Atlantic Restaurant News - February 2013

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estaurant News R February 2013 Vol. 15 No. 1

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More cheese, please DARTMOUTH, NS—Construction is well underway on a new establishment that combines two local eateries.

Cheese Curds, a burger and poutine hot spot, and Habaneros Modern Taco Bar will both be housed in the space opening at 600 Windmill Road in Dartmouth, NS. “I started to negotiate on the new site five months after opening the first restaurant,” owner Bill Pratt told ARN. “I paid off the second [restaurant] in six weeks.”

Both Cheese Curds and Habaneros have seen great success since their introduction to the Dartmouth community. Pratt said since opening his restaurants they have been steadily busy, encouraging him to look towards expansion.

The new Habaneros location will offer the same menu as its original store, with an added offering of alcohol service as the new space is licensed. Pratt tags Habaneros as putting a “modern twist on classic favourites.” The menu includes dishes such as chimichangas and quesadillas, as well as Mexican pizzas – baked on a flatbread. The menu touches on local flavours with seafood fillings, as well as a Nova Scotia lobster and shrimp topped nachos.

At Cheese Curds, Pratt is using the success of his burger of the week specials and incorporating some of the most popular options into the new menu. The additions will include a nod to the restaurant’s home with a haddock burger topped with smoked cheddar, to which Pratt adds his own style of tartar sauce, made with capers.

PROPELLER TAKES OFF TO DARTMOUTH

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CAPT. SUB TAKES ON NEW CONCEPT

Top left: Cheese Curds and Habaneros owner Bill Pratt. Bottom left: The Habaneros exterior. Right: A variety of toppings at Habaneros.

As well, the menu will offer a mozza crunch burger topped with a “big honkin’ piece of mozzarella, breaded in panko,” says Pratt.

“We’re not just flipping burgers,” said Pratt. “We’re braising all the meats and making all the sauces.” Offering a menu that is made in-house and as locally sourced as possible is an important part of Pratt’s mandate.

The new 6,000 square foot location will seat 120 people and also encompass a large-scale production kitchen with slow-cook ovens to prepare large volumes of meat. Pratt said he will operate the production kitchen, preparing some menu ingredients there that will go out to his restaurant locations.

The large space will carry a similar clean look to the original restaurant locations and Pratt said he plans to open the second floor for corporate parties and events.

Another important part of Pratt’s

mandate is fostering new chefs and rewarding his employees for their work and dedication.

At the original Cheese Curds location Pratt hired chef Ronnie Lace after two months of making sure he was “the right kind of guy.” After proving himself, Lace was offered 25 per cent ownership of the restaurant.“I get it up, I get it running and then I’m moving on,” said Pratt. “That’s my role as a chef, owner, and visionary kind of guy.”

For the new location, Pratt said he is bringing over Betty Bartel, a chef from the original Habaneros. It’s about “finding the right people and rewarding them,” said Pratt. “It’s about the journey.”

Pratt has not committed to any further expansions yet but said he has had serious offers for Truro, NS locations of both franchises. He is also looking at Moncton and Charlottetown as possible markets.

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GOOD TEA IS GOOD BUSINESS.

ATLANTIC CANADIANS are passionate about their tea. They

Serving good tea is good business. Not only will it increase your

sip more cups per capita than almost anywhere else in the country.

tea sales, but also keep your dessert tray busy. More importantly,

Unfortunately, most of that tea is enjoyed at home,

it provides another opportunity to deliver an exceptional

because many customers feel tea service isn’t taken

experience to your customers. An experience that will

seriously in restaurant settings. Seventy-one percent of tea

keep them coming back.

drinkers stated they’re more likely to order tea, if assured they’d be served a consistently good cup.* And thirty-one percent

As an Atlantic Canadian company, we’re passionate about tea too,

will order water, if a quality, well-prepared cup is not available.

and proud to be the #1 selling brand in the region. King Cole is the only tea that brings over 140 years of loyalty to your restaurant.

Like all tea lovers, we know starting with great tea is a must – but there’s more to serving the perfect cup. King Cole is home to one

We’d like to visit your restaurant to share our passion and expertise

of only two Tea Masters in Canada. Tea Masters are much like

in serving the perfect cup of tea. Give us a call at 1 506-432-2549 to

sommeliers for tea, and just as there is a correct way to serve wine

set up a time that’s convenient for you.

– there are equally important steps to serving tea. Learning these steps is an essential part of showing customers you care as much about tea as they do.

*Study conducted by the Tea Association of Canada.

We’ll bring the tea.

F E B R U A RY 2 013

Propeller powers over to Dartmouth HALIFAX—Local brewer Propeller Brewery has started construction on a second location just across the harbour in Dartmouth, NS. The microbrewery’s original operation on Gottingen St., in Halifax’s north end will remain in operation, Andrew Cooper, sales and marketing for Propeller, told ARN. The new location is slated to open in the spring with a 30-barrel brewhouse and two 120-barrel fermentation vessels.

The additional location, at 15,900 square feet, is nearly twice the size of the first one and will take over brewing the majority of Propeller’s brands, including six yearround brews and four recurring seasonal brews, Cooper said.

The expansion will free up the original Gottingen location for brewing one off and special release beers.

“The way we operate now, there’s not a lot of time for fun time brewing,” said Cooper. “We’ll definitely be able to explore more and have more fun with that. We’re looking forward to that, there’s a lot of enjoyment in it.”

Propeller’s “One Hit Wonders” series has offered four special release beers each year for the past few years. “We really just plan to build on that,” said Cooper. “We need to get through the expansion and then we’ll map out what we’ll do.”

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Propeller Brewery’s Halifax location. Photo courtesy of Propeller Brewery.

The bread station at the Truro Esplanade prototype location of the new Capt. Submarine.

Like the Halifax location, the new Dartmouth operation will house a retail store to serve the Burnside neighbourhood.

Cooper said they were not specifically seeking a spot in Dartmouth, but the new location was an attractive option for several reasons including access to industrial services used by the brewery.

“We were probably actively seeking the new facility since about this time last year,” said Cooper. “We’ve been maxed out for a few years.”

In its original location, Propeller produced approximately 8,200 hectolitres of beer last year and Cooper expects this output to increase to around 12,000 in the

coming years, he said.

Propeller brews are on tap in more than 100 restaurants and bars across Nova Scotia, said Cooper. “This expansion definitely isn’t to pursue growth in other provinces. It’s really to meet the demand here at home,” he said. “It is going to mean that we don’t have to pull out of other markets.”

“It’s definitely going to be big for us,” said Cooper. “It’ll be the first time in many years that we’ll have a facility that we will be able to meet demand in. That’s exciting for us.”

Propeller Brewery, 617 Windmill Rd., Dartmouth NS.

The Garrison District A crispy start Alehouse seeing the in Halifax positives after a fire FREDERICTON—The Garrison District Alehouse has temporarily shut its doors following a fire that ravaged the 80-yearold building in early January, but co-owner Doug Williams is seeing the silver lining. “[The fire] started as quite possibly the worst thing to happen in my adult life, but really the way the community has responded it’s been amazing,” said Williams.

“I think once we’re through all of this and get re-opened, I think I’ll look at this as an overwhelmingly positive experience.”

Customers and other local establishments have organized several fundraisers in support of the restaurant and staff, who are largely without work until the Garrison reopens this spring, said Williams. “It’s been unbelievable. It’s taken on a life of its own.”

The fire started around 10 p.m. on a Friday when staff and customers were in the bar, but with the fire contained in the walls, Williams said he never actually saw the flames.

Fire fighters had the fire under control within approximately four to five hours by cutting into the walls and pumping water into them.

Williams said two thirds of the public space was primarily damaged by smoke and water, and the other third will be completely stripped and replaced.

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The structure, originally built in the 1920’s by shipbuilders, has a 22-foot-high vaulted ceiling with double-wall brick and steel construction. “It’s quite a tank of a building,” said Williams. “That’s why it’s still standing.”

Having caught the fire early, before it made its way out of the walls, is another positive factor. “If the fire had happened when we were closed, it would have been all gone,” said Williams.

The first sign of a problem was in a lighting wall sconce, suggesting it was an electrical problem. Further investigation by the fire department and insurance company have not been able to trace an electrical fault, so the official cause is still unknown.

“If it’s something you could have avoided you want to find out,” said Williams. “I’d say, right now, there’s a fair chance we won’t find out.”

The waiting game is on for now, said Williams, but he looks forward to reopening the bar and welcoming back the customers that have supported the Garrison more than he and his partner had ever expected.

“I just can’t believe the way it’s turned out,” he said. “Even though we’ve closed for a while, we still have the best customers in town.”

HALIFAX—A new gourmet-style restaurant on Barrington St. will serve up burgers, poutine, wraps and wings.

Opened at the end of January, Crispy Cristy took over the former Extreme Pizza location at 1701 Barrington St. The family-run business is helmed by Seeman Siafi, who previously helped with the operations of Jessy Pizza, owned by his son, Rod Siafi.

At approximately 1,000 square feet, the restaurant seats between 21 and 25 people and offers sit-down, take-out, and delivery options.

