We’re no strangers to food innovations and restaurant technology. Just a couple of months back, our team visited Asia for an “eating mission” and witnessed a restaurant using a very cool robotic wok that was used to cook perfect stir-fry dishes with minimal effort. We’re also no strangers to what makes a great pizza, so when we caught wind of a new pizza vending machine, we just had to find out more.

So, you might be thinking to yourself that a pizza vending machine doesn’t sound too novel — after all, there are already vending machines for sandwiches and the like. But this particular vending machine is not spitting out premade frozen pizzas and merely heating them up before dispensing your meal; it’s actually creating the pizza from scratch (flour, dough, water, yeast, cheese) and even baking it, delivering it you piping hot. Amazingly, this process takes just 3 minutes and you can choose from pizza varieties such as margherita, salame, and prosciutto for example. See the video below for more details about the pizza vending machine from A1 Concepts, Let’s Pizza:

As noted in the video, the machine is the first of its kind to be “the only machine in the world capable of making healthy and genuine pizzas using entirely fresh ingredients” highly emphasizing its human-free environment, high hygiene and freshness factors (e.g. single dose and vacuumed-packed toppings, no ingredients are frozen).

It still begs the questions: 1) would you try this? and 2) will the taste compare to your favorite pizza restaurant? The convenience and relatively inexpensive suggested retail price of just $5.95 for a freshly made 10.5″ pizza may prove that Let’s Pizza might very well be a hit in the U.S. We’ll be excited to find out.

Read more about this here: http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/article/195667/Let-s-Pizza-vending-machine-ready-for-U-S-debut

Whether you’re grocery shopping for your family’s dinner or for today’s dishes at your restaurant, home cook or revered chef, you know that selecting the best ingredients is key to a great meal. Mom may have taught us how to pick out vegetables by shape, size, smell and overall appearance but how would one know if the vegetables and fruit that we buy contain GMOs or if they’re organic?

PLU Codes, or Price-Look Up Codes, are found in many markets making produce shopping easy for consumers. How? Well, you may have noticed those little stickers on your bananas or tomatoes bearing the brand of the fruit but if you look closely, you’ll also see a four to five digit numeric code that’s designed to give you more insight on what you’re purchasing.

PLU Code Facts for codes beginning with the following numbers.

Source: PLU Code FAQ

PLU stickers with 4 digit codes that start with 3 or 4: Conventionally grown (e.g. 3010 for a conventionally grown cucumber)

PLU stickers with 5 digit code that starts with 9: Organically grown (e.g. 91350 for an organically grown tomato)

PLU stickers with 5 digit code that starts with an 8: Genetically engineered or modified (e.g. 86339 for a genetically engineered watermelon)

It is important to note that currently, the U.S. and Canada do not require the labeling of GMO foods.

More resources on how foods are grown

What does “organically grown” mean?

What does “conventionally grown” mean?

What are “GMOs” or “genetically engineered” foods?

The California Restaurant Association (CRA) has recently learned of fraudulent tactics being used to promote the filing of workers compensation lawsuits against restaurants.

Recently, representatives acting on behalf of Southern California law firms have walked into restaurant kitchens without invitation and, after ensuring a manager wasn’t present, questioned back-of-the-house staff about working conditions…

Read the entire article at the source, California Restaurant Association: Scam alert: Individuals sent by law firms into kitchens posing as workers comp reps

By Mark Bunim, Wok and Run Restaurant Solutions

Our very own Danny Bendas was interviewed in the Restaurant Management Article, Restaurant Revivals.

For many restaurants in trouble, the first necessary step is often the most difficult: recognizing the need for change.

Though the reasons for a tailspin vary, from pricing and high administrative or operational costs to lost revenue, restaurant turnaround consultant Danny Bendas often cites complacency as the frequent culprit, one magnified as the economy nose-dived in recent years.

“For so many restaurants, they’re rolling along, doing fine, and feel they don’t need to do anything to maintain momentum. That complacency allows the competition to roll over them,” says Bendas, a managing partner with Costa Mesa, California-based Synergy Restaurant Consultants.

Read the entire article here: http://www.rmgtmagazine.com/growth/restaurant-revivals-1

Beef prices in the U.S. are hitting record highs and are expected to climb over the next two years, as predicted by the USDA. In fact, experts expect a 10 percent rise in 2012 and 2013. Shoppers and restaurant owners alike are already feeling the pain from the price increases. A combination of factors, including severe drought in the U.S.’s most populated areas of cattle, Texas and Oklahoma, a weak U.S. dollar, and high foreign demand, have led to a high sticker price for Americans.

As a result, there is less meat on the store shelves and American consumers are opting for less expensive beef products like ground beef or select versus choice cuts of beef to cope.

How then, can a restaurant owner modify his menu to maintain profitability during beef price volatility? There are a variety of non-beef options to be substituted, such as pork and chicken. Also, consider these other beef alternatives:

• Lean ground turkey: hamburger restaurants should definitely look into offering turkey burgers on their menu. Seasoned and cooked properly, the turkey burger will present guests with a lower-fat and lower-calorie alternative. Further, the restaurant will be expanding to the healthy-minded consumer.
• Nuts, beans and legumes: no meat, but these ingredients can create a wonderful vegetarian burger. Nuts are already a great source of protein and some, like walnuts, provide earthy flavors (and meaty texture) – check out Whole Food’s lentil and walnut burger recipe
• Seitan: made from wheat gluten, seitan is popularly used by vegetarians as meat substitutes due to its meat-like texture when cooked and is high in protein. It’s also a common substitute to soy-based meat substitutes. Wheat gluten is has been used in vegetarian recipes in Asian for generations. Check out this seitan stir-fry recipe.

