Patricia Cobe
Senior Editor
Articles by
Patricia Cobe
Page 109Menu mandate for attendees: Better but less costly food and deals, too
At the height of the recession, restaurateurs resorted to head-turning deals to drive traffic. Now that the economy is more or less in recovery, are consumers still seeking deep discounts, or are they more interested in a unique experience, an innovative menu or some other differentiating factor?
Innovators get a spotlight during the NRA Show
Five restaurateurs were recognized during the NRA's annual convention for brainstorming innovations that broke new ground in the business.
If you’re balking at the wholesale price of 12-ounce center-cut steaks and extra-thick loin chops—and your customers are too—it’s time to rethink the protein portion of your menu. Meat is going to remain high through 2013, according to top economic indicators. “Wholesale prices are the same or up to 5 percent higher for beef and pork than last year,” says Bill Hahn, economist with the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Four luminaries of the restaurant and food industries took the stage at a Culinary Institute of America event last week to share their culinary philosophies and formulas for success. The quartet—Rick Bayless, Cliff Pleau, Daniel Humm and Walter Robb—was there to be honored with a 2013 Augie Leadership Award, a CIA honor now in its seventh year.