January 2021 - Total Food Service

NEWS

LEGISLATION

DE BLASIO LAUNCHES ATTACK ON NYC FAST FOOD OPERATORS WITH LABOR LEGISLATION

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ew York City fast-food restaurants will be subject to new regulations governing how they can fire employees under a pair of bills signed into law this month by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

One measure prohibits fast food employers from firing workers without “just cause,” meaning showing the employee failed to meet job duties or has harmed the employer’s business interests. The second requires that any layoffs occur by seniority, protecting workers who have been with a given company longer.

Arbitration guidelines are laid out in the bills as well.

The bill were signed off on the City Council last month.

“These workers are most vulnerable to being fired without a cause related to their work performance,” City Council Speaker Corey Johnson

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

said . “It has to stop. This practice prevents them from speaking out about harassment and poor working conditions.”

“Fast food workers have subjected to unfair work environments and have been the victims of unfair reduction of hours or arbitrary termination, causing them to live in a constant state of uncertainty,” Queens Councilmember Adrienne Adams said, “These employees are getting up before dawn or working overnight, commuting long hours to work, doing physically demanding work, and missing meals with their own families,” said Adams, a lead sponsor of the package with Councilmember Brad Lander.

The restaurant industry criticized the legislation last month as a de facto unionization of fast-food workers and called their passage a “sucker punch” to eateries already struggling from coronavirus-induced restrictions.

“This is about treating workers with respect and dignity,” Councilwoman Adams (D-Queens), who sponsored the bills along with Councilman Brad Lander (DBrooklyn) continued.

The pair of measures take effect in six months and bar restaurants with 30 or more locations nationwide from firing workers or substantially reducing hours without “just cause.”

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“Almost overnight, in the worst throes of an unprecedented economic crisis, the mayor and the City Council have eliminated small business owners’ ability to make personnel decisions and manage their employees.” — Randy Peers Additionally, if layoffs are necessary, newer staff must be let go before more veteran workers.

“New year, same old poor choices by our elected leaders,” said Randy Peers, President & CEO, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, who called the pair of bills “a serious blow to our local economy.” “Almost overnight, in the worst throes of an unprecedented economic crisis, the mayor and the City Council have

eliminated small business owners’ ability to make personnel decisions and manage their employees.”

Mayor de Blasio commented on why he supported the measures: “Working people have been hit hardest by the pandemic and they deserve protections and fair wages.

I’m proud to stand with fast food workers as our city creates a more equitable recovery.”

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January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 3

NEWS

EVENTS

IRFSNY, COFFEEFEST, HEALTHY FOOD EXPO MOVED TO JULY 18-20, 2021 AT JAVITS NYC

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larion Events Food & Beverage Group has announced that the 2021 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, Coffee Fest NY and Healthy Food Expo NY will be moved to July 18-20 at the Javits Center in New York City due to restrictions of COVID-19. The events were originally scheduled for March 7-9, 2021. Clarion Events will continue to provide year-round opportunities for the industries to connect virtually through new Digital Forums (on-line education programs), Virtual Boardrooms (product sourcing in small group

settings) and Coffee Fest 365 (specialty coffee community and directory platform).

“Our goal for the events within the Food & Beverage Portfolio is to provide a face-to-face platform for our industries to network, learn from one another and generate new ideas for growth and the future. The primary reason to participate in events like these is to connect with others in the industry. For that reason, we have made the very difficult decision to postpone the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, Coffee Fest New York and Healthy Food Expo NY until

the summer – Sunday, July 18, 2021 through Tuesday, July 20, 2021 at the Javits Center in New York City,” said Tom Loughran, Vice President, Clarion Events Food & Beverage Group.

“We have monitored the developments for the last several months and put thoughtful consideration into our next steps, including open and honest discussions with many of our attending and exhibiting customers, partners and staff,” added Loughran. “The spirit of these events has always been, and will continue to be, one that prioritizes the experience for our customers; an experience that includes the health and safety of each person joining us at the events. Considering both governmental direction and general public health advisories, a large face-toface event is not possible at this time with the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government issued guidelines throughout the State of New York.”

In addition to planning for a live, in-person event in July 2021, Clarion Events Food & Beverage Group is continuing to offer educational webinars and online product sourcing opportunities to support our operators with the tools to connect

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Main Office 282 Railroad Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director Michael Scinto Art & Web Director Mark Sahm Director of Public Relations and Special Events Joyce Appelman Contributing Writers Morgan Tucker Joyce Appelman Francine Cohen Editorial Interns Wyatt Semenuk Claudia Giunta Paola Zevallos Juliette Miettunen Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com

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Cover photo courtesy of kgfornyc.com Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2020 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements.

Periodicals Postage paid at the post office, Greenwich, CT and additional mailing offices. Additional entry at the post office in Pittsburgh, PA. Subscription rate in USA is $36 per year; single copy, $3.00. Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Food Service, P.O. Box 2507, Greenwich, CT 06836

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 5

NEWS

NEW OPENINGS

SWEETGREENS MAKES CONNECTICUT DEBUT WITH NEW GREENWICH OUTPOST

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weetgreen, a fast-casual salad restaurant, has opened its first location in Connecticut near top of Greenwich Avenue. Sweetgreen, which says it operates a “seasonal restaurant with the mission of connecting people to real food,” now operates in a dozen states plus the District of Columbia.

The restaurant said it offers “simple, seasonal, healthy salads and grain bowls made in-house from scratch, using whole produce delivered that morning.”

The design of 2,727-square-foot location was inspired by the charming scene along Greenwich Avenue. The store maintained the original building facade, which features large windows overlooking the street and a small park, according to Sweetgreen.

A dining room was anchored around the storefront windows to create a welcoming and light-filled space for customers, according to Sweetgreen.

The dining room features custom tile, along with exposed brick.

The Greenwich location also includes a designated courier pickup window to separate customer and courier traffic during the pandemic.

Sweetgreen also said it is working

with local artist Naomi Clark to create custom artwork for the Greenwich restaurant, using “bold coloration, fragmented forms, and gestural brushstrokes.”

The restaurant opened in compliance with the state’s social distancing guidelines for eateries, and follows Sweetgreen’s own safety standards, which it said includes mandatory face masks, advanced sanitation schedules, dedicated staff to ensure safety compliance and more.

Sweetgreen is an American fast casual restaurant chain that serves salads. It was founded in August 2007 by Nicolas Jammet, Nathaniel Ru, and Jonathan Neman, three months after they graduated from Georgetown University’s undergraduate business school. Sweetgreen’s corporate headquarters moved to the Los Angeles area from Washington, D.C., in 2016.

“On top of being surrounded by numerous national retailers along Greenwich Avenue, the Sweetgreen space is located in a highpedestrian traffic area and also offer the option to set up outdoor seating, especially key as we continue to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.” — Craig Deitelzweig 6 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

It currently operates in over 100 locations in eight states across the United States, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, and the District of Columbia. The company has over 3,500 employees.

The chain aims to foster community health and support small and mid-size growers that farm sustainably. In November 2018, it was announced that Sweetgreen had raised US$200 million in funding. Sweetgreen won the 2020 Webby Award for Food & Drink in the category Apps, Mobile & Voice.[ Sweetgreen operates a number of locations in New York City, featuring chalk-board menus and works by local artists. Marx Realty and Sweetgreen had previously signed a 3,500-squarefoot lease in January for a new location at 10 Grand Central, a 35-story Ely Jacques-Kahn designed office tower in Manhattan.

Marx Realty officials said Sweetgreen signed a 10-year, 3,100-squarefoot lease from 98-102 Greenwich

Ave., with an asking rent of $120 per square foot. Lacoste vacated the space at 98 Greenwich Avenue in early 2018.

As with all their locations, Sweetgreen preserved and honored the look and feel of the building in Greenwich.

“We are thrilled to welcome both Sweetgreen to a fantastic new location in Greenwich,” Marx Realty CEO Craig Deitelzweig said in a statement. “On top of being surrounded by numerous national retailers along Greenwich Avenue, the space is located in a highpedestrian traffic area and also offer the option to set up outdoor seating, especially key as we continue to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

For every meal sold on its opening day, Sweetgreen said it donated a meal via its Impact Outpost program to the Carver Center in support of food-insecure children and families in Port Chester, N.Y. In solidarity with the movement for Black Lives, Sweetgreen said it will also be donating meals to the NAACP in Port Chester.

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 7

NEWS

By Ryan Gallagher

THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

IMPLICATIONS FOR CUSTOMER DATA WHEN USING THIRD-PARTY RESTAURANT TECHNOLOGY

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ver the past year there have been a smorgasbord of obstacles in the Hospitality industry as the dining experience went #contactless. Technology providers rose to this challenge offering restaurants a variety of ways to digitize dining. Now at the dawn of another year, third-party delivery services make up a large part of the restaurant industry’s tech revolution.

Players like GrubHub, Uber Eats, Doordash, and others have created a new medium in which to order, pay for, and deliver meals. However, in typical 2020 fashion, restauranteurs are now starting to lose sight of their audience after #distancing from customers in this way. As a result, owners and managers in the hospitality industry must understand the implications for customer data when implementing third-party technology.

Third-Party Tech Owns Restaurant Customer Data Listing a restaurant on a platform like Doordash is quite simple. You guessed it: the sign-up process is contactless and able to be completed digitally with little need for human interaction. However, despite the ability for third-party services to connect customer to business, the middlemen tell owners and managers very little about who they are serving.

Customer data is of high interest for any industry. Restaurants, like any other business, benefit from

knowing information about their audience. In order to better serve a population, restaurants must gather information like names, emails, phone numbers, age, gender, hometown, order history and more. But when using a third-party services…

• GrubHub- When using Grubhub drivers, the service provides the customer’s first name, last initial, and phone number. When restaurants deliver after receiving an order through GrubHub, the service provides the same information plus the delivery address.

• Uber Eats- When using Uber Eats, the service provides the customer’s name, order information, address, and phone number. The service representatives share only this information due to the organization’s privacy policy.

• Doordash- When using Doordash, restaurants can see the customer’s name, delivery address, phone number, and that customer’s order history.

Instead of revealing data about customers, these third-party services give information about how customers interact with the restaurant. The information that is available includes: order history, popular menu items, and customer reviews.

Restaurants using a third-party can access information of this type when using a service-provided tablet or when speaking with a partner service representative. While much of this data is very helpful, it does not tell the full story. In other words,

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there is a disconnection when restaurants use middlemen. In this situation, restaurants are not completely owning their customers.

How to Claim Customer Data A large part of owning customers is knowing data or information about them. It’s not about contact tracing or listening in on private conversations, it’s all about knowing an audience in order to better serve them. Unfortunately, outsourcing online ordering and delivery is not the best way for a business to fully own its customers.

Businesses who choose to use this type of tech shouldn’t be too quick to

change their attitude, though. Platforms like Doordash, Postmates, or Caviar are simply online directories that offer another avenue to drum up sales. However, restaurant owners must also realize that they cannot solely rely on third-party tech.

So, restaurants have to find other ways to do business at the first-party level.

• Offer direct payment options for customers when they call the restaurant or visit the website. Furthermore, see what options the current POS system has for contactless transactions.

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January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 9

NEWS

DELIVERY STRATEGIES

NEW CONNECTICUT BASED MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE SEEKS TO RECREATE RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE AT HOME

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mong the many changes the food industry and sparked inthat occurred in 2020, novation. The meal delivery service a surge in food delivery vertical has been transformational was one of the major deand it’s clear to us that people still velopments as restaurants restricted want event-quality food — just at dining facilities or closed outright home.” and people sheltered in place and The service, available for shipping dined at home much more often nationwide, is centered, as the name than usual. Even if that begins to suggests, around the crates with potatoes, smoked sausage and corn shift with increased rollout of the items curated and dishes created afplus the pot (extras such as lobster COVID-19 vaccines in 2021, this exter months of recipe testing by Lautails and king crab can be added) and pansion in food/meal delivery is exdano and his chef Jeff Caputo. Main the Large Smoked BBQ Crate with pected to continue. dish crates include the customizable smoked Angus beef brisket, hickory One recent entrant to the marLarge Atlantic Steampot with clams, smoked pulled pork, smoked St. ket, Connecticut-based The Food shrimp, snow crab, mussels, gold Louis ribs, smoked Crate quadrupled its chicken quarters, expected sales since smoked jalapeno its launch in the sumcheddar sausage, mer, sold out its comgluten free macaroni plete holiday meals and cheese, cornfor Thanksgiving (turbread, pickles and key based), Christmas rolls; cooking direc(ham based) and Hations to finish them nukkah (brisket plus are included. matzoh ball soup and Other selections rugelach) and expandare collections of ed its offerings for the meat including Ancoming year. gus New York strip “When we came steaks and a rack of up with this idea in Hawaiian ribs, seathe spring as a way food such as Ahi to offset losses from tuna, crab cakes and the lack of events and clam chowder and restaurant closures, one centered around we never thought the meatballs. Individual business would take choices are also availoff as it has,” said Jorable including grilled dan Laudano, a vetThai shrimp skewers, eran specialty and grilled Spanish octoUSDA high-grade pus, sous vide short food wholesaler and rib and lamb shank, founder of the brand.

The Food Crate offers main dish crates like the customizable Large Atlantic brisket chili, any of “But the pandemic has Steampot that serves 4-5 people, or more if extras are added. the meats in the BBQ brought a reckoning to

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“When we came up with this idea in the spring as a way to offset losses from the lack of events and restaurant closures, we never thought the business would take off as it has.”

— Jordan Laudano crate, hors d’oeuvres such as white truffle croquettes and desserts such as chocolate swirl mini cheesecakes.

Apart from these ready to heat/ grill or just serve items, the service also expanded into the other part of food delivery service that flourished during the pandemic: grocery delivery, specifically artisan ingredients for preparing meals from scratch at home. Laudano’s connections to local producers, particularly as a second generation food industry veteran whose parents had a specialty food company, enabled him to assemble a roster of top quality ingredients to offer a one stop shop of both prepared meals and raw ingredients. Among the choices for at home cooks: sushi grade King salmon filets, 20 ounce Kansas City ribeyes, striped lobster ravioli and an artisan cheese selection.

Even though eating at home can’t entirely recreate the sensation of attending a special event or experiencing a long dinner at a favorite restaurant, access to restaurant quality food can be a comfort at a difficult time. “I feel very grateful that I’m helping customers recreate essential experiences at home, and that The Food Crate can add to a sense of normalcy,” Laudano explained. “Also to relieve stress during this time.”

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1-800-MTUCKER January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 11

NEWS

INDUSTRY HEROES

By Claudia Giunta

BARSTOOL’S PORTNOY AIDS ICONIC LI PIZZERIA IN KICKOFF TO NATIONAL CAMPAIGN

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he need to support local and independent businesses has increased throughout the worldwide pandemic. As many restaurants have shortened their hours, closed their doors, and/or had to layoff a selection of their employees, business revenue has severely declined.

However, the restaurant industry in Metro New York and across the nation, is simply too busy taking care of their customer base and the communities they serve to succumb to the challenges of the Pandemic. That commitment has now taken center stage as several visionary fundraisers have generated donations, and with that consumer support, so that these smaller businesses can continue to serve their communities.

Borrelli’s, an Italian cafe and pizzeria located in East Meadow, NY, was one of the many smaller businesses in New York whose business suffered from Covid restrictions.

Borrelli’s has been serving Italian cuisine in the Long Island area for 65 years, but owner Frank Borrelli Jr. anticipated having to close his doors after the pandemic hindered business so abruptly.

“When Governor Cuomo announced a 10 pm curfew and ad-

vised that people should be eating in their homes for Thanksgiving with no more than five people, he scared people so much so that my business dropped by 70%,” said Borrelli. This placed a sense of fear in people, and smaller restaurants began to question whether their regulars would continue supporting them. What is usually Borrelli’s busiest time of the year with many holiday parties to cater, has meant the occasional small catering service for small gatherings or serving people outdoors at a 50% capacity.

Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy simply was not going to allow (L-R) Borelli’s Restaurant owner Frank Borelli, Barstool Sports’ the doors of the iconic Portnoy, and Frankie Borelli Long Island eatery to shutter. Borrelli’s was Barstool Sports’ of the pandemic. Barstool Sports is first recipient of the Barstool Fund, a digital media company that prowhich aimed to help prevent small duces content focused on sports businesses from closing as a result and pop-culture. Founded by Portnoy, Barstool has created a vision for how sports are covered and analyzed today.

The Swampscott, MA native is no stranger to restaurant industry. His reviews of pizzeria’s signature slices throughout the Metro New York area have become some of You Tube’s mostly highly view content. Coincidentally, Portnoy also employs Borrelli’s son Frankie as his chief

“This hits home to everyone that I know. If I’m able to stay open I’m helping the vegetable guy, the fish guy; it’s not just that I’m helping the 40 people who work for me. I’m helping people work for them-- delivery guys even Restaurant Depot, and our consumers who can get the food they love.” — Frank Borrelli 12 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

videographer. When word got to Portnoy, who is referred to by his legion of fans and employees as “El Presidente”, he sprang into action.

With a goal of supporting small businesses that were struggling during these unprecedented times, Portnoy created The Barstool Fund in December with a pledge of $500k which has since raised an astounding $19 plus million dollars. The movement was also recently bolstered by matching pledge from celebrity chef Guy Fieri and television host Marcus Lemonis.

Borrelli recognizes the impact of the compassionate efforts Dave of the Barstool Fund.

“This hits home to everyone that I know. If I’m able to stay open I’m helping the vegetable guy, the fish guy; it’s not just that I’m helping the 40 people who work for me. I’m helping people work for them-- delivery guys, even Restaurant Depot, and our consumers who can get the food they love.”

Borrelli’s has successfully been able to pay its employees throughout the pandemic, which is a requirement of businesses to receive Barstool funding. The funding has

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January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 13

NEWS

By Wyatt Semenuk

ACQUISITIONS

IMPERIAL DADE CONTINUES TO EXPAND FOOTPRINT WITH LONE STAR ACQUISITION

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exas has seen some of the most development and growth of any state in recent memory. Cities like Austin and Dallas are rapidly growing hubs, hot on the trails of even cities like Los Angeles and New York.

With their recent acquisition of Great Southwest Paper, the nation’s leading distributor of food service packaging and janitorial supplies, Imperial Dade, is set to support that growth.

