusing on keeping that programming strong to stay on people’s minds. A lot is changing right now but people and families are still going to want those convenient meals so, in a way, it’s great that the pandemic has allowed us to grow into that.

As the crown jewel of the Upward Projects restaurant portfolio, Postino is an industrial winecafé offering unique and approachable wines with simply scrumptious food prepared with local ingredients. Hallmarks include (clockwise from top L): mid-century modern furniture sourced from local vintage shops & quirky found objects; locations blending the indoor-outdoor footprint with Postino’s warm, come-asyou-are culture and eclectic, inspired design; a wide variety of craft brews and boutique wines, and a bumpin’ weekend brunch menu.

With more customers ordering food online and used to the convenience of delivery, how do you feel about services like GrubHub and UberEats with ongoing battles over delivery costs? I definitely think that delivery services are going to need to change soon and be more fair to restaurants, especially small, family run

36 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

restaurants. These apps charge restaurants astronomical costs and big, corporate businesses can pay that but it seems really exploitative towards small businesses. I think there needs to be a tiered system where restaurants pay a fair amount, according to their size. I also think, though, that there’s a growing population of educated customers. They

realize that these delivery apps are hurting the restaurants they want to support and more and more people are starting to order directly from restaurants. I think it’s great that services like Toast are helping restaurants arrange deliveries in a way that lets restaurants keep more of

continued on page 38

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Q&A

LAUREN BAILEY, from page 36

their profits. As the industry struggles to hire and recruit labor, what do you think businesses need to do in the short term to address hiring issues? I think the labor market for restaurants was already struggling prior to COVID, but the pandemic exacerbated those struggles. When restaurants had to close and scale down operations a lot of hourly employees found other jobs and asking those workers to return to the restaurants is really difficult. The pandemic forced people to reexamine some fundamental lifestyle choices. It’s hard asking people to work late nights and weekends when workers are already burnt out. I think now the industry has to focus on recruiters that prioritize connecting to other people. We have to get creative and really pose the question: do you want to sit in a cubicle staring at a computer or do you want to interact with people?

“[Educated customers] realize that these delivery apps are hurting the restaurants they want to support and more and more people are starting to order directly from restaurants. I think it’s great that services like Toast are helping restaurants arrange deliveries in a way that lets restaurants keep more of their profits.” How do you see the role of plantbased food going forward in your restaurants and the industry as a whole? Upward Project restaurants have never been overly meat-focused so we are already in a great place to accommodate any dietary preference. I think there are some really problematic sustainability issues with the way we produce meat, so

we definitely prioritize meatless options. We’ve had a vegetarian board for a couple of years now and each year it gets more popular. This is more than just a fad. It’s something every serious restaurant should accommodate. In Upward Projects restaurants today what do you want customers to experience and how do you see that changing in the future?

The customer experience at my restaurants is different for every customer, and I really value that. Some people come in with their laptops, order a glass of wine, and never have a bite of food. Other groups come straight from work for happy hour and a lot of customers come for sit-down meals, celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. I really strive to create a space that is approachably sophisticated where people can feel comfortable in flip flops or dressed-up enjoying good food, in a warm, welcoming atmosphere. In the future, as customers eagerly return to our restaurants, it is really affirming to see the important place we hold in people’s lives. Above all else, we need to stay committed to making people happy. All photos courtesy of Upward Projects Article contributions Bedingfield

continued on page 40 38 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 39

SPIRITED NEWS + VIEWS

WITH FRANCINE COHEN

POLITICAL DECISIONS IMPACT YOUR POUR 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 this one. Darn pandemic.) You can reach her at francinecohen@mindspring.com

Cocktails from the Vineapple Cafe in Brooklyn, NY

ollow the leader... Remember that childhood game? Essentially it became the ingrained roadmap for our cities when they looked about for solutions to assist shuttered, and struggling, bars at the beginning of the pandemic. Governor Cuomo of New York was the trendsetter, and William Crowley of the Public Affairs Office of the NY State Liquor Authority explains how and why New York’s governor was the first to institute a temporary to-go drinks policy, “While the temporary closing of bars and restaurants for on-premises service was a necessary and integral part of the state’s efforts to combat the Coronavirus, this administration understood the financial hardship this meant for these businesses and their employees. Consequently, at

the start of the pandemic, Governor Cuomo, under his temporary emergency executive order power, implemented a host of policies to support the restaurant and hospitality industries to help them to weather the impacts of the global pandemic. One of these policies was a temporary modification to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law to allow bars and restaurants to sell cocktails to go, providing an economic lifeline and a critical source of revenue during the pandemic. Quickly, more than 35 states, and the District of Columbia relaxed their own local liquor laws, thereby enabling restaurants and/or bars to sell cocktails to-go as temporary COVID relief measures. While cities like New Orleans which have a longstanding history of to-go cocktail culture baked into it that seems to

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casual visitors to be a policy that allows for free-wheeling fun, enacting this legislation far and wide beyond Louisiana meant bars were thrown a lifeline in many cases; allowing them a path to revenue and avoid closure. Bar/restaurant owners were thrilled. MaryAnn Pisani, Chief Revenue Officer of national importer, distributor and service provider MHW, Ltd. comments, “This certainly helped with on-premise revenue and beverage alcohol volume.” Patrons were thrilled too. In some cases, it meant a sense of normalcy. Having that handcrafted cocktail experience made by your favorite bartender, even if it was at home, was a nice treat for the 250th time you sat down at your dining table for yet another home cooked meal. And for some, like the patrons of

Con Alma in Pittsburgh, it meant growing their community. Though drinks to-go are no longer permitted in Pennsylvania, bartender Lissa Brennan of Con Alma – noted by Esquire Magazine as one of America’s best bars, looks back fondly on the time when she and her staff were still sending them out the door and she knows it helped this fledgling business that has been open for just one year. She notes the positive impact that offering cocktails had on this bar/restaurant/live music venue and its surrounding residential neighborhood which embraced the outdoor music and cocktails that came with it. She says, “It was definitely something that people appreciated. People who ended up coming to see

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BOOTH #3071

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NEWS

EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS

UNIVEX PARTNERS WITH TV SHOW BAR RESCUE TO HELP RESTAURANT IN NEED DURING PANDEMIC

uring the recent COVID19 Pandemic, no other industry got hit as hard as the Restaurant/Foodservice Industry. With specific guidelines shutting down restaurants left and right, this pandemic took its toll on the industry. Univex partnered with TV show Bar Rescue, to help a struggling restaurant bounce back amidst the pandemic challenges. La Casona, now has an excellent T50 Vertical Dough Sheeter to help stretch and make perfect tortillas! La Casona, a specialty restaurant in Las Vegas got affected hard from COVID-19. Evan Priesel, Director of Sales and Marketing with Univex stated: “We wanted to find a way to give back to the community. We understand that everyone was struggling during these crazy times, and really wanted to help in any way possible. Knowing we were able to provide this piece of equipment to them, they will now be able to produce a much more consistent product, in a quicker time to their customers. Saving them on labor and increasing their production ability will really help their success in the long run.” Bar Rescue has done an excellent job “reviving” restaurant all over the country, and now, especially since the pandemic, helping restaurants thrive. After just airing its 200th episode, with more to come, it is amazing to see how this show is helping the foodservice

industry bounce back! “We are so happy to help the community and continue to help the Foodservice Industry bounce back and grow to be bigger and better then it was before the pandemic. We are here to support our customers in any way possible.” – Evan Priesel, Director of Sales and Marketing, Univex Corporation Since their founding in 1948, Univex Corporation has grown to become a leading U.S. manufacturer and distributor of superior quality mixers, slicers, dough processors, ovens and prep equipment for the restaurant, hotel, pizzeria, bakery, catering and institutional industries. Today, Univex products are well known for their rugged engineering that keeps them running for decades…competitive pricing, which makes them a remarkably good value…and solid innovation, including critical safety features that have become the industry standard. Based in Salem, New Hampshire, Univex has sales offices throughout North America as well as a network of over 1,000 dealers who supply Univex equipment to tens of thousands of food service operators worldwide. Let us supply you with the ideal solution for working more efficiently. For more information, please visit www.univexcorp.com All Rights productions.

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Reserved

3ball

Univex has partnered with Jon Taffer & Bar Rescue to donate equipment to help the restaurant industry bounce back post pandemic! Watch as this restaurant utilizes the T50 dough sheeter to help make perfect tortillas!

August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 43

NEWS

by Eva Karoun Scott

HOTEL SOLUTIONS

LONG ISLAND’S SOUTHAMPTON INN LOOKS FOR FOOD SERVICE TO RESET POST PANDEMIC GUEST EXPERIENCE

s many businesses experienced during the pandemic, the Southampton Inn and surrounding Southampton Village, saw a change of pace this past year. Now that a return to normal is accelerating in New York state, the Southampton Inn, a world-class summer resort, is welcoming returning guests in numbers twice as many as previous years while maintaining some of their business tactics during the pandemic to innovate the guests’ experience. A positive impact of this period is people’s willingness to travel again. Guests who canceled their reservations the previous year, have rescheduled their events for this summer leading to above average guest numbers composed of approximately 80% returning guests. Corporate groups are coming out tremendously and with more flexibility as people continue to work

“It can sometimes be a match made in heaven, but sometimes the goals of the restaurant to be packed, crowded, noisy, and costly is not necessarily compatible with the goals of the hotel providing food as a service to its constituents.” remotely. These business trips allow people to finally meet face-to-face and the remote work permits them to make their way to Southampton outside of the usual weekend trips. As for weddings, many of the larger venues are booked presenting a window of opportunity for the bridal party to organize a more personalized and affordable event at the Southampton Inn. “We’re seeing a pretty interesting pivot in the entire way that our tri-state area is enjoying eastern Long Island now. All for the good,” said Dede Moan, owner

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of the Southampton Inn. Moan recalls the empty storefronts as people decided to winter elsewhere making it increasingly difficult to sustain a year-round population. However, with the help of the Southampton Village Business Revitalization Committee (RBC), an effort to provide a year-round reason to be in the village is underway. People are excited to move to eastern Long Island on a year-round basis. Houses in the village are being rented and sold at an accelerated rate, and parents are enrolling their

children into the local school system, creating an atmosphere livelier than it has been in months. Although the influx of people is a positive, especially for a largely seasonal business, the challenge seems to be occupying a full staff to accommodate the increased numbers. Traditionally, the Inn fulfills their seasonal employment shifts with students on summer vacation and members under the J-1 and H-2 Visa Program, however, there is now limited housing available in the area. Even with increased pay and benefits, it is not realistic for the traditional work force to be counted on this particular year. The Southampton Inn runs their own restaurant, Claude’s, to serve an award-winning breakfast, brunch, and all-day dining menu. The Inn’s ownership of the restaurant grants them the ability to control the qual-

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NEWS

SPECIAL EVENTS

CHEF DUO SHIRLEY AND BERNSTEIN SET TO RECEIVE THE TORCH AND BEACON AWARDS AT THE FLORIDA RESTAURANT & LODGING SHOW

hefs Jim Shirley and Michelle Bernstein who will be honored next month at The 2021 Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show with the Torch and Beacon Awards, respectively. These two restaurant industry leaders will be recognized for their outstanding achievements and commitment to the Southeast restaurant industry during the convention taking place on Sunday, September 19, and Monday, September 20, 2021 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Each chef will present a culinary demonstration following the presentation

Chef Jim Shirley

of their award. ‘The prestigious Torch Award was created to honor a chef and/ or restaurateur who embodies outstanding knowledge and leadership, philanthropic and community efforts, extraordinary talent and creativity, innovation and inspiration. We are thrilled to be able to present this award to Jim Shirley who is an accomplished chef and restaurant owner and also the Chairman of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA),’ said Rita Ugianskis, Vice President for the Clarion UX Food & Beverage Group. ‘We also look forward to presenting

Chef Michelle Bernstein

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“We also look forward to presenting The Beacon Award to Chef Michelle Bernstein. This award recognizes a woman leader who has truly served as a Beacon for the industry through her leadership, contributions, and inspiration.” — Rita Ugianskis The Beacon Award to Chef Michelle Bernstein. This award recognizes a woman leader who has truly served as a Beacon for the industry through her leadership, contributions, and inspiration. The word Beacon symbolizes many things including a person that illuminates or inspires, which truly defines Chef Bernstein.’ The Torch Award will be presented to Jim Shirley on Sunday, September 19, 2021 at 12:45 pm on Center Stage by The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show and The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. Jim is a chef and restaurateur in South Walton, Florida, owning Great Southern Café, 45 Central Wine and Sushi Bar, and b.f.f. in Seaside, Florida, as well as The Bay Restaurant and Farm & Fire Southern Pizzeria in South Walton. He is also co-owner of Meltdown on 30A in Seaside. Jim was previously the president of the Northwest Florida FRLA chapter and president of the Escambia County chapter. He is currently the treasurer of FRLA’s Educational Foundation. Jim sits on the board of the Children’s Home Society and was formerly on the Seaside Neigh-

borhood School board for three years. Jim represented Florida in the 2015 Great American Seafood Cook-Off. In addition, Jim has been invited to cook at the James Beard House in New York City four times. He is the author of the cookbook, ‘Good Grits! Southern Boy Cooks,’ a compilation of his best recipes along with entertaining stories. Jim is the 2020 Van Ness Butler Jr. Award recipient. Chef Michelle Bernstein will be presented with the Beacon Award on Monday, September 20, 2021 at 12:45 pm on Center Stage. Chef Bernstein, a Miami native of Jewish and Latin descent, who has dazzled diners and critics alike with her sublime cuisine and a personality as bright and vibrant as the Florida sun. A James Beard Award winner (Best Chef South 2008) and author of Cuisine a Latina (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2008), Bernstein and her husband/business partner David Martinez) own/operate MBC Michelle Bernstein Catering Company in addition to their newest en-