Rod Siafi, who will help operate the new business, said that the menu includes homemade options such as gourmet burgers, pitas, wraps, bread and wings, fish, and salad.

“We serve poutine [varieties] such as pulled pork, Philly cheese steak, and donair,” said Siafi. Specialty menu options will include the mushroom swiss burger, and the mexicasa burger with nacho cheese, shredded mozzarella and shredded cheddar.

“This is almost a nacho burger,” said Siafi.

“We’re trying to create something that you can’t find anywhere else.”

Crispy Cristy will also serve a pita pizza, with pizza sauce and toppings baked on top of a crispy pita.

Siafi said that customers can expect stylish décor with a red and blue colour scheme and an open concept kitchen.

GOT NEWS? We want to hear from you.

Email tips about your restaurant openings, appointments, acquisitions or other news to lwu@ canadian restaurant news.com for editorial consideration.

www.can-restaurantnews.com

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Editorial Director Leslie Wu ext. 227 lwu@canadianrestaurantnews.com Senior Contributing Editor Colleen Isherwood ext. 231 cisherwood@canadianrestaurantnews.com Assistant Editor Elaine Anselmi ext. 226 eanselmi@canadianrestaurantnews.com Online Editor Veronica Zaretski ext. 238 vzaretski@canadianrestaurantnews.com National Sales Manager Dave Bell ext. 230 dbell@canadianrestaurantnews.com Senior Account Managers Debbie McGilvray ext. 233 dmcgilvray@can-restaurantnews.com Joe Couto ext. 229 jcouto@canadianrestaurantnews.com Production Ext. 0 pweber@canadianrestaurantnews.com Circulation Manager Don Trimm ext. 228 dtrimm@canadianrestaurantnews.com

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estaurateurs, meet Brad Newman.

He’s about to make your life more difficult.

As if the restaurant industry doesn’t have enough to deal with in terms of meeting the expectations of an increasingly demanding customer, along comes Newman with a new low: a “reviewer card” for online amateur reviewers of restaurants and hotels.

“I’m going to review them anyway, so why not let them know in advance? It’s not hurting anyone,” said Newman to the Los Angeles Times.

He explained that the idea came about when he received what he felt was shoddy service in France, threatened to post on TripAdvisor and was then comped his meal.

“It’s not a threat,” Newman told the

(if there was one), to make the customer feel valued, or to go above and beyond to save the dining experience, which many operators do daily.

By flashing a card and making a very real threat, the diner shuts down the conversation, and any act of graciousness on the part of the operator is then reduced to “the service they deserved.”

And unfortunately, when demands are made with threats, too often the service will be exactly what that kind of diner deserves, to the detriment of all involved.

Times. “It’s the way to get the service you deserve.” He plans to peddle his cards for $100 to those he deems worthy through an Internet screening process based on the number of reviews applicants have under their belts.

Let’s overlook the fact that the idea of revealing themselves is anathema to most legitimate reviewers. Let’s disregard the idea that the card is a new tool for bullies to use to menace front of house staff. Let’s even set aside the notion for a moment that such a card would be met with, at the very least, polite disdain from any number of restaurateurs, chefs, hoteliers and servers.

When it comes down to it, the worst thing about this card is that it removes the ability of the restaurant to correct its mistake

Leslie Wu Editorial Director

Controller Tammy Turgeon ext. 237 tammy@canadianrestaurantnews.com

How to reach us: Tel (905) 206-0150

Bits

Publisher Steven Isherwood ext. 236 sisherwood@canadianrestaurantnews.com

Volume 15 Number 1 Atlantic Restaurant News is published 6 times per year by Ishcom Publications Ltd. which also publishes: Ontario Restaurant News, Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News, Atlantic Restaurant News, Canadian Chains Directory 2065 Dundas Street East, Suite 201 Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2W1 Tel: (905) 206-0150 Fax: (905) 206-9972 In Canada 1 800 201-8596 Subscriptions: Canada & USA: $24.95/ year or $39.95/two years Single copy: $5.00 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to circulation department, 2065 Dundas Street East, Suite 201, Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2W1 Publication Mail Agreement No. 40010152 ISSN 1702-3483 GST number R102533890

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BIt es

Pizza Pizza releases ordering app and new website design

Air Liquide obtains food safety certification

Hot news in the frozen yogurt market

TORONTO—Pizza Pizza announced the launch of a mobile ordering app for the iPad in a release.

The app will allow customers to place pizza orders and includes features such as the “Pizza Builder,” a visual tool that will let customers virtually create and customize a pizza, and “Spin-to-Win,” a game offering the opportunity to win free menu options with orders. The app was developed by Plastic Mobile, and is part of a number of technological developments at Pizza Pizza, including a recently redesigned website. “Our mobile and web-based business is growing rapidly,” said CEO Paul Goddard.

MONTREAL—Air Liquide Canada has obtained Food Safety System Certification 22000 for its carbon dioxide production plants in Canada.

The company, a subsidiary of Air Liquide Group, operates carbon dioxide plants across the country, supplying the agrifood and beverage industry, according to the Jan. 30 release. Liquid carbon dioxide is used within the foodservice industry for cryogenic freezing and surfacing hardening, as well as within cold chain management.

Air Liquide’s food safety certification is a part of the Global Food Safety Initiative to provide improved food safety systems.

“We’re proud to support our customers, and their customers in turn, by providing impeccable quality in our products for use in the agrifood and beverage industries,” said Adam Peters, president and CEO of Air Liquide Canada.

TORONTO—Yogurtworld Franchising Corp., franchisor of Menchie’s, has sold development and operation rights to the self-serve frozen yogurt brand in Canada.

According to a Jan. 28 release, the master franchise agreement for Canada, the signed franchise agreements, as well as the multi unit development agreements were sold to Alex Shnaider, chairman of the Midland Group.

“By pursuing an aggressive expansion strategy, we will build upon its success and bring the Menchie’s experience to more communities across the country,” said Shnaider.

Kingston slaughterhouse ceases operation KINGSTON, NS—An Annapolis Valley meat processing facility is ceasing its slaughterhouse operations after years in the industry, according to the Chronicle Herald.

O.H. Armstong Ltd., based in Kingston, NS, will no longer be slaughtering hogs but will continue its other operations that include finishing the processing of pork, general manager Ted Devitt told the Herald.

The Valley’s pig farming sector has taken a strong hit from the high cost of transporting feed. The area that used to support approximately 90 farms is left with just a few still in operation, said the Herald.

With the cost of pigs also increasing, Devitt said the slaughter operation was not sustainable for Armstrong.

The closure will see the loss of 14 jobs, but 85 people will stay on operating other facets of the company including foodservice distribution.

MTY Group goes oversees for expansion MONTREAL—MTY Food Group Inc. has expanded their brands Mr. Sub and Jugo Juice overseas. The sandwich shop and smoothie franchise will open locations in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, according to a Jan. 22 release.

The openings are a part of a master franchise agreement. “With approximately 100 stores currently in operations outside Canada, and following the successful signing of area master franchise agreements for Morocco, London (United Kingdom) and Lebanon, the two new agreements are in line with our overseas growth strategy,” said Stanley Ma, president and CEO of MTY Group.

Lettuce recall focuses on foodservice industry TORONTO—Freshpoint Toronto, a fresh produce supplier to the foodservice industry announced a major recall on shredded lettuce distributed to various foodservice outlets.

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website, the contaminated lettuce was distributed throughout Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Bread ceases to rise at operations in New Brunswick and Alberta TORONTO—Canada Bread Company announced plans for the closure of its Grand Falls, NB and Edmonton bakeries.

The closure is intended to improve efficiencies, allowing for lower overhead and consolidation, according to the company.

The Edmonton operation produces a portion of the companies foodservice products and will be the first to close at the end of March, followed by Grand Falls, NB in June.

F E B R U A RY 2 013

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Capt. Sub goes express with new concept TRURO, NS—Greco Pizza and Capt. Sublocation in Inverness, NS on Jan. 11.

Whittaker says that he intends to open admarine are doubling down with a new The target market ranges from small rural ditional units in the area. There are still concept designed to ramp up the dough in locations (with a population from 1,000 to Capt. Submarines in Clayton Park and the company’s Atlantic units.

5,000) to convenience stores and service staTantallon.

“With all of the competition moving tions in larger markets to drive foot traffic.

“I’d like to convert the existing 30 units into this market, pizzerias have lost volAlthough the Halifax location of the in the Greco operations in the short term, ume. This new concept is a way for them joint Capt. Submarine/Greco Pizza on and within two years, add the concept to to boost incremental sales with compleBarrington St. closed earlier this year, 100 to 125 operations,” he said. mentary dayparts,” Michael Whittaker, president of Grinner's Food Systems Limited, told ARN. Truro, NS-based Grinner’s acquired Greco Pizza in 1981 and Capt. Sub in 2001.

“We wanted to do toasted Atlantic Canada-style sandwiches as the original concept in Capt. Submarine,” said Whittaker.

The new model calls for the subs to be proofed and baked in-house, with several varieties of specialty breads on offer.