The rapid growth of the Lone Star State, combined with the Pandemic driven surge in takeout and delivery popularity, makes this the perfect time to add such as Great Southwest Paper to our portfolio. “We’ve known the Vannatta family at Southwest for a long time,” said President of Imperial Dade, Jason Tillis. “We think the Texas Market is an extremely important one, and that Southwest is a great, customer focused business.

We’ve been looking to work with them for some time, even prior to the pandemic, so this was the perfect opportunity.”

“The favorable demographics were one of the main factors that drove this decision,” said Tillis. “We found that not only was there a plethora of new customers that we could tap into, many of our existing customers were transitioning to expand in Texas as well. Because our customers’ best interests are what drive our every decision, following them was only natural. Furthermore, our acquisition of Southwest will even further ramp up and improve the services we can provide them with.”

Cities such as Austin and Dallas have become incredibly diverse and vibrant. As these Texas cities attract more people and businesses of all

“We found that not only was there a plethora of new customers that we could tap into, many of our existing customers were transitioning to expand in Texas as well.”

— Jason Tillis ages and varieties, it’s only natural that the food industry follows as well. Many businesses looking to setup shop in Texas are looking to Imperial Dade to supply them with the products they need in order to grow and become successful.

Although the pandemic magnified many trends and niches that had been budding prior, Imperial Dade has always had their customer-driven methodology as their focus. “One thing we’ve definitely seen with the pandemic is an acceleration of trends that were growing before it began, such as takeout and delivery,” Imperial Dade’s president continued. “Many companies struggled at first to accommodate the increases

and changes in what customers were looking for. At Imperial Dade however, we’ve always held our products to the highest possible standards in terms of quality, safety, and ecofriendliness. What this means is that there were never any growing pains for us. We were immediately ready to hit the ground running when our customers came looking for help, which we think has made an immense difference. All we had to do was double down on our high touch, customer focused practices. As long as our customers feel secure and safe utilizing our products, we’re happy.”

Speaking of customer oriented business practices, this is something Imperial Dade has always been

Imperial Dade offers over 25,000 products including cleaning chemicals, janitorial supplies, foodservice packaging, paper products, and cleaning equipment.

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known for, and is something they’ve seamlessly merged with the digital communication preference of the current times. “We’ve absolutely leveraged Zoom and other digital communication services to adapt our operations to the current climate.

In fact, I’d say that our integration of these options has not only helped us adapt to the climate, it’s actually made the way we conduct business even better on a whole. With our new knowledge of digital communication services, we can get information into the hands of our reps and customers more efficiently and effectively than we ever could before. Not only is it safe, it’s something that we’ll continue to do even in the future,” remarked Tillis. Digital communication services are useful for more than just business correspondences. The Pandemic has validated Imperial Dade’s ability to provide customers with transparency when it comes to training, webinars, and other important, product related information.

“We know that our customers are running themselves ragged trying to adapt their businesses to the new normal, so anything we can do to make it easier on them, we do.”

The Great Southwest Paper addition marks the 29th addition to the Imperial Dade portfolio under the Tillis regime. As the leading independently owned and operated distributor of foodservice packaging, facilities maintenance supplies and equipment in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, many people depend on Imperial Dade to run a successful business.

Imperial Dade has always taken this knowledge to heart, and strives to provide services and products that match that trust.

BURRATA

Soft and delicate, with a slightly sweet, milky flavor, BelGioioso Burrata is made with hand-crafted Fresh Mozzarella filled with Stracciatella, a mix of soft mozzarella shreds and cream.

Enhance your menu by creating a deluxe Caprese salad with spooned sections of Burrata beside ripe tomatoes and fresh basil, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Or enrich your pizza or pasta by topping with a garnish of this fresh, creamy cheese just before serving.

Available in 2 oz., 4 oz. and 8 oz. Burrata balls, 4 oz. balls with Black Truffles, and 8 oz. and 1 lb. Stracciatella.

For more info and samples, please contact: foodservice@belgioioso.com 877-863-2123

belgioioso.com/Foodservice

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 15

FIORITO ON INSURANCE

2021 HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY OUTLOOK: ISSUES, IMPLICATIONS & BEST PRACTICES

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he hospitality industry has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps more so than any other sector. With restaurants struggling to stay open for business and many closing their doors for good, at nearly 40% of all job losses, hospitality unemployment is at four times greater than the national average1 and more layoffs are expected. While these difficult realities remain, we must look to 2021 with the hope of a light at the end of the tunnel, putting an emphasis on holistic risk management strategies to offset costs and help prevent further losses.

As outlined in HUB International’s recently released “2021 Hospitality Industry Outlook”, the following are top issues we see shaping the hospitality

industry, and their implications for risk and insurance: 1. Increasing Insurance Rates & Proactive Risk Management Reduced or vacant properties combined with operators’ financial stress will push property insurance, along with commercial umbrella rates, up by 25% to 50% into 2021, and the amount each insurer is willing to write for a particular line is increasingly limited.

The industry’s financial straits also pose executive liability issues with coverage being driven up an average of 25% in response. Directors’ and Officers’ (D&O) and Errors and Omissions (E&O) exposures are ramping up with the prospect of more bankruptcies and business consolidations and

creditor suits in response. The significant number of layoffs also may trigger Employment Practices Liability actions by employees, and by regulators if payroll tax payments have lapsed.

The best way to control insurance costs is to be proactive to plan ahead to avoid potential losses as much as possible in the first place. It is more important than ever to work with your insurance broker on risk assessments for your business to ensure any potentially costly issues are identified and corrected, like legionella in the water supply or pipes that could freeze due to lack of maintenance staff for necessary protocols. Your broker should proactively review the adequacy of your executive liability coverage for changing circumstances, as well as on practices that improve the risk exposures of executives and boards going forward. The best defense is adequate disclosures, having followed regulations or government recommendations, and following an emergency plan that is regularly reviewed and updated.

2. As restaurants pivot, adequate protection against risk is a key concern.

From the very beginning of the pandemic, restaurants had to quickly develop and provide options to survive the circumstances. That was demonstrated in the immediate wake of the pandemic quarantine period. Restaurants pivoted to delivery and take-out, and kept up the services to stay open.

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Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President with HUB International Northeast, a leading global insurance brokerage, where he specializes in providing insurance services to the restaurant industry. As a 25+ year veteran and former restaurateur himself, Robert has worked with a wide array of restaurant and food service businesses, ranging from fast-food chains to upscale, “white tablecloth” dining establishments. Robert can be reached at 212-338-2324 or by email at robert.fiorito@ hubinternational.com.

Others have reinvented their business models. The trend toward “ghost” kitchens was hot before the pandemic and has accelerated. These can be urban warehouses containing multiple small kitchens leased by a restaurant or a restaurant’s subcontractor for delivery only.

Chances are that delivery services were easily accommodated by third party services like Grub Hub and Uber Eats, which delivered $10.2 billion in carryout meals in 2018. Those that have proceeded with their own drivers should work with their brokers to offset such risks as food safety, customer privacy and data security. They should also be aware of increases in auto coverage in 2021 that might make third party delivery services more attractive.

Another potential risk that restaurant operators face in 2021 is a surge in outsized claims being tracked back to on-the-job contagion, pushing financially stretched health insurers to subrogate them back to workers’ compensation (WC) carriers. That could trigger double digit rate increases in WC. Restaurants that have opened to dine-in at any capacity (if and when they had the state’s approval to do so) should also conduct risk assessments to audit their coronavirus safety mea-

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January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 17

NEWS

MENU OPTIONS

TO MEET DEMAND FOR HEALTHIER OFFERINGS, RESTAURANTS CAN “BRANCH OUT” WITH MORE PLANT-BASED FOODS

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s the U.S. continues to navigate the global pandemic environment, restaurant operators have had to quickly and frequently adjust their operations to meet everchanging requirements to keep their businesses open and profitable.

While consumers now expect to-go and curbside dining options as the new norm, research shows that they also continue to expect on-trend menu items; including, healthy and wholesome options.

As the demand for healthy dining continues to rise along with plantbased protein innovation and consumer awareness, restaurant operators will benefit from meeting these trends to increase profitability in the post-pandemic environment.

Consumers Are Actively Seeking Plant-Based Menu Options While diners have embraced the new contactless nature of dining, they are still looking for new, ontrend offerings that break up the monotony of quarantine and help them stay healthy.

The global pandemic has raised awareness to the importance of maintaining a strong immune system and consumers are now looking to food to help manage their health and wellness into the future, particularly as we start the new year. Data supports that wholesome dining trends including plant-based protein items and vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian and other diet-related options, are here to stay.

“The diners of this generation are

looking for dishes that give them the experience they’re looking for; they’re savvy, know their dietary preferences and are cognizant of their health, now more than ever,” says Chef Neil Doherty, Sysco’s Senior Director of Culinary Development. “People want their food to provide nutrition for their body and they want to be empowered with menu choices that support their personal sense of wellness—however they define it.”

According to Datassential, a data and insights company serving the food and beverage industry, 70% of Americans believe a healthy diet will help with recovery if they contract COVID-19 and 51% wish that immunity-boosting foods and ingredients were an option at all the places they go out to eat.

Whether they’re looking for vegan options due to lifestyle preferences or plant-based protein items to help them maintain a healthier and more

Data supports that wholesome dining trends including plant-based protein items and vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian and other dietrelated options, are here to stay. active lifestyle, consumers want to know that these options exist at the restaurants they order from.

The Rise and Evolution of PlantBased Protein and Demand for Protein Diversity Within the plant-based and healthy dining trend, the plantbased protein market is rapidly evolving and expanding…and the stakes are high. The global plantbased protein market size is projected to grow from $10.3 billion in 2020 to $14.5 billion by 2025 .

Some consumers are looking for a wider variety of meatless protein while others to enhance their health, while others are opting for

plant-based protein because they believe it’s a better choice for the planet. Plus, with more transparent food labeling and easier access to nutrition information and innovations, consumers are hungry for the latest on-trend items in this space, not just meatless burgers.

The product that helped to catapult plant-based eating into the mainstream - the Beyond Meat plant-based burger -- actually began under an exclusive arrangement with Sysco’s Cutting Edge Solutions platform to distribute the innovative offering to foodservice customers. On the heels of this suc-

continued on page 80

With the simplest ingredient line in the plant based category, Sysco Simply Plant Based Protein (Pulled Oats™) is made of a flavorful superfood blend of oats, beans, and peas that has a “pulled” texture.

18 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 19

NEWS

By Claudia Giunta

NEW OPENINGS

QUINN EXPANDS HUDSON MALONE BRAND WITH WESTPORT DEBUT

T

he new Hudson Malone restaurant located in Westport, CT offers a cosmopolitan ambiance, with an extensive menu full of familiar American fare with a unique twist. It’s the perfect place for brunch, lunch, dinner, or even an indulgent cocktail or two.

The food is just one of the many attractions of the Hudson Malone brand that raises the standards for what hospitality means.

Doug Quinn, the owner of the two Hudson Malone restaurants, has been working in the restaurant business

“The key is to have an understanding of why people go out and create the magic that makes each experience so memorable.” — Doug Quinn

Doug Quinn

for 35 years. He first started working in restaurants and bars at the age of 18, learning how to cook from some of the greatest chefs in the world including David Burke, and mastering the creation of unique cocktails with Dale DeGroff, both James Beard award winners. Named after Quinn’s two sons, the Hudson Malone restaurants welcome each guest with the care one would expect to receive when stepping into Quinn’s home — an atmosphere that’s personal, warm, and engaging.

When Quinn walks into a restaurant a vision begins to evolve as he imagines its potential. After several restaurants struggled to make the Fairfield County space a success, Quinn once again had a vision. The new Hudson Malone outpost in Westport has been completely renovated. With his hands-on approach, Quinn redesigned and restructured the majority of the restaurant space: “The centerpiece of our renovation was the moving of the bar from the middle of the space to a new area on the other side of the building to create an open, yet cozy and sexy environment. We added new windows and raised the roof to create a spectacular bar. We were even able to repurpose African hardwood from the original bar to be used to build a coffee station and a new bar top.” One of the keys to creating comfort for guests both at the new bar and at tables throughout the restaurant was Quinn’s collaboration with John Celli Furniture Designs. We’ve worked with them in the city and they bring a unique ability to combine comfort and flexibility,” Quinn said.

Quinn has proven to be among a handful of operators that have been able to duplicate success in Manhattan with a suburban eatery. “The key

20 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Hudson Malone’s increased usage of dividers, heaters, and air filtration has helped maintain their Westport location for customers to enjoy the delicious menu items.

is to have an understanding of why people go out and create the magic that makes each experience so memorable. While the food, environment, and music are all important factors, it’s all about the importance of hospitality and human engagement. We are constantly asking how we can make the interactions between our team at

Hudson Malone and our guests can create magic. Our goal is from the moment our guests enter Hudson Malone they are wowed by the quality of hospitality, meaningful conversation, and personal relationships that are formed with our customers. We know that suc-

continued on page 80

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 21

NEWS

TAX SOLUTIONS

Article by David Joseph, Co-founder of DAVO Sales Tax (www.davosalestax.com)

MANAGING YOUR SALES TAX WITH GRUBHUB, DOORDASH AND UBER EATS ON YOUR POS

I

n 2020 we were thrust into a new takeout world. As we scrambled to make this new reality work, POS systems stepped up with new online ordering options, and third party ordering apps like Grubhub, Postmates, Uber Eats, and Doordash took center stage on how to get the food people wanted to their doors.

Unfortunately, in our business of automating sales tax for restaurants and retailers, we saw too many cases where the question of who collected and paid sales tax got overlooked. We saw businesses not collect correctly, and in too many cases, restaurants and retailers paying sales tax twice on delivery orders. We want to make sure that doesn’t happen to you.

Take-Out Culture and Delivery Apps Are Here to Stay Takeout apps and direct online takeout ordering went from gaining popularity in 2019 to the lifeline that kept the industry alive in 2020. As the world begins to open up, the convenience of online ordering and takeout culture is here to stay.

For many third-party ordering apps make sense. They act as the middle man who gets you in front of your next customers at precisely the right time. They come with employees and independent contractors standing by to deliver food from your restaurant directly to your customer. Many businesses don’t have the staff or time for a takeout and delivery service.

Apps like GrubHub and Uber Eats fill

that need.

The issue with third-party apps is as they struggle to be profitable and grow, they are still figuring out how to charge for their service. Some take hefty commissions on top of monthly fees. If we are already operating on razor-thin margins, these fees can cause serious problems.

To make these apps work for you, you must know how to understand them and manage them to fit your business.

Run 3rd Party Orders Through Your POS Orders from third-party takeout apps are received on devices separate from your POS. Managing these apps through your POS creates better workflows, keeps your reporting accurate, and will save you lots of time

22 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

and money when paying your sales tax. Some POS systems even offer apps to bring in your 3rd party orders straight to your system.

Don’t Double Pay Sales Tax Food tends to have some of the most complicated sales tax rules, but it is essential to get sales tax right.

Sales tax must be collected and paid by the seller on record or facilitator.

Ensure you understand how the sales tax is collected and which party is responsible for remitting the sales tax you or your third-party ordering app.

These can change from app to app, state by state, and your contract with the app.

Review your contract with each third party order app and see who is responsible for filing and remitting sales tax on these orders. In many

states, including New York, ordering apps are very recently responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax on their sales.

If you do not program your POS correctly, you may end up double paying on these orders.

If the ordering app pays the sales tax, create an ORDER TYPE for each third-party app and assign it a 0% tax rate. Next, create a TENDER TYPE for each 3rd party app. Enter and close the orders under the corresponding third party app.

If the third-party app collects the sales tab but sends it back to you, then create an ORDER TYPE for each third-party all and assign it to the prevailing tax rate for your location. Next, create a TENDER TYPE for each thirdparty app as well. Enter and close the orders under the corresponding third-party app.

The delivery and takeout apps have been mostly helpful during a rough period. We hope with a little homework and a few changes to your POS, you will have a better handle on this piece of the puzzle and will protect you from unwanted surprises.

David Joseph is the co-founder of DAVO Sales Tax (davosalestax.com) and a former restaurant owner. DAVO Automated Sales Tax integrates with many popular POS systems to set aside sales tax daily and file and pay it when it’s due, on-time, and in-full. Put your sales tax on autopilot and never worry about it again. David can be reached at david@davosalestax.com or (888) 659-8432.

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(201) 437-7440 | ImperialDade.com January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 23

TREND TALK

WITH JOYCE APPELMAN

2021 FOOD & BEVERAGE TRENDS FROM AF&CO & CARBONATE

a

f&co., a leading boutique restaurant and hospitality consulting firm and Carbonate, a creative services and brand communications agency, have released their annual hospitality trend report. This year’s report, Do The Hustle, analyzes trends that upset the industry in 2020 and looks forward to how each will affect business in coming years.

The title, Do The Hustle, reflects the incredible energy, stamina, and creativity hospitality leaders have adopted and how nimble they will continue to be in 2021. Candace MacDonald, co-founder and managing director of Carbonate cites the level of creativity and drive behind so many in the industry as reason for cautious optimism, as well

as inspiration for us all.

This hustling spirit is exemplified by passionate chefs creating pop-up restaurants, developing incredibly personal menus featuring under-represented cuisines, and by restaurants embracing completely different business models in efforts to serve their communities and generate revenue.

Disruption & Acceleration While it often feels like our world was overturned this year, many of the underlying trends were already well underway; the pandemic merely accelerated them. Delivery, ghost kitchens and virtual brands were well established and growing before they became a necessity with the closure of restaurants’ dining

rooms.

Alternative animal products, already a booming industry, continue to grow with new developments, products, and technologies offering alternatives to meat, fish and dairy which are more accessible, affordable, and delicious.

Equality & Ecology While Do the Hustle was the theme of the report, equality, representation and sustainability were unifying threads throughout. Shining the spotlight on systemic bias and sustainability will have a profound and lasting impact on how we do business. This means a greater effort to highlight and support minorities in the industry as well as to shine a light on lesser-known culi-

Joyce Appelman is the Director of Public Relations and Special Events for Total Food Service and previously the National Communications Director for C-CAP, Careers through Culinary Arts Program. An industry leader supporting education and scholarships, she has been instrumental in opening career opportunities for many young people in the foodservice industry. Email her at joyceappelman@gmail.com

nary traditions and increased focus on eliminating food and packaging waste.

