October 2017 - Total Food Service

NEWS

ACQUISITIONS

Singer Equipment Co., Inc. Acquires Business Of Ashland Equipment, Inc.

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inger Equipment President and Chief Executive Officer, Fred Singer, announced the acquisition of the business of Ashland Equipment, located in Belcamp, MD. Ashland Equipment is the leading foodservice equipment contract dealer in the greater Maryland and Virginia market, serving as the kitchen equipment contractor of choice for major healthcare, higher education, K-12, business and industry, and restaurant operators.

Rod White will continue on as the executive leading the new division, which will operate as Ashland Equipment, a division of Singer MD, LLC. Rod will report directly to Fred Singer.

“With the addition of the outstanding contract equipment team at Ashland Equipment, the combined company will be able to provide solutions to our customers over a broader geography. Rod has built a great team that has delivered exceptional service to its customers.

Singer Equipment strives to be the most responsive and knowledgeable foodservice equipment and supplies distributor in the country. Ashland Equipment is known for a similar focus on delivering outstanding service to its customers. We welcome the Ashland Equipment team and

Main Office 282 Railroad Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director Michael Scinto Art Director Mark Sahm

With the addition of the outstanding contract equipment team at Ashland Equipment, the combined company will be able to provide solutions to our customers over a broader geography.” look forward to growing the business,” said Singer.

“We look forward to growing with Singer,” said Rod White, President of Ashland Equipment. “Our customers can expect the same service and attention to detail that has built our company and our customer relationships. This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize greater efficiencies and bring new opportunities to our customers and employees,” said White. “We are excited about the prospects that this partnership brings to our customers, expanding on our traditions of service, responsiveness and expertise.”

Singer Equipment Company, currently the sixth largest foodservice equipment dealer in the United States, is the leading foodservice equipment dealer in the mid-At-

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lantic market. Singer also builds commercial kitchens nationwide for chain restaurants, higher education, healthcare and hospitality clients.

“Singer will continue to look for other strategic acquisitions that enhance our ability to service key markets and customers,” says Singer.

Founded in 1918, Singer is known for its broad inventory, high level of service and excellence in completing new kitchen installation projects. Singer maintains a multi-million-dollar inventory of equipment as well as tabletop, kitchen, disposable and janitorial supplies — over 12,000 items available for immediate delivery.

Entrepreneur Partners served as the financial advisor to Singer Equipment.

Contributing Writers Warren Bobrow Faith Hope Consolo Morgan Tucker Fred Sampson Staff Writers Deborah Hirsch

Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com

Cover photo courtesy of Barteca Restaurant Group Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2017 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements.

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3

NEWS

FOOD HALL

Celeb Chef Todd English Cooking Up Plans For New Food Hall In Chelsea

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eleb chef Todd English is eyeing a newly vacant restaurant on Seventh Avenue for his next food hall.

English, who operates a food hall at the Plaza Hotel, hopes to bring his latest venture to the space at 191 Seventh Ave., between West 21st and 22nd streets, formerly home to the controversial restaurant Il Bastardo.

The “food hall/market” would “fill the community with many helpful amenities from fresh coffee with fresh breads and pastries to cold pressed fresh juices in your mornings,” neigh-

bors said.

Asian delights like sushi and authentically made dumplings and gyoza will be neighbors to some Mediterranean and European influences for lunch and dinner all under one roof, tendered under one payment.

Domestic cuisines as well as some South American treats will fill the air with aromas like nowhere in the neighborhood.

The market would also serve “higher-end” breakfast, lunch and dinner fare, English’s rep said, noting plans are still in their early stages.

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The chef opened the Todd English Food Hall- a dining hall with an oyster bar, a sushi bar and other “food stations” - a little more than seven years ago. Last year, he announced plans to open another “European-inspired” market inside the former New York Times building on West 43rd Street.

He also planned to open a restaurant inside the W Hotel Downtown, but scrapped the idea earlier this year.

English isn’t the first celebrity chef to set sights on the former Il Bastardo space, which housed the complaint-

plagued eatery until it shuttered earlier this summer.

In July, locals shot down chef Kristine Sollenne’s plans to open a pair of restaurants in the space, saying they didn’t want to see another liquorserving establishment open there after years dealing with Il Bastardo’s rowdy patrons and late-night parties.

Sollenne who’s appeared as a judge on the Food Network show “Beat Bobby Flay” now plans to open a restaurant on West 27th Street instead.

English will also be trying to secure a liquor license for the space.

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

5

NEWS

FOOD VENDORS

New Regulations Proposed To Limit Meteoric Growth Of NYC’s Mobile Food Vending

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obile food vending is now a billion dollar industry. The hospitality subset has experienced a major boom since the economic downturn of 2008. Food trucks nationwide are expected to bring in $2.7 billion in revenue this year alone according to Priceonomics. This meteoric growth is attributable to a confluence of changing consumer demands and a relatively easy start-up process.

In New York City, home to an estimated 12,000 mobile food vendors, legislators are struggling to find balance between regulation and sustained growth. The issues are many and range from permitting to parking to health and safety concerns. Here’s a closer look.

For that estimated 12,000 mobile food vendors, there are only 5,100 valid food vendor permits currently allotted by the city’s Department of Health. That number has not increased since the 1980s. The lack of permits has created a black market whereby permit owners can attain as much as $20,000 per permit.

In addition, more vendors equates to more competition for brick and mortar restaurants. Having a large number of vendors operating illegally has restaurant proponents fuming about unfair competition, lost profits, and inadequate regulation.

Further, unpermitted vendors may put consumers’ health at risk. City health inspectors cannot inspect nor

The New York City council has proposed the Street Vending Modernization Act (“SVMA”) to expand the number of available permits to 8,000 by the year 2023. regulate what they do not know exists.

The New York City council has proposed the Street Vending Modernization Act (“SVMA”) to expand the number of available permits to 8,000 by the year 2023. Proponents of the SVMA see mobile food vending as a legitimate industry and want the city to cultivate an environment where these businesses can flourish. In addition to increasing the number of permits, the SVMA intends to improve mobile food vendor compliance with local regulations and create an independent office of street vendor enforcement.

Despite the apparent benefits, the SVMA has been met with opposition from brick and mortar restaurant proponents. Restaurateurs are concerned with the effect an increased number of permits will have on their businesses, and concerned consumers detest the idea of further congesting already overcrowded New York City streets and sidewalks with more food trucks and carts. The SVMA has yet to pass.

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On another front, mobile food vendors may face increased regulations regarding where they can conduct business. Today, New York City has fairly lax regulations addressing where a mobile food vendor may park. Vendors are only banned from occupying areas in and around crosswalks, fire hydrants, bus stops, building entrances, and the like. The New York City council has received pressure from local restaurant owners to further restrict the location of food trucks to address what they see as unfair competition. As an example of the conflict, some point to the area around the Second Avenue subway station. When the station was under construction, several restaurants in the vicinity suffered a decline in sales.

Now that the subway has opened, mobile food vendors are setting up directly outside the subway entrance and in front of brick and mortar restaurants. Currently there is no pending legislation that restricts the proximity to which a mobile food vendor

may park from a brick and mortar restaurant.

New York legislators have also struggled with the regulation of health and safety for mobile food vendors. Until just recently, there was no requirement for displaying food inspection grades for mobile food vendors. In May 2017, Mayor de Blasio signed into law a bill that requires mobile food vendors to display health inspection grades. A similar bill is currently active in the New York State Senate, which would require inspection grades to be displayed and also require vendors to submit their routes to the health commission for tracking purposes. This bill is viewed as a winwin for both brick and mortar restaurants and mobile food vendors. The bill holds mobile food vendors to the same health and sanitation standards as brick and mortar restaurants, while those vendors displaying satisfactory food grades can attract more business by assuring consumers of a sanitary product.

Given that the mobile food vending industry now accounts for close to 18,000 jobs in New York City and it has become a part of the city’s fabric, we do not expect to see city or state legislators significantly curtail such business. However, with increased pressure from consumers, food vendors and brick and mortar restaurants, we do believe that legislators will act on the issues discussed above.

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

7

NEWS TABLEWARE SHOW Forty One Madison Welcomes New Showrooms For October 17-20th New York Tabletop Market

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ebuting at the October 1720th New York Tabletop Market will be two new showrooms, three newly remodeled and relocated showrooms, and the completed renovation of the 41 Madison lobby, Buyer’s Lounge, and building façade.

Canvas Home, a tableware and decorative accessories brand known for its simple yet stylish pieces crafted with sustainable materials, will debut a 1,000-square-foot space on the 15th Floor. Each of its collections are created in partnership with fine artisans and premium factories across the globe, and are designed as timeless livable treasures that provide chic finishing touches for any setting. “We are excited to open at 41 Madison as our tabletop collections become an increasingly important part of our business,” said Andrew Corrie, artistic director and founder of Canvas Home.

“It is an honor to be joining the company of such respected members of the industry and we look forward to our first New York Tabletop Show.”

Qualia Glass, a premier supplier of fine handmade glassware and leadfree crystal, will launch its 41 Madison showroom, encompassing a 1,100-sq. ft. space on the 15th Floor.

Showroom Shifts to Note • Nambé, the award-winning tableware brand known for its organic shapes and mixed materials, will be relocating its newly designed show-

room to the 17th floor.

• BIA Cordon Bleu’s luxury division housing three of France’s oldest and most prestigious factories: Royal Limoges, Philippe Deshoulieres, and CAPDECO, is relocating to the 17th floor. BIA’s housewares showroom remains on the 3rd floor.

• The Oneida Group has opened a new showroom dedicated to its food service collections on the 15th floor.

This showroom houses brands such as: Anchor Hocking, Buffalo, Buffet Euro, Luzerne, Oneida, Oneida Strata, Sant’ Andrea, and Stölzle. Oneida’s consumer division remains on the 4th floor in the newly renovated Robinson Home Showroom.

Market Makeover The wraps are coming off the renovation that has transformed Forty One Madison’s façade, lobby and Level A, and the October Show will mark the project’s completion of phase two.

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The registration desk, now strategically located in the newly constructed building entrance, will include new self-check-in stations to streamline Show entry. New built-in vitrines line the lobby and will spotlight a variety of products from top brands. To trumpet the official opening of the new lobby a special display is being created by The Alpha Workshops, a respected industry design atelier and the nation’s only non-profit organization dedicated to providing decorative arts education to at-risk youths and adults with disabilities. Alpha, which is producing the extraordinary backdrops and the decorative tables, is joining with two acclaimed interior designers -- Jon Daun Curry Call, founder of Mr. Call Designs, and Daun Curry -- who will each style a vignette featuring products from Forty One Madison showrooms.

Interior Designer Day The Show will host Interior Designer Day on Thursday, October 19th, with 45 showrooms offering Direct Designer Access. Designers are invited to shop showrooms and meet with industry leaders from around the world from 9AM – 5PM.

Jon Call

The complete list of showrooms can be found in the Show Directory or on the 41 Madison App. Tabletop Trends Watch Forty One Madison has partnered with Deborah Shearer, industry veteran and founder and creative director at Table + Dine, as the official trend expert for the New York Tabletop Market.

Shearer will be reviewing the latest and greatest collections found in the showrooms and identifying the top trends that can be tracked on 41 Madison’s Instagram and Facebook.

“There will be more new product than ever at the Show, it is a mustvisit this fall,” said Laurie Burns, senior vice president and director of Forty One Madison.

“We hope all visitors enjoy the recently completed, SOM - designed lobby and buyers lounge.

We have invested substantially in the building and marketplace to serve the tabletop industry’s needs far into the future.”

For more information on the upcoming New York Tabletop Market including a full list of showrooms, visit www.41madison.com.

Deborah Shearer

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

9

MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Rich Rund and Dan Welch

Co-Founders, CaterTrax

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otal Food Service recently had the chance to talk with the co-founders of CaterTrax: Rich Rund, Chief Executive Officer, and Dan Welch, Chief Information Officer.

Can you share the CaterTrax story with our readers? Where did the idea come from?

CaterTrax is a 12-year-old company that is backed by a century of catering experience. Our family opened their first foodservice operation in early 1906, catering to the working people of Rochester, NY, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They sold hamburgers for 10 cents and soup for a nickel. This was the humble beginning of a lineage of restaurants and catering businesses that manifested the hospitality spirit that CaterTrax is rooted in today.

I (Rich) grew up in my family’s catering business; for the Rund family life revolved around food. I started out peeling potatoes as a kid and worked my way through the ranks learning every aspect of the business. After graduating from Michigan State University, I worked for Houston’s Restaurants in Atlanta, Chicago, and Sacramento. I returned to Rochester in the mid-1990’s and joined Microworks POS Solutions Inc. where I learned website development and gained my first insight into technology’s ability to support foodservice operations.

In 1999, I returned to our family’s catering business which still relied on spreadsheets and calculators for everything and we were buried in complicated logistics. We needed something that could help us get organized

Our software is a silent employee that moves the administrative barrier out of the way so our clients can focus on connecting with customers, serving great food, and delivering hospitality.” and communicate better. I enlisted the help of my brother-in-law, Dan Welch, and channeled the Rund family’s entrepreneurial spirit to found a company specializing in catering management technology. In 2000, we started building a catering system specifically for Rund’s Catering and their client, ExxonMobil and the rest is CaterTrax history.

Who were the entrepreneurial visionaries behind the company?

Myself (Rich) and my brother-in-law Dan and we’re both still involved in the day-to-day operations. My dad was also involved in shaping our company in the early days. I’m the CEO and directly oversee our product innovation team who are actively developing our product roadmap and Dan is our CIO, leading our technology teams. As you can imagine we’ve worn many hats since day one but we’ve always stayed highly involved in executing our vision and mission.

What was the niche that you saw?

CaterTrax’s software, the TRAX Platform, started as a way to manage orders and production at the Rund’s catering operation but we quickly real-

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Dan Welch and Rich Rund, Co-Founders, CaterTrax

ized the possibilities for others in the foodservice industry. We recognized that our system was scalable and was a viable solution for non-commercial foodservice operations that serve on a larger scale and have a lot to manage.

Talk about what the key features were in the CaterTrax solutions when you launched?

The original iteration of the software stored events for future reference, allowed for order revisions, and automatically alerted catering, kitchen, finance, and delivery personnel to any changes. We recognized that catering orders that are filled out by hand, duplicated onto another form for fulfillment, and hand-delivered to foodservice personnel in the cafeteria was a norm that made it easy to make mistakes. Our original platform was designed around the direct need to control this chaos.

Walk us through how CaterTrax has evolved to meet changing needs of your customer base. Take-out management. Catering Rooms Manager.

We’ve always said CaterTrax is “built by caterers for caterers.” That’s actually our tagline and we truly mean it.

In the beginning, we were the caterers building this software from the ground up, using our own experiences to create something that would make a difference for our own family’s business.

When we finally looked up from our computers, we realized we created something that others could benefit from and it took off with ExxonMobil as our first official user followed by the Atlanta Bread Company.

We knew that staying rooted in hospitality would be key to our continued success and we stayed committed to the idea that we are built by caterers for caterers. We have former foodservice employees working in every department of this company from folks who build and service the sites, to those developing our software. Still, the true “caterers” in this sentiment today are truly our clients and partners and we’re listening to them.

The TRAX Platform’s ability to save time, boost efficiency, and organize operations is fundamental, but to truly improve the lives of those we serve, our products and services need to make them more confident. The less stress and anxiety an operator can ex-

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October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

11

HOW GREEN ARE YOUR WAYS?

WITH PETER KAPLAN

How To Manage Power Outages In Your Restaurant

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illions of Floridians are ready to get on with their recovery from Hurricane Irma, which roared through the state last month, pummeling homes and flooding streets. One of the largest Atlantic storms ever, Irma knocked out power to 6.7 million accounts in Florida, or about two-thirds of the state.

One of the takeaways of disasters like Irma, Harvey, and Maria is that these kinds of weather-related power interruptions are almost impossible to avoid. And rising average temperatures may over the long-term lead to more frequent, deadly, and costly blackouts. In other words, get ready for more of this.

Restaurants are fast paced and hectic on a normal day, but add a power outage into the mix and it

One of the takeaways of disasters like Irma, Harvey, and Maria is that these kinds of weather-related power interruptions are almost impossible to avoid.

Peter Kaplan has served as Chief Operating Officer and President of

can cause a lot of problems. They can wipe out your sales and food inventory, shut down your equipment and leave you and your customers plunged into darkness. A restaurant power outage can result in tens of thousands of lost revenue dollars.

Plan for an emergency before one happens. So how can you manage your restaurant before, during, and after a power outage?

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• Back it up. Recent disasters like Hurricane Harvey and Irma proved the necessity of having a backup generator. It needs to be big enough to operate the electrical equipment in your facility, and its installation and use must be coordinated with your power company for safety.

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United Energy Consultants since 2005.

Behind his leadership and 20+ years of de-regulated energy and risk management experience, United Energy Consultants has developed several proprietary procurement and software systems that are a benchmark in the industry. Email him at peter@uecnow.com

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

13

NEWS

PEST CONTROL

How To: Rodent Proof Your Restaurant This Winter

By Jennifer Brumfield, Training and Technical Specialist, Western Pest Services

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quick Google search of restaurant closings in New York is all the evidence you need – rodents are a major issue for the metro New York area. In fact, Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced a $32 million plan to reduce New York City’s rat population.

