You may have heard about a problem with pre-populating Section 1 of the Form I-9 — ignore it!

There seems to be some confusion among our esteemed policy-making agencies about the issue of whether it is legal or not legal to pre-populate Section 1 of the Form I-9:

 

Immigration Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) have provided inconsistent statements. Earlier this year, ICE stated at an American Immigration Lawyers Association meeting that it deemed pre-populating Section 1 a violation of I-9 regulations. However, more recently, both ICE and USCIS stated that they have no official position regarding pre-population and advised employers to follow the regulations (which are silent on the issue). An official guidance or policy from either agency has yet to appear.[1]

 

We will keep you posted but at this point it doesn’t appear necessary to make changes to current systems that gather new hire information for completing the I-9.

Greetings!

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Ahhhhh, That’s Refreshing

By Joan Lang

When it comes to foodservice brands, there’s been a lot of refreshment going on. In fact, we recently blogged about 7-Eleven’s new initiative, which covers everything from the logo to the store design and food offerings to the logo.

 

In fact, these days the idea of refreshing an older brand—or even rebranding altogether—covers a lot more than just a new logo and snappy trade dress. The competitive marketplace demands it.

 

Established brands may have name recognition and time-in-grade going for them, but they must also keep up with an explosion of newer concepts, changes in demographics and customer expectations, and other companies that are updating in various ways.

 

In 7-Eleven’s case, the c-store giant’s first major rebrand in 43 years is all about targeting health-conscious, on-the-go Millennials with hip, colorful servery graphics, and a more inviting foodservice display that touts healthier snacks and freshly made foods such as salads, rather than roller dogs and microwaved sandwiches.
And they’re not the only company that’s manipulating the concept to change their image:

 

– Staid and pricey Morton’s Steakhouse has introduced its more casual Morton’s Grille in the Houston marketplace, with a menu that features trendy (and less expensive) “Mix, Mingle & Share” selections like short rib tacos, deviled eggs and Veal & Mozz Meatballs, plus flatbreads, salads and non-steak “Food Envy” entrees including sliders, pot roast and Chicken Chop Diane

– Silver Diner, a Maryland-based chainlet that has long presented an idealized version of the iconic diner, has also been pushing the envelope in the direction of the Millennial target market. Brand revisions include significant menu changes that center on more healthful dining habits, such as a “chef-driven fresh & local menu,” and more gluten-free, vegan and under-600-calorie options

– Wendy’s has debuted a sleek new store format that includes booths, a television set, free Wi-Fi, and even a faux fireplace, designed to encourage guests to linger and enjoy more of an experience along with their burgers—part a trend that the Orlando Sentinel dubbed “the lounge-ization of fast food”

– Other QSR participants in the movement include Del Taco (which capped a multi-phase rebranding effort with new menus and an ad campaign) and KFC (with a colonel- and fried-free new concept called “KFC Eleven’)

– In a bit of flip on that trend, Panera Bread—one of the original brands to blur the lines between fast food and a more upscale mode of quick service—has reversed its decades-long promise of eschewing drive-thrus with the addition of the convenience-oriented windows in select markets

– Family-oriented Mimi’s Café has moved to what it terms a French-inspired, chef-led positioning with a more sophisticated new menu (tournedos of beef, anyone?) that caps an ambitious turnaround effort since the chain was uncoupled from Bob Evans Farms

– Old Chicago has also used a menu overhaul to drive its brand updating efforts; the ‘70s-era chain partnered with Lettuce Entertain You to plot a made-from-scratch course that includes fresh-dough pizza, more salads, pastas and shareable appetizers, and a 36-tap craft-beer program. The “pizza and taproom” update necessitated revised kitchen layouts, as well as new back-of-house systems to help ensure faster service and more efficient turnaround

– Fondue and date-night brand The Melting Pot has been retooling its menu to encourage guests to stop in for casual dining occasions, not just birthdays and Valentine’s Day. The romance and the four-course Big Night Out cheese and chocolate fondue packages remain, but there are also individual entrees like Spinach & Artichoke Ravioli, Teriyaki-Marinated Sirloin, and various proteins with mix-and-match preps and sauces

Brand efforts like these continue to make news—and can only grow in importance, particularly among brands that came of age at the dawn of the theme chain back in the 1970s and 1980s. The recent success of Bennigan’s back-from-the-dead rebranding strategy demonstrates how savvy these ambitious efforts can be.