Although a standalone prototype was built in Truro, Grinner’s will be focusing its efforts on express-style, 200 to 250 square foot concepts that will be added to existing restaurants, especially Greco locations, said Whittaker.

The concepts follow a 1970’s theme, with wall coverings of a montage of top songs, photos of old locations and newspaper articles from the time period.

The company already tested the market with the concept in existing coffee shops in Nackawic, NB, and North Rustic, PEI in late 2012.

Another Capt. Sub was added to an existing The bread station at the Truro Esplanade prototype location of the new Capt. Submarine.

Halifax pizza spot gets VPN HALIFAX—Piatto Pizzeria and Enoteca is the latest of Brian Vallis’ Atlantic pizza ventures to acquire Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) accreditation. The VPN standard designates a pizzaioli or restaurant as adhering to Neapolitan traditional methods.

Piatto, now open for approximately six months in Halifax, is the follow-up to Vallis’ St. John’s Piatto location, which received VPN certification three years ago, according to the Chronicle Herald. The original Piatto location was the second restaurant in Canada to receive the certification, and the Halifax location will be the 10th.

The staff at Piatto meticulously prepared pizzas in practice for the certification which they passed on Jan. 16. According to Piatto’s website, the staff “passed the final inspection and were certified as the 431st VPN pizzeria in the world, and the first in Halifax.”

Criteria for VPN certification • •

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Wood-burning oven that cooks at 800 to 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

Traditional ingredients including: 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte or bufala mozzarella, fresh basil.

Dough must be kneaded by hand or with a low-speed mixer.

Cooking time must not exceed 90 seconds.

Read the news when you want and how you want

Bowling

things to keep soup sales soaring.

Most like it hot Slow heat is better than fast high heat for bringing soup to temperature.

“Focus on holding temperatures is the key. Too often operators crank up the heat on their serving table to deliver ‘hot’ soup and end up destroying the delicate nature of the ingredients,” says Davis.

Cornacchia recommends heating soups in a double boiler and heating only enough for a meal period. “Do not heat soup at 9 a.m. for the entire day,” he warns.

Martin also recommends that operators heat up a little soup at a time. “You can always go back and heat more,” he says.

For Dollars

Tips on maximizing your soup profits

Stirring the pot

By Leslie Wu

To prevent an unappealing skin from forming, or crusting around the corners, Davidson recommends that soup goes into a crock right away once it’s prepared, and that it’s constantly stirred. “I go in every five or 10 minutes to give it a stir during a three to four hour service, which prevents a skin and keeps the flavor of the soup,” she says.

Holding steady Keep in mind how delicate some ingredients can be when holding soups for service. “I only put eight soups in steamers for service, and only keep them there for rush time, then I cool them immediately and heat

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amille Davidson and her staff at the Stone Soup Café in Pictou, NS, play a bit of a guessing game whenever customers come through the door. “People come in and we try to guess in the kitchen what they’re going to order. And we’re often surprised…sometimes, we’ll see big trucker guys that we expect to order something hearty and they’ll order a light and delicate soup,” she says.

To a certain extent, predicting the customer’s expectation, and staying one step ahead of it, can be a guessing game when it comes to soup.

As in all types of foodservice, soup customers want and expect innovation. Soup, however, has a polarizing effect on patrons caught between nostalgia and the new.

“It’s a split. There is a large audience that doesn’t want their soups changed and an emerging audience that is looking for new experiences in soup, ” says Scott Davis, chief concept officer at Panera Bread. “Soup is a very personal thing for folks. Consumers tend to notice changes in their favorites and react louder than any other food category we track.”

Craving comfort “People want memories from their childhood, whether it’s a steaming bowl of split pea, cream of mushroom or beef barley,” says Steve Martin, owner/operator of Surrey, BC-based Serious Soups, which supplies about 80 restaurants throughout Vancouver.

“I think soup fits into one of the big food trends in North America: gourmet comfort food.”

Part of this throwback to simple comfort is also driven by a customer shift towards questioning ingredients in food. “Guests are looking for soups that are fresh, contain lo-

cal ingredients and do not have a lot of additives and preservatives,” says Pat Cornacchia, culinary director of Williams Fresh Café.

Soup sales also benefit from the customer’s perception of a health halo. “I’ve noticed that people think soup is a healthy choice, and that it’s a bit of going back to the real food movement, so we try to use local ingredients as much as possible,” says Davidson.

The changing language of soup At the same time that local ingredients are becoming a focus, customers are look-

Suppliers are seeing an international influx of ingredients flooding the soup market. Davis sees the flavours of Indian, Thai and Eastern European cuisines coming to the forefront. Gilbert St-Yves, marketing and communications director for Quebec-based supplier Aliments ED Foods, sees Asian cuisines such as Thai, Chinese and Japanese as popular among his customers.

“Asian-style soups have increased their presence on limited-service menus, particularly Vietnamese pho soups,” says Cynthia Mitchell, North America Foodservice,

“Focus on holding temperatures is the key.

Too often operators crank up the heat on their serving table to deliver ‘hot’ soup and end up destroying the delicate nature of the ingredients.” —Scott Davis, chief concept officer at Panera Bread.

ing beyond Canada’s shores for flavours and influences. With pho, congee, curries and ramen washing over the restaurant scene, customers are getting used to the notion of soup only meals, and taking soup beyond its traditional lunch or dinner daypart.

“On the whole, demand for soups has risen in the past 10 years,” says Marla Mitchell, product manager of soups and tomato products for HJ Heinz Company of Canada. “Varieties that were never available before are available now and it’s commonplace to have ethnic-inspired options on menus of many different types of restaurants, from white tablecloth with full service to family casual dining and even QSR.”

Campbell Soup Company. “Patrons are looking for unique and ethnic flavours on menus – and soup is the perfect way for them to experiment.”

On the operator side, a similar shift in flavor is occurring. Customers love curries and Thai ingredients, says Ravi Kanagarajah, owner/operator of the three family run locations of Ravi Soups in Toronto.

“We use a lot of ginger throughout the day. South East Asian soups have kaffir lime, ginger, and lemongrass – customers like the healthiness,” he says.

Davis also sees the flavours of Indian, Thai and Eastern European cuisines coming to the forefront at Panera.

Sometimes, these flavours can enter the menu as a twist on a traditional favourite, says Davidson. “With my customers, the more exotic I get, the better it sells,” she says.

“A turkey rice soup is a good seller, but a Moroccan turkey soup with cumin, bulgur, orange juice, and apricots sells out right away.

People like something different, but using ingredients that they’re familiar with.”

Davidson also uses Chinese five spice, rice noodles and snow peas instead of regular peas to liven up chicken noodle soup, or makes curried cream of cauliflower.

The fusing of ingredients across cultures doesn’t necessarily imply combining eastern and western cuisines. Martin supplies a high volume bistro in Squamish where he adapts his African yam and peanut soup to a more Moroccan flavor profile.

It isn’t just the flavour profiles that are affected. Martin also sees the international influence of Asian, Indian, Thai and Indonesian cuisine impact the way soup stock is being produced.

“In terms of Indian, Vietnamese pho or Chinese restaurants, these places are making their own stock due to the volume that they’re using throughout the day rather than buying them wholesale,” he says.

Serving soup Although soup by itself may not generate a high average check price, its fast turnover and relative low maintenance during service may warm the hearts of operators.

When putting soup on the menu, however, there are things to consider when preparing or storing soup over a service period.

Whether you’re a counter quick service operation where the customer can see the soup or a full service kitchen where soup is stored in the back of house, here are some

to order,” says Kanagarajah.

“When you keep soup on the steamer all day long, it will spoil the consistency and taste, and also discolour. Spices don’t do well sitting at that temperature for that long, and vegetables won’t be al dente, but instead will be mushy,” he says.

The ideal thing in restaurant service for soup is to heat to order, says Martin. “Once soup has gotten hot enough to serve, that liquid is slowly cooking everything in there – vegetables disintegrate and thicken the soup, changing its texture. With any type of noodle, once heat is constantly applied, it starts to fall apart,” he says.

“That’s why when restaurants need to keep a soup hot for long periods of time, they pick a smoother soup that won’t change texture when held, like a bisque,” he says.

St-Yves also recommends keeping any pastas or barley in a recipe apart and incorporating it at the last minute, which will give the soup a less watery taste.

As a menu item, soup has long since earned its place on the page.

When it comes to eating habits, however, operators are seeing soups in a whole new light, as soups are moving out from the sidelines.

Although soups have been making the move from an appetizer to a main course at lunch and dinner, Cornacchia is seeing soup transitioning into other meal occasions as well.

“In general, people’s dining habits are changing as a result of economics and health,” he says.

Presented properly, soup even has the potential to enter the ever popular snacking daypart. “Soup is a great snack food and as snacking becomes a more popular way of eating (five meals a day versus three), we foresee that soup will increase in popularity,” says Cornacchia.

As changing demographics bring items such as congee to the forefront, consumers are also seeing soups as a breakfast concept.

“People are addicted to an extra large coffee and an egg sandwich for breakfast,” says Kanagarajah. “But over the last five years, at any time of day, you can find a place to have a bowl of soup.”