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RESTAURANT STRATEGIES

WITH RYAN GROMFIN

CREATING THE IDEAL CULTURE FOR RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES STARTS BY INVESTING IN THEM

he restaurant industry is seeing a major shift. Unemployment rates are climbing by the day with many owners blaming staff shortages on government handouts and employees rebutting that work conditions are awful and wages are too low. The National Restaurant Association recently conducted a survey that showed 91% of Texas eatery operators “currently have job openings that are difficult to fill,” while 84% of operators nationwide have lower staffing levels now than before the pandemic. How can the industry bring people back much less keep them when they do come back?

yourself, accountable to the rules and standards. START WITH TRAINING YOUR EMPLOYEES Nothing is more important than the first couple hours of an employee’s first day. You can’t simply say welcome to work, you will be training with Sandra today, good luck. Sounds stupid to read that but is what you are doing much different? And honestly, Sandra might not even be your best server and even if she was, she probably hasn’t been trained how to properly train. Now you can start to see where the break

IT STARTS WITH A CULTURE SHIFT It’s no longer enough to just put a HELP WANTED sign on your door and expect the applications to come pouring in. Some of the largest restaurant chains are struggling to find and keep staff. Why? It’s simple. They haven’t created a culture where employees want to work, where employees feel valued, where employees are encouraged to improve and held to high standards, or where employees feel secure in their job status and aren’t scared to walk in the door because they don’t know what they will face that day. This all happens when we hold other people, and even 48 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Ryan Gromfin is an author, speaker, chef, restaurateur, and founder of therestaurantboss.com, clickbacon. com, and scalemyrestaurant. com. He is the most followed restaurant coach in the world helping Restaurant Owners and Operators increase profits, improve operations, and scale and grow their businesses.

down occurs. THE SECRET SAUCE FOR TRAINING ANYONE, ANYTHING Over the years, I have developed a simple 5-step training formula that anybody can use to successfully train anyone to do (almost) anything. 1. Why Do 2. How Do 3. I Do 4. We Do 5. You Do First, explain the reason why their training is important. Second, explain how to do it. Next, you will demonstrate the task or skill for them. Then

you will do the task or skill together. Last, have them complete the skill or task on their own to demonstrate comprehension and ability. This simple 5-step training process will nearly eliminate all of your issues with people either not knowing how to do something or not wanting to do it. Of course, there needs to be a system (a checklist) to remind people to complete their tasks. Remember, you are Managing Systems and Developing People. You manage the system with a checklist; you develop people through TLC – Training, Leadership, and Coaching. Not everybody will respond to this method. Your goal is not to help people who don’t want to be helped. But having the right systems for training and managing team members will eliminate most of your challenges and help you develop the culture where people want to work and enjoy their work. Afterall, you can lead a horse to the most amazing, clear, sparkling water but you can’t make them drink. There will always be exceptions and people you just can’t get through to. The restaurant industry needs to accept more responsibility for how we are impacting this labor shortage and commit to improving the working conditions in our restaurants for today and for the longevity of your business.

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NEWS

CULINARY COMPETITIONS

FOREVER OCEANS KAHALA KLASH™ TO SUPPORT FUTURE CULINARY SUPERSTARS

orever Oceans, a sustainable open-ocean seafood leader, announced last month its investment in the next generation of culinary superstars. The Forever Oceans Kahala Klash™ will pit eight student finalists from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in a cook-off to earn scholarships and superstar status as the 2021 Grand Champion. “As a leader in next generation mariculture, we want to help educate and support the next generation of chef superstars,” says Jason Heckathorn, Forever Oceans Chief Executive Officer. “Through this competition, we are beginning the process of educating a new breed of chefs who will embrace our important mission of nourishing the world through technology while protecting our oceans.” Forever Oceans leverages breakthrough technology to raise seafood with higher nutritional value in Omega 3s than wild caught salmon or tuna. Forever Oceans Kahala (Seriola Rivoliana) are raised in the open ocean. The beautiful, sashimi grade fish have no contamination,

no hormones or preventative antibiotics. The fish has a buttery flavor and holds up well to almost any prep method such as broiling, baking, grilling, pan frying, and smoking. Kahala will be available for purchase by consumers at restaurants and at supermarkets this fall. The company maintains operations off the coasts of Panama, Hawaii, Indonesia, and Brazil, with headquarters in Gainesville, VA. “We are excited to work with Forever Oceans on this student innovation challenge, and grateful for their support of our students’ education,” said David Kamen, assistant director of CIA Consulting. “This is the first student innovation challenge that is open to students from all three of the CIA’s U.S. Miso Glazed Kahala with Coconut Rice and Tropical Fruit campuses—Hyde Park, Salsa NY; St. Helena, CA; and San Antonio, Texas. We can’t in front of five celebrity chefs and wait to see—and taste— journalists. The grand champion their creations.” will receive a $5,000 scholarship, Students at the CIA’s U.S. followed by second ($3,000), third campuses are eligible to ($2,000) place and a people’s choice submit a 60-second video ($1,000) finisher. describing how they would Forever Oceans Executive Chef, prepare a Kahala for a resMark Allison, says that he is passiontaurant meal. Judges will ate about educating young chefs select eight finalists from about his company’s extraordinary the three campuses to fish, the Kahala. “I’ve spent decades square off in the Kahala educating and working with young Klash cook-off at the New chefs, and when they discover our York campus on NovemKahala, they will love to serve it ber 7. They will compete for their entire career as culinary

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professionals.” Chef Rick Moonen, a CIA graduate known as the “Godfather of Sustainable Seafood,” and a member of Forever Oceans’ Culinary Board agrees. “Kahala can be prepared in so many delicious and healthy ways. The sustainable seafood practices of Forever Oceans are setting a new standard for protecting our environment while nourishing the world. I can’t wait to see what our celebrity judges will thinking about these student creations.” Forever Oceans collaborates with 30 top chefs who are members of its Culinary Board and provide recipes, reviews, and blog posts. Some of their recipes are available for downloading on the Forever Oceans website or social media channels. Learn more about the mission of Forever Oceans and how to prepare Kahala for your family, visit ForeverOceans. com. Or, listen to Forever Oceans’ Ocean-Raised Podcast featuring top chefs such as Chef Andrew Zimmern, Chef Jacques Pepin, Chef Rick Rayless, Chef Aaron Sanchez, and Chef Jose Andres to name a few. Go to your favorite audio app or at ForeverOceans.com/ocean-raisedpodcast. To learn more about the CIA, visit ciachef.edu.

BOOTH #2101

August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 51

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NEWS

EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

ALI GROUP AND WELBILT HEAD TO NAFEM WITH DEFINITIVE MERGER AGREEMENT

li Holding S.r.l. one of the largest and most diversified global leaders in the foodservice equipment industry, and Welbilt, Inc. announced last month that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Ali Group will acquire Welbilt in an all-cash transaction for $24.00 per share, or approximately $3.5 billion in aggregate equity value and $4.8 billion in enterprise value. The merger agreement has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors. “We are pleased to announce this agreement with Welbilt and look forward to combining our highly complementary brands to create a comprehensive product portfolio and enhance our global footprint,” said Filippo Berti, Ali Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We have long admired Welbilt’s heritage, breadth of products, brand strength and management team, and together we will have an expanded range of innovative products. The transaction marks a significant milestone in Ali Group’s history and will position us to better serve our customers and capitalize on attractive growth opportunities. We are excited to welcome Welbilt and its employees to the Ali Group family as we strengthen our global presence and continue to build on our culture of quality and innovation.” “We are excited to reach this agreement with Ali Group, which delivers outstanding value to Welbilt shareholders, provides new opportunities for Welbilt employees and enables Welbilt to benefit from the expertise and resources of Ali Group,” said Bill Johnson, Welbilt’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “This transaction provides a compelling and certain cash value to Welbilt shareholders at

an attractive premium and will create a global leader in the foodservice equipment and solutions industry with a full range of connectable foodservice solutions for our customers. I want to thank each of our employees for their hard work and dedication to the success of Welbilt, which has positioned us to reach this agreement today. On behalf of the Welbilt Board and management team, we are excited to work closely with Filippo and the Ali Group team as we bring our companies together.” In addition, Carl C. Icahn (and affiliates), who owns 7.7% of Welbilt stock, has entered into a support agreement in favor of the transaction. The transaction, which is not conditioned on financing, is expected to close in early 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the approval of Welbilt shareholders. Upon completion of the transaction, Welbilt’s shares will no longer trade on The New York Stock Exchange. Welbilt also confirmed that it has terminated the previous merger agreement entered into with The

Middleby Corporation on April 20, 2021. Per the terms of the Middleby merger agreement, Ali Group has paid Middleby a $110 million termination fee on Welbilt’s behalf as agreed to in the Ali Group merger agreement. In light of the termination of the agreement with Middleby, Welbilt is cancelled its, special stockholder meeting to approve the Middleby transaction. Welbilt expects to announce a special stockholder meeting to approve the Ali Group transaction at a later date. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC has acted as Ali Group’s exclusive financial advisor, with financing provided by Goldman Sachs International and Mediobanca, and Alston & Bird is acting as legal advisor. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Welbilt, and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is serving as legal counsel. Founded in 1963, Ali Group is an Italian corporation with headquarters located in Milan, Italy and North American operations based in Chicago, Illinois. Through its subsidiaries, the company designs, manufac-

Ali Group has paid Middleby a $110 million termination fee on Welbilt’s behalf as agreed to in the Ali Group merger agreement, in light of the termination of the agreement with Middleby

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tures, markets and services a broad line of commercial and institutional foodservice equipment used by major restaurant and hotel chains, independent restaurants, hospitals, schools, airports, correctional institutions and canteens. Ali Group and its 80 global brands employ approximately 10,000 people in 30 countries and, in terms of sales, is one of the world’s largest and most diversified global leaders in the foodservice equipment industry. It has 58 manufacturing facilities in 15 countries and sales and service subsidiaries throughout Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Welbilt, Inc. provides the world’s top chefs, premier chain operators and growing independents with industryleading equipment and solutions. Our innovative products and solutions are powered by our deep knowledge, operator insights, and culinary expertise. Our portfolio of award-winning product brands includes Cleveland™, Convotherm®, Crem®, Delfield®, Frymaster®, Garland®, Kolpak®, Lincoln®, Manitowoc® Ice, Merco®, Merrychef® and Multiplex®. These product brands are supported by three service brands: KitchenCare®, our aftermarket parts and service brand, FitKitchen® fully-integrated kitchen systems brand, and KitchenConnect®, our cloud-based digital platform brand. Headquartered in the Tampa Bay region of Florida and operating 19 manufacturing facilities throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, we sell through a global network of over 5,000 distributors, dealers, buying groups and manufacturers’ representatives in over 100 countries. Welbilt hasapproximately 4,500 employees and generated sales of $1.2 billion in 2020.

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August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • PM 7/14/21 12:25 55

by Eva Karoun Scott

CHEFCETERA

JOSÉ ANDRÉS TAPS WILL FUNG FOR CHINA CHILCANO RESTAURANT

hina Chilcano, a restaurant that celebrates the international culinary influences that make up Peruvian cuisine including its native Criollo, Chinese Chifa, and Japanese Nikkei, sits in Washington D.C.’s Penn Quarter. It recently reopened after a long pause due to the pandemic, as many restaurants are. However, it is not only opening its doors to the public, but to Will Fung as its new head chef. Fung is not new to the Washington D.C. area; he has worked for nearly two decades in restaurants in the area in a variety of front and back-of-house positions including general manager, sushi chef, and chef-owner. To add to his impressive resumé, he spent a year cooking at a 300-year-old kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto, Japan. His international experiences make him a great fit to continue the tradition at China Chilcano. China Chilcano, owned by José Andrés, opened in 2015 and was awarded a Bib Gourmand in 2017. José Andrés holds his own impressive resumé. He is not only regarded for his work in the restaurant industry as a chef, but also as a NYT bestselling author, educator, culinary innovator, and humanitarian. He is the founder of the Think Food Group, a company responsible for 26 restaurants whose mission is to change the world through food. Each restaurant makes up a variety of culinary experiences from food trucks to world-class menus to tell their own story through food. “Each of his [ José Andrés] restaurants tell a different story, and our job is to be the messengers of that. Stories can be told through spoken word, writ-

Chef Will Fung

ten word, or our way of doing it is through food. That is our big goal here, to tell stories through food to his expectations and through his vision,” Fung continued. “For him, the company, and everyone involved, it doesn’t matter if it’s super fine dining or food coming out of a food truck, each plated dish is nourishing and should bring a sense of home when you eat it. That should translate no matter which restaurant you’re at.” Think Food Group wishes to innovate flavors and dishes while maintaining respect, authenticity, and tradition of the food. At China Chilcano, Fung aims to continue this work and share the Peruvian cuisine with the community. Over the years, he has noticed an increase in diversity in Washington D.C. in terms

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of cuisine, personnel in lead positions, and guests willing to come into these restaurants wanting to try new cuisines and experience the local talents. Peruvian cuisine, with its plentiful ingredients and techniques, grants him vast opportunities to explore and appeal to people’s taste for diverse foods. “There’s so much to work with in Peruvian cuisine, it’s more about paying homage and respect to different cooking techniques and flavors and telling the story of how that all came about. I mean you have the Amazons, the mountains, the coastline, so you have a plethora of different types of ingredients all blended into one cuisine,” Fung continued. Peru’s cuisine is similar to other cultures in that it has been shaped by immigration patterns over its

history, but unique in its distinct pattern of Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese influence. As an immigrant himself from Hong Kong, Fung knows firsthand the longing for a taste of home. He recalled his own family trying to replicate foods from home, but sometimes struggling to find the same ingredients. This may lead to replacements similar in flavor and texture. At China Chilcano, ingredients are sourced from a variety of places, but Fung specifically noted the restaurant’s relationship with Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market. The local farmers provide them with local, seasonal produce to be incorporated into their menu. In the kitchen, Fung’s personal

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BOOTH #1935

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NEWS

CHARITY

JEFF BEZOS DONATES $100 MILLION EACH TO CHEF JOSÉ ANDRÉS AND CNN CONTRIBUTOR VAN JONES

eff Bezos, the Amazon (AMZN) founder and world’s wealthiest man, said last month after flying to the edge of space that he planned to award $100 million each to Chef José Andrés and CNN contributor Van Jones. Bezos said that Andres was free to do “what he wants” with the money. He can give it all to his own charity,” Bezos said at a press conference after his trip to space. “Or they can share the wealth. It is up to them.” The money, Bezos said, was tied to a “surprise” philanthropic initiative he wanted to announce called the Courage and Civility Award.