It’s also worthy to mention that cheaper cuts of beef should be evaluated. Many chefs have been looking into cheaper cuts of beef to substitute for the more expensive cuts like strip steak or rib eye. Chuck eye steak, for example, are tougher but with a good marinade, can become more tender and are best cooked medium-rare. Hanger and skirt steaks are relatively inexpensive and very versatile cuts to cook with. They have a rich taste and can be very tender when cooked rare to medium rare and then sliced. Learn more on how to cook hanger and skirt steaks here.

Are you interested in evaluating your restaurant’s menu for beef alternative dishes? Looking to optimize your menu around better margin proteins? Contact Synergy for a free initial consultation.

For those who are lactose intolerant or just looking for a lower-fat and lower-calorie dairy substitute, it’s easy these days to find an alternative to milk. Milks derived from soy, rice and almonds have been growing in popularity at a fast rate. According to a recent report released by research firm Packaged Facts, the total retail sales of dairy alternative beverages in the U.S. reached $1.33 billion in 2011. Of the alternative milks, almond milk posted the largest gains the same year.

There are numerous reasons people choose to pass on milk – plant-based milks are great replacements for those with milk allergies, lactose intolerance, genetic disorder PKU (phenylketonuria), vegan lifestyles, or those seeking overall healthier choices (good nutritional value with no hormones or antibiotics sometimes found in cow’s milk).

Almond milk, for example, is rich in protein, omega fatty acids, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc while containing no cholesterol or saturated fats.

“Currently, the most commonly known and popular of the commercial plant milks is soymilk. Following in consumer recognition and consumption are almond milk, rice milk and coconut milk, in that order of preference. Additionally, hemp milk, oat milk, hazelnut milk, flax milk, sunflower milk and multigrain milk are available at the retail level, although they enjoy only a very minor market share.”Read the rest here.

These alternative milks have made their way into recipes as well. Not only are they great to drink but excellent in cooking, even baking!

Coconut milk

You are probably used to seeing cartons of soy, rice and almond milk in the refrigerated section of your favorite grocery store, but have you checked the international foods or Asian aisle yet? You’ll likely find canned coconut milk though it’s generally not meant as a dairy drink substitute. Very popular in Asian cuisine, coconut milk (which is the juice derived from grated coconut meat), is used in a number of popular dishes like curry, for instance. It is a ubiquitous ingredient found in dishes from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysian, Philippines, Burma, India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and even Brazil, Caribbean islands, Polynesian islands and Pacific islands.

In terms of nutrition, coconut milk contains high levels of saturated fat (actually, it is rich is medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which the body processes differently than other saturated fats and is known to promote weight maintenance without raising cholesterol levels) and calories. This is mainly true for the canned variety, however, these days, there are newer coconut beverages with better nutritional profiles, like the So Delicious® Coconut Milk Beverage.

Check out this video tutorial on cooking Panang curry (Thai traditional dish) featuring the use of Aroy-D brand coconut milk. Looking for some other uses of coconut milk? Run a YouTube search query for cooking with coconut milk and you’ll see how popular this ingredient is, with nearly 2,800 video results!

With these current trends, it is highly advisable to incorporate milk alternatives into your restaurant menu in order to accommodate your guests’ differing needs.

Although the economy seems to be getting better, Americans are still cutting back on restaurant spending. According to a recent survey which polled 2,499 adults, “61 percent of respondents said they are likely to decrease their spending at restaurants.”

Though still high, the figure is a small improvement compared to the 2010 Harris Poll whereby 66 percent of respondents stated they intended to reduce restaurant spending. Comparatively, 58 percent of those surveyed stated they would reduce spending on entertainment, which is another slight improvement from 2010 figures (62 percent).

Do you ever stop to appreciate the effort it actually takes for that delicious coq au vin dish to arrive on your plate? From the vegetable growers in the fields and to the duck farmers, creating special dishes is an elaborate, methodical process.

We came across a very unique business that promises to bring you closer to the food you eat: Outstanding in the Field, located in Santa Cruz, Ca. mission states, “Our mission is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it.”

Outstanding organizes culinary events without walls –literally. All “culinary adventures” are typically located outdoors — be it on a mountain top, on a beach shore or on a farm, with meals cooked and prepared with local food by celebrated local chefs of the region. “Wherever the location, the consistent theme of each dinner is to honor the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table.”

This traveling restaurant is always on the go so be sure to check out their next pit stop here.

Outstanding takes to the road from Outstanding in the Field on Vimeo.

Our own Dean Small was interviewed for the following article on Del Taco.

Del Taco Joins Redesign Trend, Plans Ad Campaign

By KARI HAMANAKA
Del Taco LLC is the latest restaurant operator here undergoing a brand makeover as it seeks more sales and expands outside of California. Please read the full article here.