Washington Restaurant Magazine February 2014

WA S H I N GTO N

RESTAURANT

February March 2014

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TRENDS 2014 CULINARY

FORECAST INSIDE!

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2014 Boyd’s Coffee© ProStart Invitational Feeding Dreams. Building Futures.

ProStart is a 2-year vocational school-to-career program for culinary arts and hospitality management.

The WRA Education Foundation supports ProStart in more than 30 public schools throughout Washington.

Students will compete for thousands of dollars in scholarships at the Boyd’s Coffee© ProStart Invitational and the chance to go to nationals.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Mirabeau Park Hotel & Convention Center 1100 N. Sullivan Road Spokane Valley, WA 99037

warestaurant.org/wra-events/prostart |Contact: Jennifer Dixon | jenniferd@warestaurant.org | t: 877.695.9733 x127

Inside

www.warestaurant.org

Features

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Profile of a Typical Washington Foodservice Worker

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What’s Hot—Food The National Restaurant Association surveyed professional chefs, members of the American Culinary Federation, on which food, cuisines, beverages and culinary themes will be hot trends on restaurant menus in 2014.

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What’s Hot—Alcohol All 48 alcohol items ranked by “HOT” responses by professional chefs and members of the American Culinary Federation, surveyed by the National Restaurant Association.

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Other stories

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WA S H I N GTO N

RESTAURANT

February 2014

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Lex on Tech: Five technologies restaurants need to be using now to attract and keep customers

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News Briefs

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The times, they are a-changing

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The 2014 legislative session starts at breakneck pace

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Seattle minimum wage debate within City Hall formally begins

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ProStart teens poised to keep restaurants trend-savvy

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Calendar/New Members

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Marketplace

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Four Focus Areas to Improve Product Cost

On the cover

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TRENDS 2014 CULINARY

FORECAST INSIDE!

February 2014 | 5

EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher, Anthony Anton Executive Editor, Lex Nepomuceno

Lex on Tech

Contributing Editor, David Faro Contributing Editor, Tony Buhr

Five technologies restaurants need to be using now to attract and keep customers

Research Editor, Sheryl Jackson

By Lex Nepomuceno, Executive Editor

Managing Editor, Heather Donahoe

Art Director, Lisa Ellefson WRA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair, Jim Rowe Consolidated Restaurants, Inc. Vice Chair, Phil Costello Stop n’ Go Family Drive In Secretary/Treasurer, Mark Chriest Oki Developments, Inc. Immediate Past Chair, Bret Stewart CenterTwist, Inc. WRAEF President, Gary Sutter Northern Quest Resort & Casino WRA EXECUTIVE TEAM President and CEO, Anthony Anton Vice President, Teran Petrina Director of Government Affairs, Bruce Beckett Director of Communications & Technology, Lex Nepomuceno Director of Education, Lyle Hildahl Director of Internal Operations, Bekah Caldwell 510 Plum St. SE, Ste. 200 Olympia, WA 98501-1587 T 360.956.7279 | F 360.357.9232 www.warestaurant.org

Letters are welcomed, but must be signed to be considered for publication. Please include contact information for verification.

Reproduction of articles appearing in Washington Restaurant Magazine are authorized for personal use only, with credit given to Washington Restaurant Magazine and/or the Washington Restaurant Association.

Articles written by outside authors do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Washington Restaurant Association, its Board of Directors, staff or members.

Products and services advertised in Washington Restaurant Magazine are not necessarily endorsed by the WRA, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the WRA, its Board of Directors, staff or members.

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MAY BE DIRECTED TO: Ken Wells Allied Relations Manager 425.457.1458 kenw@warestaurant.org Washington Restaurant Magazine is published monthly for Association members. We welcome your comments and suggestions. email: news@warestaurant.org, phone: 800.225.7166. Circulation: 6,310.

6 | |www.warestaurant.org warestaurant.org

I often get asked, “All of this technology is great, but how does it help restaurants?”

Providing a list with a hundred items would be no problem, but for this article let’s start with the top five.

1. Work your website. A website is the most obvious technology used by every restaurant. Yellow Pages are dinosaurs because (almost) everybody just Googles what they want. If your restaurant doesn’t have its own website you are letting other parties establish the first impression with new and existing customers. Think about it; when someone searches for your business would you rather have them click on a link to your website or go to a third-party review site such as Yelp or Urban Spoon?

2. Embrace review sites such as Zagat, Tripadvisor, Yelp and Urbanspoon. Like it or not, review sites play a tremendous role in how an establishment is viewed by the public. How many times have you heard, or even said yourself, that someone won’t go to a particular restaurant unless it has three or more stars. As a business owner this can be frustrating because such sites can be easily manipulated and inaccurately reflect the true nature of a business. Regardless, review sites aren’t going away anytime soon, so you might as well take advantage of it. To learn how to handle sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor, download the 2013 Online Review Guide for WRA members only at http://wra.cc/feb2013g.

3. Don’t ignore social media. It may seem overplayed, but there is no denying the continuing and ongoing significance of social media in terms of bringing in and keeping customers. If you are, “antiFacebook,” and proud of it – well, get over it! You’re a business owner and responsible for the well-being of you and your employees. You need to accept the fact that Facebook currently has more than 1.1 billion users and is a valued social tool for many of your customers.

Take advantage of this fact and use social media at least as a customer retention and marketing tool.