Chef José Andrés

The award aims to honor those who have “demonstrated courage” and tried to be a unifier in a divisive world, Bezos added. “We need unifiers and not vilifiers,” Bezos said. “We need people who argue hard and act hard for what they believe. But they do that always with civility and never ad hominem attacks. Unfortunately, we live in a world where this is too often not the case. But we do have role models.” Jones, accepting the award, said that “sometimes dreams come true.” “You bet on me and I appreciate it,” Jones told Bezos, later adding that it was money for him to “give to others who have a similar spirit.” Andrés, who has poured his efforts into feeding those in need around the world, said that the award itself “cannot feed the world on its own.” Just a few days before Bezos launched into space, chef Andrés got an invite to come and watch the Texas blast-off, along with Nate Mook, the CEO of his hunger and disaster relief organization, World Central Kitchen. From a viewing tower with binoculars, they watched the world’s richest man’s 10-minute journey into the atmosphere and back. “We knew very little about the details of all of this. It was all a big surprise,” Mook says of the lead-up to the trip. “I don’t know how much in advance it had all been planned out. It all came to-

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“But can it be catalytic? Can it get more folks engaged and involved in the fight against hunger? Can it push governments to step up as well? That’s an area that José feels very passionate about.” — Nate Mook gether very last minute.” The donation will be an enormous boost for World Central Kitchen, which has gained attention for feeding freshcooked meals to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico, out-of-work federal employees during the 2019 government shutdown, and hospital workers during India’s Covid surge. Just five years ago, the organization was bringing in less than $700,000 in donations. That number has skyrocketed (no pun intended) in recent years alongside Andrés’s celebrity. In 2019, the non-profit raised nearly $30 million, and last year during the pandemic, the number exploded to around $250 million, largely through individual donations. World Central Kitchen used those funds to provide more than 35 million meals across the country last year—more than 250,000 a day at the peak of Covid—in large part by providing grants to struggling restaurants. “We put close to $150 million directly into the hands of small local restaurants,” Mook says. “Prior to the stimulus bill and the Restaurant Relief Fund being released, we were

probably the single largest stimulus to restaurants in the United States.” The additional $100 million from Bezos comes with no strings attached for how it can be spent. Andrés and World Central Kitchen are still thinking about the exact ways they’ll put the money to use—it’s been less than a week after all—but Mook says there are currently three big-picture priorities. As Andrés said in his acceptance speech: “This award itself cannot feed the world on its own, but this is the start of a new chapter for us, to allow us to think beyond the next hurricane… Now is the time to think really big.” The first goal for World Central Kitchen is figuring out more systemic solutions to addressing food insecurity and inequality, especially after disasters. “We saw families standing in line for food for hours and hours and hours,” Mook says of their pandemic relief efforts. “It was a big wake up call around the systems that need to be fixed.” Second, Andrés wants to double down on one of the original mis-

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August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 59

LEGAL INSIDER

FROM ELLENOFF GROSSMAN & SCHOLE LLP

NEW LAW REQUIRES NYC EMPLOYERS TO OFFER IRAS TO EMPLOYEES

ew York City recently passed legislation that will require all employers with five or more employees to participate in a Citysponsored retirement program (the “NYC Program”), unless the employer already offers a retirement plan to its employees (for example, a 401(k) or SIMPLE IRA plan). The NYC Program will create an individual retirement account (“IRA”) for each covered employee. Employee contributions to the IRA are funded by automatic payroll deduction from the employee’s paycheck, with a default 5% contribution rate. Employer contributions are neither required nor permitted. The five-employee threshold is determined by looking back to the previous calendar year to see if at least five employees were continuously employed during the year. All employees will be counted in deter-

Administering payroll, however, is a thankless task that may sound easy, but it is always a challenge (a challenge under tight deadlines). Adding an IRA deduction, especially for a program that is not integrated with an employer’s payroll provider/system, creates multiple opportunities for error. mining whether the five-employee threshold is met. The law makes no distinction between part-time or full-time employees or employees who are minors. While all employees are counted to determine whether the employer is covered by the law, not all employees are required to be enrolled in the NYC Program. The employer is only required to enroll employees who are age 21 or older and who are

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regularly scheduled to work at least 20 hours per week. The law’s summary noted that 40% of New Yorkers near retirement age have less than $10,000 saved for retirement. The City Council also reported that out of roughly 3.5 million private sector workers in New York City, only 41% have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan, lower than the national average (53%), and down from 49% a decade ago. As advertised, an employer’s obligations are supposed to be limited. The employer does not sponsor the retirement program or have any liability for the investment results or administration. The employer’s only duty is to enroll in the NYC Program and to deduct employee contributions from payroll and send them on to the NYC Program. Administering payroll, however, is a thankless task that may sound easy, but it is always a challenge (a challenge under tight deadlines). Adding an IRA deduction, especially for a program that is not integrated with an employer’s payroll provider/ system, creates multiple oppor-

Jonathan J. Boyles is a partner at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole, where he specializes in employee benefits and executive compensation law. Jonathan J. Boyles can be reached at JBoyles@egsllp. com or via phone at 212370-1300.

tunities for error. When you take into account that an employee can change the contribution rate or optout of participation, the employer’s bookkeeping process will become more complex. The law requires employers to remit the employee contributions to the NYC Program at the “earliest practicable date,” and presumably the failure to do so will be a violation. Employers are subject to penalties of up to $250 for each violation (with each affected employee constituting a separate violation), with second violations assessed at $500 per violation and subsequent violations assessed at $1,000 per violation. If the enforcement agency fails to respond to an employee’s complaint within four months, the employee has the right to sue the employer and recover attorneys’ fees and costs. The law also includes a record retention provision, which requires employers to maintain records demonstrating compli-

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www.ecopliant.com | info@ecopliant.com August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 61

NEWS

By Brian O’Regan

FOOD DISTRIBUTION

LEGENDARY PICCININI BROTHERS BRINGS OLD WORLD MEAT CUTTING TO METRO NEW YORK’S RESTAURANT AND FOOD SERVICE COMMUNITY

ollowing the return to in house dining in New York City, many restaurants and food service operators are looking for ways to reset their menus and use the pause to create new signature dishes. One of the ways a dish can be improved is through the use of high-quality meat. For restaurants in the New York area looking for high quality beef, chicken, lamb or duck Piccinini Brothers brings decades of expertise. The 100-year-old family owned, and operated business brings a personal touch along with their high-quality cuts of meat. “Piccinini Brothers started 100 years ago and was founded by my husband’s grandfather and his brother. It started as a retail butcher shop in the theater district, and eventually my

husband’s father took over and we became a wholesale butcher shop,” said Piccinini Brothers President Sylvie Vaccari. “Since COVID started we had to transition back to being a retail butcher, but now that restaurants are reopening, we are working as both a retailer and a wholesaler. One of the benefits of opening up our business for retail is that we expanded our delivery capabilities out to the Hamptons and up to Westchester, and we are now planning to expand our wholesale capabilities out to those areas as well.” Beyond the expertise of an experienced butcher, Piccinini Brothers offers their customers a wide variety of high-quality meats to choose from. “One of the nice parts of having created a retail space in our building is having the ability for a

Hand cut Tomahawk Steaks from Piccinini Brothers, USDA Prime, hormone-free, antibioticfree and humanely-raised.

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“We answer questions about the importance of different cuts of meat, how to prepare certain cuts and we even help restaurants find cheaper alternatives while still providing high quality meat.” — Paul Vaccari customer to come in and talk to one of our butchers about how we can meet their needs,” said Vaccari. “We offer beef, lamb, duck, chicken, anything except for fish. We even carry bison and venison; you name it we have it.” For those who question the benefits of using a local butcher compared to a larger broad liner, Vaccari has the answer. “We really work hand in hand with our restaurants. They ask us questions all the time, we source products for them and with a careful eye on pricing,” said Vaccari. Another answer to this same question came from Piccinini Brothers CEO Paul Vaccari. “We answer questions about the importance of different cuts of meat, how to prepare certain cuts and we even help restaurants find cheaper alternatives while still providing high quality meat. Additionally, we help restaurants by sending samples and really by interacting with them on a personal level,” said Paul Vaccari. “Compared to a large broad liner, we are more flexible, we are USDA certified, and we can portion and prepare a restaurant or food service operator’s order

to their exact specifications. One of the benefits that we supply our customers is that we can offer all of these services a lot quicker than say a larger company. Being in Manhattan gives us an advantage in that we are near our customers, and we can get an order out to them quickly and precisely.” For the restaurant owners or food service operators that question if dealing with a butcher like Piccinini Brothers would impact their menu quality and consistency, Sylvie Vaccari has an answer. “We believe in giving our customers options when it comes to picking their choices of meat,” said Vaccari. “We feel that if you have a talented culinary team, we can give them the tools to consistently execute a menu is going to be really special and keep/ customers coming back. Our goal and our reputation is that we provide high quality cuts of meat to our customers so that they can prepare the best possible dish every time.” For those interested in contacting Piccinini Brothers more information can be found online at https:// piccininibros.com/, by emailing info@piccininibros.com, or by calling (212) 246-8277.

August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 63

by Claudia Giunta

CHEFCETERA

SIVERSEN SET TO EXPAND PORTFOLIO WITH NEW LIVINGSTON (NJ) EATERY

fter months of closed doors and quiet streets, Metro New York is quickly coming back to life as more individuals get vaccinated and restaurants are able to welcome guests at full capacity. Among those restaurants that chose to permanently close during Covid was Chef Chris Siversen’s Maritime Parc restaurant. After being closed and reflecting on the challenges the food industry had to overcome during the last year, Siversen offers insightful thoughts on the future of the NY food scene with more people working from their own homes. Like many other businesses at the start of the pandemic, Siversen was unsure about what would happen to the future of his career. “I had to come to an appreciation for what I have done and where I currently was with my career. However, as an owner I knew the responsibility I had and the amount of people who were depending on me. My employees relied on me to fund their mortgages, car payments, and schooling for their children.” Siversen chose to remain closed instead of relying on take-out and delivery. With PPP funding, he thought it was best to open his doors again when they would be able to break even. Looking to the future, Siversen’s team knew they needed cashflow so once indoor dining reopened they were able to re-

open Maritime Parc. “Luckily, we did not face challenges with our lease. Because the state owns the property, we ease directly from the marina. When Covid hit, they were able to work with us and come up with a solution. I don’t think anyone in the industry wanted to see a business fail, so having this trusting and supportive relationship was something we could rely on,” shared Siversen. In order to successfully reopen and remind customers of Martime’s brand, they reintroduced all of their greatest hit dishes among the past 11 years they have been open. “Our goal was to let customers remember who we are and what we have to offer. Once more people walk through our doors Chef Chris Siversen and have a memorable experience, we want to get creative with of warmth and comfort at his restauthe menu again.” rants. “Without a doubt, outdoor dinNot surprisingly, outdoor dining has ing is here to stay.” been off the charts, and in fact, maybe The success of Siversen’s company people wanted to dine outside regardprior to the pandemic, proved to be less of the weather just to have a great fortunate in the company taking off meal. “Even if it was cold or drizzling I again once they reopened doors and saw people happy to be outside. It was started conducting business now that a sense of normalcy for them just to be vaccine numbers are increasing. Siserved a meal and waited on.” In welversen has reintroduced his catering coming the outdoor dining scene, Sibusiness, which is already booked out versen got as many heat lamps as necto 2023. “It’s interesting to note the two essary and also installed real-wood drastic sides of our clients interested fire pits, whose smell gives off a sense in catering now. Some want to keep it small and intimate, while others want grand buffets and extravagant celebrations. I think because those larger celebrations, such as weddings, bar mitzvahs, and anniversaries were put on pause during the pandemic, clients want the celebrations even bigger and more lavish than ever before.” Siversen is set to open a restaurant in Livingston called The Feather Fox

“Our goal was to let customers remember who we are and what we have to offer. Once more people walk through our doors and have a memorable experience, we want to get creative with the menu again.” — Chris Siversen 64 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

and couldn’t ask for a better time to do so. When working for the Glazier Group years ago, the company owned Striphouse Steakhouse in the Westminister Hotel. “They left their lease in 2016 and the hotel wasn’t able to run it independently, so they reached out to my team to help create the brand.” The steakhouse-based menu will also include a sushi and raw bar menu, extensive wine list, and bar food bites. To create the wine offering list, Siversen worked with Fedway, AP Wine, and Michael Skurnik Wines. “In terms of design I brought in Christian Arkay-Leliever to help create the royal English country atmosphere I was going for. We completed a seminar together on how a chef and designer should work together and we have worked side by side since. Once again, we were able to collaborate with Marc Celli and the JC Furniture team to execute Christian’s magnificent design.” With people working from home during the pandemic and even now because they learned they can, Siversen believes suburban dining will definitely take on a different look. “New York chefs are dipping their toes outside of the city because it’s becoming unsustainable to build a restaurant and stay afloat. In the suburbs, the financial picture changes drastically. Many people who come to work in the city live in the suburbs anyway, so I think the food scene in the suburbs is sure to take off.” While the RRF funds have run out, Siversen strongly believes that a bill will be passed for more funding so that the food industry will increasingly regain its strength and be able to cater to its guests’ needs and wants.

