We wrote a while back about what “umami” is and why it’s important. Umami is the Japanese term that essentially describes foods that have a savory (and sometimes even meaty) flavor. Think of it like the “fifth taste” next to your sweet, sour, bitter, and salty profiles. Umami is becoming so mainstream these days that just Googling the term yields 2.8 million results as of today. Restaurants these days are paying close attention and creating restaurants and menus revolving around this flavor. You’ll even find some restaurants with term in their names!

Umami is not necessarily as exotic as you might think. Foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, beef, chicken, and pork all contain this flavor, so incorporating umami into your restaurant dishes will be relatively simple. A great umami-rich dish will be a truly  satisfying experience for your guest!

The following list is a small example of some dishes that pack an umami-punch:

1) Eggplant Parmesan
2) Miso soup
3) Pho
4) Tuna fish sandwich
5) Shrimp gumbo
6) Aged steak with sauteed mushrooms
7) Classic meatloaf
8) Pepperoni pizza
9) Ratatouille
10) Bacon-wrapped scallops

In the end, it is crucial to understand that flavor is still what drives customer preference. For more umami-rich dishes including recipes, check out the Umami Information Center.

Every week we like to share a restaurant “Trick of the Trade” to our followers — it’s our way of using our years of industry experience to help our fellow foodservice operators. While there are plenty of “tricks” and tips regarding food, it is crucial to give special care to those little things that can make a big difference.

When’s the last time you looked at your restaurant’s electricity bill? Do you really read it? In other words, are you paying attention to the kilowatt usage? If you’re currently using incandescent or halogen light, take note now — there are real savings to be had if you make the necessary adjustments! Did you know that by simply replacing your restaurant lights with energy-saving bulbs like compact fluorescent or LEDs can lead to significant operating costs including labor costs? According to Energy Star, lighting makes up 13% of a typical restaurant operation.

According to this article by FERMag.com, the results of Chili’s LED program showed benefits were notable – they were able to cut wattage usage by more than 90%. Seeing how annual lighting costs at restaurants can range anywhere from $5,000 to $8000, this is an area of your business you cannot afford to miss.

Greetings!

Service vs. Hospitality

By Brad “Paco” Miller, Operations Associate

If you ask restaurant patrons what the most important aspect of the dining experience is, the most common answer is the food, followed by service and usually atmosphere. A restaurant should be all about the food, but the key to retaining patrons—and turning them into raving fans—is that elusive ingredient: hospitality.
There appears to be a common misconception in the restaurant industry, that hospitality is the same thing as service. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, service and hospitality are two different things.

Can you have good service and poor hospitality? Absolutely. Think about that great meal you had at that expensive steakhouse. Your drinks arrived promptly and the food was hot, although something was amiss. Your server took the orders, and you got what you wanted, but there was no interaction, no smiles, no connection.
When we take care of our guests, we move from simply providing service to demonstrating hospitality. There is a big difference between the two:

• Service is taking the necessary steps to provide high-quality meals within service standards.

• Hospitality is the feeling behind the service. It is how you interact with guests and colleagues—service at a higher level.
Hospitable behaviors are not something that can be forced or faked. Good hospitality is the result of having an interest in others and the satisfaction that comes from positive interactions and helping someone when there is an opportunity. They are the result of treating others as you would like to be treated, and having your colleagues do the same.
Providing genuine hospitality to guests is not difficult. The process begins with hiring great team players, although the most important piece of the puzzle is creating a culture of upholding the standards by which we deliver hospitality:

• Providing guests with friendly and personal interactions
• Engaging the guest
• Ensuring order accuracy
• Creating memorable moments.
• Smile

Hospitality is as simple as offering a smile, lending a helping hand or offering assistance when you see a need, even before it is asked for. It is also listening when a colleague or guest has something to say. Hospitality includes basics, like greeting others as you begin your shift, being in tune to non-verbal and verbal cues that might let you know how someone is feeling, and really listening when someone is talking with you.
When we show hospitality, it creates a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere for everyone… and an unforgettable experience for the guest.

