Restaurant Inc, Summer 2018

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CENTER OF THE PLATE THESE SUPREME PROTEINS COMMAND ATTENTION, INSPIRE MENUS

Buttermilk Fried Catfish Tacos

A Fresh Take on Fish Tacos Brighten up classic fish tacos with seasonal ingredients like avocados, cilantro and scallions.

fresh, regionally inspired, Mexican cuisine.

Coming to Reinhart August 2018!

LETTER FROM REINHART

DEAR RESTAURANT INC. READERS: After years of counseling and therapy, it’s time for me to come clean: I dream of meat in my sleep and I’m no longer ashamed. In fact, when I explained this magazine issue to my shrink, he encouraged me to "embrace my inner meathead."

While many of you close your eyes at night to fantasize about becoming secret agents, soaring over mountains like eagles or dancing the night away with Patrick Swayze, I’m fortunate enough to enter a dreamland filled with smoked brisket, grilled rope sausage and barbecued ribs.

I’ve come to accept that while this condition is not completely normal, many folks around our great nation are blessed with similar visions of the perfect hot dog, crispy wiener schnitzel and USDA prime porterhouses topped with truffle butter. Brothers and sisters, I am here to encourage you to embrace your meat fantasies. If you suppress them, stop. Maybe you had one back in college, maybe you told a friend. Maybe you bottle them up, only to wake up in a cold sweat with a half-chewed pillow wishing it was chicken fried steak. It’s OK. That’s why we’re on the top of the food chain.

To all you chefs and diners who are inspired by Tomahawk rib-eye steaks and center cut pork chops, this issue is for you.

This issue reminds us what “Center of the Plate” means; that your universe revolves around meat, and the other stuff is just garnish. Don’t complain like Mick Jagger, demand that piece of satisfaction. Scream out loud that you deserve a mouth-watering cut of meat cooked to perfection.

Since 1972, Reinhart Foodservice has been family owned and operated by people who believe Center of the Plate is where all good relationships begin. Superior cuts of every spec, grade and breed are what our customers expect from us and what we deliver to their doors. We’re not just here to listen, we’re here to inspire. So, I encourage you to embrace your inner meathead as well. It’s time for us to accept who we are and that being passionate about food is nothing to be ashamed of.

May this grilling season bring you great happiness and may your nights be full of sweet meat dreams.

SEAN BUCHANAN Vermont l Black River Meats Brand Manager

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CONTRIBUTING EDITORS/WRITERS AUDARSHIA TOWNSEND A Chicago-based author, seasoned food & cocktail culture writer and regular contributor to Chicago’s top-rated WGNTV’s “WGN Morning News,” Audarshia Townsend is Restaurant Inc’s new Managing Editor. She enjoys discovering new dining and drinking trends in her hometown and beyond.

ARI BENDERSKY A Chicago-based lifestyle journalist specializing in food, wine, music and travel and the author of "1000 Food & Art Styling Ideas” Ari, the former founding editor of Eater Chicago, has been writing for 20+ years and his work has appeared in the New York Times, WSJ magazine, Associated Press, Men's Journal, Wine Enthusiast, Departures, RollingStone.com, Crain’s Chicago Business, Restaurant Inc, Huffington Post and many more publications.

VICTOR OZOLS Victor Ozols is a Brooklyn-based writer, editor, and editorial consultant specializing in food, spirits, travel, and design. His work has appeared in Serious Eats, BlackBook, Esquire, and Modern Luxury Interiors, among other publications. When he’s not scouring New York for the best barbecue and craft beers, he’s busy at home with his wife and two sons.

MINDY S. KOLOF The more complex the subject matter, the better Mindy likes to break it down and communicate it with passion. Twenty+ years of experience translates to writing about every type of culinary trend, cuttingedge product and visionary foodservice leader. As principal of her own boutique public relations firm, she’s crafted numerous top-notch communications programs. Her favorite mashup: the intersection of health, wellness and culinary. Mindy graduated from University of Illinois, Champaign, with a bachelor’s in Journalism.

ERICA BETHE LEVIN Erica Bethe Levin is a food writer, entrepreneur and hospitality consultant.

At 24-years-old, she founded Chicago's largest online magazine for women, CheekyChicago. She has since been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business and on CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX and WGN covering all things lifestyle. She also launched the Chicago market for Reserve, a table management system backed by the Co-Founder of Uber.

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JENN BUSHMAN Jenn is a Creative Services Manager, Art Director, and Graphic Designer based in Chicago, IL. She possesses a combination of conceptual and strategic strength and technical proficiency. Jenn always knew she wanted to pursue a creative career.

Though she spends most of her days on the computer, she is passionate about finding ways to work with her hands.

Art has always been her first love and she continues to paint in her free time.

JENNBUSHMAN.COM

LAUREN JONSON Lauren is an avid baker who does graphic design, in that order. She has a passion for creativity, and typically says yes to any challenge – in and out of the kitchen.

Designing for over 12 years, she has developed multiple magazine concepts and marketing campaigns all while perfecting her grandmother’s bourbon pecan pie. Lauren’s life is a flavorful collaboration of art and raising her two beautiful children.

DAN COHA Dan Coha is a mainstay in Chicago food photography. He has worked with many advertising and promotional agencies, and packaging and design firms, as well as direct corporate clients over the years. His studio is located in Chicago’s River West neighborhood.

COHAPHOTO.COM

CREATIVE CONTRIBUTORS

DREW FRIGO A well rounded creative professional, Drew brings bold ideas to the table. Thinking through drawing, he has very few limits or rules when he draws, which attributes to his knack for generating fresh ideas. With that said, his photographic eye, technical savviness, and being surrounded by a great team help bring these ideas to life. Orange juice, family, fat biking, creating art, and music are huge motivators.

MORGAN GILMORE Morgan is a junior graphic designer at Reinhart Foodservice in Rosemont. She has a desire to work hard and make what she designs relevant. She sees a blank page as a challenge. When Morgan is not in front of the computer, she's either practicing calligraphy, reading a book or at the gym.

SUSAN BARRIENTOS-HEVEY Susan is a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef who began her career in New York’s Mercer Kitchen, and followed Jean Georges to Minneapolis’s Chambers Kitchen. Always aspiring to make food beautiful, Susan's career in the food styling world has allowed her to work on many brand names. She has contributed to projects for General Mills, Target, Bush’s Beans, Walmart, and continues with Reinhart's Restaurant Inc and The Dish.

SUZFOODSTYLE.COM

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 03 Contributors 08 Quick Bites

10 VENDOR SPOTLIGHT: CENTER OF PLATE ISSUE 12 Is the Meat You Serve Safe?

14 EAGLE RIDGE LEGACY 72: A History of Center of Your Plate Needs 18 Less is More: In a Portion-Controlled World, Smaller Cuts Equal Bigger Sales 20 Hometown Heroes: Put Local Eats Spotlight 22 Ask the Butcher: All You Need to Know About Setting Up an In-House Butchering Program 24 5 Effective Ways to Market Your Restaurant at Events 26 Are you Ready to Take Your Show on the Road?

28 How to Attract Tourists to Your Restaurant 30 Higher Learning: Restaurants are Polishing Their Service with Professional Certifications EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eric Cronert MANAGING EDITOR Audarshia Townsend ART DIRECTION & LEAD DESIGNER Jenn Bushman DESIGNERS Drew Frigo, Lauren Jonson, Morgan Gilmore, Jenna Skulstad PHOTOGRAPHER Dan Coha FOOD STYLIST Susan Barrientos-Hevey Reinhart® Foodservice, L.L.C. welcomes letters and comments. Mail should be directed to: Reinhart Foodservice, L.L.C., Attn: Marketing, 6250 N. River Road, Suite 9000, Rosemont, IL 60018 or magazine@rfsdelivers.com

32 How to Get the Most Out of Paid Social Media Posts 34 The Right Reservation System for You 38 Sacred Staff: In 2018, How Hard Is It to Find--and Keep--Quality Employees?

40 #metoo: Creating a Safe Place for All Employees 47 Getting to the Heart of the Plate

©2018 Reinhart Foodservice, L.L.C. All rights reserved. The trademarks depicted herein are trademarks (registered or otherwise) of their respective owners.

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TO C c ont in u e d 70 Monell’s in the Music City: This Nashville Institution Keeps It Real 74 Benefits of Whole Animal Butchering

102 Find your Sole Plate

76 Cut to the New: Beef Up the Value with Frugally Flavorful Alternatives 77 Take Flight: Offering SteakTasting Menus Allows Guests a Variety of Cuts 80 Pour It On!: Steakhouse Fare 82 Can Kids Make You Money?

85 Bison, Buffalo & More — the New Beef

104 Savory Cocktails Command Limelight on Drink Lists 106 A Hyper-Local Way of Doing Things 112 Good Things Come Wrapped Up 113 It's Like Buttah 114 Tech Toys Even Technophobes Will Love

90 Avoid the Vegetarian Veto

120 How to Effectively Use Social Media to Attract Potential Employees

92 Put Some Meat on Those Greens!

122 A Preventative Measurement

94 Any Way you Slice It: Using Versatile Cuts of Meat Across Different Dayparts

126 Tastiest (Sound) Bites

96 Berry Obsessed

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98 Cool Off Customers and Make a Profit with Fresh Sippers This Summer

127 Advertiser Index

©2018 Reinhart Foodservice, L.L.C. All rights reserved. The trademarks depicted herein are trademarks (registered or otherwise) of their respective owners.

All Natural* Turkey from Cobblestreet MKT.™

Start reaping the traffic-building benefits now: Contact your Reinhart Sales Rep for a sample.

Your next epic sandwich starts with the delicious, clean label turkey customers want today. Ours is pan roasted and oil browned, with no artificial ingredients. Made with whole muscle meat and minimally processed, with no binders or fillers. Cobblestreet MKT.™ gives you many more opportunities to upsell - with Hardwood Smoked Ham and USDA Choice Angus Roast Beef. *No artificial ingredients, minimally processed.

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QB Quick Bites for Your Brain

Before we feast upon this issue, here’s something to whet your appetite: From hot new books and social media feeds to dining and drinking establishments getting the most buzz.

Compiled by Audarshia Townsend

Liquid Inspiration KELVIN SLUSH CO.

PAPA’S PILAR

No doubt it’s frosé season, and for those who want to jump onto the hottest summer cocktail trend, Kelvin Slush Co. wants to make it easier. You don’t need a slushie machine; only an excellent blender, rosé wine and plenty of ice to use the mix. Also great to note: This is the first, and only, certified organic cocktail mix for making premium frozen alcoholic beverages.

Anything inspired by the great Ernest Hemingway gets our attention. That includes Papa’s Pilar, which recently launched a limitededition bourbon barrel finished dark rum that’s meant for sipping.

There are only 1,000 cases available of this 86-proof expression, which was created by conditioning the dark rum in American oak bourbon barrels, port wine casks and Spanish sherry casks. It’s available in Florida, Michigan and Nevada.

KELVINSLUSH.COM

PAPASPILAR.COM

FOR YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEED

@BISTROBIJOU

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@BOLDAMERICANFARE

@SECONDSALEMBREWING

Interested in recommending a book, app or social media account?

Email us magazine@rfsdelivers.com with your suggestion.

EVEN TASTIER BITES QUICK QUOTES

THE BARN Evanston, IL

BLACK DIRT Kansas City, MO

Amy Morton—of Morton’s Steakhouse fame—indulged in Grand Central Station Bar’s caviar sandwich every time she found herself in New York. She decided to pay homage to her guiltiest pleasure by putting it on the menu at The Barn. Her version consists of barely toasted pain de mie, a perfect smear of crème fraiche, poached farm egg and about an ounce of Wild American Bowfin caviar.

James Beard-nominated chef Jonathan Justus, who’s also behind Justus Drugstore, has opened a more wallet-friendly eatery in South Plaza. Black Dirt is inspired by his time spent working at a restaurant in Paris, and his menu expresses that experience. Simple, elegant proteins are propped up with extravagance such as grilled short ribs paired with a micro salad of baby mustard greens, Japanese radish and Szechuan vinaigrette.

THEBARNEVANSTON.COM

BLACKDIRTKC.COM

“Skillet fried chicken is served every day, including breakfast, at Monell’s. We do 18 tons of chicken a month. That’s how much chicken we go through.

When we skillet fry, it’s a whole system where the chicken is never immersed completely in the oil.”

MICHAEL KING PROPRIETOR OF MONELL’S NASHVILLE “A good ice cream sundae is something I've put on menus frequently, particularly on lunch menus. But they are always thoughtful and composed.

There is a huge world of flavor outside fudge sauce and a handful of crushed Oreos, but it takes trained professionals to create and execute it. Honestly, a sundae is probably the thing I'm most likely to order should I see it on a menu.”

DANA CREE AWARD-WINNING PASTRY CHEF & OWNER OF PRETTY COOL ICE CREAM CHICAGO

For Your Nightstand

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We’ve been in the foodservice business long enough to know top quality products.

Meat, of course, is one of our specialties.

For example, Eagle Ridge has sourced the most desirable and delectable center-of-the-plate selections throughout the United States and Canada. Eagle Ridge Legacy 72—named for the year Reinhart Foodservice was founded as a trusted meat supplier—represents the pinnacle of what is produced under the Eagle Ridge brand. The prestigious company only works with North American suppliers that consistently produce the most desirable raw materials. Inside, you’ll find a timeline of Eagle Ridge’s most important moments.

Also, Reinhart’s John Dvorak, who’s spent the last two decades honing his meat expertise, discusses what’s making the cut nationwide. California, which boasts significant Latin and Asian populations, is known for thinly sliceable cuts, including flank, skirt and tri-tip steaks. And back East, rib-eyes, tenderloins and sirloin steaks reign. The right cut can make the difference in saving you money.

Additionally, no matter how experienced you are at the butcher’s block, you can never learn enough. Dvorak and other notable meat masters chime in on essential butchery.

Those looking to us for business and operations solutions will find what they need on these pages as well. Our friends at Upserve discuss the top 5 ways to market your restaurant at street festivals, plus how to attract tourists.

Read on to learn more.

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IS THE MEAT YOU SERVE SAFE? A REINHART EXPERT ANSWERS SIX IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

by Audarshia Townsend

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ONE THING’S FOR CERTAIN:

You can never learn enough about food safety, and when it comes to meat safety, it’s best to arm yourself with a refresher whenever possible.

We caught up with Tyler Zimmerman, operations manager for Reinhart Foodservice, to ask him several important questions.

Restaurant Inc: Why is it not a good idea to store raw meat with cooked meat?

RI: What are some of the best methods for storing meat to ensure freshness?

Tyler Zimmerman: Raw meat has the potential of containing different pathogens. Those pathogens are typically killed when you cook meat to 160 F for beef. Once you hit that 160 F, you have a kill step, which means in theory those pathogens no longer exist on the meat. If you store that cooked meat with raw meat, you’re re-introducing cooked meat into an environment that possibly contains those pathogens, which means you no longer have a kill step on that cooked meat. If you eat it, even though it’s fully cooked, it could have a pathogen on it. Your guests could get sick.

TZ: If you’re looking for shelf life, for the meats to last, you’ve got to freeze them because pork and beef have relatively short shelf lives when they are refrigerated.

I would recommend 44 F or lower while storing pork or beef in the refrigerator and 15 F or lower when storing it in the freezer. If you can, store them in vacuum-sealed packages.

RI: Why should you not defrost meat in hot water?

TZ: Pathogens typically multiply and grow better in warmer temperatures. You don’t ever want the internal temperature of the meat to get above 44.0 F. Typically, that’s a pretty good threshold based off different studies. You don’t want water to be warm because you might thaw the meat too quickly and it could get above that threshold and you’ll have the potential for the pathogens to multiply.

RI: As far as storing, defrosting and freezing, do you have one method for beef, another for pork, etc.?

TZ: The guidelines will be the same, but you want to separate the pork from the beef, frozen from fresh.

You keep the different proteins separate because they have different pathogens, typically a concern for those different species. For beef, it’s E. coli. Remember this also when you’re preparing them. If you’re using a cutting board for pork, you want to make sure you clean and sanitize that board before moving on to another species. Or make sure you use another cutting board. Also, if you’re cutting a steak on the board, you want to make sure it’s clean before you cut into a head of lettuce. There’s a possibility for cross contamination if you don’t.

RI: Is there a recommended time you should freeze meat? Should you throw it out after a certain amount of time?

TZ: When food is frozen, there is not much of a safety risk. It is more of a quality risk over time. You’re going to get freezer burn, especially if you don’t vacuum seal it. Even with vacuum sealing, however, you will eventually get freezer burn. I would typically say 180 days to 365 days should be your max for keeping it.

RI: What’s the best method for transporting meat to outdoor events during summer?

TZ: Meat should always be kept in a cooler of some kind. If the restaurant is fortunate to own a refrigerated truck, that’s obviously a plus. If not, a cooler with ice packs will suffice. You should always keep some type of temperature recorder in that cooler (i.e. thermometer), ensuring you don’t go over that 44.0 F. It should also be fully sealed during transportation so you’re not introducing the meat to anything that was previously in that cooler. n

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EAGLE RIDGE LEGACY 72

A History of Center of Your Plate Needs

by Erica Bethe Levin

Since 2004, Eagle Ridge has sourced the most desirable and delectable center-of-the-plate selections throughout the United States and Canada. Eagle Ridge Legacy 72, named for the year Reinhart Foodservice was founded as a trusted meat supplier, represents the pinnacle of what is produced under the Eagle Ridge brand. The prestigious company only works with North American suppliers that consistently produce the most desirable raw materials.

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All Eagle Ridge Legacy 72 products must adhere to the most stringent of standards: All beef is USDA prime or top-tier USDA choice grade; it is young, tender beef from "A" maturity cattle under 30 months of age and it has modest or high marbling.

All beef is aged for a minimum of three weeks, or 21 days, at Eagle Ridge’s Dakota City, Neb.- flagship plant. Custom dry-aging programs and custom cut or box beef options are available for all beef, including beef tenderloin, rib-eye, striploin and sirloin.

1966

Here are highlights of the company’s illustrious history, excellence in food quality and customer service, and why your center-of-theplate needs are its center of focus.

Dakota City, Neb.-based plant opens (before it was utilized by Eagle Ridge).

1972 Reinhart Foodservice opens its door through the purchase of Peters Meat company. The first six salesmen were butchery experts.

They asked if they could ship some food service products out of D.B. Reinhart's warehouse and he agreed. Reinhart Institutional Foods was born.

1983 Reinhart USDA Inspected Processing Center is one of the first meat centers in North America to be approved by the USDA for its Total Quality Control Program.

1996 Mr. Reinhart passes away and his wife Marge becomes the final decision maker for the company.

1999 Marge Reinhart felt the company no longer only serviced institutions and it was more of a broad line food distributor. The company changed its name to Reinhart Foodservice. The brand on the meat boxes changed from Reinhart Institutional Foods to Reinhart Foodservice as well.

2004 Eagle Ridge launches. It's a quirky story how this came to be and why the Eagle Ridge brand was created. Around 2004, product recalls were becoming commonplace. Though Reinhart was not a food label, it did not want to be mistaken for one if the trucks were seen backing out of a restaurant. Thus, Eagle Ridge is born and named after an eagle statue that Mr. Reinhart built in downtown La Crosse, Wis., dedicated to the employees who helped him build his company.

continued...

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2005 Congratulations! Reyes Holdings purchases Reinhart Foodservice.

2011 La Crosse Eagle Ridge facility introduces Lactic Acid Intervention to enhance its food safety program.

2012 Happy birthday! Eagle Ridge La Crosse Meat Department turns 40!

2014

2014

2014

Eagle Ridge rebrands into three tiers: Eagle Ridge Legacy 72, USDA prime and upper two-thirds choice; Eagle Ridge, USDA choice and select; and Eagle Ridge prepared, anything that’s value-added or marinated.