August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 65

RESTAURANT EXPERT

WITH DAVID SCOTT PETERS

RESTAURANT LABOR COST 101

estaurant labor cost 101 is a plan for any restaurant owner who wants to solve the end-of-the-week panic when you check your labor cost on your POS system and see that it’s too high, so you whip yourself into a panic and start cutting staff on your two busiest days. The problem with this reactive approach is you’re setting yourself up for long ticket times and bad service, two of any restaurant’s biggest fears. Following restaurant labor cost 101 principles will also help you navigate the tricky labor shortage and save as much money as possible in a near-impossible situation. To fix the most common mistakes made in managing restaurant labor, learn and follow restaurant labor cost 101. First, you must use a budget and understand prime cost. If you need to learn about budgeting or prime cost, I have a lot of free

Following restaurant labor cost 101 principles will also help you navigate the tricky labor shortage and save as much money as possible in a near-impossible situation. resources for you. Make sure you check out my YouTube channel and search for the many videos on prime cost and budgeting because it’s critical. Why is it so important? Your budget is your plan up for success. You set your labor targets understanding where your cost of goods sold and labor is going to be based on where you’re located and more. To schedule properly, to grab the right labor target, you must have a budget. One quick note is when you’re busy, your labor target will be lower than when you’re slow. It will be higher because your salaried managers chew up so much money, and you have these things called

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minimum staffing levels versus maximum staffing levels, or efficiencies, when suddenly you couldn’t add another cook to the line, and your customers are managing your efficiencies because your customers are on an hour wait. Understanding budget and where your prime cost should be is number one. Number two, schedule based on that budget. All too often you bring people to meet this idea that to offer great service you must have a lot of people around to offer that service. I’m sure you’ve noticed when you have more staff than you have customers, they’re too busy flirting with each other to pay attention to the guests. That’s when your bad Yelp reviews happen. To solve this, I teach my coaching program members to use a system called the Restaurant Payroll Guardian. It tells your managers how many hours and dollars they have to spend to go into the week on budget instead of bringing people in praying you’re busy and then sending them home when you’re slow but it’s already too late. If you already had three slow hours and then start cutting people, you’ve already blown your labor budget. Instead, you’re going to tell your chef they have 350 hours they can schedule in the kitchen based on the budget. If you’ve been doing that thing where you just copy last week’s schedule, let’s say you have 364 hours scheduled. If you follow

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.

the budgeted 350 hours, that means you must cut those extra 14 hours. Your chef or kitchen manager is going to freak out on you when you tell them that. But little by little, if you cut a team by 15 minutes each day rather than two whole shifts, you can get there. For example, bring in four cooks 15 minutes later in the morning and the evening for seven days, and that gets you there. And finally, number three, track your running labor cost percentage and your daily hours. Your POS systems should tell you your labor cost by day and your running total. But remember step one when I said, hey, you’re going to have a labor budget? Labor cost percentage for the month may be higher or lower depending on that month. That translates to scheduling the hours you have in step two, which means you’re going to set up your schedule based on the needs of the business. This may mean you have a higher labor cost on a Monday versus a Friday because over the weekend you had your butt handed to you and now you have all this prep to do going into the week. Based on production, you’re going to have a

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NEWS

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RIGIE LED BOARD FORGES NEW VISION FOR NYC NIGHTLIFE

mong the priorities of New York City reopening, is the creating of a roadmap to spur the return of nightlife. Once again, Andrew Rigie of the NYC Hospitality Alliance with his membership including counsel Robert Bookman, bar owner David Rosen have stepped forward to help create that new vision. Late last month the Nightlife Advisory Board (NAB), an independent body established by local law, chaired by NYC Hospitality Alliance’s Rigie and board members, teamed with bar owner David Rosen, and advocates representing nightlife establishments, workers, community boards, the creative community, LGBTQIA+ activists, and others, appointed to advise the Mayor and City Council on issues affecting the nightlife industry took the next step.

The NAB released its report and recommendations critical to the future of New York’s nightlife sector and the neighborhoods that make up the economic, social, and cultural backbone of the city. NAB developed and intended to release this report at the beginning of 2020, then Covid-19 struck and put its release on pause. “We will now submit our recommendations now to the Mayor and City Council as required by law, hoping that the report will inform our city’s pandemic recovery as it relates to our nightlife and the many matters that existed pre-pandemic, and that will continue to impact the sector if not addressed,” Rigie explained. The roadmap offers 15 recommendations for how to support the industry’s businesses, workforce, owners, patrons, performers, and

68 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

“It also tackles the often overlooked basics of closing times and sound /noise that are often the challenges for the relationship between nightlife and their neighborhoods.” — Andrew Rigie communities into the future, including: Equitable Regulation, Incentivizing Cultural Nightlife in New Development, Permitting Free Expression of Dance, Fair Treatment of Artists and Performers, LGBTQ Safe Spaces, Better Nightlife and Community Integration, Anti-Sexual Assault Training, and more. Among the highlights of the 15-point plan are: creating a 311 system that does more than just point fingers and can create resolution

for both the operator and neighborhood to win. The plan also suggests the City take the lead in helping operators find affordable space. It also outlined a structure approach to the protection of employees from sexual harassment. It also tackles the antiquated laws that relate to dancing. The NAB report also pointed to the importance of compensating nightlife performers properly. “It also tackles the often overlooked basics of closing times and sound /noise that are often the challenges for the relationship between nightlife and their neighborhoods,” Rigie noted. The appointed members of the Nightlife Advisory Board included a wide diversity of industry professionals: Rigie (Chairperson) and Bookman, Olympia Kazi (Vice Chairperson), Susan Xenarios (Secretary), José Francisco Ávila, Kurtis Blow, Marti Gould Cummings, Alvester Garnett, Pedro Goico, DJ Tikka Masala, Mitch Nowicki, Andrew Praschak, David Rosen, Allen Roskoff, Luisa F. Torres, and Susan Stetzer. “The City’s nightlife is a living, breathing and ever-evolving entity that is vital to our City’s cultural fabric and local economy, as it impacts New Yorkers, communities, and visitors in meaningful and unique ways,” Rigie concluded.

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August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 69

NEWS

RESTAURANT OPERATIONS

WINE & DINE: ADDING A FOODSERVICE PROGRAM TO YOUR WINERY T here is nothing quite like a refreshing glass of your favorite wine combined with delicious food. Whether it is a robust red, a crisp white or a bubbly rosé, we believe all wines can benefit from being paired with mouthwatering menu options. We also believe it is vital for winery owners and operators to have a solid plan when adding a foodservice program to their business. Everything from what food to serve, to the available kitchen space needs to be considered. Deciding on your menu options should be a forefront in your plan to add a foodservice program. The items you offer should coincide with the overall experience or atmosphere you are trying to provide for

your guests. If you are looking to establish more of a laidback-luxe vibe, appetizer options like Prosciutto & Fig Flatbreads or Strawberry & Brie Quesadillas might be just what you need. Or maybe you want to really WOW your winery patrons with some fancier fare. Salmon en Croute or Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin are sure to make jaws drop! We could go on and on about food, but there is more to take into consideration. So, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, MONEY! Now, more than ever, businesses need to be aware of their spending and make sure their earnings are going towards the proper investments. Kitchen equipment can be expensive, but if you do your research, you will find there are affordable

options. When it comes to commercial ovens and fryers the real bank breakers are the mandatory hoods or ventilation systems that come with them. These systems not only take up a large amount of space but can cost up to $30,000.00. That is not even including the regular service and maintenance they require. Ventless options like the AutoFry® or the MultiChef™ include built in air filtration systems and are great for wineries looking to avoid those crazy high costs of traditional open

fryers and convection ovens. Like we always say, No Hoods? No Vents? No Problem! Now, you may be wondering if you need to hire a qualified chef or cook to implement your foodservice program. The MultiChef and AutoFry are so simple to use they can be operated by any employee with little training required. With just the press of a few buttons, your winery will be serving up fantastic fare in no time!

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August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 71

NEWS

SCHOLARSHIPS

LES DAMES D’ESCOFFIER NEW YORK PASSES $2 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS WITH 2021 AWARDS

es Dames d’Escoffier New York is set to award $79,000 in scholarships to 16 dynamic women pursuing hospitality degrees who are committed to progress and philanthropy, including feeding the disenfranchised; sustainable food systems; racial justice; and breaking gender barriers. More than two million dollars ($2MM) has been awarded since the inception of Les Dames d’Escoffier’s scholarship program in 1977. The scholarship awards were formally presented during a virtual ceremony open late last month, featuring keynote speaker Chef/ Restaurateur and Dame Melissa Rodriguez. “Advancing and supporting women who are future leaders poised to make a difference in our industries—

and in the world at large—is at the core of Les Dames d’Escoffier,” says Co-President Jennifer O’Flanagan. Co-President Jenifer Lang notes, “It is exciting to envision the positive impact recipients will have, and to know our annual scholarship gets them closer to actualizing this makes us especially grateful for every contribution.” The recently introduced L’Etoile Scholarship, now in its second year, is the largest scholarship ($20,000) LDNY grants; it is awarded to a recipient who shines bright in the culinary industry. This year’s L’Etoile Scholarship Award recipient Patricia Moran, a Culinary Institute of America Culinary Sciences student, has a career goal of opening a café and community center that offers services, resources and workshops, with a sustainable farm

72 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

“Advancing and supporting women who are future leaders poised to make a difference in our industries—and in the world at large— is at the core of Les Dames d’Escoffier.” — Jennifer O’Flanagan on premises. In addition, a new LDNY Carol Brock Scholarship will be given in memory and honor of the organization’s founder. Carol Brock (19242020) founded Les Dames d’Escoffier in 1976 to empower women in the food, beverage and hospitality industries, filling a void in the maledominated fields. Through her leadership, the organization identified scholarships, educational programs and networking opportunities as tools to break through bias-based professional barriers. The LDNY Carol Brock Scholarship recipient Javonne Alonzo, a New York University M.A. Food Studies candidate, is set to do this by developing programming to bring Black culinary history into the curriculum of more colleges. In partnership with LDNY, culinary, pastry, and hospitality scholarships are given by Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). The lineup of 2021 Les Dames d’Escoffier scholarship award recipients include: Alych Padro (CIA), The Abigail Kirsch & Alison Awerbuch Scholarship · Maddalena Ahl

(CIA), Chantel Hightower (CIA), and Amanda Scoca (CIA), The Margaret and Darby Perry Scholarship · Melissa Ruiz Diaz (Kingsborough College), Culinary Advancement Scholarship · Christina Rivara (Cornell), Hospitality Management Scholarship · Naomii Tringali, International Wine Center · Lucy Feng Wu, (City Tech-CUNY), Hospitality Management Scholarship · Kristyna Zappasodi (Montclair State University), LDNY Nutrition Scholarship · Dalila Barillas (ICE), Hospitality Management Scholarship · Quilla Chelsea Gamarra (ICE), Baking & Pastry Arts Scholarship · Madeline Osovski, CIA In-Kind Scholarship · Nkaassaa Rochelle Render (ICE), Culinary Arts Scholarship · Mackenzie Matheson, C-CAP Scholarship LDNY is the founding and largest chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI), an experienced 501c3 non-profit organization. LDNY’s vision is guided by three objectives: Education, Advocacy and Philanthropy. LDNY ‘s mission is to advance and support aspiring professional women in food and beverage, and champion critical industry issues.

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August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 73

PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS

WITH DAY & NITE/ALL SERVICE’S MIKE BERMAN

HOSPITALITY’S SMOKEY BEAR T he recently released bipartisan joint Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Government Affairs/Committee on Rules & Administration thorough examination of the January 6th Capitol Hill riot is required reading for anyone determined to apply lessons of history for preventing disruptions in any endeavor. For nearly 80 years Smokey Bear has pleaded and warned “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires”, yet wildfires—now more often bigger, more dangerous and uncontrollable— persist. While Covid-19, its variants or other deadly pathogens may be out of foodservice’s immediate sight in recent weeks, we cannot let it also become out of mind. The recent fast moving coronavirus outbreak at a Manatee County FL government

building adding 2 more deaths to Covid-19’s toll serves as a stark reminder of how fragile return to coronavirus-free normalcy is. World Health Organization’s Assistant Director-General Mariangela Simao’s continued guidance that avoiding crowded spaces, continued social distancing and wearing masks is certainly not anything close to what hospitality has in mind for fully coming back and staying on a fully normal upswing, especially because she isn’t excluding the vaccinated. Considering the rapid and still not fully determined spread of delta Covid and the growing probability other variants are either already emerging or are forming, only YOU can prevent further restrictions by placing urgent premium on indoor environmental quality. As cases begin to decline, the attention and focus on patron safety

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is paradigm – and it is the job of any restaurant, hotel, stadium etc to ensure the safety of those inside. If the structural supports of a venue were to give way, would the gross neglect find no one liable? If a fire is traced to a campsite, would Smokey Bear hold you liable? In efforts to learn and not repeat the same mistakes that systematically shut down our economy in just a few weeks, let us be prepared. With variants inevitable and the general public relaxing their precautionary measured, the only true form of protection for indoor air quality concerns points to proven technology. Of all the available indoor environmental quality technologies, AtmosAir bi-polar ionization has proven to be one of the more costeffective and efficient solutions. Neutralizing particulates at the source and in the space, validated by independent lab tests and thirdparty studies with over 7,500 installations, positive and negative air ions actively seek out and destroy pollutants. AtmosAir dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) bi-polar air ionization is one additional layer of protection for another foodservice ailment: lower energy expenses by creating greater HVAC performance. Indeed, Smokey only wished he had something as economical and powerful for combatting wildfires as hospitality has at its disposal in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) bi-polar air ionization to deliver a higher level of indoor environmental quality. Smart use of sophisticated technology takes on greater dimensions in light of a recent study suggesting East Asia— Covid-19’s home base—was ground zero for a similar outbreak 20,000 years ago. Everreplicating viruses are, if nothing

Mike Berman is the Chief Operating Officer of New Hyde Park, NY based Day & Nite/All Service. The veteran executive joined the service leader in 2016. He has held leadership positions in his career across a range of business-to-business service sector. Prior to joining Day & Nite he served as Chief Operating Officer of Outside Ventures, LLC, the parent company for several B2B service businesses with a particular concentration in merchant services. As Director and Chief Operating Officer of Meridian Capital Group LLC, he overhauled the corporate structure and enabled the company to achieve a 2006 run rate in excess of $30 billion.

else, persistent and the escalating volume of deadly diseases at more rapid rates—MERS, SARS, Ebola, coronavirus topping the list—further reinforce why now is the time to build the greatest immediate, most resilient fortifications against the many dangers in our midst. Day & Nite Performance Solutions highly researched, engineered and integrated suite of indoor environmental and food safety products and services have been curated expressly for foodservice. Developed as an extension of the Day & Nite family of companies well-established commercial HVAC, Refrigeration, Cooking and Plumbing installation – maintenance – repair market leadership, all hospitality industry segments can get more consistently favorable, comprehensive service with more favorable economies of scale by taking fullest advantage of the company’s unparalleled breadth and depth. In fact, with Day & Nite Only YOU needn’t burden the awesome responsibility alone. Email jbf@ wearetheone.com to ensure the best of US.