Foods & Cuisines on the Rise Although the report focuses primarily on larger themes applicable to restaurants and food service retailers, highlights include: Food Trend of the Year - Quessabirria, a griddled crispy edged taco with molten cheese and beef or

continued on page 84

Among the examples of the 2021 Food & Beverage Trends from af&co & Carbonate are: Quesabirria tacos from El Garage in Richmond CA (photo credit: Viviana Montano); Paella kits to go sold by Canela in San Francisco, CA; and Reuben Sandwich at One Market’s (San Francisco, CA) from Mark & Mike’s Jewish deli concept. (photo credit: Hardy Wilson)

24 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 25

PROVISIONS PREVIEWED

WITH LMT PROVISIONS

NIMBUS KITCHEN OPENS: THE DARK KITCHEN COMES TO LIGHT

I

n early 2019, there weren’t any opreaches far beyond the spaces it ocerational ghost kitchens in New cupies and certainly has more to offer York City. Camilla Opperman than just bells. It is a vision of opportufound this out the hard way. nity, camaraderie, and flexibility. UnWhen Opperman started developlike most ghost kitchens or commising her macro-driven food start up, saries, Nimbus guarantees dedicated she looked far and wide for a culinary equipment to its users as well as prospace with flexible hours and an affessional sanitization after every shift. fordable price point, where she could All equipment rests on casters for easy perform research and development, transport, so members can select their only to realize none existed. kitchen configuration based on their Disappointed by a lack of options and resources, but determined, Opperman switched gears and laid the foundation for what would soon become a new business plan for Nimbus Kitchen, now set to open its first Lower East Side location on January 11th, 2021.

“I realized this was a massive pain point in the industry and that everyone was facing this problem of finding affordable and flexible kitchen spaces,” says Opperman, now 27 years old. “I think that has become even more apparent during COVID. People are really hesitant to commit to long term leases or building out their spaces because this industry has been hit so hard.”

Instead of creating her own food business, Opperman partnered with Samantha Slager, 29, to create a space which they summarize as “a hybrid between the traditional commissary kitchen and a ghost kitchen, with a few Meet the Co-Founders: Camilla Opperman (right) more bells and whistles.” and Samantha Slager (left) of Nimbus Kitchen The vision of Nimbus

26 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

operation’s unique needs.

Bringing this concept to reality would require vision and insight from industry professionals, so they got to work, asking industry owners and operators what their dream kitchen would look like in this space. After over 200 conversations, there was one piece of equipment they invested in early on, that they knew would take their kitchen from prep school to professional: their Alto-Shaam blast chiller.

“Something that’s unique about our model is that people are operating on pretty tight shifts. If someone comes in for 4 hours, they don’t have the luxury of waiting around for their food to cool,” says Opperman. “The blast chiller was a great solution for those businesses who are working on a tighter timeline to be more efficient.”

Efficiency and universal access to their kitchen spaces are two key cornerstones of the business they have built, and so their equipment procurement was an exercise in calculated curation. After being introduced to Singer Equipment Company at a New York City Hospitality Group meeting, they knew they wanted a one-stop shop that could consult on their project and deliver the equipment and supplies their team needed to fulfill their mission.

“We worked really closely with Singer on getting high quality equipment that could take 24/7 utilization,” says Opperman. “Alto-Shaam really fell into that category of being high-quality, durable and wasn’t going to break the bank.”

It’s clear that the mission of Nimbus is to help food businesses not just survive—but thrive.

Sarah Bulmer is the Marketing Manager for Singer Equipment Company, supporting strategic communication with Singer’s diverse range of hospitality clients and manufacturer partners. She studied Journalism & Mass Communications with a focus in food writing at the University of Iowa. Sarah is based in Brooklyn, New York and can be reached at sbulmer@singerequipment. com.

“With the rise of the ghost kitchen model, people weren’t really connecting with these [restaurants] previously,” says Slager. “We’ve taken all these dark kitchens and brought them to light.”

Nimbus Kitchen is dedicated to opening ground floor spaces, where customers can see the kitchens from the street, giving operators more exposure and yes, plenty of natural light.

“We’re so focused on making a really hospitable place for our members to do what they do best which is creating,” said Slager. “We wanted to make a space where they can create content that will ultimately help them gain more customers.”

After all, as young female co-founders in a male dominated industry, leveling the playing field of foodservice is an essential part of their mission.

“We’re hoping these members do become the next big names in food,” says Slager. “We’re hoping to scale with these people as they become more established in their passions.”

“Nimbus will be the future,” says Opperman, laughing.

“You can quote her on that,” says Slager.

We’re confident we can.

To learn more about a Nimbus membership, email hello@nimbuskitchen.com.

For information on Alto-Shaam and other cooking equipment, email marketing@singerequipment.com.

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(833)-452-3677 January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 27

MEDIA CORNER

With Joyce Appelman

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:

BOOKS, TV, FILM, AND PODCASTS

WHAT WE’RE READING:

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO:

Chef Tanya Holland

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is now the home to four new mouthwatering food series. “Tanya’s Kitchen Table” is a part of the new cooking shows showcasing Black chefs and heating up the kitchen on Saturdays.

The programming starts at 12:00 p.m.

ET/PT with Lovely Bites starring Chef Connie “Lovely” Jackson, followed

by Tregaye’s Way at 12:30 p.m. ET/PT starring Chef Tregaye Fraser, Food Fantasies at 1:00 p.m. ET/PT featuring several celebrity chefs each episode, and Tanya’s Kitchen Table at 1:30 p.m.

ET/PT starring Chef Tanya Holland.

Tune in to watch Season 25 of Guy’s Grocery Games, a cooking game show that’s aired on The Food Network since 2013. Four chefs compete in two to three challenges. One chef is claimed the winner and gets the chance to shop for $20,000. Each challenge tests the skills of the chefs and each chef must purchase their ingredients in Flavortown Market. Guy Fieri is the host and the executive producer of this 60-minute show.

In each round, chefs are assigned a specific cuisine or a dish that they need to cook. They get challenges based off how many minutes they have to shop or how many minutes they can cook with, how many ingredients, how many pounds of food they can work with, how much money they have to spend in one round or in all three rounds, how many aisles they can use, and sometimes only using frozen or canned ingredients. There are three judges who judge the food and declare the winner.

In seasons one through eleven, the winner had to shop for ten items and each item is worth $20,000. In seasons twelve through the present season, the winner has to answer five food trivia related questions that are worth $4,000 each. Occasionally, there is no shopping spree and the chef is awarded the $20,000. Guy Fieri has also made some special themed tournaments and episodes.

(Contributed by Editorial Intern Paola Zevallos from Food and Finance HS in Manhattan)

28 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Modern Comfort by Ina Garten Modern Comfort is Ina Garten’s 12th cookbook and the #1 New York Times bestseller. She shares 85 recipes that will feed your deepest cravings during the Pandemic. Many of these dishes are inspired by childhood favorites— spiced-up, such as Cheddar and Chutney Grilled Cheese sandwiches (the perfect match for Ina’s Creamy Tomato Bisque), Smashed Hamburgers with Caramelized Onions, and the crispiest hash browns that are actually made in a waffle iron!

Matt Sartwell, Managing Partner, Kitchen Arts & Letters Bookstore in New York City shares his review of an import from New Zealand that’s really remarkable...

Hiakai by Monique Fiso Modern Maori cuisine from Wellington, New Zealand Monique Fiso embraced the ingredients and techniques of her Maori heritage after rigorous training in traditional Western cuisines and a

long stint working in NYC. In this, her first book, she reveals an inspired and thoughtful brilliance. It will reward anyone interested in expanding the possibilities of fine dining to include the widest range of ingredients while paying attention to local foods and traditions.

Compelling photography by Manja Wachsmuth and Amber-Jayne Bain offers vivid evidence of the sophistication of Fiso’s approach to the finished dishes. It also supports an extensive ingredient guide to foods of Aotearoa, the Maori name for New Zealand, including an extensive array of seafood, as well as game and plants.

Fiso’s cuisine does not use only indigenous ingredients, and it reflects a comfortable awareness of many world cuisines. But its distinctiveness is indisputable. Rawnea, for instance, is a flatbread developed by Maori cooks only after Europeans brought wheat flour, and Fiso serves it along with butter enriched and flavored with the fat of a local seabird. She glazes skewers of thinly sliced local abalone with

dark beer, and produces vichyssoise with local potatoes and serves it with a mussel ice cream. Truly fascinating.

On this new episode of MUSIC & BOOZE WITH MO, Chris Coy, CoCreator & Founder of The Inferno Room in Indianapolis, Indiana, chats with Mo Herms about the state of Midwestern Tiki culture, keeping the lights on during a pandemic, and what music best accompanies a Painkiller.

After listening to the podcast, click through for a custom playlist of over 100 Tiki-friendly tunes. LISTEN NOW at https://bit.ly/3pUbu9u!

MUSIC & BOOZE WITH MO is produced and distributed by the Center

for Culinary Culture, home of The Cocktail Collection, and is available wherever fine podcasts can be heard.

The Center for Culinary Culture— ”Telling the Story of Food & Drink, One Taste at a Time.”

Tune in to Weekly Specials, a show hosted by Will Guidara and produced by the Welcome Conference on Spotify, that explores the changing restaurant and hospitality landscape by sharing voices, creating discussion, and telling stories that can inspire through hope, reflection, and a bit of laughter. h t t p s : / / o p e n . s p o t i f y. c o m / show/6Y5Enrqp0BWvhqxxB7M2l3

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January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 29

NEWS

TECHNOLOGY ORDERING SOLUTIONS

By Wyatt Semenuk

APPETIZE INKS PACT WITH HALE & HEARTY TO MAXIMIZE CHAIN’S TAKEOUT & DELIVERY CAPACITY

A

s restaurants across the country evolve to accommodate the new climate, and takeout and delivery becomes the new normal, demand for technology that eases these growing pains has skyrocketed. Established chains like NYC-based Hale and Hearty, which handles significant volume on a daily basis, now have to take on a complete alteration in how they operate. Whereas services like takeout and delivery used to only comprise about 5% of total sales, for many businesses, it’s now 50% or more.

The systems and technology most businesses have in place were never designed to deal with this volume.

Thankfully, Los Angeles, CA based enterprise management company, Appetize, stands ready with its state-of-the-art platform to help businesses streamline and condense their operations.

“We’ve always looked at things from a customer’s perspective,” says Appetize VP of Sales Brian Whitney.

“There are so many different types of customers always looking for different types of service. We define “customer” as everybody, from managers to business owners looking to streamline operations to their end-user patrons.

The common thread that links every type of customer is their desire to do what they need to do quickly and efficiently. At Appetize, we understand this and provide them with the tools to do so, regardless of which side of the counter they’re on.”

Appetize brings a unique advantage to the increased volume demands of the restaurant industry. The company cuts its teeth building out solution for many of the nation’s largest stadiums including Yankee Stadium in the

“What this does is it allows operators to see sales, data reports, and other relevant information through either the platform for a single site or those of a group of sites, depending on how our advanced enterprise hierarchy system is setup.” — Brian Whitney Bronx and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Appetize’s fully cloud-based point of sale, digital ordering, and enterprise management platform is particularly suited to larger scale businesses, such as NYC’s Hale and Hearty, which has 20 locations across the city, Long Island and Boston. “Whereas platforms such as Clover and Square work well enough for smaller businesses, they’ve never scaled well as the size of the business increases,” said Whitney. “These platforms must be managed on a location to location basis, which is tedious and a large time sink for employees. With Appetize, changes can be pushed to every location from a single device, drastically reducing the time employees need to spend micromanaging the

Brian Whitney

30 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

technology and instead allowing them to attend to customers more frequently.”

Another benefit Appetite offers over its competitors is its platform’s ability to collect and analyze data.

“Appetize boasts a full suite of analytics reporting that’s both available at the store level as well as the corporate level,” Whitney explained.

“Furthermore, any report you can run at a store level, you can also run at an enterprise level and vice versa. This allows operators to see sales, data reports, and other relevant information through either the platform for a single site or those of a group of sites, depending on how our advanced enterprise hierarchy system is setup. You can also tag different locations to keep track of which type of data is coming from each one.” Appetize also offers robust business intelligence capabilities.

“With our open API, we’ve also been able to integrate with NetSuite. Through this, customers have access to their ERP package, giving them access to a service that typically comes at a much higher cost.

What’s also unique about Appetize is that our APIs are actually what we use to power our own system,”

continued on page 82

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 31

Q&A

EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEW

KATHRYN GARCIA Mayoral Candidate, City of New York

I

n our 30 years of publishing Tohaving to take a deep dive into the businesses back open, and provides tal Food Service, we have tried intricacies of the industry and how hope for New York City with her as to stay apolitical. However, with they relate to the city as a whole. Aftheir leader. the overwhelming impact of Coter witnessing first-hand the ways vid-19 in 2020, we are focused on in which the city and the food supCould you share a little bit about what this industry is going to look ply are interrelated, Garcia shares your background? like when New York City comes back how foodservice professionals were Certainly. I grew up in Park Slope to life. From the return of tourists repurposed during the pandemic, in Brooklyn. I’ve lived here all of my and business travelers to the rewhat is necessary in order to get life and raised my two children here. opening of hotels and Broadway’s theatres, it’s all about the reweaving of a tapestry in which every sector is dependent on every other segment.

In each case, the City’s restaurant community is directly impacted by every government decision that is going to be made in the next four years.

Many of those decisions and the vision for where New York City is headed will be guided by its next Mayor. With that in mind, we have set out to chat with some of the leading candidates for the post, to get their sense of commitment to the restaurant industry.

Kathryn Garcia brings an extraordinary track record of success and passion for the City while working in key positions for both Mayor Michael Bloomberg and then Mayor Bill de Blasio. She served as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Sanitation, Chief Operating Officer of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, Emergency Food Czar during the Covid-19 pandemic, and now she is a leading candidate for NYC mayor.

Garcia brings a unique perspective to foodservice and Kathryn Garcia, Mayoral Candidate, City of New York (Photo courtesy of kgfornyc.com) restaurant professionals after

32 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

I even managed to live two whole blocks from my mother!

What got you interested in public service?

When I was growing up both of my parents worked in public service and really instilled in me the need to do something with my life that was about giving back. They also emphasized the need to be mission-driven in what you’re doing in order to find fulfillment in it.

We met you over three years ago, you were the City Sanitation Director at the time.

What did you learn about the foodservice industry from being in that position?

One of the things I was very open to when I was working at the Department of Sanitation was collaboration. I realized that there were all of these people that could be stakeholders in sending zero waste to landfills, which was my pursuit at the time. This realization resulted in a very creative partnership with the foodservice industry and the workers it employed. I found that people in the industry cared a lot about food waste and figuring out how to be creative with things that may have otherwise been thrown away. In fact, they were extraordinarily gung-ho about it and also viewed it as a business proposition, under-

continued on page 34

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 33

Q&A

KATHRYN GARCIA, from page 32

standing that anything thrown away was profit being thrown away.

What’s led to your decision to run for mayor?

During the pandemic it became very clear to me that the city was defunding multiple crises: the public health crisis of Covid-19, financial crisis, economic crisis, and then as we saw over the summer, the crisis of racial strife. When I looked at the field I did not see folks who had the management track to take on what we were facing. I have extensive experience in the field and this is a moment when we need steady hands on the wheel.

You have a unique perspective on the relationship between the city and its’ food supply from working with Mayor de Blasio as the food czar.

Talk a little bit about what that experience was like and how it could help you moving forward if you’re elected mayor.

I was given a very broad mandate.

The first objective was to make sure no one went hungry, the second was to make sure there was still food on the city’s grocery shelves for those who can afford it. As you can recall, there was a crisis of toilet paper back in the beginning, and that I don’t think anyone predicted. We were able to very quickly put together a delivery system to deliver food to people across the city as well as

to shore up our food pantry and to distribute food at public schools. It resulted in a deeper understanding of what the capacities were of both people and institutions within city government. In order to make everything work, you find that you have surprising strengths. For example, the taxi drivers didn’t have work and became our delivery staff during that period. It was a very creative way to repurpose those workers. We also learned how to use technology in order to make sure deliveries happened. It’s also important to engage with advocates and elected folks to make sure you’re hearing their voices. These are the people who often have boots on the ground and need to communicate with you, and I think it made us better and better as we went along. At one point we were delivering over one million meals a day to people all across the city, and thank goodness that actually had dissipated by the time I left. Hopefully, we will not get to that point again. I also learned a tremendous amount about the food industry in New York City as a whole from this experience.

What did you learn about the City’s food industry?

Well, we don’t like to cook fish except for salmon and tilapia in our own kitchens, and we’re not so good with a whole chicken - we like chicken breasts. I really saw the industry

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In her role as Emergency Food Czar during the initial months of Covid-19, Kathryn Garcia was hands on; here she helped give out food at the NYCHA Taft Houses, part of the City’s partnership with FreshDirect. (Photo by DNSY Twitter)

transform. You know, restaurants became grocery stores because they could butcher meat, some of the big distributors for restaurants became residential delivery men, overall they were able to pivot incredibly quickly to try to figure out how they could be helpful to people in need.

What role do restaurants play in the City’s economy and psyche?

I think outdoor dining has been

amazing, not only for the fact that we’ve all been able to partake in it but also for the fact that we’ve been able to help support people’s livelihoods by supporting those small businesses. One of the things that makes New York City so great is its food scene. If we didn’t all care about food, we simply would live some-

continued on page 36

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 35

Q&A

KATHRYN GARCIA, from page 34

where else. The industry drives so much of our economy. 40% of the city’s food goes to restaurants. It also employs an enormous amount of people, so we have to be supportive of our restaurant industry. We have to get restaurants back open and make it so New York City residents can go out to eat and celebrate all of our accomplishments and milestones again. The reopening of the restaurant industry is also crucial to be able to attract visitors back to our city. Visitors come to the city because of the restaurant scene and all that the hospitality industry has to offer.

What Covid-19 highlighted was how social the city is, so I’m very supportive of the restaurant industry. When Covid hit, everyone stepped up in the restaurant industry to feed essential workers and do their part for their neighbors. Knowing they’re doing their part when they’re struggling themselves was really inspiring. We connected with these chefs and were able to utilize them in ways we never have before.

What do you think went into the government’s decision to close indoor dining last month?

I’m not entirely sure. It doesn’t really make sense to me. The data suggests that at 25% capacity, there’s no large transmission of the virus.

Maybe at 50% capacity, but at 25% capacity, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case. I don’t know if perhaps he is having anxiety about the number of hospitalizations. I don’t know exactly what’s driving that decision. I feel like we have to keep open as much as we can keep open while remaining safe. If patrons think it’s not safe, they’re not going to show up. Everything that I’ve seen says that at 25% capacity, it doesn’t seem like we’re transmitting the virus. Most of the evidence suggests that transmission is happening in private dwellings.