Along with rebranding Eagle Ridge, Reinhart partners with 10 familyowned suppliers to produce Eagle Ridge products for expansion outside of the Midwest divisions.

2014: Eagle Ridge Legacy 72 launches!

2015 Eagle Ridge launches interactive center of the plate training to become Eagle Ridgecertified. The training contains eight modules with a quiz at the end of each one and a final cumulative exam. Once the test is passed, a certificate of completion is provided.

2016

2016

Legacy 72 Box Beef is founded, where whole primal is packaged for distribution in up to 80-pound boxes.

Eagle Ridge begins using Dakota City, Neb., plant.

2017 With 450 years of combined experience between 47 employees, the Eagle Ridge team ... out of La Crosse Meat processing facility ... strives to “get it right” for all of their customers. n

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IN A PORTION-CONTROLLED WORLD, SMALLER CUTS EQUAL BIGGER SALES

by Mindy S. Kolof

california:

The state’s significant Latin and Asian populations use thinly sliceable cuts, including flank, skirt and tri-tip steaks.

Regional traditions have long shaped American culinary culture, but do they also determine which cuts of beef predominate? Reinhart Foodservice’s John Dvorak, who’s spent the last two decades honing his meat expertise, discusses what’s making the cut nationwide.

Two words are driving the overall trend in beef cuts all over the United States, says Dvorak: portion control. “Cattle are grown larger than ever before, but as the demand for more reasonably sized portions also rises, restaurateurs seek alternative cuts that provide those options.”

The solution is found in smaller cuts like skirt and flank steaks that are more easily portion controlled. Downsizing is also accomplished by slicing individual muscles in half, producing filets instead of full-sized strip steaks and rib-eyes. In some cases, the spinalis muscle is eliminated entirely from the New York lipon rib-eye to make it smaller and narrower.

Beef carcasses are used for individual muscle cuts, fueling the popularity of chuck eye rolls, boneless ribs and chuck short ribs.

Regional differences are defined by Dvorak as follows:

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southwest:

Home of Texas, the nation’s top beef producing state, the Latin influence is also strong here, with use of somewhat historically tougher beef like skirt steak sliced super thinly, ideal for fajitas and other dishes.

midwest:

In a region that produces some of the nation’s finest cattle, New York strip, porterhouse and T-bone steaks take center of plate honors.

”The average portion size of a piece of meat a few years ago was 14 pounds to 17 pounds. it’s now 18 pounds to 20 pounds, and for the majority of restaurants, the cost for a 20-ounce steak is way too high.”

John Dvorak, Corporate Category Manager Center of the Plate, Reinhart Foodservice

east:

Rib-eyes, tenderloins and sirloin steaks reign.

south:

The workhorse Brahman cattle is influential, but some Southern steakhouses prefer the Midwest’s more tender beef. The primary focus: brisket for the legions of barbecue restaurants. n

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Hometown Heroes PUT LOCAL EATS

in the

SPOTLIGHT

by Erica Bethe Levin

MATHEW LUCAS BOLD American Fare (Algonquin, Ill.)

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From the Midwest to the Northeast, these three chefs truly embody the cuisine of their hometowns. Some are classically trained and others simply got it from their mommas, but they’ve all been heralded as top chefs in their communities. From unique meats in northern Illinois to farmto-table cuisine in Burlington, Vt., these chefs impact their communities through fresh, delicious, from-scratch food that has locals begging for more.

If lines out the door aren’t enough of an indication, the critics are equally impressed.

When searching for the best barbecue, unique meats (alligator, for example), wild boar ribs and smoked brisket in northern Illinois, look no further than Lucas’ offbeat spin on American comfort food at BOLD American Fare.

Lucas learned to cook from his mom and is inspired by her recipes to this day. Instead of ground chuck for his meatloaf, he raises the stakes with Wagyu beef. Instead of a traditional beef stroganoff, he smokes it. His barbecue, ribs and whole hog have won "readers' choice awards" from the Northwest Herald, and he’s a beloved figure in the neighborhood.

KRISTEN HUENEKE

Hueneke has been working in restaurants since she was 14. In 2013, she thought she was applying for a line cook position at Lakefront Brewery, but to her surprise, she was hired as the executive chef. Since then, she’s become known for her innovative, locally sourced, fun, from-scratch dishes perfectly paired with Lakefront’s popular beers brewed onsite.

She’s a true Wisconsinite, poaching sausage in beer before grilling, and cooking mac and cheese with five different Wisconsin cheeses, mustard and hot sauce. Her famous fried cheese curds and Friday fish fry have won top choice awards from the Milwaukee Magazine Dining Awards, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and others. Not bad for someone who learned how to cook from her grandma.

LAKEFRONT BREWERY MILWAUKEE

PHILLIP CLAYTON THE FARMHOUSE GROUP BURLINGTON, VT After bouts at celebrated Vermont restaurants Trattoria Delia and Hen of the Wood, Clayton opened Farmhouse Tap & Grill, El Cortijo Taqueria, Guild Tavern and Pascolo Ristorante as partner and executive chef of The Farmhouse Group. His commitment to simple food fresh from the earth has made him extremely popular in his new hometown of Burlington, Vt. n

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Ask the Butcher 22 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

all you need to know about setting up an in-house butchering program with wet and dry aging

by Ari Bendersky

As a chef, you have two options for how you get your meat: Order it from a purveyor and have it arrive a day or two later nicely portioned out in a box or bring in whole animals to butcher yourself.

The first option is obviously more common as it's much easier, less time consuming and, frankly, much cleaner. The second option can be incredibly gratifying, but you have to know what you're doing. Setting up an in-house butchering program isn't necessarily difficult, but you need certain conditions and tools in place to be successful. It can be wholly rewarding as well.

"This is an offshoot from the first time I caught, butchered and ate a fish," says Erik Niel, owner of Main Street Meats in Chattanooga, Tenn.

"It was the best thing I'd done from a base human level. Multiply that by 100 and you have a cow. It’s a natural cheffy thing to be in the whole animal butchering business."

Niel, who also owns Easy Bistro & Bar, says butchering comes with its hiccups and requires a bit of a ramp up before you get things right.

"It was a larger learning curve than I thought it would be," Niel admits.

"We've lost a lot of money in the process from not understanding how intense the meat business is."

Getting set up with your own butchering program requires certain tools, including either a bandsaw or handsaw, meat grinder, various knives and a large table.

Almost more important than the tools is the environment.

"You ideally want to process (the meat) in a room that's 50°F or less," says John Dvorak, corporate director of fresh meats for Reinhart Foodservice. "You need to make sure it doesn't get too hot. That's one of the biggest problems with restaurants. They're usually cutting in the regular kitchen where it warms up. If the meat gets warm, the bacteria growth multiplies at a rapid rate."

Depending if you want to wet or dry age the meat determines how much space you need. If you want to wet age, you'll need a vacuum sealer and plastic to age the meat away from any air contact. For that method, you can use your existing cooler. Dry aging, however, requires a bit more space, often a separate cooler, with humidity control to better allow the meat to dehydrate while concentrating the flavors.

Once you have your tools and environment in place, next is knowing how to break down animals to effectively use the entire carcass to your benefit.

That includes bones, which you can use in soups and stocks. If done properly, it affords you many more cuts of meat to use outside of the well-known rib-eye, tenderloin and strip steaks.

"Tri-tips are amazing from the back of the animal and (its) diaphragm muscle is absolutely incredible," says Walter Apfelbaum, executive butcher at Prime + Proper in Detroit, who has a large dry-aging room for all his meats. "I love a nice eye round, which comes from

the gooseneck. It's delicious to use in a stew. There's not a lot of fat; it's lean and picks up beautiful flavors from onion, carrots, celery and red wine."

Using lesser-known cuts you butcher yourself can save you money, too. Niel says overlooked steaks like Denver, chuck eye, hangar and flatiron are delicious when prepared properly and offer tremendous value.

"Instead of paying $30 for tenderloin, you can pay $10 a pound for Denver and it's great," Niel suggests.

While butchering in-house gives you more cuts and bones to make burgers, soup, stews and other dishes, you can also go the route of presenting an entire animal, like they do at DBGB in Washington, D.C. "We do a 'whole hog' large-format dish that's popular for groups," says Nicholas Tang, DBGB DC's executive chef of the 72-hour advance-notice, one-per-night $550 roasted suckling pig for up to eight people that also includes salad, a starter, potatoes and seasonal vegetables. "The process is a long one and includes removing half the bones from the inside out, making a forcemeat and sewing the pig back together."

Which is something you likely couldn't do if you weren't equipped with your own butchering set up. n

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Effective Ways to Market Your Restaurant at Events

By Upserve Staff

Piggybacking off community happenings, or crafting your own, can be a great way to expose your restaurant’s brand, menu or talent to the masses. But doing so without a strategy is a recipe for disaster.

Here are a handful of methods for making your eatery the star of an upcoming event:

The Pop-Up Concept

GQ has touted restaurant pop-ups as the “world tours…in the age of the rock-star chef.” As cult fandoms follow their favorite kitchen icons both physically and digitally, pop-ups feed on fixations in the form of sneak previews, market tests and samplings of faraway concepts. As such, restaurateurs and their marketing teams should scour community calendars, meetups and social media, and engage in conversations with likeminded owners and operators to take their talents and tastes on the road.

fliers or boots-on-the-ground staffers to show off the brains behind your operation. “Find where the DNA overlaps,” recommends Aubrey Gordon, president of Sprocket Communications. “Perhaps put together an ad or dedicate a section of your menu to the locally grown ingredients and farmers with whom you have relationships” to bridge the gap from farm to plate.

Become a Recommender

Whether it is through your restaurant’s weekly e-newsletter or social media strategy, consider designing a perfect day, weekend or special occasion in your community putting your restaurant amidst a collection of must-see attractions.

“Send your customers to relevant events around your community,” says Eric Elkins, CEO and chief strategist of WideFoc.Us, a social media shop based in Denver, Colo. “Suggest other programming—a show, a street fair, a flea market—that perfectly pairs with a trip to your restaurant.”

Sponsor a Charity Event

Everyone loves a brand that gives back, so restaurateurs should be on the lookout for issues they can get behind and fuel with their resources. Whether it’s a fun-run race, gala or anything in between, the beneficiaries of these events get to tout their cause, and your restaurant gets exposure for helping. This investment in food and labor costs is already in your wheelhouse of expertise and can pay off better than putting that money toward marketing or paid advertisements.

Find Connective Tissues

Let’s say you have a farm-to-table operation adjacent to a neighborhood weekly farmer’s market. What a missed opportunity it would be not to plug into this programming. Show up with tasters,

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Don’t Forget the #Hashtags!

When and if your eatery’s team participates in or hosts any event, make sure to “use event hashtags when they’re resonant, as well as an active like and follow strategy.” This includes tagging people in images broadcast online to give them an audience and a chance to feel celebrated for their attendance. n

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ARE YOU READY TO TAKE YOUR SHOW

ON THE ROAD? IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO JUMP ON THE SUMMER FESTIVAL BANDWAGON MINDY S. KOLOF

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There is much to consider before leaping into the food fray of festivals. Focus on details before loading up the trailer to optimize profits and gain a heaping side of brand exposure for your restaurant. The first step is selecting the right venue for your operation. Ask yourself: •

What is the event theme and is this my target audience?

•

What is the cost to participate, and what is included (e.g. license, insurance, storage, equipment, marketing/ promotion, electrical, Wi-Fi, refrigeration, etc.)

•

Is the event well established with an evolving fan base?

Amy Mills is the co-owner of 17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro, Ill., and founder/director of OnCue Consulting for barbecue restaurateurs and entrepreneurs. A veteran vendor of big festivals, she cautions owners to consider all aspects before signing on.

“There are numerous opportunities to take your show on the road, including charity events such as the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party. While they provide the food we cook, cash registers and staff, and reimburse some expenses, the event actually costs us money. The PR benefits, however, are enormous,” says Mills.

Chicago-based M Burger, part of the Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises restaurant group, has been serving its signature burgers at the city’s major events for seven years, including the renowned Lollapalooza music festival. It’s a perfect fit for his operation, says M Burger chef partner Tim Hockett.

During the annual, four-day festival, M Burger serves about 23,000 burgers to a hungry Lolla crowd in a 20-foot by 20foot booth, staffed by two to three chef managers and 24 staff members, with four griddles.

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From clothing designers and tech to music and media, the summer festival season has become the buzzmarketing channel du jour.

Where there are festival crowds, there’s a captive, hungry audience with expendable cash. Even the most established brickand-mortar operation might be tempted to take a bite out of festival, street fair or farmers market traffic.

AN IMPRESSIVE

“We want to reward our guests by being there with their

ON THE ROAD?

95%

OF MILLENNIALS SAY THEY’RE INCLINED TO VISIT A RESTAURANT, FOOD SHOP OR FARM THEY DISCOVERED AT A FESTIVAL.*

favorite burger.”

- Tim Hockett M Burger Chef

Once you zero in on a good target, what will it take to make your festival experience a success? Profitability is certainly important, but ensuring your brand integrity is intact is critical. Hockett suggests identifying one signature dish to bring festival-goers a unique taste of your restaurant, and another that you know inside and out to ensure product quality and consistency. An outdoor festival is easily impacted by weather or power outages, or your own miscalculations. When you know your product well, you are more easily prepared for last-minute substitutions or adjustments to your dish if the refrigeration goes out, for instance.

Food safety and integrity can be one of the most challenging aspects to presenting your fare at an outdoor festival. Ask the organizer about the arrangements they’ve made to protect vendors’ food quality. Lollapalooza provides refrigerated trucks along with 24-7 staffing to ensure food is safe.

The primary drawback to participating festivals is the potential money loss for an event that doesn’t meet attendance expectations, says Mills. “Even a good event can turn bad if the organizer changes location from year to year.

And if the event is not well established, you are depending on the marketer to get a good number of people there.”

Mills advises that the best way to leverage the opportunity is through clear and consistent signage and branding at the event. She suggests, however, that you might go a little further by reaching out to local news media to secure a television demo or radio interview about the festival and your experience; then post the link via your social media channels and tag the event’s channels. Additionally, take advantage of any free publicity offered by event organizers through their website, pre-event marketing and media outreach. Engage with customers personally at the event and offer coupons and clearly branded swag so they’ll know how to find you afterward.

Finally, ensure that your staff’s festival experience is positive.

“If they’re having fun and enjoying the experience, it will translate to our guests’ experience,” says Hockett. “We select our top performers and work really hard, but we have the best time and our guests love it.” n

*SOURCE: EVENTBRITE Survey, 2016 SUMMER 2018 RFSDELIVERS.COM 27

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How to Attract Tourists to Your Restaurant

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ccording to the U.S. Travel Association, travelers spend more than $209 billion annually on dining out in the United States.

This means that turning your restaurant into a tourist destination can boost sales and up the ante on your reputation and reach.

“Tourists are always looking for places to go that are authentic to the region where you are located,” says Michael Eisenberg, management instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. “Aside from marketing to the tourist directly—which can cost a fortune—the solutions can be to market directly to the concierge of a hotel, the taxi drivers at the airport, the doormen in the local business, etc.”

Building relationships and partnering with local tourism bureaus and hotel concierges is a great place to start. Consider inviting concierges within a few blocks of your restaurant to taste the menu and experience the service in your establishment.

Keep them afloat of any menu changes, specials, events, etc., suggests Aubrey Gordon, president of Sprocket Communications. The tourism bureaus often host media that visit the city, so keep them in the loop as well, Gordon advises.

Lauren Cook, senior director of social and digital for FEED Media, recommends creating “Instagramworthy spaces,” as her client, Punch Bowl Social, has done throughout its 20-plus locations nationwide. Their “I Love You Wall” in each city has “proven to be one of the top Instagrammed locations in the city,” Cook says. “How can you create an experience

Building relationships and partnering with local tourism bureaus and hotel concierges is a great place to start.

for your guests that demands they take a selfie, share it with their friends (far and wide) and tag you?”

Meanwhile, restaurants would be wise to position themselves as welcoming to newcomers and visitors. If the front-of-house staff is trained to speak knowledgeably about the area and local culture, that can be incredibly valuable for out-of-town guests.

According to Eric Elkins, CEO and chief strategist of WideFoc.Us, the most important thing to do is monitor your restaurant’s Yelp reviews.

“People go there first when they’re figuring out where to eat,” Elkins says.

Monitoring what tourists say about your restaurant on review sites and responding to reviews—positive or critical—allows a restaurant to best control its reputation. n

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Higher Learning Restaurants are polishing their service with professional certifications

by Victor Ozols

“What we teach with the Court of Master Sommeliers is how to use our knowledge to enhance a customer’s experience.”

– Randall Bertao, a director at The Court of Master Sommeliers

In sourcing food and beverage supplies, restaurants today enjoy unprecedented access to global markets and artisanal local producers, making the options better— and more diverse—than ever. Yet elevated menus require specialized product knowledge, and while chefs trained at the top culinary schools have always been in demand, staffers with an education in beverages have lagged in all but highend establishments.

It may be one of the world’s oldest beverages, but many fashionable restaurants are taking a renewed interest in tea, creating a need for certified tea professionals versed in its preparation and service.

That’s changing now, thanks to the rising popularity of certification programs that give recipients the knowledge and confidence they need to make the most of what’s available—and ensure guests do too. We contacted certification organizations for wine, beer and tea to find out how having certified professionals on staff can elevate the dining experience for everyone.

“Historically, the reputation of a sommelier was a bit daunting,” says Randall Bertao, a director of The Court of Master Sommeliers, the wine world’s premier international examining body. “It was someone who had all this expertise, and customers might think there was some arrogance or at least a

disconnect. What we teach with the Court of Master Sommeliers is how to use our knowledge to enhance a customer’s experience.”

Established in 1977, the organization offers education and certifications ranging from introductory sommelier up through master sommelier, a distinction Bertao shares with only 248 others.

“A sommelier brings the ability to understand the products that a restaurant sells, and how to buy products that complement not only the financial model but the personality of the restaurant,” he says. “That means working closely with the chef, understanding the menu and showing by example how quality beverage service happens tableside.”

The explosion in modern craft beers and previously underappreciated beer styles from around the world has led to a similar thirst for beer knowledge.

Established in 2008, the Cicerone Certification Program offers classes and four levels of certification, from certified beer server to master cicerone.

“Restaurants benefit by putting staff who sell beer through the certified beer server level so they understand the basics of

beer handling and can guide customers on beer choices,” explains John Scholl, marketing manager with the Cicerone Certification Program and a certified cicerone himself. “Certified cicerone is designed for those who are running a beverage program and have a solid understanding of beer styles, food and beer pairings, and are able to troubleshoot a draft system.”

It may be one of the world’s oldest beverages, but many fashionable restaurants are taking a renewed interest in tea, creating a need for certified tea professionals versed in its preparation and service.

“A certified tea professional can be a certified tea sommelier, certified tea blender or a certified tea master,” explains Chas Kroll, certified tea master and executive director of the International Tea Masters Association, which offers comprehensive training and certifications.

“In an upscale restaurant, they are available to meet with customers directly to answer questions and make menu pairing recommendations.

And unlike liquor, tea is normally marked up between 500 percent to 1,000 percent, and it is not taxed like liquor.”

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How to Get the Most Out of Paid Social Media Posts

At the start of 2018, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, announced his company would be altering its algorithm to prioritize content from “friends, family and groups.”

“As we roll this out,” Zuckerberg wrote, “you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard. It should encourage meaningful interactions between people.”