Kanagarajah’s customers have been asking for a Sri Lankan breakfast soup staple that has

Taste test In terms of taste, it’s important for a chef to keep checking how the soup is developing.

“Continually taste it every hour to see if it’s changing on you,” advises Martin. “Broth soups can start evaporating more than one that’s smoother or has more dairy, and some can get thicker and thicker. If it’s been sitting there for four hours, you may have to thin

Soups of the world: 1. Congee: a thick rice based porridge popular in Asia. Common flavours: Congee can be served plain, or with small pieces of meat, preserved duck eggs or fresh eggs, which can be garnishes or beaten into the soup for texture, and toppings such as green onions.

2. Pho: A Vietnamese noodle soup. Common flavours: pho can be served with sliced meat or vegetables and garnished with lime, Thai basil and bean sprouts. Shown here: Pho by chef Mai Pham from Campbell’s Foodservice.

3. Tomato soups: Mediterranean inspired soups make use of the region’s strengths. “The signature notes of olive oil, aromatic herbs and the best tomatoes in the world are simply unmistakable,” write Nick Sandler and Johnny Acton in their book Soup. Shown here: Roasted garlic and tomato soup from Heinz.

4. Oxtail soup: Oxtail is used around the world, including in Indonesia, where it is used to make sop buntut. Common flavours: Shown here, sop buntut can contain fried or barbecued oxtail with tomatoes and shallots.

5. A cauldron of soupy rice (arroz caldoso) is cooked throughout Spain and Cuba. Shown here is Miguel Torres’ version with crab. Common flavours: This brothy dish can contain white wine and garlic.

6. Thailand’s soups have a wide variety of flavour profiles, but often include galangal, coriander and lemongrass. Shown here: Thai broth from Luda.

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Something on the side Part of what helps propel soup into the main course category is the appearance of more substantial sides, such as a larger piece of artisanal bread. “A baguette is fresh, crusty, and seems more wholesome,” says Davidson, who notes that her customers still like to dip things in soup.

Garnishes can add visual appeal to a soup as well. “Gone are the days when a package of crackers or croutons is served as a garnish – chefs are infusing their own creativity and are creating signature dishes,” says Marla Mitchell, who has seen chefs use rolled and crisply cooked bacon and chive sprigs on potato soup.

A garnished soup can not only add to the customer’s sense of taste, but also their perception of freshness. “Fresh toppings or add ins take a good soup and make it feel ‘of the moment’ and unique. Something as simple as a lemon wedge or dollop of creme fraiche are easy examples,” says Davis.

This extra flourish, which can be done tableside, can translate to higher profit margins for operators, says Cynthia Mitchell. “Garnishing is a simple way to emphasize authenticity, freshness and regional appeal. Also, patrons perceive garnished soups as higher value and are willing to pay more for them,” she says.

2.

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more sweetness than spice, with lots of grain.

He’s not selling it yet, but plans to add it to the menu by the middle of next year.

it slightly.”

Table manners

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On the

Road again

By Elaine Anselmi and Leslie Wu

P

erhaps the familiar melody of the ice cream truck driving up the road is just a memory of earlier years, and doesn’t hold the same trigger of excitement for school kids of this era.

With the number of mobile food options available, can you blame them?

There’s a new generation of movable food operations that offer up everything from traditional desserts,

The big idea After getting snowed in on a backpacking trip through the Himalayas, best friends Ryan Slater and Zac Berman waited in the town of Manang for yaks to clear the way out. The unforeseeable circumstance led the two to the highaltitude berry, seabuckthorn, that Slater says doesn’t taste the best, but is packed with nutrients and is blended into juices in the region for its strong nutritional value.

Gaining a respect for both the individual ingredients and final product of smoothies and juice blends, Slater says they made it a mission to try as many juice stands as possible as they continued through India and Nepal.

“India is filled with juice stands. Like a coffee bar, they’re a sort of gathering point for locals,” says Slater. “When we got back to Vancouver, a passion for juice and smoothies blossomed.” The two opened The Juice Truck for business in July of 2011. We spent four months in [Berman’s] mom’s kitchen, literally trying everything,” says Slater. “We tried every variety of apple, figured out the flavours, and now we have a black ‘holy

hot dogs and fries to a kimchi-topped taco with a side of udon noodle soup.

And chances are, if you look, you can probably find that hot dog topped with kimchi as well.

“We’re reaching culinary adolescence in the city, shedding our shyness in what we’re capable of doing and showing our multiculturalism,” says Suresh Doss, publisher of Spotlight Toronto and one of the driving forces

behind bringing food trucks to Canadian cities.

He points to trucks such as Gourmet Gringo, and Tide and Vine as examples of operators that have a business model that combines both staple items and the room to experiment.

Doss feels that operators are starting to see the real potential behind offering different items at food trucks, rather than sticking with tried and true

favourites, “We’re starting to see the second wave come through.”

Food trucks have been enlisted to cater events, to market pre-existing brick and mortar brands and to offer a creative outlet for chefs and foodies across the country.

They may have four wheels in place of a bricks and mortar foundation, but that doesn’t mean they’re rolling away anytime soon.

grail’ bible of every combo we made.”

The opportunity for experimentation is a strong draw for many entering into the food truck industry.

El Gastronomo Vagabundo, based in St. Catharines, ON is largely seen as an originator of gourmet food truck concepts, and came about in theory approximately three years ago, says co-owner Tamara Jensen. “My partner [Adam Hynam-Smith], who is a professional chef, was working in a restaurant at the time, playing around with different menu items.”

She says the idea of a gourmet taco truck appealed to them because it gave them the freedom to work with different types of fillings and different styles.

The idea was based on gourmet tacos that were easy to eat on the street, says Jensen. “We’ve added things here and there, but we’re still really known for our tacos,” she says.

Additional menu items have included seasonal salads, soups, Korean bbq wings and banh mi sandwiches.

“We switch things up quite often, so people will try something new and have a new favourite dish,” she says.

“But, there’s some people who just like their staples. They’ll come when they can get that.”

At the time of El Gastro’s inception, Jensen says there were no

gourmet food trucks in Canada, but trucks in New York and Los Angeles were starting to get recognition. “We looked into it and realized it would be a bit of a challenge since the rules didn’t really exist yet, but we thought why not give it a go and take a risk.”

Also seeing a gap in the market for fresh-to-order seafood – something some would think was in abundance in the Atlantic provinces – Ryan MacIsaac introduced Dartmouth and the Halifax Regional Municipality to The Battered Fish.

“We wanted to do gourmet seafood in a fast-casual environment,” says MacIsaac. “At first the plan was to do festivals and events, and tour Nova Scotia to get our name out and get people knowing our food.”

The truck’s business grew steadily, offering Digby clams, scallops and haddock as well as fries and its own line of pop, says MacIsaac. Since its first food truck, The Battered Fish has now expanded into four concepts, foodcourt installments, a hut on the Halifax Harbour and a standalone restaurant.

“Our slogan is ‘always fresh, always to order,’” he says, and this largely underlines the concept of the brand. “A lot of places cook everything in the morning and re-cook it when it’s ordered,” says MacIsaac.

“Ours gets dipped in batter when ordered, and then dipped in the fryer, and that concept hasn’t changed.”

Finding a unique spot in the market has proved a successful backer for food truck concepts. Calgary food truck, Perogy Boyz, was founded on the theory that “short of a Ukrainian wedding or church service, it’s hard to find a good perogy,” says owner, Curtis Berry. Perogy Boyz offers a traditional perogy, served with bacon and sour cream, as well as some twists such as a perogy poutine with cheese curds and bacon gravy, and nacho perogies with salsa and taco cheese.

While perogies remain the focus of the menu on Berry’s truck, he says it has undergone several changes including a new perogy supplier to bring down costs, and limiting the styles of perogies used, to cut down on wait times. “In the first year of operation, we served over 300,000 hand pinched perogies,” says Berry.

That year came with a lot of lessons on best practice, economics and efficiency.

Having a strong concept that appeals to a broad demographic is an important starting point for a food truck operator, but the ability to maintain that concept while learning and adapting is essential.

A different type of mobile marketing

Photo credits: Asphalt photos by Fran Gambín. Stoplight photo in top right: Davide Guglielmo. Road work sign: Mark Brannan. Success/failure: Sigurd Decroos.

With something as mobile as a food truck, traditional advertising methods of television or print may be too static, and your operating budget may be small.

Sometimes it’s a matter of going back to basics: word of mouth marketing.

Lynn Albert relies heavily on word of her Caraquet,

NB, truck spreading. That, and curious tourists looking for lobster poutine. When the season starts, she hits the local tourist hotspots and leaves menus out.

Adaptability to changing circumstances is key to Jensen, who uses Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Instagram, and the Eat St. and Toronto Street Food apps.

If you’re moving around a bigger market with more urban sprawl, it becomes a necessity to

inform potential customers of your location in an up-to-theminute fashion. These days, word of mouth has a new incarnation in social media, and a savvy food truck operator will take full advantage of an online presence.

