Menu Spring Bites

Work – Life Balance in the Restaurant Business

Our topic of discussion may appear outside the parameters of the hospitality industry which we usually address; however, we believe taking a moment once in a while to step back, look at the big picture and attempt to find those roses and smell them in equal time to our passion for the industry is just as important.  No doubt many reading this are passionate towards perfecting a classical dish or discovering the next food trend or even deconstructing any or all of the previous food norms to create a new understanding of what it is to prepare food as a career.  That intense energy and devotion may also be what’s dragging some of us down.  So we’ll take another perspective today and attempt to find that balance between what we love to do for others and learn how to do for ourselves in balance. 

Fast-Casuals, QSR’s and Adult Beverages, A Good Mix?

Margins on a “food only” menu can be a challenge especially when seasonality, bad weather or other supply chain issues arise to disrupt the regular flow of food service business.  A menu item(s) that may not be subject to such challenges is of course alcoholic beverages for which production and availability is not at the mercy of temporary weather changes and since most alcohol travels well transportation over distances is usually not an issue.  This month we’ll share our thoughts on how to determine if alcoholic beverages are good for the product mix for non-traditional operations.

Is Demographic Shift Disrupting Food and Beverage Sales?

Yeah, this months’ entry is a tad “deep” but we’ll do our best to make sense of it all as it’s our mission.  Manufacturers, vendors and operators are experiencing a “perfect storm” of change in consumer eating behaviors and in what food and beverages guests are consuming. Shifts in taste, life-style and pocketbooks are driving those in food service and the supply chain to extremes resulting in loss in market share and check average alike.  Advice and suggestions we have in abundance; however, it’s just as the challenge of “leading a horse to water” and you know the rest.  Here’s what we see unfolding in the “food-chain” marketplace with a couple of those suggestions for good measure. 

Back to Food, Beverage & Labor Basics

            A conversation with a client the other day reminded me how many independent operators may not have adequate time to review their controllable costs on a regular basis.  The client mentioned how their margins were shrinking so I asked when was your last review of the three basics being food, beverage and labor costs.  Their response floored me, they said “Over eighteen months ago”, to which I replied “that’s your answer right there, it’s an ongoing thing and requires timely reviews.” 

Service as a Culture

            Recalling my first day of “Hotel Orientation Class” I remember the remarks from the department chair of the hospitality program, “To be successful in the hospitality business you must be willing to and possess the ability to serve.”  Many years later as I write this I look back partly in nostalgia and partly to re-group to find the means necessary to convey those words and that attitude with clients and fellow industry observers.  To be “hospitable” the willingness to be of “service” just goes hand-in-hand, you can’t separate the two without a disconnect in the core meaning of hospitality.  We’ll dedicate this months’ ruminations to that culture of service that drives many to provide the care of our guests.