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As the changes have materialized these last few months, businesses have experienced significant decreases in organic reach. But this is only the latest in a stream of iterations made on Facebook’s algorithms determining who sees what, and when.

“There are always subtle changes to visibility, to reach, paid reach, paid engagement; that’s become normal,” observes Eric Elkins, CEO and founder of WideFoc.us, a PR and social media firm. For that reason, “It’s just really impossible to track and test what types of posts do better and why.”

Elkins recalls that nearly three years ago, Facebook ratcheted down organic reach to posts, fan pages and business pages, bringing visibility down to 1.5 percent. And yet, “All Facebook wants is eyeballs on Facebook,” he says.

“Fortunately for Mark Zuckerberg, he figured out a way to monetize his platform,” says Aubrey Gordon, president of Sprocket Communications, a PR and digital marketing firm that counts a handful of restaurants among its client portfolio. “If you’re a brand, you have to have a paid budget to put behind your posts.”

Gordon says restaurants can start as small as $200 per month.

With paid posts, “There’s so much you can do to get super targeted using geographic parameters and demographic information,” she explains.

Elkins agrees: “For a little bit, you can get a ton of visibility and get in front of your target audience,” or, as he calls them, “highly qualified leads.”

With the algorithm change, Elkins expected heightened cost per engagement, but that hasn’t transpired.

He recommends restaurant clients, among others, set a monthly ad spend budget that’s broken into thirds: one-third for building a fan base and establishing credibility; one-third for boosting posts; and one-third for spend that drives social media followers to your website, be it through directing customers to the menu, an email newsletter signup, online ordering platform or other content channels.

“The most important aspect of a strong social media strategy is storytelling and authenticity.”

- Lauren Cook Senior Director of social media and digital at FEED media

Regardless of the algorithm, “The most important aspect of a strong social media strategy is storytelling and authenticity,” says Lauren Cook, senior director of social media and digital for FEED Media. “If operators are already creating content, extending their restaurant experience past the doors of their locations and into the social media space. … they’re already combating the changing algorithm on Facebook.”

Cook contends that Instagram is the ideal platform for restaurants, with the ability to focus on imagery from the menu, space and experience.

Gordon adds that diverse content engages audiences best, enticing them to comment or share.

“You don’t want an overhead shot of a menu item or cocktail porn every single day,” she advises. “Instead, give your followers a boomerang, or a short video, or a survey to mix it up.”

Elkins also recommends curating content from other, relevant sources—a time-saving technique and a way to provide distinct experiences for followers.

“Get your routine and then supplement with unpredictability,” Elkins says. n

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The Right Reservation System for You From Resy to Tock, Competition Is Heating Up for Online Platforms

by Erica Bethe Levin

We’ve gotten to a point in life where we can’t hide from technology. Our homes talk to us and our cars drive themselves. The restaurant industry is, of course, aboard the technology train, especially when it comes to reservation systems.

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"OpenTable rules the market space,” says David Massoni, owner and operator at the Brooklyn-based Three Kings Restaurant Group, which owns The Heights, Massoni and Talde. "I will always stick with whomever has the largest customer base and continues to grow."

OpenTable boasts seating more than 23 million diners per month. Though the company has dominated the reservations space for 20 years, it's being confronted by an onslaught of players entering the crowded arena.

Through Reserve, Yelp Reservations, Resy and Tock, restaurants and diners alike have plenty of options for taking (and making) reservations.

Through Reserve, Yelp Reservations, Resy and Tock, restaurants and diners alike have plenty of options for taking (and making) reservations.

We used to live in a world where guests visited OpenTable's site to book reservations. If it wasn’t available for a particular restaurant, the guest called the establishment and talked to a real person who asked questions like "Is this a special occasion?" or "Do you have allergies?"

Now diners find themselves on a restaurant’s website with links to potentially unknown reservation systems, forcing diners into a new way of booking, making it even more important for newbies to woo the biggest names in the biz.

“Resy partners with a carefully curated group of restaurants worldwide that strive to deliver the same elevated service, exceptional food and unique personal touches that our diners care about and expect," says Stephanie Cohen, who acts as head of sales for the company.

Some of the top restaurants in America use alternatives to OpenTable. Chicago's Monteverde and New York's Blue Hill at Stone Barns use Reserve. Chicago's Kai Zan and farmerbrown of San Francisco use Yelp Reservations. And many of the country’s most-lauded restaurants,

such as New York powerhouse Eleven Madison Park and minibar of Washington, D.C., require diners to buy tickets or make a deposit in advance through Tock, Nick Kokonas’ reservation system.

Kokonas is co-owner of Chicago-based Roister, Next, Aviary and Alinea—a three-star Michelin establishment universally heralded as one of the best restaurants in the world. "Restaurant owners are relentless when it comes to giving their guests a flawless experience, yet they were dependent on a reservation system built on 1998 technology," he says.

"They deserved better," Kokonas continues. "We built Tock to give restaurateurs the ability to maximize profit and cut down on costly noshows, putting them back in control of the reservation experience. It’s time restaurateurs raise the bar for the technology they use every day." Since its inception, Tock has processed more than $250 million in pre-paid reservations.

“We charge a flat $249 monthly fee no matter how many reservations you book. We do not charge per cover,” says Greg Hong, CEO and founder of Reserve.

“The biggest thing is that diners and restaurants alike were getting a suboptimal experience. … being able to deliver better tools is what they’ve been asking for a long time. If we could serve both constituencies better, everyone would win.”

Yelp Reservations also costs restaurants $249 per month; its fee includes a link to book reservations on partners’ Yelp pages. OpenTable charges a $249 per month system fee and $1 per diner. If a diner books through an OpenTable link on a restaurant’s website, it still costs the restaurant 25 cents per diner.

continued...

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For Patrick Cullen, owner of Presidio in Chicago, that means almost $2,000 per month in extra fees for a 44-seat dining room. “The biggest reason for changing (from OpenTable to Reserve) was the difference in pricing structure," he says.

"The biggest difference I see with Reserve is that they are a partner to restaurants, supporting them, as opposed to OpenTable, which uses the restaurants to manipulate their own bottom line. We did not see any noticeable change in reservation traffic, which was our biggest fear, but never a reality.”

Tock charges a flat fee under its pro plan of $699 per month. There are introductory plans that cost less but require a small percentage of pre-paid tickets (two percent to three percent). Resy avoids per-diner fees by charging between $189 monthly for a basic plan and $899 monthly for a premium one.

With all these options, OpenTable is feeling the heat. Over a three-month period, including last Valentine’s Day, an OpenTable employee booked hundreds of fake reservations at Reserve restaurants, resulting in hundreds of no-shows. Presidio was affected by this scheme and Cullen was not amused.

“OpenTable’s reacting to competition in the market by targeting people instead of becoming more competitive.”

He received a personal phone call from OpenTable’s CEO, Christa Quarles, in the wake of the scandal.

“I think at the end of the day, it’s very clear we are a true competitor to the incumbent in the space,” says Hong. “We definitely saw

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inbound (inquiries) as a result from restaurants that said ‘I’ve seen enough of this and I don’t want to continue to support it.’”

When asked why restaurants are switching to Reserve, he continued, “They want to save money, but they see the vision for what we’re doing.

We have so many former operators on our team that are talking to restaurants about what they’ve always wanted, which is the holy grail: to have tech integration from start to finish.” Reserve’s plans for 2018 include full POS integration from booking through payment and reviews. n

"We built Tock to give restaurateurs the ability to maximize profit and cut down on costly no-shows, putting them back in control of the reservation experience."

– Nick Kokonas, founder of Tock

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In 2018, how hard is it to find— and keep—quality employees?

Ari Bendersky

38 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

D

o you feel like all the good restaurant workers are taken? If so, you’re not alone. Across the United States, restaurants feel the weight of a dearth of skilled workers, whether hosts, servers, bussers or line cooks.

With new restaurants opening daily in markets from coast to coast, employers consistently find it harder to find quality staff.

In 2017, according to the National Restaurant Association, 30 percent of its members reported they had difficulty filling open positions. In 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said the restaurant and hospitality industry experienced a staggering 72.9 percent turnover rate. So not only are restaurants having difficulty recruiting and hiring good team members, but retaining them proves difficult.

“Staffing issues are so high because unemployment is so low,” says Erik Niel, chef/owner of Easy Bistro & Bar and Main Street Meats, both in Chattanooga, Tenn. “Everyone who wants a job, has a job.

The economy is growing and many new restaurants are opening.

We are all scrambling to find new people.”

Phillips says with so many new restaurants opening combined with less available workers and cost of living increases in many cities, you can’t just operate a restaurant, but also be mindful of the work spaces you foster in order to retain workers once you hire them. Part of creating a positive atmosphere is listening to your employees’ needs and mentoring them to help them grow within their jobs.

“The thing that gets me up in the morning is the development of teams and allowing someone to grow,” Phillips says. “Your training programs have to be in place and your managers have to be good teachers, coaches and mentors. You have to constantly touch base with your team: what successes they’ve found, what challenges they’ve had, what their aspirations are. It’s important to show them you have their back and that we’re dedicated to their growth and happiness.”

“Your training programs have to be in place and your managers have to be good teachers, coaches and mentors.”

– Erin Phillips, senior director of operations for Boka Restaurant Group

Niel says he and his management team scout quality staff and work hard to keep them around. They will often meet salary requirements, or get as close as possible, and he says he’s also an advocate for the government raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour because it’s getting increasingly difficult to remain competitive with other blue collar or tech-related entry-level jobs offering a higher hourly wage.

“I’m taking the long look here (into the future),” Niel admits. “I’m sure other restaurateurs will shoot me for saying this.”

Meeting or beating wage requests is one way to stay competitive.

The other is offering incentives. Chicago’s Boka Restaurant Group (BRG), which operates 18 restaurants, bars and cafes, including Bellemore, Girl & The Goat, Somerset and Boka, has quarterly field trips to farms, distilleries, breweries and coffee roasters; offers fun educational initiatives; and started providing free weekly guided yoga classes on the roof of its Little Goat restaurant. More than anything, however, is giving team members the ability to grow with the organization.

Many people get into restaurant work because it is transitional and allows them to earn a living while sometimes in school or while they’re in between other jobs. But more people see it is possible to have a career in the restaurant industry and Niel wants to continue to shine a light on that.

“We try to retain culinary professionals to give them a taste of what’s out there for them if they work hard, stay in the business and succeed,” Niel adds. “We show people they can make this their career. We listen to their needs in terms of family life and what they need for time off. We can’t beat up people until they break and go somewhere else.”

So yes, you do need to look for skilled workers, but don’t discount someone with passion, drive and a great personality who can end up being your best employee.

“When you see someone go from dishwasher to line cook to manager and you helped foster that, it’s amazing,” Phillips says. “But you have to have the systems in place to allow that to happen.” n

“If you have been at your location for two years and maybe want to work with a different chef,” says Erin Phillips, senior director of operations for BRG, “we can offer opportunities internally to give our own people new offers before we look externally.”

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Creating a Safe Place

by Mindy S. Koloft

#MeToo: How are You Answering the Call for Change?

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Leveling the playing field and rebooting the reputation of the nation’s fastest growing industry

may seem like a daunting task, and make no mistake, it is. The inescapable truth is that 2017’s public airing of the long-simmering sexual harassment issue was just the first step in a long, arduous journey. Everyone—advocacy organizations long dedicated to fighting workplace inequality, high-profile chefs, independent restaurateurs—is energized and enormously optimistic about the future. Seize the moment to create a workplace culture in which employees feel safe, valued, respected, even joyful. If you need a little help getting there—and who doesn’t?—we’ve gathered some expert advice below.

First, know that establishing a safe workplace is a topdown effort. Owner-operators set the tone, and it’s crucial to set it right from the start.

“You can have a lot of great policies on paper, but if people don’t feel they’re going to be believed by management, it won’t be taken seriously,” says Sheerine Alemzadeh, co-founder of Healing to Action, a Chicago organization representing survivors of workplace violence.

Then set a clear protocol for reporting such incidents, ensure that the worker is protected from retaliation, and intervene promptly.

“Frequently, by the time it’s officially reported, it’s not the first thing that happened,” says Alemzadeh. “It may start with jokes and verbal harassment, but if not sanctioned, the harasser becomes emboldened and escalates the behavior.”

Training must be continuous and offered to back-of-house and front-of-house, sending the message that everyone’s voice matters, advises Katherine Miller, senior director of food policy advocacy at the James Beard Foundation.

Understand what is legally considered sexual harassment: • Quid pro quo: conditioning of specific employment benefits based on sexual favors or behavior.

• Hostile work environment: incidents that occur frequently or over time that intimidate or offend, which may include lewd comments, gossip about personal relationships, displays of pornography, derogatory talk about gender, leering, unwanted touching.

There’s a real business case to be made for investing in ongoing training. Sexual harassment is hugely costly in terms of diminished productivity, adverse impact on employee health, reputational harm and job turnover, potentially the single largest cost, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

“We’re constantly battling labor shortages because with so many restaurants operating, it’s very easy for an employee to leave and get a new job down the street,” says Miller. “A best-in-class culture will help retain staff and be the kind of place customers come back to often.”

“The topics covered will be uncomfortable, so it’s best to bring in a trainer who will talk to your staff and answer questions candidly,” says Miller. “If it’s unaffordable to do this alone, join forces with other restaurants in your community.”

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Bring Everything to Light

As a woman in the eye of a veritable media storm, Shannon White, CEO of BRG Hospitality (formerly Besh Restaurant Group) has much to teach us all about handling a crisis with grace and confidence. The actions she implemented immediately to reassure employees and diners that sexual harassment issues were being painstakingly addressed, proved vital long term as well, helping lay the foundation for a new culture at BRG Hospitality and within the industry she has loved wholeheartedly since age 18. A few hardearned lessons: • In her first weeks as CEO, White hired an external firm to interview employees in a non-threatening atmosphere. “We needed to bring everything to light.”

• To give employees a protected voice, an anonymous hotline was established and monitored by the director of Human Resources and White, who swiftly address issues.

• A HIPAA-protected employee assistance program was launched to help employees cope with a worklife known for long, late nights.

• The employee handbook was retooled, including a morality clause and a clear code of conduct defining unacceptable behavior. “Every person needs to sign it.

Once the line is drawn, immediate action will be taken if anyone crosses it. I let all my managers know they needed to be on board because we are not ever going to let this happen again. The era of excess is over.”

• A new culture can’t be built overnight. “It helps to map out a plan for the year and make sure standards are consistently communicated to every employee and new hire.” Progress is discussed weekly, and White says “there’s nothing too small for me to know about as we work through this together.”

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You,re Not Alone: Check into These Resources Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC): A membership-based organization working for improved conditions for America’s 13+ million restaurant employees. Sexual harassment prevention trainings are offered by local chapters across the country. www.rocunited.org Restaurants Advancing Industry Standards in Employment (RAISE). An ROC partnership of restaurant industry leaders committed to the High Road standard: upward mobility for women and people of color; livable wages not dependent on tips; access to affordable healthcare and paid sick time; and creating a safe work environment. Free sign up and access to Know Your Rights training webinar, best policies handbook, monthly informational calls, research studies and more. www.raiserestaurant.org Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Leading for Respect (supervisors) and Respect in the Workplace (all employees) training provides specific skills employees need to act respectfully and to intervene when they observe disrespectful or abusive behavior. Fee-based. https://eeotraining.eeoc.gov/profile/web/index.cfm?PKwebID=0x25479b9f&varPage=attendee SafeBars. Uses bystander education strategies to empower bar staff to stand up against sexual harassment. Available in 11 cities, and expanding; cost varies by city, ranging from free to $650. http://safebars.org/start-your-own-safe-bars n

From the groundbreaking Glass Floor Report (ROC, 2014) that first brought light to the issue:

More than one-third of all sexual harassment claims to the EEOC come from the restaurant industry.

At least monthly, two-thirds of women experienced sexual harassment from management

At least monthly, three quarters of women experienced sexual harassment from co-workers

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of consumers search for a local restaurant online

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FROM FISH TO FILETS, THESE PROTEINS DEMAND ATTENTION.

46 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE PLATE Thanks to the progressive actions of prominent food advocates, farmers, culinary-focused television programs and more, your diners are more informed about what’s on their plates than ever before. They’re curious about the origins of the ingredients.

They want classic dishes that have been turned up a notch or two. And they’re willing to step out of their comfort zones to try new conceptions.

sunny side up fried egg, cheesy tater tots, pork belly and coffee-infused ketchup. That’s certain to give guests a jolt early in the morning!

That should certainly spark your creativity, getting the wheels turning on how to present more exciting entrees to your guests. To give you a helping hand, we’ve enlisted Reinhart’s own culinary artists, from Corporate Executive Chef Paul Young to those in the trenches in every region in the country.

And Demetrio Marquez brings decadence to dinner with one of his offbeat offerings. The New Orleansbased chef unites Southern and South American fare with his recipe for molasses-glazed short ribs paired with lobster and cabernet Peruvian mash.

Oh my. Let the good times roll!

They were up for the challenge—and in every daypart. For example, Chef Brian Funk (Shawano, Wis.) put forth his recipe for a breakfast burger, a grilled, six-ounce patty topped with a

There’s also Milwaukee’s Chef Christopher Holden, whose smoked flat iron steak & grilled peach salad combines summer’s freshest flavors with barbecue spirit. Now, that’s a perfect lunch treat on a sunny sidewalk patio.

In all, Food Fight highlights almost 30 protein-focused recipes. On the next several pages, you’ll find some particularly clever ways to prepare classic dishes with great cuts of meat and unique ingredients.

Photography by Dan Coha Photography Food Styling by Susan Barrientos-Hevey

SUMMER 2018 RFSDELIVERS.COM 47

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appetizers

F O O D

48 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

BEEF TATAKI CHEF KEVIN NASH | REINHART EASTERN PA

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1] 3 oz

beef tenderloin

¼ oz

sesame oil

¼ oz

mizuna, or Japanese mustard greens

¼ oz

hot banana chili pepper

¼ oz

orange ponzu glaze

PREPARATION Combine garlic, brown sugar, green curry paste, lime juice and fish sauce. Mix well. Add chopped cilantro.

Mix 1 tablespoon to mayonnaise. In a separate bowl, combine broccoli slaw with shredded short rib. Soften rice wrapper in warm water. Spread 1 teaspoon of curry paste on wrapper, add 3 teaspoons of filling. Tuck in sides and roll. Refrigerate and serve with remaining curry paste.

1/8 oz green onion (scallions) 2 oz

ginger root, freshly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION Sear to 120 degrees the beef tenderloin that’s been seasoned with salt and pepper; add sesame oil. Reserve.

Place mizuna on the plate. Mix mizuna with hot banana peppers. Slice beef over the greens.

Drizzle with ponzu and garnish with green onions and ginger root.

BEEF CROSTINI W/ PEAR CHUTNEY & BLUE CHEESE CHEF BRIAN FUNK | REINHART SHAWANO INGREDIENTS [Servings: 3] 4 ½ oz

New York strip

6 oz

French bread

1 ½ oz

Gorgonzola cheese

3 oz

olive oil

1 1/3 oz

shallots

9 2/3 oz

D'Anjou pears

2 oz

apricots

1 oz

sugar

CHEF JEFF MERRY | REINHART BOSTON

¾ oz

cider vinegar

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 4]

PREPARATION

½ oz

Pear Chutney: Sauté shallots in olive oil for 2 minutes.

Add pears, apricots, sugar and vinegar; bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium; cook for 20 minutes.

