Restaurants & Institutions back issues from February 1999:
beyond the cover.(airfreight allows the offering of fresh fish from around the globe)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 1999 ... Salmon and sea bass, haddock and halibut are omnipresent and beloved by diners. But even an inland operator can stand out from the crowd by casting a wider net, to take in fish from around the globe, thanks to air freight and improved shipping methods. The uncommon fruits of the sea afford ...
Sweet Pull of Dessert on Stage.(on-stage desert preparation spurs sales at Disney's Polynesian Resort)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 1999 ... Watching chefs mix cookies, knead dough and pull sugar is proving to be a recipe for success at Disney's Polynesian Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Since an on-stage dessert and pastry prep area was installed in the 185-seat Kona Cafe three months ago, sales of desserts are up. "About 38% ...
Friends Indeed.(Congressmen Pat Toomey and J. Dennis Hastert considered allies to the foodservice industry)
Feb 01, 1999 ... A Pennsylvania restaurateur has moved from the back of the house to the floor of the House, giving foodservice a new ally in Washington. Republican Rep. Pat Toomey is among the freshman class of congressional legislators elected in November, winning the seat from Pennsylvania's ...
Bankruptcy Roasting.(Kenny Rogers Roasters Inc. and Boston Chicken Inc. attempt to avoid financial problems)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 1999 ... First the similarities: Kenny Rogers Roasters Inc. and Boston Chicken Inc. both specialize in--what else?--chicken; both consider their roasted birds better fare for fast food; and both sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. But as both struggle to be free of the noose of too ...
THE GOLDEN APPLE EDGE.(Aramark and Restaurant Associates emphasize healthy foodservice)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 1999 ... Talk about a snowball effect. A single B&I foodservice client's request for more nutritionally oriented menu items sparked the development of a new healthy-eating program--one that will soon be offered to accounts across the country. Goldman Sachs of New York put out the call to ...
Ivy Idea.(servers at Cafe Johnell help customers exit seats)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 1999 ... It's gracious to help seat guests at the table as they arrive. But servers at Cafe Johnell (Ivy '77) in Fort Wayne, Ind., make exiting ...
Guiding Buyers.(Department of Agriculture foodservice equipment buyers' guide)
Feb 01, 1999 ... The U.S. Department of Agriculture is sending a Valentine of sorts to foodservice directors at 25,000 school districts across the country. The gift: a newly published equipment buyers' guide. A Guide for Purchasing Foodservice Equipment is a 300-page binder crammed with ...
What Price Pleasure?(Vasos Michael's Just Around the Corner restaurant has customers pay what they feel is fair)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 1999 ... Vasos Michael has found a novel way to gauge whether his customers enjoyed their meal and the service. He lets them decide how much they will pay. At the end of the meal, patrons are presented with an itemized list. "They write at the bottom how much they enjoyed the food and ...
Aramark Adds Restaura to Mix.(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 1999 ... ACQUISITION EXPECTED TO BOOST FOODSERVICE REVENUE, BOLSTER ATLANTA, DETROIT, PHILADELPHIA AND ST. LOUIS MARKETS. The first official acquisition of the new year goes to Aramark Corp., with the January purchase of Viad Corp.'s Restaura dining operations. Privately held Aramark, ...
Big McTurnaround.(McDonalds' business improves)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 1999 ... Maybe it's the change in leadership, or the new system for fresher, hotter food. Whatever it is, McDonald's appears healthier than it has in years. The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company recently saw its stock price leap past the $70 mark and announced that its share of the burger-chain segment ...
Reel World.(diverse seafood is popular restaurant item)
Feb 01, 1999; ... Status and freshness are lures for the catch of the day. Ask the fish-wise to define fresh and you can bet the answer has changed. Yesteryear's criteria for fresh would be tossed back today. Advances in aquaculture (farm-raised fish), packing procedures, air freight ...
Target: Green.(restaurant demographic-sector research)
Feb 01, 1999; ... That's green as in money. Consumers defy traditional expectations associated with their age, yet in other ways reinforce obvious assumptions. Operators looking to cash in on their habits would do well to take a closer look at the latest research. As stereotypes go, restaurant ...