4. Make your restaurant, “tech friendly.” This is not as hard as you might think. I know for a fact that as a consumer I am more likely to stay longer, and spend more money, at a restaurant with free wi-fi than one without. And if there was an AC plug-in located near my seating area, I am more likely to return to that restaurant in the future. All a restaurant really needs to do to be considered, “tech friendly,” is have a few more power outlets available for customers in strategic locations and provide free secured wi-fi Internet access. That’s it!

5. Take advantage of your customer database. As business owners, it is easy to take our customer data for granted, but it is one of the most important parts of any business. This falls under technology because you already likely invested several thousand dollars in a Customer Relation Management (CRM) program, which is a vital part of any point-of-sale (POS) system. Be sure to build and update your customer database continuously, and more importantly, use that information to keep in touch with your customer base! ■

Primary Source of Information | News Briefs WRA membership survey underway

NLRB won’t pursue poster rule

The WRA has partnered with Verometrics to conduct our biannual membership survey. If you receive a call from them, please try to make the time to take the survey. It is your opportunity to provide the WRA with direct feedback on your membership… feedback that we rely on to guide strategic planning. For questions please contact sherylj@warestaurant.org. ■

The National Labor Relations Board won’t pursue efforts to require businesses to display a large poster advising employees of their rights to unionize, handing a major victory in the two-year legal battle to restaurants and other industries that had challenged the rule.

The IRS starts enforcement on new tip regulations The Internal Revenue Service issued a revenue ruling on automatic gratuities that will go into effect this month. The ruling, issued this time last year, allowed time for businesses to change policies before it went into effect.

The ruling prohibits percentages automatically tacked onto to bills to count as tips, instead defining them as a service charge. Service charges are considered regular wages and must be reported in a restaurant’s payroll taxes.

Income can only be counted as a tip if: the payment is made free from compulsion, the customer has complete freedom in determining the amount, payment is not subject to negotiation or dictated by a policy and the customer has the right to determine the recipient.

Employees will still be obligated to report all tips to employers for tax purposes.

For more information the click here. http://www.irs.gov/irb/2012-26_IRB/ar07. html#d0e232. ■ Asian cuisine outpaces ‘American General’ in 2013 Washington restaurants saw a changing of the guard in its top food concepts of 2013.

This year, Asian style cuisine overtook American general, according to data from the Washington Restaurant Association. Restaurants featuring Asian menu choices rose to 15.5 percent of the total market share in comparison to American general’s 15.4 percent.

This is the first time since the Restaurant Association began tracking Washington food concepts in 1995 that a food concept other than American general has held the top food spot. For the full story, go to http://wra.cc/mag0114a. ■

The NLRB recently announced that it wouldn’t seek Supreme Court review of an earlier court decision striking down the rule.

For more information, go to http://wra.cc/mag0114c. ■ Marketing by text? New FCC rules explained Many restaurants have found success in using mobile technology to promote their latest deals, specials or discounts. But if you plan on using an automated service to connect with a large number of customers at once, make sure you get your customers’ permission in writing before you text or call.

Otherwise, you could face hefty fines, or worse, put your restaurant on the receiving end of a classaction lawsuit – under new Federal Communications Commission rules.

The FCC rules, effective Oct. 16 under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, require restaurants and other businesses that send text messages or make phone calls through automated means to obtain, “prior express written consent,” on paper or electronically from the customers who will be receiving the communications.

Previously, businesses just needed to meet the looser standard of obtaining, “prior express content,” from recipients. For details go to http://wra.cc/mag0114b. ■

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Industry Outlook | WRA President & CEO

The times, they are a-changing

For the first time since the WRA started tracking menu concepts, and likely the first time ever, there is a new #1 food-based menu theme in Washington.

While the change is a landmark, and certainly represents several changes in our restaurant scene in Washington state, probably the biggest thing you need to be aware of is how your customer thinks.

Very few people are asking themselves, “Do you want to go out for dinner?” They are asking themselves, “Where do you want to go for dinner? BBQ or Thai? Pizza or Mexican? Burgers or wings? Indian or seafood? The Sushi place or The Greek place?”

Restaurant concepts that don’t find a brand and set themselves apart from the crowd will fade away into the crowd. Just 15 years ago, more than 40 percent of restaurants didn’t have a specific theme; they were just, “a restaurant.” The general menus were big, filled with staple comfort entrees, but they really were pretty similar choices, with price, quality and customer service being the biggest separators between winners and losers. And that was ok because customers weren’t looking for something specific. They specifically wanted a night out. Eating out was a special event; it was a birthday, an anniversary or a promotion.

Today, people go out because… they are hungry. They see very little difference between dining out or eating in, and they likely have more than a thousand restaurants to choose from within a reasonable drive from home. Today only around 15 percent have a, “general,” theme and that number will continue to drop. There will be a market for a, “general restaurant,”—just a much, much smaller one.

So who is the new king? Well, that is yet another story about today’s restaurant scene among the evergreens. For context, we’ll group the 60-plus individual menu concepts in Washington into 11 broader categories. Among which, asian restaurants have surpassed all others to become the reigning champ in Washington state.

Anthony Anton, president and CEO

Which says a lot about Washington. We obviously have a strong Asian population from many proud cultures who brought their fantastic cuisines with them as they settled in the Northwest.