VIETNAMESE SHORT RIB SUMMER ROLLS garlic, chopped in oil

½ tsp curry green paste ¾ oz

light brown sugar

1 ea

lime juice, fresh

1 oz

Thai fish sauce

1 lb

fresh broccoli coleslaw

4 oz

heavy duty creamy mayonnaise

1/8 oz fresh cilantro, cleaned and chopped 12 ea rice paper wrappers/spring rolls 4 oz beef chuck short rib, thawed & shredded

Grill New York strip to temperature, then slice. Grill French bread and top with steak, pear chutney and Gorgonzola. Prepare as if it were a traditional Bruschetta, just more organic.

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SUMMER BURGER CHEF BRIAN FUNK | REINHART SHAWANO INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1] 6 oz

ground beef

3 oz

bacon

¾ oz

gouda cheese

2 oz

romaine lettuce

1 serv candied orange aioli 1 serv red pepper pesto 1 ea

corn-dusted Kaiser bun

PREPARATION Ball 6 oz of beef; grill to temperature. Butter bun and toast it. Spread orange aioli on bottom bun and chiffonade the romaine lettuce, add the romaine crown. Add red pepper pesto on top of burger. Then place gouda and bacon and melt.

50 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

CANDIED ORANGE AIOLI 1/2 oz 10 oz 1/8 oz 8 oz 1/2 oz 1/8 oz

Garlic, Chopped Navel Orange Dijon Mustard Mayonnaise Lemon Juice Ground Cayenne Pepper

Combine everything into blender, with the exception of the mayo. After blending, add to mayo and mix.

RED PEPPER PESTO 8 oz 8 oz 2 oz 1 oz 1/8 oz 1/8 oz 1 1/3 oz

Red Pepper, Whole Roasted Basil Parmesan Cheese, Grated Extra Virgin Oil Olive Salt Pepper Nut Pine

Blend everything in a blender.

burgers

F O O D

SHORT RIB SLIDERS W/BACONONION JAM

BREAKFAST BURGER

CHEF BRIAN FUNK | REINHART SHAWANO

6 oz

ground beef

1

egg

1

English muffin

4 oz

tater tots

3 oz

cheddar

3 oz

pork belly

4 oz

coffee

8 oz

ketchup

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 4] 4 ½ oz short ribs 4 slider buns grilled 32 oz bacon 48 oz Vidalia onions 8 oz honey 1 oz thyme ¼ oz

rosemary

PREPARATION Heat short ribs to temperature. Cook bacon to temp. Add oil to pan and cook onions, slow and low about 20 minutes. In a stock pot combine other ingredients except the thyme and the rosemary. Reduce by half. Add onions and bacon.

Bacon should be rough cut to small dice. Grill slider buns. Grill bottom bun, spread bacon-onion jam on bottom. Place short ribs on and top again with bacon-onion jam.

CHEF BRIAN FUNK | REINHART SHAWANO INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1]

PREPARATION Grill burger to temperature. Butter and toast muffin. Place cooked pork belly on flat top. While that is heating up, place tater tots in fryer and fry until done. Place egg on sauté pan with butter and cook. Place tater tots on flat top and smash them, making a patty. Put shredded cheddar on tater tots to melt. Whisk together the coffee and ketchup until combined. To build, place burger on muffin, coffee-infused ketchup, burger, pork belly, cheesy tater tots, then fried egg (make the egg sunny side up and make sure it runs a little).

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SPRING PORK LOIN WITH BRIGHT PESTO

52 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

pork

F O O D

SPRING PORK LOIN W/BRIGHT PESTO CHEF DAVID QUICK | REINHART KNOXVILLE INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1]

PAN-SEARED CAJUN PORK LOIN ANDOUILLE HASH CHEF DEMETRIO MARQUEZ | REINHART NEW ORLEANS

6 oz

pork loin, boneless

3 oz

extra virgin olive oil

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1]

1 oz

extra light amber honey

1 ea

lemon, fresh

½

parsley, freshly trimmed

3 ea

whole garlic, peeled

2 Tbsp

smoked Serrano salt

¼ ea

green onion

8 oz boneless pork loin, cut into 4 two-oz medallions 2 oz Cajun seasoning, unsalted 3 oz olive oil 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped 3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped 2 Tbsp fresh garlic, chopped ½ lb peeled Yukon gold potatoes, cut

½-inch cubes 3 oz slab bacon, diced 3 oz yellow onions, diced ½C andouille sausage, diced 1 ea fresh jalapeños, diced

¼ Tbsp Aleppo pepper, crushed 4 oz

red and purple fingerling potatoes

½ oz

mixed chard microgreens

2 oz

tri-color carrots

PREPARATION Make your rub, starting with the pork loin.

Combine some of the honey, Aleppo pepper, oil and Serrano salt. Rub pork loin down and allow to marinate, up to four hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Next, take loin and put a hard sear on it (for a crust). Pull off and place on sheet pan going directly into the cooler. Don't forget to cover it.

While this is cooling, start bright pesto by placing green onions on a grill to heat quickly. If using flat top, use oil to help blister them, throw garlic in as well, then pull off and place in Vitamix or blender and add parsley. Blend until paste forms, then add oil and lemon juice. Place off to side.

Cut potatoes and carrots in long ways. Toss in bowl with remaining oil and a pinch of Serrano salt and garlic. Place on sheet tray and place in oven and roast for 20 minutes. Pull out and cool for service. Slice pork loin to 6 ozs, about a thumb and pinky width. Place on flat top or grill and heat the remaining way through. Take potatoes and place in small sauté pan and either place in oven or sauté in small amounts of oil to heat through.

For plating, place potatoes on bottom of the plate.

Add microgreens to side of it and top with pork loin, then drizzle bright pesto on top with a few more microgreens.

2 oz

butter

PREPARATION Pre-marinate pork loin medallions in a small shallow dish with 1 oz olive oil, Cajun seasoning, garlic, fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Rub well and then wrap in set in cooler. In a medium–high temp cast iron skillet, add 2 ozs olive oil and bacon, onions, then stir and cook for 7 minutes.

Then in pan, add potatoes, herbs and brown potatoes until almost done. Then add sausage, garlic, jalapeños and stir occasionally to prevent from sticking to pan.

Once potato hash is done, take out of cast iron skillet and set aside. Wipe out skillet, then bring back to medium–high temperature and add marinated oil first, then add pork medallions. Sear well on both sides, or until done, then remove from skillet. Set to the side.

Place hash in center of wooden plank, shingle with pork medallions, then topped with blackberry butter, garnish with herbs.

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pork belly

F O O D

54 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

CRISPY PORK BELLY W/WILTED CHARD & SMOKED SWEET POTATOES CHEF DAVID QUICK | REINHART KNOXVILLE INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1] 5 oz

pork belly, braised

1 Tbsp extra virgin canola oil

BOURBON MOLASSES-BRAISED PORK BELLY W/ CRISPY FRIED OYSTERS, GREEN TOMATO JAM & MUSTARD GLAZE CHEF DAVID CUNNINGHAM | REINHART VALDOSTA

¼ oz

whole shallot, peeled

2 oz

swiss chard

1 oz

cider apple vinegar

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1]

2 oz

chicken broth, canned

4 ½ oz braised pork belly

½ ea

whole garlic, peeled

3 ea

2

sweet potatoes (recipe below)

3 tsp green tomato jam

½ Tbsp golden molasses, unsulphured ½C

honey

¼C

lemon juice

1 Tbsp grade A sweet cream solid butter, salted ¼ tsp

ground paprika, smoked

PREPARATION Set the oven to 400° F. Braise pork belly in pan for 3 hours at 300° F. Cool and portion in small squares.

Oil portioned pork belly and place on small sheet tray. Place in oven and heat for 10 minutes.

While pork belly is heating, get sauté pan going over medium heat and place in oil. Add sliced shallot, garlic and sauté for 1 minute, then quickly add Swiss chard and toss. Next, add small splash of cider vinegar, chicken broth and touch of salt and reduce liquid until gone.

Sweet Potatoes: Set the oven to 400 F. Prick with fork and bake in oven for 1 hour or until soft. Pull out and place in smoker for 30 minutes. Take out of smoker, peel skin and place in Vitamix. Add molasses, paprika, salt and butter and blend until smooth. You can add a touch of chicken broth for a smoother texture.

Reduction: Take braising liquid from finalized pork belly in small pan and reduce over medium heat. Add honey and lemon juice while reducing. Taste and adjust seasoning.

To plate dish, first whisk smoked sweet potatoes. Then pile on chard. Next, add crispy pork belly, then drizzle reduction side to side.

½ oz

fried oysters mustard glaze

PREPARATION Cut pork belly into even 1 ½ oz cubes. Heat fryer oil to 350 F in a small sauce pot (or use deep fryer). Heat a minimal amount of oil in sauté pan and sear pork belly in a large skillet until crisp on the outside. Once crisp, add about 2 cups of the reserved braising liquid to the skillet and allow pieces of pork belly to reduce to glaze.

Drizzle plates with mustard glaze. Place pieces of seared and glazed pork belly on top of the mustard glaze. Top each piece of belly with a dollop of green tomato jam. Lightly bread ea oyster and quickly fry until golden brown. Place one on top of ea pork belly. Garnish with thinly cut green onions.

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salads

F O O D

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SMOKED FLAT IRON STEAK & GRILLED PEACH SALAD

STEAK MODENA INSALATA

CHEF CHRISTOPHER HOLDEN | REINHART MILWAUKEE

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1]

CHEF GREGG REITER | REINHART KNOXVILLE

8 oz

flat iron steak

3 oz

lemon sorrel and arugula

flat iron steak

3 oz

balsamic vinaigrette

3 oz

lettuce blend

2 oz

roasted red peppers, rough cut

2 oz

balsamic vinaigrette dressing

1 oz

shaved parmesan

1 oz

glazed walnut

1 tsp Northwood steak seasoning

1 oz

goat cheese, crumbled

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 oz

peaches, sliced

1 tsp kosher salt

1 oz

green onions, sliced

1 tsp black pepper

Âź

salt and pepper

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1] 4 oz

PREPARATION Preheat smoker to 200 F. Season flat iron steak with salt and pepper and place in smoker for 3 hours.

Internal temperature should reach 145 degrees. Let flat iron cool and slice into 1 oz slices.

Slice peaches and place wedges directly on a hot grill, turning over until marked and warmed through. In a bowl, toss lettuce blend with balsamic dressing.

Plate lettuce in a large bowl and top with arranged peaches, walnuts and goat cheese. Place steak slices on grill just until marked and warmed through and arrange on top of salad.

PREPARATION Remove steak from cooler, oil with extra virgin olive oil, season with Northwood seasoning, and let rest at room temperature for 5 minutes to 7 minutes.

Place on hot char grill, grilling for 3 minutes to four minutes. On each side, remove and allow to rest for 3 minutes to 4 minutes.

Place greens in mixing bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, ladle balsamic dressing over and toss.

Place salad greens on plate, spread roasted red peppers. Slice steak on bias, lay it over salad, toss with shaved parmesan.

Garnish with sliced green onions. Drizzle a bit of balsamic dressing over the top of the salad before serving.

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short ribs

F O O D

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POLYNESIAN BARBECUE SHORT RIBS W/LIME PAPAYA SLAW CHEF DAVID CUNNINGHAM REINHART VALDOSTA

|

MOLASSESGLAZED SHORT RIBS W/LOBSTER & CABERNET PERUVIAN MASH

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1]

CHEF DEMETRIO MARQUEZ | REINHART NEW ORLEANS

4 oz

Prairie Creek all-natural fully cooked

beef chuck short ribs

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1]

4 oz

lime papaya slaw (recipe 67)

2 oz

Polynesian barbecue sauce

(recipe 67)

8 oz

short ribs, cooked

3 oz

molasses glaze (recipe below)

6 oz

purple Peruvian potatoes

8 oz

cabernet wine reduction (recipe below)

PREPARATION

8 oz

butter, unsalted

Purée limes, sugar, scallion whites and vinegar in blender. Slowly drizzle in oil to emulsify. Finish with salt and pepper.

8 oz

savory cream (recipe below)

Toss shredded cabbage, carrots, pineapple, mango, papaya and scallion green, making sure vegetables and fruit are evenly coated with dressing. Allow to sit for at least an hour before service.

To serve, dip short rib in barbecue sauce to coat.

When hot, remove from oven and sauce again.

Place 4 ozs of the lime papaya slaw on a plate.

Place hot short ribs on top of the slaw. Garnish with green onion, white cut on a bias, and toasted white sesame seed.

3 sprigs fresh thyme 4 oz

cooked lobster knuckle with claw meat

Salt & pepper to taste

PREPARATION Molasses Glaze: Turn the temperature on stove to medium heat. In a small sauce pan, add molasses and 2 ozs of butter, and stir continuously on stove until it reduces to half. Set aside.

Cabernet Wine Reduction: Keep the temperature on stove at medium heat. In a small sauce pan, pour in wine, then reduce by half over stove. Set aside.

Savory Cream: Keep the temperature on stove at low-medium heat. In a small sauce pan, add heavy cream, butter and thyme. Let it steep for 10 minutes, then remove thyme. Set aside.

On a cookie sheet, place cut and uniformed cooked short ribs on the wire rack and cook for 10 minutes. Around the 8-minute mark, check internal temperature for 155 degrees, then with a brush, glaze short ribs with molasses and finish until caramelized.

In a 2-quart pot, add salt to water, then bring to a boil. Add peeled and cubed purple Peruvian potatoes to water and boil until firm. Once cooked, strain potatoes and put back into pot, then add reduced cabernet wine, ½ of savory cream and mash. Adjust with salt and pepper, then set aside.

In a small shallow pan, add ½ of savory cream and lobster meat and place on stove for 8 minutes.

Remove, adjust with salt and pepper.

Ideally, the mash is in the center of the plate, then shingle with short ribs on one side, topped with lobster, garnished with fried leeks, thyme sprig and capped lemon half. Drizzle cream reduction over lobster and molasses reduction over short ribs.

F O O D

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ANCHO-RUBBED BEEF KABOBS OVER POLENTA TOPPED W/ CILANTRO CHIMICHURRI 60 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

skewers

GARLIC MOJO PORK TENDERLOIN SKEWER

GARLIC MOJO PORK TENDERLOIN SKEWER CHEF DEMETRIO MARQUEZ REINHART NEW ORLEANS

|

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1] 6 oz

boneless pork loin, cubed

1 Tbsp fajita seasoning 1 Tbsp paprika 4 oz

green bell peppers, cut into squares

4 oz

red bell peppers, cut into squares

4 oz

onions, cut into quarters

¼

pineapple, cut into cubes

6 oz

garlic, chopped

2 oz

jalapeños, diced

3 oz

olive oil

1

lime

PREPARATION Preheat grill to 350 F. In a shallow dish, add pork, garlic, lime juice, fajita seasoning, paprika and jalapeños. Mix well and let the pork marinate overnight.

Once meat has marinated, with a large skewer, add pork, onion, green bell, pineapple and red bell pepper. Repeat until product is gone; you may need two skewers. Then place on grill and cook until done, 5 minutes to 8 minutes; finish with lime juice.

White rice and black beans go well with this dish, or a large plate of yellow rice with a cup of black beans and garnished with cilantro, with corn tortillas.

FLAT IRON BEEF KOREAN SATAY PG 67

ANCHO-RUBBED BEEF KABOBS OVER POLENTA TOPPED W/CILANTRO CHIMICHURRI CHEF JUSTIN VAN HORNE | REINHART LA CROSSE MEAT PLANT INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1] 1 ½ oz steak tips, diced, and seasoned with

Culinary Secrets ancho chili seasoning

1

tomatillo, diced

1

onion, diced

POLENTA 1C

polenta

2C

water

2C

milk

2 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp crème fraiche ¼C

parmesan Reggiano

2 tsp salt PREPARATION Cook polenta with water and milk. Once thick, add butter, crème fraiche, parmesan Reggiano and salt.

CHIMICHURRI ½

onion, chopped rough

1

garlic clove

¼C

cilantro leaves

½C

parsley leaves

½C

olive oil

1

lime, juiced

1 tsp cumin 1 tsp coriander 1 tsp kosher salt PREPARATION In a blender, mix ingredients.

PREPARATION On a skewer, place beef, tomatillo and onion.

Repeat until all ingredients are exhausted. Grill until cooked medium, rotating occasionally. Place kabobs on top of a pool of soft polenta, then drizzle with chimichurri.

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steak

F O O D

62 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

CHEF BRIAN FUNK | REINHART SHAWANO

BALL TIP W/PURPLE CAULIFLOWER & APPLE CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1]

CHEF BRIAN FUNK | REINHART SHAWANO

6 oz

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1]

SKIRT STEAK WITH KIMCHI APPLE SLAW boneless skirt steak

1 srv kimchi apple slaw 32 oz green cabbage 3 oz

green onions

¼ oz

extra light amber honey

4 oz

spicy kimchi cabbage, chopped

3 oz

soy sauce

½ oz

sesame oil

4 oz

canola oil

PREPARATION Cut Napa cabbage thinly, small dice green onions, slice apple julienne and rough chop on kimchi.

Make vinaigrette and toss lightly with slaw. Slice and shingle skirt steak. Place kimchi-apple slaw on side.

8 oz

ball tip steak

1 head purple cauliflower 4 1/3 oz heavy cream 1 oz

butter, salted

½ oz

ancho chili seasoning

½ oz

ground paprika, smoked

½ oz

thyme, fresh

1 oz

extra virgin olive oil

1/8 oz

5-spice blend Chinese seasoning

1 srv

apple chutney (recipe below)

4 ea

Red Delicious apples

10 ½ oz sugar beet, granulated extra fine ¾ oz

raisins

1/3 oz

ginger root, fresh

1/8 oz

chili powder, dark

1/8 oz

cumin seed, ground

1 ½ oz white vinegar, distilled PREPARATION Grill ball tip steak to temperature, then slice. Cut one head of purple cauliflower into pieces, and steam in microwave with water until cooked.

Blend together butter, salt and pepper along with ancho chili and smoked paprika. Add thyme until smooth. Reserve.

For apple chutney, chop apples and add to water with vinegar and chopped ginger. Sauté apples along with raisins for 2 to 3 minutes. Add sugar and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Add chili pepper, chinese 5 spice, cumin and mix well. Cool down and reserve.

Slice ball tip. Paint the purple cauliflower onto plate with brush. Add the sliced ball tip next to the purée. Top half ball tip with apple chutney.

SPIEDINI PG 67

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64 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

steak tartare

F O O D

CLASSIC STEAK TARTARE CHEF JEFF MERRY | REINHART BOSTON

THAI-INSPIRED STEAK TARTARE W/CRISP SOBA NOODLE CAKE

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 2]

CHEF JEFF MERRY | REINHART BOSTON

3 oz

anchovies

INGREDIENTS [Servings: 2]

2/3 oz

non-pareil imported caper

1 oz

Dijon mustard

8 oz

tenderloin steak

4

egg yolks

1 oz

Maggi sauce

8 oz

beef tenderloin

2 oz

red onion, peeled and diced

½ oz

curly fresh parsley, cleaned and

chopped 1 ½ oz extra virgin olive oil ¼ oz

hot sauce

½ oz

Worcestershire sauce

½ oz

Jonathan sprouts

PREPARATION In a bowl, combine anchovies, capers and mustard; mash until a paste develops. Add egg yolks and blend.

Dice tenderloin, place in a bowl and add parsley, olive oil, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Combine everything (egg mixture and meat mixture). Season with sea salt and coarse black pepper.

1/3 oz whole ginger root, peeled and grated 3/8 oz red onion, diced 2 oz

fresh Thai basil, chopped

½ oz

sesame oil

1/8 oz black sesame seed 1/8 oz whole sesame seed 3 oz

soba noodles

PREPARATION Dice tenderloin, place in bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours. Cook soba noodles per instructions, then set aside and cool. Add to the diced tenderloin, Maggi, sesame oil, Thai basil, ginger and onion. Mix and return to refrigerator. Take a hot 6-inch sauté pan and add cooked noodles.