Rats and mice are a year-round problem, but they become particularly troublesome to foodservice establishments as cooler weather sets in. When temperatures drop, rodents are driven indoors in search of food and shelter. Unlike other pests that come indoors during winter and emerge in spring, rodents may never leave once inside. As long as they have food, water and a comfy nesting place, rodents may become permanent restaurant patrons.

Rodents are bad for business.

In addition to alarming customers and tarnishing your reputation, they present major health risks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rodents are known to spread more than 35 diseases worldwide, which can be passed on to humans directly through contact with feces, urine or saliva, or indirectly by the ticks, mites and fleas that feed on rodents.

A contaminated food product could spread such diseases as Salmonella, tape worms, jaundice and hantavirus.

Rodents can also damage property. Rodents love to gnaw—the word rodent is actually derived from the Latin word for “gnaw”—and gnaw they do. They’ll chew on just about anything they can sink their teeth into, including wood, paper and dry wall. They also chew on electrical wires because they resemble roots—their natural food source.

This can be a major fire hazard.

To protect your restaurant from the risks associated with rodents, work with a pest management professional to implement the following Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tactics.

Start with exclusion Exclusion is a pillar of IPM and it goes hand in hand with rodent control. Rodents are skilled climbers, can run horizontally along pipes

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and wires, and jump distances of eight feet, which means there are multiple ways for them to gain access to your restaurant. Mice and juvenile rats also have slight bodies, which allow them to pass through holes as small as a dime, while adult rats can squeeze through holes the size of a quarter. All of that said, eliminating entry points should be a priority.

• Conduct routine inspections of the building exterior to look for holes, cracks or gaps, particularly around utility penetrations and air vents. Seal these areas with weather-resistant sealant, and cover larger holes with steel wool, which rodents can’t chew through.

• Install weather stripping on doors and windows and be sure to keep them in good condition.

A common attractant for rodents

during winter is warm air coming from beneath doorways that are not properly sealed.

• Repair damaged window and door screens.

• Make sure no plants, shrubs or tree limbs brush up against the exterior of the building, as these can help rodents access your building.

• If possible, add a 2-foot gravel strip immediately around the exterior of the building.

Monitor for signs of rodents After you’ve taken the steps to keep rodents out, be sure to maintain a strict sanitation routine to ensure you don’t give rodents a reason to stick around if they do get inside, and keep an eye out for signs of rodents. If you suspect rodent activity,

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October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

15

MIXOLOGY

WITH WARREN BOBROW

Triibe: A Marvelous Spirit Welcome To Many Recipes

Warren Bobrow is the creator of the popular blog The Cocktail Whis-

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he Reformed Spirits Company, makers of the World Renowned, Martin Miller’s Gin has created a crystal clear, uncolored, ‘Irish Cream’ liqueur that is mesmerizing in mouthfeel, quality and overall finesse. What they have created, using Irish Malt Whiskey, is a bourbon, chocolate, milk punch without any caramel color added at all. In fact, what they have done is rectify an authentic spirit base with a plethora of marvelous flavors that say rich and creamy in the glass without a drop of artificial color to further confuse the consumer with layers of provenance that just doesn’t exist.

Triibe is a marvelous, richly textured spirit from Ireland that strives for authenticity of flavor over flash in the glass.

It’s a clarified Milk Punch with a pure Irish Malt Whiskey base!

As a base spirit, Triibe is most welcome in any mixed drink that calls for White Crème-de Cacao. It’s got more depth that the factory-made stuff with notes of white flowers and minced pencil lead across the tongue with focused points of both creamy sweet chocolate and droplets of bitter chocolate, raw honey on the finish and a mid-range boasting a plethora of toasty oak, pulled sugar syrup and touches of vanilla syrup and a finish of freshly whipped cream. There are notes that appear to reveal cut French herbs, such as tarragon and rosemary on the back of the tongue, giving way to stone

perer and the author of nearly half a

fruits, crushed minerals and licks of Spanish riding leather. The lightly smoky element of the Irish Malt Whiskey wraps around your tongue in a never-ending burst of char and smoke that seem to melt the chocolate and caramel elements and draw them deeper into your imagination.

This spirit is not overly thick either.

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It has a marvelous density and a finish that goes on and on. Drops of liquorice predominate on the multiminute finish and make this liquid quite intriguing in many cocktail preparations, from a welcome addition to a gin based Martini...Stirred always! To the Classic of all Classics, the Milk Punch. Here in this

dozen books, including Apothecary Cocktails, Whiskey Cocktails, Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails, and his most recent book Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, & Tonics.

case, the milk punch is made with Triibe instead of the usual bourbon or brandy.

Triibe Pure Milk Punch for 12 Ingredients: • One bottle Triibe Liqueur • 2 oz. Absinthe (of your choice) • 1 pt. Heavy Cream • ½ Gallon Whole (regular) Milk • 1 pt. Light Cream • ½ cup Real Vanilla Extract • Angostura • Nutmeg • Ice Block with a hole cut in the middle Prep: 1. To your hole –cut ice block (set into a bowl) 2. Add the liquid ingredients 3. Stir well to combine 4. Scrape the nutmeg over the top 5. Dot with Angostura 6. Stir again 7. Serve by ladle of course!

Triibe Martini Ingredients: • 2 oz. Martin Miller’s Gin • ½ oz. Triibe Celtic Spirit • ¼ oz. Dolin Dry Vermouth

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October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

17

FAITHFUL FOOD

WITH FAITH HOPE CONSOLO

Restaurant Innovation: Technology at the Table

Faith Hope Consolo is the Chairman of Douglas Elliman’s Retail Group.

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reating the next-generation customer experience is always on the minds of the best restaurateurs. For restaurants to evolve, understanding the next generation customer is critical and Manhattan is the hotbed of the new and the emerging.

Amazon.com is poised for a takeover of the restaurant delivery trend. Now that Amazon has a major power position in the grocery industry after acquiring Whole Foods for a not too shabby $13.7 billion, its next conquest is restaurant delivery. Amazon has joined forces with Olo, “digital orders done right” which has Shake Shack Inc. founder Danny Meyer as an investor, and provides digital order and pay technology to 200 restaurant brands with about 40,000 U.S. locations.

The $1.5 trillion U.S. food market is split between groceries and restaurants and this market is most valuable to Amazon because it is a constant type of order and can collect valuable data about their shopper’s preferences to use with their other markets. Olo is the tech platform to publish menus and take orders while Amazon arranges the deliveries. Olo launched a new product called Rails that makes it easier for restaurants to take delivery orders from Amazon and other third-party services. Olo helped build Shake Shack’s mobile order and pay app, and it also developed the technology for Chipotle’s catering service.

The most important technology for dining is Instagram; dining and

Ms. Consolo is responsible for the

Instagram go hand in hand. It is so important to patrons that restaurants consider it in every aspect, from menus to decor to glassware to dish presentation to lighting.

No restaurant category is excluded from the Instagram culture, from fine dining to fast food and everything in between. These days, it is de rigueur to snap that Insta-worthy shot and post for your followers to see.

But delivery and social promotion cannot be perfectly done without physical bricks and mortar presence. David Chang’s delivery-only restaurant Ando is no longer just delivery. He opened a “fast-casual” storefront at 31 West 14th Street, be-

tween Sixth and Fifth Avenue, Union Square. Originally only supposed to be a virtual restaurant, this physical restaurant has an expanded menu including breakfast and places to sit. Prices are the same, and delivery is still available but with a fee.

Danny Meyer’s just-opened pizza centric Martina, 198 East 11th Street, calls itself “finecasual” but operates under the “fast-casual” style with a limited menu, ordering at the counter, and takeout. Like at Shake Shack, guests will order and pick up from the cashier, who will hand them a buzzer while they wait for their pies to finish cooking — a process that takes just two minutes.

For to-go orders, Martina uses new

Danny Meyer’s Pizzeria Martina offers a menu with 20 items total, including pizza, meatballs, salads, vegetable sides, and gelato.

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most successful commercial division of New York City’s largest residential real estate brokerage firm. Email her at fconsolo@elliman.com

age boxes that vent steam while keeping the pizza hot.

Other new and noteworthy openings around the City: Upper East Side: Le Bilboquet , 20 East 60th Street, opened the doors to its new cafe, Cafe Bilboquet, at 26 East 60th Street, on the same block as its parent restaurant, in the former Gene’s Coffee Shop. Customers can choose to eat in or take out from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Hanley Building, 1136 Third Avenue now has its own outpost of Sant Ambroeus called The Coffee Bar at Hanley.

Midtown: Filling the long vacant Tudor City restaurant space, near the border of Turtle Bay and Kips Bay, is Tudor City Steakhouse, 45 Tudor City Place, three blocks from Grand Central. Miami-based healthy cafe Dr. Smood has a fourth Manhattan location, 485 Lexington Avenue.

NoHo: Scott Sartiano, the cofounder of celebrity hotspot 1 Oak, has opened a healthy restaurant named Broken Coconut, 15 East Fourth Street.

Greenwich Village: Aunt Jake’s, the Italian spinoff from Mulberry Project, has opened its second location less than two years after opening the Mulberry original, 47 West

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October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

19

LITTLE M. TUCKER

WITH MORGAN TUCKER

Made In Brooklyn

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he Brooklyn boom is no secret. However, many were surprised when Star Chefs made the move to host their annual International Chefs Congress there just three short years ago. But just as the team behind Star Chefs has demonstrated the ability to discover exemplary talent in emerging markets for 14 years, moving their headquarters and flagship event to the borough was a calculated, strategic decision that has reminded all of us of their ability to unearth the next great trend.

In preparation for our 6th ICC, as the exclusive distributor partner, we have lots to do. We are working in tandem with Steelite International on the Art of Presentation Pop-Up headlining New York Rising Star’s Community Chef Aaron Bludorn of Café Boulud.

He’ll be exclusively using wares from our Little M Tucker collections produced by Steelite International factory partners for his 3-course tastings. All proceeds go to C-Cap, a non-profit organization that prepares high school students for careers in the hospitality industry. We’re packaging 2,200

Morgan Tucker is Director of Business Development at M. Tucker, a division of Singer Equipment Company. Ms. Tucker works with a wide diversity of acclaimed restaurateurs, celebrated chefs, and industry leaders across the U.S. Her website littlemtucker.com is an exceptional resource for equipment and supplies solutions. Morgan is based in NYC and can be reached at mptucker@mtucker.com.

gift boxes, which will feature Little M Tucker by Hospitality Glass Brands glassware in sustainable packaging from fellow sponsor Packnwood. We’re sponsoring main stage demonstrations by customers like Daniella SotoInnes from Atla restaurant… who’ll be using products from another Little M Tucker vendor, PolyScience. And we will be front and center for business discussions with some of our favorite customers like Executive Chef and Partner of Sunday in Brooklyn, Jamie Young. He’ll be addressing the concepts of running all-day restaurants and how to connect with community.

No ICC theme resonates deeper with the inherent ethos of Brooklyn than this years: “Cook Your Culture.”

The dedication to heritage exemplified with the 2017 chef lineup is rock solid.

Whether you will have the opportunity to join us at ICC later this month or not, I would like to introduce you to some of our other favorite personalities handcrafting wares for hospitality in Brooklyn well before Star Chefs came into town.

20 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

First, the Queen, Ms. Connie Pezulich. For 50 years, RCP Design has been manufacturing custom catering equipment and food serving products in Brooklyn. Her company boasts a customer list, which includes Eleven Madison Park and The Grill. Recently, we designed a custom tequila cart for Alex Stupak’s Empellon Midtown.

Unparalleled craftsmanship and exceptional service are two reasons why their partnership with The Singer Equipment Companies and Steelite International works perfectly.

Want something on your tabletop that literally no one else has? Let’s talk about custom leather from Forty Knots No Smoke, also born in Brooklyn. “I don’t know if there’s anything else on the planet that improves with age, except for wine. It’s wine and leather,” quotes the company’s founder, Theo Ginsburg. An affordable and thoughtfully curated source for leather goods, FKNS has the ability to create anything your heart desires.

And then there’s ceramicist Wynne Noble. Since the 80’s, she’s been slinging clay out of an unassumingly

artful studio in Dumbo. Inspired by nature and the culture of her local community, as well as the cellular structures and different organic materials of both, her custom work can been seen in restaurants all around town. When the new 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge opened earlier this year, they were committed to supporting local artisans. Each guest’s room is stocked with Noble Plateware Mugs. Her dinnerware also graces fellow Star Chef sponsor Valhronas’ L’Ecole in Dumbo, so you know it has to be the highest quality product.

If you are coming over your bridge of choice to join us at ICC this year, we can’t wait to meet you. We’ll be showing off the latest collections from our closest factory partners. If you’re looking for a ticket to this annual extravaganza, and would like to participate in active discussions about the evolving cultures painting the food world today, send us an email at littlemtucker@mtucker.com. See you in Brooklyn!

#HX2017

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

21

NEWS

TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

NY Firm Brings Restaurants Easy Solution For Adding Nutritional Profile To Menus

V

ictor Penev conceived the idea for Edamam in 2010. An entrepreneur and passionate cook, he wanted to create a link between food and technology. After ten months of brainstorming and market research, Penev identified a pressing issue facing consumers. “I realized that a major problem that can be solved with technology is the lack of information about the food people eat and how it impacts their health and well-beings,” Penev explained. Furthermore, he found that food and nutritional data was often

Victor Penev, Edamam

nonexistent, contradictory, or incomplete. Penev wanted to find a solution, so he founded Edamam with the mission to organize the world’s food knowledge and give it back to people so they can make smarter food choices and live healthier and happier lives.

Penev began by offering consumers healthy recipe suggestions and diet analytics. However, it was soon discovered that consumers expect nutritional information and meal suggestions to be free, so Edamam pivoted to a business-to-business model. The

22 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

company now provides nutrition data services to food, health and wellness businesses. Edamam’s clients include food manufacturers, restaurants, grocery stores and caterers. “Everybody in the food supply chain is a potential customer,” Penev said.

Edamam provides a wonderful service for restaurants to add nutritional data, allergen and diet tags to their menus as well as revamp menus in an effort to create healthier offerings.

For a restaurant, the default solution of hiring a nutritionist is a slow and

expensive proposition. Edamam essentially automates the process and makes it fast and affordable. There are two levels of service. The first is a self-service, in which a customer can input their recipes online and receive the nutritional analyses in real-time for $22.95/month. The second option is the “white glove service.” This level of service provides the customer with a human nutritionist that uses Eda-

continued on page 106

Invest in energy efficiency.

Invest in the success of your restaurant.

Learn more at ngrid.com/business That’s business on the grid.

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

NG_LCI_2006 // Total Food Service // NYC & LI : October // Lady Chef // Full page // Trim Area: 9.5”x10” // 4C // Pdf

23

NEWS

ASSOCIATIONS

Industry Veteran Ron Mathews Tapped To Run NYS Restaurant Association New York City Region

T

he New York State Restaurant Association has named Ron Mathews as the new Regional Director for its New York City office. Mathews has a successful, decade-long track record working with the NYS Restaurant Association in his capacity as Show Director for the annual International Restaurant and Foodservice Show of New York, of which the Association is the official sponsor.

“Ron understands restaurateurs, what motivates them, and the entrepreneurial spirit exhibited by those who succeed. He is a problem solver, a marketer and one of the most creative professionals I’ve had the pleasure to work with. He was a key force, transforming the International Restaurant and Foodservice Show of New York into one of the most dynamic events in the country and we are so fortunate to have him join our team,” said Melissa Fleischut, President & CEO of

“Ron understands restaurateurs, what motivates them, and the entrepreneurial spirit exhibited by those who succeed. He is a problem solver, a marketer and one of the most creative professionals I’ve had the pleasure to work with,” said Melissa Fleischut, President & CEO of the NYS Restaurant Association. the NYS Restaurant Association.

Mathews began working with restaurants in the late 1980s during his time with Pagano Dairy Distributors in Connecticut. Ron helped triple distribution and by the end of his tenure the company had over 300 restaurant clients. From there Ron joined Reed Exhibition Companies, the largest exhibition organizer in the world. In 1995, he began working with both the New York Restaurant Association and Massachusetts Restaurant Association on their annual foodservice shows.

Mathews worked his way up to Vice President of the Restaurant and Foodservice portfolio at Reed where he oversaw the Florida Res-

24 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

taurant and Lodging Show and Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo in California, in addition to the New York show. In this role, Ron created a strategic partnership with Ferdinand Metz, the Culinary Institute of America President Emeritus, forming a dynamic education program delivering over 100 education sessions annually through his events. This initiative involved many notable culinarians and restaurateurs including Danny Meyer, Drew Neiporent, Thomas Keller, and others.

“I am excited that my next career step is into the heart of the greatest restaurant city in the world, where new flavors, approaches, ideas, pol-

Ron Mathews

icy and international stars are created. I look forward to lending my skills and energy, along with the Association team, to advance this incredible industry,” said Matthews.”