But it also speaks to the curious palate of Washington, an open people, willing to try foods from many cultures and break from our families’ kitchen traditions. Nearly onethird of Washington’s restaurant menu themes are now ethnic-based and make up a market share that has grown every year since we started tracking.

That brings me to my next observations about what the growing number of Asian concepts says in regards to the our restaurant scene: We are dominantly small business.

More than 90 percent of the Asian concepts have fewer than 20 employees, a number not that much higher than all other restaurants at 81 percent.

We are still an industry that supports the American Dream, that small business people can buy themselves a job and pursue a good future for themselves and their families. When I talk to the families who run these restaurants, they are often prouder of their child who is in college (a reality their business made possible) than the fact they are running a successful business. When I ask them whether their soon-to-be college graduate is coming back to run the family business, I nearly always get a sharp, “no,” and then a description of the professional career they are dreaming of for their child—be it doctor, lawyer or engineer, among others. We are an industry that often lifts an entire family up a rung on the economic ladder.

No matter how others want to brand us, the reality is that our industry is really a reflection of the Northwest, a mix of many cultures, with a passion for the entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to break from tradition. ■

February 2014 | 9

The 2014 legislative session starts at breakneck pace

By Bruce Beckett, WRA director of government affairs

With roughly 1,000 bills introduced in only the first week, the volume this session is rapidly approaching record numbers and shows no sign of slowing down until mid-February.

After that time, any bills not passed by committee will no longer be eligible for further consideration.

In his State of the State address, Gov. Jay Inslee set the stage by reiterating his plea to increase state revenue by eliminating, “tax loopholes.” The governor also called for an increase in the minimum wage by about $1.50 to $2.50 an hour and continues to press lawmakers to take action on a comprehensive transportation funding package.

At this early juncture there is an emerging theme: to prepare for a complicated budget situation in 2015. Why now? The Washington State Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to substantially increase investments in K-12 education by 2018.

Despite investing more than $1 billion of additional money this biennium, many argue the state will need to invest $2 to

10 | warestaurant.org

$3 billion more in 2015-2016. That level of investment does not appear to balance against projected revenues. However, the simple math also does not include savings from other programs, policy choices to increase education funding or other means to meet the court’s mandate.

Nonetheless, many are now saying that there will be a major conflict over taxes and spending next year.

With respect to transportation, the state continues to face pressure to invest in major infrastructure upgrades to meet both commercial and demographic pressures.

During the interim, leaders on both sides of the aisle seemed to have come to an agreement on how to raise the money required. But issues remain over whether sales tax should continue to be collected on state transportation projects and who is responsible for cost overruns on major projects (like the 520 bridge and SR 99 tunnel). The cost overruns have energized efforts for reform of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s work processes.

Labor is pursuing an aggressive legislative agenda regarding definitions of employees and independent contractors.

And individual bills that failed to pass in 2013 on tightening restrictions and penalties for wage theft, new definitions

Seattle minimum wage debate within City Hall formally begins

By Josh McDonald, WRA local government affairs manager for independent contractors and employees, as well as harassment and worker protection.

Furthermore, new legislation has been introduced to require employers to provide paid vacation time to employees.

This session, like most sessions, will have a number of liquor licensing bills addressing specific business circumstances.

Bills have been introduced to allow the sale of growlers of wine, to allow alcohol to be sold at fairs and to allow for multiple licenses at a single location. Legislation related to catering licenses may also be submitted.

The Washington Restaurant Association’s priority legislation this session is to eliminate the 17 percent fee for retailers selling to restaurants. We have many supporters and sponsors on both sides of the aisle in the House and the Senate, but face heavy opposition from both the Teamsters Union and distributors.

In regards to tourism, the Washington Tourism Alliance has submitted a bill of intent that outlines their plan to begin investigating possible ways of funding state tourism through private industries.

If the bill is passed, the WTA would report back to the Legislature by Dec. 1 of this year with options and ideas.

Finally, the WRA expects legislation to be introduced to increase the minimum wage.

In 2013 Seattle was home to several organized protests and demonstrations demanding a higher minimum wage in the city. Now as we start 2014, newly elected Mayor Ed Murray has made this issue one of his top priorities and convened a formal Income Inequality Advisory Committee to try and come up with an approach to raising the city’s minimum wage, while recognizing the vast array of challenges for employers and employees within this type of proposal. The committee is split among 26 community members, 12 of which are small business employers, 12 that come from a labor or social justice background and two businesses that are not-for-profit. The restaurant, hotel and hospitality sectors are well represented with seven of the 12 employers on the committee coming from these related industries. Over the next four months, this committee will meet monthly to discuss and debate various approaches to wage disparity using local and national economic data; and strive to come to a consensus on a set of recommendations for Mayor Murray prior to May 1.

The Seattle Restaurant Alliance is leading the effort amongst the local business community to engage the mayor’s task force and the City Council about what raising the minimum wage means to businesses like ours that operate on razor-thin margins. If you would like to get more involved with the Seattle Restaurant Alliance and their work on this issue contact our local government coordinator, Morgan Hickel, at seattlerestaurantalliance@gmail.com.■

Any such legislation will be opposed by a broad coalition of business interests. It remains unclear if House and Senate leaders, and the governor, will be requesting a stakeholder process to gain input and ideas on the potential impact of a changing the minimum wage.