Form a pancake in the pan. Once crispy, flip and continue to cook until done. Place on plate and top with molded tartare rolled in black and white sesame seeds.

Serve with grilled crostini. Garnish with Jonathan sprouts.

SUMMER 2018 RFSDELIVERS.COM 65

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PORK CHOP W/BLUEBERRY GASTRIQUE CHEF BRIAN FUNK | REINHART SHAWANO INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1] 8 oz

pork chop

32 oz

blueberries

24 oz

balsamic vinegar

24 oz

sugar

6 oz

red skin mashed potatoes

1

lemon

PREPARATION Follow traditional recipe for mashed potatoes. Put hot mash in bowl. Grate 1 lemon into bowl of mash and mix. Place lemon mash into middle of plate. Top with pork chop and drizzle with blueberry.

In a sauce pan, bring sugar, balsamic and blueberries along with ¼ cup water. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes to 40 minutes until desired thickness. For plating, lay flat square plate. Lemon mash in middle, pork chops leaning together with the blueberry gastrique drizzled over both and a few dots on the plate as well.

STEAK & BEETS SALAD

CHEF JUSTIN VAN HORNE | REINHART LAX MEAT INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1]

1 oz

yellow onion, diced

1 Tbsp

Gochujang powder

2 ea

white eggs

2 oz

prepared hollandaise sauce

1 tsp

chives, freshly sliced

Salt & pepper to taste

PREPARATION Cut short ribs into ½ inch slices. Season short ribs with ½ Gochujang powder and place on a flattop or sauté pan to sear until golden brown and heated through.

Heat hollandaise sauce in a small sauce pot and season with half of the Gochujang powder. Place onions on flattop with hash brown potatoes, mixing well and seasoning with salt and pepper.

Fry eggs to desired doneness on flattop.

Plate cooked hash and onions, top with short ribs, fried eggs and hollandaise sauce. Garnish with sliced chives and dust with smoked paprika.

BOURBON MOLASSES BRAISED PORK BELLY

CHEF DAVID CUNNINGHAM | REINHART VALDOSTA INGREDIENTS [Servings: 8] 3 pounds pork belly 1C

bourbon

1C

orange juice

1C

chicken or beef stock

½C

brown sugar

3 oz

Eagle Ridge medallion steaks

½C

molasses

2 oz

red beets

½C

cider vinegar

2 oz

yellow beets

2 oz

urban salad blend

1 ea

yellow onion

1 oz

cherry tomatoes, halved

3 tsp

kosher salt

¼ oz

blue cheese crumbles

3 tsp

freshly ground black pepper

1/8 oz

thinly sliced red onion

1/8 oz

thinly sliced watermelon radishes

1 Tbsp

pomegranate seeds

2 oz

raspberry balsamic vinaigrette

PREPARATION Season medallions liberally with salt and pepper. Grill until medium rare and slice. Mix the rest of the ingredients, then top off with grilled medallion slices.

GOCHUJANG SHORT RIB STEAK & EGGS CHEF CHRISTOPHER HOLDEN | REINHART MILWAUKEE INGREDIENTS [Servings 2] 6 oz

short rib beef chuck

4 oz

hash brown potatoes, skin on

66 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

2 dozen medium-sized shucked fresh oysters 2C

Culinary Secrets general purpose breading

PREPARATION Season both sides of pork belly with kosher salt and black pepper.

Store in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 225 F. Place seasoned pork belly on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Roast fat side up for 2 hours. Remove from oven. Pour off rendered pork fat into a small bowl to reserve.

Remove roasting rack and place bellies back in the roasting pan fat side up. Julienne the yellow onion. In a medium sauce pot, caramelize onions with 2 Tbsp of the rendered pork fat.

When golden brown, de-glaze with bourbon, then add orange juice, beef stock, brown sugar, molasses and cider vinegar. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 15 minutes.

Pour over the pork belly and then return pork belly to oven for 2 more hours.

Transfer pork to a sheet pan, reserving the braising liquid, and let cool completely. Once reserved braising liquid has completely cooled, remove fat that solidifies on the surface.

POLYNESIAN BARBECUE SAUCE

CHEF DAVID CUNNINGHAM | REINHART VALDOSTA INGREDIENTS [Servings: 2] 16 oz 1C 1C ½C ¼C ½C 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 2 tsp 1 Tbsp ½C 2

Guinea hen pineapple juice beef broth brown sugar soy sauce ketchup garlic, minced ginger, minced jalapeño, diced and seeded crush red pepper Worcestershire sauce yellow onion, diced green onions, thinly sliced

PREPARATION Cut the Guinea hen in half and remove the spine. Season the hen.

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom sauce pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened.

LIME PAPAYA SLAW

CHEF DAVID CUNNINGHAM | REINHART VALDOSTA INGREDIENTS [Servings: 6] 3 1½C ¾C 1½C

¾C 3 tsp ½ tsp 1 1C 2C 2C 2C 2C 8 Tbsp ¼C

limes peeled with a knife, no white sugar apple cider vinegar green onion whites only, chopped (reserve green part for slaw) vegetable oil kosher salt white pepper, ground five-pound bag shredded cabbage carrots, shredded pineapple, diced mango, diced papaya, diced green onion, green only, thinly sliced butter, unsalted garlic, minced

PREPARATION Purée limes, sugar, scallion whites and vinegar in blender.

Slowly drizzle in oil to emulsify. Finish with salt and pepper.

Toss shredded cabbage, carrots, pineapple, mango, papaya and scallion green, making sure vegetables and fruit are evenly coated with dressing. Allow to sit for at least an hour before service.

FLAT IRON BEEF KOREAN SATAY CHEF DEMETRIO MARQUEZ | REINHART NEW ORLEANS INGREDIENTS [Servings: 1] 10 oz 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp

flat iron steak soy sauce brown sugar chopped garlic

2 Tbsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 Tbsp

orange juice ground ginger sesame oil scallion chopped

PREPARATION Preheat oven to 365 F. Slice flat iron beef bias against the grain, into 1 ½ in long ribbon strips. Then, in a small mixing bowl, add beef strips, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, orange juice, ginger powder and garlic and mix well. Wrap and set in cooler overnight for at least 3 hours for proper marinate. Then, with prep-soaked wooden skewers, simply go through the beef at ½ inch intervals to ensure meat is properly secured (be very careful not to skewer your fingers). Once skewering is done, place beef satays on grill and turn accordingly. As you turn the skewers, you may want to baste beef with marinate for more intense flavor.

Plate with steamed rice or Asian slaw salad, with satays around the base. Cilantro, sesame seed and orange slices to garnish.

SPIEDINI

CHEF DAVID CUNNINGHAM | REINHART VALDOSTA INGREDIENTS [Servings: 2] 8 oz 4 oz 1 oz SPIEDINI 8 oz 3 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 1 tsp ½ tsp ½ tsp 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp

spiedini (recipe below) escarole and white beans tomato and roasted garlic jus flap meat steak seasoned bread crumbs chopped parsley minced garlic kosher salt black pepper, course seasoned bread crumbs grated Parmesan cheese grated Romano cheese

ROASTED TOMATO AND GARLIC JUS 1 lb Roma tomatoes 1 lb roasted garlic 1/2 C white wine 2C chicken stock 2 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped ¼ tsp crushed red pepper

PREPARATION Mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and Romano cheese in a small bowl. Butterfly flap meat steak; lay flat and pound with a meat tenderizer to flatten to ¼-inch thickness, keeping meat as square as possible. Mix chopped parsley and minced garlic together. Spread garlic and parsley onto the inside surface of the meat. Season with S&P. Sprinkle breadcrumb and cheese mixture onto meat surface and tap slightly. Roll the meat, starting on the long side into roulade and fasten with 2 six-inch bamboo skewers.

Grill to desired temperature by intermittently rolling. Allow to rest 2 to 5 minutes. Remove skewers and slice into ½-inch slices.

Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and oil lightly. Place cut side down on sheet pan and roast in 400 F oven for 10 minutes.

Pull out and remove skins. Return to oven for 10 more minutes.

Let cool and chop. Place chopped tomatoes and all remaining ingredients in a sauce pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Reserve warm for service.

To serve, shingle sliced spiedini on the front of the plate. Sauce with 1 oz of tomato and roasted garlic jus. Place casserole with escarole and white beans on the back of the plate.

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Monell’s in the

c C i s ity u M le Institution Keeps It Rea l i v h s a N s i l Th

By Audarshia Townsend

There’s a reason why Monell’s is a Nashville institution. Established in Germantown in 1995, it’s where old-timers break bread with the younger set at communal-style tables. All races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, etc. bond over signature skillet fried chicken and home-style biscuits. And no one—absolutely no one—jumps the line of people waiting patiently 25 minutes to 35 minutes to get into the restaurant.

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Oprah Winfrey and former President Bill Clinton found out first hand Monell’s doesn’t play favorites—and they don’t take reservations. There’s an even playing field here, explains owner Michael King, who once told a dismayed Winfrey over the phone, “You’re calling me at 12 o’clock noon on a Sunday after church in the South. … It’s a 25-minute, 30-minute wait.”

You’d think a place like this would be a dime a dozen in a Southern city. But there’s something about Monell’s that’s very special—beyond the 18 tons of fried chicken they sell a month—and it deftly connects old-school, Honky Tonk Nashville to its chic new image as a foodie paradise. We talked to Michael King about Monell’s legacy, Nashville’s sudden rise in the culinary industry and more as part of Restaurant Inc’s Great American Food Cities series.

monellstn.com

Photo by Suzanne Henkle

RESTAURANT INC: THE COMMUNAL DINING CONCEPT HAS

BECOME TRENDY IN RECENT YEARS. DID YOU PREDICT THIS AND IS IT SUSTAINABLE?

Michael King: I’ve always said you’ll find restaurants that will go to family-style dining only because rent is so expensive, and real estate is so expensive. Europe has it down pat and it’s very common there. (The) 9-11 (terrorist attacks in New York) really taught me how much people value the company of other people. When it happened, for the next eight months, we were so slammed. We did volume in lunches we had never done before. Customers needed the comfort of other people. Also, in 2008, with the economy going crazy, a lot of restaurants went up in price. I absorbed those costs, which meant that I had to work more hours.

I knew people were going through the same thing I was going through.

It made no sense to go up in price, and people appreciated it. We didn’t cut back on the quality of food. We just sucked it up and it really paid off.

People saw that and appreciated it. They rewarded us with their business.

RI: ARE THERE ANY OTHER RESTAURANTS IN NASHVILLE THAT YOU FEEL EMBODY OLD-SCHOOL, TRADITIONAL SOUTHERN CUISINE? MK: Arnold’s has been around longer than Monell’s. It’s cafeteria-style.

Wendell’s Smith Restaurant has been doing it a lot longer, for 80-plus years.

My favorite place to eat in Nashville is Calypso Café. It serves rotisserie chicken, black beans, greens and coconut muffins. That’s where I go for my comfort.

RI: WHAT NEIGHBORHOOD DO YOU LIKE THE MOST IN NASHVILLE? MK: I love Germantown. I’ve seen it grow. We’ve gone from two restaurants when I opened Monell’s, now we have 25, including bars. If you ask old-timer Nashvillians, they will tell you Germantown used to be the sh_ts. Now there are $2 million and $3 million homes. It takes things like Monell’s or people like Berdelle Campbell and her husband, Ernest, who started the urban development of Germantown. They sacrificed years before people started moving over here. Germantown is my favorite neighborhood, not just because I live in it, but I just love the mix of it.

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RI: WHEN YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT CHILLING OUT FOR A DRINK OR LIVE MUSIC, WHERE DO YOU GO? MK: I love going to an old honky tonk in the Gulch before it became popular, but I don’t go out much these days. I’m around people all the time, all day long, so when I want to chill, I want to be alone.

“I love Germantown. I’ve seen it grow.

We’ve gone from two restaurants when I opened Monell’s, now we have 25, including bars.”

– Michael King

Monell’s Owner

RI: DO YOU FEEL NASHVILLE’S CULINARY SCENE IS GROWING TOO FAST? MK: There’s plenty of business to go around, but some of the new businesses coming in are missing the mark. People in Nashville don’t want to pay $25 for a hamburger. I don’t know if they’re really reading the vibes of the people. As many restaurants that are opening in Nashville, others are closing in six, eight months because they did not feel the pulse of the people.

RI: HOW THRIVING ARE THE DISTILLERY AND BREWERY SCENES IN NASHVILLE? MK: We only had Yazoo Brewing at first and they were pretty out there when it first started. And now we have 22 self-brewers and I am glad. You talk about a close-knit group. Brewers support each other. They work off each other. They egg each other on. They have a strong group, and I think that’s why they flourish. It’s fun with the distillery and the moonshine and all that because for years, there was only the Jack Daniels distillery. Now you have people taking chances and creating some really great new spirits that are amazing.

Some people are willing to move the mark and challenge taste buds.

I love the idea that we finally got moonshine approved because it’s a signature of the South. n

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Photo by Suzanne Henkle

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BENEFITS OF WHOLE ANIMAL BUTCHERING

Starting an in-house butchering program can offer many advantages

by Ari Bendersky

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Butchering in house can also save you money, so long as you know what you're doing. You need to understand what you're cutting and also be committed to using the whole animal.

The idea of bringing an entire 800-pound side of beef into your restaurant to break down and butcher in house may not sound appealing to everyone, but those who embark on whole animal butchering often find many benefits to the practice.

Sure, a full steer might take up more than half of your kitchen, but you can start out smaller with whole hogs or goats, which take up less space and, frankly, might be easier to work with for someone starting out. If you do get into butchering at this level, you need to know not only how to break them down, but also how to identify different cuts and find ways to utilize the entire animal.

Otherwise, you might as well just buy portions from your supplier.

"With whole animal butchery, you use the animal in the proper way instead of just throwing all the meat in the grinder," says Walter Apfelbaum, executive butcher at Prime + Proper in Detroit.

"We want to make sure you utilize all the meat. It gives restaurants the opportunity to do a lot more dishes."

animal—then it's not going to work for you," says Erik Niel, chef/ owner of Easy Bistro & Bar and Main Street Meats in Chattanooga, Tenn. "We pay roughly $3.50 a pound for the entire beef carcass, so our price for tenderloins and also for bones is $3.50 a pound.

We're always looking for the mix of how to make our margins on that."

To have a proper in-house set up, you need the right tools. If you have the space, install a band saw; otherwise a good handsaw can do the trick. You'll need a meat grinder, a large table (preferably butcher block because steel or metal can damage your tools), and a variety of knives, including a butcher knife, boning knife and small trimming knife.

Having your own butchering program allows you to know where the animal is coming from and lets you build a deeper relationship with a farmer or purveyor. On top of that, it gives you a story to tell your customers.

Butchering in house can also save you money, so long as you know what you're doing. You need to understand what you're cutting and also be committed to using the whole animal.

"If you're not 100 percent committed to using the full nose to tail and finding a way to use every piece of it to make money—even if it's just marginally contributing to the cost of the

"Young people are concerned and want to know where the animals are coming from," says John Dvorak, corporate director of fresh meats for Reinhart Foodservice.

"You're bringing in local product, the chef is butchering and can tell you about it. That resonates well with people."

At the end of the day, isn't your story almost as important as the food your guests, hopefully, talk positively about? It's all about getting people investing in what they consume. n

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CUT TO THE NEW Beef up the value with frugally flavorful alternatives

After years of price spikes, beef costs are slowly coming down to earth. Slice into some extraordinary values right now with these less expensive but wildly flavorful cuts recommended by Laura Hagen, senior director for the Culinary for National Cattlemen’s Association.

by Mindy S. Kolof

Instead of Tenderloin: Shoulder Tender (petite tender) Shaped like a tenderloin, and as juicy and tender as one, the shoulder tender is smaller and more affordable. Grill, broil or roast, and seize its unique value opportunity by offering as a mini roast for two to four diners.

Instead of Strip Steak: Coulotte Steak (top sirloin cap) A savory roast with plenty of marbling, this cut is best roasted in the oven, smoked slowly on the grill or cut into Coulotte steaks.

Consumers are beginning to hear about this cut at retailers, so give them the opportunity to sample—and fall in love with—it on your menu. “A Coulotte roast offers a unique, lovely flavor at a very reasonable price,” says Hagen.

Instead of Skirt Steak: Sirloin Bavette Also called the sirloin flap, this thin, boneless, hearty cut is perfect for fajitas, chimichurris and more.

With extensive surface area for marinades, sirloin Bavette acts exactly like skirt steak on the grill or broiler pan at a lower cost.

Instead of Sirloin Tip: Petite Sirloin (ball tip) The small roast section of the bottom sirloin makes a cost-friendly substitute for the mighty sirloin tip that always turns out well, whether grilled, smoked or roasted. Sized to feed two to four people, the petite sirloin makes a special shareable dinner or a buffet offering that knows how to retain its juiciness.

MORE TO CONSIDER: Tri-tip roast. Boneless and tender, this California favorite, cut from the bottom of the sirloin, is becoming part of the beef vernacular everywhere.

It’s terrific for grilling, roasting, braising, broiling or smoking.

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Hanger steak. Formerly called the butcher’s cut because knowledgeable beef experts wanted to keep it for themselves, this tender cut is rapidly gaining followers. Try it with a spicy rub or savory marinade. n

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Take Flight lowwss allo nuss al menu stiningg me tast k-ta eakstea ng st feriring Of Offe ts cuts of cu etyy of variriet tryy aa va to tr ts to ests gu gues ndersky Ari Be

S

teakhouses don’t shy away from offering a variety of cuts of meat—Angus, Wagyu, lamb chops, venison—nor do they fear giving diners the option of sizable steaks like a 32-ounce tomahawk or 14-ounce New York strip.

Sometimes the steaks get dry or wet aged for 28 days or even up to more than 100.

With the higher ticket price, people usually don’t order more than one steak despite wanting to try more, and that’s where offering a steak flight or tasting portion can be beneficial.

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“We decided to do a flight because people are more interested and excited to try different cuts of meat,” says Giuseppe Tentori, executive chef/partner of Chicago’s GT Prime. “It’s more approachable financially and people get the option of tasting different meat than they normally would. With a flight, it’s more exciting and you can compare the meat next to each other.”

GT Prime offers a number of steaks, ranging in cost from $38 for beef tenderloin up to $90 for A5 Miyazaki Wagyu. But the coup is its $220 carnivore steak tasting: four eight-ounce cuts served sliced. A current menu has beef filet, venison, bison and American 78 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

Wagyu, but the options can change depending on what the kitchen has and what they want to introduce to guests.

Tentori says even though the carnivore offering costs more, it’s almost all meat trimmed of the fat presented without any bones, so guests are getting 32 ounces of quality meat. Sometimes, multiple people at a table will each order one but, at the end of the day, it’s about hospitality, not revenue.

“If we do 100 covers a night, we’ll do 10 percent of the carnivore (offering),” Tentori says. “It’s more for the experience than us making money. Food costs are

“It’s more approachable financially and people get the option of tasting different meat than they normally would.”

– Giuseppe Tentori, executive chef/partner of GT Prime

higher for us, so we’re really not making too much, but we do OK. It’s not about the money.”

It is, however, about making guests happy and that’s something Troy Guard, chef/owner of Guard + Grace in Denver, takes to heart. The owner of the TAG Restaurant Group includes a filet mignon flight on his steakhouse menu for the simple reason he wants guests to explore different types of beef. For $75, guests enjoy four ounces each of prime, Angus and grass-fed beef, which Guard says it ends up even being a little less expensive than ordering everything separately because they subtract a few dollars per protein. And, like

Tentori, for Guard it’s not about the money.