Former NYC Regional Director Kevin Dugan will be taking over as the Director of Government Affairs where he will continue to supervise the Association’s advocacy efforts in New York City and also take responsibility in the same role on statewide policy issues. Kevin has been with the Association since 2015 and has worked closely with the Association’s Government Affairs team during that time. He has experience in working with both State and local governments and will bring this expertise to his new position.

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October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 25 10/11/16 14:34

FIORITO ON INSURANCE

Avoiding Costly Liabilities: Is Your Website ADA Friendly?

Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President with HUB International Northeast,

ADA accessible websites emerge as one of the biggest liabilities so far in 2017

a leading global insurance brokerage, where he specializes in providing insurance services to the restaurant industry. As a 25-year veteran and former

R

eaching every potential customer wherever they are is the fundamental goal of any business. So, when a website can’t reach 100% of its target audience, they risk revenue loss. However, when companies failed to meet the needs of visually, hearing or physically impaired customers because their websites weren’t Americans with Disabilities (ADA)-accessible in recent years, losses added up to a lot more than just a few averted purchases. Instead, ADA website inaccessibility cost these retailers millions of dollars in settlements not to mention the expense of building a brand new website.

The root of the issue stems from the broad language of the ADA itself. Signed into law long before the explosion of the Internet, the law applies to “all places of commerce,” which, according to recent case law, includes today’s online marketplaces. Because just about every business has an online entity these days, everyone is at risk.

How to know if your site is ADA approved If your website’s type font is too

restaurateur himself, Bob has worked with a wide array of restaurant and food service businesses, ranging from

Because just about every business has an online entity these days, everyone is at risk. small for the visually impaired, or contains imbedded videos without captions or audio descriptions for the hearing impaired, or if a physically-impaired consumer has to scroll up or down to find your main navigating tools, it may not be ADA accessible.

This “lack” of online accessibility has fueled demands for monetary settlements and lawsuits in recent months targeting restaurants, retail, higher education and more, leaving every business with a website and consumer base at risk.

Here are the top three tips for migrating your website to ADA compliance: 1. Don’t use your own judgment. Comb through your website with a third-party vendor that’s familiar with ADA accessibility – find out how much they know the issues,

26 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

standards and what’s considered ADA accessible.

2. Describe the imagery. Complex graphics should be accompanied by detailed text descriptions. If an image is also used as a link, make sure the alt tag describes the graphic and the link destination. Add captions and audio descriptions to all videos.

3. Provide alternatives. All java applets, scripts and plug ins and their contents must be accessible to assistive technologies, or an alternative must be made available.

Provide a skip navigation option to assist text readers. Create a link to videos rather than imbedding them in the web page.

Just in case, be sure you have the right coverage

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.

As you’re assessing compliance, now is the time to ensure you have the right insurance policy. Although some would assume all digital risks, including ADA website accessibility fall under the cyber liability umbrella, it actually falls under Media Liability or Employment Practices Liability (EPL) insurance. EPL’s lesser known entity, third-party liability, includes coverage for third-party discrimination.

While this aspect of EPL coverage has traditionally rarely been triggered, it is quickly becoming a huge exposure for all businesses with an online presence. This means there’s a good chance EPL insurance coverage won’t protect this liability forever. Speak with your insurance broker to understand if your website is ADA accessible, and if your business’ liability fits with your current EPL or Media Liability insurance program.

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October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

27

SEDERHOLT ON RESTAURANT FINANCE

And Since We Were Talking About Taxes...

L

ast month I wrote about sales taxes and how restaurant owners need to get a grip and remember that the funds they collect are not their personal line of credit. To my surprise it was the first time I had gotten “fan mail” from both tax attorneys and tax enforcement people which tells me that my recommendations were spot on. For some reason however I didn’t hear from a single restaurant operator to say that this practice helped them address a problem that is wide spread throughout the industry.

Now the big question down in the US Capital is whether they can effect tax reforms which will benefit small businesses and the general public. In my December 2016 Financial Crystal Ball for 2017, I predicted for the second time that even if the dysfunctional Congress and administration managed to get ANYTHING accomplished in tax reform that it would not offer any real benefits to small businesses (SMBs) or the average middle class tax payer. For my “hat trick” (that one is for you Fred!), I continue to stand with this prediction and thousands of SMB owners agree.

According to a CNBC / SurveyMoney poll released on September 25th found that less than one-third of the SMBs (31%) believed that there would be any positive changes in tax policy to have a positive impact on their businesses. This

David Sederholt is the Senior Advisor

Now the big question down in the US Capital is whether they can effect tax reforms which will benefit small businesses and the general public.

to management at Strategic Funding, a leader in small business financing since 2006. Before this, David spent 30 years in the restaurant business and has owned and operated more than a dozen restaurants. As a direct lender, the company offers a variety of financing options and has provided over $1.25 Billion to approximately 20,000 businesses across the

number is down from 41% quarter over quarter. The survey found that while many remain confident about improvements in the economy, they are running out of confidence with the administration to make good on its promises. Over 33% believe that if a tax reform is enacted that it will have “no effect on their business” while 27% expect the tax policy to have a negative effect.

While little positive effect is expected, taxes remain the most commonly cited critical issue for SMBs with 22% declaring it to be the most important issue facing their business followed by employee healthcare at 18% and need to increase customer demand at 13%. A fact that I found pretty odd because as an entrepreneur – I always thought the universe revolved around customer demand. If they aren’t buying, then I had no taxes to pay or employees to insure! It tells me a lot about priorities.

Another interesting statistic was the confusion that SMBs had over

28 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

what their actual effective tax rate was.

Approximately 22% didn’t know what the rate was for 2016 and an equal amount said they paid between 16% and 25% last year. This is interesting because the corporate tax rate is 35% and a large percentage of real “Mom and Pop” SMBs spend their entire year trying to find ways to pay as little as possible or no taxes at all. From the thousands of SMB tax returns we have seen, it would be hard to find a handful of businesses that pay that tax rate.

Regardless of the political orientation of SMB owners to one word that is agreed upon is “frustration”.

A growing bipartisan agreement these days is the lack of leadership and uncertainty that comes from the White House. As one financial industry lobbyist (a Republican) recently told me that trying to get anything done – “is like nailing Jello to the wall”.

What does that mean for our industry? Restaurant people are survivors and rarely look up from the task at hand, which is operating their

United States and Australia.

business. The greater economy only affects them when it comes to customer count and top line revenue.

The rest they seem to take care of, often in very creative ways. Hell, I owned a restaurant through the Jimmy Carter administration and I’m still standing! Right now people are just looking for some clarity, stability and certainty, not a constant state of entropy.

Through unsettling times it is also good to know that you have access to capital if you need it. SMB finance companies like Strategic Funding help businesses ride the waves particularly when the taxman comes knocking. I’ve walked in your shoes and know what it’s like to operate in uncertainty.

If you want to discuss your business or have questions on finance or operations, you can email me at dsederholt@sfscapital.com

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

29

Q&A

EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEW

Jeff Carcara CEO, Barteca Restaurant Group

J

eff Carcara serves as CEO of Barteca Restaurant Group, where he builds and leads successful teams, implements innovative changes, and oversees disciplined yet aggressive growth.

Carcara brings more than 15 years of hospitality management experience to his role at Barteca. Prior to his current position, Carcara was Chief Operating Officer at Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group, where he oversaw 50 restaurants in 25 states.

Prior to that, he served as Director of Operations for five regions at Seasons 52, a restaurant concept within Darden’s Specialty Restaurant Group, from 2004 to 2012.

Carcara also served as Director of Food and Beverage for the Kessler Collection Hotels. Carcara graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management.

He has also completed his Level 1 certification from The Court of Master Sommeliers.

Founded in 1996 by Andy Pforzheimer and Sasa Mahr-Batuz, Barteca creates vibrant, stylish and affordable restaurant concepts that focus on impressive food and beverage programs, as well as excellent customer service. Carcara joined Barteca in 2015 before being named Barteca’s CEO last year.

Barcelona Wine Bar was the first concept to open, in 1996, and is a winning tapas restaurant with 14 locations spanning across Reston, VA; Atlanta, GA; Washington, DC; Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA;

Nashville, TN; and throughout Connecticut. The menu includes seasonally-inspired tapas, composed with the finest ingredients sourced from local farms, as well as specialties from Spain and the Mediterranean.

The company’s second concept, bartaco, has 15 locations in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Inspired by a healthy, outdoor lifestyle, bartaco combines fresh, upscale street food with a coastal vibe in a relaxed environment. Rustic design complements the spirited bold and bright flavors of bartaco’s eclectic menu.

When did you guys start?

Barcelona was founded 21 years ago and then in 2010 we came out with bartaco, which is when we also took on a private investment at that point to help us continue to grow. We have 15 bartaco’s and 14 Barcelona’s today so 29 restaurants in total.

What was the niche that you saw with both of those concepts and how has that niche evolved over the years?

With both of our concepts, Andy and Sasa had a goal of creating a full-scale experience. It was an approach based on the basics of great food, beverage and service. Their main goal was to create a New York City type of experience here in Connecticut.

Jeff Carcara, CEO, Barteca Resturant Group (Photo Courtesy of Barteca)

30 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

continued on page 32

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October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

31

Q&A Jeff Carcara, from page 30

Barcelona Wine Bar’s vision from its launch has been to create a ‘City vibe with a mix of great food and cocktails in a comfortable setting (Photo by Tom McGovern)

What do you think it was in that experience that captured the imagination of the suburban diner if you will?

I believe it was the vibe that you don’t normally see in the suburbs. A lot of the restaurants out here were your everyday mom and pop restaurants, where the tables are crammed together and little time and energy is put into the design portion of it.

The way Andy and Sasa went about designing Barcelona, and later on bartaco was a little outside of the norm. They put more time and energy into the design aspect of their dining, so that when people walked in they would feel as if they’re escaping their every day lives.

How would you say the menus have evolved over the years?

The original Barcelona menu probably hasn’t changed over the past 20 years; however, the chefs do have 60 percent control of their menus so while the structure is the same, the entrees are always changing. Changes in the menu vary depending on the season and what is trending in that particular moment.

The bartaco menu is very much the same as it was 7 years ago with the

exception of adding some more mainstream items than before.

Have there been any changes in your menus due to your clientele looking for healthier options?

Absolutely, we have seen more requests for vegetarian and vegan, as well as gluten-free options. We are very well-known for our gluten-free offerings. From a portion size too, our tacos are smaller, so you can not only try different flavors, but also a side dish. In Barcelona we always have vegetables for our vegetarian clients.

What has it been like going into new markets?

The new markets thus far have been very kind to us. Some of the criteria for new markets are whether we can be a neighborhood restaurant. We are not the concept that goes on to ‘the restaurant row.’ We are always looking for a place where we can really fit in. The design of our restaurant varies depending on the location — we are not only looking to build something that we think is great but what the location and clientele calls for.

32 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

bartaco is inspired by the beach culture of Brazil, Uruguay and Southern California. Its menu features upscale street food with a coastal vibe in a relaxed setting. bartaco evokes a visit to a stylish resort, creating an unforgettable experience. (Photo by Andrea Behrens)

What is the process when designing a new restaurant?

Our goal is to blend in with the area, to build a place that fits with the culture and the architecture of that location, in order to ensure success. With that said, when we are looking to build a restaurant, we send our team in to get a feel of the neighborhood, take pictures and report back their observations.

Those trips and those photos and the understanding of the neighborhood is the inspiration for the new restaurant.

Is there a single kitchen spec and do you work with a single dealer?

That is always evolving. We have used a lot of Southbend ovens and equipment, but as technology grows, different things begin to surface that make our lives easier.

We’ve been testing a new flat top with plancha, which are basically flat top cooking ovens that recover heat quickly. We are always looking to find better equipment.

Have there been any scenarios where a location has failed to live up to your expectations?

We’ve had a location or two that

have not come out of the gate as strong as our other restaurants. We once started slower in a particular market as we were attempting to cater to a specific clientele that was always there but it was not necessarily who we are. They were looking for more of a quiet place so we turned down our music a bit to fit to that specific clientele but it took us a year to realize that this was not who we are. We realized that we could not fit everyone’s needs, and we could not change our original concept. As soon as we realized this and began to stay true to ourselves, we began to see an increase in our sales year after year.

As you look at the growth of this company, do you see a third concept?

Right now the company we are building is around these two concepts to be able to grow in a disciplined fashion and to keep our culture as well as the guest experience where it has been for the last 20 years. With that said, we have looked at a couple of different concepts over the last few years but it is

continued on page 34

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

33

Q&A Jeff Carcara, from page 32 not immediately on the horizon.

What are you looking for every day for you to run your business properly and is it in the marketplace now or is it in the pipeline?

I think nowadays you can pretty much find a company or software to manage the data you want. We have a couple of different pieces we use, but I believe in analysis paralysis.

Using data can be good – but too much of it as an influence can be negative. At the end of the day, the restaurant business is about people, it’s about the food, the service, and the experience. The truth isn’t always in the numbers – the truth is standing in your dining room at 7:00, or standing at the dishwashing machine, seeing what is going in the trash on any given night. We’re kind of old school in that way – when we want to look at the data, we look at it, but when we want to understand the reason behind something, we like to be out there and observing those results of a certain night in person. The data is only a piece of the equation.

opportunity. We really don’t go in with long term contracts with larger distribution because we have found that our purchasing department does a better job working with local and regional players in our restaurants rather than going with larger national buying programs.

Nobody does a better job at manag-

continued on page 36

What is the other piece of the equation?

It is in the restaurant and the feeling we get when talking to our guests and reading what is being said on social media about our customers’ experiences.

What does your marketing strategy look like?

We don’t really do much marketing. We believe more in word of mouth than anything else.

Are you a company that goes out to bid every week? Tell me a little bit about your vendor relationships.

Honestly it is a little bit of both.

We have vendors that have been with us for 20 years and vendors that come in when they spot a good 34 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Barcelona Wine Bar’s menu includes Branzino, peppers, hanger steak, ensalata mixta, and clams (Photo Courtesy of Barteca)

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

35

Q&A Jeff Carcara, from page 34 ing the bar and beverage program than bartaco. Can you tell me a little bit about the approach?

We have the most incredible beverage director in the business.

Gretchen Thomas is someone who is constantly thinking about how to better the program. The difference between an average beverage program versus having great cocktails is a difficulty. If you watch our bartenders you’ll see that it is a workout in itself to work behind our bars.

In our company, it is about quality first not ease.

not be ready until early next year.

One is going to be a bartaco in Virginia, just outside of D.C., and then we have a Barcelona opening in Denver. We are also thinking of expanding and opening a bartaco in South Miami, Florida.

Is the long term to remain private or is there any thought of an IPO at some point?

Up until now we have not been talking about IPO or going public nor do I think that is something we’ll see soon. I think we are better off as a private company right now.

What is on the horizon as you look at the rest of this year and 2018? Do you have any new restaurants in the works?

We have a couple more restaurants under construction that we were hoping to open before the end of this year but it looks like they will

36 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

With its legendary margaritas, and its creative selection of tacos including pork and duck, bartaco has built a loyal following. (Photo by Manny Vargas)

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

37

SCOOP Chick-Fil-A Coming To ‘The Rent’ For UConn Football Games Scoop notes UConn football fans had some new food options at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field this season - including Chick-Fil-A. The popular fast-food restaurant will have a concession booth on the concourse of the stadium, according to Spectra Venue Management. Chick-Fil-A is selling some of its signature items, including the Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich, Spicy Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich, Grilled Cool Wrap and Chick-FilA Waffle Chips. Chick-Fil-A won’t be the only new food this season. There are several new items being added to the menu at The Rent this year. New offerings include a Husky Burger, Randy Edsall Burrito Bowl, Bacon Jalapeno Mac & Cheese, Fried Pickle Chips, a Mexi Bratwurst Sandwich, and a Fully Loaded Baked Potato. Local favorite Chowder Pot will also be offering clam chowder.

The Brothers Behind NYC’s Waterfront Restaurant Boom

Restaurateurs Alex and Miles Pincus

Scoop says restaurateurs Alex and Miles Pincus have changed the way New Yorkers drink and eat by tapping into the city’s waterfronts and creating scenes where you can enjoy the tranquility of being on the water.Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Manhattan was surrounded by oyster barges that, as Alex explains, “were basically saloons on the water where you could go for a beer and oysters.” Inspired by this concept, the brothers set out to bring the city’s drinking and dining scene back to the waterfronts. It 38 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

INSIDER NEWS

FROM METRO NYC’S FOODSERVICE SCENE

all started with a 72-year-old codfish schooner that would eventually become a restaurant and oyster bar called Grand Banks. The old sailors’ bunks became the kitchen, and the deck was outfitted with two nautical-themed bars and a dining area. Clearly, the concept worked: Even on a weeknight, you may find yourself waiting in a line that extends down the pier. The nautical-inspired cocktail list includes a wide variety of liquors and flavors and the prices are pretty standard for New York nightlife, around $15 a drink. On a brutally hot day, cool off with The Fisher’s Country Club (gin, grapefruit, and lemon) or a Skipper Key (rose mixed with strawberry, cucumber and lemon). Aside from the oyster selection that changes daily, Grand Banks also is known for offering one of the best lobster rolls in Manhattan -they’ve truly mastered the mayo-to-lobster ratio. Other standouts include sea scallops served with bacon and tomato compote, Montauk sea bream ceviche and tomatoand-watermelon salad seasoned with mint, basil and coconut oil.