For help stepping up your hospitality quotient, and your service standards, contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.

Potato Power

By Joan Lang
Protein costs are rising. Food trends are skewing more exotic. New kinds of produce are grabbing all the attention. With all of this, it’s easy to forget that the potato is a versatile, low-cost kitchen workhorse that guests also happen to love. Even the most obvious mashed or fried spuds are welcome on the menu, but there are also many other options. Owing to its neutral flavor and absorptive texture, in fact, you can do just about anything with a potato.

Pizza

– Mashed or thinly sliced potatoes make a delicious specialty pie topping, either simply seasoned or as a bed for other ingredients, including cheese, bacon or prosciutto, scallions, caramelized onions, fresh herbs and more. Mashed potatoes can also be incorporated in the dough, as would they would be used for potato rolls or bread.

Scalloped and Gratin Potatoes

– It’s hard to beat this classic as a luxe side dish or accompaniment, especially with steaks and simply roasted meats. Whether made up in batches or in individual portions, they can be layered with sweet potatoes or other root vegetables, flavor-boosted with cheese, or cast in a variety of global styles, such as French pommes Anna or Spanish Arogonese. One forgotten classic variation is the Swedish Jansson’s Temptation, assertively seasoned with anchovies.

Specialty Spuds

– Heirloom and other uncommon potato varieties are the darlings of the potato world, and they make a colorful and commentary-worthy premium menu addition. Fingerling potatoes of all kinds are delicious roasted, especially with equally interesting ingredients like Kalamata olives and preserved lemons.

Comfort Foods

– There is a huge lexicon of potato-dependent “mom” foods like shepherd’s pie, potato-cabbage colcannon and other pubby Irish specialties, French Canadian tourtiere , and more. In addition to being delicious on their own, these potato pies and casseroles are easy on operations, because they can be made ahead and often cross-utilize preps such as leftover mashed potatoes or homefries.

Grown-Up Tots

– Talk about the high-low trend: These pleasantly low-end childhood favorites have gone quite gourmet, thanks to chefs’ made-in-house sensibility and the addition of high-end ingredients. Caviar-topped tots, anyone? There are also restaurants that make a specialty of tot casseroles, like Mangrove Mike’s in Islamorada, FL, with its addictive breakfast Skillet Tots, topped with ingredients like corned beef hash and sausage gravy.

Poutine

– From traditional squeaky cheese curds and gravy to ultra-upscale duck confit and foie gras, this iconic specialty of Quebec has hit the mainstream bigtime. Gastropubs have adopted them, Toronto has held its first Poutine Week , and we know at least one restaurant that even features a Poutine of the Day .

Handhelds

– Fries aren’t the only spudilicious things you can pick up with your fingers. Potatoes can be used as a filling for a variety of other fried handhelds:
• Empanadas
• Causas, a Peruvian specialty of mashed potatoes rolled around various fillings
• Vada Pav is a popular street food snack in Mumbai, consisting of a spicy potato filling rolled and fried in a gram flour batter (the vada), served with a garlicky chutney-like pav
• Crisp, phyllo-dough can surround potato “cigars” flavored with Middle Eastern seasonings
• Other small potato packages include croquettes, ravioli, pancakes, waffles and pierogi

Dips and Soups

– Potatoes figure in many homey spreads and potages, particularly of the ethnic variety. On the dip end, there’s Greek skordalia, French brandade, and all-American loaded baked potato dip . In soups, the potato has a starring role in everything from elegant chilled vichyssoise to earthy Russian borscht.

Gnocchi and Other Dumplings

– Potato gnocchi are a classic of Roman cooking that have been widely adapted to both Italian and non-Italian menus alike. But there are other comforting potato dumpling dishes, including German Kartoffelkloesse and these Czech beauties whose name is as long as it is unpronounceable. (Have no fear, because there are lots of American versions too.)