For more information on what is occurring in the state Legislature, and for weekly updates, please read the WRA’s Hot of the Grill e-newsletter each Friday and join us on our weekly Government Affairs Committee calls. Contact Shannon Garland at shannong@warestaurant.org for more information. ■

February 2014 | 11

ProямБle of a Typical Washington Foodservice Worker

238,000 TOTAL EMPLOYED IN THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY

RESTAURANT WORKER PROFILE

53%

ARE FEMALE

40%

ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 25

60% are single

Source: US Census and American Consumer Survey 12 | warestaurant.org

24%

ARE ENROLLED IN SCHOOL

67%

live in households with relatives, or other roommates

77%

LIVE IN A 2+ INCOME HOUSEHOLD

58%

work partime on average

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What’s Hot

FOOD

All 209 FOOD Items ranked by “HOT” responses The National Restaurant Association surveyed professional chefs, members of the American Culinary Federation, on which food, cuisines, beverages and culinary themes will be hot trends on restaurant menus in 2014. The What’s Hot in 2014 survey was conducted in the fall of 2013 among nearly 1,300 chefs.

HOT TREND

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Yesterday’s News

Perennial Favorite

Locally sourced meats and seafood 81% 6% 13% Locally grown produce 79% 5% 16% Environmental sustainability 79% 7% 14% Healthful kids’ meals 76% 7% 17% Gluten-free cuisine 76% 12% 12% Hyper-local sourcing 75% 12% 13% (e.g. restaurant gardens) Children’s nutrition 74% 7% 19% Non-wheat noodles/pasta 72% 19% 9% (e.g. quinoa, rice, buckwheat) Sustainable seafood 72% 11% 17% Farm/estate branded items 72% 15% 13% Nose-to-tail/root-to-stalk cooking 71% 13% 16% (e.g. reduce food waste by using entire animal/plant) Whole grain items in kids’ meals 70% 15% 15% Health/nutrition 70% 6% 24% New cuts of meat 69% 20% 11% (e.g. Denver steak, pork flat iron, tri-tip) Ancient grains 68% 21% 11% (e.g. kamut, spelt, amaranth) Ethnic-inspired breakfast items 67% 20% 13% (e.g. Asian-flavored syrups,Chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes) Grazing 67% 18% 15% (e.g. small-plate sharing/snacking instead of traditional meals) Non-traditional fish 66% 22% 12% (e.g. branzino, Arctic char, barramundi) Fruit/vegetable children’s side items 66% 12% 22% Half-portions/smaller portions for a smaller price 65% 16% 19% Hybrid desserts 65% 25% 10% (e.g. cronut, townie, ice cream cupcake) Non-wheat flour 65% 21% 14% (e.g. peanut, millet, barley, rice) Simplicity/back to basics 65% 9% 26% Quinoa 64% 22% 14% Unusual/uncommon herbs 64% 20% 17% (e.g. chervil, lovage, lemon balm, papalo) Natural sweeteners 64% 12% 23% (e.g. agave, honey, concentrated fruit juice, maple syrup) Artisan/specialty bacon 64% 22% 14% House-cured meats/charcuterie 63% 17% 21%

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What’s Hot

FOOD

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PICKLING

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Ethnic flour (e.g. fufu, teff, cassava/yuca) Pickling Black/forbidden rice Ethnic-inspired children’s dishes Oven-baked items in kids’ meals (e.g. baked chicken fingers, oven-baked fries) Gourmet children’s dishes Vegetarian appetizers Savory desserts Children’s portions of adult menu items Dark greens (e.g. kale, mustard greens, collards) Organic produce Ethnic cheeses (e.g. queso fresco, paneer, lebneh, halloumi) Food trucks Cutting edge kitchen equipment/technology House-made soft drinks/soda/pop Street food-inspired main courses (e.g. tacos, satay, kabobs) House-made/artisan ice cream Heirloom apples Artisan cheeses Fermenting Red rice Kale salads Bite-size/mini-desserts Vinegar/flavored vinegar/ house-made vinegars Pickled vegetables Foraging Cheeks (e.g. beef, pork, fish) Lower-sodium entrees Meatless/vegetarian items Inexpensive/underused cuts of meat (e.g. brisket, shoulder, skirt steak) Peruvian cuisine Specialty/gourmet sandwiches Free-range pork/poultry Deconstructed classic desserts Superfruit (e.g. acai, goji berry, mangosteen) Exotic fruits (e.g. rambutan, dragon fruit, paw paw, guava) Korean cuisine Southeast Asian cuisine (e.g. Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian) Regional ethnic cuisine Specialty salt (e.g. flavored, smoked, regional) Food-alcohol pairings Dessert flights/combos Children’s entree salads Molecular mixology Gourmet lemonade (e.g. house-made, freshly muddled)

HOT TREND

Yesterday’s News

Perennial Favorite

63%

28%

9%

63% 62% 62% 62%

16% 28% 27% 19%

21% 10% 11% 19%

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30% 22% 29% 21% 12%

8% 18% 10% 18% 27%

61% 61%

20% 16%

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24% 18% 26% 20%

16% 21% 13% 20%

60% 60% 60% 60% 59% 59% 59% 59% 58% 58% 57% 57% 57% 57%

11% 16% 10% 24% 29% 29% 20% 22% 27% 27% 31% 24% 18% 15%

28% 24% 30% 16% 13% 12% 20% 19% 15% 15% 12% 19% 25% 29%

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31% 17% 23% 35% 34%

12% 27% 21% 9% 10%

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31%

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19% 32%

25% 12%

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13% 30% 31% 37% 23%

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What’s Hot

FOOD

HOT TREND

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ETHNIC/STREET FOOD-INSPIRED APPETIZERS