How do you tie in the vaccine with the city and restaurant industry coming back to life?

The city has to be really transparent about who is receiving the vaccine first. It makes complete sense

that essential healthcare workers and the elderly population receive the vaccine first. However, we need to make sure that the next phase of essential workers includes hospitality workers to get things moving again. We need to do everything possible to get the food service industry open because people are desperate for employment. It’s difficult to say exactly what reopening will look like.

It may be that the road back to normal happens in steps. The first step may be front-of-house staff wearing face coverings and customers having their temperature taken, and as we get to lower and lower transmission rates, and eventually no transmission, that changes.

How do you build a strong relationship with Washington and the new administration to fund a comeback for the restaurant industry?

We have to be advocating for restaurants on a federal level. We also need to advocate at the state level for restaurant owners to be able to keep or forgo the sales tax until the industry gets back on its feet. If I’m elected mayor, I would work closely with the private sector and create pools of capital to support restaurants.

This is really going to be a situation where, if restaurants can hang in there, we will be able to build back.

It’s just a question of whether or not we can hang in there. We’re just not attracting anyone to restaurants now that it’s cold, and with the closing of indoor dining, more people were laid off. Businesses have to have enough money to pay utilities so they can come back strong in the spring. We need grants and loans to ensure we keep this industry alive. The real estate industry in particular is tied to the food service industry. They’re as stuck with us as we are with them.

They can’t move their buildings anywhere and they need the restaurant industry to occupy them as well as be there to feed businesspeople that will be returning to the office. Who is going to go back to the office when there’s nowhere fun to go for lunch or after work?

36 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 37

RESTAURANT BRANDING + STRATEGY

ADVANTAGE, TENANT

W

ith over 100,000 restaurants closing in the last six months, it certainly seems that independent restaurant owners are living a nightmare. But the reality is, this pandemic may have shifted the balance of power in the landlord-tenant relationship – making this an opportune time for operators to expand their concept.

Historically, landlords have held the upper hand when it comes to lease negotiations – but what COVID 19 has done is shine a light on the fact that both sides really need each other to survive. Landlords can’t afford to play hardball with the restaurants that survive. They need to realize that these restaurants have just gone through a war.

Forced changes to their operations (I mean, some of you even turned into grocery stores), see-sawing occupancy restrictions, and in some

Historically, landlords have held the upper hand when it comes to lease negotiations – but what COVID 19 has done is shine a light on the fact that both sides really need each other to survive. cases even had outdoor dining eliminated (talking to you LA). Those of you that do see it to the other side - should get an Oscars type award ceremony or a Medal of Honor at the very least.

And look I get it, landlords are in a tough spot too. They have families to feed and obligations of their own to meet. If they offer a lesser rent, they may be putting themselves in danger of having the bank coming and taking the property. In fact, most of their lenders won’t even allow landlords to amend their leases

38 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

in any way, particularly as it pertains to lowering the rent.

Sounds like an opportunity for restaurants if you ask me.

If you’re a strong operator, that has navigated this landscape and kept your business running throughout the pandemic, you have just gained a distinct advantage. You will have landlords across the country begging you to come to see their space. For most, this will be the first time that you will truly be in the driver’s seat.

There will also be an extraordinary number of fully built out second-generation spaces available and restaurant furniture and fixtures will be priced at all-time lows. Unfortunately, several restaurants may have just dumped a ton of money into their space at the wrong time – but this a tremendous opportunity. It’s possible you will be able to step into a space that just works for you - where the build-out will only cost a fraction of what it may have been earlier this year. If you’re in this for the long haul, your strong track record will allow you to this is negotiate some favorable lease terms. And with rents are softening a bit, you have a pretty ideal situation on your

A 18-year restaurant veteran, Kyle Inserra is now part of the national accounts team Sabre Advisors, specializing in the strategic growth and nurturing of emerging restaurant brands. A restaurateur himself, (co-founder of Polpettina and LA LA Taqueria) his insider’s perspective of what it means to be a restaurant operator day-in and day-out, allow him to relate to his clients’ ever-changing needs. His expertise includes everything from site selection, lease negotiation, demographic and psychographic analysis, competitor analysis and zoning regulations. Kyle is also the host of The National Restaurant Owners Podcast, a show focused on bringing value to restaurant owners across the country by sharing his insight and experience, with a wide variety of guests.

Contact him at https://taplink.cc/ kyleinserra

hands. Advantage tenant.

It’s also time for you to really evaluate who your landlord is. Early this year, I heard the term “land-partner” – and I think that’s great. Both sides need to value what the other side is bringing to the table. COVID has put a mirror up against this relationship and made it crystal clear that both sides need each other equally. Now, what that means will vary from state to state and concept to concept, but there is no arguing the fact that no one side can survive without the other.

As we head into the new year, with the vaccine becoming available there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Take this time to talk with your team, discuss where you’re at and where you want to go. Evaluate those opportunities you previously thought were out of reach. Focus on the details of your operation, taking the time to ensure that everything is buttoned up, and get your finances in order because the bottom line is, you will never have an opportunity like this again to scale your business.

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 39

NEWS

By Paola M. Zevallos

MANUFACTURING SALES

BROOKLYN BASED GLISSEN TAPS VAJCOVEC TO SALES POST

E

very successful business has a recipe for success. Since the 1930’s that recipe for Glissen Chemicals has never wavered. The Brooklyn, NY based company has always focused on honesty, integrity, and quality.

When Eugene Lehr’s bitters business became a victim of prohibition, in today’s parlance, he pivoted to the manufacturing and sales of the highest quality cleaning chemicals for bars, restaurant and hospitality operators. The legendary Joseph Lehr then joined the family company 70 years ago and as they say the rest is history. He began an odyssey as a true road warrior. For weeks at a time, “Joe” Lehr, as he is known to his friends, would travel from hamlet to hamlet

across the Northeast, selling the Glissen line to restaurant and equipment supply dealers. These travels created a culture for the Brooklyn based firm and a reputation of elegance and excellence that has never been matched.

That diligence and attention to manufacturing quality and unmatched customer service to support has taken Glissen to the pinnacle of success.

They are the foodservice industry’s leading detergent manufacturer with distribution in 22 states.

The Glissen line is comprised of a diverse product line within the company’s Nu-Foam line that is recognized from Coast to Coast as the industry standard. From Nu-Foam tablets for the washing of bar glasses to the NuFoam’s Pizza suds for pizzerias, you

Tom Vajcovec (L) has joined Brooklyn, NY based Glissen Chemical as Director of Sales. He will be guiding the fortunes of the iconic company with Industry legend Joseph Lehr (C) and VP-General Manager Rich Knoop

40 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

“Our goal is to keep human interaction in the process by building a connection with a dealer in an age in which everybody is in front of a screen.” — Tom Vajcovec will find a Glissen solution throughout a foodservice establishment.

Joseph Lehr’s approach has always been that quality needs to be sold face to face. That’s why he and his Dad spent decades on the road building relationships and trust in the Glissen line. In 2015, Joe’s grandson Rich Knoop returned to the company and hasn’t looked back. He has grabbed the proverbial baton and has managed to both embrace the fact to face grace and culture of his grandfather while injecting the realities of today’s e-commerce marketplace.

“Our goal continues to have a personal relationship with every Glissen dealer, while at the same time understanding the needs of today’s buyer,” Knoop explained. “We will never sell direct to Amazon, but we are here to support our dealers who use their own web sites and Amazon to respond to their customer’s needs,” Lehr added.

With an eye towards servicing the needs of both the traditional equipment and supply dealer and the rapid growing e-commerce marketplace, Lehr and Knoop crafted a strategy.

The centerpiece of the plan was to add a key executive to work with the duo to grow sales with an eye to the future and the savvy to respond to the needs of the longtime Glissen/NuFoam customer base.

As they looked at candidates, Tom Vajcovec checked all of the boxes.

“Tom brings a deep base of relationships with dealers across the country,” Knoop added. “I bring younger insight where Tom has extensive knowledge and experience.”

“Our goal is to keep human interaction in the process by building a connection with a dealer in an age in which everybody is in front of a screen,” Vajcovec added.

For Vajcovec, the new post as Director of Sales at Glissen marks his return to the company. For a number of years, he represented Glissen as part of his portfolio of lines that he marketed to dealers in New England. “He understands who we are and what we stand for,” Lehr said. “His knowledge of sales and how we operate will be a huge plus to our continual commitment to supporting our customers. I remember vividly how impressed we were 20 plus years ago when we hired Tom over dinner at the Norwich (CT) Inn over dinner. My late wife Bobbi, although not active in the business, had the best feel for who would fit for you and she loved Tom.” The mutual respect and friendship have never wavered. Vajcovec noted: “What a special opportunity to work for and with someone I have respected personally and professionally for years. It’s that very same respect that Joe and now Rich show to every customer and member of the Glissen team that make this so special.”

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January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 41

NEWS

By Wyatt Semenuk

DISPOSABLE STRATEGIES

CLEVELAND BASED GREEN PAPER PRODUCTS PROVES THAT GREEN AND CLEAN CAN CO-EXIST

A

s the restaurant industry shifts its focus to takeout and delivery, many restaurateurs have quickly realized that there’s much more to running a successful takeout and delivery business than moving meals off dishes and into containers. The three major challenges businesses have been facing when it comes to a successful food transit business have been packaging durability, eco-friendliness of the materials used, and cost. Luckily, Ohio based company, Green Paper Products, offers efficient solutions to all three of these challenges with their extensive line of biodegradable, compostable and eco-friendly tableware and food service products.

“Our mission has always been to deliver biodegradable and compostable products to consumers, regardless of whether the customer is an individual or a business,” said General Manager, Aaron Saks. “This is particularly important in these days where many businesses currently depend on products like ours to survive. By providing these products, we are helping to facilitate the evolution the industry is currently undergoing, while simultaneously minimizing the environmental impact that such a movement might otherwise have.” With the massive increases in demand for takeout and delivery, the volume of materials and supplies used to meet this demand have also grown exponentially. In the past, many businesses opted for cheap plastic and styrofoam products.The restaurant professional has realized that those products are both harmful to the environment and

often viewed negatively by their dining patrons.

Not only does Green Paper Products help maintain the environment with their offerings, they’ve also proved to many that eco-friendliness and sanitation can, in fact, co-exist. “Although the current climate has certainly altered what people are looking for in products such as ours, we still make it a priority to incorporate green elements in every thing we make,” stated Saks. “Sanitation being the star of the show doesn’t give us an excuse to throw other standards out the window. One example is our cutlery. Even though we’ve begun wrapping all of our cutlery individually, the material we use to wrap it is actually a special compostable and biodegradable wrapper, rather than typical plastic.

The gloves and trash bags we offer are similar, in that they’re new products

42 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

“Although the current climate has certainly altered what people are looking for in products such as ours, we still make it a priority to incorporate green elements in everything we do.” - Aaron Saks we’ve added or altered due to demand while still being made out of ecofriendly materials.

Although Green Paper Products focuses on environment and safety, they also make it a point to provide some of the highest quality packaging vessels on the market. “One of the biggest complaints higher end restaurants have received from both customers and the chefs that work there have been that the low quality containers being used to transport food are actually affecting the food itself,” said the General Manager.

“These poorly insulated or designed products ultimately sully the quasi-restaurant experience customers are looking for. We all know how important dining ware is to a proper restaurant experience. These days, containers have essentially replaced silverware, so why should containers be held to any lesser standard?”

Green Paper Products offers a full suite of these state-of-the-art units, such as the ever-popular clamshell, and others such as bowls with and without lids, paper boxes, biodegradable plastic containers (made from corn) for cold food, and cups for soup and other items. Due to the increase in popularity of to-go beverages, Green Paper Products also offers cup carriers in various sizes. Fur-

thermore, many of their products are made in the US so that they can assure utmost quality and avoid any potential supply issues that may arise when ordering from overseas.

Finally, Green Paper Products has not forgotten that many restaurants are currently operating under significantly reduced revenue streams. To help alleviate cost concerns, Green Paper Products offers their wares in extremely flexible quantities. “A lot of the smaller businesses can’t afford large quantities or don’t have the inventory to store it, so often times they can only order in very small amounts each time. If you want to order exactly 12 cups, you can order a dozen. If you need just one pack of clamshells, you can order a single pack. We’ve found that being flexible with our customers in such a manner reduces some of the stress of a reduced budget.”

Although Green Paper Products has only been on the scene for a bit over 10 years, they’ve already made a huge impact on the industry, and have set an admirable standard for what the products we use in this business should be.

Green Paper products are perfect for any operation, large or small, looking to provide an excellent dining experience while keeping both their customers and the environment safe.

For more information, those interested can learn more or request samples at Greenpaperproducts.com.

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 43

44 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 45

RESTAURANT EXPERT

WITH DAVID SCOTT PETERS

DON’T LET UNCERTAINTY STOP YOUR RESTAURANT’S SUCCESS

R

unning your restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic feels like trying to navigate your way home through a raging forest fire, like the ones that ravage the West Coast. Much like a forest fire burns homes to the ground and devastates communities, COVID-19 is raging through the restaurant industry. As a restaurant owner, you have to do everything you can to obstruct its impact on your business and your life.

How? Here are two things to have in your restaurant business that can do this: one is systems and the other

is an implementer.

Number one, when I say systems, what do I mean? I mean everything you do that somebody else could be doing. Whether it’s counting out your bar draw every single time the same way or opening and closing your restaurant. It could be sending in payroll or ordering food. You create your system, your process, your way. This allows you to impose your will so that people do it your way even when and especially when you’re not there.

Why systems and how do systems and an implementer work? Well, remember, I say it allows you to im-

46 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

pose your will. By having your systems in place, you operate much like the chains do. That doesn’t mean you’re going to be cold and sterile and serve packaged food hot out of a microwave. You’re still the same restaurant owner with the same set of core values. But you are going to set standards and train people to those standards.

The obstacle for most entrepreneurs is themselves. Even if you want to create all those systems and execute all those systems and train all those systems, you don’t have the time. Instead what you want to do is get somebody to help you get it out of your head, document it and actually implement it. That’s called an implementer.

Simply put. Find one person who helps you get it all done. That is how you can have success with systems.

The good news about systems is you already have them. All you need to do is document them. Once you document them, you teach them. Teach your implementer all the ways of the restaurant, have that person document them all, have them bring it to you to edit and then BAM! You have documented and trainable systems.

Here’s a BONUS tip that makes it even easier. Grab your cell phone

David Scott Peters is an author, restaurant coach and speaker who teaches restaurant operators how to use his trademark Restaurant Prosperity Formula to cut costs and increase profits. His first book, Restaurant Prosperity Formula: What Successful Restaurateurs Do, teaches the systems and traits to develop to run a profitable restaurant. Known as THE expert in the restaurant industry, he uses a no-BS style to teach and motivate restaurant owners to take control of their businesses and finally realize their full potential. Thousands of restaurants have used his formula to transform their businesses.

To learn more about David Scott Peters, his formula for restaurant success, his book, or his coaching program, visit davidscottpeters.com.

and video yourself walking through the restaurant and performing all the tasks. Then have your implementer type it all up step by step.

Then follow the same procedure.

Review what they’ve capture, edit it, finalize it and BAM! Systems documented. Keep the video and it becomes a training tool for new employees.

As a restaurant coach I want you know that I teach restaurant owners a whole series of systems that literally help you organize your whole restaurant. The systems I teach cover your restaurant operations through what you do every single day. And that gives you comfort. It gives you direction. It allows you to get through the ebbs and flows of running your business, even when there’s a high level of uncertainty like it is today with COVID-19.

The truth of the matter is, if you truly want to transform your life to have freedom from your restaurant and a chance at real financial freedom, you have to put systems in place and you have to find an implementer.

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 47

NEWS

DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIES

By Claudia Giunta

MOSEBROOK TAKES HELM OF THE CHEFS’ WAREHOUSE SALES INITIATIVES IN METRO NYC

B

eing successful in the food and beverage industry demands a passionate drive to grow— on a personal and collaborative level— through continual and impactful human connection. Matthew Mosebrook, Regional Vice President at Chefs’ New York wants everything yesterWarehouse and when my boss at Warehouse, is the perfect example day. And if you give it to them, you’ll Sysco left to go to work for them, he of achieving this and has brought do alright.” Mosebrook’s notable reinvited me to join his team,” Mosehis leadership qualities to the Metro silience and ability to perform well brook added. “I met with Chris and New York’s foodservice community. in various environments has led John Pappas in December of 2013.”

Mosebrook’s career in the food him to success. While working for Mosebrook began working with and beverage industry launched Sysco, Mosebrook was promoted to Chefs’ Warehouse in Northern Caliwhen he graduated from college and district sales manager in 2008 and fornia and contributed to its organbegan working for Hanover Food’s won the sales manager of the year ic growth throughout the next few DSD manufacturer in Pennsylvania. award in 2013 for two years in a row. years. “We built the territory from a In 2002, Mosebrook started working “I kept butting heads with Chefs’ base of 13 sales representatives and for a small Italian distributor in New provided their soluYork called Vesuvio Foods tions from Monterrey where he strived to beat up to Lake Tahoe.”

Sysco’s quality of service The company grew and price standards. His through strategic acefforts were so momenquisitions, including tous that Sysco recogDel Monte Eat Co. nized his work ethic and as well as Ports Searecruited him. food. Mosebrook then Mosebrook’s career moved on to manage with Sysco began in 2003 the protein division where he worked in Midof Chefs’ Warehouse town Manhattan and then which saw significant was recruited to work in growth to a $360 milSan Francisco in August lion enterprise. of 2005 as a sales repreEarly this year Mosesentative. Mosebrook said brook was given an that moving from coast opportunity to manto coast taught him the age the Bronx division importance of “finding a of Chefs’ Warehouse niche in different comand his compassion munities.” He has applied and admiration for what his father has taught New York’s culture led him about working in New him to quickly accept York to his career, no matthe offer. The world ter where it takes him geo(L-R) Chefs’ Warehouse CEO Chris Pappas with Matthew Mosebrook seemed to shut down graphically: “Everybody in

“Everybody in New York wants everything yesterday. And if you give it to them, you’ll do alright.” — Matthew Mosebrook

48 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

soon after his move due to Covid.