And lest those original mashed and fried potatoes be forgotten, there are also lots of creative ideas waiting to be explored, including trendy thrice-fried fries and chips , elegant celery root and potato puree , Belgian-style frites with dips , mashed potato bars …..

For more ideas for potatoes in particular or menus in general, contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.

Websites 2.0

A recent article about the death of Adobe Flash has gotten us to thinking about websites. Certainly, the growing popularity of smartphones and other mobile devices has led to new technical issues (in fact, according to a recent SmartBrief restaurant operator poll, approximately 40% of respondents had a mobile site (including 16% who also supply a mobile app). In the rush to adapt Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Vine and other visual-based channels to the marketing mix, many operators have not given as much thought to keeping their website as current and user-friendly as possible.

Is it time to add this to your to-do list? Here are some things to think about when assessing your mobile-optimized website (and yes, you do still need a traditional website, even in this, the Age of Facebook):

• Flash was eye-catching, engaging and distinctive back in the day, but it’s not being supported for mobile by either Apple or Adobe, making it difficult for many customers to use, and cumbersome for operators to update. Although the move to modern open standard and HTML5 solutions is still very much evolutionary, other alternatives are available

• No more entry pages. Ever. If a user needs to wait through an introduction while the site loads, they may just go elsewhere to avoid the roadblock

• While you’re at, lose the background music. It bogs mobile-users down, and many desktop users (ones in office cubicles, for instance) also hate it

• When people can’t find a restaurant’s menu online, they’re more likely to look for other dining options. Make sure you post you menu or menus, with prices—in mobile-friendly HTML format, not a PDF (which needs to be downloaded in order to read it). Also, keep the menu updated. Few things are more frustrating for a customer than coming in for your shortribs and finding out they’ve been switched up for hanger steak.

• If you do change your menu virtually every day and don’t have time to put it on your website, use your Facebook page. Post a current sample menu or general menu mission statement, with an advisory and link to Facebook.
• Speaking of Facebook, it’s a great place to put the evening’s special dishes; we know several wildly popular restaurants that post specials with photography to their pages every day. You can easily do this when the staff is finalizing the featured presentation, or during your staff preshift—and you do have a preshift, right?

• While we are on the topic of social media, include links to your Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook accounts on your website home page

• Seriously consider including your wine list on your website, especially if it’s a complex one. Serious oenophiles appreciate the opportunity to prescreen the list rather than taking the time at the table, and ultimately you’ll sell more wine. While you’re at, put your cocktail and beer selections on there too

• Put your address, including your phone number, in an easy-to-find spot on your home page; everyone these days is in a rush, and they don’t want to hunt for where they’re going. (Chain restaurants, in particular, are notorious for making users hunt for their headquarters contact information.) Hot links to step-by-step directions and the phone number are wonderful functionalities for mobile users; you can embed a Google Map in your website by registering your business information with Google Places for Business

• Hours of operation should also be easy to find for those in a hurry

• If you take reservations, provide a means for customers to make them online, directly or via a widget from a service like Open Table. Customer convenience is the name of the game. It’s the same deal with takeout: online ordering capability will really boost sales

• An easy-to-find email link or form is also very helpful

• Gorgeous photography, especially of food, really sells. Bloggers and journalists love image galleries, especially if high-resolution versions are available, and even customers will benefit from being able to understand what your facilities look like and work up an appetite over your (professional-quality) food photography

Want more information? Here are a few useful links, from Restaurant Hospitality, Full Service Restaurants, and Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research.

Tip of the Month

PCI Compliance—meaning Payment Card Industry—is the process by which all companies (regardless of the industry) are required to follow very specific systems to ensure the safety of a customer’s credit card information. As part of the process, this training is necessary for all employees who may come in contact with guest credit cards. As a reminder, the PCI Compliance form that your employees have been required to sign off on in the past continues to change.

