Silver linings in an economic storm
Yes, customer habits are changing. But some operators are changing along with them—and reaping rewards.
Operations
Serving in style
Along with your food and service, your serving ware makes a major statement about your operation. And who knows more about serving ware than the owners and chefs who use it day after day? We recently talked with a few restaurant pros to find out what factors are important to them when choosing their serving pieces.
Tropical fruits are often unfamiliar to my students, but for me, they are like a return to my youth in Mexico. The dazzling colors and unexpected combinations of flavors are part of my overall approach to developing plated desserts and other pastry specialties. I also like to make use of what I know of the fruit’s history to get new ideas or to try to recreate some of the possibilities that have stood the test of time.
Dairy prices seem to be going up faster than cream rises to the top of a vat of milk. While relative bargains were available when cheese prices crashed in January 2009, there's been a surge upward since then. To ease the pain, some operators can cut down on the number of cheesy appetizers and entrees they serve, but concepts that focus on pizza, cheeseburgers, enchiladas and quesadillas simply can't do without it.
Struggling to reach staffers who seem lost in their own world? Well, have you thought about pottery? That’s the improbable route Bill Strickland took when he set out to turn the disadvantaged of his native Pittsburgh into choice job candidates all but vibrating with enthusiasm. Now a world-renowned motivational authority, Strickland has agreed to recount how he molds workforce stars from prospects that don’t appear to fit the system. His delivery at the Restaurant Leadership Conference promises to be as unusual as the training approach he’s taken.