Letting customers know the truck’s location in advance allows both sides to plan their day. “If we don’t use social media and let people know where were going to be, they pack a lunch and chances

are they’re going to eat that lunch,” says Berry. “We have to let them know where we’re going to be so they can plan on that.”

Parking and other factors, however, can lay a wrench in the best-laid plans. “It’s tricky because you’re not always guaranteed a parking spot in the place you tweet,” says Berry. “So if there’s no parking there, and people plan to eat there, you have to update and plan accordingly.”

What they’re made of Before food trucks were legal in Calgary, Curtis Berry headed down to California to purchase a $100,000 truck that would become the home of Perogy Boyz. While it was a risky gamble, Berry says it paid off, “It was the perfect truck for us in terms of what we needed to cook perogies, we just had to have our branding put on it.”

The process was pretty quick, says Berry, who purchased the truck in July and following inspections, branding and putting a menu in place, was open for business at a Calgary food truck festival in August.

The process is not always so expedient when starting from scratch, or if there is a significant amount of customization involved. As well, Barry notes that even after the acquisition of the truck he made a significant investment into upgrades to comply with codes.

Terry Sauve, owner of Kitchens on Wheels, says he has built the majority of food trucks parked along the streets of the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa, from his shop in Alexandria, ON. He says the process takes approximately two months from the day he gets the order, but this can fluctuate depending on the time of year and demand.

The cost of a food truck can also inflate drastically depending on the requirements of the operator. Sauve says modern trucks are actually more elaborate than some restaurant kitchens, with electronics and high-end equipment.

“The average truck before was around $30,000, now it can be anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000,” says Sauve. “These days, 75 per cent of trucks are in the $70,000 margin.”

One of Sauve’s first builds was the El Gastronomo Vagabundo truck.

“We told [Sauve] what equipment we wanted,” says Jensen. “He outfitted it in

case we wanted to add equipment in the future.”

Jensen says they make use of their space in their facility by stationing off the truck for larger events and having one person at each station making specific items. As well, she says there is always one person who deals specifically with cash handling and not food.

Being the first on the Canadian food truck scene, Jensen says the trucks Sauve is working on now are much more involved than El Gastro’s first order.

Since acquiring The Battered Fish truck, MacIsaac says he has gone through numerous modifications to accommodate the demands of business, and the way they cook products to order. An upgraded fryer was on the bill last year for The Battered Fish and a touch screen point of sale system was installed for efficiency. “There’s still things that we improve every year with the food truck but it’s like night and day from where we started,” says MacIsaac.

The industry itself is a somewhat unrecognizable creature to those manufacturing the trucks. Norm Kerfoot, owner of Apollo Carts, has been building food trucks and carts for 17 years, and says the industry has “really grown in leaps and bounds as far as volume goes.”

He says his B.C.-based operation built approximately six trailers and two trucks in the first year of the Vancouver food truck craze. Last year, he built 25 trucks, 18 trailers and approximately 20 food carts.

One of Kerfoot’s customizations was a 1984 delivery vehicle that became The Juice Truck. “It had 450,000 kms on it and had travelled across Canada throughout its life,” says The Juice Truck’s co-owner, Ryan Slater. He says his truck requirements were a lot less than most. “We pretty much have a large inverter powering two juicers, blenders and fridges.”

Finding success To operate a successful food truck, you’ve got to get real. Know your limitations, know what works and what doesn’t, and be prepared to make the necessary changes to adapt to a better way of business.

“Don’t be afraid of change and don’t stay stuck in a rut,” says Berry. “If one thing isn’t working try another.” His perogy operation has gone through several changes in its just over one-year run. In order to keep costs down, he switched perogy suppliers, from a hand-pinched maker, to a family run business that he says is as close to handmade as possible and uses all local ingredients. The difference: this business uses a machine to finish the perogies which allows for faster processing and brings the cost down for him and his customers.

Berry read up on comments and complaints from customers on sites, such as Yelp, that said his truck was overpriced at more than a dollar for each perogy. “We’re down to $8 for eight perogies and there’s more filling and less dough,” he says. “You’ve got to respond to all criticism, good or bad, and don’t let it get away from you.”

Refrigerator and freezer storage space, as well as dry goods storage is one of the main differences between a mobile kitchen and restaurant facility, says Kerfoot. As a result, many operators make use of storage spaces and commissaries that allow for freezer space.

“A lot of [operators] will get refrigerated trailers to store product if they’re doing a big event and store it somewhere on site,” says Kerfoot. “On a daily basis, you’re probably in most cases able to carry enough product for your day of service.”

For the Canuck Pizza Truck, having enough pizza dough on board to serve the masses means hours of preparation outside of the truck and extensive freezer space to keep it in.

Just finding an appropriate fridge for the truck, not to mention a generator, hot water heater and everything else proved a challenge, says owner Ted Lafleur. The task was particularly unique in that the business operates off a converted 1946 GMC two-tonne dump truck. Lafleur’s six-figure investment is equipped with a wood-burning oven and subsequent smokestack.

He says he sourced the majority of the equipment, as well as the materials that are unique to the 1946 model, online.

It was an imperative goal of the builder to fit as much as possible into the small space allotted on the truck.

“It was a really big job,” says Lafleur.

“We knew what we were getting into, but it was big, I don’t know that we’d do it again.”

“You’re always somewhat limited by the space you have inside these trucks,” says Kerfoot. “We often have people thinking it’s bigger than it is and wanting more equipment than you can fit, but sometimes there are substitutes or compromises that allow you to get what you want.”

As well as finding a better-suited supplier, Berry limited the variety of perogies cooked from four or five, to two. “We’ve simplified the perogies and added different toppings, instead of a variety of perogies on the grill,” he says.

The change allows for faster cooking times, and all around better service for customers.

Customers are “simply going to go to a restaurant if you can’t get it out in five minutes,” says Berry. “More than five to eight minutes and people get anxious.”

Lafleur encountered long wait-times as a problem on his pizza truck. “Last year, rolling [the dough] out by hand was taking a lot longer and people were waiting 10 or 20 minutes,” he says.

While Lafleur prepped and froze the dough ahead of time, proofing and then rolling out the dough was a lengthy process, particularly at a large event. This year, he is adding a sheeter to the process – a large press that takes the place of rolling out a dough ball into pizza crust. “It takes more like two seconds, rather than a minute and a half to roll it out,” says Lafleur.

Even with a new expedited process, Lafleur says there are some events that just won’t benefit his operation when prep time and costs

are put into consideration. “We’re just learning now what is worth going out to and what isn’t,” he says.

For El Gastro, Jensen says they learned that family festivals and events focused around children aren’t their best market. “You have to go to a lot of events and see what works for you,” she says. “There’s a lot of trial and error, and a steep learning curve.”

One thing that has to be factored in is that sales on the truck account for all income.

“That $9 for a couple of tacos has to cover everything, including gas, licensing and all,” says Jensen. This may not be the case for every vendor at an event, a point El Gastro’s co-owner and chef, Adam Hynam-Smith says not all operators realize.

“When it comes to food trucks operating at festivals, or taking part where restaurants are involved, they have to be aware that they are paying the same sort of fees that the restaurants are,” he says. “The big thing is, the restaurant has its [storefront] still in operation, so they can send a secondary crew out while still making income from the restaurant.”

Whereas a food truck operator at a festival has to recognize that while paying fees to be a part of that festival, the only money coming in

Top: Perogy Boyz.

Middle: Canuck Pizza.

Bottom: La Homard Mobile.

Want to learn more about food trucks?

Visit us online to learn more about dealing with city hall, packaging, and other handy tips. Check us out at canrestaurantnews.com

is from that event alone. “You might slave away that entire weekend and you’ve kicked away a really good revenue,” he says. “So trucks have got to be aware, and pick and choose those festivals, if you’re going to do them.”

Operating The Battered Fish as both a food truck and standalone location, MacIsaac says, in the end, both outlets are tasked with the same challenge of offering goods worth paying for. “People work hard for their money and are looking for a quality product, whether in a food truck or a high-end restaurant,” he says. “We didn’t spare any expense on anything from our packaging, to every ingredient.

If people think they can just cheap out, it’s really going to hurt your business.”

Keeping competitive means going above and beyond and giving customers enough incentive to return. A lot more goes on than is seen through your window, but when what you sell is how you survive, it all begins with a great first bite.

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SETUP IS EASY: • Hook up a satellite receiver or cable box to a HDbridge Rack Chassis • Connect a digital player or PC to a ZvBox for in-house content • Combine RF outputs into one coax cable – splitters throughout your facility will tap the coax for each TV

Visit us March 3 – 5 at the CRFA Show Booth 1817 www.BestBuy.ca/BBFB Email us at forbusiness@BestBuyCanada.ca or call us at 1.877.423.3429 to discuss your A/V needs today.

www.can-restaurantnews.com

10 |

Profiting From hotel and restaurant partnerships

Photo courtesy of Metropolitan Hotels.

By Marni Andrews

I

t’s more than just a wake up call: coffee service is an important factor to hotel guests. Robert Goldsworthy, director of operations and brand management with Atlantica Hotels in Halifax, is pleased his two four-star properties chose a globally recognized coffee brand for in-room, banquet and restaurant espresso-based beverages. On a busy day, the city centre property and the ocean side property with a large business centre can serve up to 1,200 cups.