Mosebrook joined the Pappas led management team to build a new vision for the company. From supporting the takeout and delivery strategies of Chefs’ Warehouse’s restaurant customer base to the implementation of a B2C strategy, the Mosebrook led New York sales team worked diligently.

Mosebrook and his team have made customer communication a priority over the last nine months.

“Life since the pandemic in March has meant layoffs, furloughs, and a readjustment of employee positions for many businesses. So, it’s really all about how a restaurant can remain relevant to its guests. The person-to-person aspect of the food and beverage industry relies heavily on human engagement. This means the need to redefine what this means under social distancing protocol to be effective in maintaining relationships with customers.”

Chefs’ Warehouse and Mosebrook are available to Metro New York’s restaurant and food service community 24/7. “Our goal continues to be to help our customers survive and prosper again with creative strategies to ‘keep their arms around’ their customers. It’s about staying relevant and being impactful,” Mosebrook concluded.

The Chefs’ Warehouse is a specialty food distributor that began sourcing products for high-end chefs 35 years ago. With locations in major metropolitan areas across the United States and Canada, the company serves the finest restaurants, hotels, caterers and gourmet stores in North America.

M E T I C U L O U S LY A G E D A N D H A N D - C U T B Y M A S T E R B U T C H E R S © 2021 The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Shop Online: allenbrothers.com - or - For Chefs: chefswarehouse.com

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 49

NEWS

By Paola M. Zevallos

FOOD TRUCKS

LANDANO SET TO LAUNCH NATIONAL FOOD TRUCK BRAND WITH GARDEN STATE LAUNCH

F

rom Brooklyn to Disney, Melanie Landano’s career saga has taken a number of interesting twists and turns.

Next for Landano is changing the way consumers and foodservice operators think of food trucks. “I’m originally from Brooklyn and I worked at the Nelly Bly Amusement Park every summer as a teenager, Landano explained. I began as an 11-year-old and by the time I was 20, I had become the General Manager. Foodservice and concessions were of course a big part of the job.”

Good fortune then guided the next chapter in Landano’s career. “I spent one of my college semesters in Rome studying abroad. My dream job after working at a local amusement park for so long was to work for Disney.

While in Italy, I was recruited to work at Walt Disney World at Epcot in Florida. They were looking for 7 American students to live and learn with internationals and serve as American ambassadors at Epcot. They saw my experience in the amusement industry and it was a perfect first for their program.”

Landano’s stint at Disney was in fact highlighted by being presented with the company’s Partner’s in Excellence Award. “The opportunity at Disney truly was the equivalent of a master’s degree in hospitality. It touched on every aspect from customer service to culinary. It began as a six-month internship and morphed into 6 amazing years,” Landano explained.

Due to personal issues, she returned to New York City. She was recruited into a new industry with Bally Fitness. She found success in this new industry within her 12 years. She went from “Club Manager to managing 21

“We even see an opportunity too work with local chefs that we can collaborate with.”

— Melanie Landano clubs” and then to the executive suite as Director of Marketing.

Landano’s love for hospitality lead to her return to the industry. She had worked at the Nelly Bly Park with a classmate named Pat LaFrieda. Yes, the very same Pat La Frieda whose names has become synonymous with the highest quality beef. The company processes meat for a wide diversity of customers including Shake Shack.

Landano was able to reconnect with the New Jersey based meat maven and he quickly hired her. The timing was perfect as La Frieda was ex-

panding quickly from its wholesale/ processing base into its own branded retail/restaurant operations.

LaFreida immediately dispatched Landano to open their first ever retail location at the US Open Tennis venue in Flushing, Queens. Her amusement park/Disney experience was a perfect fit and the next year, LaFreida was given a second space at the iconic tennis venue.

Landano was soon, entrusted with a portfolio of LaFreida retail openings from the Pennsy Food Hall at Madison Square Garden to a CitiField in

Melanie Landano has worked for Pat LaFrieda for years in quality control, before launching Mel’s Butcher Box using LaFrieda meats for burgers and cheesesteaks.

50 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Queen location and then the TimeOut Marketplace in Dumbo, New York.

When Covid-19 hit, she became a free agent. She was introduced to furniture design impresario Marc Celli and Mel’s Food truck business was born. Mel’s Butcher Box brings Landano’s two plus decades of experience and the quality of LaFrieda meats.

“Our goal is to create a restaurant level experience like you would get at a stand-alone restaurant,” Landano noted. Her creative twist also includes a marketing plan that combines both a venue where you can eat a hamburger and buy meat at the same time. “We also understand how vital today’s technology is. By keeping the truck in the same geographic location, we can build loyal following and use the power of Seamless and DoorDash to drive revenue. “ Landano, who has teamed with the design of Celli, has an eye on developing a franchisable model. “We want to build the very best local sources in each community we serve from ingredients to bread and rolls from local bakeries.”

Her creative side has also found its way into Mel’s Butcher Box marketing. “We even see an opportunity to work with local chefs that we can collaborate with. We are planning on a taco pop up night with one local chef and a surf and turf with another local chef,” Landano concluded.

Landano is currently operating in a pair of Bergen County communities with great initial fanfare. With her passion for the industry and hospitality, stay tuned for what will surely be one of the nation’s most talked about foodservice success stories.

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January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 51

NEWS

By Claudia Giunta

FINANCING SOLUTIONS

inKIND BRINGS VISIONARY FINANCING TO NATION’S RESTAURANT OPERATING COMMUNITY

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ohann Moonesinghe, CEO ey and then expect to be paid back and founder of inKind, is whether it’s through a percentage of paving the way for what ficredit card sales or cash flow of the nancing can mean in today’s restaurant. This inevitably becomes restaurant business. Moonesinghe’s a financial stress for restaurants.” inexperience in being a restaurant ownKind’s approach, instead ensures the er has taught him about the financial health of the restaurant, by providstruggles of running a local business. ing support, without undermining its To combat these challenges, he creability to function day-to-day. ated a solution that strategically helps When funding restaurants, inKind’s restaurants grow, without incurring have become experts on measuring looming costs that could be a burden customer engagement. “We consider further down the road. His solution, multiple sources for reviews of the inKind, is a financial and marketing restaurant to see how engaged they company that helps fund restaurants are with their community. While most by purchasing and marketing an eatfinance companies focus on credit ery’s food and beverage credit (think scores, we care about how consumers gift cards) to the dining public. The engage with the restaurant. For exrestaurant then has that cash in hand ample, we’ll look to see if the owner’s to operate and grow. name is mentioned multiple times in The savvy Moonesinghe and his a review.” Moonesinghe believes that executive team crafted inKind’s innothese types of metrics speak to the vative approach to financing which core value of a restaurant’s ability to allows restaurant owners to retain do well over the long term, proving ownership and not have to pay back that they emphasize hospitality and principal or interest on a loan. Once a loyalty. “If a restaurant is driven by restaurant has informed inKind of their need - which might be to open a new location or build an outdoor patio or for operations or marketing costs - inKind purchases Food and Beverage (F&B) credit in that restaurant up front.

This is typically $100,000 per location. inKind then sells that F&B credit in the form of high dollar gift cards called House Accounts. House Accounts increases sales as guests visit the restaurant more frequently, and are likely to spend more money when using a gift card.

In contrast, most funding historically comes from private investors, bank loans, or merchant cash advances. These financial Johann Moonesinghe, CEO, inKind backers “give restaurants mon-

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“Unlike a lender, we don’t care about credit scores because we are NOT a loan that needs to be repaid. We care about how restaurants engage with their guests. We look at multiple sources, like Yelp reviews and Facebook likes, to calculate a hospitality score which we use to underwrite our financing. ” — Johann Moonesinghe hospitality, then the community will support them through the pandemic and beyond.”

The beauty of inKind’s unique model has proven to be a valuable asset through both good times and now even during the challenges brought on by COVID-19. Significantly, these hurdles have included layoffs of the restaurant’s marketing staff. Luckily, baked into inKind’s model is extensive marketing on behalf of the restaurant.

The Austin, TX based company helps restaurants improve their advertising by providing them with free marketing services that drive customer engagement. “We’ll actually take the email marketing for the restaurant to a whole new level, getting guests to come in or order delivery. For example, we might inform consumers about the restaurant’s delivery options or their new patio hours.

We have a data-driven approach and can see what people are enjoying. So if you have ordered tequila at a restaurant, in an email telling you about the new heaters on the patio, we’ll also let you know about the new tequila cocktail which can help keep you warm. We’re doing our part to help restaurants better connect with their loyal customers,” Moonesinghe said. This strate-

gic marketing technique caters to the consumers and provides them with updates, happily welcoming them back to the restaurant. With more people than ever using online ordering services, email marketing has proven advantageous for restaurants looking for customer growth. With colorful, captivating emails catered to the diners’’ preferences, inKind helps a restaurant create meaningful relationships with its customers.

As the food and beverage landscape around the world changes, inKind’s ability to provide a vital cash infusion, as well as personalized marketing expertise has positioned the firm as a priority call for the nation’s restaurateurs. With cooler temperatures and spikes in COVID related closures, planning for an uncertain future is a top priority. Now, more than ever, inKind will help restaurants operate with funding and community-driven marketing strategies to help weather the storm.

“There are tremendous opportunities for restaurants that survive this pandemic. There will be new spaces available during the spring ‘21 season and a brighter future with the vaccine to help revivify the restaurant industry.” Moonesinghe is optimistic for the future of the restaurant industry and predicts that, “A golden age of restaurants is on the horizon”

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 53

LEGAL INSIDER

FROM ELLENOFF GROSSMAN & SCHOLE LLP

NO SHELTER FROM THE STORM: COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS DO NOT NECESSARILY ELIMINATE THE OBLIGATION TO PAY RENT

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estaurants have suffered tremendously from the COVID-19 pandemic, as public health regulations intended to combat the virus and slow its spread have drastically undercut the economics of restaurant dining. As a result, many restaurants have either closed or entered into revised lease terms with their landlords to secure lower monthly rent obligations. Other restaurants have decided simply not to pay rent. That latter path is dangerous, because, as a recent decision from the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Monroe County clarifies, COVID-19 related regulations and restrictions are not necessarily a defense to a restaurant’s obligation to pay rent pursuant to its lease, nor do they create a right to terminate the lease be-

fore its contractual expiration.

In that case, University Square San Antonio, TX., LLC v. Mega Furniture Dezavala, LLC and Mega Furniture & Accessories, LLC (Monroe County Index No. E2020003170, October 20, 2020), the Court considered an “impossibility and frustration of purpose” defense from a tenant which had defaulted on its rent obligation, and claimed entitlement to termination of the lease, based upon the COVID-19 Pandemic and associated state and local executive orders in Texas. Specifically, on March 31, 2020, the tenant claimed that the aforementioned COVID-19 regulations made it impossible for it to operate its business, and thus to pay its rent. The tenant then unilaterally declared the lease terminated, vacated the premises, and surren-

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dered the keys to its landlord.

The landlord sued its tenant, seeking all then-unpaid rent and all rent due during the remainder of the lease; the landlord pointed to language in the lease which mandated that the tenant’s obligation to pay rent survived despite “restrictive governmental laws or regulation”. The court specifically found that business interruption/disruption caused by COVID-19 and its associated public health regulations did not relieve the tenant of its obligation to pay rent or create an option whereby the tenant could terminate the lease. The court also rejected certain of the tenant’s arguments which touched upon the force majeure doctrine – effectively that it was excused from compliance with the lease due to the effects of forces outside its control (in this case, COVID-19 and public health regulations to combat it). The court awarded the landlord damages in the amount of $4,034,476.78, plus attorneys’ fees and costs.

New York law does not assume that a party’s obligations under a contract are excused on the basis of force majeure unless so stated in the contract’s terms; even then, contractual force majeure clauses must be narrowly construed. Even with respect to the slightly broader doctrines of impossibility of performance and frustration of purpose, restaurants should know that these doctrines require that contract performance be rendered “impossible” by unforeseeable events.

New York courts specifically have held that such unforeseeable events do not

John B. Horgan is a partner at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, where he practices commercial litigation.

He represents clients before state and federal trial and appellate courts, as well as AAA, JAMS, private arbitration panels, and the SEC. Mr. Horgan has extensive experience representing restaurants in complex litigations, and can be reached at jhorgan@egsllp.com or via phone at 212-370-1300.

include sudden economic downturns or changes to local zoning laws, which are analogous to the state and local public health regulations in Texas that Mega Furniture claimed made it impossible to operate its business (and thus excused its obligation to pay its rent). Litigants are also unlikely to succeed in arguing that, while technically possible, unforeseen and unforeseeable events have destroyed the underlying business purpose of a contract; New York courts are clear that changing economics, even when sudden and unforeseen, do not “frustrate the purpose” of commercial leases.

Any restaurant facing the decision of whether to pay rent that may no

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January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 55

NEWS

EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY MANUFACTURING

INDUSTRY VISIONARY GLUECK TAKES ITW COOKING BRAND REINS

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TW Food Equipment Group has welcomed in the New Year with fireworks of its own. The Troy, Ohio based global family of industry leading commercial food equipment brands, has named Markus Glueck as Group President, Global Cooking effective January 1, 2021. Glueck will oversee global management of the ITW Food Equipment Group family of cooking brands, including Vulcan, Gaylord, Elro, Bonnet Thirode and MBM. “We are very pleased to welcome Markus to the ITW Food Equipment Group leadership team,” said Axel Beck, Executive Vice President of ITW Food Equipment Group. “Markus brings a wealth of global industry experience and an impressive record of success leading operations and executing strategy. Markus will be instrumental in the strategic positioning

Markus Glueck

“Markus brings a wealth of global industry experience and an impressive record of success leading operations and executing strategy.” — Axel Beck of the Vulcan and Bonnet/Elro brands and fostering deep channel and customer engagement. Leveraging his substantial knowledge of the global cooking market, he will lead the acceleration of our global product innovation to deliver differentiated solutions to our customer base.”

Markus joins ITW Food Equipment Group after serving as EVP/CEO North America for Rational Cooking Systems since 2014. With the dynamic Glueck at the helm, RATIONAL North America reached championship heights.

Its North American Distribution Center successfully shipped more than 10,000 combi ovens in 2018. His recipe for success forged a record-breaking year for RATIONAL. That included, the doubling of sales force over a five-year period. Glueck also oversaw major investments and upgrades to operating systems.

Before Rational, Markus was President/CEO and Board Member at WMF Americas. Before working in foodservice equipment, Glueck brought his passion for detail to a highly successful career in the automotive business.

He then leveraged his auto industry experience at a pair of European coffee manufacturers looking to grow in the US with successful stints at Schaerer and WMF before taking the helm at RATIONAL. Glueck’s story, as with so many successful executives, involved the development of a competitive spirit

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through sport. As a child growing up in Germany, Glueck, like many other young soccer players, had his eye on a position on the soccer pitch with his beloved Bayern Munich squad. Although that vision didn’t materialize, his competitive spirit and dedication to excellence have served him well in his business career. Markus earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Applied Science in Pforzheim, Germany, a Master of Business Administration from the

University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom, and a Doctor of Business Administration from the Swiss Business School in Zurich, Switzerland.

ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, a subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works, is the brand behind the brands found in commercial kitchens, cafeterias, bakeries, delis and groceries around the world. An ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year since 2008, ITW Food Equipment Group embodies a family of premium brands including Hobart, Traulsen, Baxter, Vulcan, Wolf, Berkel, Stero, Somat, Gaylord, Kairak and Peerless— covering nearly all your commercial food equipment needs, from food preparation and refrigeration to cooking, baking and ventilation to weighing and wrapping to dishwashing and waste disposal.

In the last decade, more than 70% of ITW patent applications were commercialized into products. This driving impact is what powers the world’s most revolutionary kitchens.

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 57

SCOOP

INSIDER NEWS FROM METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE SCENE

Do you have the SCOOP on any Metro New York City foodservice and hospitality news?

Send items to SCOOP Editor Joyce Appelman at tfs@totalfood.com

DANNY MEYER’S PIONEERING FLATIRON BARBECUE RESTAURANT BLUE SMOKE CLOSES SCOOP shares the sad news that Blue Smoke has permanently closed due to the months-long loss of revenue and the inability to reach a favorable rent agreement were cited as reasons for the closure of the 18-year-old establishment.

“Over nearly two decades, we’ve had an amazing ride and I can’t begin to express how beautiful it has been to make so many lasting friendships in both the barbecue and jazz communities,” Meyer said in a statement. “Those relationships live on.”

CHEF DAVID BURKE INKS PARTNERSHIP WITH HUDSON VALLEY VENUE REVEL 32° SCOOP hears that celebrity Chef David Burke now has a home base in New York’s food-centric Hudson Valley, at Revel 32° in Poughkeepsie, NY. Nearly one year after Revel 32 opened its doors as an event and entertainment venue, it has brought on the 1982 Culinary Institute of America graduate as a preferred catering partner, taking his love for the Hudson Valley full circle.

“The Hudson Valley is being recognized on a wider scale as of late, and for good reason – the abundant natural beauty, open space and access

continued on page 60

Chef David Burke at Revel 32°

Scotsman’s Prodigy Plus ice machine features make having a safe and healthy environment effortless AUTOALERT INDICATOR LIGHTS Easily visible LED lights provide key information without the need to touch / remove panels.

ANTIMICROBIAL PROTECTION Built-in AgION® components help inhibit the growth of microbes, bacteria, mold and algae.

For unit specifications and other brand information, scan the QR code to visit the Scotsman website.

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ONE-TOUCH CLEANING Our Prodigy Plus Cuber one-touch cleaning system makes preventative maintenance simple and efficient.

XSAFE™ SANITATION SYSTEM An optional sanitation system that circulates cold oxygen plasma inside of the machine to help sanitize the air and surrounding surfaces.

Scotsman is represented in NYC Metro by: PBAC & Associates LTD 914-793-9000 Financing Options Available

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 59

SCOOP

METRO NY INSIDER NEWS, from page 58

to fresh, local ingredients of the highest caliber make this a dream location,” said Chef David Burke. “Furthermore, being in partnership with Revel 32° is an ideal pairing for me – giving me a platform to bring high quality, memorable cuisine to events in the heart of the Hudson Valley, the very place my love for cooking began.”

To kick off the pairing, Revel 32° recently hosted a sold-out, intimate dining event with Chef Burke, featuring his signature canapes, a specialty beef tasting plate and artful desserts. The experience included signature cocktails and tableside bourbon from local purveyor Taconic Distillery and live music from Michael Dell. Burke also sold autographed Himalayan sea-salt bricks to benefit the Bardavon Theater, a local arts venue that has gone dark since the pandemic.