The Pincus brothers are continuing to expand New York City’s waterfront drinking and dining options, opening two new hotspots just this summer: Island Oyster on Governors Island and Pilot in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Besides being a way to enjoy the New York waterfront, Island Oyster also holds the distinction of being the first restaurant on Governors Island.

While there are a few other venues that offer a waterfront dining experience such as The Frying Pan and Pig Beach, Island Oyster is unique because in addition to great food and drinks, it offers a true island experience. Alex Pincus, who describes that their business model has been “to do what we think is cool and feels good,” has transformed a former Lenape Native American Indian hunting and fishing ground into a 32,000 square foot venue and unusual dining destination with the help of Eric Cheong (designer of the Ace Hotel Properties). The gorgeous space boasts two 50-foot bars and tables so close to the water you may even find yourself in a splash zone; along with recreation areas (including activities such as corn hole and ping pong) and a coffee shop. This location was also an oyster bed, and the brothers liked the idea of bringing the oysters back to where they came from.

From Brooklyn the Pincuses have transformed Pilot, a schooner built in 1924, into a bar and restaurant

docked on Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6. Once built to be the fastest sailboat in the world.

German Architect is Now The “Kebab King” Of NYC

Erkan Emre selling his kebabs at Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg — Photo: kottidoner via Instagram

Scoop notes written on the top of a Brooklyn building is the word “Kotti.” A message at the bottom reads, “From Berlin to Brooklyn.” For Erkan Emre, who commissioned the piece for his Brooklyn eatery, the artwork is both a motto and an agenda. Erkan, a German-Turk, left his Berlin neighborhood of Kottbusser Tor - “Kotti,” as locals call it - 20 years ago and settled in New York City after a three-month backpacking trip through the United States. The graffiti connects his two worlds. So does the product he sells: Berlin-style döner kebabs, prepared just the way they are in the German capital. Emre says his restaurant is the first in New York City - maybe even in the whole country to offer “authentic” Berliner kebabs. MidJune saw the grand opening of Brooklyn’s DeKalb Market Hall, one of the largest food halls in New York City. And it’s there that Emre decided to open Kotti.

For Emre, owning his own restaurant is a dream come true: “It’s a passion, and the döner kebab is a piece of the homeland,” he says. Life for this father of two could have turned out quite differently. After the Abitur (Germany’s SAT exam) and his backpack trip across America, he enrolled at the Pratt Institute in New York in the hope of becoming an architect. After completing his studies at the Institute’s School of Art, he designed buildings for 14 years and even worked with Peter Eisenmann, who designed the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. He hired a venue, set up three skewers, and served döner kebabs to 500 guests - free

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Scoop, from page 38 of charge. But Emre wasn’t entirely happy with the work he was doing. “I wanted to design projects myself,” he remembers, “to achieve something special.”

And so he decided to go back to school, this time at Harvard University, where he studied real estate finance and development. That led him to a series of new projects: “I took part in designing the Bill Clinton Library in Arkansas,” he says, “and an embassy in Ankara.” One of his last projects was a residential building in Brooklyn with 165 apartments. At the time, Emre wasn’t thinking much about döner kebabs. But he did have cravings sometimes for what had been his favorite food back in Berlin. Satisfying those yearnings was impossible in New York. There just weren’t any restaurants that served real Berlinstyle kebabs. And so at one point, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“I bought a rotating skewer for 400 dollars and invited a few friends to eat döner kebab,” he says. His guests were thrilled and suggested he turn it into a business. Intrigued by the idea, Emre decided first to do a little market research. He hired a venue, set up three skewers, and served döner kebabs to 500 guests - free of charge. “They got a free meal and a

beer. All they had to do was fill out a questionnaire,” he says. The feedback was overwhelming: More than 99% of the guests backed the idea of a döner kebab eatery. Emre, though, still had his doubts. “I wasn’t sure. I thought: Should I give up a well-paid job for this?” That’s when he turned to an old friend for help.

Michael Stark from Heilbronn, in southern Germany, was working as a cook in New York. The two had met in Tribeca Grill, the restaurant owned by Robert de Niro. “I showed him my business plan, and he asked: What is a döner?” Emre recalls. “So we traveled together to Berlin for a weekend.”

Harvey: What To Eat in NYC to Fund Storm Relief Efforts Scoop notes after Harvey hit Texas and Louisiana and Irma bashed Florida killing an estimated 50 people, displacing more than one million Americans and damaging some 200,000 homes - New Yorkers sought ways to help those in need. They donated money to relief organizations like the American Red Cross and to area food banks; they donated supplies like non-

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A BBQ burger at Burger & Lobster

perishable food, water, flashlights; and they donated blood. Now, New Yorkers can come together over drinks and food for comfort and charity. Restaurants and bars around the city are offering special items on their menus and donating proceeds from those cocktails and dishes to organizations involved in Harvey relief efforts. A BBQ burger at Burger & Lobster - both the Times Square (132 W. 43rd St.) and Flatiron District (39 W. 19th St.) locations of the British-born restaurant with a two-pronged menu donated $1 for every BBQ Burger ($19) purchased to the Red Cross.

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Scoop, from page 40 Your six-ounce burger comes piled with pulled pork, house-made barbecue sauce pickles and pickled onions, and fries and salad on the side. An elephant cookie at Pondicheri Café - the Indian restaurant and bakeshop, a Manhattan import from Houston, has named its elephant-shaped, peanut butter shortbread biscuits with chocolate chips after Harvey. For every $2 cookie, the cafe is donating $1 to a relief fund for Harvey victims. A “Cukes of Hazzard” burger at Clinton Hall the trendy beer hall and gastropub featured a special burger on its menu last month and donated a portion of every sale to the national nonprofit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, which announced a $300,000 contribution to Harvey relief efforts last month. The “Cukes of Hazzard” burger is a Pat LaFrieda beef patty on a potato roll, topped with aged cheddar, maple-glazed bacon, fried pickles, pickled cherry peppers, dill pickle mayo and arugula. Because Clinton Hall apparently loves a clever gimmick, it’s serving the sandwich a la carte ($17) and in lunch box tins packed with beer, its crystal “methadonuts” and some kind of surprise gift ($50). (Locations in the Financial District, South Street Seaport and the Bronx).

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The Lady Grey at Brooklyn’s Metta

Morrell said, because the company has a charity arm that will make a donation based on the number of drinks sold.

Kaminsky Keynote Speaker At Hudson Valley Chefs For Clear -water Culinary Event

The Lady Grey at Metta

Scoop notes the South American restaurant that made headlines for its open-fire cooking when it opened in March is donating 100 percent of sales of an off-the-menu vodka cocktail to the Red Cross’ Harvey relief efforts. The Lady Grey ($11) is a mixture of Zirkova vodka, a fizzy Spanish wine called cava, and two herbs, lavender and ashwagandha. Metta chose the Zirkova brand, restaurant partner Tarajia

Scoop says Author Peter Kaminsky was the keynote speaker at Chefs For the Clearwater Culinary Event held last month. Kaminsky’s Outdoors Column has appeared in The New York Times for 25 years.

Kaminsky was New York Magazine’s Underground Gourmet for four years and has contributed regularly to many national publications. His books include Pig Perfect: Encounters with Remarkable Swine, The Moon Pulled Up an Acre of Bass, Culinary Intelligence, The Elements of Taste (with Gray Kunz), and 7 Fires (with Francis Mallmann). His collection of Mark Twain’s travel writing (“The Chicago of Europe”) was published by Sterling Press. Kaminsky appeared at

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Scoop, from page 42 the most recent quadrennial gathering of Mark Twain scholars at Elmira College Celebrate where he delivered the keynote speech “Remarks By The Least Qualified Person In The Room.” He is the former Managing Editor of National Lampoon and one of the creators and executive producers of The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which was awarded by President Obama. “I’m guessing there’s 15 million people in the Hudson watershed,” said Kaminsky. “We each have our own special reason for loving this river. For me, it has run all through my life.

It’s my Mississippi and my Nile.” Chefs for Clearwater is a partnership of leading Hudson Valley Chefs, the CIA and Clearwater, aimed at spreading awareness of critical issues involving sustainability and food ethics, and how it relates to the Hudson Valley watershed.

The event is a fundraiser to support Clearwater’s environmental education and advocacy programs on the Hudson River. The master of ceremonies was Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Tom Chapin. The benefit included a silent auction and a live auction led by auctioneer George Cole. With Cole’s special flair and finesse, he has been mentioned year after year in “The Best of the Hudson Valley”. Chefs for Clearwater

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benefit dinner featured live bluegrass music by Two Dollar Goat, and a six-course farm-to-table menu created by Chef Sara Lukasiewicz of The Amsterdam in Rhinebeck, NY; Chef John McCarthy of The Crimson Sparrow in Hudson, NY; Chef Jay Lippin of Crabtree’s Kittle House in Mt. Kisco, NY; Chef Michael Kaphan of Purdy’s Farmer & The Fish in North Salem and Tarrytown, NY; Chef Waldy Malouf of The Bocuse Restaurant at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY; and Chef Kristina DePalma of The Roundhouse by Terrance Brennan in Beacon, NY.

Flemington ShopRite’s New $10 Million Makeover Features Innovative Food Service Scoop notes that ShopRite of Flemington, NJ recently completed a $10 million renovation that expanded and updated the store, created an in-store cafe for customers and allows the supermarket to offer more chef-prepared meals. Visitors to the store on Route 202 will have a new food court, added space for ShopRite from home customers and more organic

and gluten-free products across all the store aisles. As part of the renovation, the store also installed a new roof, energy efficient LED lighting and environmentally friendly refrigerated cases. “It has been our family’s mission for the last six decades to provide our customers with a great place to shop and our associates with a great place to work,” said Joseph Colalillo, second-generation grocer and president of ShopRite of Hunterdon County, which owns and operates five ShopRite stores in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. “My father started the family grocery business in 1954 and opened his first ShopRite in Flemington in 1958,” Colalillo said. “We have a long connection with the community and are pleased to introduce these latest amenities that improve the shopping experience and our store.” The cafe has seating for 30 and a separate checkout for taking out food or eating in the store.

ShopRite of Flemington has also partnered with the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative to deliver produce and dairy from more than 100 family farmers in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The supermarket has added two dieticians and completed a makeover for its childcare center, Scrunchy’s Playhouse.

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Scoop, from page 44

Celebrity Chef Leah Cohen to Open an Asian Tavern in Jersey City This Month Scoop notes that the Pig & Khao, a casual, fun restaurant serving Asian cuisine on the Lower East Side of New York City is set to expand. Chef Leah Cohen, a Top Chef alum, and partner Ben Byruch are set to open their second restaurant, Piggyback Bar, in the Harborside Financial Center in Jersey City. The bar offers New York City waterfront views and a menu of elevated bar fare fused with Asian flavors. Sample dishes include: mapo chili dog with crispy shallots and scallions; s. thai curry chicken with pickles and smoked aioli; and piggyback ribs and disco phories, waffle fries with cheese sauce, pho gravy, braised short ribs and chilies. Growing up as a half Filipina and half Russian-Romanian Jew, Cohen’s heritage, plus the pulsing New York City culinary scene, inspired her to pursue the culinary arts. To jumpstart her ambitions, she attended the Culinary Institute of America before working for Chef David Burke at Park Avenue Café.

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Burke inspired Cohen to attend Italy’s Slow Food program, which she followed with an additional year in Sicily at Michelin-starred La Madia.

Returning to New York City, Cohen began working in Chef Daniel Humm’s kitchen at Celebrity chef Leah Cohen Eleven Madison Park, where she was quickly promoted to tournant. In 2008, Cohen earned a sous chef position at Centro Vinoteca and eventually took on the chef de cuisine role after competing on season 5 of Bravo’s “Top Chef.”After her departure from the show, Cohen spent time traveling and staging in Southeast Asia, working at Bo Innovations in Hong Kong and BoLan and David Thompson’s Nam in Bangkok. Craving firsthand knowledge, Cohen then devoted a year to traveling across the Phillipines and Thailand, finding restaurants with dishes she admired and learning the techniques and flavors from the cooks themselves.

Restaurateur’s Generosity Funds CT Care Center Programs Scoop notes Plantsville, CT resident Chris Conlon thinks big. His barbecue restaurant, Smokin’ with Chris, has grown by leaps and bounds since it opened in 2006. It’s not uncommon for him to each week burn a cord of wood to smoke upwards of literally a ton of meat on the huge smoker situated behind his Southington, CT restaurant. However Conlon has set even bigger sights: helping his community in a different way than when he was a career firefighter, first in Southington then in West Hartford. He’s behind multiple fundraisers, bringing the Smokin’ with Chris 25-foot smoker and food to events such as the Calvanese Foundation’s Wine and Beer Fest. Other times he hosts the fundraisers in his restaurant, benefiting causes such as the YMCA’s Camp Sloper scholarships, through which he has funded 62 campers. For four years, Southington Care Center has also been the recipient of Conlon’s annual donations. The contributions have supported the resident dining room and this year, a planned patio addition.

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EYE

METRO NEW YORK CITY’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

NYC Hospitality Alliance Brings Next Gen Technology To Manhattan

T

he NYC Hospitality Technology Summit was an exciting event with speakers from various sectors of the food service and technology industries.

Representatives of a diverse list of companies discussed the implications and trends of technology within the hospitality industry. Topics included the integration of data, trends in operational technology, and the impact that cell phones have had on the dining sector. The panels provided audience members with valuable insight into the importance of technology in the hospitality and food service arenas, and its extensive applications.

The summit began with an engrossing presentation from IBM’s Head of Global Marketing, Babs Rangaiah.

First, he described the tremendous possibilities associated with Blockchain. Essentially, Blockchain is a secure and verifiable transactions ledger with an assortment of applications. It can be implemented in the recording of events, such as medical records. In addition, Blockchain is a powerful solution for records management activities. Some examples of other applications include identity management, transaction processing, documenting provenances, and food traceability. Considering all of these potential uses, Blockchain is incredibly relevant to the hospitality and food service industries.

Following his explanation of Blockchain, Rangaiah described a pilot program launched by IBM-Watson in partnership with Hilton called “Connie.”

Named after Conrad Hilton, Connie is an IBM designed and Watson-powered

robot developed specifically with hotels in mind. The first of its kind, Connie is a robotic hotel concierge. It has the ability to provide guests with a variety of information that ranges from hotel amenities to tourist attractions and dining suggestions. The implications of this technology are obvious.

Although currently in an early stage, the potential of artificial intelligence within the hospitality industry looks promising.

After Rangaiah’s keynote speech, the Data Deep Dive panel took the stage.

The panel was made up of interesting people from various technology and food service backgrounds. Joel Montaniel, Co-Founder and CEO of Sevenrooms expressed some of the beneficial ways that a restaurant could implement his product. Sevenrooms is essentially a digital, customizable reservation book that links reservations to existing guest profiles. Notes can be added to these profiles, such as food allergies, table preferences, or if that particular guest is friends with the chef. The Sevenrooms platform allows the restaurant staff to create a unique and highly personalized experience specific to the guest.

Bob Looney, Vice President of Software Development at CTUIT, also sat on the Data Deep Dive panel. The CTUIT software, called RADAR, offers some exciting opportunities for restaurants. RADAR is a restaurant management software that compiles a variety of relevant information. The software logs restaurant activities and also offers vital details on finances and operation performance. In addition, CTUIT offers other apps, such as Schedules,

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(L to R) Rotisserie Georgette’s Georgette Farkas and Mandy Oser of Ardesia Wine Bar

(L to R) The Fireman Hospitality Group’s Ben Grossman and Steve Weissman

(L to R) Gerber Group’s Scott Gerber and Oliver Kroll

(L to R) Kelly Mortimer and Lisa Moccaldi brought Valiant’s portfolio of solutions to the conference

which gives employees the chance to review their schedule and trade shifts through their mobile devices.

Several restaurateurs also had the opportunity to comment on the utilization of data within the dining sector. Tom Dillon, Co-Founder of APICII Restaurant Group and board member of Prêt a Manger commented on some of the voids that Open Table has been unable to fill. The data that technology provides is quite valuable, but it is crucial to make use of only the most relevant information in an efficient manner. Andrew Rigie, Executive Director of NYC Hospitality Alliance said, “There is a lot of data overload. Res-

taurants need useable data that is actionable, and that their team will actually use.” Michael Jacobs of The Smith also discussed this predicament; “We went from no data to too much data.”

With such a massive influx of available information from technology, users must be selective.

Next, the Trends in Operational Technology panel took the stage.

Again, the panel was made up of individuals with diverse backgrounds in the restaurant and technology industries. Perhaps most interesting was the panelists’ responses when asked

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NYC Hospitality Alliance, from page 48 to provide their opinion on the most crucial technology in restaurants at the moment. Bret Csencsitz, Managing Partner at Gotham Bar and Grill explained that third party reporting systems were instrumental in increasing efficiency. John Kendrick, Chief Financial Officer of Nobu Restaurant suggested that scheduling software was vital. Interestingly, Luke Fryer, founder of Harri, stressed the value in consolidating various platforms in a restaurant setting.