For 2014, your employees (including managers) who handle or have the opportunity to handle a customer’s credit information at any point will need to be provided the new sign-off form, updated with the newest information from the government. Training on the systems for protection of the credit information of each customer is also necessary. We can provide the updated form, the training, and the complete explanations for your staff if needed.

We got more than we expected from our casual visit to a local Nekter Juice Bar the other day. When you walk into a typical smoothie bar, you’d likely come across a brightly lit space with colorful décor, upbeat music and fruit displayed on countertops.

But if you want to truly send a message – a message about your brand and what you stand for – this doesn’t cut it. At Nekter Juice Bar, they were able to incorporate their brand messaging with their interior design with these wonderful custom artwork pieces.

What’s so neat about their art is that it helps the consumer understand what health benefits they can expect in their drinks with positive, uplifting messages throughout the store.

Not only does the customer feel good about their decision to visit, they are more informed and they get what Nekter is all about.

Meet Zingle: a new concierge text message service that wants to reinvent the way hotels and restaurants communicate with their guests.  The premise and use are simple; guests can use any mobile device to request on-demand, personalized service via text message.

Zingle is already processing over a million texts per day and helping to create loyal customers for brands like McDonalds, Subway, Hilton, Marriott, and even Ritz Carlton.   The success of the service lies in its seamless integration into the devices and services that customers already use; there is no app to be downloaded and no registration required – users can request service by sending a text to their hotel or restaurant as they would text any other personal contact.

Demand for Zingle’s personal touch has exploded since it’s inception in 2010, and with only 8% of hotel guests currently considering themselves loyal to any one brand, the service is quickly becoming a fixture in the hospitality industry.

Have you noticed an increase in the price of shrimp? You are not the only one. The recent 15% jump in the price of shrimp is affecting every segment of the restaurant industry from fast casual to fine dining. The price surge was caused by Early Mortality Syndrome, a disease that spread through several Asian shrimp farming facilities and caused a 30% drop in production in late 2013. Shrimp prices are expected to stay high and some restaurants are adjusting their menus accordingly. Even Olive Garden was affected given that shrimp is their most popular protein. On a more positive note, lobster prices are currently the lowest they have been in years.

On the radar:

– Pork prices are at risk of increasing due to an epidemic that is affecting more than 10% of the US pork population. Prices are expected to rise later in 2014.

– Beef supply is again forecast to be at record lows and prices will remain high throughout the first half of 2014.

The White Castle Slider has been named the ‘most influential burger of all time’ according to Time Magazine reporters who interviewed a team of burger historians and experts. Also included in the list, among others, were the McDonald’s Burger, the In-N-Out Burger, The Burger King Whopper, and the ShackBurger, but what makes the White Castle Slider so iconic?

Now famous for their small, square hamburgers with grilled onions, White Castle was the first hamburger fast food chain, opening in March 1921 in Wichita, Kansas. With the original slider only costing 5 cents, it was the first hamburger chain to sell a million hamburgers and then the first to sell a billion hamburgers. In the age of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, many Americans feared that ground beef was unsanitary and White Castle combated this by using white facilities and letting customers watch the meat being ground through a glass window. The emphasis on cleanliness and sanitation helped make White Castle the first fast food empire and paved the success for America’s burger obsession

Greetings!

Pizza’s New Era

By Joan Lang

It had to happen. Sandwiches have been upgraded, burgers have gone upscale, and now pizza is being reinvented in the uber-hot fast-casual vein, with better toppings, sleeker décor, fancier amenities—and lightning-fast cook times thanks to oven technologies both new and old.

If there were any doubt, check in on the new Pizzeria Locale concept being developed in partnership between restaurateurs Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and—you guessed it—Chipotle. With its mix-and-match menu of contemporary-style thin-crust Neapolitan pizzas, glass-enclosed prep kitchen and $7 price point, Pizzeria Locale aims to do for pizza what Chipotle did for tacos all these years ago. And they’re doing it in about two minutes flat.
They’re not the only ones.