Snack Attack.(restaurants offering early-morning and late-night fare are finding success)
Feb 01, 1999; ... Or is it a meal? Grazing blurs the lines between peak eating times. FROM HIS VANTAGE POINT, Dennis Courtney a very clear sense of a shift in the public's eating habits. It all comes down to the busiest times of day at the five Wienerschnitzel restaurants he runs in and around ...
Back in the Game.(some restaurants hurt by shortened NBA season)
Feb 01, 1999; ... The NBA lockout caused indigestion for nearby operators, who now hope to score during the truncated season. In past years, Rico's, an Italian restaurant on Chicago's near West Side, had to turn down requests for holiday parties and private bookings on nights the Bulls were in ...
The Big Chill.(blast chillers are useful item for food cooling)
Feb 01, 1999; ... FASTER, COLDER AND MORE HACCP-FRIENDLY, BLAST CHILLERS ARE BECOMING AN INDISPENSABLE PART OF THE KITCHEN EQUIPMENT LINEUP. Michael Vlasich, executive chef at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Garden, Fla., had a tall order to fill: fresh fruit and yogurt smoothies for ...
Food Safety: Cooked Meats Still Pose Risks.
Feb 01, 1999; ... OUTBREAK AND RECALL RAISE ISSUE OF HANDLING READY-TO-EAT FOODS. A recent listeriosis outbreak that prompted a recall of processed meats reinforces the importance of proper food handling even with fully cooked foods. Since August, at least 40 people were sickened and ...
lighten up STEWS.
Feb 01, 1999; ... NOT TO STEW OVER TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING, WHEN FLAVORFUL AND BUOYANT VERSIONS CAN COMFORT AND WARM They bubble and bubble with little toil and little trouble, so it's no wonder stews are a chef's favorite for winter entrees. Another reason for their appeal: long-braised, ...
Flavor Explosion.(new products)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 1999; ... The number of sauces, dips, salad dressings and other add-ons in America's refrigerators and on their dinner tables has grown with their discovery of new, more adventuresome flavors. Joining the familiar ketchup and yellow mustard are hot sauces, innumerable varieties of barbecue sauce and ...
Beyond the cover.
Feb 15, 1999 ... Increasingly, the bar area is seen as a place to build loyalty among customers and increase food sales. At Cutters Bayhouse in Seattle, the bar menu pairs food with beverages. Although culinarians might wonder about flavor combinations, such pairings attempt to make bar food more ...
FOIE GRAS? OUI.
Feb 15, 1999 ... It's a far cry from the paltry price of chicken livers but more restaurants may be able to afford foie gras now that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has lifted some restrictions on imported raw poultry products, including ducks from France. The change also allows for the first time the ...
The Holiday Spirit.
Feb 15, 1999 ... Frozen custard and beef burgers are signature items for Wisconsin-based Culver's Frozen Custard restaurants. But in the spirit of goodwill, founder Craig Culver switched gears for the holidays. Alarmed at the low prices for hogs, he encouraged 70 Culver restaurant owners in ...
Special Times.
Feb 15, 1999 ... Stuck for a party theme? Tearing your hair over contractors and bids? Before your next event, take advice from a veteran party planner. In Behind the Scenes at Special Events ($75, John Wiley & Sons, 1999), Lena Malouf, an Australia-based events planner with global clients, ...
NEW NAME, DIRECTION.
Feb 15, 1999 ... Think the executives at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. changed the name to CBRL Group Inc. purely because they were tired of the old mouthful? Think again. Think of last month's new moniker--which is the Nasdaq stock symbol--as a looking glass into the company's future. ...
Ivy Idea.
Feb 15, 1999 ... The Ritz-Carlton (Ivy '98) in Naples, Fla., has piloted an etiquette class aimed at the youthful set--their guests aged 7 to 11. Says F&B ...
Making the Grade.
Feb 15, 1999 ... The food-to-go service at a university dining hall was failing to keep up with demand, causing stressed-out staff and unhappy customers--until a student came up with a simple solution. Students used to place order at the Bingham Connection servery at the University of Missouri ...
Space, Food in Harmony.
Feb 15, 1999 ... The flagship of the Levy Restaurants has undergone a major facelift after a long life (in restaurant years). The 15-year-old Spiaggia, which sports a grand view of Chicago's Oak Street beach through its floor-to-ceiling windows, reopened in mid-February with a new persona. The ...
Internet Piracy Stirs Up Web War for Operator.
