prices

Kitchens on a shoestring

It’s not going to do you much good if you go broke outfitting the back of the house. But if you use a little creativity here, a little elbow grease there, you can have a first-rate kitchen with money to spare. Take a look at what these inventive operators did with a little money and a lot of ingenuity.

Financing

Getting your arms around the deli category

The deli category is a broad one—it covers all those cold cuts, cured sausage products, smoked meats, sliced cheeses and condiments that make up the bulk of your sandwiches, entree salads, antipasto plates and catering platters.

Butter, milk, cream and eggs are the ingredients that give many desserts their delicious flavor and richness. But these are the same commodities that have...

The lousy economy could mean good news for chains with cash to expand.

A study by the Pew Research Center found that 93% of the growth in the U.S. labor force from 2006 to 2016 will be among workers ages 55 and older.

Value-oriented consumers, increased protein prices and the social media revolution were a few of the trends laid out during presentations by Technomic and GE Capital at the Restaurant Leadership Conference.

The last few years have seen a subtle to seismic shift in the way restaurants source fruits and vegetables. From planting rooftop gardens to partnering with farmers, chefs and operators are making a big effort to be local and seasonal. But 2011 is shaping up as an even more produce-centric year.

Wholesale food costs will ease significantly for restaurants this year, but operators will still feel a pinch on margins because of customers’ resistance to pass-along increases in menu prices, according to the National Restaurant Association.

The 2012 U.S. corn crop is forecast to total 10.8 billion bushels, a decline of 13 percent from a year ago. While planted area is pegged at a record 96.4 million acres, yields are forecast to decline to 123.4 bushels per acre, a decline of more than 20 percent from trend levels. The decline reflects the most adverse weather in more than 20 years to face corn growers.

The industry is poised to slip back into a price war. Yet quality, not dirt-level prices, is what’s selling. So why’s it happening?

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