“Steak is always going to be a high food cost,” Guard says. “It’s hard to make money off meat and we’ve come to accept that. The steak is our draw and ‘marketing tool’ you could say and it’s our job to get creative and make something delicious for the guest.”

Though it may not be the biggest money maker, offering a steak flight or steak tasting can hook curious diners into trying a wider variety, which will then get them talking to others about your restaurant. So in the long run, it really can add to your bottom line. n SUMMER 2018 RFSDELIVERS.COM 79

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Pour it On!: Steakhouse Fare

There’s more to pair with steaks—and steakhouse fare—than Napa cabernet Ari Bendersky

W

hen pairing steakhouse fare with drinks, people often think martinis and Napa cabernet, but it’s time to embrace the spectrum of red and white wine you can offer.

Brent Kroll

Richard Hanauer

To help prove that, we got pairing recommendations from two experts: Brent Kroll, owner of Maxwell Park wine bar in Washington, D.C., with a 500+ bottle list, and Richard Hanauer, wine director for Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ RPM restaurants in Chicago and D.C., where he oversees a list of approximately 1,100 bottles in Chicago alone. Both were named as sommeliers of the year by Food & Wine; Hanauer in 2015 and Kroll as part of the new 2018 class. So yeah, we trust their opinions.

2018 Food & Wine sommelier of the year

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2015 Food & Wine sommelier of the year

CHILLED KING CRAB LEGS Kroll: Albariño in a heartbeat. When you have the crab, you have this salty fruitiness and a rich texture, and the albariño adds lemon and salt notes to it.

Hanauer: My favorite is a wine that comes from the island of Ischia called biancolella. For an unoaked white wine, it has the body to stand up to the king crab.

BURGER WITH ONION JAM AND AGED CHEDDAR Kroll: I’d go with Rioja. It has higher acid and tannin and adds green herbal elements to clean the palate.

STEAK TARTARE WITH DIJON AND EGG YOLK Kroll: I love to pair this with gewürztraminer (an aromatic wine grape variety). Instead of doing a complete palate scrub, the gewürztraminer stands up with flowers, lychee and baking spice. For me, I think gewürztraminer can stick with the delicacy of the steak.

Hanauer: Chianti Classico all the way. You get umami from the onion and cheddar. The wine has incredible body for the burger, which is going to be juicy when you bite into it.

Hanauer: I like doing Alsatian gewürztraminer. If you take tartare’s individual components with cornichons, mustard, meat, etc., you end up with a northern Alsace-style charcuterie plate. All those work well with gewürztraminer.

CRAB CAKE WITH AIOLI Kroll: Carricante (a white wine originating from Sicily, Italy) from Etna. It’s one of those unsung heroes that has a waxy texture and not oxidized. It has higher acid that brings out the acid in the aioli and has the weight for crab with a slight saline quality.

Hanauer: I would do a Bandol rosé. Garlic is too tough to pair, but Provencal rosé is great with it. Bandol takes on these flavors and you end up with an impressive wine for this dish.

LOBSTER BISQUE Kroll: Fino sherry all day. Certain somms try to reinvent the wheel, but this is one of the most classic pairings you can find. It adds undertones of almonds, pear skin and sourdough or pumpernickel, so you get tree fruit quality.

Hanauer: I’d want something with nice weight and viscosity, so probably a Châteauneuf du Pape blanc. It has the weight and is low in fruit and high in earth flavor.

42-DAY AGED NEW YORK STRIP STEAK Kroll: It’s a rich, fatty steak and I want something gamy in my wine.

I’m going with one of my favorite regions: northern Rhone. It’s syrah, which is like a horse stable, leather, cured meat and it acts like seasoning.

Hanauer: To me, this is pure Barolo or Barbaresco country. The big thing that happens during the dry-aging process is you get earthen flavors and Barolo is the earthiest wine. It’s really dry, and when you bite into the moist, juicy steak you get dry wine and it’s lights out.

CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE Kroll: Green chartreuse is one of the best pairings I’ve ever had with chocolate lava cake. The chartreuse makes the chocolate taste dryer with a basil-tarragon element, so you’re getting this herbal note and it acts as a digestif. You have to drink it in moderation because it can get you hammered and give you a terrible hangover.

Hanauer: There’s a really cool region just to the east of Sherry called Montilla-Moriles and they use the Pedro Ximénez grape (PX). This wine more than any other really showcases the flavor of chocolate.

The grapes used are so raisined and have so much red fruit, it’s like drinking chocolate with chocolate. n

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Can

Kids Make You

Money?

Increase revenue during off-peak hours by catering to stroller set Erica Bethe Levin

C

atering to kids at restaurants isn’t just about providing crayons, high chairs, kiddie menus and chocolate milk. Strategically, it’s about filling the restaurant at seemingly less-desirable dining times, such as before the dinner rush or over weekend brunch, in an attempt to drum up business.

This lull period can prove profitable by serving families who want to dine efficiently yet deliciously, and who pay their bill just in time for the next turn to arrive.

important to create memories. They ate the oyster and it was healthy and we provided a really cool experience, so the parents think to take them to GT Fish the next time.”

Guiseppe Tentori, Michelin Star recipient and chef/partner at GT Prime and GT Fish & Oyster in Chicago, agrees that catering to children and families can only help business. At GT Fish & Oyster, Guiseppe will take age-appropriate kids behind the oyster bar to help shuck oysters.

The chicken and waffles entrée on the kids’ brunch menu at GT Prime is a huge hit, as is the caricature of Tentori gracing the menu that GT’s littlest diners can color with the crayons they’re given.

Tentori doesn’t miss the chance to increase revenue with the addition of unique brunch cocktails for the parents such as the “No. 1 With a Bullet,” a rye-based cocktail with crème de cacao, sherry, citrus stock, demerara and vanilla ice.

“I let them shuck an oyster each and they enjoy it,” he says. “It’s

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Also in Chicago, the Warbler, helmed by chef/partner Ken Carter, features incentives for families to dine between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Monday-Friday with a newly installed “supper club” offering. For $25 per person (kids nine and younger eat for free), diners choose one salad, one appetizer, one vegetable, one pasta, one flatbread and a choice of dessert. For larger families, there is an option to order two of each if desired. By 6 p.m., the supper club diners have finished, making room for the main dinner rush.

Co-founder/CEO Francesco Balli of Miami-based Grove Bay Hospitality Group is doing something similar to attract families at American Harvest.

The Farmhouse Tap & Grill in Burlington, Vt., offers little foodies a choice for their burger patty: LaPlatte beef, Misty Knoll turkey or a black bean veggie. And The Strand Bar & Grill, located within the newly renovated Carillon Miami Wellness Resort on Miami Beach, caters to the health-conscientious mom or dad. Executive Chef Stephen Ullrich has an $18 whole wheat tortilla-wrapped cheese quesadilla with salsa and guacamole on his menu, and all kids’ entrees include a side and dessert, of which fruits and vegetables make up 50 percent of the options.

Ullrich has a unique challenge in putting together the menu for a restaurant located inside of a hotel. “I think there has to be diversity and touch points that can make any family comfortable with the

“We entice (families) to come in earlier by offering them our ‘family meal.’”

– Francesco Balli of Miami-based Grove Bay Hospitality Group

“We entice (families) to come in earlier by offering them our ‘family meal,’” says Balli. That includes a whole roasted chicken, three sides and choice of sauce, for less than $9 per person. American Harvest also provides high chairs, booster seats and all-natural grab ‘n’ go snacks tailored for children.

offerings. We try to have a wide scope of offerings because being in a hotel, you can’t have the child eating the same thing all vacation.

(The Strand) offers guests a range of culinary options from guilt-free to indulgent, and I think it’s important that we offer the same options for children as well.”

Though financial incentives are important when trying to attract family diners, many parents are simply looking for options for their children beyond the typical chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese.

GT’s Guiseppe Tentori adds that though parents want healthy options for their child, you can’t force them to eat a certain way “or they’ll be cranky and make your meal miserable. We try to include some sort of vegetables, so if it’s mac and cheese, we’ll have crispy broccoli that (the kids) can dip in the cheese sauce and eat.” n

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Bison, Buffalo & More the New Beef

by Ari Bendersky

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Bison, Buffalo & More the New Beef

IS IT TIME TO INTRODUCE YOUR DINERS TO A VARIETY OF OTHER FUN MEATS?

On a recent trip to Buenos Aires, I had the pleasure of dining at El Baqueano, not only one of the city's top restaurants, but also number 19 on Latin America's 50 best restaurant list of 2017. What makes it unique is its focus on sourcing local ingredients, including Argentinean wines. Not just vegetables or meat raised nearby, but El Baqueano serves local meat diners may not normally encounter like llama, alligator, rhea (sort of like an ostrich) and vizcacha, a rodent resembling a cross between a rabbit and a chinchilla.

The point is, they aren't afraid to experiment with introducing diners to unfamiliar meats and neither should you. Yes, people are used to seeing beef, chicken and pork on menus, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't be interested in trying something less ordinary or expected. Turkey burgers weren't considered normal until 15 or so years ago nor was seeing bison on a menu. Both have made strong inroads at restaurants across the country and now it's time to expand beyond that.

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"We've seen that young people really are interested in trying new things," says John Dvorak, corporate director of fresh meats for Reinhart Foodservice. "One that is coming back is lamb. It has a unique flavor and is making a strong rebound and staying about the same cost as beef is rising. We're bringing in elk and wild boar, which has a richer flavor than regular pork. When people leave the restaurant, they'll talk about those exotic cuts and they expect to pay more for them."

There's a range of game meats you can explore. You may not sell a tremendous amount right off the bat, but you can start by ordering a few cuts, running a special and creating a little buzz. You can get ostrich, venison, goat—even alligator and llama. One way to easily introduce these meats to your diners? Ground them up to make burgers, Dvorak says.

"Exotic burgers are really popular," he says. "Unless you had one item as a special, you can use any wild game if you prepare it right."

For health-conscientious diners, bison is a lean alternative to beef and may be prepared similarly to how you would prepare steaks or burgers from a cow.

"Bison is amazing and it's one of my favorite cuts," says Walter Apfelbaum, executive butcher of Prime + Proper in Detroit. "It has healthier omega-3s (fatty acid) than salmon and the flavor you get is tremendous."

Apfelbaum also likes working with game meats like elk and venison, but cautions about the time of year to source those.

"In the winter, those animals have been eating more and packing on the pounds and the muscles are fattier," he adds. "I stay away from them in spring and summer because they lean out and they won't taste as good as in the winter."

(LAMB) HAS A UNIQUE FLAVOR AND IS MAKING A STRONG REBOUND AND STAYING ABOUT THE SAME COST AS BEEF IS RISING. John Dvorak, corporate director of fresh meats for Reinhart Foodservice

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BISON IS AMAZING AND IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE CUTS. Walter Apfelbaum, executive butcher of Prime + Proper in Detroit

With any new ingredient you add to your menu, don't over order as you don't know how well it will play with your customers. Start out with a few pieces you can introduce as a special and test things out. Duck, rabbit and quail offer good value, says Erik Niel, chef/owner of Easy Bistro & Bar in Chattanooga, Tenn. On the flipside, while including goat or buffalo might add something new and interesting to a menu, Niel personally hasn't found those click with his diners.

"It's the unique wow factor of putting a buffalo ribeye on the menu to get someone to try it—and it is good," Niel says. "But I've never been able to sustain the enthusiasm from our guests. People want what they want. If they're going out and spending money on a nice piece of meat, it's what they know or expect it to be."

While Niel poses an argument against using alternate meats, you need to see what works for you and your clientele, which might mean running something as an occasional special.

"As a chef, you need to ensure you can get your money back from it," Niel advises. "Getting it in the door is easy. Selling it can be challenging.

It's great for a tasting menu or specialty dinner." n

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Seafood Tower at Mastro’s

Avoid the Vegetarian Veto Mindy S. Kolof

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It’s a rare steakhouse that doesn’t offer menu variety for the vegetarian, vegan or flexitarian diner.

Shula’s Fish of the Day Plant-based eating is getting real. Three-fifths of consumers eat at least one meatless meal a week, according to Technomic, and apps like HappyCow and VeganXpress help diners easily find those meals at restaurants. Forward-looking steakhouses know the key to surviving the potential “veto vote” from a non-carnivorous member of a dining party, the menu needs other colors besides red.

Today’s top steakhouses boast a supporting cast of meatless offerings, such as Charlie Palmer Steak’s (Washington, D.C.) lobster corn dogs, Kevin Rathburn Steak’s (Atlanta) eggplant fries and charred jalapeño creamed corn, and Pappas Bros. Steakhouse’s (Dallas) lump crabmeat macaroni and cheese.

Others take an unexpected spin on a salad or sandwich to carve out a following. Known for filet so tender it can be cut with a fork, Chicago’s legendary steakhouse Gene & Georgetti ensures its steak-averse customers have memorable choices as well.

Rich in Italian heritage, the restaurant presents a variety of creative pasta entrees and proudly serves its signature “garbage” salad as a hearty entrée-sized dish.

A customizable two-foot-tall seafood tower lets customers build a meal that can include a dozen oysters, colossal steamed shrimp, lobster cocktails, stone crab claws and imperial Osetra caviar.

It’s not surprising that almost one out of five Mastro’s diners orders from the non-beef side of the menu. That’s according to Wade Wiestling, vice president of culinary development for Mastro’s.

“Many guests regularly make a meal out of our sushi, especially our signature clear lobster roll,” says Wiestling. “Our seafood entrees, including Ora King salmon, Alaska halibut and certified Chilean seabass, are served in large, steakhouse-sized portions.”

“We mirror our center of the plate steak offerings, using premium, thick cuts of seasonal fish to eliminate ‘plate envy’ and give non-beef diners a satisfying presentation.”

At Shula’s restaurants, approximately 20 percent of diners are drawn to the strong seafood component on the menu, according to Peter Farrand, Shula’s vice president of operations. Sea scallops, ahi tuna, shrimp, jumbo lump crab and lobster provide a bounty of choices, and the daily market fish features generously-sized portions of Mahi Mahi, swordfish or snapper.

“We mirror our center of the plate steak “The garbage salad was created decades offerings, using premium, thick cuts of ago when a customer requested a Hoagie - Peter Farrand, seasonal fish to eliminate ‘plate envy’ and give sandwich in salad form,” explains Michelle non-beef diners a satisfying presentation,” Molise, a Gene & Georgetti spokesperson. “The Shula’s VP of Ops says Farrand. original version features 11 different ingredients, including crisp, chopped vegetables, black olives and Shula’s also goes well beyond the traditional dish of pasta thinly sliced mozzarella cheese, tossed in our house-made primavera offered to vegetarians. A wildly popular appetizer of Italian vinaigrette and garnished with fresh, chilled jumbo shrimp.” ravioli made with forest mushrooms and wilted garlic spinach can be pumped up to entrée size, and there’s always enough mise en place to The Mastro’s Steakhouse chain, which serves a high-quality selection make an “an awesome vegan plate of grilled asparagus, roasted corn, of 16 different cuts of USDA prime steaks, has forged an equally charred tomato and artichoke ragout,” adds Farrand. n impressive pescatarian imprint with a fresh seafood and raw bar, lobster mashed potatoes and king crab gnocchi.

Gene & Georgetti’s Garbage Salad

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Put Some Meat On Those Greens!

by Mindy S. Kolof

Six Great Salads Certain to Please Carnivores Meat eaters can be greens lovers too, so it’s time to break out of the grilled chicken salad rut and cause some happy disruptions on your menu. Try some of these innovative ways to stretch your meat dollar with beefed-up takes on the traditional salad, featuring everything from a blackened petite tender to a braised lamb shoulder.

American Lamb & Berry Salad

Steak Verrine

Slowly braised American lamb shoulder finds its niche in mixed salad greens with raspberries or blackberries, toasted pecans, a large ripe avocado and creamy feta cheese dressing.

For a head-turning offering with real visual appeal, build this French classic in a tall glass using layers of tomato, avocado, mesclun greens, horseradish-mascarpone sauce and cubed, grilled beef tenderloin. Finish with cucumber ribbons, a few steak cubes and baguette croutons.

Blackened Steak Waldorf Salad Sear a Cajun spice-rubbed petite tender and serve warm over a classic Waldorf-style salad with watercress, red and green cabbage, apples, spiced walnuts and roasted grapes.

Stir in a creamy honey-cider dressing.

Beef & Coconut Noodle Salad A marinated (fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar and crushed red pepper) flat iron steak is the main attraction, seared, sliced and tossed with cellophane noodles, red onion, jalapeños, fresh herbs and a coconut-lime dressing. Garnish with toasted peanuts and shaved coconut.

3

Steak & Egg Salad The breakfast and all-day crowd will appreciate this mashup of grilled petite tender between roasted potato rounds, served with a poached egg in a nest of arugula and frisée.

Drizzle it with a warm and flavorful mustard-based dressing.

Mezze-Terranean Steak Salad Top a Moroccan-spiced chickpea, cucumber and pita chip salad with slices of harissa-rubbed grilled flat iron steak. n

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Using versatile cuts of meat across different dayparts

by Victor Ozols

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With the restaurant landscape more competitive than ever, efficiency can be the key to profitability. Finding multiple uses for one of the most important supplies– meat–can go a long way toward staying in the black while keeping diners coming back. By selecting the right cuts and employing a bit of creativity in using them, a restaurant can offer distinctive menu options throughout different dayparts without overspending. We spoke with meat experts at two completely different types of restaurants for advice on what works best across breakfast, lunch, dinner and beyond.

For Karl Marsh, chief culinary officer of the Omaha, Neb.based Eat Fit Go, the benefits of using double- and tripleduty meat cuts add up quickly. “We don’t want a cut that will only be used in one meal; we want it utilized across our offerings,” he says. “It creates less complexity for the operation and adds up to less labor, less food waste, and better rotation so it keeps things fresher, making the quality higher.”

(A versatile meat cut) creates less complexity for the operation and adds up to less labor, less food waste, and better rotation so it keeps things fresher, making the quality higher.

As far as the flexibility of meat goes, at Grass & Bone we buy the whole animal, so the selection of cuts is unlimited and crossutilization is the name of the game.

Karl Marsh, chief culinary officer of Eat Fit Go

chef de cuisine James Higgins

With locations across eight states, Eat Fit Go offers healthy packaged meals customers can heat and eat in their restaurants or enjoy at home. Three central production kitchens creating more than 40,000 meals per week make smart purchasing essential. The company uses such proteins as lean ground turkey, chicken breast and salmon on its breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack menus, but Marsh notes that its beef offerings best exemplify this versatility.

“As far as the flexibility of meat goes, at Grass & Bone we buy the whole animal, so the selection of cuts is unlimited and cross-utilization is the name of the game,” says Higgins. “It plays a major role in menu items. The shoulder of the pig is primarily used for sausages that we have on the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, which shows how just one section of the animal can cover all three meals.”

“We use a beef tri-tip, which cuts through the sirloin, and we use a beef tenderloin, and they’re cross-utilized across all the dayparts,” he says. “For example, we make a beef breakfast burrito that has chopped steak in it, and we make a steak-and-egg scramble where we dice up the tri-tip. We use the same steak in our beef stir-fry, which is more of an entrée-type meal.”

“On the other side, each cut of meat is like a tool in a toolbox,” he continues. “Each one can be used for a specific purpose. The belly of the pig can be used for bacon, pancetta or just slow-roasted with salt and pepper and served as a meal, while the hind quarter of a cow can be broken down into roasts and used for sandwich meat or be served at dinner as a pot roast.” n

James Higgins, chef de cuisine at Grass & Bone, an allday restaurant and full-service butcher shop in Mystic, Conn., approaches the issue from a different angle, but arrives at a similar philosophy based on getting the most out of each cut.