For those who could not experience the limited seating affair firsthand, Revel 32° is currently booking micro events, including weddings and company luncheons, team dinners and other special celebrations, with all of the most recent Covid-19 safety precautions in place. Burke and his team will curate seasonal menus for any occasion within the unique and versatile venue, which boasts seven spaces.

“We knew our guests – and the city – were deserving of a one-of-a-kind experience here, and our partnership with Chef David Burke will only amplify what we can offer,” said Gina Sullivan, owner of Revel 32°.

THE GRADUATE ROOSEVELT HOTEL TO OPEN IN FEBRUARY SCOOP hears that The Graduate Hotels collection is opening a property at the Cornell Tech Campus on Roosevelt Island Feb. 21, marking the brand’s first opening in New York. The Graduate Roosevelt will be 18 stories and is architecturally designed by internationally renowned design firm Snøhetta.

SPECIALTY FOOD ASSOCIATION APPOINTS BILL LYNCH AS PRESIDENT SCOOP hears that the Specialty Food Association Board of Directors has appointed Bill Lynch president of the organization. Initially appointed interim president in May, Lynch has been with the SFA for more than 20 years.

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“Since assuming the role of Interim President, Bill’s leadership under the pandemic has been steadfast and creative, launching endeavors such as Specialty Food Live! and virtual tasting events, all of which provide essential opportunities to our memBill Lynch bership during these challenging times,” said Charlie Apt, SFA Board Chair, in a statement. Having previously served as vice president of engagement & experience, Lynch has vast experience in operations and is a recognized leader in the specialty food and trade show industries.

“I am honored to be appointed President of the Specialty Food Association, and will continue dedicating myself to the Association, and our members, who are an essential part of our dynamic $158.4 billion specialty food industry,” said Lynch.

SFA NAMES 2021 LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNERS The Specialty Food Association has chosen the winners of the 2021 Leadership Awards, which honor influential and innovative entrepreneurs who are transforming the specialty food industry. The awards are presented in three categories: Business Leadership, Citizenship, and Vision.

SCOOP congratulates the winners of the ninth annual SFA Leadership Awards including the Vision award winners Pierre Thiam & Phil Teverow, Yolélé and Linda Appel Lipsius, Teatulia Organic Teas; Business Leadership award winners Briana Warner, Atlantic Sea Farms and Desmond Tan, Burma, Inc.; and the Citizenship award winners Bryon White, Yaupon Bros. American Tea and Channy Laux, Angkor Cambodian Food.

“In a year of upheaval and uncertainty, these seven entrepreneurs embody the fortitude and creativity necessary to thrive in the specialty food industry,” said Bill Lynch, president of the SFA. “We are honored to recognize their contributions and celebrate their achievements within our community.”

ALLSET ADDS NEW FEATURE SCOOP learned that the restaurant tech platform Allset launched a new feature, Dietary Preferences, to its takeout and contactless dining app. Customers can add their dietary needs and preferences as well as any food allergies to their search to further refine results on the app.

SAFETY APP LAUNCHES PILOT PROGRAM IN BOSTON AHEAD OF NATIONAL ROLLOUT SCOOP hears that CareFull announced the release of its iOS app – a free mobile app for finding COVID-safe restaurants nearby using Boston, Massachusetts as its test market ahead of a national rollout. CareFull informs users of restaurants’ safety precautions like table distancing, mask wearing, sanitization practices, and more alongside other helpful information like outdoor heat lamp arrangements and tent setups. CareFull crowdsources its information from its users and covers over 250 restaurants and cafes in the Greater Boston area, aiming to help diners safely re-engage with their community while supporting restaurants’ revitalization efforts.

PLANTEGA WORKS WITH LOCAL BODEGAS TO INCREASE PLANTBASED FOOD ACCESS SCOOP hears that Plantega, an initiative formed by four mission-led food advocates, is placing coolers stocked with plant-based food and beverages in bodegas across New York City. Plantega was launched in November by New York-based restaurant owner Erick Castro, Eat For the Planet’s Nil Zacharias, artist D.J. Cavern, and Vegan graphic design shop Parfait Studio. In addition to increasing access to plant-based foods, Plantega was formed in response to the pandemic in the hope of forming a more just food system.

Three locations are part of Plantega’s initial pilot: Don Poli Meat Market and Marinello’s Gourmet Deli in Brooklyn, and My Deli Gourmet and Grill in the Bronx. Each location carries around 30 plant-based items in both coolers and on countertop displays. Some are also offered on grill

continued on page 62

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 61

SCOOP

METRO NY INSIDER NEWS, from page 60

menus. Plantega is working with brands such as Beyond Meat, Eat Just, Tofurky, Miyoko’s Creamery, Good Catch, Follow Your Heart, No Evil Foods, Nutpods, Lupii, Hälsa, and Pan’s Mushroom Jerky.

New England Culinary Institute’s campus is located in the Vermont state capital of Montpelier.

VERMONT’S NEW ENGLAND CULINARY INSTITUTE TO CLOSE ITS DOORS SCOOP was sad to hear that New England Culinary Institute announced last month that it will discontinue all credit-bearing programs, effectively closing the 40-year-old Montpelier, VT -based culinary school after its current students complete their degrees.

“All current students are on externship scheduled to graduate by April. The old campus in Montpelier including the restaurant and bakery are permanently closed,” the school’s president Milan Milasinovic said. “Sad, but coronavirus was the final straw and a burden that we could not overcome.”

He noted that NECI closed its retail operations at the direction of the state in March, “This severely limited our ability to continue to deliver a college-level, hands-on culinary education on an economically viable basis.” As of February 2020, Milasinovic said that enrollment at NECI was just 50 students. The school had about 800 students at its peak in 1999.

The innovative for-profit culinary school was founded in Montpelier in 1980 by Fran Voigt and his wife, Ellen Bryant Voigt, with business partners

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John Dranow and his then-wife, Louise Glück.

Dranow left the business in 1998; Fran Voigt died after a long battle with cancer in May 2018.

At its peak, NECI ran campuses in both Montpelier and Essex Junction as well as several restaurants in Montpelier and Essex Junction along with a flagship restaurant, NECI Commons, on Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace.

It was named Cooking School of the Year in 2004 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals for its emphasis on small classes and intensive hands-on learning. High-profile alumni include TV celebrity chef Alton Brown and Gavin Kaysen, chef-owner of several restaurants in Minnesota and former executive chef and director of culinary operations for Daniel Boulud in New York City.

The school had a major impact on the culinary landscape of Vermont, supporting the growth of the farm-to-table movement and introducing a wide range of food and beverage professionals to the state. The culinary institute played a lead role in founding the Vermont Fresh Network, and a number of alumni stayed in Vermont to build successful culinary businesses like the Kitchen Table Bistro in Richmond and Mirabelles Bakery, originally in Burlington and now South Burlington.

unteers pick up, distribute, and restock fridges with rescued end of day produce and prepared meals from various farmers markets, restaurants, bakeries and organization partners throughout the city.

Volunteers are working together to keep community fridges in operation by securing more rescue partners, drivers who share their time and trunk space to keep refrigerators restocked, and volunteers on the ground who clean and maintain fridges. If you would like to learn more about where your closest community fridge is located, please take a look at this map. To volunteer or donate products, in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, contact jazminjjohnson@gmail.com.

CHEF CHLOE COSCARELLI WINS BACK KEY TO MANHATTAN BASED EMPIRE

SUPPORT COMMUNITY FRIDGES DURING COVID-19 Emergency feeding sites now consist of restaurants turned World Central Kitchens, food pantries, soup kitchens and free community fridges. There are 70 fridges currently in operation throughout the five boroughs, New Jersey and Upstate New York that have popped up since March 2020.

Chef Jaz Johnson first discovered and restocked a community fridge which inspired her to cofound one in East Harlem in June 2020. “As a chef and community organizer, my goal has been to inject as much local farm fresh produce into the 20 community fridges throughout Upper Manhattan and the Bronx as possible to not only fuel, but heal our neighbors and empower them to try seasonal produce, familiar or unfamiliar, free of charge, from our fridges.”

Many community members hail from agricultural environments and so, they take pride in cooking their own meals from scratch, while fridges provide houseless residents with access to prepared meals. The quality is a great contrast to the shelf-stable and packaged food items, such as beef stew in a bag or crystallized eggs, that are available at local food pantries. A network of vol-

Chef Chloe Coscarelli

SCOOP knows that after breaking onto the culinary scene as the first vegan chef to capture the top prize on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, Chloe Coscarelli has since been recognized for bringing vegan cuisine to the mainstream as an awardwinning chef and best-selling cookbook author.

Chloe shares her bright, colorful vegan recipes

continued on page 82

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 63

NEWS

By Juliette Miettunen

MENU SOLUTIONS

daring TARGETS FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY WITH 100% PLANT-BASED CHICKEN

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lant-based alternatives to beef have become mainstream in many segments of the restaurant industry, but what about other protein sources?

Restaurants and food service operators are looking to expand their plantbased offerings, and now it is getting easier to do so. daring, a 100% plantbased chicken company, has recently partnered with Dot Foods, the largest food industry redistributor in North America. This partnership will make daring’s line of plant-based chicken products more accessible to restaurant and food service operators.

Co-founders Ross Mackay and Eliott Kessas launched daring in March of 2020 after two and a half years of developing the product. Their mission is bold: to remove chicken as a protein source from the food system. “The chicken industry has experienced uninterrupted growth for decades, said

“It’s not enough to throw any plant-based item on your menu just to check that box that says you tried it.” — Jared Umsted CEO Ross Mackay, who has followed a vegan diet for over six years. daring is laser focused: We know we need to deliver on everything consumers love about chicken: the taste, the texture, the high protein element and the menu versatility.”

After trying countless plant-based alternatives himself, Mackay quickly realized there was a gap in the market: chicken. However, not just plantbased chicken, the market was missing a healthier plant-based chicken. A chicken that has clean ingredients and overall is closer to the world’s favorite protein. What the co-founders landed on is a chicken that’s non-GMO, gluten-free, cholesterol-free, high protein

Ross Mackay (CEO and Co-Founder) and Eliott Kessas (COO and Co-Founder)

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and low calorie.

In addition to human health, daring was created with food service and chefs in mind. The one-to-one substitute looks, tastes and cooks the same as chicken. “Our product bridges the health gap and the taste gap that’s been missing in the market for some time,” said Mackay. They have strategically targeted restaurant menus, which posed a challenge when the pandemic hit the hospitality industry the same month the company launched. “We have always thought we could have the most impact with food service. Covid-19 has since changed that with limitations on indoor dining capacity, but we are seeing the demand return,” explained Mackay. Original and Breaded Pieces are now available to foodservice operators through Dot Foods and their full product line is available to customers in select grocery stores and on daring’s website. daring is working to overcome the barriers restaurant operators face when trying to incorporate plantbased items into their menu. Their website provides detailed instructions on how to cook, serve, and communicate daring to staff and customers in an effective way. They even provide training materials, tips on how to name menu items, and recipes from chefs. Mackay and Kessas truly understand the gap in the market and the barriers that prevented chefs from giving plant-based a try. “Chefs and food

service operators need to be looking at the data, which suggests customers are looking for more plant-based options for a myriad of reasons: environmental, animal welfare, personal health. It is not a passing fad, plant based is here to stay. Operators are looking to differentiate their menu, and daring is a great vehicle to do that, noted Jared Umsted, Head of Food Service at daring.

From a P&L standpoint for operators, adding plant-based options to your menu makes sense. The stakes are higher when you’re cooking animal protein because the cost is substantial if that meat is cooked incorrectly. An important distinction chefs need to make is between the quality of the plant-based products they put on their menu. “It’s not enough to throw any plant-based item on your menu just to check that box that says you tried it,” Umsted continued. “It has to be a quality item that will keep both chefs and customers coming back for more. It’s not just about trying it, we’ve reached a point where chefs and operators need to be thinking about how the right plant based items can drive repeat business and grow a P&L. That’s where the fact that our product is absolutely delicious and delivers on all of those things that plant based will add to a menu comes into play.” daring is striving to make an impact on the world and on consumers through the foods they choose to eat.

Their purpose and business model provides inspiration and hope for a more ethical, sustainable food system.

Now with the addition of Dot Foods, daring’s plant-based chicken pieces for menus are easily accessible to the chef and foodservice professional.

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 65

NEWS

RESTAURANT OPERATIONS

GHOST KITCHENS: JUST A PHASE OR HERE TO STAY?

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t has been quite the year for the foodservice industry. Restaurants are struggling trying to adhere to the ever-changing guidelines. Some unfortunately have shuttered; and many have reimagined their concepts to fit the new normal. The pandemic has changed the way people choose to dine. Long after the dust settles and things slowly fall back into place, people may still have reservations regarding in person dining. Ghost kitchens, or virtual kitchens have proven to be a gradually effective form of recovery for the ailing industry.

What does all this mean for the future of restaurants? Well, to be blunt, it means that owners and operators must find new ways to stay

open. Delivery and take out have become a preferred choice for many and is expected to only rise in popularity in 2021. If the people will not come to the food, bring the food to the people.

If you plan on adding a ghost kitchen to an existing establishment there are certain benefits. Being able to occupy an unused area in your building is great for prep work or storing supplies. Instead of having to hire new employees you can try to make use of your current staff, maybe even opening the door for them to be utilized in a different capacity. All these things can lead to incremental revenue.

What about starting from scratch?

Building your virtual business from the bottom up can seem daunt-

ing, but there are pros to popping up shop. One of the most obvious benefits is the difference in occupancy costs. Without a dining area the space needed to run a successful virtual foodservice program is much smaller than your typical restaurant, which means paying a lot less in rent. You can also save on labor costs. No need to hire an entire force, just focus on arming your kitchen.

Speaking of arming your kitchen, making sure you have the right equipment is essential to running a

profitable ghost kitchen. Hoodless fryers and ovens, like the AutoFry and MultiChef XL do not require vents or hoods, sparing owners and operators on high installation and maintenance costs. Not to mention they are so easy to use that any employee can operate them, saving on labor costs and allowing funds to be implemented in different areas.

Now, we know ghost kitchens are not going to save the foodservice industry on its own, but it will certainly be a concept that inspires new restaurant standards for the future.

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NEWS

PLANT BASED MENU STRATEGIES

DUNKIN’ ADDS PLANT-BASED CHANGE OF PACE WITH SOUTHWEST VEGGIE POWER BREAKFAST SANDWICH

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mong the more significant dining trends with the Pandemic has been the number of Americans adding plant-based options to their diet. As this trend blossoms, Dunkin’ continues to give on-thego consumers more ways to easily make plant-based food and beverages part of their day.

Following the success of last year’s Beyond Sausage® Breakfast Sandwich launch, the brand is beginning 2021 by adding another plant-based protein patty to its menu, teaming up with America’s #1 veggie brand, MorningStar Farms®, to launch the new Southwest Veggie Power Breakfast Sandwich, a flavorful, meatless sandwich that doesn’t sacrifice on taste, now available for a limited time at participating Dunkin’ restaurants

nationwide.

The Southwest Veggie Power Breakfast Sandwich features a MorningStar Farms Black Bean Patty packed with southwest flavors, layered with an egg white omelet filled with spinach, bell peppers, and onions, topped with aged white cheddar cheese, served on a multigrain thin. With 410 calories, 26 grams of protein, and 23 grams of whole grains, the new sandwich is the perfect on-the-go option for a new year and a new start.

For Dunkin’s most loyal guests, the brand has made it simple to start 2021 with a plant-based change of pace.

Now through January 26, Dunkin’ is giving its DD Perks® members 2X points with purchases of the Southwest Veggie Power Breakfast Sandwich, Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich, or a creamy and delicious

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“The sandwich has a kick of heat from the MorningStar Farms Black Bean Patty, offering a flavorful breakfast sandwich that packs 26 grams of protein and celebrates real recognizable ingredients.” — Dara Schuster Oatmilk Latte*.

According to Jill Nelson, Vice President, Marketing & Culinary at Dunkin’, “Dunkin’ is proud to expand our plant-based offerings with the introduction of the new Southwest Veggie Power Breakfast Sandwich to meet the needs of our guests and provide the flexitarian and vegetarian options they crave to keep running any time of day.”

“This sandwich is really exciting for MorningStar Farms because it delivers a veggiecentric option for Dunkin’ guests, giving them a great plant-based protein patty,” said Dara Schuster, Senior Director of Marketing, Plant Based Protein at Kellogg Company.

“The sandwich has a kick of heat from the MorningStar Farms Black Bean Patty, offer-

ing a flavorful breakfast sandwich that packs 26 grams of protein and celebrates real recognizable ingredients. Flexitarian eating is on the rise and we’re thrilled to deliver new menu items that can satisfy everyone.”

Over the past two years, Dunkin’ has stood apart for democratizing trends and making plant-based picks more accessible when eating on the run. In 2019, Dunkin’ launched the Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich, becoming the first nationwide U.S. quick service restaurant brand to serve Beyond Breakfast Sausage®. Expanding the brand’s menu options, the Southwest Veggie Power Breakfast Sandwich offers Dunkin’ guests a new choice featuring a more traditional veggie patty, whereas the Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich is designed to deliver the delicious taste and texture of Dunkin’s iconic sausage breakfast sandwich. In 2020, with oatmilk’s popularity soaring, Dunkin’ introduced vegan-friendly Planet Oat Oatmilk to its menu in 100% of its U.S. locations.

Dunkin’ guests can add almondmilk or Planet Oat Oatmilk to any Dunkin’ beverage.

THE #1 PLANT-BASED BRAND IN FOODSERVICE1 Please call 877-511-5777 for more information. ®, ©, TM 2020 KELLOGG NA CO. 1 NPD SUPPLY TRACK LAST 12 MONTHS, SEPTEMBER 2018

SAUSAGE-STYLE CRUMBLES & CHEESE PIZZA

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 69

PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS

F

WITH DAY & NITE/ALL SERVICE’S MIKE BERMAN

PRESENTED BY

SAVING RESTAURANTS WON’T HAPPEN IN VIRTUAL REALITY

rank Bruni’s Sunday December 20th NY Times opinion column should be required reading for not only everyone in the foodservice industry, but for anyone even slightly connected to the industry. Bruni’s powerful piece is punctuated by restaurateur Gabriel Stulman’s honest assessment: “People don’t understand how large a ripple effect on the economy one 30-seat restaurant can have. For most people in our industry, 90 cents of every dollar that we make goes back into the economy in one form or another.”