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Ethnic/street food-inspired appetizers 54% (e.g. tempura, taquitos, kabobs) Tapas/meze/dim sum 54% (e.g. small plates) Grass-fed beef 54% Vegan entrees 54% Ethnic fusion cuisine 54% Pop-up/temporary restaurants 54% Low-fat/non-fat milk or 100% juice options 53% on kids’ menus Hybrid fruits/vegetables 52% (e.g. plumcot, grapple, broccoflower) Umami 52% Ethnic condiments 51% (e.g. raita/raitha, chimichurri, Sriracha, chutney, soy sauce) Black garlic 51% Coconut water 51% Chef tasting menus/chef’s tables 50% Alternative red meats 49% (e.g. buffalo/bison, ostrich/emu) Flatbreads 49% (e.g. naan, pappadum, lavash, pita tortilla) Specialty iced tea 49% (e.g. Thai-style, Southern/sweet, flavored) Game meats 48% (e.g. venison, game birds, boar, rabbit) Specialty potatoes 48% (e.g. purple, fingerling, Baby Dutch Yellow) Nordic/Scandinavian cuisine 48% Regional American cuisine 48% Micro-vegetables/micro-greens 47% Heirloom tomatoes 47% Latin American/Nuevo Latino cuisine 47% Seeds (e.g. chia, flax) 47% Greek yogurt 47% Dairy-free milk 47% (e.g. soy, rice, almond) Ethnic dips 46% (e.g. hummus, tabbouleh, baba ganoush, tzatziki) Asian noodles (e.g. soba, udon) 46% Gourmet/specialty burgers 46% Underutilized fish 46% (e.g. mackerel, bluefish, whiting, redfish) Desserts with bacon 46% Non-traditional eggs 46% (e.g. duck, quail, emu) “Mocktails” 46% (e.g. non-alcoholic cocktails) Low-calorie entrees 45% Children’s sushi 45% Fresh herbs 45% Root vegetables 45% (e.g. parsnip, turnip, rutabaga) Fresh beans/peas 45% (e.g. fava, sweet, snow) Smoking 45%

Yesterday’s News

Perennial Favorite

21%

25%

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27% 26% 32% 39% 20%

19% 20% 15% 8% 27%

38%

9%

30% 17%

17% 32%

38% 39% 25% 38%

11% 11% 25% 13%

22%

29%

24%

26%

23%

28%

23%

29%

41% 18% 32% 18% 20% 36% 26% 26%

11% 34% 22% 35% 33% 17% 27% 27%

23%

31%

26% 26% 34%

28% 28% 20%

48% 40%

5% 14%

32%

23%

30% 46% 6% 16%

25% 10% 48% 38%

19%

36%

8%

47%

February 2014 | 17

What’s Hot

FOOD

#117

BIBIMBAP

18 | warestaurant.org

HOT TREND

Yesterday’s News

113. Organic coffee 45% 32% 114. Traditional ethnic breakfast items 44% 24% (e.g. huevos rancheros, shakshuka, ashta) 115. Bacon jam 44% 47% 116. Sous vide 44% 38% 117. Bibimbap 43% 41% 118. Middle Eastern cuisine 43% 32% 119. Chef-/restaurant-branded retail products 43% 39% 120. Amuse-bouche/bite-size hors d’oeuvre 42% 32% 121. Pho 42% 38% 122. Asian mushrooms 42% 22% (e.g. shiitake, straw, enokitake, maitake) 123. Salted caramel 42% 36% 124. Liquid nitrogen chilling/freezing 42% 51% 125. Hot peppers 40% 21% (e.g. habanero, chipotle, jalapeno) 126. Americanized ethnic cuisine 40% 36% (e.g. ethnic cuisine adjusted for American palates/ingredients) 127. Infused/flavored oils 40% 30% 128. Pretzels/pretzel bread 40% 27% 129. Oil-poaching 40% 43% 130. Flatbread appetizers 39% 43% 131. Avocados 39% 12% 132. Pomegranates 39% 29% 133. Asian pear 39% 35% 134. Whole grain bread/rolls 39% 21% 135. Braising 39% 9% 136. Raw 39% 40% 137. Molecular gastronomy 39% 54% 138. Regional water/source-specific water 39% 41% 139. Warm appetizer salads 38% 43% 140. Halal items 38% 38% 141. Vegetable puree 37% 42% (e.g. cauliflower, parsnip) 142. Fresh fruit breakfast items 37% 14% 143. Egg white omelets/sandwiches 37% 36% 144. Yogurt parfait/Greek yogurt parfait 37% 21% 145. Mediterranean cuisine 37% 16% 146. Specialty oils 37% 28% (e.g. truffle, sesame, grapeseed, hazelnut) 147. Raw meat/fish appetizers 36% 37% (e.g. tartare, crudo, carpaccio, sashimi) 148. Beets 35% 22% 149. Passion fruit 34% 46% 150. Fennel 34% 27% 151. Dust 34% 54% 152. Flavored/enhanced water 34% 53% 153. Barnacles/percebes 33% 55% 154. Brussels sprouts 33% 24% 155. Bacon-flavored/covered chocolate 33% 60% 156. Ramen 32% 47% 157. Bacon alternatives 32% 52% (e.g. turkey bacon, tofu bacon) 158. Indian cuisine 32% 30%