Umami Burger founder Adam Fleischman was early to the party with 800 Degrees, which promises “a 250-year-old classic in 60 seconds or less” via the eponymous custom-built wood-fired stone-hearth ovens. The menu features four classic (including Margherita, of course) and 15 specialty pies (e.g., the sauceless Tartufo, featuring mushrooms, arugula, roasted garlic and truffled cheese), plus a create-your-own option with more than 40 a la carte proteins, cheeses and vegetable toppings). Small bites and salads—including four made with the cult-favorite burrata cheese—round out the bill of fare, along with tap wine and beer.

The self-service line is set up Subway-style, with a complete assembly line of mise en place; by the time a guest moves through the line, the pizza is cooked and can be taken to the table. The nascent chain, based in Los Angeles, is poised to open five units in New York City—where Umami Burger has already created a controversial sensation, and the local citizenry are fiercely loyal to their $1 fold-and-eat slices.
Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza (“Custom-Built Artisanal Pizzas”) calls it like it is—the company reports that 120 seconds and a “dedicated pizzasmith” are all it takes to satisfy the inner pizza artisan in all its guests, with dozens of choices of sauces and toppings. Online ordering means that the process is even “freakishly faster.” The concept was developed by Wetzel’s Pretzels founders Rick and Elise Wetzel, and a recent franchise agreement with Millennial Restaurant Group (a partnership between Rally’s founder Jim Patterson and franchise veteran Ulysses Bridgeman) hints that expansion will be speedy, too.
In fact, some of the most exciting potential developments in the fast-casual pizzeria niche are longstanding industry heavyweights. California Pizza Kitchen co-founders Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield are said to be developing their own mall-based version (just as CPK itself opens a new prototype).

Buffalo Wild Wings is the muscle and bucks behind PizzaRev (“Craft Your Own”), with its robust celebrity PR and social media profile as befits its Los Angeles-area roots. An easy-to-comprehend single menu price of $7.99 gets you either a DIY pie with unlimited toppings choices, or one of eight “Our Way” pizzas such as Margherita or White Mushroom; there’s also a $5.99 one-cheese option.

Matt Andrew, a co-founder of Moe’s Southwest Grill, spent more than two years developing the menu and business plan for Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint (“The Original Create Your Own Pizza Joint”). The five-year-old company is now in rapid franchise mode, with more than 150 units in 10 states and D.C., on the strength of its customizable pizza format. Guests choose among three different doughs (including gluten-free), six sauces, and more than 45 toppings; there are also signature pies along the lines of BBQ Chicken and Portabella Pesto for those who are leery of decision-making. And the company is also testing breakfast pizzas.
Uncle Maddio’s differs from some of its competition in that it aggressively targets families, not only with the entertainment of DIY pizzas made in full view, but also Art Camp, Kids’ Day on Saturdays, and active marketing of birthday parties, complete with appearances by “Chef Cou Cou.”

And then there’s three-year-old Pie Five Pizza Co., one of four concepts in the buffet-style Pizza Inn empire, which bills itself as “the first interactive pizza experience.” P5 touts over a million possible combinations, and has a particularly healthy program of LTOs which include seasonal favorites like Hatch Chili Pie; there are also a number of salads and three kinds of signature Cookie Pie desserts. A “Circle of Crust” loyalty program awards free pies and a half-birthday pizza-delivery amenity (yes, you read that right: half-birthday), as well as participation in double-points and other promotions.

For help developing your pizza concept—or any other restaurant idea—contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.

Top 10 Trends for 2014

By Joan Lang
Here are our best guesses for some of the things we’ll be seeing more of in the coming year.