The final panel of the day was How Cell Phones Changed the Dining Scene. Michael Hagan, Co-Founder and Chief Strategist Officer at Levelup, has created an interesting app for both customers and restaurants. For diners, the Levelup mobile app offers a variety of conveniences such as mobile payment, an order-ahead feature, and the option to redeem loyalty rewards and/ or gifts. The restaurants that use the

The Alliance’s Andrew Rigie (L) anchored a panel on how to utilize data to operate more efficiently.

app are able to customize notifications that can be sent out when a customer is in close proximity. Additionally, the Levelup app offers a location finder, which is clearly beneficial to both customers and restaurants.

Eli Portnoy, Co-Founder and CEO of Sense360 was also on this panel.

Portnoy’s Sense360 offers restaurants and hotels incredible insight into con-

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(L to R) Andrew Rosenbaum of the Meatball Shop and CohnReznick’s Gary Levy

sumer behavior. The software allows businesses to understand who their customers are, when they visit their locations, what they tend to purchase, and a variety of other valuable metrics.

Several restaurant industry giants are already taking advantage of the invaluable insight that the Sense360 software provides.

Among the programs key takeaways

was the fact that we are simply ‘all app’d out.’ The trends indicate a desire to streamline services by consolidating apps. Hagan of Levelup explained that the average individual downloads less than one app per month. Evidently, some of the traditional standbys that have hit pay-dirt over the past decades are being challenged for market share in what has become a cloud-based marketplace.

Clearly, there is an extraordinary amount of useable technology available to the food service and hospitality industries. If these businesses choose to embrace some of this technology and harness it properly, they stand to benefit greatly. In the digital age, there is data available that has become impossible to succeed without. The NYC Hospitality Technology Summit offered audience members a great deal of insight into the future of their industry.

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ASK ANDREW

FROM THE NYC HOSPITALITY ALLIANCE

Tweeting The Recap

W

hile it was only a coincidence, it was symbolic that we hosted the 2017 NYC Hospitality Summit on the same day that Apple announced the release of their 10th Anniversary iPhone. Over the past ten years the iPhone’s technology has changed the world: How we communicate. How we get our information. How we work. Technology has also changed the hospitality world, and captured the attention of the 250 hospitality and technology industry professionals who attended this year’s Technology Summit.

They came together to listen to some of the restaurant industry’s top experts and premier operators discuss best practices and strategies for successfully using technology in their businesses.

There was discussion about how years ago restaurateurs were desperate to get their hands on data to help them fine tune the operations of their restaurants, in comparison to the data overload we experience today.

From there, we delved into what technology companies are doing to sort through all this additional data to provide restaurateurs with actionable insights that Andrew Rigie is the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, a trade association formed in 2012 to foster the growth and vitality of the industry that has made New York City the Hospitality Capital of the World.

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help improve operations. Finally, the conversation revealed the importance of training staff in the proper use of the technology while encouraging them to ask questions and provide feedback.

Important topics, including artificial intelligence, cyber security, trends in operational technology and how platforms like Instagram influence a chef’s presentation of a dish and a restaurant’s interior design were debated. There was also a special presentation about making your restaurant’s website accessible to people with disabilities. Having a website that’s accessible to the visually impaired is not only the right thing to do, it’s good for business because it opens up your restaurant to a huge market of people who use screen readers and other technologies to search reservations and shop online. Having an accessible website is also the law, and every day restaurants are being sued because they too often don’t know that their website is not developed in an accessible way.

This is why the NYC Hospitality Alliance is putting together a program to help our members make their websites accessible and compliant. Email info@ theNYCalliance.org to learn more.

After the TechTalk presentations and panel discussions the attendees continued the conversation during a cocktail reception. I have no doubt that the hospitality technology discussions will continue right on through to our next summit in 2018. Until then, a big thanks to our co-hosts CohnReznick and Result Thru Strategy, and all of our sponsors. Visit www.theNYCalliance.org to watch videos of all the presentations and panels. Here’s a recap of the Technology Summit in Tweets!

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EYE

METRO NEW YORK CITY’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

Ace Endico Hits Home Run With 2017’s Annual Trade Show

L

ittle did the Ace Endico family know that they were going to find themselves in the middle of a pennant race. That’s exactly what happened at last month’s 2017 edition of the Ace Endico Food Show as it took center stage at Yankee Stadium.

Once again Yankee Stadium played host to Ace Endico’s annual trade show. An overflow audience enjoyed a special day of tasting and a trip down memory lane - the “House that Ruth Built.”

Just as the 27 time World Champions continue to bring the next generation of stars including Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez to the Bronx, Ace Endico always delivers the next hit for New York’s menus.

As the pizza segment expands beyond traditional pizzerias, Ace Endico has continued to broaden its offerings. The Brewster, NY based company offers a vast variety of pizza crusts and pre-made pizza for every venue: par-baked, gluten free, whole wheat, thin, ultra thin, flatbread, Neapolitan, and cauliflower, along with all the different cheeses and top-

(L to R) The culinary team from Wingdale, NY’s Cousins Cafe shopped the show in search of Fall menu additions

(L to R) Valentina Profaci and Joe Profaci of Grande Cheese with Orlando Foods’ Carlo Orlando

pings, pizza sauce and ingredients to make your own signature sauce.

The Ace Endico show featured a wide variety of dessert options: “We have an on staff dessert specialist to help design your menu,” noted Laura Endico-Verzello. Whether you want home made gelato from Italy, or gluten free desserts, to good old Juniors cheesecakes, or NY’s Zaro’s cakes. Then we have our own line of top quality desserts, “Simply Delicious”. Some may like our individual Chocolate Lava Cakes, or if you are looking at a fall special, the Apple crumb would be a hit. Something for everyone!

“Yankee Stadium is a truly amazing

venue,” Vice President Laura EndicoVerzello continued. “Our client base and our vendors look forward to our show at the stadium year after year.

The stadium provides Ace Endico and our dedicated customers an experience to be remembered! The layout of the show, handles all the vendors that participate with ease. Our layout overlooks the prestigious ball field.

Once again show guests were treated to over 300 vendor booths offering special pricing, new and exciting food demonstrations. Yankee Stadium’s Legends Hospitality chefs brought a bevy of new menu ideas.

Ace Endico offered their guests a very special experience. Yankee leg-

Laura Endico-Verzello (R) and Maureen Hart (L) of Ace Endico posed with a show guest

The Yankee Stadium Legends Club hosted Ace Endico’s extensive display of the latest in dessert creations and pizza solutions

The show gave the Ace Endico sales team the opportunity to bring the firm’s state of the industry’s commitment to customer care to the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium

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Eric Mitchnick of Armata Produce brought a dazzling daily display of fresh produce to the show

ends including Nick Swisher and David Wells greeted Ace Endico customers and signed autographs. Ace Endico customers got the opportunity to be photographed with World Series Trophies and visit the Dugout and Monument Park.

Founded in 1982, by William A. Endico and Murray Hertzberg, Ace Endico is the largest distributor in Westchester and Putnam Counties servicing the tri-state area. The firm’s state-of-the-art facility houses an all-encompassing inventory featuring dairy, produce, meats, seafood, fine imported specialty products, paper, canned goods and everything in between.

The Zaro’s duo of Shannon Thomson and Michael Zaro

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Experience 150-plus exhibitors, morning keynote addresses, seminars, pizza and pasta demonstrations, workshops, networking events and more.

Discover endless possibilities to take your operation to the next level!

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“You can find great pizza coast to coast, but when you think pizza you think New York and New Jersey where pizza was introduced to America. It only makes sense that we have an East Coast pizza show!”

“The list of reasons to attend the Northeast Pizza and Pasta show could go on and on and on. It doesn’t matter if you are about to start out in this business, a 20 year veteran, or somewhere in the middle like us, the place to be on 17 & 18 October is this show.”

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Investigating The Floor Plan And Process Of Hot New Commercial Kitchens

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The Pool (left) and the Grill (right) are part of the reimagining of the iconic Four Seasons space in Midtown Manhattan.

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The Operator: Jeff Zalaznick, Partner, Major Food Group, NY, NY The Kitchen Consultant: Foster Frable, Principal, Clevenger Frable LaVallee, Inc., White Plains, NY The Kitchen Equipment and Supply Dealer: Joel Kaplan, Project Manager, E. Friedman, Brooklyn, NY The Architect: Richard Lewis Richard H.Lewis Architects, NY, NY

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or over a year, the Major Food Group’s reimagining of the iconic Four Seasons space has been a focus for the Metro New York foodservice industry.

2 Partners Rich Torrisi, Mario Carbone, and Jeff Zalaznick opened The Grill in the Spring and last month came the much anticipated debut of The Pool. The ground-floor space of the former Brasserie is set to be the home to Lobster Club later this year.

After Aby Rosen, the owner of the Seagram Building ended the lease of former Four Seasons owners Julian Niccolini and Alex von Bidder, he talked to people like Stephen Starr, Eric Ripert, Danny Meyer, Daniel Humm, and Thomas Keller. Zalaznick ultimately charmed Rosen when it

turned out that nine of their 10 favorite restaurants in the world matched.

Zalaznick and his team embarked on bringing back the elegance of the 50’s. For the Grill, which is supposed to be a continental restaurant, they looked at old menus for the Four Seasons, ‘21’ Club, and Delmonico’s, and retired food critic Mimi Sheraton, who helped put together the first Four Seasons menu, was also hired to help.

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Major Food Group is known for being outrageous and flamboyant at their restaurants, and it sounds like the Grill will be no different. The team bought two Viennese dessert carts from a family in Brooklyn to use as service trolleys that cost $10,000 each. Steak knifes cost2$253 each and have Hawaiian acacia-wood handles and a Japanese steel blade. And at one point, they created a dinner plate

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with a pattern that was a modernized version of the china designed for the Kennedy White House.

Food, too, will involve theatrics. A potato dish features stacked, coinsized slices that are then covered with hot duck fat and fried. Foie gras is sliced thinly and presented “like coral or a blossoming flower.” A pasta dish, from an 150-year-old recipe book from the original Delmonico’s chef, will involve a roasted duck leg and carcass. A server will bring birds to the table and squeeze them over pasta using a custom-created press.

Total Food Service was invited to share the inside story of this much anticipated opening.

continued on page 60

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The Pool and The Grill, from page 58 Jeff Zalaznick’s Approach: From the first time I stepped into the space at the bottom of the Seagram Building, I was very excited to have the opportunity to restore such an incredible piece of history. Our goal was not to completely change what I believed already was the greatest restaurant space in the world, but rather to clean and restore each and every element. I studied its history in great detail, and wanted to breath life back into the space.

The changes we made focused on the food and the service. As far as the actual design of the restaurant, we wanted to restore the original design so it would appear better than ever while still being reminiscent of its origins. The Grill was developed from a grill restaurant concept inspired by the era in which the building was constructed: the 1950’s. In developing an authentic concept, we studied the typical midcentury midtown grill style

Halton’s hoods were specified for high efficiency filtration for removal of grease and contaminants.

that existed at the time.

The Pool is a fish restaurant, and we drew from the inspiration that the space itself provided. Developing The Grill and The Pool has been a tremendous experience, and the two restaurants seem to be a perfect fit for the space. Although both restaurants share the space, we run them independent of one another. Essentially, The Grill and The Pool operate as if they were next-door neighbors.

To design the space, we brought

on Selldorf Architects for the restoration architecture and Bill Gerogis for the interior for both The Grill and The Pool. We all shared the same vision for the project – restoring it back to life rather than completely changing it.

For the kitchen designs, we brought on Foster Frable of Clevenger Frable LaVallee [CFL]. Frable then chose to bring in E. Friedman to provide the kitchen equipment. We built the kitchens from scratch, and created a truly state of the art facility.

Norlake walk-ins were specified to ensure food freshness and team flow.

I’ve worked on a variety of different restaurant and menu concepts, and I followed a similar creative process for The Grill and The Pool. We began by

continued on page 62

Creativity and aesthetics don’t have to be limited to the food.

A lot goes into a kitchen. This is precisely why a lot goes into our designs for commercial kitchen ventilation and building automation systems. You see, at Halton we understand the balance of creating environments that combine high-end design with high-efficiency green engineering, all the while offering solutions with plenty of options for everyday performance for all types of food service operations. What’s more, each of our systems is designed with an eye on integration in order to save money down the road. So whether you’re an architect, an engineer or a restaurant owner, you’ll be able to see that Halton is a lot of things when it comes to kitchen ventilation and building automation systems.

To see why Halton has the lowest total cost of ownership, visit us at www.halton.com

ALLIED MEMBER

Enabling Wellbeing

LISTED

continued on page 70 60 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

61

The Pool and The Grill, from page 60 ter last year in an effort to as Combi ovens, but the select the perfect materikitchens don’t have wood als and tiles. cooking or other overly The kitchens don’t apelaborate equipment. pear to reflect the history The kitchens on all three of the space. In fact, the levels were completely kitchens were a mess and gutted and replaced with reflected years of poorly new equipment and infraexecuted renovations and structure. We decided to upgrades. These plans relocate the dish room to took place long after lathe main floor to enhance labor efficiency, reduce bor was inexpensive and breakage, and to create abundant. more space to accommoFoster Frable’s Approach: The Four Seasons had date walk-ins and comCFL was brought into The Grill/The very limited walk-in camissary.

Pool project by the developer, RFR. pacity as well as extensive Hobart mixers were selected to anchor The Pool and The Grill’s From the start of this We had worked with RFR in the past. office space. We reversed extensive baking and pastry operation. project, we shared a very The project developer that we worked that completely but addsimilar vision for the dewith, Carlos Nunez, did an absolutely ing lots of coolers and reBonnet Cooking Suite (custom made sign of the kitchens with Major Food terrific job. In fact, I had dined at the ducing the space wasted on offices. in France). The chef of The Pool had Group. We began with a study for RFR Four Seasons many years ago, when The storage and commissary on the prior experience working at Per Se, in 2016 that reviewed the various laythey offered a $25 Fixed Price lunch on third floor are completely new spaces so there was some Thomas Keller inout options and established a budget.

Saturdays at the Pool Room. However, that were carved out of the old dish spired equipment and custom details.

Next, Major Food Group became inI had no preconceived notions regardroom and staff areas.

However, it is important to note that volved, and from there we were able to ing the importance of the room; The Major Food Group made specific there are no walk-in coolers in the move forward. patrons of the old restaurant did not requests regarding refrigeration. They kitchens of The Grill or The Pool. All Although the kitchens in The Grill necessarily interest me. wished for all refrigeration to be selfthe cold storage is located in reachand The Pool are alike in several ways, Despite the 1950’s atmosphere and contained or with dedicated remote ins. different ovens were specifically seaesthetic of the restaurants, the kitchcompressors. In addition, they wanted Each chef had their own program lected to better reflect the different ens needed to reflect contemporary no refrigeration racks, as they had suffor what they wanted to produce and menu items. The kitchen in The Grill standards with the presently available fered through bad experiences with the equipment they wanted to utiincludes a Hestan Cooking Suite and technology. The equipment choicthem on previous projects. lize. Areas such as the dish room, pot a Wood Stone deck oven, while The es were basic yet not excessive. We Perhaps the largest challenge of wash, bulk cooking (for events) and Pool’s kitchen includes a high profile chose to incorporate technology such this project may have been the difpastry are shared spaces. An imporference in opinions that existed. The tant aspect of the design was the need chef partners had a strong vision, but to accommodate banquet and event the chefs that ran the kitchens had service at times when one or both of different notions that reflected their the restaurants are closed for special experiences at previous restaurants. It events. is always problematic and potentially Major Food Group had a strong dedisruptive when any level of discord sire to break out of the box through the exists between two groups of employincorporation of new finishes and colees. In this case, there was a disconors. They saw it as a display kitchen, nect between the corporate decision which would be seen by patrons atmakers and the individual chefs who tending special events and guests who had to actually apply those decisions might request a tour. The visuals for and make them work. the kitchen were studied in 3-D renIn addition, I found the timeline derings, similar to the process used to to be challenging at some points. We plan the FOH and the dining room. We were rushed to get some of the areas spent several hours touring the materials and finishes section of the HX Traulsen was specified to support the dual operation’s reach in needs as well as blast Boutique Hotel show at the Javits Cencontinued on page 64 conducting a lot of research, referring to books, and having group discussions. The goal was to come up with a concept that would convey the story that we were trying to tell. In the case of The Grill and The Pool, the story we wanted to put forth was inspired by the history of the space as well as the space itself. Our approach is always to allow the space to drive the concept, rather than allowing the concept to drive the space.

chilling innovation to anchor The Pool and The Grill’s sous vide initiative.

62 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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5/24/17 4:23 PM October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 63

The Pool and The Grill, from page 62 detailed and outfitted to meet a rather unrealistic construction schedule. The operation became less hectic once the equipment was purchased, but there were many order changes and redos along the way. One positive result that emerged from this was an early decision to use stainless steel curb bases rather than the concrete and tile bases commonly found at other high profile restaurants. Since the bases were part of the custom equipment, when equipment was changed or adjusted, the bases needed to change with it. I certainly would never do a chef driven project like this with masonry bases.