In addition to having national lodging and restaurant We Proudly Serve programs, Starbucks prides itself on building local relationships such as the one with the Atlantica Hotel Halifax, says Kim Cunningham, director of foodservice, Starbucks Coffee Canada.

After two decades of focusing on the lodging channel, there are now about 300 hotel properties across the country that use their We Proudly Serve Starbucks program or the Serving the Best Seattle’s Best coffee program. About 10 properties nationwide have a retail location within their hotel. For example, The Delta Bow Valley in Calgary has a Starbucks banquet program, a restaurant program, and a retail store. The Hyatt Vancouver offers Starbucks’s Torrefazione Italia program inroom, and for their banquets, restaurants and the retail store in the lobby.

It’s not just coffee service. More hoteliers across the country are turning their attention to hotel foodservice, whether it’s an inhouse or outsourced facility.

Steve Halliday, managing director of Vancouver’s recently opened 156-room Rosewood Hotel Georgia, knows what a successful hotel restaurant looks like. The hotel rents space to onsite Hawksworth, a farm- to-table contemporary restaurant run by chef/owner David Hawksworth. Despite only being open since May 2011, it was named Restaurant of the Year last October by Jacob Richler in Maclean’s magazine.

Halliday says that Hawksworth is mentioned by guests as a bonus to staying at the hotel almost as much as the hotel’s Bentley car and driver. “It’s seamless to the customer because they can charge their dinner at Hawksworth to their guestroom,” he says.

Delta Land Development, which was be-

hind the reopening of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, was responsible for bringing David Hawksworth on board. Halliday says that Delta sought out a great local chef so that he would have a personal stake in the success of the restaurant. “When you buy a chef’s name from Paris or New York, it’s not the same. That may work in Vegas or New York but not in Vancouver,” says Halliday.

At the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, about 40 per cent of revenue comes from food and beverage (including room service, a lobby bar called 1927, a seasonal patio called Reflections and banquet facilities but not Hawksworth). Prohibition, a music lounge/club, will open in a year and will skew that ratio further.

“That percentage is high for a hotel of our size.

The average room to F&B ratio is more like 80/20.

We have a lot of liquor-selling seats. You don’t tend to find that outside of cities like New York or Vegas or somewhere in Asia,” says Halliday.

Leasing out Traditionally, hotel restaurants did not make money, but as long as the rooms division made enough to cover the losses, it was considered an acceptable arrangement, says Gabor Forgacs, associate professor at the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in Toronto.

In recent years, financial pressures have placed hotel management under heightened scrutiny and now each revenue stream must be profitable.

“The main advantage for leasing out a restaurant instead of operating it is in the elimination of a headache – [that] of an operational challenge and of a loss-producing unit,” says Forgacs. “As a business, rooms are a lot simpler to sell. One can sell a room online and let guests check themselves in.

Provide a room attendant to clean the room and that seems just fine for budget or even midmarket operations.”

In the opinion of vice-president of fsStrategy, Jeff Dover, hotels are very good now at yielding their rooms but they don’t do food and beverage well. “Depending on whether a hotel has meeting space for catering revenue or not, F&B is typically only a 20 to 30 per cent contribution,” estimates Dover.

The major advantage of a hotel partnering with a restaurateur is that hoteliers are not in the restaurant business, says Andrew Higgs, senior associate with HVS, which offer hotel consulting and evaluation. The returns they potentially get from F&B compared to rooms are minimal but they have the majority of the operating headache.

It’s seen as a necessary evil because the consumer expects a restaurant within the hotel, says Higgs.

A good restaurateur, on the other hand, is in tune with local markets, resourceful and quick to adapt with menu changes to current food trends.

One of the big shifts in dining is to more transparent eating, nose to tail. This shift also marks a higher profit on the restaurant side because they’re using more of an animal.

“You are probably not going to see those trends picked up by a typical 365-day hotel restaurant that’s also empty six nights a week. It’s the hotels that have partnered with chefs or full-time restaurateurs who can really embrace those new concepts,” says Higgs.

There can, however, be drawbacks to outsourcing a food and beverage program. The biggest disadvantage of having someone else running the restaurant operation is that if it is not done well, the hotel can suffer by implication, says Dover.

“Guests don’t see the difference between the restaurant and the hotel. If the focus of the restaurant is not the same as that of the hotel, it might be negative for the hotel. You want a market focus that matches your hotel. And you have to be able to handle breakfast, room service and catering and deal with the hotel’s F&B standards,” he says.

“Generally a hotel/restaurant partnership is done with a lease agreement of base rent with possibly some profit sharing. With or without profit sharing, there is the guarantee of a monthly stipend from the lease and that monthly income is valuable,” says Dover. “Restaurants within the hotel are more common with full service properties while suburban markets and limited service

AT L A N T I C R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

opened in conjunction with Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill, Blue Mountain, a 60-seat restaurant with 10,000 sq. ft. meeting space.

O&B paid rent to Intrawest Commercial (now Skyline Hotels), which managed several restaurant and retail spaces within the resort village.

O&B also pays fees to the condo corporation that owns the hotel (similar to common area maintenance fees) and marketing fees to the Blue Mountain Village Association, says Andrea Sire, general manager of Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill. A percentage of sales from in-room dining and from the banquet operation is paid to the hotel directly.

“Partnerships [like this] allow operators to focus on their core business,” explains Sire. “Often in hotels the F&B is a cost or loss centre. With this sort of relationship, the hotel is guaranteed profit via fees/commissions paid by the F&B operator.”

Stacy Manning, director of sales and marketing for the 224-room Westin Trillium House Blue Mountain, says Westin chose O&B as their restaurant partner because O&B worked with Westin to incorporate certain Westin brand standards. As well, Toronto, where O&B is headquartered and has a number of popular restaurants, serves as a feeder market for both the hotel and the restaurant.

“The Blue Mountain O&B location has more destination diners, so they pulled items from some of their other locations such as Jump and Canoe because people are often eating there several times in a row and want more selection. They’ve tweaked the destination for the consumer who’s here,” she says.

The O&B name also serves as an attractive draw for Toronto-based group conference traffic.

“It’s a huge sell. They know it, they live it, some of them already dine there twice a week,” explains Manning. “It’s a very positive relationship.”

The hybrid approach: hotel as restaurant franchisee At the 391-room Four Points by Sheraton in Niagara Falls, director of operations Anthony Lucisano is confident that the approach his property has taken—franchisee or licensee of four wellknown foodservice outlets on the premises—was the solution that gives everyone what they want.

There is a Starbucks, IHOP, East Side Mario’s and a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse located inside the hotel to provide “control and one-stop shopping” for the diverse range of clientele who visit, says Lucisano.

“The main advantage for leasing out a restaurant instead of operating it is in the elimination of a headache – [that] of an operational challenge and of a loss-producing unit.” – Gabor Forgacs, associate

professor at the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management properties can do well with a branded restaurant because it can draw customers in what is often a competitive market.”

Ultimately, though, Higgs emphasizes that flexibility is required for the decision to outsource or not since every market and every hotel is different.

Work with a feeder market A limited service property without a restaurant can gain a competitive advantage by bringing in a branded restaurant. The operating controls that are in place are much better when working with a chain, says Dover.

For co-branding to be successful, both brands must bring something to the table: the hotel gets more guests because of the restaurant, while the restaurant benefits from the captive hotel market. They must have a similar brand presence and similar customer focus.

This situation was the case at the Blue Mountain resort in Collingwood, ON. In November 2005, The Westin Trillium House Blue Mountain

The hotel has no kitchen but room service is available from IHOP for breakfast, East Side Mario’s for lunch or dinner and from Ruth’s Chris.

Starbucks coffee beans are also provided in every room with the coffee maker.

“We chose franchises that were recognized and popular. It’s the trust and credibility,” he says. “If customers have a favourite dish, they know they’ll get it every time. We save by not having a hotel kitchen, but we pay royalties through the franchises. It’s not about savings as much as it is giving our customer what they want.”

Lucisano does not see any negatives with franchises. In fact he says they are actually an amenity for the hotel. To maintain control over communications between the different concepts and the hotel, there is a weekly meeting with the different restaurants’ general managers. Changes in hours of operation, a monthly special or something exciting going on at one of the food concepts is passed along to the hotel who may communicate it to the customer at check-in, through an inroom directory or email confirmation, or even via

reader boards or an easel in the lobby.

Kim Cunningham, director of foodservice, Starbucks Coffee Canada, says that after 20 years or so of focusing on the lodging channel, there are now about 300 hotel properties across the country that use their We Proudly Serve Starbucks program or the Serving the Best, Seattle’s Best coffee program. About 10 properties have a retail location within their hotel. For example, The Delta Bow Valley in Calgary has a Starbucks banquet program, a restaurant program, and a retail store.

The Hyatt Vancouver offers Starbucks’ Torrefazione Italia program in-room, and for their banquets, restaurants and the retail store in the lobby.