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INSIDER NEWS FROM THE FOODSERVICE + HOSPITALITY SCENE

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

LONG ISLAND REAL ESTATE DUO LAUNCHES HAMPTONS 2022 SEASON WITH EXCLUSIVE LISTING

The dining area at the latest commerical listing in East Hampton, NY from Hal Zwick and Jeffrey Sztorc

SCOOP heard that the Compass Realty duo of Hal Zwick and Jeffrey Sztorc have had a busy summer guiding the return of the restaurant industry in the Hamptons. Their vision includes a look ahead towards 2022. With that Zwick and Sztorc have the exclusive listing on the sale of a truly rare waterfront restaurant property in East Hampton. The space is currently home to the Harbor Bistro and the duo hopes to have new owners in place in September/ October with an eye towards next summer. As with so many of the Zwick/Sztorc Hamptons listings, the space belongs in a postcard. It overlooks Maidstone Marina and facing West, the property has stunning views of sunsets over Three Mile Harbor and beyond. At the top of the list of potential for the property is the return of special events and catering. The facility comes with 4.3 acres that are spectacular with rolling lawns and gardens. Zwick’s vision includes the potential for upgraded landscaping with open land that allows tented events on the grounds. The restaurant building has an expansive bar, 76 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

indoor dining room with 165 seats, and a full basement for storage. The building additionally boosts a massive indoor/outdoor dining room with roll up marine glass windows and walls. As with most Zwick/Sztorc listings, this opportunity comes with a kitchen that is ready to go. It is among one of the largest commercial kitchens in the Hamptons. There is also wet use with approval for full septic. The amount of space both in the kitchen and entertaining areas is larger than most comparable sites. With the amazing lawn space overlooking the water and large restaurant building, this property is truly in its own league. With the Pandemic almost behind us, the Hamptons restaurant scene offers the right operator more opportunity than ever.

ARAMARK TEAMS WITH TRAVELERS TO CREATE INNOVATIVE FAN EXPERIENCE

ally identifies food and beverage items from virtually any angle and instantly rings them up in a single transaction — with zero need for customers to look for and scan barcodes. Fans simply place goods and items on the Mashgin kiosk’s tray and complete the transaction using the digital payment of their choice. “I love sports, and I hate waiting in line,” says Jack Hogan, Vice President of Partnerships at Mashgin. “Together with Aramark, we’re transforming the overall concession experience at the Travelers Championship and shaping the future of how fans can enjoy one of the best parts of being at an event – the food.” Aramark proudly serves the world’s leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, prominent healthcare providers, iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous municipalities in 19 countries around the world with food, facilities, and uniform services.

WILL ROBOTS MAKE HEALTHY FAST FOOD ACCESSIBLE? BLENDID SAYS YES! SCOOP heard that Sunnyvale-based Blendid is on a mission to revolutionize the future of food service and has created a proprietary food automation platform (foodOS™) to efficiently and

There may have been plenty of tension as PGA golfers Harris English and Kramer Hickok battled continued on page 78 into the night through 8 playoff holes to determine a champion. However with the vision of Aramark, leading food and beverage partner of the 2021 Travelers Championship, tournament fans enjoyed nothing but smooth sailing as they enjoyed a dazzling array of delectable concessions. With Ed Howard at the helm of the Aramark/Travelers team, there is a a constant goal of maximizing the customer experience. With that in mind, Aramark partnered with Mashgin, the world’s fastest, self-checkout system, to safely bring golf fans back to the action with a touchless innovation that allow them to pay for concessions. By lever(L to R) Top foodservice executives at Travelers ‘21 included Sushi Do’s Thant Lin, Andy Mazzella, Matt Sher of Day & Nite, Bill Chodin, Travelers’ Ed Howard, aging AI-powered computer Bob Doland of Jacobs Dolan Beer, Singer’s Marc Fuchs and Ken O’Brien vision, Mashgin’s system visu-

S P E C TAC U L A R H A M P TO N S R E STAU R A N T O P P O RT U N I T I E S East Hampton, New York A truly rare waterfront restaurant property in East Hampton is now available for a new owner. Overlooking Maidstone Marina and facing West, the property has stunning views of sunsets over Three Mile Harbor and beyond. Spanning 4.3 waterfront acres the grounds are spectacular with rolling lawns and garden space which could be newly landscaped as incredible lounge/event spaces. The restaurant building has an expansive bar, indoor dining room, large commercial kitchen and a full basement for storage. The building additionally boasts a massive indoor/ outdoor dining room with roll up marine glass windows and walls. A truly special set up for a food service group offering 165 legal seats. The amount of space both in the kitchen and entertaining areas is larger than most comparable sites. With the amazing lawn space overlooking the water and large restaurant building, this property is truly in its own league! Inquire for additional information and availability.

Montauk, New York Casual, Chic & Understated Elegance. Totally renovated in 2016, this restaurant building is one of the few sites on the East End that stands out as a truly outstanding dining establishment. Spacious and professionally designed, the finishes and attention to detail are second to none. 5,400 square feet of ground level space which includes 125 seats and 40 seats on the outdoor patio. Stunning folding glass walls connect the indoor space to the outdoor grounds. There is also a second bar outside where customers gather. A tremendous state of the art kitchen complements the dining room allowing for on-premise service as well as off-site catering. The .6/acre property includes a dedicated parking lot. A one of a kind Hamptons eatery is now ready for the next operator to bring their own concept to life! Inquire for additional information.

Hal Zwick

Jeffrey Sztorc

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson hal.zwick@compass.com 631.678.2460

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson jeffrey.sztorc@compass.com 631.903.5022

@hamptonscommercialre

| hamptonscommercialre.com

Hal Zwick, Jeffrey Sztorc, Licensed Real Estate Salespersons. Real estate agents affiliated with Compass are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Compass. Equal Housing Opportunity. Compass is a licensed real estate broker located at 90 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Fl. NY, NY 10011. All information furnished regarding property for sale or rent or regarding financing is from sources deemed reliable, but Compass makes no warranty or representation as to the accuracy thereof. All property information is presented subject to errors, omissions, price changes, changed property conditions, and withdrawal of the property from the market, without notice. To reach the Compass main office call 212.913.9058.

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safely prepare and serve a range of healthy, fresh, and delicious food. Blendid’s first concept in the market is an autonomous and contactless robotic kiosk that uses robotics, machine vision, artificial intelligence, and healthy ingredients to create delicious smoothies. The drinks are ordered from the contactless safety of a cell phone and customized to meet the unique health and dietary prefer-

ences of each consumer. Blendid was founded in 2015 by Vipin Jain, Venki Ayalur, and Vijay Dodd, seasoned Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. As a pioneer of the future of food service, Blendid is improving the consumer experience by offering safe, cost-effective, and personalized food on-demand, while also reducing complexities and costs for the operators. Starting with whole fruits and vegetables, Blendid creates a tasty, healthy, touchless, affordable, and convenient meal or snack for the consumer – exactly how and when they want it. Blendid’s field-tested and patented food automation solutions has been operating at over 99% uptime with world-class partners such as Walmart and Jamba. For more information visit www.blendid.com.

SPECIALTY FOOD ASSOCIATION’S INFINITE AISLE GROWS ALMOST 400% SINCE JANUARY 2021 LAUNCH Vipin Jain, CEO and Co-founder, Blendid

SCOOP learned that Infinite Aisle, an online transactional Specialty Food Association market-

place, has expanded by nearly 400% in maker participation since its launch. Powered by Specialty Food Partners, which operates the marketplace, the free member benefit was part of several digital initiatives implemented by the SFA to support both its members and the continued growth of the $170.4 billion specialty food industry. In addition to DPI Specialty Foods, distributors Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), Chex Finer Foods, C&S Davidson, MDI, and Associated Grocers of Baton Rouge have signed on with Infinite Aisle. Together, along with a number of other large distributors being set up on the platform, they will soon provide SFA maker members access to more than 20,000 retailers. Additionally, Sysco’s Supplies on the Fly unit will also be offering Infi-

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Scotsman’s Prodigy Plus ice machine features make having a safe and healthy environment effortless AUTOALERT INDICATOR LIGHTS Easily visible LED lights provide key information without the need to touch / remove panels.

ANTIMICROBIAL PROTECTION Built-in AgION® components help inhibit the growth of microbes, bacteria, mold and algae.

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ONE-TOUCH CLEANING Our Prodigy Plus Cuber one-touch cleaning system makes preventative maintenance simple and efficient.

XSAFE™ SANITATION SYSTEM An optional sanitation system that circulates cold oxygen plasma inside of the machine to help sanitize the air and surrounding surfaces.

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nite Aisle products to all Sysco customers. “The advent of Infinite Aisle, especially during such an unpredictable time, has really been a bright spot for our members,” said Bill Lynch, president, SFA. “Facilitating connections and creating opportunities in the specialty food industry is part of our mission, so this tremendous growth in the program tells us we are on the right path.” Fancy Food Show 2021 + Fancy Food 24/7, a hybrid event, will have Infinite Aisle fully integrated. Fancy Food Show 2021 will run September 27-29 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, and Fancy Food 24/7 will run September 27 through October 8.

NEXTBITE TURNS UP THE HEAT WITH IRON CHEF WINNER JEFF HASKELL JOINING ITS WORLD-CLASS CULINARY TEAM SCOOP discovered that Jeff Haskell, Iron Chef winner and renowned New York City chef, has relocated to Denver joining Nextbite as Culinary Director. Haskell will lead menu development as the company expands with innovative new concepts for its thousands of restaurant partners across the country. Nextbite is the only virtual restaurant company that combines restaurant and technology expertise to help restaurants be more successful in the fast-growing off-premise dining model. In his new role, he will be overseeing Nextbite’s current brands and spearhead the creation of new menus using innovative ingredients and recipes that give traditional foods an edge and are optimized for delivery. Prior to Nextbite, he worked in New York City as Culinary Director for IGC Hospitality, a chain of boutique hotels; was Execu-

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REGRAINED RECEIVES FIRST UPCYCLED FOOD CERTIFICATION SCOOP heard that ReGrained’s SuperGrain flour is the first ingredient to receive the Upcyled Food Certification, developed by the Upcycled Food Association. According to ReGrained, the U.S. generates over 20 billion pounds of brewers’ spent grains each year. The company takes this food waste and develops it into a flour that delivers a minimum of 3.5 times the fiber and two times the protein of whole grain flours.

Nextbite’s superstar culinary team includes (L-R) Iron Chef winner Jeff Haskell, Liz Moskow, Daniel Carpenter

tive Chef for City Winery; and served as Executive Chef for Big Time Restaurant Group. Haskell won Iron Chef in 2012 as sous chef along with Jesse Schenker and was trained at the Culinary Institute of America. “I’m thrilled to join Nextbite, with its winning combination of delicious menu items and technology that enables restaurants to thrive during these challenging times,” said Haskell. “We’re developing great tasting menu items that will drive consumer demand, but are also designed to be easy to prepare. We thoroughly test menus out in our Test Kitchen for quality of flavor and to optimize for delivery-only, and then carefully select the best new menu items for our restaurant partners.” Currently, Nextbite has a brand portfolio that includes 10 house-brand virtual restaurants and two celebrity-branded menu options. The company has aggressive plans to double the number of menus offered to its restaurant partners by the end of the year.

“We are honored to achieve the first upcycled ingredient certification, and are excited to support our partners in developing certifiable finished products,” said Dan Kurzrock, ReGrained CEO, in a statement. “Nearly 35% of the world’s food is lost or wasted, which generates 8% of greenhouse gas emissions and poorly uses our planet’s precious resources. Bringing tasty and nutritious upcycled foods to every aisle of the grocery store combats this global issue. ReGrained has been leading the way since we baked our first loaf of upcycled bread in 2011.” The third-party certified program lays out a

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DO YOU HAVE ALL THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED FOR RE-OPENING?

609-642-8389 | sales@nbrequipment.com | nbrequipment.com 10 Abeel Road, Cranbury, NJ 08512 August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 81

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INSIDER NEWS, from page 80

rigorous set of rules establishing definitions for upcycled ingredients and products, providing a framework for companies to create, and communicate the impact of, upcycled foods, according to the Upcycled Food Association. “Finally, companies can help mitigate food waste by participating in a straightforward, powerful program that turns food waste into new products and ingredients,” said UFA co-founder and CEO Turner Wyatt, in a statement. “Cutting food waste is the single-most effective thing people can do to address climate change. And today, thanks to the roll-out of this set of clear, uniform standards and protocols, reducing food waste becomes much easier. It’s an innovative approach because it’s the first consumer product-based solution, making it highly scalable and economically sustainable.”