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Berry

Obsessed Victor Ozols

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S

ummer’s balmy temperatures and skimpy dress codes have diners craving desserts that showcase the season’s abundant produce while keeping it light. Restaurants are responding with flavorful, health-conscientious dishes focused on fresh fruit with cool and airy accompaniments. We spoke with two experts for tips on creating summer dessert menus that deliver just the right sweets to keep guests in their seats.

“My favorite healthy-ish desserts for summer are based on meringue,” says Dana Cree, a James Beard Award-nominated pastry chef with experience in Chicago’s top restaurants and plans to open her own dessert shop, Pretty Cool Ice Cream, this summer. “By nature, meringues are fatfree. Once baked, they’re crispy and light, and become the perfect foil for a little bit of rich whipped cream or custardy pudding before you pile them high with fresh fruit.”

Cree suggests innovative takes on two classic recipes that strike the right balance of wholesome and satisfying.

“Pavlovas are particularly lovely, a flat meringue that can be piled with simmered fruit compotes, or fresh fruit-like berries. I like to slip a little sorbet or ice cream on top as well,” she explains. “Another favorite is something called an Eton mess.

"Pavlovas are particularly lovely, a flat meringue that can be piled with simmered fruit compotes, or fresh fruit-like berries."

– Dana Cree of Pretty Cool Ice Cream It involves crushing meringues and folding them with lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh fruit, or a little ripple of preserves. Traditionally it’s made with strawberries, but it’s so delicious I can’t stand to lose the dessert once strawberries are out of season.”

Erik Ramirez, the Peruvian-American chef/owner of Brooklyn’s Llama Inn-a 2018 Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand restaurant--likes to blend the exotic with the familiar.

“For our dessert menus, we’re constantly searching for Peruvian ingredients to highlight while mixing them with local seasonal ingredients,” he says. “One combination I’m thinking about for summer is cherimoya--custard apples native to the Andean highlands of Peru--with avocado, in a frozen sabayon with both ingredients swirled together and topped with a cookie for crunch.”

“Another idea I’ve been playing with is a take on a summer berry bowl,” Ramirez continues. “The berries would be poached with sugar, vinegar, and filtered water and served in their own liquid, something like canned fruit. To top, I’m thinking muña (a Peruvian mint from the Andes) ice cream or stone fruit of the same preparation with toasted quinoa ice cream, which has this unique, cereal-like flavor.”

Regardless of what ingredients are used, however, both chefs caution that diners will skip dessert entirely if it’s treated as an afterthought.

“It’s important to show the same enthusiasm for a sweet as you would for a savory,” says Ramirez. “The meal is one cohesive experience, not just dinner or dessert.”

“In my experience the only thing that encourages a diner to choose dessert is making it staff education. If the servers love something, they will sell it,” adds Cree. “Also, working with a consultant to provide you with delicious recipes, built to work within the constraints of your own kitchen, has a bigger payout with repeat business than gimmicks.” n

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cool off

and Make a Profit

with Fresh Sippers This Summer

by Audarshia Townsend

"Summer cocktailing” sounds like one of the most beautiful phrases in the world—until you really start thinking about what it means. Hmmmm, where do you fit in when you’re competing against neighborhood street festivals, live music festivals, picnics in the park, backyard barbecues, plus all the new al fresco drinking destinations? It’s time to roll up your sleeves and step up your game behind the bar.

That doesn’t mean embracing every trend that comes along, however, making a few practical tweaks here and there to your mixology program may certainly make a difference.

It can also be profitable for your establishment.

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Go Fresh – and Local At Bold American Fare in Algonquin, Ill., chef/partner Mathew Lucas credits fresh, locally grown produce for elevating his bar program. Ingredients like basil, rosemary and heirloom tomatoes originate from gardens in his residential backyard and at the restaurant.

An abundance of produce allows him to have plenty for the kitchen and bar. It also inspires creativity among staffers, says Lucas. “Everybody contributes in the planning of the cocktail menu,” he continues, which recently included an event where they chose three new signature Bloody Mary cocktails from 50 recipes submitted by staffers. Two include Lucas’ heirloom tomatoes, and one features tomatillos.

Lucas also enjoys putting new spins on classic drinks.

“Our number-one selling cocktail is the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, and it’s our take on the Old Fashioned,” he says.

“We actually put Tang in it.”

Put an Awesome New Spin to Classics In a sense, new drinks find their roots with classic cocktails, says Tim Webb, the cocktail director at DTB in New Orleans. “A lot of times these classic cocktails give us the inspiration, but then we kind of bring it in a new light that people might not have thought of before,” he explains.

At DTB, a summertime favorite is the Saltwater, a rendition of the grapefruit-infused Salty Dog. “What really separates our Saltwater from other cocktails you may have had with grapefruit juice is that ours is made with a basil peppercorn syrup we make in-house,” says Webb. “It really just gives it this savory taste and really draws back on the sweetness, so it is not overwhelmingly sweet.”

Another star sipper at DTB is the Silver Dollar, inspired by the watermelon margarita. Webb says they use freshpressed watermelon juice, tequila, house-made ginger syrup and lime. “It’s really light and refreshing,” he describes. “It’s been a huge hit for us.”

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The Key to Getting Guests Hooked into a New Cocktail Menu Chicago’s innovative The Whistler cocktail lounge celebrates 10 years in 2018. Part of its appeal is the ever-changing menus, and they’ve garnered a loyal fan base that looks forward to them. Customers trust them because bartenders use ingredients people feel familiar with and feel good about, says The Whistler bar manager Julieta Campos.

“Just having fun again and remembering the social aspect of drinking is going to continue to grow.”

Lynn House, Heaven Hill Brands

Proper Education Turns Trends into a Movement Trends come and go in the cocktail culture world, but one spirit experts are determined to keep around is low-ABV cocktails. Lynn House, national brand educator for Heaven Hill Brands, credits immersive, interactive education for bartenders who, in turn, educate their customers on these lower-proof drinks.

“Just having fun again and remembering the social aspect of drinking is going to continue to grow,” says House. “‘Day drinking’ has finally been de-stigmatized. … Ten years ago, it would have been frowned upon. If you look around, you’ll see more people drinking cocktails that are on the lighter side. Day drinking, session drinking, low-ABV cocktails are the big trend for summer.”

Her excitement of observing more Americans appreciating amaros, vermouths and more led her to jump aboard the Heaven Hill team that updated the American formula for Dubonnet, an aperitif that’s been around for 150 years.

Released in time for summer imbibing, Dubonnet now boasts modern wrapping and a fresh taste aiming to enhance low-ABV beverages. n

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That’s why their signature summer ingredient, freshly juiced Granny Smith apples, is so popular. It’s not only an ideal ingredient in a light cocktail, but guests have a choice of pairing it with bourbon, Moscato or tequila.

“There’s sweet, there’s bitter, there’s sour (in it),” she describes. “It’s boozy and it’s kind of our summer acknowledgement.

“It’s important to have a signature cocktail for summer.

Having one to three summer drinks is idea. Just make sure you do them well so they’re memorable. A full menu of signature summer cocktails can be overwhelming.”

Another key to these specialized menus is using as much local product as possible, she stresses. Campos and her team source local fruits, garnishes and even spirits to make the menus as appealing as possible.

“We’re trying to stay local, especially with all the distilleries and breweries opening,” she says.

“They’re producing some really interesting products.”

10 TIPS TO MARKET YOUR ONLINE ORDERING

By MenuDrive EDUCATE YOUR EMPLOYEES Of course, first, train your employees on your online ordering service. The more they know about it - the more they’ll be willing to mention it to customers.

TELL YOUR CUSTOMERS The best method! Believe it or not, many restaurants neglect to inform their customers about their new online ordering service. A great way is to announce on your phone greeting “You can now place your order online at...”

POST SIGNS Post signs on your windows, tables, and around your register advertising your online ordering site. You'll convert existing patrons into online customers, and in return, they'll virally spread the word to new customers.

UPDATE YOUR PRINT Make sure all your menus, flyers, business cards, post cards, pizza toppers, etc., all mention your new online ordering site. Instead of reprinting new materials, you can save money by just sticking labels on them saying "Order Online at ... "

PLACE A LINK ON YOUR WEBSITE Place a link or button on your main website directing customers to your online ordering site. Also, don't forget to add messages on your Homepage, News page, etc. informing customers about your new convenient service.

877-787-6368 | sales@menudrive.com www.menudrive.com/reinhart

SEND OUT AN E-MAIL BLAST Email Marketing and Online Ordering go hand-in-hand. Send all your customers an email notifying them about your new service with an online-only coupon like “20% off your first online order...”

REWARD YOUR CUSTOMERS Customers love rewards, and they’ll be more inclined to come back if you offer them.

Start an online loyalty program to steer customers to online ordering and reward them for being loyal.

ADVERTISE LOCALLY If you're doing local advertising in magazines, newspaper, radio, t.v., direct mail pieces, etc., make sure to mention your new online ordering service in all of them.

STAY SOCIAL Broadcast your online ordering to customers through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can post online deals and specials that are personalized to your local area such as “Let’s celebrate our team’s win! Use this coupon online today for 20% off.”

SHOUT OUT A PRESS RELEASE Contact local media and get them to write an article about how you're using new technology to improve your business. You can also create and post your own Press Release for free at www.prlog.com.

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Soul Find Your

Plate

Character Rules When Choosing Serving Dishes to Showcase Food Audarshia Townsend

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H

ow much thought do you put into the plateware upon which your beautiful food sits? In the age of social media madness—when presentation is absolutely everything—it should be on your mind always. Plates can literally make or break a dish, so they should be a top-line item as much as the dining room décor or the menu’s design.

The plates don’t have to be incredibly vibrant, uniquely shaped or ultra- trendy to make a statement, but they should complement the food. At Bold American Fare in Algonquin, Ill., the plates are all white, but they’re in different shapes. Most appetizers like crab cakes, the caprese salad, and dips accompanied by house-made chips arrive on long, rectangular plates.

the servings, the plates, the flavors,” says Lucas. “Everything we do is over the top. That was the whole idea with the restaurant.”

At Chicago’s trendy, Mediterranean-inspired Beatnik, you’ll find vintage, one-of-a-kind plates, plates tirelessly sourced from Europe and Morocco, and plates with unexpected colors and designs. They match the restaurant’s offbeat décor and energy, yet Executive Chef Marcos Campos makes a point never to allow the plates to overwhelm the cuisine.

“I don’t use any blue plates because the colors of the food won’t come out very well,” says Campos. “I like using black, white or brown as my styles of color.”

Plating dishes also influences how consumers spend, says Christ Christon, a partner in Second Salem Brewing in

Chef/partner Mathew Lucas plates them in this manner to create a sharing experience. “(The rectangular plates) are easier for guests to use to pass food to each other,” he explains. In addition to being functional, the longer plates, as well as wider plates used for entrées, allow for creativity on the plate.

Whitewater, Wis. “If a plate looks cheap, they will be disappointed about paying $14 for a burger—even when the ingredients on the burger are premium,” he adds.

Christon grew up in the restaurant business; his family owned a Greek-American diner he bought when he reached adulthood and eventually transformed into Second Salem Brewing. While his tastes have evolved, he knows to keep a balance between brewpub chic and blue-collar practicality when running his business.

“We are not overly high end,” says Christon. “I need to find a happy medium (when it comes to the plates).” He’s found through trial and error that plates with sharp edges break easily, and those that are “cool looking” are difficult to replace.

He’s more concerned about serving his food on plates that will hold up while making it look appetizing. n

“Everything at the restaurant is big and bold—like the name of the restaurant:

“We wanted something as eye-catching as the chandeliers, plants and dining room. My thinking was that I couldn’t look at (the plates) as an afterthought.”

– Chef Marcos Campos of Beatnik Chicago

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Savory Cocktails Command Limelight on Drink Lists

by Ari Bendersky

Sometimes it isn't enough to have a compelling menu featuring unique platings, seasonal ingredients and perfectly balanced flavors. Your cocktail list has become as much of a draw as your food, which can add more pressure on your bar team to stay on top of their game—and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Having your cocktails stand out can happen in a variety of ways: focusing on a trendy spirit like rum or mezcal; obtaining rare bottles of bourbon; or highlighting interesting liqueurs like vermouth or amaro. But before you spend a fortune procuring some hard-to-find bottles you can only get at auction, see what you have in house to add savory flavors for more depth and intrigue to drinks.

Around 2011 or 2012, a trend swept the country where chefs tried their hand at making cocktails. They worked in tandem with their bartenders to create fun drinks incorporating offbeat

"Using savory ingredients gives unique and often unseen flavors typically not associated with cocktails."

Shane Lumpp, bar manager at River and Rail

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and we want people to become more familiar with the tastes and get excited about it."

ingredients like peach preserves, strawberry juice, sorrel, Thai chili and rooibos tea. These days, it's become more common to find ingredients like that on a cocktail list, but instead of chefs pulling recipes together, bartenders and mixologists are thinking like culinary artists when whipping up savory sippers.

"It's a natural progression for the bar to work with the kitchen to make cool things happen," says Erik Niel, chef/ owner of Easy Bistro & Bar in Chattanooga, Tenn. "Chefs and bartenders aren't that far apart on the spectrum. Bartenders are influenced by food in the kitchen and vice versa. That savory experience entering the bar is a natural evolution of cocktails."

That evolution allows restaurants to pair cocktails with food as they have always done with wine.

Niel says beef, for example, offers a sweetness that naturally pairs well with mezcal. He also suggests using beets in lieu of

demerara sugar to add vegetal sweetness when pairing it with a spirit. His bartenders also like using rhubarb to add not only a bittersweet taste, but a pop of pink color as well.

Chicago's Chiya Chia is an Indian/ Nepalese restaurant with a large focus on chai drinks. Since both the food and teas incorporate ingredients found throughout the Nepalese and Indian regions like cardamom, cilantro, ginger, cumin and coriander, the owners decided to experiment with savory ingredients in cocktails.

Two of the most popular drinks have become the CC Cool, with vodka, fresh cucumber and lime juices, cilantro and triple sec; and the Golden Chai Russian, comprising natural coffee liqueur vodka, masala mix, cumin, coriander and turmeric.

"We want to showcase the spices in our restaurant we use a lot in our food," explains Chiya Chai co-owner Rajee Aryal. "It adds another dimension to the drinks,

One thing people always get excited about is bacon. We've seen it pop up in recipes over the last decade and people can't get enough of the porcine treat.

Shane Lumpp, bar manager at Roanoke, Va., restaurant River and Rail, got inspired to create a cocktail with the flavor profile of candied bacon. What eventually emerged is the Elevensies, a stirred drink served over a large ice cube comprising bacon fatinfused Rittenhouse rye, Ancho Reyes chile liqueur, brown sugar syrup, Angostura and house apple bitters.

"I wanted to incorporate the flavors of sweet, spicy and smoky so that when you drank the cocktail, it was all the flavors you would find in candied bacon," Lumpp explains. "Using savory ingredients gives unique and often unseen flavors typically not associated with cocktails."

Sometimes you may need to convince people used to drinking sweeter cocktails to venture into the savory zone, but diners have gotten more curious and adventurous when it comes to new flavors. Ultimately, getting creative with your cocktails adds another reason for people to come into your restaurant or bar.

"If you're making something creative, you have more things to talk about to sell the place itself," Aryal adds. "We're not just copying everyone else and doing stock drinks. We're putting time and effort to offer something beyond the usual." n

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A hyper-local Way of Doing Things Chefs, Bartenders Enhance Menus with Ingredients from On-Site Breweries, Distilleries, Gardens

by Audarshia Townsend

Missouri Spirits Springfield, Mo

Missouri Spirits stands out from other dining establishments in Springfield, Mo., because of its in-house distillery. It, in fact, holds the distinction of being Springfield’s first-ever—and only—distillery, and its bourbon whiskey, corn whiskey and vodka are made from locally grown ingredients.

Pittsburgh’s buzzy Dinette boasts a rooftop garden situated directly above the restaurant. From May through November, dishes get injected with a jolt of ultra-freshness, thanks to house-grown herbs, arugula, tomatoes, figs, shishito peppers, eggplant and melons.

As the push continues to go local, some operators have taken the concept one step further by establishing hyperlocal components. The results, of course, are positive in every direction, from increased guest interest and media attention to higher profit margins. It also allows operators to take complete control of that component—and knowing everything about it.

That makes for a great conversation starter with customers, says Second Salem Brewing Co. co-founder Christ Christon, whose Whitewater, Wis.-based gastropub pays homage to the town’s reputation as a site for witch gatherings, werewolves and other ethereal phenomena.

Each of the 13 to 14 beers on tap is named after a local Whitewater landmark or legend, and visitors eagerly soak up these tales.

“I like to play up the spooky folklore or the cool, historical tie-ins,” says Christon, who is also Second Salem’s official brewmaster. “Customers absolutely love the stories, especially when my business partner and I tell them. We were born and raised (in Whitewater), so we know all the stories better than our employees.”

continued...

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It’s an ingenious way of attracting customers to Second Salem, which has also been featured on the Travel Channel. While the stories might seem outrageous, the craft beers made on-site are surprisingly conservative. Christon says he has no intentions of changing that model.

“I’m more concerned about producing a solid, well-rounded beer than having something unique to give you for shock and awe effect,” he explains. “I want you to taste the beginning of that flavor wave and I want you to get a little bit of the hops, the bitterness. … I want you to get the sweetness, the roasted malts, the raisins, a little bit of prune and a little bit of caramel flavor. I want you to get the whole profile of the beer.”

Christon’s commitment to pushing Second Salem Brewing into the forefront is unwavering. “We want the beer to be the identifier, and we want the brew pub to be second,” he stresses.

“Even though we don’t have a big brewery, we want people to see what we have for

operations. If I’m here and no one is brewing and it’s clean, I have no problem talking with someone, grabbing a beer and giving them a tour. You’ll get to see how local and connected we still are and how small and family like it is.”

At Bold American Fare in Algonquin, Ill., chef/ partner Mathew Lucas relies heavily on the herbs and heirloom tomatoes he grows at the restaurant garden—which his dad tends.

Because there’s enough to share between the kitchen and bar teams, his staffs are at their creative best.

Bartenders add fresh rosemary or basil to the seasonal signature cocktails, and heirloom tomatoes are the base of at least two varieties of the Bloody Mary. Homegrown basil and heirloom tomatoes are also ingredients in Bold American Fare’s caprese salad, which is topped with balsamic “pearls” made in-house.

Tomatoes are so abundant that they’re an expense Lucas doesn’t have to worry about.

“We never run out of tomatoes,” he exclaims.

This fall, he’s planning to grow corn and squash on the restaurant’s deck.

Dinette Pittsburgh, pa

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At Bold American Fare in Algonquin, Ill., chef/partner Mathew Lucas relies heavily on the herbs and heirloom tomatoes he grows at the restaurant garden—which his dad tends.

“I have no problem talking with someone, grabbing a beer and giving them a tour. You’ll get to see how local and connected we still are and how small and family like it is.”

– Christ Christon, Second Salem Brewing Co.

The Cavalier Hotel, in Virginia Beach, Va., opened during the heyday of the Prohibition era, but its latest attraction makes the property feel brand new again. The arrival of the Tarnished Truth distillery thrusts it in the spotlight as the only hotel in the country with an on-site distillery. But it’s not just a novelty attraction, insists Michael Woodhead, the vice president of marketing for the hotel.

The operators of Tarnished Truth take its local concept to heart and work to ensure most of the ingredients of each spirit are locally sourced.

“One of the proprietors, Andrey Yancy, is a local guy,” says Woodhead, “and it was really important to him the ingredients were grown here in the immediate area, and that (Tarnished Truth) was truly a Virginia-based operation.”