The most chillingly accurate takeaway from Frank Bruni’s column is

people don’t fully appreciate what they’ve lost until after it has vanished. 2020 has already taken far too much away from us all, and while this wretched year is, thankfully, soon to be a relic of history, it is incumbent on us all to not allow any further erosion to our way of life.

Although the prevailing optimistic sentiment might be that a vaccine will accelerate a return to normalcy and that by early spring 2021, Americans, so tired of over a year of coronavirus-induced cabin fever, will come rushing back to restaurants and other leisure activities, growing evidence suggests otherwise. After all, humans are not

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light switches that can be flipped on and off; creating conditions to lead the market back to previous norms and behaviors will be job #1 for the foodservice industry.

With more people working from home, fewer gathering at the local bar, favorite restaurant, with theaters and stadiums empty, isolation has crept in as a dreaded new normal, further exacerbated by retreat into escapist reality tv shows and virtual reality games. While these forms of alternative entertainment are most certainly impressive for their production values, they also represent major mountains for the hospitality industry to climb if it is to win back guests that have adopted new behaviors and interests during the crisis of 2020. Accordingly, pragmatism is a far better strategy than pure optimism.

More than anything else, your essential strategy must feature deep, concrete commitment to indoor environmental quality, health, hygiene and food safety. Pre Covid-19 comprehensive, effective equipment maintenance may have been considered back-of-thehouse stuff, but taking these measures now represents a critical foundation for creating confidence your establishment is taking all the right precautions. Ensur-

Mike Berman is the Chief Operating Officer of New Hyde Park, NY based Day & Nite/All Service. The veteran executive joined the service leader in 2016. He has held leadership positions in his career across a range of business-to-business service sector. Prior to joining Day & Nite he served as Chief Operating Officer of Outside Ventures, LLC, the parent company for several B2B service businesses with a particular concentration in merchant services. As Director and Chief Operating Officer of Meridian Capital Group LLC, he overhauled the corporate structure and enabled the company to achieve a 2006 run rate in excess of $30 billion.

ing your equipment is in peak operating condition is as pragmatic and real as it gets, and in this era is now definitely something to promote.

Refer back to the astonishing Engagious research and the reasons why cruise lines are actually poised for a quicker rebound than other forms of leisure activities to further understand why advertising your investment in equipment maintenance will generate a most favorable ROI in our forever altered world. While good old fashioned maintenance is the foundation, true health/hygiene/safety differentiation will require additional measures.

Day & Nite Performance Solutions offers the most cost-effective, comprehensive, integrated suite of engineered technologies, products and services for preventing losses

continued on page 86

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RESTAURANT STRATEGIES

WITH RYAN GROMFIN

TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS: AVOID TIME SUCKING VAMPIRES BY ELIMINATING DISTRACTIONS

A

ll restaurant owners, operators, and managers can relate to this scenario: you’re under the gun trying to meet multiple deadlines and you are constantly being interrupted by your employees, vendors, delivery trucks, etc. Before you know it, your day is over and nothing got completed. With all of the distractions, how are you supposed to get anything done correctly, much less on time?

I have coined a term for these distractors: Time Sucking Vampires.

Please don’t take that the wrong way! It’s not that their intentions are cruel— they’re not out to harm you in any way— or that the information they need to share with you isn’t important. It’s just that they are a constant distraction that slowly sucks time away until there is no time left to get your tasks completed.

KEEPING THE TIME SUCKING VAMPIRES AT BAY In order to keep these Time Sucking Vampires at bay, you have to first understand that they are coming to talk to you when it’s convenient for them. It’s normal, they have time when the restaurant is slow and strike while you are trying to get your most focused work done.

The best way I have found to eliminate most of your distractions might sound a little backward to you. It’s a system of closed doors and office hours. I know that sounds strange in a culture where we are supposed to be accessible to our team, and you will, I promise, but just not all of the time. The key to success is being consistent with enforcing your established office hours.

It’s time to make the change from

Ryan Gromfin is an author, speaker, chef, restaurateur, and founder of therestaurantboss.com, clickbacon. com, and scalemyrestaurant. com. He is the most followed restaurant coach in the world helping Restaurant Owners and Operators increase profits, improve operations, and scale and grow their businesses.

your door is always open...come in whenever you need something.

Don’t get me wrong, I want you to be available to your staff. But I want you to be available when it’s convenient for you and not necessarily when it’s convenient for them. You have too many important tasks to take care of and when they shift from important to urgent tasks that’s when fires can flare. The work you’re doing is important, just like the work they’re doing, but sometimes in an effort to be the ‘cool boss’ we put their priorities ahead of ours.

Think of it this way, when you fly on an airplane they tell you that in the event of an emergency to put your oxygen mask on first before securing your child’s oxygen mask.

Why? It’s not that your kids aren’t important. They’ve tested and proven that if you pass out while trying

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to get a mask on your child, you’ll be in no position to help them. Instead, you put your mask on first, very quickly without any fight, and then you are free to assist your child.

I need you to put your oxygen mask on first.

SYSTEM FOR ELIMINATING DISTRACTIONS AND GETTING MORE DONE Here’s the part where I need you to trust me because this system really works! Your first step is to put your oxygen mask on first and focus on your priorities. This is what will keep the lights on in your restaurant.

Your second step is to keep your door closed when you are in your office and put a sign on your door that says ‘Please do not disturb’ or ‘Please come back later’ or whatever word(s) work best for you. Your em-

ployees are still going to bother you because that’s what they are used to doing, but they will quickly learn.

Your third step is to immediately ask them if this an emergency. The first couple of times, they might be unsure how to answer so you really want to distinguish what qualifies as an emergency— does the issue have to be dealt with right now or can it be dealt with later? If it’s not an emergency, remind the person of your office hours and that they can come in and talk to you about anything and for as much time as they need during those hours. You don’t have to create appointments but if that is easier for you, it works within this process.

How to Implement in Your Restaurant Here’s an example scenario that likely occurs in your restaurant all too often. It’s Monday afternoon

continued on page 84

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 73

COCKTAILS TO-GO FOR THE WIN

WITH FRANCINE COHEN

THE FUTURE IS REALLY BRIGHT, REACH FOR YOUR SHADES

W

hen the ball drops at midnight, marking the calendar’s turn from old year to new we usually look forward with great positivity and hope for what lies ahead. Maybe the opportunity for a bright future wasn’t so evident this time around as January 2021 rolled in with a continued sense of uncertainty for thousands of bar employees and bar owners.

But, that uncertainty, while unsettling, preceded opportunities; and, as Josh Morton, founder of Barrow’s Intense, comments, “In 2020 everything took longer and was way way harder than it needed to be, but it will all work out in the end. “ Morton’s belief is shared by many in the industry like bartender Leigh Ann Heidelberg who comments, “Dreaming impossibly big about the future kept me going, and I think hospitality

will see truly enormous returns after all the sacrifices this year has forced on us. You can’t pre-package the experiences we provide and the community we create, and people miss us!!”

A positive outlook was imperative as the industry explored various ways to find a silver lining and because of it over evidence of the deep well of creativity emerged within the industry and over the tumultuous last nine months people found new ways to adapt and thrive. Even twice-furloughed bartender, Christo Gonzo of the Jonathan Club in Santa Monica, notes a brighter future and says, “We are on the precipice of the Roaring 20’s, a time of healing, and growing both economically and culturally as Americans.”

Americans’ ability to embrace reinvention was paramount to success for many, as was an ability to remain open minded and reimagine what had

previously been held to be intractable truths. Shawn Soole, consultant with Soole Hospitality Concepts notes, “I understood even more so this year than ever before that you personally need to diversify what you do within the sphere of your career. This isn’t something new, but I think it is within our industry. We have all believed for too long that our disposable tip money will be there; we need to think more strategically about how to turn a hobby or a passion into a side hustle to create more stable income going forward.”

Keith Carter took his passion for connecting with guests and took advantage of having unexpected time on his hand to create The Unemployed Bartender Podcast with Keith Carter (theubpodcast.com).

The podcast helped Carter make it through 2020 and aided fellow bartenders as well.

He explains, “What I missed was

Francine Cohen is an awardwinning journalist covering the business of the f&b/hospitality industry, and a proud native Washingtonian (DC). In addition to her work as a journalist she keeps busy fundraising for Citymeals on Wheels, Les Dames d’Escoffier, NY Women’s Culinary Alliance, and the USBG Foundation and serves as chief storyteller and brand steward for clients in the food and beverage sector by providing them with strategic marketing and business growth guidance.

She has never met a cheese or beverage she does not like, and lives with her husband in New York; leaving him behind to visit New Orleans every summer.

(Except this one. Darn pandemic.) You can reach her at francinecohen@mindspring.com

having conversations. So, to recreate the parts I missed most I created this podcase. I have a main guest – nonindustry - who has done something interesting. I’ve had musicians, artists, and more, and then I have a bartender and they create a cocktail I share with them before they share their if listen-

continued on page 80

Bartenders shifting gears: Fresh baked sourdough bread Omy Bugazia’s Le Gouter, and Cane Collective’s line of cocktail syrups created by Aaron Joseph.

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January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 75

RE-OPENING STRATEGIES

WITH GERRY MURPHY

SETTING GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Gerry Murphy is a culinary consultant, inventor, and accomplished professional leader offering 35 years’ experience in Culinary Consulting with expertise inRestaurant Operations, Live Cooking Competitions, Certification Consultations, Budget & Finance Administration, Personnel Management, and Project Management. He can be reached at chefgerard@aol.com.

A

mong the many lessons that the Great Pandemic of 2020 has taught us is that clearly life provides two distinct types of circumstance.

The first is those that you can’t control, with COVID-19 at the top of that list and then those things that you can control. That would of course be your attitude and how you decided you would respond to the hand that we were all collectively dealt.

As we welcome in 2021 and look forward to a post Pandemic world, it gave me pause to reflect on some great advice I received. Johnson & Wales Chancellor John J. Bowen a true leader in the world of Culinary Education suggested to me: “write your goals down and carry them in your wallet”, so you can read them often.

I can hear our industry’s collective response: Goals wow! Gerry, our only goal is to keep our restaurant open. Congratulations you have done that. Now it is 2021 make it your year. Believe it or not you are now in the land of opportunity. Sadly, many restaurateurs had to close.

You did not you are a survivor. Your survival is your currency. Seek new opportunities. With that said, do so on your terms. If it is not good for you then move on. Remember you are in the land of opportunity. Can you image how mush great talent is out there just waiting for a survivor to give them an opportunity. Warehouse’s are packed with inexpensive new used equipment. Sadly, beautiful buildings have restaurant space with fully equipped kitchens that are sitting empty waiting for the next operator.

No matter what is going on around stay grounded. Keep a tight eye on your operation. Audit your operation with your brain and not your heart. What does your operation do right and what does your operation do not so well. Can it be fixed? If not don’t do it anymore. It’s amazing to me that pre-pandemic, how few restaurateurs actually understood that their margins were on each of the menu items. In many ways the move to Takeout & Delivery and the battle over delivery fees forced restaurateurs to get these answers.

At the top of your goals for 2021 should be a rethinking of technology and how it applies to the expense of your existing location(s). A suggested first goal is to get an understanding of a “Ghost Kitchen”.

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This would enable you to create a revenue stream based on your menu and have it sold and marketed through this new world of on-line apps.

For some operators, it might mean buy your own building that in many cases is not what was traditionally an expensive piece of store from real estate. Many of these Ghost Kitchens are located in off the beaten track industrial space.

Your menu is then converted exclusively into a “Takeout and Delivery” menu across a much larger trading area then you were ever able to reach before.

Your goal for 2021 might also be to take a more conservative approach to adding this technology to your operation. How about taking a

look at your current kitchen capacity to maximize revenues. You could even sublet part of your kitchen to a “ghost” concept operator. It’s not uncommon today for an Italian restaurant pizzeria to share space with a chicken wing operator. Maybe the goal could be to let someone else set up a ghost operation in your operation and you get paid to learn the operation.

Look, I understand that you are crazy busy surviving. This maybe a little nutty, but the first goal I want you to set is to give yourself a raise.

How about figuring out how to eliminate third party deliveries services or replace them with new cost-efficient opportunities and keep the difference for yourself. Do so in a well thought out manner. After all you are basically opening a new business. You could start with you and your IT specialist develop a direct line ordering system.

I also want to look at these goals as being written with a pencil and an eraser. So that when an opportunity presents itself in July, you’ve got the flexibility to pivot (I know!!) and act. Check and recheck your goals.

Don’t be like the kid with a Christmas list make sure your goals are well thought out and are in line with your skill set. Winning the lottery can be a goal but don’t forget to buy a lottery ticket.

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 77

NEWS

NEW OPENINGS

CELEBRITY CHEF BURKE SEES OPPORTUNITY IN GARDEN STATE WITH NEW EATERY

F

ueled by passion, grit and a knack for artful innovation, David Burke is one of the best known and most respected chefs in modern American cuisine.

Considered a leading pioneer in American cooking, Burke, a New Jersey native, is also recognized internationally for his revolutionary techniques, exceptional skills, successful restaurant empire and his many TV appearances.

Most importantly, he sees opportunity where other see obstacles. So it comes as no surprise that not even a pandemic could keep the irrepressible Garden State from finding yet another opportunity.

Burke didn’t actually know anything about the town of East Brunswick when he was contacted about opening one of his restaurants in the New Jersey town. Though a New Jersey native,

Chef David Burke

Burke had never been to East Brunswick before and was largely unfamiliar with Middlesex County. But where others may have seen a town where fine dining is relatively scarce, Burke saw an opportunity.

“It’s very exciting to be here,” Burke said of the location. “Being in a remote area like this wasn’t a deterrent because people will travel for the right product. Most people who have eaten here in the first few weeks haven’t been from East Brunswick. People are excited. It’s always nice to have a good restaurant in the community.”

Burke’s latest restaurant, Orchard Park, opened last month at East Brunswick’s Château Grande Hotel and has already seen considerable success.

Though some may be put off by indoor dining during the COVID-19 pandemic, the award-winning chef and “culinary prankster” has received acclaim for the restaurant’s New American cuisine and its atmosphere, which is unlike any other East Brunswick restaurant.

Orchard Park features an open kitchen so that diners can see the chefs making their meals, as well as accents of Burke’s trademark - Himalayan pink salt, which he used to pioneer a new aging process for beef. The restaurant’s wine room even has a whole wall made of Himalayan pink salt blocks, creating an effect that some describe as therapeutic. There is also a bar and a lounge nearby that connect to the rest

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“Being in a remote area like this wasn’t a deterrent because people will travel for the right product. Most people who have eaten here in the first few weeks haven’t been from East Brunswick.” — David Burke of the Château Grande Hotel, and a patio with outdoor seating overlooking the Middlesex County Fairgrounds is to be set up soon.

Some dishes on the menu, such as the maple-glazed Clothesline Bacon, the Tuna Tartare Parfait, and the Pretzel Crab Cakes, are signature dishes of Burke’s. But others are inspired by the tastes of New Jersey. Burke has been working with local farmers and food co-ops in order to add a local flavor to his dishes. Most notably, he began working with the Barnegat Oyster Collective during the pandemic. The seafood industry in the U.S. has been under some duress due to coronavirus and the fact that people are far more hesitant to dine out.

Chef Burke has been a NJ resident for many years. He has a condo at The Modern in Fort Lee, where VENTANAS is located, another of his restaurants, and recently purchased his home in Atlantic Highlands where he quarantined and started his cooking demos with Lefto. Burke bought his New Jersey home six months before the pandemic, and started recording home cooking videos from there while under self-quarantine. But these videos also started because of his involvement with the Barnegat Oyster Collective. “We videotaped us cooking with the oysters with this puppet I got as a gift a few years ago,” the former James Beard Award winner recalled. “We put on music and started cooking, not really following recipes, but we impro-

vised.” Since then, he’s continued to post cooking videos and tutorials to his Instagram account - along with the puppet, who has since been named Lefto.

Orchard Park was a special challenge for the chef, whose past ventures have mainly been based in restaurants that were already built. Typically, he does not get much say in the architecture of the restaurants that he owns.

But Orchard Park was built from the ground up as part of the Château Grande Hotel, so he collaborated with the construction team in order to work on it. Parts of the restaurant, including the outdoor patio, are still a work in progress. General Manager Nicholas Steighler says that outdoor diners will soon be able to enjoy Burke’s signature dishes while watching the fireworks from the nearby Park Estate Château and Gardens and Middlesex County Fairgrounds during the fair season.

“This is a majestic place,” Burke noted of Orchard Park’s Cranbury Rd. location. “This is like a landmark. You have to stop and say, ‘What town is this?’ I love being across from the fairgrounds with the lights.”

Burke doesn’t have any particular recommendations for the best dish on the menu, as he says that everything served at Orchard Park is something he likes and that he can’t pick one as a definite favorite. But he does note that “the chicken is phenomenal,” and that there’s an assortment of menu items to satisfy everyone’s tastes.

The Egg For Everyone Amazingly made from plants!

One plant-based egg that does it all. It scrambles, bakes and cooks like an ordinary egg.

Real taste for a healthy choice that's hen-friendly and easy on the planet.

www.zeroeggfood.com January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 79

PLANT BASED OPTIONS cessful launch, Sysco launched its own plant-based burger in 2019 under its Sysco Simply label, the company’s brand that aims to meet consumer demand for varied dietary and lifestyle choices. Nowadays you can find a plant-based burger at many fast food restaurants across the U.S. Sysco recently helped launch another protein-packed, plant-based food: Gold&Green Foods’ Pulled Oats, launched in the United States earlier this year exclusively through Sysco’s Cutting Edge Solutions platform and the Sysco Simply brand.

This flavorful superfood blend, already gaining popularity in Europe, is 100% plant-based with no additives and a short list of clean ingredients: oats, fava beans, yellow

FRANCINE COHEN

from page 18 peas, oil and salt. Its “pulled” texture is extremely versatile and easily replaces meat across a variety of cuisine types.

As consumers look toward shorter ingredient lists and more diversity in healthy and wholesome menu items, the plant-based protein market is quickly expanding to provide more options and different ingredients for consumers to choose from including oat, pea, flax, and chia proteins.

By partnering with Sysco, restaurant owners and operators can get insight to consumer behaviors along with the tools and resources they need to stay ahead of trends like plant-based proteins and healthy menu items to stay profitable well into the future.

from page 74

ers want to tip.”