Joel Kaplan’s Approach: The Grill and The Pool was certainly one of the most interesting projects that I’ve been a part of. We were working on an iconic location with a tremendous amount of history.

We’ve done many successful projects with Foster Frable’s office. Additionally, we’ve had previous collaborations with RFR Group and Major Food Group. On a high profile undertaking like this, they wanted to ensure that they had all of the right people on board from the early stages through the end result.

A project of this magnitude extends far beyond the installation of a few off the shelf pieces of equipment. There needs to be a great deal of coordination with the carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and HVAC contractors to ensure that all issues are addressed, so the desired equipment can be properly connected, once set. That level of coordination requires multiple project meetings, calls at all hours of the day and night, and a large on-site presence. This proved especially true for this project.

The complexity of the space and the history of the room also complicated the process. There were many critical dimensions that needed to be addressed for the equipment. For the design to work properly, the behind the wall and above the ceiling infrastruc-

ture needed to be overhauled. Every inch was critical.

Numerous issues arose once the walls and ceilings were opened up.

There were issues with the aging space as well as low clearances in the kitchen. Reconfiguring walls to allow for additional chaseways for utilities, as well as changed ductwork requirements, all had impacts with final equipment. Solutions were needed and time was short. As a result, a lot of additional coordination and engineering work was necessary to allow for ductwork revisions prior to the installation of the hoods. We also worked hand in hand with Halton and CFL in changing the style for some of the hoods to handle the site condition challenges.

There were so many oversized pieces between the counters, multiple range suites, pizza oven, hoods, etc., that the logistics in accessing final set locations were daunting. This was complicated further by a hard deadline – parties were booked, the space needed to be complete. In fact, there was a night when we were installing cooking equipment, just as the tile installer finished his work where those pieces were going.

There are many differences between the kitchens in The Grill and The Pool.

The two very talented chefs have distinct styles. Richard Torrisi is the chef in The Pool, and Mario Carbone is the chef in The Grill. Based on their preferences, The Pool is outfitted with a gorgeous Molteni island range suite.

While in The Grill’s kitchen, we installed a marvelous Hestan suite with a Wood Stone pizza oven. Both suites have the firepower needed to meet robust menu and production requirements.

The custom work throughout the kitchens is abundant. The attention to detail is incredible. For example, the door and drawer pulls on all of the stainless counters are brass. The

continued on page 66

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65

The Pool and The Grill, from page 64 hoods in the Pool area were clad with embossed patterned stainless panels for a decorative look.

Keas stainless was the fabricator and they did a great job. There are multiple Rational combi-ovens, including double-stacked units, under-counter units and countertop pieces. In The Pool’s kitchen, there is a beautiful Bonnet rotisserie. Despite the differences, there are several pieces of equipment that are serving both kitchens, in an effort to mitigate duplication. There is also a workhorse of a Jade range suite in the downstairs Lobster Club as well.

The Mezzanine is used for refrigeration and prep for the kitchens, including a large bank of Norlake walk-ins as well as refrigerated preparation rooms. Potwashing is also located on this level. The multiple bars were all done with an eye to the aesthetics without losing sight of the practical requirements.

Despite the challenges and complications associated with this project, I absolutely loved being a part of it. Being able to not only work with the construction team on issues that arose, but accommodate concerns and changes from the end-user, was very satisfying. CFL’s team, Jim DeLaurentis from RFR and Dan Haar from MFG were particularly adept at making sure questions got answered, so the projects kept moving.

The results are true Showcase kitchens in every sense of the word.

Richard H. Lewis’ Approach: I was retained to be the architect of record as well as to implement the design for the kitchens and back of house areas. We also were consulted on a wide range of front of house issues from code, to table sizes to construction issues. The design of the kitchens was an important aspect to the project as the chefs and owners wanted to create a state of the art kitchen with finishes that were not only durable but aesthetically pleasing as well. My goal was to properly interpret the vision of

the owners and the chefs and bring the project in on time.

Our initial vision pretty much stayed on message throughout as we developed the plans. I had dined at the Four Seasons many years ago and then more recently after it opened.

I was well aware of the history of the restaurant and its frequent mention in the press.

Anabelle Selldorf was retained to renovate and restore the grill and pool rooms within the Landmarks Preservation Commission guidelines ( This included restoration of all finishes and lighting ) William Georges was responsible for the new furniture and furnishings as well as the re-imagining of the bar in the grill room and the new bar in the upper level of the pool room. They also designed the new back of house restrooms. My responsibility was to design and renovate all kitchens and back of house areas and to coordinate the work of Selldorf and Georges into the set of Construction Documents. We also worked closely with Clevenger Frable LaVallee, Inc., who were the kitchen consultants.

We worked closely with Frable and his team on the kitchens.

They were actually on board before we were retained and the kitchen equipment selection and design had already begun. When we came on board we vetted their plans for code compliance as well as to alert them to any design issues that the chefs were considering. They also provided valuable input on selection of finishes and other technical issues.

I think the process was similar to previous restaurants we’ve worked on but there was a much larger emphasis on the design of the kitchens than in other restaurants where the kitchens are often not viewed as part of the overall design.

The major challenges we faced

66 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

included: 1. How to update the kitchen so that it would meet the modern code for venting: the old flue was a masonry flue and we needed to install a steel flue.

2. All of the mechanical systems are new which was also a challenge working within the landmark’s dining rooms.

3. The lighting system was original and integral with the architecture. It was challenging to upgrade it without changing the basic design.

The division between The Grill and

The Pool did not really complicate our job they were treated as two separate projects each on their own overlapping schedule however the kitchens were designed and built at the same time.

It was a complex project working in a landmark space, which has many constraints. The owner’s had a clear vision and sufficient time was allowed for the project to be done successfully.

Assembling a great team of consultants with great support from ownership with a competent GC was essential for the success of the project.

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October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

67

MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Laurie Burns

FortyOne Madison, New York, NY

W

hen did you assume your role at FortyOne Madison?

I began my current role as Senior Vice President and Director in 2008, and have been attending the New York Tabletop Show at Forty One Madison each spring and fall when it’s held since May of 1986.

How was the concept for FortyOne Madison conceived? How has it evolved?

We opened in the late 70’s with Rosenthal, Wedgwood, Noritake, and Mikasa showrooms all anchoring this new building, and that marked the start of The New York Tabletop Show. Its evolution and success are due to the fact that the greatest factories of tableware and the greatest brands selected this location as their home and base of operations in the North American marketplace. We now have more than 120 leading brands occupying 24 floors of the building.

Many have always thought of FortyOne Madison as catering to only the retail buyer? How is that changing?

That myth needs to be shattered.

The great factories that are represented here have always been open to and receptive to working directly with restaurateurs and chefs, purchasing agents, and even interior design and architectural firms who specify for hospitality and other commercial clients. Some have ded-

icated sales associates or rep firms that deal exclusively with the foodservice and hospitality segment.

For several years when our Fall show had a November date there was crossover interest with the International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show (now known as HX: The Hotel Experience), and that helped acquaint more of the hospitality industry with FortyOne Madison as a yearlong tabletop resource. Of course, more recently the Internet also has directed many more visitors from foodservice and hospitality to our doors, and it’s also significant that we have recently added two ‘foodservice only” showrooms -RAK and Bauscher Hepp Taflestern, both meeting our original mantra to attract the greatest tableware factories in the world.

and meeting with reps, distributors and suppliers to discuss your account. With at least 84 brands that do business with the foodservice and hospitality segment all under one roof, this means one-stop shopping can be achieved for just about every front-of-the house needs.

While Show week is optimum, yearlong access is possible, as well, most often by appointment.

What does FortyOne Madison offer the food service and hospitality professional? NYC convenience?

Yes, the convenience of New York City is definitely among the benefits for the foodservice and hospitality professional to come to FortyOne Madison. NYC is, after all, a culinary mecca as well as a hub of commerce. Visit during New York Tabletop Show week, and there’s an opportunity for meeting face-toface with factory owners and executives and establishing a personal relationship with them which can be a huge advantage in doing business.

It’s also the best time to get a head start on seeing what’s new, next and trending in tabletop and barware,

What are the benefits of shopping at the FortyOne Madison showrooms versus trying to source tabletop solutions online?

Nothing is better than seeing, touching, and feeling product that you are going to buy and use. Many showrooms are valuable sources of inspiration on how to create the perfect ambiance for an impressive dining experience, with suggestive vignettes and displays. And, as previously mentioned, experts are here from the brands, offering an opportunity to answer questions, share information and discuss specific product and/or customer service needs.

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With so many showrooms in your facility, how do you suggest a buyer maximize their visit? Is there a central concierge or an app that can help pre-plan what a busy foodservice buyer may be looking for?

Everyone should use the app. It has product by category, and links you directly to a showroom to make an appointment.

Laurie Burns, FortyOne Madison

What strategies could be implemented to increase visits from restaurants, caterers and hotels within the hospitality industry?

Word-of-mouth has proven to be the optimum way for hospitality visitors to know about FortyOne Madison and the breadth of tabletop showrooms housed here.

A week doesn’t go by that we’re not registering a chef, restaurateur, interior designer or others from the foodservice industry on the hunt for something in the tabletop category – barware, dinnerware, flatware, serveware, cookware, cutlery.

Because showrooms are accessible yearlong and not only during Show periods, these customers value FortyOne as a resource. And, the individual brands that are here are much savvier about building this component of their business, employing dedicated sales staff or reps for this segment and offering the specialized products and services they demand.

continued on page 94

41Mad TOTAL FOOD 7A FINAL 092117_Layout 1 9/21/17 6:05 PM Page 1

THE NEW YORK TABLETOP SHOW OCTOBER 17–20, 2017 ®

Plating is just the beginning...

95 Open Showrooms See New Product Launches Meet Industry Executives

Forty One Madison welcomes food and beverage professionals during market and throughout the year.

Visit us daily, please call ahead for appointments.

BARWARE | CUTLERY | DINNERWARE | FLATWARE | SERVEWARE

41 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010 • 212.686.1203 • A Rudin Building

For Future Show Dates and Information visit 41madison.com

ALESSI ANCHOR HOCKING ARC CARDINAL AROROC ARTLAND AURATIC BAUSCHER BIA CORDON BLEU BORMIOLI ROCCO USA BUFFALO BUFFET EURO CANVAS HOME CAPDECO CHEF & SOMMELIER CHRISTOFLE COUZON DAUM DEGRENNE PARIS DESHOULIÈRES DEVINE CORP. DURALEX ERCUIS SILVER FIESTA PORZELLANMANUFAKTUR FÜRSTENBERG HALL CHINA HAVILAND HEPP HERING-BERLIN HOMER LAUGHLIN CHINA J.L. COQUET JARS FRANCE JAUNE DE CHROME JAY HOSPITALITY COLLECTION JOHN JENKINS & SONS LTD. JULIA WATTS LLC KILNER KIYASA GROUP KOSTA BODA LEHMANN GLASS LENOX L’OBJET LIBBEY FOODSERVICE LSA INTERNATIONAL LUIGI BORMIOLI FOOD SERVICE LUZERNE MEDARD DE NOBALT MEPRA MICHAEL WAINWRIGHT USA MOGOGO MOSER NIKKO NORITAKE ONEIDA ONEIDA STRATA ORREFORS PADERNO PASABAHCE USA INC. PICKARD CHINA PINTO PARIS RAK PORCELAIN RAYNAUD PORCELAIN REED & BARTON FOODSERVICE RICHARD GINORI 1735 RIEDEL CRYSTAL ROSENTHAL ROYAL DOULTON ROYAL LIMOGES SAMBONET SANT’ANDREA SCHÖNWALD SPIEGELAU STÖLZLE SYRACUSE TAFELSTERN VARGA ART CRYSTAL VIETRI, INC. VILLEROY & BOCH VISTA ALEGRE WATERFORD WEDGWOOD WILLIAM YEOWARD CRYSTAL WMF WORLD TABLEWARE YAMAZAKI TABLEWARE INC.

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

69

NEWS

PIZZA PREPARATION

LloydPans Set to Bring Portfolio Of Pizza Prep Solutions to Atlantic City Show

Y

ou might think making a pizza is a pretty simple thing. Roll out the dough, slap some sauce and cheese on and bake, right? Wrong.

Creating a pizza has turned into a complex operation to get it just the way customers want it today. It’s not a simple process, and Lloyd Industries has helped pizzerias all over the metropolitan area and the nation do what is most important to make it that way – developing a system, along with the equipment, for making great-tasting pizza every time.

Even better, LloydPans manufactures bakeware, cookware, and pizzaware that is environmentally friendly and toxin-free. “Our company is firmly built upon the premise of encouraging a healthy lifestyle through food, and strives to reinforce this foundation with each new product it offers,” said Robert Johnson, Director of Marketing. “We help commercial ovens make pizza that is safe for the restaurateur and the families that they serve and the environment.”

And here’s the really good news.

Metro New York’s pizzerias and restaurateurs will be able to see the full line of LloydPans solutions at the Northeast Pizza and Pasta Show in Atlantic City.

The company, originally seeing an opportunity to improve how pizzas are baked, introduced more durable easy-to-use products into the marketplace. At that time, pizzas – and how they were baked -- were fairly straightforward. “But we started to drive some innovation into the marketplace,” Johnson added. “We had already

For Lloyd Industries, the art of the pan has become a labor of love with a commitment to finding a custom solution. looked at the pizza industry and that was our main focus. There were a few big players but we could easily compete with them.”

The pizza vertical marketplace became LloydPans’ niche. “We’ve actually been the driver of new trends in the industry,” noted Paul Tiffany, senior designer. “In the late ‘90s, many pizza makers switched from deck ovens to conveyor type ovens, which allow for a quicker bake with not as much heat.

You set the time and bake your pizza on the conveyor belt, and it comes out exactly the same every time, depending on dough and toppings and those sorts of things.”

“Operators began to be able to cook a pizza in a fairly rapid time frame,” Johnson pointed out. “The large chains needed to go to an automated system that would give consistent results. But while the consistency was good, the quality was not. “So some of our early products were intended to improve the performance and the quality while still enabling that consistency in the process control they needed,” Tiffany pointed out. “Subsequently, we produced other variations on that theme, like for hot air ovens.

Our focus is to continue pushing the envelope of the capabilities of the new ovens to get the highest quality in a wide variety of characteristics but

70 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

still have the consistency of process control.”

Baking in all its aspects of pizzas is really a system’s approach, the two agreed. “You can’t just go buy an oven at the restaurant supply store or buy pans at a Wal-Mart to use Granny’s recipe and magically it all works. That doesn’t happen. It requires a bit of a system’s approach where you define what kind of pie you want to make and that defines how you’re going to cook it,” Tiffany explained.

The Spokane, WA based firm has also taken its expertise into the foodservice industry. “You can pick the oven and recipes that you need to support and we can help you find the right precision-engineered baking platform. In many cases it may be a pan with permanent release coating that you don’t have to worry about excessive wear and then having to replace,” Johnson continued. “We understand that for busy kitchens it’s all about being consistent from day one and on.

We have many people using our products for 10 to 15 years or more.”

“We also have a tremendous advantage with our Made in America line,” Johnson noted. “We can consistently control the quality of our pans. In addition, we had a case last week where a chain needed a solution and within a week, our factory was able to ship a

prototype solution.”

Tiffany noted that the system approach is becoming even more important today as newer ovens are coming out that require a certain type of pan or a big platform as part of that system. “The pan is becoming really important in that system to achieve what you want, whether it’s brownies you’re cooking or something that is dripping fat, like sausages or bacon. The pan becomes an essential part of that system,” Johnson stated.

Johnson said the company finds trade shows particularly important because executives like to talk to the other exhibitors. “They’re our customers because we partner with oven manufacturers today who are innovating big-time – these new combi ovens and these new fast bake ovens are amazing. Some appliances are actually replacing others. So we talk to them constantly.”

LloydPans has found that in many cases, the company is called in to team with the oven manufacturer to create a solution in the infancy state of a new concept launch. “Oven manufacturers understand how to generate heat and appreciate our expertise with the impact of their oven with the customer’s finished product. So they bring us in to create a pan solution that locks in the integrity of the product that the restaurant or baker is seeking,” Johnson noted.

For LloydPans, the art of the pan has become a labor of love with a commitment to finding a custom solution. If you’d like more information, please visit them online at www.lloydpans. com or by calling 1-800-748-6251.

SOLVING PROBLEMS SINCE 2005

WWW.CHEFMOD.COM October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

71

MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Gary Bimonte President, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, New Haven, CT

F

rank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana has been a coveted restaurant among pizza lovers for decades. With the original location on Wooster Street in New Haven, the family operation has since experienced tremendous growth and expansion. At Pepe Pizzeria, the goal is to create a delicious pie while maintaining the integrity of the original recipe. Total Food Service had the opportunity to sit down with Frank Pepe Pizzeria’s President, Gary Bimonte.

For those of our readers who are not familiar with the history of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, can you explain how it began and how it has grown over the years?