Three products are distilled at Tarnished Truth: an old Cavalier bourbon, whiskey rye and a vodka called “Ava.” Woodhead says plans are underway to distill gin by the end of summer.

While no food is served at Tarnished Truth, guests may settle in for dinner at the adjacent Hunt Room, a classic American eatery that’s been around since the hotel opened.

Woodhead describes the beverage experience at the Hunt Room as being “absolutely curated by its relationship with the Tarnished Truth distillery.”

He adds: “(What a grand) idea that you can have craft cocktails with locally sourced ingredients, herbs and mixers, and then combine that with the on-site distilled spirits.

You cannot get more local than that!” n

Tarnished Truth Virginia Beach, Va SUMMER 2018 RFSDELIVERS.COM 109

Visit link.rubiconglobal.com/restaurant-waste-solutions today to connect with one of our waste experts.

At Rubicon, we serve up more than just tips; we offer savings and solutions for restaurant owners. We can help you implement organics recycling— which covers natural waste products like food scraps, used cooking oil and restaurant grease—and divert waste from landfills. Our waste audit process helps us develop a customized program that fits your business’s needs best. And with our nationwide network of haulers, you won’t have to worry about any added transportation costs.

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F O O D

&

B E V E R A G E

WRAP IT UP Ari Bendersky

At their most basic, empanadas and tacos exist to carry the delicious ingredients residing within puff pastries or tortillas.

These two staples in Latin American cooking from Mexico down through South America have been embraced by U.S. audiences.

While beef, pork, chicken and even battered and fried Baja-style fish seem most popular here, you can truthfully use almost any ingredients as long as you have a balance of flavors.

“If you’re going to put something in a taco, it has to be well seasoned and accompanied by something tart and spicy,” advises Mexico City native Roberto Santibañez, also the culinary director of Mi Vida restaurant in Washington, D.C. “If not, it’s a bland concoction. Just think before if you’re going to put it in a taco or empanada how much seasoning it needs.”

Santibañez offers a few tacos on his menu, but also one del chef, which rotates. He might use veal tongue or sweetbreads, lamb barbacoa, braised duck, lobster, shrimp or grasshoppers, a specialty from Oaxaca, Mexico. Recently, he decided to roast a

batch of cauliflower with a pecan chipotle sauce normally used with the beef tacos. He topped this special taco with pickled red onion. The flavor and texture won over even diehard meat eaters.

“A taco is basically a blank canvas you can continue to get creative with,” says Troy Guard, chef/owner of Chingones in Denver. “The possibilities are endless.”

That extends to dessert, where you can whip up sweet empanadas, like the spiced pear empanada topped with hibiscus honey glaze and vanilla ice cream sold at Main Street Meats in Chattanooga, Tenn. Santibañez also likes to make empanadas with purple sweet potatoes and pineapple or sweet custard and top them with ice cream.

“I love sweet empanadas,” Santibañez says. “And people are more adventurous now than ever before.”

So there’s no reason you can’t be, too. n

“If you’re going to put something in a taco, it has to be well seasoned and accompanied by something tart and spicy.”

- Roberto Santibañez Culinary Director of Mi Vida 112 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

Buttah It’s like

F O O D

&

B E V E R A G E

Ari Bendersky

Adding craft butter to your menu offers guests even more flavors—and your revenue streams

Butter. It’s not something people seek out at dinner, but if it accompanies a loaf of bread, they’ll eat it. And with the advent of betterquality bread programs, more chefs are stepping up their craft butter game.

At Alter in Miami, chef Bradley Kilgore serves “umami butter” with sumac and dill seed-crusted bread. Chicago’s RPM Steak serves rosemary Nordic butter with Parker House rolls and prosciutto butter with cheddar popovers. And at Tied House, a newer restaurant in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, chef Debbie Gold devotes an entire section to butters and spreads.

Gold offers a $5 bread selection featuring Parker House rolls, seeded rye and honey oat porridge bread that comes with a rich, creamy butter from Wisconsin’s Pine River Dairy. For guests who want to enhance their experience, they can add $6 bone marrow butter, $3 whipped lardo and $4 green tomato marmalade. While it is more expensive, think of it as another appetizer.

“It goes back to my philosophy of taking the ordinary and making it exceptional,” says Gold, who is a James Beard Award winner. “If I’m going to offer bread, it’s going to be really good and I’m going to offer really good butter. And that stands out.”

At Detroit steakhouse Prime + Proper, executive chef Ryan Prentiss has a “sauces + butters” section on his menu, including porcini caraway butter, white anchovy herb butter and roasted garlic ash butter. Initially meant to top steaks, Prentiss quickly realized the butters, which he charges between $4 and $5 each for 2.5 ounces, could work with a variety of items, including bread and potatoes.

“The beautiful thing about the butters, guests use them as they please,” Prentiss says. “Offering craft butters gives the guest some creative freedom.”

And who doesn’t want some extra delicious butter with whatever they’re eating? n

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F O O D

&

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Mindy S. Kolof

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F O O D

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F O O D

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B E V E R A G E

Thermapen Mk4 by thermoWorks Rated #1 by Cook’s Illustrated as the “best instant-read thermometer,” the Thermapen is splash-proof, foldable and fast, providing an accurate temperature in two to three seconds. In addition to ensuring the right doneness for meats, the Thermapen delivers easy-to-read temperatures in ice baths, boiling water, roasted chicken or caramel sauce. One AAA alkaline battery powers the $99 Thermapen for 3,000 hours, a bargain to ensure food quality, safety and taste.

The Grillbot Take a hands-free approach to barbecue grill cleaning with this smart robot that packs a mighty scrub. Each robot houses three powerful electric motors and a computer brain that regulates speed and direction. To use, place it on the grill, close the lid, press the start button, then sit back and let Grillbot do all the work. A built-in alarm and timer sound if the grill is left on or when its cycle is done. Comes with three dishwasher-safe replaceable brushes and rechargeable battery. $89.95

www.buydig.com

PolyScience’s Sous Vide Immersion Circulators: Rated #1 by Cook’s Illustrated as the “best instant-read thermometer,” the Thermapen is splash-proof, foldable and fast, providing an accurate temperature in two to three seconds. In addition to ensuring the right doneness for meats, the Thermapen delivers easy-to-read temperatures in ice baths, boiling water, roasted chicken or caramel sauce. One AAA alkaline battery powers the $99 Thermapen for 3,000 hours, a bargain to ensure food quality, safety and taste.

polyscienceculinary.com

PolyScience 400 Series Chamber Vacuum Sealer: Expand your sous vide operation with a HACCP-compliant vacuum sealer to keep food safe and fresh in storage, and tightly seal in the marinade for your next immersion. Seal the deal for $3,599.95.

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Portillo’s Famous Italian Beef Has Beef Down to a Science For 55 years, Chicago-based Portillo’s restaurants have owned the Italian beef game. That legendary Italian beef depends on a specific temperature range to create a tender sandwich each and every time.

“We count on the Thermapen to support our restaurants in the daily monitoring of food temperatures,” says Sharon Maloney, Portillo’s food safety & quality supervisor.

It’s hard to overstate the vital role Thermapen plays at the beef giant. “Food safety is very important when developing recipes and procedures at Portillo’s. We consider the Thermapen a necessary tool to protect the integrity of the brand,” says Maloney.

That’s why every manager and crew chief hired by Portillo’s is issued a Thermapen right from the start, at their employee orientation. Currently, more than 400 Thermapens are used at 50 Portillo’s restaurants in seven states.

Immerse Yourself in Sous Vide Perfection To hear Kaiser Permanente’s Executive Chef Christopher Haydostian talk about sous vide is to believe. A dedicated user of the PolyScience sous vide immersion circulator and vacuum sealer at work and at home, Haydostian says he’s prepared “everything from butter-poached heirloom potatoes to the perfect egg.”

“It’s magic when it comes to consistency. If I want a medium rare steak, I can set the circulator to 130°F. Once it hits 130, the steak will never rise above that temperature. When your customer cuts into the steak, it’ll be the perfect medium-rare, and this will happen every time.”

The ability to create a poached egg in which the yolk and white have the same consistency is another “amazing feat of splendor,” he says.

At Kaiser, patient satisfaction scores jumped 60 percent after conversion to sous vide cooking, with many marveling at the flavor achieved with no salt, just herbs and spices.

The vacuum sealer is equally transformational, used to create infused products or change flavors at a moment’s notice. In addition, Haydostian says individually packaging items helps minimize waste and ultimately saves his operation money.

The products have proved to be genuine game changers. “I will forever have both in my kitchens.” n

SUMMER 2018 RFSDELIVERS.COM 117

MEAT THE BUTCHER

[ADVERTORIAL]

Beef Loin NAMP# 1173 Porterhouse Steak National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Short Loin

Beef Loin NAMP# 1174 T-Bone Steak

NAMP# 174 Beef Loin Short Loin Short Cut

The loin primal is where some of your staple cuts come from like the Porterhouse, T-bone, Strip Steak, and Tenderloin. All of these, being considered some of the most tender cuts, would be best prepared on the grill or under a broiler.

Q: A:

What is the difference between a T-Bone & Porterhouse?

Q: A:

What product specs should you consider when ordering a T-bone, Porterhouse, or Kansas City Strip?

The Porterhouse has a larger tenderloin. To be considered a true Porterhouse, the width of the tenderloin should be at least 1.25 inches.

A couple things to take into consideration when ordering these cuts is the desired grade, tail length and trim.

what are namp numbers?

North American Meat Processor Numbers are used to classify cuts of meat so they can be easily identified. Each primal, and or cut, has certain spec requirements listed in The Meat Buyer’s Guide.

All Eagle Ridge processors cut to NAMP specifications to keep consistency across Reinhart Country.

Q: A: Q: A:

What other traditional cuts come from the Short Loin?

The Strip Loin and Tenderloin both come from the Short Loin. If left in the bone-in state, you will end up with the Kansas City Strip and BoneIn Filet. If the Short Loin was deboned, you would have a traditional boneless Strip Loin and Tenderloin.

What is the suggested age for bone-in steaks?

For optimal eating experience we recommend between 14 and 21 days wet age.

Cooking Methods Grill

Pan-Broil/Skillet

Broil

FOOD SAFETY TIP You should always store raw beef separately from other items.

SUMMER 2018 RFSDELIVERS.COM 119

O P E R A T I O N S

How to Effectively Use

to Attract Potential

Employees

I

Upserve Staff

n early April of this year, renowned chef and restaurateur Grant Achatz posted an image on his personal Instagram feed informing his more than 362,000-person following that “Alinea is hiring,” hunting for “reliable FOH professionals with strong work ethic and poise who consider hospitality their career.”

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The post captured more than 7,000 likes and hundreds of comments flooded in.

But what if you don’t have international acclaim or a celebrity chef at the helm? Can this model be replicated?

“From a very tactical level, we leverage the tools within social media platforms to be able to reach the ideal employee through specific geographic and interest-level targeting,” says Lauren Cook, senior director of social and digital for FEED Media, a public relations firm with clients such as Emmerson Restaurant in Boulder, Colo., and Punch Bowl Social, an entertainmentcentric eatery with locations nationwide.

“Our ads don’t just say, ‘We’re hiring!’ Instead, our ads tell the story of what it’s like to be part of a bigger company culture.”

According to Michael Eisenberg, culinary management instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, social media can be used to attract employees who are following a particular page on a particular platform.

Elliot Schiffer, partner and CEO of Mici Handcrafted Italian restaurant, says posting frequently on social media about existing employees showcases the positive workplace atmosphere he and his team aim to cultivate.

“Highlighting our positive work atmosphere is not only good for driving sales, but very good for attracting talent as well,” Schiffer explains. “Our number one source of new employees is current employees. We know that new employees research our company on Facebook and LinkedIn before joining.”

“Highlighting our positive work atmosphere is not only good for driving sales, but very good for attracting talent as well.”

Eric Elkins, CEO and founder of WideFoc.us, a PR and social media firm that works with Mici, agrees that restaurants should encourage their people to share job openings with friend, family and fan followings.

“Then those people know what their friends are getting into,” Elkins says.

Social media effectivelyallows followers to peek behind the scenes of a company, and get to know its staff and culture more transparently than ever before.

“It’s one thing to tell When millennials job hunt people a company is a today, they access social great place to work; it’s media along their search quite another to show – Elliot Schiffer, partner and CEO journeys. And this proves them,” says Aubrey of Mici Handcrafted Italian restaurant mutually beneficial for the Gordon, president of hopeful employee and Sprocket Communications. employer, particularly at a time when the crusade for talent is fierce in Though Gordon doesn’t have a list of hard-and-fast the service industry. Social media is just one more rules for deploying social media strategy to attract new avenue to connect. employees in the restaurant world, she notes the highturnover nature of the industry with caution.

“The use of social media has become mainstream in the restaurant world, and truly in all retail,” Eisenberg “I wouldn’t necessarily recommend posting a line-cook says. “It is the most cost-effective way to reach position opening if a restaurant is having turnover in potential employees. There are a variety of different this position on a frequent basis,” Gordon warns. In options to attract people [who] are likeminded.” that case, “use this tactic sparingly.” n

SUMMER 2018 RFSDELIVERS.COM 121

O P E R A T I O N S

A Preventative Measurement The Riverside

Today’s restaurant POS systems data can be as good as video surveillance for preventing employee theft or tracking inventory loss.

Mindy S Kolof

T

he fact is, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 75 percent of employees have admitted to stealing from an employer at least once. In restaurants, employee theft can come from skimming cash sales, credit card information, stealing food or alcohol inventory, or simply giving away free food or drinks to customers.

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Stalking your staff and surveilling every corner of your restaurant is not good for morale or time management. An up-to-date POS system, however, can go a long way toward not only flagging a loss, but can also prevent an inside job and track employee performance, while performing critical, real-time restaurant analytics.

“I use TouchBistro (POS system) to help streamline our front-and back-of-house operations,” says Charles Dampf, managing partner of the Birmingham, Ala.based Fourth Earl Hospitality.

“To improve employee management, I use the time clock and track daily labor percentage, as well as the discount and void report, and the weekly sales target report. If there is a large void I am not familiar with in the report, I’ll research it to make sure it’s valid and there is no theft occurring.”

A comprehensive POS system helped Tom Marcellino, owner of Calzolaio Pasta Co. in Wilton, Maine, discover his beer keg cooler was at fault for a loss at the bar that he might have otherwise assumed was a bartending error, or theft.

“From the cover count report, I found I was getting only 90 pints of beer per keg when that number should have been 120,” he says. An onsite observation revealed that the bartenders were charging everyone, but “I watched the beer literally going down the drain because it was too foamy.” The solution: setting the cooler eight degrees cooler and cleaning the lines. n

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Top 10 Best Practices for Guest Retention

1.

[ADVERTORIAL]

124 RFSDELIVERS.COM ISSUE 3, 2018

Create a highly engaging loyalty program with frictionless redemption and creative rewards.

2.

Quick identification of your VIPs with end-to-end recognition from both FOH and BOH

3.

Powerful FOH management with convenient online access for guests to join wait list & make reservations

4.

Targeted marketing capabilities to deliver highly relevant and engaging content to specific guests

5.

A single CRM tool that aggregates data across all guest touch points, providing actionable data for marketing and staff in the restaurant

6.

Fresh and well prepared food and drink served with cleanliness and attention to detail

7.

Consistent food preparedness, range of menu offerings, and style of service

8.

Tools to track server & bartender performance and an incentive program that encourages friendly & attentive service.

9.

Internal feedback system with prompt responsiveness and speedy resolution from management

10.

Online ordering that is fully integrated with your loyalty program, host stand, and guest CRM

Case Study Success Mew's Tavern needed: 1.

2.

A more efficient wait list/FOH solution where guests could join the wait list online

3.

4.

To replace their card based loyalty with a digital version and introduce a beer club Online ordering & pay at the table solutions that integrated with their POS A mobile app that seamlessly offered all these features in one spot for their guests

5.

Marketing tools to drive repeat visits

Case Study Results:

3x

20%

90%

increase in loyalty participation vs previous card based program

higher spend by loyalty members

mobile app retention vs 25% national average

13x

95%

20%

more feedback than Yelp

of feedback included guest's email address

of wait list guests join the list online

up to

1

extra table turn a night due to more efficient host stand

"Tableup allowed us to offer a much more robust loyalty program while better engaging with guests.

The ROI is tremendous."

- Danny, Owner Mews Tavern

t s e i t Ta s n d ) (Sou es Bit

HOW THE #METOO MOVEMENT WILL CREATE A SAFE SPACE IN KITCHENS, FRONT OF HOUSE:

“UGLY” FRUIT IS PRETTY GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT:

“If we don’t use this as the moment to change things, it’s a wasted opportunity. Sharing knowledge and creating networks are key. If all the people who own one restaurant work together as a group, that’s how we move forward.”

“You’re making sure that farmers and producers don’t lose money, that perfectly good food doesn’t end up in landfills and, in some cases, it can be more cost effective. In most cases there isn’t a difference between ugly and perfect produce, which is the whole point!

An ugly carrot looks and tastes the same chopped up, pureed or roasted.”

– SHANNON WHITE CEO, of New Orleans-based BRG Hospitality

– KATHERINE MILLER of the James Beard Foundation

ISRAEL’S MELTING POT OF FLAVORS: "It belongs to nobody, but encompasses so much history. It's a culmination of like 100 different cultures, and you have food practice that was shaped by the Spice Route, which is important to the cooking."

– MICHAEL SOLOMONOV James Beard Award-winning chef/owner of Philadelphia's modern Israeli restaurant, Zahav

ON FORAGING: "It's absolutely fun and it gives me time to be outside and in nature and in the woods. But with a purpose to turn it into something I can give people, like any farmer."

– ILIANA REGAN Chef/Owner of Chicago's Elizabeth & Kitsune Restaurants

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SPIRIT-FREE DRINKS ARE HERE TO STAY: "With spirit free (drinks), it's about layering flavors into a beautiful syrup or using a combination of flavors from teas to recreate those complex flavors you'll find in alcohol. And for a bar, people who would just have water, now may have a spirit free and that's money they may normally not have spent, so that's a good thing."

– JULIA MOMOSE Head mixologist at Oriole in Chicago

A D V E R T I S E R

I N D E X

The Dish - Mexican Segment Sneak [pg IFC - 01] rfsdelivers.com /thedish

Cobblestreet Mkt™ Natural Deli Meat [pg 07] rfsdelivers.com

MenuDrive®

[pg 17 & 101] menudrive.com /reinhart

Hellmann’s® by Unilever® [pg 37] ufs.com

240 Group [pg 44-45] 240group.com

Upserve®

[pg 68-69] upserve.com/restaurantinc

Hidden Bay® Cod & Haddock [pg 73] rfsdelivers.com

C

M

Y

®

Prairie Creek Short Rib [pg 84] rfsdelivers.com

CM

MY

CY

®

Tyson Red Label Chicken [pg 89] tyson.com

Rubicon

[pg 110-111] link.rubiconglobal.com/restaurant-waste-solutions

Eagle Ridge® Meat the Butcher [pg 118-119] rfsdelivers.com

TableUP

[pg 124-125] mytableup.com

Trident® Seafood [pg 127] tridentseafoods.com

Cobblestreet Mkt™ Natural Deli Meat [128-IBC] rfsdelivers.com

Hidden Bay® & Nautifish® [BC] rfsdelivers.com

CMY

K

Seared Halibut in white wine butter sauce, with herbs and tomatoes.

From iron skillet to brick oven– Hidden Bay Halibut Portions and Cold Water Lobster Meat are the top choices for dressing your menu. No matter what style table, our premium seafood offerings will stand out on flavor and presentation.