Omy Bugazia, formerly a bartender at Momofuku Ko and Nightmoves, went from making cocktails to making bread. Exploring this new medium has created a whole new career path as Bugazia explains, “I took up the hobby of baking sourdough and was baking so much bread that I ended started a cottage bakery out of my parents’ home.”

Bugazia’s Le Gouter Bread is just one product line that’s come out of this pandemic. Another, also resonating with positive results, is Cane Collective, a new line of syrups created by great appreciation, is created by Aaron Joseph in Baltimore. Like others he stretched himself as he says, “I talked to a number of my peers and decided to go outside of my comfort zone and try things I always wanted to do but never had the time to do them. I took online classes, road trips and started another business (www.canecollective.com) All of which I can say have helped me go through the pandemic with purpose.”

Chockie Tom has always operated with a purpose, as evidenced by her creation of a space for respectful ap-

preciation of Tiki culture through her Doom Tiki series. Getting caught up with a couple of bouts of COVID didn’t deter this dynamo from getting married, moving abroad and continuing her mission of focusing the industry on cultural exchange versus appropriation. She sees the last few months as freeing and comments, “The world has changed in such a way that it is like a global classroom. We’re closer in many ways as much as we are forced to be further apart.

Jan Warren of La Maison and Velier - LMDW & Velier sees the impact on day-to-day business. He concludes, “I know the pandemic will redefine the role of the restaurateur in America as someone who is more flexible and imaginative. It’s the toughest job in America to succeed at. It’s always been hard, and it is going to get harder. The hospitality business has been left out in the cold by the government, and the insurance agencies too. Still, out of this that you’re going to see some growth. When there is a lot of misery, pain and poverty people get really creative and make some of the best stuff the world has ever seen.”

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LEGAL INSIDER

from page 54

longer be affordable must scrutinize the terms of its lease: does the lease and/or any applicable rider(s) thereto contain a clause excusing the payment of rent due to force majeure? If so, how is force majeure defined – specifically, does the definition include “pandemics” or “public safety emergencies”? If the lease and/or rider does not include force majeure provisions, does it otherwise excuse the non-performance of contractual obligations in the event of an emergency? If so, how is that emergency defined? Does the lease and/or rider otherwise apportion to the landlord the risk of adverse laws or regulations? Restaurants should keep in mind that, even if their leases contain the foregoing provisions, absent express language to the contrary, courts will often construe these provisions as excusing non-performance only dur-

HUDSON MALONE

ing the emergency; in other words, if the obligation to pay rent is excused, it will likely be excused only while the emergency is ongoing (whether unpaid rent during the emergency would need to be repaid after the emergency ends usually will be determined by the specific lease terms).

Because the law assumes that parties to a commercial lease are sufficiently sophisticated that the lease language reflects the parties’ specific agreement terms, courts will enforce lease terms strictly. An unexpected change in business circumstances does not automatically alter lease terms to the tenant’s specific advantage: the long term security of a fixed rent over time is a benefit of both the restaurant and its landlord, which will be enforced by the courts. Forewarned is forearmed.

from page 20

cess is about giving guests yet another reason to come back.”

It comes as no surprise that Quinn and his team have built a recipe for success to battle through the challenges of the pandemic. Hudson Malone has invested in dividers and heaters to ensure human interaction and hospitable engagement that follows new social distance protocols. To ensure the safety of all guests, a highefficiency air filtration system has also been installed. The Connecticut eatery with Quinn’s deft touch has taken the experience of comfortable extended season exterior dining to a new level with heaters, fireplace and even blankets upon request being integral to customer-focused service.

From his background of working in multiple restaurants, as well as sitting in the shoes of the guest, Quinn’s menu has been inspired by numerous personal and professional influencers.

Quinn continues to look to other noteworthy local places in New York for inspiration and then reinvents classic dishes with a more rustic, comforting Hudson Malone spin. The menu, which features market to table ingredients, changes several times a week,

helping to attract multiple visits from Hudson Malone regulars eager to try new dishes. The classic menu is accompanied with daily specials including a chop of the day, a market fish, a market salad, a seasonal soup, and an assortment of raw bar dishes. “There’s something for everyone whether it’s the grilled branzino, pepper-crusted New York steak au poivre, pappardelle bolognese, smoked turkey club panini, panko-crusted cod, or the classic Hudson Malone burger.”

Hudson Malone also understands the increased importance of a robust takeout and delivery menu. “Our approach is for our guests to enjoy the same quality experience whether they are dining with us at the restaurant or from the comfort and safety of their own home or through multiple online ordering platforms,” the veteran restaurateur concluded.

Much like the New York City venue, the Westport location highlights an inspiring sense of community. With a menu of impressive dishes, creative cocktails and outstanding service, Hudson Malone’s second unit will almost certainly expand with Quinn’s vision.

CUSTOMER DATA

from page 8

• Offer customer rewards or a loyalty programs for customers who will share data. For example, customers who subscribe to a restaurant’s email newsletter will receive a discount on their next meal.

• Implement tech solutions that help the restaurant gather and organize data. Technology solutions like Beambox allow businesses to capture customer information via WiFi. CRM software providers like CAKE or HubSpot are archives for organized customer data.

IRFSNY NEW DATE

Customer Data is About Marketing & Sales In order to create ROI when marketing and advertising, businesses must understand their customers and where these people get their information. Restaurant owners must ask themselves, How do my customers get their news and current information?

Most recently, the short answer is that consumers receive info online.

A deeper look into a restaurant’s audience will reveal the individual areas where customers exist in a

digital sense. This includes type of social media platforms in use, common online ordering apps, and more. Additionally, businesses must figure out how to offer information in a palatable way for the audience.

Commonly, this might be through email newsletters, advertisements on social media, press releases on popular news outlets, and more.

Understanding the nuances of digital marketing is more important now than ever before. Knowledge in this area will put restaurants in a position to receive business from

likely customers or past patrons.

What’s more, when restaurant owners can harvest customer data to make predictions, the marketing and advertising techniques will be all the more fruitful. Going forward, businesses must make educated decisions when deciding which technology to implement. As the hospitality industry holds its breath for 2021, industry leaders can restassured that the technology is here to stay for the new (hopefully prosperous) year.

International Restaurant Foodservice Show of New York Coffee Fest New York Healthy Food Expo NY Javits Center, New York, NY

Coffee Fest PNW Oregon Convention Portland, OR

from page 4

with suppliers and rebuild their business.

Operators can access a robust library of recorded content, as well as participate in complimentary bi-monthly Digital Forums, each focused on a specific topic based on industry needs and trends, including: Takeout and Delivery, Menu Development, Online Ordering and Marketing & Social Media.

Supporting product demands, Clarion will launch MATCH! Virtual Boardrooms, a unique opportunity for operators to participate in 15 minute product introductions, matched specifically to their product or business needs, taking in place in small online group meetings.

Operators can stay up to date and exhibitors can identify ways to con-

nect and showcase their products by visiting www.foodandbevshows. com.

Early 2021 will see the launch Coffee Fest 365 – a membership platform designed to keep the specialty coffee community connected with a searchable directory, on-demand webinars and live online training events, a community discussion forum, and additional resources.

The full 2021 Clarion Food & Beverage calendar of in-person events includes: June 18-19, 2021 Coffee Fest San Antonio Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, TX July 18-20, 2021

&

August 22-24, 2021 Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo Coffee Fest Anaheim Healthy Food Expo CA Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA Sept. 19-20, 2021 Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show Healthy Food Expo Florida Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL November 5-6, 2021

Center,

Clarion Events (us.clarionevents. com) produces 37 events across 13 sectors of both trade and consumer events. The Clarion Events Food & Beverage Group include the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show, the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, Healthy Food Expo, Coffee Fest and The NGA Show.

Clarion Events acquired PennWell in early 2018, bringing 4 Tradeshow 200 events into the U.S. portfolio and super-charging the already rapid growth. Clarion Events has offices in Trumbull, CT; Kennesaw, GA; Boca Raton, FL; Tacoma, WA, and Fairlawn, NJ.

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 81

SCOOP

APPETIZE

METRO NY INSIDER NEWS, from page 62

using fresh, healthy ingredients.

She has published four best-selling cookbooks, Chloe Flavor, Chloe’s Kitchen, Chloe’s Vegan Desserts and Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen. The New York Times, Zagat, and Forbes have each recognized Chloe in their 30 Under 30 series.

by CHLOE. first opened in New York five years ago and quickly became the hottest spot on the block.

From guac burgers and taco salads to Hostess-style cupcakes, the vegan fast-casual restaurant gained traction and expanded to locations in Los Angeles, Boston, Providence, Toronto, and London.

But less than a year after the initial opening of by CHLOE., Coscarelli was pushed out of By Chloe after an arbitrator determined that she was being “grossly negligent” of the vegan fast-casual chain she cofounded, according to documents from the legally binding process — including losing leases on new

spaces and sabotaging deals with business partners.

She founded the restaurant with Samantha Wasser, daughter to mega-hospitality group ESquared CEO Jimmy Haber. The relationship unravelled, and Coscarelli sued ESquared, alleging that Haber wanted her restaurants to serve meat.

But Wasser said the claim was “outrageous,” and they never planned to stray from being vegan.

She also alleges that Coscarelli has been less involved with the business and had undercut its success for some time. Wasser pointed to several pages of the arbitrator’s findings, the result of a 12-day hearing with some 4,000 pages of transcripts, more than 600 exhibits, and seven witnesses. But less than a year after the lawsuits began, Coscarelli lost ownership of her restaurant from a legal battle with her business partner.

However, Coscarelli took to Insta-

82 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

gram last week and shared, “While your Guac Burger may have been served in packaging that bore my name throughout the years, ‘by CHLOE.’ hasn’t been by Chloe since nearly its inception. But after more than four years of fighting for what I knew was right, earlier this month I finally won. A judge issued an 87page ruling in my favor and I regained my membership in the company I created—proof that passion, truth, and perseverance will always be ingredients for success.”

Coscarelli now owns 50% of by CHLOE., but the restaurant recently filed for bankruptcy, so she is on the lookout for investors. “A million thank yous to all who believed in me during those dark moments when it felt like all hope was lost. Hope, of course, is never lost, and after darkness always comes light. Keep fighting for what you know in your heart is right, and I promise I will do the same,” said Coscarelli.

from page 30

mentioned the VP of Sales. “In our case, it’s actually beyond seamless.

Most companies use different systems to collect and distribute their data. This creates discrepancies in what’s taken in and given out. We eliminate this issue by providing interface points with the exact same source material we collect. This increases transparency between us and our customers and allows them to provide their own with better service.”

As Appetize prepares to celebrate its first decade of providing solutions in 2021, the California company has already established itself as a leading player in the business management software and hardware industry. As more and more restaurants take a leap of faith and begin to embrace technology, Appetize is ready to help any and all not only make a smooth transition, but come out the other side more robust and capable than ever before.

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 83

RESTAURANT STRATEGIES and you get a knock on your door (remember, your door stays closed now). Your first step is to ask if this an emergency. If they answer ‘no’ or ‘kind of’ kindly ask them to come back during your office hours, which are now regularly scheduled on your calendar and posted where your staff can see them. Chances are they solve the problem themselves because they don’t want to come back. If it’s really important, they

FIORITO ON INSURANCE sures, to ensure they meet or exceed Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. Restaurants should also contact their insurance broker for this type of service and additional resources.

Too many restaurants, however, have not been able to withstand the financial pressures of the pandemic.

Chain restaurants alone have closed more than 1,500 locations since it started, including such companies as Chuck E. Cheese and California Pizza Kitchen. Those in such straits should check with their brokers on the best way to manage relevant executive liability issues.

3. Transfer risk where you can.

When a business – and industry – is

TREND TALK

from page 72 will come back during office hours so you can work through their problem together.

Within a week or two of consistently doing this, your staff will stop knocking on your door as much. The people with real issues will write them down, bring them up in staff meetings or during office hours, go to their managers, or figure out a way to solve them without your involvement.

SUMMING IT UP As a quick reminder, there are four essential steps to keeping the Time Sucking Vampires at bay: 1. Put your oxygen mask on first.

2. Establish office hours and put a “Do not Disturb” sign on your door when you are unavailable.

3. Always ask if this is an emergency.

Restaurant owners, operators, and managers are busy! You have priorities and things that you have to do in your business to keep it going, to keep your staff employed, and to keep their incomes growing.

By keeping the Time Sucking Vampires at bay, you will spend more time focused on what needs to be done versus putting everybody’s fires out.

from page 16 in crisis mode, moving from reactive to proactive mode may be a challenge, but 2021 may be the time to do it. Risk transfer strategies are available. Some are easier than others to put in place.

Strategies like the captive insurance option might be worth considering when the industry is under less financial pressure. Captives allow companies to self-finance their risks, with stop loss coverage assuming the cost of outsized claims. Especially for those with better claims records, the captive strategy can present cost savings and tax advantages over traditional insurance. The captive strategy requires a broker who has experience setting up captives and can provide perspective on the different types and their advantages and disadvantages.

Succeeding through 2021’s challenges The industry that emerges in 2021 and beyond from the disruption of the pandemic will be not just slimmer, but smarter, demonstrating the resiliency it takes to get through to the other side of uncertain times. It will be a time when meeting health and safety concerns will be paramount – for employees as well as for customers and guests. At the same time, the trend toward buying experiences will accelerate post-pandemic and help reinvigorate travel again. The industry’s challenge will be to innovate around it all. An environment like this creates opportunities, but also risks.

Work with an experienced insurance

broker and their risk management experts to learn how to develop a risk management program and business continuity plan that will help protect your business and prepares you for the market ahead. A good broker will help position your business’ story with insurance carriers, so you get the right coverage and more control over rising premiums.

For the latest information, guidance and resources on COVID-19 to help you protect what matters most, please visit www.hubinternational.com/ coronavirus.

1. https://www.ustravel.org/ sites/default/files/media_root/ Employment%20Report.pdf

from page 24

lamb stew served with chili laced consome. It’s perfect for this moment: comforting, made from inexpensive ingredients and a panoply of flavors and textures.

Cuisine of the Year - ChineseAmerican. A taste of comfort for people of all ages and nationalities despite where they grew up; and it delivers well. Expect updates with more transparency around ingredients and less salt and oil used in preparation.

The af&co./Carbonate team highlighted several other cuisines on the rise, including: Afro-Carribean, Sin-

gapore/Malaysian, regional Indian, and Jewish deli-fare.

Regardless of cuisine, don’t be surprised to find a plant-based restaurant specializing in it; plantbased eating is now so mainstream that you can find completely vegan Italian, Mexican, Carribean, southern, soul food, and taco restaurants.

A Shift in Business Models: OffPremise and DTC With restaurant dining rooms, bars, and offices shut down for months there has been a profound shift in cooking and buying habits.

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Restaurant suppliers and wineries were forced to pivot to direct to consumer online sales. Restaurants thinking beyond solely delivery or take-out created meal kits or sold pantry items, providing consumers, many not accustomed to cooking at home seven days a week, with time saving ingredients, cooking instructions, and hard to find pantry staples. This applies to drinks too, with bars and restaurants selling their signature cocktails bottled in single and multiple servings, canned, or boxed in DIY cocktail kits with ingredients and instructions. Con-

sumers have become accustomed to these services and businesses need additional revenue sources so we expect this to continue long term.

Many restaurants will also pursue virtual brands, operating a second restaurant concept out of the same space; increasing revenue potential while keeping fixed costs low While 2020 was a very challenging and emotional year, it brought out incredible creativity and community support that will continue to drive success in the year to come.

To see more of the trends, visit www. carbonategroup.com/trends-2021.

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 85

MIKE BERMAN

from page 70

far greater than the nation may now know. Bi-polar air ionization technology continuously treats both the source and the space to provide the most effective protection against coronavirus and other dangerous pathogens. UV lighting’s effectiveness in smaller spaces where more static treatment is called for is additional precaution that will further instill confidence that will bring patrons back in. When layered over foundational maintenance, Day & Nite Performance Solutions represents real answers to the most troubling issues that produce real results—as far from a virtual reality video game as it gets!

In this season of giving, these real results have even greater impact. As the nation’s preeminent commercial cooking, refrigeration, HVAC and plumbing equipment installation, maintenance and repair provider the Day & Nite Family of companies is uniquely qualified to most costeffectively deliver essential foun-

dational services and differentiated layers of health, hygiene and safety measures with the full accountability you will need from a trusted partner to win in 2021. Day & Nite’s partnership with the James Beard Foundation Open For Good Campaign is a potent vaccine against the economic virus plaguing the vital independent restaurant sector. A portion of all new Day & Nite maintenance contracts and Day & Nite Performance Solutions installations will be donated in your name to a fund determined to stop any further losses to our way of life.

To learn more about doing well for your business and good for our industry, email jbf@wearetheone. com.

86 • January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

BARSTOOL FUND

from page 12

allowed Borrelli’s to continue catering and serving its surrounding community.

Borrelli has since been inspired

by Portnoy’s efforts and has started a fundraiser on his website in partnership with The INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network) of Long Island, helping to serve Borrelli’s dishes to the homeless community.

“A few weeks ago, I started working with a foodbank in Hempstead that serves 500 meals a day to those in need. I started a fundraiser on our website to help contribute. Additionally, Borrelli has started selling merchandise for charity with Barstool’s assistance: “We started selling shirts online for charities that support local businesses. We probably sold $300-400 worth of shirts all over the country. It’s just one way of giving back.”

Borrelli is optimistic about the future of the restaurant industry. He’s hoping that when the numbers of those affected by the virus decline

and the numbers of those able to receive the vaccine increase, more people will feel comfortable dining out. While Borrelli’s isn’t able to take advantage of its typically active surrounding college campuses, delivery providers and Barstool funding have allowed them to continue running their business. Borrelli’s is currently offering its original menu through take-out and delivery options, as well as available outdoor seating. “I think about restaurants being open and you walk in to see people that creates a sense of normalcy in your life.”

In addition, to the support of Borelli’s, the Barstool Fund has come to the aid of Laskan Restaurants in Wallingford, CT, the Keystone State’s Reading Terminal Market, Durf’s in Fairport, NY , Yonkers’ San Martino Ristorante and the Mayan Restaurants in Greater Seattle, WA. Learn more at https://www.barstoolsports.com/the-barstool-fund

January 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 87

SOCIETY FOR HOSPITALITY AND FOODSERVICE MANAGEMENT