1. Poultry Takes Flight

With protein prices on the rise and chefs looking for something a bit different than burgers, short ribs, and pork and more pork, the pendulum is swinging toward chicken and other poultry. According to Food Genius, chicken is the most-featured protein in the super-hot sandwich and wrap category, at 83% and 80%, respectively. Examples include items like the Southwestern Baja Flatbread at KFC’s new eleven sister concept, and the Fried Chicken Sandwich with fried green tomatoes at Canele in Los Angeles. And in upscale restaurants, luxury chicken like Amish or Jidori varieties are showing up in dramatic preparations for two or more to share, such as the Chicken Under a Brick on the menu at Restaurant Marc Forgione in New York City.

2. DYI Customization

The Holy Grail of menu concepts today, especially in the booming fast-casual market? Mix-and-match options that allow guests the ultimate flexibility to design their own meal—and then do it again another way the next time.

Consider these relatively lesser-known brands from FastCasual.com’s 2013 list of “movers and shakers”:
• Freakin’ Unbelievable Burgers – The BYOB (Build Your Burger) menu includes 6 “patty” options and more than 44 different free and premium toppings
• Freebirds World Burrito – Standing up for “freedom” of choice where guests can design their own tacos, burritos, nachos and salads with different sizes, shells, formats, proteins and “freebie” toppings
• Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill – Build Your Own Entrée concepts feature three platforms (pita, laffa or plate) and six proteins (including falafel, hummus and portabella mushrooms) with fresh veggies and sauces
• Giardino Gourmet Salads – My Way salads offer six different greens, 35 fruits and vegetables, and enough nuts, seeds, cheeses, crouton options and dressings to last a lifetime,

3. Gluten Free = Healthy

Every few years the definition of what’s healthy on the menu changes a bit, from low-calorie to trans-fat-free and everything in between. This time around, the public pulse seems to be beating for gluten-free menu items—not just because of the number of diagnosed “celiacs,” but because so many Americans seem to be eschewing gluten. According to the NPD Group, in fact, as much as one-third of American consumers reports a desire to cut down on gluten, which has led to a tremendous increase in the number of gluten-free products in the marketplace. GrillIt, a “fresh authentic grill” chain based in Florida, exemplifies the trend, with a menu that boasts of being 90% gluten-free via options like grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, pasta and salads in the all-important mix-and-match format.

4. Modern Mashups

Forget about fusion food. This is a new generation of highly trained, multi-culti chefs who are combining ingredients, flavors and menu specialties in fun new ways that really resonate with today’s adventure-seeking diners. There’s hard-boiled eggs, feta and spicy tomato jam baked into bacon waffles at Waffle & Wolf, in Brooklyn. Spicy Tuna Nachos at Jogasaki Sushi Burrito, the L.A. area. And at Del Seoul in Chicago, sibling owners Pete and Irene Jeon have combined international street food traditions to create a menu of Korean BBQ tacos, kimchee French fries and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches with fillings like soy-sochu marinated ribeye steak.

5. Vegetable-Centric

We wrote about vegetable-forward menus in the February 2013 issue of this newsletter, and since then the trend has grown even more. In fact, among more than 100 operators surveyed by Restaurant.com, vegetable dishes ranked No. 2 on the list of most popular food trends of the year, second only to healthy options. Many chefs are realizing that a steak’s a steak, but it takes creativity to work with vegetables, and it’s also easier to support a seasonal menu concept when you rely heavily on produce. At Martha, a new American comfort food spot in Brooklyn, N.Y., with many Asian touches, the winter menu includes such vegetable-based specialties as Cauliflower Gratin, butternut squash with miso butter and almonds, Thai eggplant with fish sauce and hard-boiled egg, and arugula salad with watermelon radish and fried wontons. Even McAllister’s Deli is taking the plunge, with a new lower-calorie menu program that emphasizes its Fire Roasted Vegetable Soup.