“One of the things that has given us leadership in the channel is that we consult on solutions from stem to stern. We have a team of coffee experts for quality assurance audits,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be all one roast profile; it’s about offering the guest choice so F&B doesn’t have to think about coffee at all.”

Keeping it in the family CEO and president of SIR Corp. Peter Fowler has run a number of restaurants within hotels in his career and has also been approached to build restaurants within hotels.

None of SIR Corp.’s restaurants are located within hotels.

“The challenge with operating restaurants within hotels is that hoteliers are looking for a restaurant offering that works for all dayparts across a broad spectrum of guests,” says Fowler.

“However, the same restaurant atmosphere that works for lunch, dinner and late-night tends not to work for breakfast offerings. And breakfast is the least profitable daypart,” he says.

Furthermore, because the guest base is so broad, hoteliers often request that key parts of the concept be altered, such as turning lights up for

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older guests who can’t see, turning down the music for business meetings, and/or accommodating families within a lively bar space, he says. All of these aspects are often in conflict with providing a compelling restaurant experience that attracts guests from outside the hotel.

“Successful restaurants in hotels in larger cities such as New York and Toronto [succeed] because they have not tried to satisfy all of the guest base across all the dayparts. Restaurant concepts can be a help to hotels by driving excellent food and a great experience so long as they are not hamstrung by satisfying a broad range of guests,” says Fowler.

Metropolitan Hotels operates Diva at the Met in Vancouver and Senses at the SoHo Metropolitan in Toronto. Metropolitan’s chief operating officer Nancy Munzar Kelly explains that Metropolitan’s restaurants have always been operated in house since they opened their first property in Toronto with Lai Wah Heen and Hemisphere’s Bar and Bistro almost 19 years ago. She says that Metropolitan’s restaurant clientele are both travellers and locals.

“Having first class restaurants that are not only a part of the hotel but have a place in the community is important. This community recognition and support takes our restaurants beyond being a ‘hotel restaurant’ to becoming a noteworthy part of the cities and neighbourhoods in which they are located in Toronto and Vancouver,” she says.

“As an independent Canadian hotel chain, we’ve worked hard to set ourselves apart from other hotels. One way that we have done this is through our food and beverage. For us, the advantage of not outsourcing is twofold: it allows us to be local and relevant in the community as well as allows us to have creative freedom.”

One aspect of that creative freedom is a trend that Andrew Higgs is seeing in Europe and increasingly in North America: the pop-up restaurant.

“Because hotels are so vast and capital put into

Three hundred hotel properties across the country use the We Proudly Serve Starbucks program or the Serving the Best, Seattle’s Best coffee program

them is so intensive, a lot of planning goes into their design and the space can’t be shifted overnight. Pop-up restaurants offer that versatility.

Opus in Vancouver did one and it was wildly successful. By using a space not otherwise being used to drive revenue and by continuing to adapt that space to something new, people are drawn in to check it out,” says Higgs.

Liquid gold and mini-meals A few key trends further driving hotel/restaurant profitability is the emergence of beverages as a driver as well as the rise of all-hours mini meals preferred by many younger urban professionals.

Higgs has noticed the beverage side of hotels really picking up in urban centres on the West coast.

“There is a lot of potential profit in beverage revenue,” he says. “People are looking for designoriented spaces, often in newer hotel bars, to go after work or after hours. I didn’t expect to see this happening. Also the way that people are eating now is not traditional. No longer is it a dinner at 6 p.m. They may have a snack at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. and a few cocktails later. Hotels are capitalizing on that.”

“Some hotel brands have recognized the changes in eating habits of their target segment, especially lifestyle hotels targeting young professionals 25 to 45,” agrees Forgacs. “This generation eats differently. They eat at odd hours, they may want a grab and go item or may want to work while they eat. However, they don’t want junk food. They want nutritious, well-presented and creative food and they don’t mind paying for it. It’s not a pizza at midnight. It’s teriyaki glazed salmon with salad wrapped in an organic fajita at 2 a.m. with a no-whip, tall mocha made with soya milk and an extra shot of espresso.”

An article in the Wall Street Journal from April 2012 confirmed that there is an army of sophisticated mobile workers, especially in urban locations, who are abandoning crowded coffee houses and embracing the free WiFi that many downtown hotels are offering in order to create desirable buzz in their lobbies.

Once there, many are racking up substantial F&B tabs of high quality food. They say the convenience and the overall ambience is worth the cost.

Put simply, lobby guests are another revenue stream. It’s one more thing to add to the already complex decision making process for hotel/restaurant partnerships.

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AT L A N T I C R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

Middleby acquires Viking S u p p ly

l i nes

Alliance in CFIA opens new deal centres for with Cargill expertise REGINA—Cargill, an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services, is now the exclusive agent for Alliance Grain Traders Inc.’s U.S. subsidiary, United Pulse Trading Inc., according to a release.

The five-year agreement will see Cargill as United Pulse Trading’s agent for the sales and marketing of protein ingredient products for the animal feed sector. “Our agreement with Cargill is the first step towards realizing the opportunities that our new pulse ingredient platform provides,” said executive chairman of the Alliance Grain Traders’ board, Murad Al-Katib. “We expect that this new platform will assist in making AGT one of the preferred suppliers of ingredients critical for food companies, retail and food service sale.”

OTTAWA—The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced on Jan. 7 that 16 information centres are being created across Canada to advise inspectors and industry on key areas of regulation.

The centres, to be implemented over the next few years in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and PEI, will focus on specific areas within the CFIA’s scope, according to the release. Each centre will have a specific area of focus, such as red meat slaughter, processed meat and poultry, or labelling and claims.

“These Centres of Expertise will pool expertise and make it available through a single window, making the CFIA more efficient and giving industry, CFIA inspectors and Canadians better, more consistent service,” said agriculture minister Gerry Ritz.

GREENWOOD, MS—Middleby Corporation has acquired Viking Range Corporation. “We are looking forward to launching a new product line in 2013 and excited about the great R&D and innovation Middleby brings to the Viking brand,” said Fred Carl Jr., founder, president and CEO of Viking Range in a release.

Viking manufactures appliances for the foodservice industry. It began manufacturing major residential appliances

in 1987, such as the Viking range.

Middleby produces commercial cooking, food processing and packaging equipment for the foodservice industry. Chairman and CEO of The Middleby Corporation, Selim A. Bassoul said, “we hope to aggressively grow and expand the Viking brand and add to their product offerings for the residential market.” Viking Range will continue to be located in its current Greenwood, MS location

Conference Board calls for food innovation in Canada OTTAWA—According to the Conference Board of Canada, the country’s receding global presence in the food and drink market is due to a lack of innovation in the industry.

The board cites a lack of investment in new research and ideas as a factor in Canada’s share of food and drink exports, dropping from 4.3 per cent in 2000 to 3.2 per cent in 2010. In 2011, Canada’s percentage share rose slightly to 3.9, but remained below previous levels, and was significantly lower than the United States share of 12.2 per cent and China’s share of 6.3 per cent (both of these countries increased their share from previous years.)

The board recommended several

actions to encourage innovation in the food industry including: collecting customer data to cater products to customer demand; altering the Food and Drugs Act to reduce barriers in food innovation, while still adhering to food safety; and government funding for incentives on healthier and more environmentally sustainable food innovation.

“When it comes to innovation, the Canadian food industry is content to compete for a bronze medal,” said Daniel Munro, principal research associate for the board’s report, Competing for the Bronze: Innovation Performance in the Canadian Food Industry.

S u p p ly Br i e f s

Artisan Incubator fosters up and coming bakers TORONTO—Ace Bakery is celebrating 20 years of artisan baking by inaugurating 20 new chefs into their artisan showcase.

The company will select food artisans from across the country to come to Toronto and show off their craft, and have enlisted Canadian chefs and culinary experts as a part of the selection process.

The Artisan Incubator will run from June 20 to 22.

Cascades receives Green Seal certification CANDIAC, PQ—Cascades Tissue Group has achieved Green Seal Standard, GS-1, for its line of sanitary paper products. According to Cascades, this certification makes the company the provider of the largest offering of Green Seal-certified towel and tissue products in North America. “[We] commend Green Seal for their detailed, comprehensive approach to ensuring high standards of product performance and environmental quality,” said Suzanne Blanchet, president and CEO of Cascades Tissue Group.

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Vinexpo sees growth in Canadian wine market

Vinexpo chairman Xavier de Eizaguirre was in town in January to share Vinexpo’s annual study: Current Trends in the International Wine and Spirits Market and Outlook to 2016.

TORONTO—“There’s a very dynamic restaurant scene here in Canada,” said Vinexpo chairman Xavier de Eizaguirre to ARN. “Due to new, trendy young chefs who are putting out new cuisine, we’re seeing wines with more personality from boutique type wineries gain in popularity with the Canadian restaurant market.”

Vinexpo was in town in January to present its annual study: Current Trends in the International Wine and Spirits Market and Outlook to 2016.

According to the report, domestic wine consumption in Canada is growing, with an increase in wines sold for more than $10 overall.