Perennial Favorite

23% 32% 9% 18% 17% 25% 19% 26% 21% 37% 22% 7% 39% 24% 30% 32% 17% 18% 50% 33% 26% 40% 52% 21% 7% 20% 20% 24% 21% 49% 27% 43% 46% 35% 28% 43% 20% 38% 12% 13% 12% 43% 7% 21% 15% 37%

What’s Hot

FOOD

#159 SUSHI

159. Sushi/sushi-style items 160. Meat alternatives (e.g. tofu, tempeh, seitan) 161. Russian cuisine 162. Grilling 163. Entree salads 164. Fish offal (e.g. collar, liver, head) 165. Prix fixe brunches 166. Donuts/donut sandwiches 167. Duck fat 168. Grilled vegetables 169. Gelato/sorbet 170. Breakfast crepes 171. Radish/daikon 172. Flowers (e.g. bulbs, petals, blossoms) 173. Tap water/filtered water 174. Artichokes 175. Foam/froth/air 176. Comfort foods (e.g. chicken pot pie, meatloaf, roasted chicken) 177. Short ribs 178. Cheese plates 179. Steaming 180. Sweet potato fries 181. Couscous 182. Mini-burgers/sliders 183. “Fun-shaped” children’s items 184. Cold appetizer salads 185. Fruit desserts (e.g. cobbler, crisp, tart, pie) 186. Mexican cuisine 187. Grits 188. Brown/wild rice 189. Barbeque 190. Milkshakes/malts 191. Dessert crepes 192. Cauliflower 193. Breakfast burritos 194. Macaroni and cheese/mac’n’cheese 195. Waffles 196. Eggs Benedict 197. Oatmeal 198. Steamed vegetables 199. Chopped salads 200. French toast 201. Italian cuisine 202. French cuisine 203. Chicken wings 204. Fried chicken 205. Zucchini 206. Frying 207. Bottled water 208. Bruschetta 209. Gazpacho

HOT TREND

Yesterday’s News

Perennial Favorite

31% 31%

32% 50%

36% 19%

31% 31% 30% 30% 30% 30% 30% 29% 29% 29% 29% 29% 28% 27% 27% 26%

48% 10% 23% 60% 40% 47% 43% 26% 26% 37% 36% 54% 33% 27% 66% 15%

21% 59% 47% 10% 30% 24% 27% 46% 45% 34% 35% 17% 39% 45% 7% 58%

26% 26% 26% 25% 24% 24% 24% 23% 23%

18% 25% 19% 49% 43% 55% 57% 34% 19%

55% 48% 55% 26% 34% 20% 19% 43% 58%

23% 22% 22% 22% 22% 21% 21% 20% 19% 19% 17% 16% 15% 15% 15% 15% 15% 14% 14% 14% 14% 14% 11% 10%

21% 31% 39% 15% 25% 44% 27% 45% 31% 28% 23% 26% 44% 40% 26% 20% 33% 35% 22% 31% 23% 46% 49% 58%

56% 47% 39% 63% 53% 35% 52% 35% 50% 53% 61% 59% 41% 45% 59% 65% 52% 52% 65% 56% 63% 39% 40% 32%

February 2014 | 19

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What’s Hot

ALCOHOL All 48 alcohol Items ranked by “HOT” responses

HOT TREND

Yesterday’s News

Perennial Favorite

1.

Micro-distilled/artisan spirits

77%

13%

10%

2.

Locally produced beer/wine/spirits

70%

10%

20%

3.

Onsite barrel-aged drinks

69%

19%

12%

4.

Culinary cocktails

69%

19%

13%

(e.g. savory, fresh ingredients) 5.

Regional signature cocktails

64%

16%

20%

6.

“New Make” whiskey

63%

25%

12%

7.

Gluten-free beer

63%

28%

9%

8.

Edible cocktails

61%

30%

9%

9.

Food-liquor/cocktail pairings

61%

16%

22%

10.

Food-beer pairings

60%

16%

24%

11.

Flavored/herbed tonic

58%

32%

10%

12.

House-made bitters

56%

32%

12%

13.

Organic cocktails

55%

34%

14.

House-brewed beer

55%

15%

30%

15.

Botanicals in cocktails

54%

35%

11%

(e.g. flower essence, lavender, hibiscus) 16.

Craft beer/microbrew

54%

15%

31%

17.

Skinny/lower-calorie cocktails

53%

33%

13%

18.

Moonshine

53%

31%

16%

19.

Organic beer/wine/spirits

53%

27%

20%

20.

Cask beer/ale

53%

24%

23%

21.

Non-traditional wine varietals

53%

22%

25%

22.

Beer-based cocktails

51%

37%

12%

23.

Non-traditional liquors

51%

35%

14%

50%

42%

9%

(e.g. soju/sochu, cachaca) 24.

Fermented cocktails continued on page 29

22 | warestaurant.org

11%

ProStart teens poised to keep restaurants trend-savvy Come see for yourself on March 2!