WORCESTER INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS NEWEST SHORTENING SHUTTLE WASTE OIL CARRIER MEETS TODAY’S TRENDS: MAINTENANCE! SCOOP knows that transporting hot waste cooking oil for disposal remains one of a commercial kitchens most dangerous and yet critical

jobs. Emptying Countertop fryers could be an opportunity for spilled hot oil: both dramatic and costly. This job puts kitchen owners/operators at significant financial risk. Worcester Industrial Products NEW SS-645 ‘Mini Pump Simplicity Series “Shortening Shuttle®” Waste Oil Carrier is a safe and effective disposal technology. With its small footprint, and easy to operate manual pump, it’s a “fill it, roll it, pump it” solution, minimizing the employee’s exposure to hot liquid, and making quick work of a very dirty, risky job. Simplicity in its design makes the NEW SS645 ‘Mini the perfect companion to today’s newly designed countertop fryers and disposal devices. The SS-645 ‘Mini Pump Simplicity Model joins a family of 6 other Shortening Shuttle® Waste Oil Carriers, including a large capacity manual pump, designed to solve disposal challenges, no matter the need. Variables such as fryer drain and/ or waste collection container height can easily be addressed. For more information visit www. Shortening-Shuttle.com, or call 1-800-533-5711.

FOODTECH SCALE-UP DELIVERECT LAUNCHES “HIDDEN GEMS” CONTEST TO SUPPORT SMB RESTAURANTS SCOOP heard that Deliverect, a scale-up that connects UberEats, Deliveroo and more delivery companies directly to restaurants by POS system automation, has launched its “Hidden Gems” contest to further help the global food and hospitality industry. Following a year that saw a food

delivery boom in response to the pandemic, Deliverect is continuing to support the restaurants we all know and love by welcoming its SMB customers to submit their online ordering “hidden gem” menu item. The winner will receive prize money plus 1-year’s free Deliverect services, and an additional sum of funds will be divided and awarded to runner-up’s, special categories, and honorable mention entries. To participate in the contest, Deliverect SMB restaurants can upload a photo of their hidden gem to the contest voting site: https://deliverect-gems.us.launchpad6. com/hiddengems/upload-entry along with a description of the dish. The deadline is August 22 and voting will be open to the public from July 21 to September 5. For more information on the Hidden Gems contest, visit https://www.deliverect.com/en/gems.

SQUADLE INTRODUCES FOOD SAFETY PLATFORM FOR GROCERY SCOOP heard that Squadle, a workflow automation company that enables multi-unit operators to simplify complex operations and streamline food safety, announced Squadle for Grocery, an industry-specific offering that helps stores expand their prepared meals and takeout business. Squadle for Grocery delivers operational consistency across each store, with food waste tracking, equipment calibration, and temperature management. Learn more at www.squadle.com.

K-12 BY ELIOR RECOGNIZED AS A CIVIC 50 GREATER PHILADELPHIA HONOREE SCOOP learned that K-12 by Elior was recognized as a 2021 Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia Honoree. Sponsored by the Philadelphia Foundation and Points of Light foundation, the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia honors companies throughout the region that have exemplified community values and fostered positive social change. The 2021 honorees were selected based on their exceptional engagement with the four dimensions of the Civic 50 community program: investment of resources, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies and

Worcester Industrial Products’ Shortening Shuttle Waste Oil Carrier being demonstrated

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continued on page 84

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systems, and impact measurement. Throughout the pandemic, K-12 by Elior has maintained its commitment to strengthening the relationships between students and the nutritious meals that incite their educational success. By providing unwavering support to the Philadelphia region through emergency feeding programs and other community initiatives, K-12 by Elior accepted the Civic 50 honor and continues making a difference with great meals.

Roughly six months after the closure of her historic West Village restaurant the Beatrice Inn, chef Angie Mar has debuted Les Trois Chevaux next door. Restaurateur Edwin Montoya of Appétit Bistro in Port Chester, NY, has opened his second loca-

What began as a local food truck phenomenon based out of the coastal community of Norwalk, CT, LobsterCraft has morphed into a thriving brick and mortar restaurant group, offering their over-the-top hot and buttery lobster rolls to hungry consumers looking for their next lobster roll fix. Now open in Greenwich, with plans to open in Fairfield and West Hartford.

NEW OPENINGS Aliyyah Baylor, CEO, Make My Cake opened her latest location on the legendary 125th Street in Harlem. Make My Cake received an official proclamation from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer as “Make My Cake” Day on June 19. The award-winning and critically-acclaimed Harlem Shake will open a new location in Brooklyn, NY. The 1,300 square feet, fast-casual restaurant will bring their love of Harlem and diner culture celebrated at their eight-year-old flagship location to Fifth Avenue at Sterling Place.

tion on Washington Street in South Norwalk, CT. Chef/Co-owner Ismael Carias, formerly of Crew Restaurant in Greenwich, CT, will present his interpretation of French cuisine in Appétit Bistro SoNo. In addition to the new restaurant, Edwin and Chef Carias will be opening a seafood/prepared food market next door. Fresh fish, produce, pasta, meat, and dishes to-go will be the focus, in addition to specialty food products and baked goods.

Make My Cake’s newest location in Harlem NYC (Images courtesy of Sekou Luke/Christopher Zapata/ HarlemParade)

Stamford welcomed The Landmark Beer Garden located on Broad Street, adjacent to Stamford Town Center, the new gathering space is filled with rustic picnic tables, high-top seating, and lawn and table games set up throughout the space. DJ nights, live acoustic music, karaoke, and other social activities will be featured.

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HOSPITALITY BRANDING STRATEGIES

WITH MICHAEL SCHATZBERG

RESTAURANTS ARE DEVOURING DATA TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND BOOST LOYALTY

estaurant operators didn’t get into the business to be data scientists. For years, they’ve kept track of customer preferences with waiters often memorizing a guest’s favorite menu item, their birthday or if they have a food allergy because there weren’t hospitality-centric tech innovations to keep track. But gone are the days of the tangible punch card and automated, generic emails being the only way to engage with and retain customers now that the hospitality industry has access to hyper-personalized, datadriven technology solutions.  As the restaurant industry becomes more and more competitive, tracking data to find what their diners are looking for -- from experience, to menu items and rewards -- is key. Restaurants are now leveraging customer preferences, like knowing their favorite meals, to market specials and promotions to them. And as more customers prefer to order food digitally, the hospitality sector has a limitless way to capitalize on data that can be obtained through mobile ordering and delivery.  Between Q2 and Q4 of 2020, 33% of consumers ordered from full-service restaurants online or via their mobile platforms compared with just 5% who did the same be-

As more customers prefer to order food digitally, the hospitality sector has a limitless way to capitalize on data that can be obtained through mobile ordering and delivery fore the pandemic, according to data from Technomic’s March 2021 report, “Technology Insights -- The state of Foodservice Technology Today.” Because of this, 68% of restaurant operators believe their spending on tech will increase over the next two years. Using data to improve dining experiences  Restaurants are constantly collecting data by integrating new tech innovations to gather it before and after the dining experience. Many owners

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and operators are able to gain customer data when a guest orders and pays for their food. Digital tools like mobile apps, table-side tablets and kiosks are not only more convenient for restaurants and customers, but they also allow for customization and personalization when data is analyzed and compiled into customer purchasing history profiles. Guest feedback is too much hassle for consumers to give, too much work for managers to respond to individually, and too hard for corporate leadership to make sense of it all. With Ovation, not only can you collect feedback from customers in-store, delivery, or pickup, but Ovation gives you tools to resolve concerns in real-time and uncover the insights to improve brand-wide. Companies like Yumpingo, an intelligence platform, delivers real-time customer data by letting guests review their food and dining experience in just one minute via a mobile-optimized review process.

Michael Schatzberg is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Branded Strategic Hospitality and the Managing Director for Branded Restaurants. He has over 35 years of marketing, brand development, management, business development and hospitality experience. Schatzberg started working at Duke’s in 1995. He went on to turn a single concept restaurant into a multi-unit Hospitality Group -opening a second Duke’s location in Manhattan, and re-branding Big Daddy’s from a 1969 soda shop into a twist on the classic American diner. Schatzberg has developed, grown, and managed 6 hospitality concepts and advises over 22 restaurants in NYC. He is a founding member of the NYC Hospitality Alliance and Member of the New York State Restaurant Association.

Delivery is another major way restaurants can obtain data from consumers when diners input their name, phone number, email address, delivery address and other information, empowering restaurant operators to leverage tech innovations to market to their customers directly. GoParrot, for example, builds digital ordering platforms online and via apps and kiosks for restaurants that use customer data such as email for marketing and personalization. Startups such as Brizo FoodMetrics, a restaurant specific analytics firm, does exactly that by monitoring online reviews, social media, menu items and other data from food establishments.  Young diners in particular are leading the charge in digital ordering. Millennials ate the highest number of

continued on page 102

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TORCH AND BEACON AWARDS deavor, Café La Trova, a Cuban-inspired bar and café located in Little Havana combining innovative and traditional Cuban-style and technique Bernstein dedicates time to Common Threads, an after-school program for underprivileged kids, and regularly appears on an array of national TV shows, from Top Chef to Good Morning America. Bernstein continues to host the Emmy awardwinning PBS weekly television series, Check, Please! South Florida. Now in its fifth year, Bernstein also hosts the Emmy award-winning weekly TV series on Channel 10, SoFlo Taste that celebrates the food of South Florida. Bernstein has also worked with Memorial Cancer Institute (MCI), a part of Memorial Healthcare System, to provide oncology patients with a variety of food alternatives to help ease their way through treatment. Both awards will be presented on Center Stage on the show floor which

from page 46

will also feature Culinary Demonstrations, the Rapid Fire and Hip Sip Competitions with local chefs and bartenders and other panel discussions. The exhibit hall will offer the American Culinary Federation Culinary Competitions, Food Trends Experience, Bar Innovation Pavilion, TechBytes, Coffee Fest Marketplace and the Healthy Foods Expo and new products and innovations from 350 exhibiting companies. Registration is now open for the 2021 Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show and Healthy Food Expo. Clarion Events produces 37 events across 13 sectors of both trade and consumer events. The Food & Beverage Group includes the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show, Healthy Food Expo, CoffeeFest and The NGA Show.

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JOSÉ ANDRÉS

from page 58

sions of World Central Kitchen: bringing clean-cooking to impoverished communities around the world. Mook explains that 3 billion people across the globe still cook with “dirty fuels” like charcoal and wood, leading to millions of deaths each year. The issue also ties into other environmental and economic issues: “When people chop down the forrest to make charcoal to cook with, you lose the tree coverage which leads to soil erosion, which impacts the watersheds and you can’t grow anything anymore,” Mook explained And lastly, World Central Kitchen is looking even more globally in the years to come to tackle hunger. Mook says there are 45 countries on the brink of or already dealing with famine, and starvation and hunger has been exacerbated because of Covid. That’s subsequently led to refugee crises in many parts of the world. “The money itself isn’t going to

solve that problem, right? The scale of that problem is so large,” Mook says. “But can it be catalytic? Can it get more folks engaged and involved in the fight against hunger? Can it push governments to step up as well? That’s an area that José feels very passionate about.” Mook says Andrés and Bezos had previously crossed paths at a couple of conferences, and that Jeff and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez were well aware of World Central Kitchen and Andrés’s work. Andrés apparently is also quite interested in Bezos’s work, particularly when it comes to space. “I’m sure in the back of his mind, José was secretly hoping maybe there’d be an extra spot for him to jump on. He would certainly love to go into space at some point,” Mook says. “Maybe someday in the future, but José’s got a lot of work for him down here at the moment on the ground.” “This is a start of a new chapter for us,” Andres concluded.

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NEWS

CORPORATE DINING

RESTAURANT AGGREGATOR FOODEE PARTNERS WITH SODEXO TO EXPAND MEAL OPTIONS TO THE HYBRID WORKFORCE

mong the challenges that face the corporate dining operator, is how to serve the new normal. Most industry professionals are scrambling to figure out to create a strategy that can provide a solution for the company who’s employees are going to work on hybrid schedule between three offices and homes. With that in mind, corporate foodservice provider Sodexo has acquired restaurant aggregator Foodee to deliver more flexible meal options to hybrid office workers, Foodee’s platform aggregates more than 800 restaurants in 14 cities across the U.S. and Canada and plans to expand to New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas and Montreal in the next year. Sodexo traditionally contracts with companies to run their corporate cafeterias and retail foodservice programs. But in the hybrid post-pandemic workplace, employees may work part of the week from home, at the office or in a third place—like a Starbucks or hotel lobby. “With the population down in office buildings, especially on Mondays and Fridays, we don’t need a full complement of [foodservice] staff onsite,” said Mike Gillespsie, executive vice president of corporate services at Sodexo. “Foodee fo-

cuses on independent restaurants in the local community and brings real variety to workers.” Starting at $6.99 a month, companies can invite employees to the platform, which allows them to order meals in advance or the same day. The meals are then delivered to a central location. Foodee can fulfill orders for as few as 20 people and up to 600 but does not currently deliver meals to a single employee or a small team working remotely. The partnership also delivers benefits to the independent restaurateurs on Foodee’s platform. Mom and pop restaurants can now join Sodexo’s entegra Procurement Services to leverage its purchasing power on food and other supplies. “When you roll these small restaurants into one platform, it works like a GPO (group purchasing organization) and brings discounts to the members,” says Gillespie. Although workers are trickling back to corporate offices post-pandemic, many companies are not requiring employees to come in every day. More than 14% of employed Americans continued to work remotely in June, according to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With the number of businesses promoting hybrid workplace models, employers are looking for alternative solutions to the fully staffed corporate cafeteria.