6. Me Caveman, the Diet

By the same token, protein has never been more in favor, and the diet du jour seems to be the Paleo or “caveman” regimen which emphasizes high-quality protein, vegetables, nuts and seeds, but eschews grains (read: gluten), legumes, dairy and processed foods. Many restaurant chefs, looking to lose weight and boost energy, have embraced the primal lifestyle, and there is even a Paleo Chef service that provides meals, recommendations, recipes and consulting services to would-be practitioners. Corner Table, which claims to be the first paleo restaurant in Houston, features a number of dishes that fit the diet, including paella made with grated cauliflower rice, and a Yaya’s Salad with kale, mixed greens, sweet potato, ginger, almonds, sesame seeds, cinnamon and pumpkin seeds in a ginger-mustard vinaigrette.

7. “Conscious” Choices

Speaking of protein, the world is evolving in the direction of choices that are viewed as responsible from the point of view of consumers, the planet and the animals themselves. And this is shaking out to mean sustainable seafood, grass-fed meats, pastured pork and antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken, as well as such vegetarian options as eggs, quinoa and other grains, soy, and beans. According to a recent report from Packaged Facts and CCD Innovation, it’s not just about natural food stores and high-end restaurants anymore, either. The norms for buying and eating food have changed for good within a broad cross-section of the American population, and today’s consumers are looking for everyday ways of eating that address several key issues, including:

• Local food supplies
• Meatless meals
• Humanely raised meat
• Sustainable seafood choices, either wild or farmed

8. Next Wave Beverage Pairings

Suggested wine pairings are certainly a great guest service/sales builder, but consumer interest in craft beers, cocktails and even specialty teas are such that there are many more pairing areas to explore. Apartment 13, in New York City, goes all out with its beverage program, offers wines, beers, spirits, cocktails and more that are organized by flavor profile. Cocktails share ingredients with food recipes, such as herbs, spices and fruits, as well as infusions and syrups created in collaboration with the kitchen—the better to facilitate “synchronicity” between the cocktail and food menus.

9. The South Rises Again

The ever-popular taste for regional American food seems to be centering on the South—more than a generation after the Cajun blackened fish craze of the 1980s. This iteration, however, has a more artisanal flavor under the wing of chefs with serious training. Bo’s Kitchen & Bar Room, in New York City, hits the trend with a country ham plate with biscuits and cara-cara marmalade; Crispy Alligator with chili aioli; Spiced Louisiana Redfish;: Buttermilk Braised Fried Chicken; and Catdaddy’s Moonshine behind the bar. Carriage House, in Chicago, does it up Charleston-style with She Crab Soup, Lowcountry Oyster Roast, Shrimp & Grits, and Country Fried Sweetbreads with red pea & okra succotash.

10. Urban ‘Cue

With no indigenous bbq style of their own, operators in big Northern towns like Chicago and New York can adapt any kind of ‘cue style with impunity—and that often means mixing it up with the likes of Texas brisket and Memphis ribs on the same menu. These new high-concept honky tonks also feature upgraded beverage service and other niceties, such as appetizers and salads. For example, there’s Dinosaur BBQ, with locations in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and a menu that includes everything from pork shoulder and St. Louis ribs to sausage and apple-brined chicken, plus catfish, skirt steak and even breakfast all day (smoked brisket and poblano hash). And SlowBones Modern Barbecue, in Burlington, MA, is making its own traditions with six different kinds of meat and eight sauces (you’d never see Cucumber Dill in a real rib shack, but what the heck), served with a choice of such new-school sides as Maple Smacked Quinoa.

Interested in more trends, food and otherwise? Check out these from Facts, Figures & The Future, Campbell’s Culinary & Baking Institute, Zagat Survey, Technomic, Fast Casual, and the CIA Worlds of Flavor Conference.

Three Keys to a Successful Restaurant Opening

By Mark Ladisky, Senior Operations Associate

We have orchestrated and participated in our share of openings, and in other cases we have been background support providing one specific role while others have directed the actual opening. In both cases there are some common preparations one should take when planning for a successful opening.