By Lyle Hildahl, WRA Education Foundation director At a recent restaurant chapter meeting an owner commented, “With minimum wage continuing to go up, there is no way I will be hiring teens.” Watching the body language from the rest of the participants, it became clear that this was a unanimous opinion.

I would have to agree. Hiring a teen is risky when you have experienced and college educated applicants vying for the jobs.

Statistically, teen employment is down 50 percent in Washington over the last five years. It looks like it could get even worse. I’m going to go out on a limb here and argue that we should hire teens.

Not just any teens, but ProStart teens.

I have the privilege to work with ProStart teens on a pretty regular basis. As a former restaurant owner, knowing what I know today about ProStart, I would hire these teens for my kitchen and dining room. In every school we partner with, there are restaurant and culinary rock stars that will help your restaurant grow and succeed.

Many typical ProStart students are driven by the Food Network and dream of becoming a celebrity, or owner, themselves by the time they are 21. Reality hasn’t really set in yet, but that’s where you and your leadership team come in. With patient coaching, it can become a win for you and the ProStart student.

Recently, the NRA surveyed professional chefs and members of the American Culinary Federation on which food, beverages and culinary themes will be hot trends on restaurant menus in 2014.

Local, healthy, nutritious and sustainable was prevalent throughout the top 20 trends. If you are willing to tap into the amazing energy that some of these ProStart rock stars are eager to share, you might end up leading your community on these trends. These kids are the source of the trends. They are driving the changes.

I want to challenge you to find out what I have discovered by

working with these teens in the classroom. Find a ProStart school in your area by contacting the Education Foundation at 877.695.9733, ext. 127. Send your chef or dining room managers to the classroom to talk about how they got into the business. Demo a culinary technique, or talk about how to draft a business plan for a new restaurant concept. Watch the kids while you are interacting with them, pick out the stars and get them on your team. You will not regret it.

The WRA Education Foundation puts on an annual culinary and restaurant management competition, the Boyd’s Coffee ProStart Invitational, where our partner schools send teams of five students to compete. This is where you will get your socks blown off. High school teens prepare three-course meals with just two propane burners for a heat source. ACH certified chefs that judge the competition are also stunned. Here is some perspective from lead judge Jamie Callison: “As the lead judge for the Washington State Boyd’s Coffee Pro Start Invitational, I’m amazed every year with the professionalism, creativity, culinary talent and quality of the students at this competition. The students inspired by their teachers and mentors, continue to motivate me to work towards the same standards and excellence that they showcase. After 30 plus years of professional cooking, it is refreshing to learn from these outstanding future leaders.”

In the Management competition you will experience the passion of these kids behind the trends of the future. Reading this article will not convince you. Showing up in the classroom, and showing up for the competition in Spokane on March 2, will be more than enough. Just look at the winning plates from 2013. Show up. Get involved. You won’t regret it. ■

2014 Boyd’s ProStart Invitational

Sunday, March 2, 2014 | Mirabeau Park Hotel & Convention Center | 1100 N. Sullivan Road | Spokane Valley, WA 99037

Bonney Lake High School’s Lobster Abalone Bisque

Oak Harbor High School’s Seared Ahi Tuna Nisçoise

Newport High School’s Pan Seared Painted Hills Beef on Cellophane Noodles

February 2014 | 23

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4402 0513

INDUSTRY CALENDAR February/March 2014 Training Feb. 27

ServSafe® Manager, Olympia

Mar. 4

ServSafe® Manager, Seattle

Mar. 11

ServSafe® Manager, Kent

Mar. 20

ServSafe® Manager, Tacoma

Mar. 24

ServSafe® Manager, Kent

Mar. 25

ServSafe® Manager, Fife

Meetings Feb. 4

Executive Committee Meeting

Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26

Government Affairs Committee Meeting

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Seattle Restaurant Alliance Meeting

Mar. 4

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Mar. 5, 12, 19

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Events Mar. 2

2014 Boyd’s Coffee© ProStart Invitational

NEW ALLIED MEMBERS Harbor Wholesale Tracy Elders 3901 Hogum Bay Rd. SE Lacey, WA 98516 360.754.4484 Traceye@harborwholesale.com www.harborwholesale.com Harbor Wholesale Foods is a family-owned and operated fourth generation business that has called the NW home since 1923.

We provide food distribution to more than 2,000 customers throughout the NW including fast casual restaurants, independent and regional chains, institutional, grocery and convenience stores. Our two distribution facilities are centrally located to serve WA, OR, ID, AK and northern CA via our temperature controlled trucks. Combining 90 years of experience with commitment and passion for our entire team, we are uniquely positioned.

HR Ideas, Inc Deisy Bach 1240 W Sims Way Ste 246 Port Townsend, WA 98368-3058 925.556.4404 dbach@hrideas.com http://hrideas.com HR Ideas partners with single restaurant operators and small chains to support them with employee issues, Human Resources, Safety/OSHA and Training (bilingual). HRI supports you in-person, phone and email. We also offer webinars and online support I agree to offer special pricing to WRA restaurant members.

Discount state/federal larger companies rely on from their in-house team.

Walla Walla High School’s Crostoli from the 2013 2014 Boyd’s Coffee© ProStart Invitational.

26 | warestaurant.org

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continued from page 22

What’s Hot

ALCOHOL HOT TREND

Yesterday’s News

Perennial Favorite

25.

