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Taps Fish House and Brewery offers casual dining and beautiful design

Dec 29, 2010

When my partners and I are on call for a project, we always come on site to the restaurant to taste the food and assess the location. Aside from evaluating the food, we take careful attention to the ambiance and décor of the restaurant. In short, the design and décor must be appropriately matched to the theme of the restaurant and provide an inviting, enjoyable and not to mention clean atmosphere.

Every so often, I visit a restaurant that is so beautiful that it leaves a mark in my mind even after I leave. Taps Fish House and Brewery in Brea, California did just that. Upon entering the establishment, I immediately felt a warmness—not just from the cordial service but from the dark brown wood furnishings, exposed brick walls, old-fashioned stools and wall fixtures.

 

At Taps, you can experience both classy fine dining on one end at the elegant main room, and casual eating and drinking at the bar on the other. Cigar enthusiast? Light one up at Taps cigar-friendly patio. On a chilly night at Taps, try cozying up to one of four fireplaces to some live music. Taps is a wonderful example of great restaurant design. Our very own consultant at Synergy, Bob Kuchinski, actually designed Taps. Synergy Consultants specializes in high-end designs to fit any restaurant theme — this includes exterior design, interior design and decor as well as efficient commercial kitchens.

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2011 promises to ring in nutritious changes at restaurants

Dec 10, 2010

As 2011 soon approaches, so too will food-labeling requirements for many restaurants, particularly chains with 20 or more locations. Check out the following foodservice trends as the top 5 that will result from the federal menu labeling mandates.

1. Healthy by association

Although diners surveyed state they want to eat healthier, they also often complain that healthy food doesn’t taste as good. But, Mintel showcases Taco Bell as a great example of lowering sodium (at various test locations) without compromising taste. Even Jason’s Deli is promoting their free of high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats and pesticides.

The key point to remember here is that people feel good about eating at restaurants perceived as healthy.

2. Automated menus

Next year, we believe there will be more restaurants using electronic order takers that will allow customers to customize their order. This move will certainly increase the speed of order fulfillment and reduce dependency on front-of-house staff.

3. Locally grown

According to a recent study in restaurant trends, there was 15% increase in the second quarter of 2009 of the use of locally grown ingredients in restaurant dishes and expects the trend to continue in 2011.

4. Transparency

More cities will require restaurants to post letter grades based on health inspection scores in addition to posting calorie counts of menu items.

5. Exceptions to the rule

While there will be a mandate for posting calories, this is not included for foods that are offered on a limited time basis. The result of this may have restaurants offering seasonally indulgent menu items that will allow customers to indulge without knowing the nutritional value.

How will you market “healthy” at your restaurant in 2011?

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New advancements coming to your favorite coffee shop

Dec 02, 2010

If you’re like most Americans who enjoy savoring a fresh, hot cup of coffee from your favorite barista, you understand the importance of freshly brewed coffee when it comes to flavor. Do you ever get dissappointed when you don’t get that fresh flavor? Was your coffee really brewed “on demand”? Starbucks has responded to this all-too-familiar issue (common in the afternoon hours) by introducing the pour over brew method to their shops. With the pour over method, a barista can quickly grind enough beans just for a single cup of coffee. With the pour over method, customers don’t have to wait 6 minutes for larger batch to brew – the pour over method takes only 2 minutes.

How does the pour over work? It’s deceptively simple yet creates bold flavor. With just a ceramic cone filled with freshly ground beans, you slowly pour hot water over and it will drip all that fresh goodness into a cup below. The main component to remember is to slowly and continuosly pour the hot water over the ground coffee for a couple of minutes.

Starbucks isn’t the only shop that’s picked up on this cleverly efficient method of brewing coffee. Intelligentsia coffee chain in Venice, California is also phasing out their complicated and very expensive brewing machines for the pour over method.

Is this low-tech apparatus the new trend in coffee shops? We think you’ll be seeing a lot of more the pour over method in months to come.