Time Magazine ranked the 17 most influential burgers of all time. Among them include The Ghost Burger, The Umami Burger, the Ramen Burger and the In-N-Out Burger. The burgers originate from quick-service and fast-casual restaurants and include both trendsetting and traditional patties.
Pizza Hut Tests By-the-Slice Pizza
January 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Yesterday Pizza Hut began serving by-the-slice traditional pizza at two of its restaurants in York, Nebraska, and Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The $2-$3 slices take four minutes to heat up, and executives will accordingly measure customers’ interest and satisfaction before expanding the concept to additional locations.
The “Brooklyn” Water Difference
January 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Thanks to a high-tech water filtration system that produces “Brooklyn” water, or water that has been filtered down to its purest state with the addition of signature New York elements, Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. is marketing a superior product across their food and beverage line. CEO Steve Fassberg defends the quality of his bagels, “We truly believe that guests will learn the real difference our water makes when they enjoy one of our freshly baked bagels. Our bagels have a thin, crusty exterior that’s golden brown and moist, just like they would find in Brooklyn.” The H20 isn’t Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.’s only strength. Customers can witness the baking process of dough to bagel, leaving them with a memorable experience. The magic lies in the water.
Coffee Bartering at Tonx: Starbucks Card for “Higher Quality” Coffee Beans
January 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Coffee subscription company Tonx is offering dollar-for-dollar credit towards “better quality” coffee beans in exchange for your Starbucks gift card balance. Their philosophy: “We Source. We Roast. We Ship. You Brew.” The Tonx team comprises coffee mavens whose resumes boast high-end roasters Ritual, Intelligentsia and Stumptown.
Tonx’s homepage forces prospective subscribers question the value of a dollar through a compelling visual:
$38 at Starbucks = 8 frappucinos
or, 11 cappucinos
or, 17 drip coffees
or, 48 cups of “carefully sourced, expertly roasted, super fresh coffee.”
The website proceeds to highlight the company’s differentiation points— “highest quality beans, brew guides, affordable tools, one-on-one brew help, coffee ratings, weekly publications,” and most importantly, “happiness.”
Bare-Handed Food Contact in California is Prohibited
January 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment
A new section (113961) of the California Retail Food Code bans restaurant workers in California from handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands. The code went into effect Jan. 1, however health officials have implemented a soft rollout for the initial six months in consideration of operators who would likely be unprepared to handle the sudden changes. The rules apply to any ready-to-eat food that will not be cooked or reheated, including sushi, bread, baked goods, salads and garnishes like parsley, lemon wedges and pickles. Foodservice employees must still wash hands with soap and warm water thoroughly before prepping food, putting on clean gloves and between glove changes.
The new law states:
(a) Food employees shall wash their hands in accordance with the provisions established in Section 113953.3.
(b) Except when washing fruits and vegetables, as specified in Section 113992 or as specified in subdivisions (e) and (f), food employees shall not contact exposed, ready-to-eat food with their bare hands and shall use suitable utensils such as deli tissue, spatulas, tongs, single-use gloves, or dispensing equipment.
Fast Casual Restaurants in Hospitals
January 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Nation’s Restaurant News details the latest trend in healthcare— an elevated dining scene in hospitals. Hospitals are infamous for serving inedible cafeteria food that does anything but promote health, ironically. Patients’ higher expectations have led Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago to construct a 70,000-square-foot dining and retail space, “Shop & Dine Northwestern,” which includes local, relatively healthy fast-casual brands including GRK Greek Kitchen, Sopraffina Marketcaffe, Protein Bar, Saigon Sisters and Au Bon Pain.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital did not have to work hard to propose the concept to restaurant operators, as the proximity to Chicago’s “Magnificent Mile” and constant foot traffic are compelling enough reasons to open. Another obvious perk to opening fast casual restaurants inside hospitals is the 24-hour operations.
Operators are taking note of the success of fast casual concepts in urban hospitals nationwide. “The trend in restaurants is that folks are trying to cater menus to healthier, fresher options, and given that we’re in health care, it was important for us,” explained Gina Weldy, vice president of real estate for Northwestern Memorial. “In the work environment we’re in now, people eat three meals a day near the office. These concepts give us the ability to offer that.”
IRS Cracking Down on Automatic Tips
January 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Nation’s Restaurant News reported that The IRS is becoming much stricter with restaurant tip reporting. A tip is “voluntary, it has to be entirely set by the customer; it has to be the subject of something the customer comes up and not dictated by a policy; and the customer has to decide who gets the tip,” explains Tax Foundation Vice President of legal and state projects, Joseph Henchman. Fixed gratuities, commonly added to large parties’ bills, do not fall under the definition of a tip and are therefore legally considered service charges, which are a part of wages and are to go through payroll accordingly.
The revised IRS Ruling 2012-28 will in turn make included gratuities less attractive for restaurant owners and wait staff, and it will be more difficult to secure wait staff to work large parties since the financial gain is incalculable.
The biggest change the new ruling will incur is that servers will not be able to take their tips home at the end of their shift, but rather their tips will have to go through payroll and they will receive them in their next paycheck. The best way for restaurant owners to navigate this operational transition is to encourage open lines of communication with their servers and ask for their feedback to make their working experience optimal. There are delicate ways to remind patrons to tip without including gratuity.
New York State Minimum Wage is Now $8/hour
January 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment
New York State minimum wage has increased from $7.25 to 8/hour as of Dec. 31, 2013, and will remain at this rate until 12/30/14. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel for minimum wage employees, as the rate will continue to increase to $8.75/hour in 2015 and to $9/hour in 2016. The updated law affects almost every restaurant and hotel employee covered by minimum wage law. The addenda also affect the uniform maintenance rate and employees who work shifts longer than 10 hours. The maximum tip credits that employers can claim will increase by the same amount as the minimum wage, so for example $0.75 in 2014, another $0.75 in 2014.
If you have not already done so, you will need to provide a new pay notice to your employees for the minimum wage rate increase.
For more answers to frequently asked employee and employer questions, visit NYC.gov.
Starbucks Pays it Forward X 870
December 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In light of the holiday spirit, a Starbucks drive-thru in Newington, Connecticut has just broken the “pay-it-forward” record. Yesterday, at least 870 customers paid for the order of the person behind them. In turn, this Starbucks location received the gift of giving too, as the higher than usual traffic led to a spike in sales. Good Morning America covered the random acts of kindness.
Restaurant Visits with Deals & Discounts Increase Across the Board
December 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The NPD Group reports that restaurant visits at enterprises using a deal or discount increased across all segments during the first nine months of 2013. Non-deal customer traffic has been flat in 2013 after two years of positive growth. Discounted-price traffic in all sectors of the industry increased 4 percent, and deal-price 2 percent.
NPD restaurant analyst Bonnie Riggs offers insight as to why casual-dining chain traffic declined by 1 percent this year, “In my view, the industry tried to move away from heavy discounting last year but found it was just not feasible with consumers still closely watching their spending. It is deal-related traffic that is keeping the industry from registering traffic losses. Casual dining has really ramped up with its deals, but unfortunately it hasn’t stopped traffic declines, which may mean that its deal offers aren’t resonating with cost-conscious consumers.”
paigepapers.com 