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FRANCINE COHEN

from page 40

us/hear music/ and enjoying these drinks outside where they set up their lawn chairs across the street had nothing else to do. Here was something to do. They discovered that they like us and our jazz and our food and our drinks and it definitely introduced a lot of people to us. Now that we’re open for regular business, we’re sold out two weeks in advance. Success stories like that are why so many operators are cheering for a continuation of cocktails to-go; they were well received. They were too in New York, another state where the executive order has lapsed and to-go drinks are cancelled, and because of it, some bars are still struggling. Jennifer Sandella, GM of Vineapple Café in Brooklyn is displeased to see the end of to-go cocktails and shares, “It was a huge boon for us. I don’t think we would have been able to keep everyone on board. Without the to-go cocktails that would have been about two to three front of house shifts per week we just couldn’t schedule.” She continues, “Since we’ve discontinued cocktails to go, I’ve seen about a 10% drop in our revenue.” That’s a big hit for any venue to absorb, whether it’s a newly reopened neighborhood favorite like Vineapple, or an established spot like Barbara Sibley’s La Palapa. In taking a broad look at her four locations, and the impact on her fellow bar and restaurant operators’ businesses, she thinks not extending the policy and putting it into law was a big mistake. She comments, “Cocktails to go were definitely an essential part of survival! To do it over night was wrong - people had to reinvent their business plan on the fly and now we’re stuck with hundreds if not thousands of to-go vessels in inventory. Plus, even a month after it ended, I am still having to tell customers they can’t take their booze with them. Somehow, they can’t remember they can’t take their drink. Just shows you how popular it was.” Popularity with customers and a boon for business owners is why, as

Lisa Hawkins at DISCUS notes, “Sixteen states plus the District of Columbia have since made cocktails to-go permanent.” She continues, “Thirty states have passed legislation to make permanent or temporarily allow cocktails to-go measures in support of hospitality businesses, and legislation is still being considered in other states to make permanent cocktails to-go measures.” Pisani is pleased by this as she explains, “With the successful roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination and the removal of most restrictions, many of these emergency declarations have ended, prompting state legislators to vote on whether to extend or permanently pass alcohol takeout allowances for restaurants and bars. As with most Beverage Alcohol regulations, states have handled this uniquely. In New York although there were compromises from the restaurant lobbyists to only sell a maximum of two servings of alcohol alongside meal take-out, New York ultimately did not pass to extend the executive order. Colorado, on the other hand, recently extended the cocktail to-go legislation for five years, with cocktail serving limits, when 93 percent of restaurant operators polled by the Colorado Restaurant Association disclosed that to-go cocktails supplied them with critical revenue during the pandemic and were an essential lifeline to rebuild. Then you have the control state of Ohio, which surprised many when Governor Mike DeWine permanently passed this legislation in the fall of 2020, many months before their state-of-emergency expired. There may be reason to believe this legislation could correlate with on-premise re-opening or closure rates, respectively, and impact local employment rates. Prior to the pandemic, there were more than half a million foodservice workers in many states. However, there are other key variables to consider. New York extended outdoor dining sidewalk and street allowances for another year, which provides additional customer capacity. If al-

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cohol sales are any indication, the future looks promising. MHW’s client sales data and Nielsen CGA data show that both on-premise and offpremise beverage alcohol sales have higher velocities than pre-pandemic. We’re hopeful that this upward trend will help local economies.” Many local economies will be helped by the permanent, or extended, implementation of these laws. But not in New York. Not without new legislation as Crowley points out, “It is important to note that the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Law does not allow bars and restaurants (on-premises retailers) to sell wine and liquor to-go (off premises); again, this was only permitted under Governor Cuomo via his temporary emergency executive order power. On June 24th, the Temporary Disaster Emergency in New York State ended, meaning the suspensions and modifications of law, and all directives contained in the Executive Orders relating to the State’s Disaster Emergency, including “To-Go” cocktails, also ended. With the Temporary Disaster Emergency ended, in order to allow cocktails to go to continue, the ABC law would have to be amended. With the recognition that the COVID-19 emergency would come to an end, the New York State Legislature chose not to extend this privilege. Bills that were introduced in 2020 and 2021 to change the law and allow to go sales were never moved from committee. E.g., 2019-20 session (S.8392/A.10550) and (S.8565/A.10534-A) and in the recent 2020-21 session (S.589A/A.7732) and (A.3116). While she’s pleased to see many states adopting hospitality industry business-friendly regulations, regarding New York, Hawkins concludes that she’d now like to see the lead state following the followers and concludes, “It is extremely unfortunate what happened in New York because we all should be working together to get these businesses back on their

feet. Legislators should be working to make this path easier, not more challenging for them.” New Sip You Need To Know While it may be east coast cherry season now, the rest of the year we can’t always count on those plump, sweet juicy treats being so perfect, which is why we were thrilled to discover Hotel STARLINO Maraschino Cherries for our cocktail (and baking) recipes. Found near Naples, Italy these delectable Maraschino cherries are matured for two weeks in their natural, sweet and savory Marasca juice and then rested for up to a month to achiever peak flavor. The smart packaging with a bellman’s cap and other iconography inspired by the great luxury hotels of Italy celebrates Italy’s turn of the twentieth century design and architecture in a style known as the Stile Liberty. So, it’s a winwin – sexy looking cherries to garnish your drinks, and your bar! You can find them nationwide on Amazon where they are MSRP $14.99 for a 14.1 oz jar, or contact Biggar & Leith for trade pricing: https:// www.amazon.com/Hotel-StarlinoMaraschino-Cocktails-Delicious/ dp/B089712JHS

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HERMANN REINER

from page 22

What aspect of the Association do you enjoy the most? I like the networking and the professional camaraderie. How has being involved with the Association impacted your life? I’ve enjoyed the great professional network, that provides networking on local, domestic and international levels. I also feel that mentoring the next generation is very important, that is truly an important aspect of being a member of the Association. Through my business in recruitment and executive search, I help our members and scholarship recipients. You help train professionals for competition, tell us about that aspect. I’ve won awards including gold medals at the Internationale Koch-

SOUTHAMPTON INN

kunstaustellung – IKA in Frankfurt, Germany, at the Wiener Internationale Kochkunstaustellung, Vienna, Austria and at the Salon Culinaire Mundial, Basel, Switzerland and First Place in 1982 at the Annual Salon of Culinary Arts, NYC. I bring a keen sense of the techniques, determination, talent and presentation needed for professional competition and share that with our members. The Association provides financial support for professionals to participate in competitions. What is your mission for the Association? The Chefs de Cuisine Association of America Scholarship Fund supports our local culinary institutions of higher learning such as The New York City College of Technology Hospitality Management Department, encouraging them to progress and hone their skills in their chosen

profession. We are presently enhancing our scholarship program by filing for a 501-C3 tax-exempt status, so donations will become fully tax deductible. Modernizing the CDCA for the 21st century, establishing a broad digital presence, bringing the membership across the U.S. and global membership. Tell us about the programs and opportunities for members? --Networking with professionals, education, mentoring, giving back and scholarships, industry events. Now all our board meetings and membership meetings are virtual on Zoom. We provide professional education opportunities and most recently hosted Siegfried Kröpfl, Austria’s only vegan gourmet chef, teacher and restaurant consultant. He works together with the Vegan

Association Austria and worked as executive-chef for various highclass hotels and restaurants in Vienna, among others for Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Restaurant Kuchlmasterei im 3. Bezirk, Hotel Bristol and Hotel Melia. For him, vegan cuisine not only means cooking without animal products, but also developing more awareness for local, organic and sustainable food production. We give scholarships and sponsorship to the New York City College of Technology - Department of Hospitality Management students in Brooklyn. We hold annual membership events. We offer assistance with resume writing, job search and support for culinary team domestic and international competition. For more information about the Chefs De Cuisine Association of America visit http://www.chefsdecuisineny.com/

from page 44

ity, ambiance, price points, and menus to serve their guests’ needs, but hotel operators are not always well-versed in the enormous complexity of running a food and beverage business. The Inn was initially partnered with a New York City restaurateur, but the relationship did not last. It is important that the restaurant within the Inn be partnered appropriately to support their guests with an affordable, casual, and delicious dining option. “It can sometimes be a match made in heaven, but sometimes the goals of the restaurant to be packed, crowded, noisy, and costly is not necessarily compatible with the goals of the hotel providing food as a service to its constituents.” When asked about future plans for restaurant partnerships, Moan replied, “I would say if any of your readers want to talk about it, I’m all ears. I would try again if somebody wanted to take over the best dining spaces in the village of Southampton.” Claude’s elaborate weekend

brunch runs from 11:00am to 2:00pm where the guests may choose from a variety of delicious options, including eggs of all shapes and sizes, pastries, brioche French toast, pancakes with real maple syrup, smoked salmon, bagels, and other seasonal options. During the day, people enjoy ordering from the all-day dining menu featuring meals such as vegetarian chili, arugula salad, and lobster rolls to be enjoyed on the pool patio, gardens, indoor seating, or the many other spaces throughout the property. The evenings will cater to private parties where they may choose from half a dozen different venues including a ballroom, game room, outdoor courtyard, lawns, and meeting rooms to host their event. The Inn is a bit of an anomaly in that hotel leisure guests are encouraged to explore the various eateries in the village for dinner rather than stay in. Ingredients are purchased by the chef from wholesale distributors as well as local farm stands. The break-

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fast menu remains relatively consistent throughout the year besides slight variations to offer seasonal options provided by the local farm stands. The wine is sourced from local vineyards to support businesses on the island while simultaneously catering to the guests who wish to experiment with local options. Other selections are requested by the guests annually or come from distributors who provide recommendations when they have a new year or vineyard to try. The pandemic forced the restaurant to reinvent their food service to meet the needs of guests while complying to safety procedures. This led to an American picnic concept. Guests place their orders, the kitchen staff in masks and gloves prepare and package the food in individual biodegradable packages arranged in colorful picnic baskets, and runners deliver them to the guests to be enjoyed wherever they feel comfortable. What came about as a method to continue their food

services practicing covid guidelines, became a fun way for guests to enjoy their food, a method the Inn will continue to practice because of its popularity. “It lends itself to the experience we are trying to offer which is an elegant but comfortable, casual, affordable, and delicious meal,” added Moan. The Southampton Inn plans to stay open for a full 12-month schedule. During the off-season, the all-day dining luncheon menu will cease, but Claude’s will remain open on an annual basis for breakfast, brunch, and private events. The Inn wants to ensure they have the hours to serve their guests and the community and keep their staff employed on an annual basis. “In conclusion, we’re doing less extensive menus with more local ingredients, the picnic concept, and we as well as our colleagues would welcome anybody who knows anyone who would like to work out here. They should be in touch,” Moan concluded.

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MARIA LOI

RE-OPENING STRATEGIES

from page 24

• Use Greek yogurt as a base for your salad dressings and sauces, instead of butter and cream. As a Greek, a chef, and healthy lifestyle expert, besides olive oil, I would argue that one of the most important ingredients in my kitchen is Greek yogurt. My Loi Dips line features two vegetable-based dips, and two yogurt-based dips, which are incredibly versatile! Loi Tzatziki is full of cucumber, and the combination of cucumber and yogurt is so crunchy, bright and refreshing, it’s the ideal complement to any protein imaginable. Loi Feta-Yogurt Pougi is a yogurt-based feta dip with a bit of a spicy kick to it; perfect not only for dipping, but for creating all kinds of unique and interesting dishes, where you would use yogurt or mayonnaise. In order to understand just how simple and unprocessed yogurt should be, there are only two ingredients you need in order to make real Greek yogurt: milk and…yogurt! It’s true, you need yogurt to make yogurt, in the same way you need a bit of a mother dough in order to make a sourdough – it’s about the microorganisms! So, I’m sharing with you my mother’s yogurt recipe, to see how tasty, healthy, and easy it is to make Greek yogurt at home. Kalí órexi! Enjoy your meal!

Loi Greek Yogurt Ingredients: 1 liter of organic whole milk 1 cup of full fat plain Greek yogurt

milk and count quickly to 20; if your pinky is burning at 20, let the milk cool off a bit longer. 3. Dilute 1 cup of yogurt in the lukewarm milk and stir. 4. Cover the pot with a blanket to maintain the temperature and keep warm for at least 6 hours. Note that you should not move or shake the pot during this process. 5. Move the yogurt from the warmth to the refrigerator. 6. Leave the yogurt for 24 hours in the refrigerator without moving, and your yogurt will be ready to enjoy. It will be good for ten days refrigerated. *You can eat the yogurt like this, but if you want to make my mother’s authentic recipe, you need to take one more step: Strain the yogurt in cheesecloth and hang to drain for several hours, until the draining stops. This is the real Loi Yogurt that my mother used to make – all the whey is removed. This process adds another week of life to your yogurt. Chef’s Tip: To avoid common mistakes: • Make sure you boil and cool the milk at the right temperature. • Don’t be anxious to move the yogurt until it’s ready. • Use high quality milk with no added water, and do not use skim milk.

Method: 1. Heat 1 liter of milk to 195 degrees Fahrenheit. You will need a thermometer, but if you do not have one, turn off the heat just before the milk boils (just as it begins to simmer). 2. Remove the pot from the heat and wait until the temperature drops to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can try my grandmother’s old trick to get the right temperature: keep your pinky in the 96 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Customers expect a better quality of take-out packaging. They want leak-proof, containers with compartments, the appropriate ventilation, and/or packaging they are able to rinse and reuse. It is important to find out what containers work with your menu because various types of foods require specific packaging. Ensure containers fit in carryout bags so they don’t tip over and spill and use packaging that cannot be tampered with while third-party delivery drivers take the food to the customers’ door. With our upcoming trade shows in Atlanta later this month and October in Secaucus, NJ, we have an opportunity to walk attendees through our catalog. We sell 25,000+ products and these shows will give customers the ability to pick up and touch items while asking questions that will give them the right information about how these items can create solutions for their business. Additionally, there will be educa-

from page 20 tional seminars on reducing labor and implementing automation and technology for cleaning practices. We want to have these long-awaited face-to-face conversations about a business’s goals for 2022 and help make them a reality. We are a human-to-human industry looking to help businesses succeed. Trade shows allow attendees to spot something they didn’t know they needed until they see it. Remember, when you got that first cell phone and wondered why you needed a camera! Our vendors will be bringing the latest thing they have available to solve today’s problems and tomorrow’s challenges. For businesses interested in attending and chatting with experienced representatives, we encourage them to visit our website(imperialdade. com) and look for the expo banner about our Atlanta and New Jersey trade shows.