Need help with a brand refresh of any size and scope? Contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.

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Red Sauce Renaissance

By Joan Lang

 

Well, the world has come full circle—and proof that the food-trend pendulum is always swinging, the red sauce Italian joint has come roaring back after several decades’ worth of displacement by Tuscan, Roman, Sicilian, Calabrian….

 

Not that these wonderful and authentic regional Italian cuisines aren’t still popular, but there is also renewed pride in the Italian-American culinary lexicon. We’ve seen it in the surging popularity of menu items like meatballs and pizza (including news-making versions like this Chicken Parm Pizza), and in a return to casual, welcoming Italian restaurants serving comforting and uncomplicated food.

 

This is the cooking adapted by immigrants to a new land, where familiar ingredients were challenging to find but hunger for the traditional ways endured. Now in its third generation and proud of it, red sauce is born again in contemporary ways, with a taste for innovation and the kind of careful sourcing and housemade artisanship that has helped to transform so many restaurants in this country.

 

Chef and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich has certainly captured the Zeitgeist with her road trips into the heart of Italian-American cooking, but there’s a lot more going on. Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone of New York City’s Major Food Group are setting the trend on fire with their restaurants. This is especially true of their newest, Carbone, which opened earlier this year on the site of the legendary Italian-American Rocco’s. Featuring upgrades of classic Italian-American specialties like veal parmesan and linguine with clam sauce, the restaurant has become one of the hottest new spots in town.

 

Sauce restaurant is another example of the trend, which chef-owner Frank Prisinzano describes as “heavily influenced by Italian history, tradition and my childhood spent in my grandmother’s kitchen.” Part restaurant and part butcher shop for his other neighborhood restaurants, Sauce proudly touts Italo-American comfort foods like tomato “gravy” with meatballs, steak pizzaiola, and handmade ricotta cavatelli.

 

The Red Hen, in Washington, DC, calls itself an “Italian-influenced American restaurant,” serving the likes of rigatoni with sausage, gnocchi, and cacio e pepe (a simple but newly popular pasta preparation made with nothing more than good cheese and a lot of black pepper), plus flights of fancy such as wood-roasted beets with pistachios and seared veal sweetbreads with pea shoots and soft polenta. The wine list is heavy on bottles from Italy, including unusual “orange wines,” which are made by very, very old fermentation methods.

Divieto, in Doral, FL, calls its food “Italian-American fusion,” with a menu than ranges from fried calamari with marinara sauce to salmon carpaccio, veal scallopini to grilled yellowfin tuna. It’s all served up in a tin-ceilinged room complete with booths, black-and-white tile floors, and an atmospheric back bar.

 

There’s also Little Nonna’s, a new red-sauce restaurant in Philadelphia. This popular, intimate little spot does indeed serve up “Nonna” cuisine. The bill of fare includes arancini (rice balls shaped like the namesake “little oranges”), spicy pork and broccoli rabe subs, eggplant Parm, and homemade cannoli, and the house-bottle cocktails include classics like the Negroni. Most noteworthy is the famous Sunday gravy, chock full of braciole, meatballs and hot sausage, served over pasta of the night with the meats on the side—recreating an experience that legions of Italians here in America grew up with, every Sunday after Mass.
Many of these dishes are ripe for migration on less thematic menus, tapping into a collective memory of simpler times that extends beyond Italian ancestry.

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ADR Agreements Make Even More Sense Now

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that courts “cannot invalidate arbitration agreements which waive class actions . . . .” While there is a fair amount of detail to this rule, the basic principle is that the only weakness to arbitration agreements was that if an employee filed as a class member, and the court approved it, the arbitration agreement was not applicable. Now that has all changed.
Arbitration Agreements, also defined as Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) Agreements, are designed (and approved by the courts) to mitigate challenges from employees. Under an Arbitration Agreement, the employees’ complaint is heard by a retired judge and is settled almost immediately, rather than going into litigation. Most all rules of court apply.