Feb 15, 1999 ... ANYONE CAN REGISTER NONTRADEMARKED NAMES, WHICH CAUSES AGGRAVATION FOR MANY COMPANIES. When Mimma Megna set about designing a Web site to celebrate her restaurant's 10th anniversary, she discovered that someone else had already swooped in and registered the name of her ...
Short on Veggies.
Feb 15, 1999 ... A California survey shows consumers eat fewer fruits and vegetables, and they put some of the blame on foodservice. The state Department of Health Services survey tracks the eating habits of residents every two years. In the most recent update, from 1997, consumption of fruits and ...
Bar medley.(restaurants developing more sophisticated foods for their bar areas)
Feb 15, 1999; ... A well-orchestrated bar menu can hit high notes. Crispy calamari, burger and fries, cheesy potato skins. spicy Buffalo wings with celery and blue cheese. Sounds like the stuff bar menus are made of. Such items, deep fried or off the grill, have become prosaic ...
Quality Control.(most important food service issues to consumers)
Feb 15, 1999; ... Exclusive R&I research reveals what consumers think about food quality--and it might have less to do with flavor than you think. It could be the most often used word in the foodservice vernacular. Chefs demand quality ingredients. Owners strive to provide a quality meal ....
No Pain All Gain.(restaurants linking with food distributors using Efficient Food Response systems)
Feb 15, 1999; ... Link operators by computer with food distributors and what happens? Paper disappears. Food costs drop and efficiency rises. Inventory becomes a breeze. For his colleagues in the foodservice business, it is excruciating. But ask Executive Chef John Woods about the monthly ...
Utopia inc.(SAS Institute Inc. offers employees multitude of perks)
Feb 15, 1999; ... Software company gets no sass from employees when it comes to lavish perks, especially the cheap eats. Life at SAS Institute Inc. is full of perks. If you work there, a typical day might go like this: You arrive at work and drop off the kids at the company's day-care facility ....
SoClose.(restaurant diners tend to be regulars at restaurants within fifteen minutes of their homes, making it imperative that restaurants target their regular customers)
Feb 15, 1999; ... The road to return business is, indeed, a short one. MARY CANNON is a self-described restaurant creature of habit. She has to be. With three young, "sometimes wild" boys, Cannon says she doesn't dare venture too far outside the familiar favorites without good reason. ...
Buffet Zone.(University of California-Los Angeles student dining centers change presentation of buffet foods)
Feb 15, 1999; ... COLOR AND ELEVATION BRING THE BUFFET TO NEW HEIGHTS --BUT MIND THE STRICTER TEMPERATURE REGULATIONS. The assignment was not for the faint of heart: Figure out how to tempt the pickiest of collegiate appetites--even on weekends, when they are easily enticed to take their food ...
Food Safety: More Federal Funding Sought.
Feb 15, 1999; ... BUDGET PROPOSES ADDITIONAL 12% TO EXPAND INSPECTIONS, SURVEILLANCE AND RESEARCH. The Clinton administration has proposed a 12% increase--or $105 million--in food safety funding for fiscal year 2000 to be spread across a number of initiatives. The added money would be ...
Up In Suds.(draft beer is profitable but demands equipment care)
Feb 15, 1999; ... DRAFT BEER, PROPERLY HANDLED AND SERVED, DELIVERS HEFTY PROFITS. Broach the subject of draft beer and brewers can be easily riled. That fresh, crisp taste of draft can draw more raves and sales, or it can go flat if not properly handled. And it all begins with the hand that ...
lighten up MASHED POTATOES.
Feb 15, 1999; ... PUT MASHED POTATOES ON ALMOST ANY MENU AND YOU'VE GOT A WINNER, THE CHALLENGE IS TO PREPARE THEM IN (LESS FAT-LADEN) WAYS MOM PROBABLY WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT OF. Linda McCashion did not anticipate the reactions in several focus groups that were discussing potato menu ideas ...
Some Like It Hot.(new food and cooking items)(Brief Article)
Feb 15, 1999; ... It's part of the morning ritual. Get out of bed, find a cup coffee and begin the day. In many cases, it's part of an evening ritual as well. Have dinner, sip a cup of tea and unwind from the hectic day. Whether folks drink coffee or tea in the morning, noon or night, everyone ...