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DENVER RESTAURANTS ness Association, allowing the RFF to complete the mission and help Colorado restaurants recover from the $3 billion lost in 2020,” Dewey said. While the Denver city center has lagged slightly, due to a lack of lunchtime revenue and vacant office space, the nearby River North Art District (RiNo), Lower Highlands Park (LoHi), Lower Downtown (LoDo), and Berkeley areas have thrived in recent months. “Those surrounding areas had more robust restaurant scenes to begin with,” Ruth Tobias of Eater Denver said. “So reopening has been more robust.” The state of Colorado has been equally varied and dynamic. “COVID-19 brought an uptick to rural and resort tourism in certain cases, and we are now seeing incredible growth in some resort communities.” Back in the state’s capital city, the established greats in Denver— James Beard award-winner Alon Shaya and award nominee-Dana Rodriguez along with Linda Hampsten and Cindhura Reddy— have helped define the food scene as one not to be underestimated while the restaurant groups Bonanno Concepts, Culinary Creative, and Culinary Creative also hope to drive Denver gastronomy to new heights. All the while from lessor-known

CHEF WILL FUNG

from page 8 restaurants, promising chefs Bo Porkkyo of Misfit Snackbar, Jose Avila of El Borrego Negro and La Diabla, and Theo Osei-Fordwuo of African Grill and Bar, according to Tobias, look to shake the post-pandemic culinary landscape with their own ambitious projects. Established and up-and-coming chefs alike faced a unique insecurity as doors closed this past year. Paying rent in one of the hottest commercial real estate markets in the country became more challenging than ever. “The majority of local landlords worked with tenants in forgiving some rent and deferring rent,” Shawn Sanborn, president of Sanborn and Company— a leading Denver commercial real estate and brokerage firm— said, hopefully. “The larger retail and real estate holding companies across the country were much more difficult to work with. They favored rent deferment, rather than rent forgiveness.” Thanks to the flexibility of some landlords and a series of other factors, according to Sanborn, “people had forecasted that as much as 40% of Denver restaurants would close for good, then everyone thought 20%. But that number, today, is significantly lower.” Despite the city’s explosive growth and the ingenuity of restrauntears,

Denver, like cities nationwide, is struggling to recruit and retain workers. Confronting such a unique issue, Denver employers, like those nationwide, have gotten more creative than ever, incentivising workers wage increases and added benefits to recruit and retain workers . “Across Colorado 41% of restaurants have enhanced their benefits packages. More operators are offering health care and paid time off, mental health resources, and other benefits to attract and retain talent,” Dickey continued. “In addition to long-term investments, employers are offering signing bonuses and other creative incentives to attract top talent.” Alon Shaya, owner and operator of Israeli-inspired Safta, a budding Denver landmark, has taken the issue head-on. “For far too long there has been a pay gap between our culinary team and our service team,” Shaya said. “We introduced a 4% fee to every bill to show appreciation directly to our non-tipped team members.” However, waging raises alone are unlikely to create long-term change and stability for restaurant industry labor markets, and Shaya has more longstanding ambition. “The short- and long-term answer to labor is to take care of your team

and give them a reason to work for you versus someone else,” Shaya added. “People want a place where they feel they can grow personally and professionally.” “Everyone, whether you are a large or small business, has struggled uniquely through COVID, but I believe many of us will be stronger for it in the long run.” Shaya said, in spite of one of the most painful years in the history of restaurants. Denver’s restaurant community, at large, remains optimistic.

restaurant has reopened its in-person dining, take-out orders remain in high demand. Fung finds it important that dishes be the same in terms of quality and expectation no matter the space in which it is consumed by the guest. There may be several boxes for the guests to unpack for one dish and each should look attractive, a difficult task as the food may be in a delivery car for extended periods of time and shaken around a bit in the process. Fung and his team are cognizant of this and consider these factors when

packaging the items to continue to improve the at-home experience. Again, there is no shortage to attention to detail under Fung. Fung is excited to be joining the Think Food Group, to have the opportunity to work with like-minded people hyper-focused on food and hospitality. “It’s fun and integrating, also, just working during Covid people were in isolation, so I missed the sounds of the kitchen going full throttle,” Fung concluded.

The TFS Read on Denver Hottest Restaurant neighborhoods: Lower Highlands (LoHi), the River North Arts District (RiNo), Cherry Creek, Lower Downtown (LoDo), and Berkeley. Chefs that are “Cooking”: Alon Shaya, Dana Rodriguez, Linda Hampsten, Cindura Reddy, Bo Porkkyo, Jose Avila, and Theo Osei-Fordwuo. Key Restaurant Groups: Frasca Hospitality Group, Crafted Concepts, Culinary Creative, and Bonanno Concepts.

from page 56

favorite piece of equipment is the wok. As he explained it, a lot of restaurant cooking can be integrated at home with the same ingredients for a similar result, but wok cooking simply cannot because of the high heat it requires. The Aeropuerto dish at China Chilcano is composed of rice and a variety of vegetables totaling about 20 different ingredients. Fung spoke in detail as he described the heat of the oil in the wok required to coat the rice to cook and fry the grains without overcooking causing it to get mushy. “The goal

is to cook it, coat it with seasoning and flavor, getting a little char and smokiness out of it without overcooking it so when you bite into each spoonful of rice you should be able to taste each individual grain,” explained Fung. It is this attention to detail and passion for the food that makes Will Fung a master of his craft and the right person to carry on José Andrés’ storytelling at China Chilcano. The stories they wish to tell do not change whether their guests are dining in or taking out. Although the

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LEGAL INSIDER

from page 60

ance with the law for three years, with a $100 penalty per employee per violation. Technically, the law takes effect on August 9, 2021, but employers have some reprieve as the newlycreated Retirement Security Board has up to two years to implement the NYC Program. In the interim, employers that do not offer a retirement plan have some choices and should start planning now. Until now, employers may have seen a retirement plan as a “nice to have,” but not as a necessity for employee retention, or as an administrative burden that could not be supported. The additional regulation and administrative burdens

HOSPITALITY MARKETING pitality. If someone was IN your restaurant and said they enjoyed it, you would say thank you. If they had a problem, you would fix it on the spot. Do the same thing online. 6. Create a welcome email flow Once a guest has a first transaction with you and you’ve collected their contact information, send them an email all about who you are, what you do and why you do it. Then follow it up with 5-6 more emails every 5 days sharing more about what makes you special. Put your brand where their eyes are every day … their inbox. 7. Create a lapsed guest flow What happens when one of your guests has not dined with you or or-

DAVID SCOTT PETERS

created by the NYC Program may cause the pendulum to swing for employers that have not yet offered retirement plans. By offering a retirement plan, an employer can avoid the NYC Program’s rules. An employer’s options include: 1. Establishing its own 401(k) plan (or 403(b) plan for non-profits). This has become streamlined with IRS pre-approved plans. The employer selects from a checklist (adoption agreement) to pick its plan design.

Retirement Plan, which pools unrelated employers that work in the same industry or region.

5. Participate in a multiemployer plan for employees covered by a union contract.

3. Participate in a Pooled Employer Plan, which is similar to an Association Retirement Plan, but under the 2019 SECURE Act, unrelated employers can join together even if they are not in the same industry or region.

Many of these options allow employee retirement contributions to be integrated with payroll (avoiding the burden of manual adjustments and potential for error). In addition, the IRS limits for these retirement plans are substantially higher than the IRA limits, offering employees additional opportunities to save their own money for retirement. In 2021, the maximum 401(k) contribution is $19,500 ($26,000 if you’re age 50 or older), while the IRA limit is $6,000 ($7,000 if you’re age 50 or older).

4. Participate in a plan sponsored by a Professional Employer Organization (“PEO”), which can also provide human resources and payroll support, along with benefit plan offerings.

2. Participate in an Association

from page 30 dered in 30, 60 or 90 days? That is a lapsed guest. How do you get them to come back for more? Set up an email automation that says “I miss you” and remind them why they love your food. Follow that up with another email every 5 days until they place an order. 8. Text your guests 93% of all text messages are read in 30 seconds. 10-20% of the guests that you text will take an action. You should be texting them twice a month with a quick action offer. The boss move: send them a text 30 minutes after they receive their delivery order and ask them how was the experience. That’s called a digital table touch. You would do it in store before you drop the check and you should

do it online too. 9. Use calls to action on social media When you share a tantalizing photo of your food that is guaranteed to make people salivate, you need to tell them what to do next. Do they need to order via the link in your bio? Do you want them to download your app, make a reservation or join your email list? You have to tell them to take the action and best practices would be to detail the steps they need to take. 1 out of 3 pieces of your content should have a call to action and at least one out of three of your calls to action needs to be about online ordering.

a loyalty program Given the choice between two restaurants, consumers will choose the one where they know they will earn something with their purchase. Do you have a frequent flier account with an airline or a rewards program with a hotel? These work. Use them in your restaurant and let your guests earn on their purchases. You could do all of these on your own but each of them is made easier and will perform higher with the right tech. If you want my suggestions on which tech will best work for you, reach out to me on Instagram @revciancio or my LinkedIn Profile. Go crush it!

10. Reward your best guests with

from page 66

higher labor cost because of lower sales. But the production needs to happen, whereas on a Friday you have no prep, and your sales are through the roof, which makes your labor efficiency lower. If you use those hours that have been allocated in step two, no more, no less, you will end the week on budget. If you schedule that way, it means you

have a different labor cost percentage and a trailing budget that I’m going to be following. Well, there’s one more piece and that’s hours. All too often we have these sales forecast. We expected a $5,000 day and scheduled 300 hours. What if the next morning you walk in and you see 310 hours were worked. What would your expecta-

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tion be? Sales to be higher, on forecast, or lower? Higher, right? What if when you come in you find out it was either dead, on forecast, or it was actually $500 less. Why were 10 more hours needed? When this happens, you now know which manager you need to coach to make sure they get people out of there so that they’re not wasting your money.

These three steps are critical to controlling your restaurant labor cost. When you get the hang of it, not only will you drop your labor cost, but you’re going to get yourself ready for advanced labor controls. That puts you 100 percent in control of your time clock and your profitability.

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NJ SMALL BUSINESS

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sored by Senators Dawn Marie Addiego and Linda Greenstein. In the Assembly, the bill was sponsored by Assembly Members Gordon Johnson, Vince Mazzeo, and Andrew Zwicker. “The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on all of us, with our business community being among the most affected,” said Senator Dawn Addiego. “This grant will be a crucial step to aid many of our small businesses as they continue to recover from the pandemic. While we can’t recoup the full losses they have endured over the last year, our hope is that this funding, which brings us to nearly $500 million dollars in assistance issued to small businesses and nonprofits, can help the community to rebuild, recover and reopen.” “Over the past year, many small businesses have had to make the unfortunate decision to close down permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Senator Linda Greenstein. “As we move past the pandemic, it is imperative that we aid our surviving businesses and provide opportunities for new businesses to prosper. This $135 million appropriation will provide valuable aid to our businesses across the state as we begin to resume normal operations once again.” “The last year and a half have been economically challenging for many New Jersey families, businesses, and the organizations serving our communities,” said Assemblyman Gordon Johnson. “It’s time to get back on track. The allocation of this federal funding will aid in helping New Jersey do just that.” “New Jersey is on the road to economic recovery as we move out of the public health crisis and back to normal,” said Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo. “This is critical funding, especially to areas such as Atlantic County which were already working on reinvigorating the local economy before COVID-19, to assist small businesses, support child care services and many other important programs families rely on throughout the state.”

“New Jersey is on course to economic recovery with State funding and the assistance of federal aid dollars as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021,” said Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker. “The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone in the State from small businesses to families struggling to find adequate childcare. We have a little ways to go to fully returning to a sense of normalcy but we will. This funding will help many who have felt the effects of this difficult year.” But a worker shortage is still impacting many New Jersey businesses. “I try to call all my workers back and nobody’s coming back,” says Tranh. Tranh says her workers now are mostly high school students, who will start leaving for college in two weeks. Much of her regular wait staff didn’t come back. “They left because of COVID and now they’re on unemployment. I guess it pays them more. So they’re not coming back,” she says. Despite over $650 million in aid to small businesses, one-third of the small businesses in the state have failed since the pandemic began. And despite concerns that an extra $300 in weekly unemployment benefits are keeping people at home – a point the governor partly concedes is true –the governor says that he has no intention of ending that program. “There are so many people still hurting. And overwhelmingly it’s helping them, even if it may be keeping some people out of the workforce,” Murphy said. Gov. Murphy’s Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli said in a statement that the governor is “out of touch” and called the bill signing “a political photo op.”

102 • August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

RESTAURANT DATA

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meals out at fast-food or fast-casual restaurants most often using delivery service, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. What’s more, the report said millennials are often looking for digitized ordering solutions including appbased reservations and third-party delivery, more proof that restaurant operators should continue to beef up investments in hospitality-tech innovations. Data for loyalty program and engagement  Loyalty programs are a key way for restaurants to obtain more information about their customers while diners get incentives like points towards a free meal or discounts that keep them coming back and reordering again and again. A number of major restaurant chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, Popeyes and Taco Bell, among others, are pushing rewards programs specifically to retain digital customers who may be ordering food

online or for delivery.  For example, if a regular always orders a vegan dish they may get a message or promotion about plant-based options. Loyalty company Spendgo, which integrates with any POS system or online ordering platform, does this by marketing via email and text message with offers tailored to guest’s favorite meals so they may be inclined to order on the spot.  LuckyDiem, a marketplace, offers cash back rewards to anyone who frequents its restaurant partner websites or food oriented review apps like Yelp, incentivizing customers to order and allowing businesses to boost their bottom line while building loyalty.  Indeed, when restaurants roll out marketing campaigns or ads, they can easily identify the best people to contact for certain promotions through data obtained from platforms such as a restaurant’s pointof-sale system, customer’s social media profiles, third-party tech solutions and surveys.

August 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 103

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