Wine consumption in Canada has increased by 14.55 per cent and reached 43.21 million nine-litre cases (the equivalent of 518.52 million bottles) between 2007 and 2011. Vinexpo expects that this growth will continue, with an annual projected increase of three per cent between 2012 and 2016, making Canada the fifth fastest growing wine market worldwide.

According to the report, this growth is three times faster than at world level.

Everything’s coming up rosé, as these wines increased in Canada by 38.24 per cent between 2007 and 2011, and the study forecasts even greater growth of 45.41 per cent between 2012 and 2016. Canadians still lag 9.2 per cent on the world scale when it comes to still, light wines consumed in 2011.

In terms of price point, wines sold at retail prices higher than $10 US per bottle accounted for 69.5 per cent of all still wines purchased in Canada.

The report sees this consumption going up 30.45 per cent between 2011 and 2016.

Although de Eizaguirre said that Canadian

producers are paving the way for Canadian wine worldwide, especially in icewines that are familiar to world consumers, almost three out of four bottles of wine drunk by Canadians are imported (72.36 per cent in 2011.)

This consumption grew by 16.09 per cent between 2007 and 2011. Domestic wines grew by 10.71 per cent in the same period.

Consumption of imported wines are predicted to grow by 16.75 per cent in five years, and Canadian wines will increase by 7.72 per cent in the same period.

What wine producing countries are finding favour with Canadian palates? Italy supplanted France as the leading supplier of wine to the Canadian market, with 6.28 million cases of Italian wines imported into Canada in 2011 versus 5.72 million cases of French wines in the same year.

Canadian taste buds also chose France, Australia (although imports to Canada decreased by 2.57 per cent between 2007 and 2011), American, Chilean and Spanish wines.

New Zealand imports nearly doubled during this period as well, and it now ranks eighth on the list.

When it comes to spirits, Canadians are drinking more than before, but not by much. A 1.73 per cent growth in 2011 over 2007 is based primarily on imports rather than domestic products, which are on the decline.

Canadians still love vodka, with 4.76 million 9-litre cases consumed in 2011, a growth that’s predicted to continue. A similar trend with rum, bourbon and tequila has also occurred.

On the decline are liqueurs, Canadianmade and imported whisky and gin.

THE

BEVERAGE

INDUSTRY

Canadian Whisky awards

VICTORIA—Canadian whisky maker John K. Hall (shown left) has taken home the Canadian Whisky of the Year Award.

The award, which is in its third year, was announced in January at the Victoria Whisky Festival in Victoria, BC. Forty Creek Port Wood Reserve was also named Connoisseur Whisky of the Year in multiple markets.

“Huge and luscious, it represents Canadian

whisky admirably at home and abroad,” said chairman of the judges, Davin de Kergommeaux (shown right). Other top winners included Gibson’s Finest Rare 18 year old, and Canadian Rockies 21 year old.

In terms of flavoured whisky, Awards of Excellence were given to Kruger Wine and Spirits for Sortilège, Diageo for Crown Royal Maple, and Beam Inc. for Alberta Premium Dark Horse.

"Canadian producers have really upped their game,” said de Kergommeaux. “Canadian whisky sales were up four per cent in 2012 and we’ve had double-digit growth in sales of highend Canadian Connoisseur whiskies.”

To be eligible for the awards, whiskies must be distilled and matured in Canada. An independent panel of whisky writers, bloggers, and journalists selects the winners after blind tasting each whisky.

A complete list of the winners is available at www.canadianwhisky.org

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AT L A N T I C R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

PEOP L E

Top: This year, Made with Love announced a new level of competition: a national face-off between contestants in a grand finale, which will take place in Montreal.

Photo by Simon La. Bottom: Left: Rod Bowers.

Right: Derek Lenko

Made With Love is on the final leg of its fourth year and has included stops in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax.

“The whole premise is sort of bringing together like minded people who have the same passion for the culture, for the cocktails and for creativity,” said Jessica Vachon, who does PR and marketing for Made With Love. The competition illustrates where cocktail culture is going, Vachon said, as well as gathering people in the industry to share and discuss their own ideas.

Each provincial competition has two stages. The first level is a qualifier round in which participants are given a specific challenge or theme to create a drink around, said Vachon.

Previous themes have included a “market theme”, where participants were given a time limit and budget and had to collect ingredients to make their drink.

In the last qualifier round, which was in Toronto, Vachon said the theme was “neighbourhoods of the city.” Participants were given a specific neighbourhood and had one week prior to the competition to come up with their own incarnation of that community within a cocktail.

“It was really neat to see what [different people’s] interpretations of that same neighbourhood

was,” said Vachon. “Some people had the same sort of elements, some were totally different.”

A panel of judges who select 14 people to move on to the final competition decides the first round of Made With Love. Of the competitors in the finals, two winners are selected: one peoples’ choice, and one judges’ choice.

“There’s typically four judges, and their decision is based on originality, presentation and taste,” said Vachon. With an entrance tickets, guests are given 14 tasting tickets – each taster has approximately a half ounce of alcohol – and one dog tag. After tasting each cocktail, guests give the dog tag to their favourite bartender, to decide the peoples’ choice.

Beginning with the 2013 competitions, Made With Love will add a new facet: a national competition in which the winners of all cities will compete in Montreal for the Canadian grande finale, said Vachon. The finalists from this competition will win trips from the various alcohol industry sponsors of the event, “the trips are all over the world, to see how the spirits are made,” said Vachon.

“Made With Love gives [mixologists] a platform to express and celebrate what they’re doing,” she said. “They get to showcase their craft and come up with new creative ideas.”

Chef Rodney Bowers is looking to bring his Hey Meatball concept from Toronto to St. John’s by the end of May, he told ARN. The QSR concept that Bowers started in 2011 uses the chef’s hormone and antibiotic-free and locally sourced philosophy, although some tweaks to the Newfoundland menu might include items such as salt cod balls. Renovations will start in two months.

Raised in Grand-Falls-Windsor, NL, Bowers is no stranger to Atlantic Canada. He is also in talks to do another small concept space in St. John’s, potentially a fish restaurant. Bowers hopes to have both concepts up and running by the summer.

Derek Lenko is a new sales representative at the Oppenheimer Group’s Calgary office. The full-service produce distributor is growing its sales team to increase its customer service in Canada and the United States. Lenko was previously the transportation supervisor in Calgary, and before that, he was the operations coordinator and sales and transportation coordinator. He has been with the Oppenheimer Group since 2007.

Former CEO of McDonald’s, Fred L. Turner, passed away on Jan. 7 from complications from pneumonia at 80 years old.

Turner partnered with Ray Kroc in 1956 to

build McDonald’s operations system and menu development, and spearheaded the Hamburger University initiative, according to the company.

Turner was appointed president and administrative officer in 1968, and was named McDonald’s president and CEO in 1974, with the number of McDonald’s restaurants tripling worldwide during his tenure as CEO. Karl Gerrand will be the new managing director, Canada for Bunge North America, according to a release from the company in mid-January.

Bunge’s previous Canadian manager Richard Watson, who has been at the helm since 2008, will retire as of March 31.

Gerrand’s previous experience includes eight years at Viterra, Inc., most recently as chief operating officer of global processing operations. He was also co-founder and president of Can-Oat Milling, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.

St. Louis-based Bunge North America, the North American operating arm of Bunge Limited, is a food and feed ingredient company, supplying raw and processed agricultural commodities and specialized food ingredients to the livestock, poultry, food processor, foodservice and bakery industries.

COMING EVENTS Feb. 5-6: CDN Tourism Marketing , Summit, Hilton Toronto, Toronto, ON. For information go to: www.cdntourismmarketing.ca.

Feb. 7-9: NAFEM Annual General Meeting. Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL. For information go to: www.nafem. org/education-certification/annualmeeting. aspx.

Feb. 23-24: Franchise Show. Toronto Congress Centre, Toronto, ON. For information go to: www.cfa.ca/thefranchiseshow.

Feb. 23-26: CDN Society of Club Managers. National Conference, Delta City Centre Hotel, Ottawa, ON. For information go to: www.cscm.org.

Mar. 4: FCPC Foodservice Interchange Conference. Mississauga Convention Centre, Mississauga, ON. For information go to: www. fcpc.ca/events/upcoming-events/FSI13.

Mar. 3-5: CRFA Show, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, ON. For information go to: www. crfa.ca/tradeshows/crfashow.

Mar. 3-6: COEX. Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa, Las Vegas, NV. For information go to: www.ifmaworld.com.

Mar. 10-12: International Boston Seafood Show. Boston, MA. For information go to: www. bostonseafood.com.

Mar. 19-21: International Pizza Expo. Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV. For information go to: www.pizzaexpo.com Mar. 20: National Food, Tabletop & Supplies Show, Hotel des Seigneurs, St-Hyacinthe,

QC. For information go to: www.gfs.com Mar. 27-30: Anuga FoodTec: The International Trade Show for Food and Beverage Processing and Packaging, Cologne, Germany. For information go to: www.anugafoodtec.com.

Apr. 30 – May 2: SIAL Canada, the International Food & Beverage Tradeshow, SET CANADA, the National Food Equipment and Technology Tradeshow, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, ON. For information go to: www. sialcanada.com