 

Benefits include a substantial reduction in time, as the time it takes to get in front of an Arbitrator is far less than is the situation with a normal court case. The decision is binding—for better or worse. All the facts are considered, and both parties go into this process understanding that what the Arbitrator says goes. The cost to defend the case is substantially less, because all the preparation and filings and legal wrangling are unnecessary. Finally, for operations that consider themselves compliant and who address their employees ‘concerns quickly and efficiently, this system is far more effective at solving issues, because you do have the opportunity to demonstrate what you have done in regards to a particular complaint.

 

There are certain regulations related to changing over to an ADR system. We recommend that you contact your labor law attorney to discuss. The benefits for you and for your employees could be substantial.

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Tip of the Month

If you think offering healthy menu options is not an issue that affects your operation, think again. A new consumer survey by AlixPartners reveals that so many patrons are concerned about finding healthier choices that they are less likely to dine out in 2014—on top of decreases in restaurant traffic this year. For more details on this and other findings, take a look at this topline report from the firm’s new “2013 North America Restaurant & Foodservice Outlook: Fall Update.”

 

Spicy foods are not a turnoff for American diners, in fact, they crave flavorful foods! New research states that 54% of consumers prefer hot or spicy flavors and sauces. Given that this statistic has increased by 8% since 2009, we are predicting this trend is hot (no pun intended)!

 

Synergy Restaurant Consultants founder Dean Small always says, “Flavor drives traffic,” and the latest research reports agree. Technomic found that 41% of consumers say that new or innovative flavors can influence them to try a new restaurant. Additionally 75% of these consumers are also highly likely to return to a restaurant that serves them a delicious menu item featuring innovative flavors.

 

Now is the time to play with the flavors offered on your menu. Get creative and use unique flavor combinations to surprise and delight diners. Based on our 25 years of experience, we know bold flavors will drive traffic to your door.

 

Did you know that November is Diabetes Awareness Month? Individuals suffering from diabetes not only have to consider the amount of sugar that goes into each meal they eat, but also how much carbohydrates there are. Being that there are nearly 25 million diabetics in the U.S., it makes it ever-more important that restaurants make sure they are offering diabetes-friendly menu items.

Read more here: http://www.sysco.com/health/Sysco-Shape-Newsletter.html

 

Does your restaurant only offer fries and chips as sides? An easy way to revamp your menu to cater to diabetics is by evaluating your side dishes.  Check out our list side ideas that are healthy and delicious for everyone.

 

Consider Offer these Carb-Friendly Sides:

– Steamed, non-starchy vegetables such as asparagus, carrots,broccoli, cauliflower, and eggplant with zesty vinaigrette dressing

– Garlic cauliflower mashed-potatoes

– Sauteed mushrooms and onions

– Baked zucchinni chips

– Balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts

– Avocado salad with tomatoes and onions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With over 25 years of hospitality consulting experience, there are certain facts we have learned about the restaurant business. It’s commonly understood that food costs and pricing strategies can make or break a restaurant. However, you may find it surprising that many independent restaurants are actually undercharging for their products.

The following data can be helpful to use as a price comparison. Take a look at your menu prices and compare them to the averages found at national chains. How do you stack up?

 

 

To calculate the data, we took a sample of menu items within each of the categories listed above and found the average price of an item within the category. The national chains used to determine the calculations included Applebees, Chilis, Olive Garden, Red Robin, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday, Smokey Bones, Texas Roadhouse, Outback, Lonestar, Hooters, Buffalo Wild Wings, Wild Wings Café, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa Johns, and Panera.

 

Synergy Restaurant Consultants offers comprehensive restaurant financial services. Please visit www.synergyconsultants.com for more information.

 

 

 

 

The world’s largest convenience store chain is changing its approach.  Commonly associated with hot dogs, Big Gulps, and Slurpees, 7-Eleven is looking to promote its healthy side.  This rebrand is in an effort to gain the attention of a new target market focusing on millenials and females.

The 50,000 unit chain’s new identity includes a new logo, sleeker store design, and a more nutritious and wholesome product offering. 7-Eleven hopes these changes will rejuvenate the brand and change the perception that it only offers unhealthy junk food, therefore attracting health-conscious millenials.  For photos of the rebrand, check out Fast Company’s article here.

Are you looking to rebrand your restaurant or food operation?  Synergy’s team of expert marketing and branding experts can help.  Visit Synergy Restaurant Consultants for more information.

Sources

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3020110/7-11-rebrands-to-target-health-conscious-millennials