My grandfather, Frank Pepe, immigrated to the United States from Italy when he was a young teenager. He began working in New Haven, CT at a macaroni factory, until he traveled back to Italy to fight in World War I. At the end of the war my grandfather returned to New Haven, now married, and began working at a bread bakery.

One day, he decided to flatten out a piece of bread dough and put tomato sauce on top. Originally, he would carry these small pizzas on his head and sell them around the neighborhood. Eventually, he implemented a pushcart and became a staple within the community. Having trouble keeping track of debts, my grandmother suggested having the customers come to him. My grandfather accepted a small loan from a family member and opened up Francesco Pepe – Now known as Frank Pepe The Spot. As business grew, he eventually expand-

Gary Bimonte stands in front of the iconic Pepe oven (Photo by Thomas McGovern Photography)

A delicious sample of the menu from Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (Photo by Thomas McGovern Photography)

ed and created space for tables, allowing him to accommodate customers who wished to dine in. Remaining in business through the depression, he eventually outgrew the space and in 1936 relocated to a larger building, which is now known as Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana.

The oven that your grandfather used was one of the most incredible in the industry. As you expanded, how did you replicate such a phenomenal oven?

We were very apprehensive. Fortunately, we were able to find some documents that detailed how the original oven was constructed. Basically, my grandfather had the blueprints. I knew a gentleman who was able to review the blueprints, and repair the original oven. Our general contractor watched him very closely, documenting his work, and now we have our own updated blueprints. However, there was

72 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

certainly a learning curve. Our first oven had some flaws, but the last three ovens we’ve built are perfect.

What were some of the technical issues that made replicating the oven so challenging?

The challenges revolved around an insulation issue. When the original oven was built there was a chamber at the bottom that contained sand, which held the heat for the deck. For the first oven that we built, the sand was replaced with insulated bricks. However, we discovered that sand yielded a far better result. That’s why our ovens weigh about 100,000 pounds. In addition to the brick and the steel, there’s tons of sand underneath.

As consumers have evolved over the years, have your customers’ tastes changed, or are you still making the same great pie that your grandfather created?

We’ve absolutely continued making pizza based on my grandfather’s recipe. Over the years we experimented with a few changes. For example, we briefly switched from in-house sliced pepperoni to pre-sliced pepperoni and our customers recognized the difference immediately. As a result, we returned to slicing the pepperoni inhouse, as my grandfather did.

When did the decision to expand come about? Please talk about that vision.

We’re very pleased with the growth that has occurred. It started about twelve years ago. My oldest cousin, Anthony, contacted a business lawyer who connected us with a consultant.

The consultant was brought in to assist in managing the New Haven restaurant. He introduced us to a third gentleman who praised our product and suggested that we try to duplicate it in another location. When we were trying to decide where to open a new location, it was between Fairfield and Waterbury. We had a strong client base in both cities, but we chose Fairfield, and it was a homerun.

What were some of the lessons learned in the first year of expansion?

continued on page 104

BOOTH #557

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

73

NEWS

SHOWS

Kosherfest Set To Bring Diverse Selection of Menu Solutions to Jersey Fest

K

osherfest, one of the world’s largest events for Kosher business, is expanding this year to include not only traditionally Kosher restaurants and food service clients like nursing homes, colleges and churches but those from the wellness community, as well.

“It’s the only kosher food businessto-business show in the country. We have new product previews; we’re doing interviews with exhibitors that we’re going to publish on social media. We’re helping our food service vendors increase their presence in social media and vertical publications by doing blasts for them, to get them all the publicity and notice we can,” said Christine Salmon, the General Manager of the annual event.

Last year some 6,000 plus foodservice professionals shopped the show in search of kosher menu solutions and the connections. This year’s edition of Kosherfest is slated for November 14th and 15th at the Meadowland Convention Center in Secaucus.

Kosherfest, which has been in existence for 25 years, started out as a small business. Then its founder, Irving Silverman hired Menachem Lubinsky of Lubinsky Marketing and Consulting as president and CEO, to market it. Originally called the International Kosher Food and Food Service Trade Show, the exhibit became so big that Lewinsky realized he needed a certain kind of company to be able to manage it. That’s what brought

A lot of mainstream companies have gone Kosher because the food is healthier.

We actually now have a mix of mainstream companies becoming Kosher and a lot of new companies that are coming in, especially in the wellness area, where the food is gluten-free and Kosher and healthy,” he pointed out.

Diversified and Lubicom Marketing together and the ultimate sale of the show to Diversified.

The partnership has proven to be a winning combination. Diversified supplies marketing and branding expertise that it has garnered through years of trade show management experience.

Lubinsky and his Lubicom team bring their unique knowledge of the kosher marketplace.

“It’s a perfect combination of two family companies,” Salmon added.

“We have the processes and the people and we know how to create an atmosphere that works for both our exhibitors and attendees.”

Salmon based the show’s success on the fact that it’s the only trade show that focuses on the Kosher trends of the food service industry. “A lot of mainstream companies have gone Kosher because the food is healthier.

We actually now have a mix of main-

74 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

stream companies becoming Kosher and a lot of new companies that are coming in, especially in the wellness area, where the food is gluten-free and Kosher and healthy,” he pointed out. “That segment has really grown for us. A lot of it is about being fit. Kosher food fits in beautifully with that because we’ve always espoused good, healthy eating.”

Every year 30% of the show is new customers, according to Salmon. “We are literally bursting at the seams with attendees. With some 400 companies scheduled to exhibit this year, the show has become a must attend for local distributors who seek to meet potential customers and interacting with their existing ones.

This year the show has an international flavor, with a large contingent from Canada attending. “We have companies from 50 different countries that come and always, pavilions from Israel of course,” Salmon

noted. “We will have special pavilions from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica and Japan.”

Salmon noted that Kosherfest is the one place where Kosher buyers and Kosher purveyors come together. “It’s the only place to do it. It really brings out people from all kinds of places, from every country. We had a pavilion from the Czech Republic last year. It’s amazing really.

One of the strengths of the show has been its ability to create comfort for businesses of all sizes.

“Half of our participants are from really small companies, start-ups, too. They are family-owned companies and they want to be in the mainstream. It has been so much fun to see the growth of many of our exhibitors and attendees when they return year after year. That’s where we can help,” she explained.

In addition to food and beverage items, the show floor offers a full line of food service, including point-ofsale and menu-planning systems, along with system software to advertise hotel restaurants.

Kosherfest 2017 will also feature a full slate of educational and cooking demos. A culinary competition on day two will also be held, and a presentation from Google about digitally marketing Kosher products. “We’re going to wow the audience on selling online Kosher food and beverages,” Salmon stated. “Everyone needs to come and see for yourself.”

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6/27/17 9:08 October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • AM 75

NEWS

INDUSTRY AWARDS

NJRHA Announces 2017 Industry Award Recipients

(L-R) Michael Sirianni, Lou Calandra, Raoul Momo, Wade Avondoglio, Carlo Momo, Anthony Calandra, and Kirk Ruoff.

T

he New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association (NJRHA) will honor the state’s best and brightest on November 27, 2017 at the 37th Annual Awards Gala held at the Liberty House Restaurant in Jersey City.

The 2017 NJRHA Annual Awards Gala winners are: • Restaurateur of the Year Award – Raoul & Carlo Momo (Terra Momo Restaurant Group) • Deborah Dowdell Lifetime Achievement Award – Wade Avondoglio (Perona Farms) • Gold Plate Award – Michael Sirianni (Principal of the Culinary Education Center, Monmouth County Vocational School District) • Gold Plate Award – Kirk Ruoff (Turning Point Restaurants)

•

Hospitality Award – Anthony & Lou Calandra (Calandra Enterprises)

“I say this every year, but it’s true— picking the winners is hard. We have so many impressive restaurant owners and culinary teachers that have influenced our industry and continue to make a difference,” said Marilou Halvorsen, president of the NJRHA. “This year, these were the few that stood out to us, especially the Momo brothers and their continued growth and support of their community, and Perona Farms for their impressive longevity,” she added.

RESTAURATEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD Following in the footsteps of their parents, brothers Carlo and Raoul Momo are leaders instrumental in

76 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

“I say this every year, but it’s true—picking the winners is hard. We have so many impressive restaurant owners and culinary teachers that have influenced our industry and continue to make a difference,” said Marilou Halvorsen, president of the NJRHA. the growth of Terra Momo Restaurant Group from a take-out pizzeria to a full-service multi-concept restaurant group. Established in 1982, Terra Momo Restaurant Group is now a cornerstone in the Princeton community having grown to three full-service restaurants, an artisan boulangerie, and a kiosk in the Princeton Public Library. ​“Our passion for food is what keeps us growing and excited about what we do. This award is an affirmation to my family, employees, and community that our efforts matter,” said Carlo Momo. “We especially work hard to raise awareness of the importance of buying from local farms by sponsoring many farm-to-table events and fundraisers that benefit half a dozen environmental groups that work to protect land in New Jersey for the production of the fresh vegetables we use in our restaurants,” he added.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Wade Avondoglio has spent most of his life working at family-owned Perona Farms, eventually becoming president in 1989. Wade runs the fourth-generation business with the help of his three siblings, Mark, Kirk, and Tracey. Together, they manage an expansive event staff and a large onsite restaurant, boasting the world’s best smoked salmon. What began 100 years ago as dinner around a boardinghouse table has become one of today’s most sought-after wedding and event venues in the state.

Wade has served as NJRHA Chairman and currently sits on the Board of Directors. He is also a Trustee and the Vice President of the New Jersey Restaurant Educational Foundation

continued on page 92

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

77

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

WITH FRED SAMPSON

Menu Labeling Legislation Author’s note: I rarely, if ever, repeat a column. However, since I have been writing about the FDA’s continuing postponement of the menu labeling legislation—the new date is in May of 2018—and the fact that New York City was attempting to implement the legislation sooner, I personally felt a repeat of the following was appropriate.

I

wonder if any of the jurisdictions that have passed or are considering passing menu labeling legislation have read a piece reported by United Press International.

“University of Vermont researchers found significant numbers of people do not look at food labels and many are unable to use the information the labels contain. Telephone surveys of more than 600 U.S. adults and more than 300 college students found that ‘approximately half of the surveyed college students and one-third of the individuals in the community sample reported that they did not generally look at food labels,’ according to the researchers.

“The surveys also found two-thirds of the participants were unable to identify the number of calories they should be consuming each day, and 44 percent to 57 percent of the combined sample ‘self-reported that they would not likely use restaurant food caloric information,’ the researchers said.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, suggest legislation for nutrition and calorie labeling on menus ‘may not be particularly effective in combating the obesity epidemic if people are not looking at existing food labels and are

The premise of the book is to make a case for the use of common sense and human judgment in the development of laws and their regulation, an ingredient sadly lacking today.

Fred G. Sampson is the retired President Emeritus of the New York State

not able to use this information for nutrition planning.’ ” Please note that neither the surveys nor the reporting of them was associated with a commercial food company or trade group, which enhances their nonpartisan credibility. Also note that the participants were adults and college students, groups that seemingly would be more concerned about the surveys’ subject matter; obviously, they were not. The food and menu police will not accept the concept that most consumers are more aware of what is going on in the world than the social engineers give them credit for. The food police display an attitude that borders on arrogance. Simply put, they don’t trust the public’s judgment.

As a shining example of this analysis, I offer the following from the best seller, The Death of Common Sense,

by Philip K. Howard, a practicing attorney. This quote from the book is attributed to John Guare: “Law began infiltrating the nooks and crannies of our lives in the 1960s, crowding out our common sense. Rules replaced thinking. Process replaced responsibility. One false idea lay at the bottom of these developments: that human judgment should be banned from

78 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

anything to do with law. We fell for the idea that all could be laid out in a tidy legal system where decisions were predetermined, social choices premade.”

The premise of the book is to make a case for the use of common sense and human judgment in the development of laws and their regulation, an ingredient sadly lacking today.

In every instance, the labeling bills that have been introduced or are pending are aimed at the quick-service restaurants and, to the best of my knowledge; every one of them has offered the same nutritional information voluntarily.

You will recall that in the UPI story discussed at the top of this piece, up to 57 percent of the combined sample “self-reported that they would not likely use restaurant food caloric information.” The findings published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggest that legislation for nutrition and caloric labeling on menus “may not be particularly effective in combating the obesity epidemic if people are not looking at existing food labels and are not using this information for nutrition planning.”

I try hard not to be redundant when putting together these monthly com-

Restaurant Association. He began working with NYSRA in 1961.

Within the next four years the NYSRA more than tripled its membership and expanded from one regional chapter to eight. Sampson played roles in representing restaurants on issues including paid sick leave, minimum wage, liquor laws, a statewide alcohol training program and insurance plans. Comments may be sent to fredgsampson@juno.com

mentaries. However, I must repeat the following: I, like most consumers, want to know—and appreciate—being informed about many of the products and services that could affect my well being. How I use that information should be up to me, and this mental exercise is called judgment.

There is not the slightest doubt in my mind that the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) agenda includes menu labeling for full-service establishments. As Bob Barr, writing in the Washington Times in September 2006, stated: “Its [CSPI’s] sworn enemies are fat, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and calories in general.” Restaurant menu ingredients are their target.

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

79

NEWS

SHOWS

NYC Hospitality Alliance and HX Team To Highlight Food and Beverage Strategies At Javits for HX17

F

rom artificial intelligence to multi-location F&B concepts to deep dive research into the minds of hotel guests, the education sessions have been announced for HX: The Hotel Experience, November 12-13, 2017 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

“We strive to make the overall content of HX second to none. And this year, we are particularly excited with HX’s conference component,” said Phil Robinson, VP/Group Show Director of event producer HMG. “The 30plus sessions are covering an amazing breadth of topics all highly relevant to the hospitality industry.”

Once again the show has teamed with the New York City Hospitality Alliance. The partnership under the guidance of the Alliance’s Executive director Andrew Rigie will feature a full agenda of must see seminars. “Our goal is to provide show visitors with food for thought that they can bring back to their respective business and put to work,” noted Rigie.

Sessions are presented on three stages located on the HX exhibit floor; attendee registration to HX includes unlimited session attendance. Highlighting the HX/Alliance lineup is a Sunday, November 12, 2017 session (12:00 PM - 12:40 PM) that will focus on “The Behind the Buzz of Craft and Local”. Moderator Paul Seres, the President and CEO of Helios Hospitality. The session will focus on the craft cocktail and local food movement that has taken the hospitality industry by

storm. A panel of experts will discuss the state of the movement, where it came from and where it’s going.

“Optimize Your Restaurant for Profitability”, will be the focus at 2:15 on Show-Sunday.

• Food and beverage operators seek innovative ways to market their brands and grow their profits.

Learn how businesses are generating revenue during off peak hours, using their space creatively, hosting unique events and rethinking their traditional business model to stay relevant and maximize margins.

• Crave Fishbar’s Brian Owens; the Lighthouse’s Naama Tamir and NY Department of Sanitation Pedro Suarez are set to discuss Greening Your Restaurants 101 (Sunday at 1:00 PM).

While restaurants may be required to recycle and even mandated to compost, many are developing their own voluntary initiatives to reduce food waste, source sustainably, and limit their impact on the environment.

Discover how your business can be a steward of the environment.

• Among the Monday highlights will be: Hospitality Begins At Home: Creating Your Company Culture”. At 10:45 on Mon. Nov. 13th, Leslie Ferrier of Momufuku will anchor a panel discussing How to attract and retain talent, companies need to create culture. This panel shifts the focus from creating incredible guest experiences to cultivating positive worker experiences. From perks to profit sharing, from training programs to profession-

80 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

al growth, this discussion will focus on what it means to develop and nurture your company’s culture and work experience of your employees.

Living La Vida Hotel: The F & B Influence is also set for Monday. Hotels are not just a place to sleep. Chefdriven restaurants, craft cocktail bars, rooftops, workspaces and fitness are all shaping the current and future of the hotel industry. This panel of influencers will examine and explain these trends and market demand.

Once again, HX and the Alliance will look into their Crystal balls to discuss What’s Cooking for 2018? Trends & Insights (Mon@3:45pm). The food trends that defined 2017: Poke, meaty vegetables and noodles are the jumping off points as industry experts and tastemakers Steve Zagor of ICE and TFS’ Fred Klashman predict what will be making the restaurant market buzz in 2018.

HX 2017 also has a trio of headliners set to bring their perspectives to the Javits floor. Moderator Valerie Ferguson, of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, explores the impact of robotics and the coming wave of Artificial Intelligence. The panel features Micah Green, President and CEO, Maidbot, and Steve Ransone, Vice President of Rooms Operations, White Lodging.

They will walk through how robots are already deeply rooted in hotels overseas and analyze how this innovation will enhance the guest experience in North America.

“Creating One-of-a-Kind Multi-Concept Operations: Yes it Can Be Done” (Sunday, November 12, 4:15pm-5:00pm). Alex Taylor, Senior Vice President, Restaurants & Bars, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, looks at a more human element of the guest experience and asks, “How do you maintain the feel of an independent boutique when your operation grows to multiple locations?” The presentation explores how Kimpton has made it work in the hotel restaurant space. The key is allowing freedom and creativity to thrive inside the company culture.

