Pizzerias Look to Chipotle as Model

December 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment

With the onslaught of burger, Mexican and and sandwich retail enterprises, pizzerias are one sector that has yet to be amplified in the fast-casual market. That’s where Pizzeria Locale comes in. The Denver restaurant, that Chipotle helped finance, serves pizzas in the same fashion Chipotle serves burritos: made to-order quickly, individually tailored and with higher quality ingredients than its low-end competitors.

Fast casual restaurants like Chipotle and Panera Bread Co. are stealing market share from casual restaurants like Olive Garden where food takes longer to arrive, and fast food chains like McDonald’s where quality is not in the picture whatsoever.

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Fast Food Wage Strike: $15/Hour

December 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Fast food employees are on strike, seeking a wage increase of $15/hour. This Thursday the Strikes are expected to occur nationwide in 100 cities, and protests will take place in 100 more. With this information, companies have the foresight to plan around the inconvenience, which will be unavoidable with employees’ participation in strikes and protests in 200 cities.

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The Environmental Revolution: Sugar Cane Plates

December 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The New York Times reported that the Urban School Food Alliance, a committee made up of six big-city school systems nationwide, has initiated a sustainability pilot program. The preliminary initiative is switching from plastic trays to plates made from sugar cane. These recyclable plates cost 11 cents more per plate to manufacture and take slightly longer, but there’s no denying the positive message it reinforces to children about the importance of being environmentally conscious amongst other eco-friendly benefits. A few schools in Miami have already made the switch to sugar cane plates. The next project will be switching over to antibiotic-free chicken. Completely revamping school systems’ food programs nationwide sets the precedent for other institutions including hospitals and universities. Perhaps it won’t be too long after all before all restaurants nationwide enforce sustainable practices.

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10 Food Terms that Have Lost Meaning

December 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Huffington Post compiled a list of food terms that have become void of meaning. This is in large part from commercial companies throwing around terms for marketing purposes without considering their actual meanings— like the word “natural” which has no formally recognized definition. It’s also because these adjectives have become omnipresent in general, so consumers have stopped questioning their significance. The list includes:

  1. Artisan/Artisanal
  2. Local
  3. Natural
  4. Farm-To-Table
  5. Authentic
  6. Gourmet
  7. New American
  8. Modern
  9. Fusion
  10. Sustainable
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Advantages of an Aging Workforce

November 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Not too long ago, high-school aged employees reigned the fast-casual world. It was one of the only realms that would accept those with very little to no work experience and offered the flexibility to work around their school schedules. Presently, the average age of fast-casual employees is twenty-seven, and there’s notable advantages to hiring more senior staff. Sometimes education is directly correlated with age, and having more life experience and a work background can lead employees to the management track quickly and portend longevity in the company. High turnover is inevitable with teenagers; pay is low and once their financial needs are met for the short term, there’s often little incentive to stay. It pays off to pay more upfront to train employees with higher education and work backgrounds, who usually happen to be older, as opposed to frequently hiring much younger staff and enduring constant turnovers. One of the disadvantages of hiring older employees is the pressure to meet their expectations for higher pay.

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Starbucks’ Productivity Increases by 46%

November 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Starbucks’ productivity, loosely defined as its “transactions per labor hour,” has increased almost 50% since 2008. One reason for the surge in efficiency is the improved speed and aptitude of the baristas. Another key player is Starbucks’ recent $100 million acquisition of the San Francisco bakery La Boulange, which in turn lures customers at all times of the day, not just breakfast.

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Fast Casual Restaurants Face Pressure Post-Recession

November 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The fast casual industry is one of the most successful sectors in the entire restaurant industry, however it’s facing subtle pressure as the economy has bounced back from the recession. Now that consumers have more disposable income, their options have broadened, bringing more appeal to the regular outing at casual and fine dining restaurants. The majority of consumers are “smart spenders” and will continue to apply their savvy spending and saving skills they picked up during the economic downturn. High quality service and value will be the main attractors to maintaining a loyal consumer base amongst fast casual restaurants and overcoming the post-recession pressure.

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20 Best Cities to Open a Food Truck

November 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Mobile Cuisine developed an algorithm that determines the twenty best cities to open a food truck, based on a number of factors including city population and current size of the local food truck industry. Originally considered naming cities in which food trucks are the most prevalent, such as Los Angeles, Portland and Austin; however, newcomers would have a tough time amidst the competition.

The top 20 cities are…

1) San Antonio, TX

2) Tampa, FL

3) Raleigh, NC

4) Albuquerque, NM

5) Indianapolis, IN

6) Nashville, TN

7) Lexington, KY

8) Charleston, SC

9) Louisville, KY

10) Sacramento, CA

11) Kansas City, MO

12) New Orleans, LA

13) Portland, ME

14) Tulsa, OK

15) Phoenix, AZ

16) Columbus, OH

17) Philadelphia, PA

18) Honolulu, HI

19) Champaign, IL

20) Seattle, WA

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Poultry and Pork Prices Expected to Fall in 2014

November 14, 2013 by 2 Comments

Poultry and pork prices are expected to fall 5-9% and 4-13% next year, respectively. The decrease in chicken breast meat prices could result in cheaper menus at fast casual and fast food retailers including McDonald’s, who recently abolished the Dollar Menu. The price of pork reached a record high this year, so the dramatic price cut will come as a relief. Bloomberg News attributes the price decrease of poultry to the 20% decrease in the price of corn, a dietary staple for chickens. On the contrary, beef costs will most likely not decrease until mid-2015 at the earliest, according to a report by purchasing co-op SpenDifference LLC.

Here are some tips for controlling costs:

  • Because of the predicted drop in wheat prices, look at breads and identify savings.
  • Both canola and soy oil are forecast to increase in 2014. If possible, take coverage at today’s levels to add price protection.
  • Take coverage in the front half of 2014 to protect from seasonal increases in the back half of the year for cheese.
  • Draft a food-cost purchasing forecast to identify areas of savings and potential cost increases.
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“Copycat Cuisine”: Is it Sharing or Stealing?

November 14, 2013 by 2 Comments

Nancy Kruse of Kruse Company, a company that analyzes food and menu trends, debates whether chefs’ culinary creations should be protected under “trade dress” intellectual property rights. Some wonder why recipes do not have the same legal protection as other operational attributes like logos, signage and decor. Trade dress currently protects authors and musicians, but chefs do not benefit from the same security.

In all fairness, the restaurant world has shrunk. Chefs respond to trends similarly and consequently use the same seasonal and/or trending ingredients to accommodate their target market. It’s no wonder resembling recipes appear in multiple venues, probably in an unintentionally sinister way.

Certain chefs advocate for recipe copyrighting because developing a recipe can be a lengthy process. Seeing their idea on another chef’s menu feels like a violation, understandably. Other chefs however, like Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin and Ferran Adrià of the former elBulli, perceive recipe imitation as a form of flattery. In fact, Chef Adrià encourages the free sharing of recipes and ideas amongst the chef community, and Chef Ripert admits to borrowing ideas from fellow chefs, including Chef Adrià.

Is recipe borrowing menu plagiarism, or just that— borrowing?

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