First, Plan it Out… Up to and Including Plan J.  We all like to think that our projects will happen on our timeline and in the order that we have set forth, but the reality of an opening is that we can’t control every variable that happens. The best we can do is sit down with a calendar and map out the best plan of action, with timelines and objectives, and be sure that when Plan A doesn’t work out as planned, that we have a Plan B and Plan C designed in advance—before the project starts—and maybe even up to a Plan J for Just-In-Case because… you never know.

If you experience challenges during the opening process and are not prepared with a good plan, then the results could include the costly waste of labor if staff is hired too soon or must be hastily trained, a waste of ordered food if the opening or occupancy is delayed, or the misfiring of press and marketing events. No matter how much you may dislike making a plan, you will regret not making one even more.

Next, Make a List for Everything. Even the most successful openings can be a very kinetic experience, with unconventional schedules and a lot to keep track of in your head. Keeping detailed lists in a project planner or even a legal pad will keep the small things from falling through the big cracks.

It’s not always everyone’s strength to be hyper-organized or to have a photographic memory, so have a set of categories worked out on something as simple as Excel tabs and make a daily practice of planning out the next day and “checking off boxes,” as we like to say.

Be sure that when you are working out your lists that you have a clear understanding of each course of events that you need to follow to avoid dead-ends on projects and goals. The time to determine your liquor pars is not when the salesperson walks in but before, and based on math and not rushed meetings. You need multiple planning sessions with all stakeholders in order to create workable opening timelines and strategies for a great opening.

Lastly, Trust but Validate. Just as keeping a list will help maintain your organization, delegating and validating will aid in your overall sanity, allowing you to focus on the big picture and trust in others rather than trying to micromanage all the details.

If you haven’t learned it by now, an opening will remind you that you can’t be everywhere and focused on everything at once. You should in the course of managing any project, but particularly during an opening: Plan to have others involved to help you reach your goals and deadlines.  Be sure that dates and goals are always shared and agreed-upon among the team, and that you check to be sure everything is on track and on time—without having to focus on all the little details of how it got done.

Being able to trust in any project starts with the human element, and whether it’s our team or yours it is critical that you have the right people around you for a successful restaurant opening. Take the time to ask the right questions of the people joining your efforts, and you will be able to reach your goals more readily and most of all happily.

Our team of restaurant experts can be involved with every element of your project from concept to design, menu and recipe creation to hiring and training and everything in between. Contact Synergy Consultants today to see how we can support you in your exciting new restaurant opening.

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Tip of the Month

Each year, December marks the release of one of the most influential “hot new trends” predictions of the season: The National Restaurant Association’s annual “What’s Hot” survey, conducted in collaboration with the American Culinary Federation. Fast Casual has posted a particularly useful article about this year’s survey, which also contains links to the full report, as well as last year’s analysis. Have a look.

California bartenders are now required to wear gloves when handling components that go directly into drinks, for example ice cubes or lemon twists. These new regulations are a hot topic in the restaurant industry, with many chefs and professionals against the legislation.  A top complaint is that using gloves is not an environmentally friendly practice and it also slows down the workers speed.  More importantly, gloves do not always promote better hygiene practices, with some workers using gloves as a ‘safety net’ and washing their hands less or causing cross contamination that would be more apparent with bare hands.  Check out the links below for more information and viewpoints on the topic:

Eater – CA Bartenders Also Have to Wear Gloves Now http://eater.com/archives/2014/01/15/ca-bartenders-also-have-to-wear-gloves-now.php

LA Times – Under New Food Safety Law, Bartenders Have to Wear Gloves  http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-under-new-food-safety-law-bartenders-have-to-wear-gloves-20140114,0,7520647.story#axzz2qOvvmlxd

Michael Ruhlman – The Cleanest Hands   http://ruhlman.com/2014/01/the-cleanest-hands/