Custom ice (e.g. flavored, shapes)

50%

40%

10%

26.

Tequila alternatives

50%

36%

14%

(e.g. sotol, bacanora) 27.

Seasonal beer

49%

16%

36%

28.

Beer-wine hybrids

49%

40%

11%

(e.g. beer with wine grapes) 29.

Bottled/house-bottled cocktails

48%

34%

17%

30.

Signature cocktails

46%

18%

36%

31.

Non-traditional flavored liquor

46%

46%

8%

45%

33%

22%

(e.g. bacon, smoked salmon, chili pepper, marshmallow) 32.

Salt as cocktail garnish (e.g. flavored, smoked, regional)

33.

Beer flights/samplers

44%

26%

30%

34.

Pisco

43%

42%

15%

35.

Wine flights/samplers

43%

25%

32%

36.

Vaporized cocktails

42%

51%

6%

37.

Hot/warm cocktails

42%

31%

27%

38.

Flavored/spiced beer

42%

34%

24%

39.

Cocktails on tap

40%

46%

14%

40.

Wine on tap/draft wine

40%

44%

16%

41.

Shrubs

33%

55%

12%

42.

Sour beer

33%

55%

12%

43.

IPAs

33%

30%

37%

44.

Mulled/spiced wine

32%

39%

29%

45.

Lagers

31%

23%

46%

46.

Mezcal

30%

44%

26%

47.

Tequila/premium tequila

30%

28%

42%

48.

Sake/mirin

27%

36%

37%

Ask the Expert | Restaurant Profit Coach

Four Focus Areas to Improve Product Cost

By Rick Braa, CHAE

Q:

I’m interested in improving my margins this year.

I don’t want to overhaul my menu, and I think my prices are where they need to be. Where should I start on the cost side?

A:

The largest cost target on the restaurant P&L is prime cost, which is made up of cost of goods sold and fully loaded labor. Cost of goods sold is primarily made up of food cost and beverage cost. The discipline for running great costs in cost of goods is the same whether it’s food or beverage. It begins with the purchase and ends with the sale. Everywhere in between is ripe for improvement. Regardless of restaurant size, any business can be world class and improve margins by functioning tightly in the following areas: Optimize purchasing habits. Study POS sales mix data for what sells most. Take the top 20 percent of sellers on food and beverage, and analyze the recipes for each. Analyze pack sizes and pricing for the items most frequently used in those recipes. Optimize purchasing of those items. Ask your vendor if there is a better pack size or bottle size that has better pricing per unit of measure. Simply meeting with your vendor and asking what can be done to bring the price down on those items yields better results. They know their products and pricing. The second important discipline is to ensure an item has multiple uses. All items need to be in more than one dish or drink otherwise you’re paying or wasting too much.

Professionally receive product. It’s estimated 50 percent of all product cost problems come through the receiving process. It’s important to have a trained receiver accept all deliveries. Don’t skip the important step of accepting an order which is to count or weigh those items sold by the each and pound. Match the delivery up to what was ordered and the invoice not just the invoice. Inspect all product and reject what doesn’t meet specification. Lastly, don’t let the driver put the delivery away. It’s much easier to miss items when they are already in storage or miss an important rotation of product when the vendor delivers into storage.

The incentive of the driver is to get in and out as fast as possible not to ensure accuracy.

Store as little as possible on hand. Inventory is like toothpaste. As you work your way to the end of a tube the value of the toothpaste goes up. You carefully ration the toothpaste until you can get a new tube. Once you obtain 30 | warestaurant.org

a new, full tube of toothpaste the end of the prior tube is quickly discarded in the trash as an inconvenience. The same principle applies to ingredients. The lower in the bottle the more precious that bottle unless there are several others in storage or readily available. For beverage target about 30 days of cost in inventory, for food target about three to five days to keep inventory low and fresh. This will be more difficult the more remote the location or the ingredients, be careful to keep close to seven days of cost.

Make sure to count product often as well. Weekly inventories provide the best control. They become more efficient and the amount on-hand tends to decrease as managers don’t enjoy counting and recording a huge inventory. Lower inventory also keeps more cash in the business. For high end proteins and liquors count them daily and reconcile them to what was sold out of the POS. The more frequently you count the more familiar you’ll be whether the product was sold, wasted, or stolen.

Portion as accurately as possible. For food, in the heat of the rush portions are more likely to be off recipe creating unnecessary margin bleed as they are sold. Pre-portioning allows line cooks to be accurate and fast, serving the right amount. In the bar having pre-mixed mixer or drinks on tap will help keep drinks consistent. Keeping a wine glass with a colored water pour as a measurement will allow accurate pouring of wine. Make sure beer has an appropriate and necessary head on it and is not being poured off. In a restaurant where sales are $1,000,000 per year with a $25 guest check average 40,000 guests are served annually. A little off on 40,000 is a big number, be as tight and accurate as possible.

Improving margins can be fun and easy if you apply great discipline and stick to it. What gets measured gets managed.

Increase your focus on these fundamentals and you’ll see a 2 to 5 percent reduction in your cost.

For a more information on improving profitability and driving sales, contact AMP Services at rbraa@ampservices. com. Rick Braa is the co-founder of AMP Services, an accounting and consulting firm specializing in helping companies grow profitability. ■

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