“Understanding the Minds of Your Guests” discusses knowing how guests respond to your offering is more than just intuitive. Chris Davidson, Executive Vice President of Global Strategy, MMGY Global, explores the data and trends from MMGY’s 2017/2018 Portrait of American Travelers®.

HX is one of the largest hospitality trade show in North America with 400 exhibitors presenting a broad range of hospitality products and services that create a 360° impression of the guest experience. HX is held annually each November in New York City at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The full agenda for this year’s show is available at www.thehotelexperience.com.

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

81

RESTAURANT EXPERT

WITH DAVID SCOTT PETERS

The Achilles Heel Of Restaurant Owners’ Food Cost

I

f I were to ask you what you think is driving your food cost up, what do you think you would answer? I bet you would tell me it’s the cost of your products. I bet you would go on to say that your broad-line distributors are gouging you on price, forcing you to run to Costco or Sam’s Club to purchase food. While this might be a typical independent restaurant owner’s mindset, the reality is your distributor probably isn’t your problem. Your lack of systems is the Achilles heel of your restaurant.

Don’t get me wrong; the cost of food has been rising steadily as long as I can remember. There are marketing associates out there who hurt the small guy with pricing, but they are the exception not the norm. Also, each and every truck that pulls up to your restaurant hands you an invoice that has some products where the cost of those products has gone up in just the last few days.

While rising prices can and will ultimately reduce your profits, they won’t as much as you might think if you have the right systems in place.

For example, if you use SMART Systems Pro, my company’s restaurant management software, to create and maintain your recipe costing cards, every invoice comes in and gets verified for pricing and quantities in your system. This then automatically updates your product pricing in your recipe costing cards, for your next order, and inventory based on FIFO (first in, first out) pricing. By

While rising prices can and will ultimately reduce your profits, they won’t as much as you might think if you have the right systems in place. automatically updating the prices you paid for each product, it gives you the ability to figure out your ideal food cost and change your menu easily to counter prices going up.

You do this by running a menu mix report on your point of sales (POS) system to see how many of each item that your customers are purchasing.

By multiplying the number of each item sold by the menu item’s recipe cost and what you sell that product for, you will quickly know how much product you should have used and what your gross sales should have been for that time period. Total each of these numbers up and divide use into sales and in moments you know what your ideal food cost should have been if you ran a perfect restaurant, no waste, not theft, no spoilage. (By the way, a perfect restaurant does not exist.) Ultimately based on what your customers actually purchased, what should your food cost be?

By producing your ideal food cost in the form of your menu mix, you will have the power to raise prices as little as 25 cents with pinpoint accuracy on maybe one or two items

82 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

in each menu category to counter the increased costs. You can do this without shocking the guest. When you have this information, rising prices will have a minimum effect on your bottom line.

If it’s not rising prices that are killing your profits, what is it then?

Simply put, it’s how you run your kitchen. In the example above, you have recipe costing cards completed for every item on your menu. This means you have set a standard portion for every ingredient you put on a plate. Part of your chef or kitchen manager’s job is to control your food costs, train your kitchen crew to execute the menu as written and ensure your guests get the same dish every time they order it. The result should be controlled costs and increased consistency, which both improve your bottom line and increase your sales because the result is happy customers.

Let’s say your chef or kitchen manager is NOT doing those three things. Let’s say as a result of not doing those three things, your cooks are over portioning each dish that goes out by as little as 10 percent. You

David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, speaker, coach and trainer for independent restaurant owners. He is the developer of SMART Systems Pro, an online restaurant management software program helping the independent restaurant owner remain competitive and profitable in an industry boxed in by the big chain restaurants. Download a free report to discover the #1 secret to lowering food and labor costs and running the independent restaurant you’ve always dreamed of. Learn more about how David can help you at www.

TheRestaurantExpert.com.

might think, “It’s only 10 percent, so what?” You’re right, it doesn’t sound like much, really, but most kitchens are over portioning by much more.

Think about it, can your eye see when a cook has over-portioned rice by 10 percent? Can you easily see 10 percent more shredded cheese, lettuce, gravy, sauce, etc.? The answer is “NO!” When you see there is too

continued on page 100

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83

C-CAP TRADE TALK

WITH JOYCE APPELMAN

C-CAP Program News

C

-CAP provides training programs for C-CAP students and alumni, here’s a snapshot of some of the most recent Program News Alumni News • Recently, 12 C-CAP alumni and industry guests gathered for networking and professional development at a Cheese 101 class at Murray’s Cheese. The seven-cheese tasting class covered from fresh to bloomy to blue. It was so gouda!

• C-CAP alumna Bethania ‘Betty’ Pena travelled to Japan through the Gohan Society Culinary Cultural Exchange Scholarship where she learned about Japanese culinary trends and had a behind-the-scenes 10-day immersion into the Japanese hospitality and culinary industries.

Check out her adventures on Instagram, @bettycooks.

• C-CAP alumna Krista Mae Alpuerto of Los Angeles and her mentor, Jared Levy, Executive Chef

at Eveleigh in West Hollywood, spent a week in New York City with Avero learning about culinary trends and received a behind-the-scenes immersion into the city’s hospitality and culinary industries.

College Readiness • In early August, 15 students from all seven C-CAP locations completed a four-day/three-night culinary Boot Camp at the Culinary Institute of New York at Monroe College in New Rochelle, NY, in which they practiced their competition dishes, learned about academics and life on a college campus, and visited Stone Barns Center.

• Scholarship recipients attended College 101 to learn about life on a college campus, financial responsibility, and how to access their CCAP scholarships.

Career Readiness • This past summer, 75 interns have completed 150 hours of paid

Monroe Boot Camp scholarship recipients learned how agriculture can influence a chef’s cooking on a field trip to Stone Barns Center.

84 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

internships.

• This past spring, C-CAP supported New York City’s push to increase internships through CTE Industry Scholars Program, which supports Career and Technical Education (CTE) high school students in advancing their career aspirations through work-based learning. Following stellar results from this initiative, C-CAP moved forward with a sub-contract for this school year to support efforts to strengthen culinary programs and connect more students to work-based learning activities.

If you would like to donate to the C-CAP classrooms and become an industry partner or product sponsor, visit www.ccapinc. org or contact me at joyceappelman@gmail.com.

A delicious afternoon of networking and professional development was had by C-CAP Alums at Murray’s Cheese.

Joyce Appelman, is the National Communications Director for CCAP, Careers through Culinary Arts Program in New York, NY. She has been instrumental in opening career opportunities for many young people in the foodservice industry. Email her at joyceappelman@gmail.com

C-CAP student, Kiara McCracken, an intern with Local Roots NYC, wrapped up her summer internship by conceptualizing and cooking a feast for 20 guests at Brooklyn Kitchen and learned how agriculture can influence a chef’s cooking on a field trip to Stone Barns Center.

Avero Scholarship recipient, C-CAP Alumna Krista Mae, visited the C-CAP offices after her NYC experience and met C-CAP President Karen Brosius

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

85

NEWS

REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS

Standing In The Landlord’s Shoes: Seeing Yourself As A Prospective Tenant

Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield - The Lease Coach are Commercial Lease Consultants who work exclusively for tenants. Dale and Jeff are professional speakers and co-authors of Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals FOR DUMMIES. Got a leasing question? Need help with your new lease or renewal? Call 1-800738-9202, e-mail DaleWillerton@

S

ecuring a commercial tenancy isn’t always an easy process. For one reason, landlords and tenants have different motivations. For the landlord, owning commercial property and leasing space to tenants is their primary goal. For the tenant, however, leasing space is not the primary goal. Instead, the tenant should focus on running a profitable business or providing great service. The property

is a place to attract customers to your business – it’s not an end unto itself.

Restaurant tenants don’t always want to lease space; it’s simply a requirement if they want to see their business goals come to fruition – a means to an end, if you will.

Therefore, landlords and restaurant tenants are not equal. The tail can’t wag the dog. If the landlord is the dog, then the tenant is the tail. And, as we know, dogs chase their tails. Consider

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86 • October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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that a restaurant tenant typically only has one landlord, whereas a commercial landlord may have hundreds (or even thousands) of tenants. The relationship between a tenant and landlord is not like an equal marriage with common goals.

It amazes us how, during the leasing process, many landlords avoid meeting their tenants – and most tenants avoid meeting the landlord.

When it comes to new lease deals, often there’s a real estate agent (or two) brokering the deal between the parties. Rarely, in our experience, does the agent try to bring the landlord and tenant together to meet personally or to even talk by telephone. Being busy is no excuse. If a tenant isn’t creating a relationship with the landlord and making deposits to that relationship, how can the tenant ever expect to make a withdrawal when they need a favor?

How can you encourage the landlord to take you on as a tenant?

Sweeten the pot. If you have an existing location and the landlord is local, prepare a couple of your finest dishes and take them with you when you meet the landlord at his office one meal will be for the landlord and the other will be for his office staff to share. As another alternative, inviting the landlord to your location for a complimentary meal or even giving a gift certificate for your restaurant can make you look good.

Explain your business concept. All restaurant tenants are not created

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equally. Are you opening a sidewalk sandwich shop? A fine dining restaurant? Catering? Don’t assume that the landlord understands everything about your business.

You may, however, have your tenancy request rejected. This may be done for any number of reasons. Often, a smart landlord is striving for a specific tenant mix within his/her property. Consider that if a landlord is developing a retail plaza, he/she may prefer to hold out on leasing space to a take-out/delivery restaurant location and look for a sit-down restaurant that attracts more customers to the center. Additionally, landlords sometimes reject tenants who have insufficient capital or bad credit scores. We have also seen landlords turning away prospective tenants who desire to lease less than available commercial space. If you want to save yourself a lot of time kicking tires on different properties, find out what the landlord wants right up front. Ask the agent, “Do you think the landlord wants a restaurant / foodservice tenant for this property?” The agent’s answer will let you know if the landlord does or doesn’t want your type of business in his property.

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

87

NEWS

RESTAURANT MUSIC SOLUTIONS

Background Music in the Restaurant - The Legal Issues

By Clayton Burton, AMTC

S

uccessful restaurateurs would agree almost unanimously that background music is an essential part of the dining experience. Given that music is a nearly universal restaurant need, this article addresses the things an operator should know about the use of background music from a legal perspective.

Copyright Law Federal copyright law, which governs use of music in a restaurant, is one of the most arcane, complicated and misunderstood areas of the law. When you play music in your restaurant, it’s considered a public performance of that music, and in general you are legally required to pay licensing fees for the privilege. It doesn’t matter if you have paid for the underlying source of the music, whether by buying CDs or paying for a subscription service such as Pandora. That only gives you the right to use the music for personal use.

When you play it in your restaurant, it changes everything.

The “Small Business Exemption” Some restaurateurs have a vague notion of a “small restaurant exemption,” and assume that this frees them of the burden of paying licensing fees.

There is, in fact, a limited exemption provided by Section 110(5) of the Copyright Act, but in real life it’s rarely helpful. While many smaller restaurants meet the “physical” requirements of the exemption, in terms of the square footage of the premises and the number of speakers playing the

music, the exemption covers only broadcast radio (and TV).

Not CDs, your iPod, satellite radio or streaming music services like Pandora. Few restaurateurs would consider broadcast radio, replete with rude DJ banter and obnoxious car dealer ads, to be conducive to a positive dining experience.

“I’ll Take My Chances” If you want decent music for your restaurant, it’s not free.

Can you get away with not paying? Sure, at least for a while.

Tens of thousands of restaurants play music illegally. A majority get away with it. A minority get sued by the “music police”: the “performing rights organizations” that collect licensing fees on behalf of the copyright owners. These organizations know they catch only a small portion of “bootleggers”, so they need to make examples of the ones they catch. Federal law entitles them to damages as high as $150,000 per song played illegally. Frequently these lawsuits result in bankruptcy and closure of the restaurant. Don’t believe it?

Google “ASCAP lawsuit” or “BMI sues”.

Ten years ago, when Muzak dominated the market, music cost as much as $100 per month, with five-year contracts, forcing many operators to “take their chances” playing music illegally.

Today, there’s absolutely no reason for a restaurant to pay more than $20 per month for a business music service, and there’s no need to sign a term contract. Most operators now conclude that the devastating downside of be-

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ing caught using music illegally is simply not worth the risk.

Options for Paying Licensing Fees Practically speaking, you have two choices for paying your licensing fees.

Legally, you could obtain licenses from the copyright owner of each song you play. Assuming that your song playlist will be large and diverse, that’s not a practical option. Instead, you can pay the performing rights organizations who collect on behalf of the copyright owners. ASCAP and BMI were mentioned previously, and there are two more: SESAC and GMR. To be safe, you must get licenses from all four organizations. The copyright on any given song may be held by many parties, each belonging to a different performing rights organization.

The second option is to subscribe to a business music service and let it pay on your behalf. Business music services have “blanket” agreements with the performing rights organizations

that allow them to build your license fees into their service rate. Because of their large subscriber counts, they pay lower fees on your behalf than you’d pay directly. In many cases, what you pay a business music provider will be equal to or less than you’d pay directly, meaning the music service itself is essentially free or even profitable!

Obviously, paying one bill instead of four is also less hassle.

So why would a restaurant pay directly? I have no idea.

Other Uses of Music A common misconception is that, once a restaurant subscribes to a business music service, they’re “covered” for any use of music in the establishment. Not so. The license you get with a music service covers only that service. If you sometimes feature live music, a DJ spinning, karaoke, etc., additional, separate licenses must be obtained from the performing rights organizations.

Conclusion In general, if you want to play background music in your restaurant and stay out of legal trouble, you must pay for it. At less than $20 per month, the simplest, most cost-effective option is a business music service.

Clayton Burton is the CEO of Applied Media Technologies Corporation, the third largest U.S. provider of business music, audio/video messaging, digital signage and audio/video equipment.

He is an attorney and an expert in music copyright and licensing.

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LIZ ON TABLETOP

TABLETOP SOLUTIONS

Recreating The Elegance of New York In The 60’s

I

might be a 21st-century kid but I absolutely hate the lack of formality of today’s world. What happened to dressing up nice for a night out in the city or practicing the art of relaxed dining? It seems to me that the only priority today is doing things as fast as possible and of course capturing it all on camera- if you didn’t film it were you even there?

The answer according to my generation is no. I, on the other hand,

would argue the contrary. A lack of an Instagram post should not equate to your absence but instead to the proof that wherever you were had you captivated enough to not feel the need to let the world know of your whereabouts. The number of cell phones at a table never seizes to amaze me when I eat out. I find myself questioning whether the service and quality of the food are even noticed.

What might be considered formal

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today would be unrecognizable for someone from the 60’s. We suggest nicely placed ribbon patterns that can be used as pour lines. Our goal is to recapture the best of the past as you welcome your guests. Today cocktails like those of the Don Draper/Mad Men era are shaken, and not stirred. It’s interesting to see that plastic has even become acceptable to use for serving those cocktails.

In the old days glasses and plates were small. If you were dining on

Liz Weiss is the President and coowner of Armonk, NY based H. Weiss Co. She is known nationally as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on tabletop design. The Michigan State graduate is also actively involved with WPO-Women’s Presidents Organization. Comments may be sent to eweiss@hweiss.net.

Park Avenue in the 60’s your 6 oz. wine glasses would be filled to the

brim, or you would be served 5 oz. of your favorite on the rocks, or a 10 oz. high ball. Now glasses are much bigger, thinner and elegant. We suggest trying to emulate the fancy cut crystal of mid-century New York City with stirring jars and julep and cocktail strainers. Today’s jiggers have gotten tall and slender ( Japanese jiggers).

Tabletop manufacturers are paying homage to the era of elegance.

We are seeing a return to cut crystal, pressed glass, and etched patterns.

Companies including Steelite are bringing back coupe cocktails with lace patterns on the rim and base.

During the age of elegance the focus was on a smaller plate and glass. Today that has evolved into a larger plate and a larger glass being the accepted norm for restau-

rants to make its presentation statement. The larger the plate or glass the more elegant in today’s dining world. Decades ago table linen was a must as well as an ashtray at the middle of every table. Now instead of an ashtray there is an Ipad for customers to order on.

Mickey Mantle’s New York featured standard dinner plates of 9”9.5”. Today they are typically 11”12”. They usually were a heavily decorated off white plates with one color decorations and lace like patterns. They are back, but technology has allowed these decorations to be more intricate. Scallop edge plates are in a resurgence.

What was a 7” fork has now evolved into an 8-9” fork to match the larger dinner plates. Today, we equate large with elegance. Today

there are fewer flatware items. Fish knives and forks and a sauce spoon are destined for the Sunday Times crossword puzzle.

It’s fascinating when you look at old menus. There were lots of over cooked meat and potatoes with butter. Today’s fare is much lighter fresh and colorful and healthier.

Great steaks are still a favorite even as vegan and vegetarian dishes allowing everyone the treat of a night out.

Formal dinner service at restaurants and clubs in the 60’s had a very different look. Then, you would never serve family style outside the home. Today you see it everywhere.

Our H. Weiss team can help you with finding that right blend between nostalgia and the needs of today’s dining public.

With Fashion Week last month in Manhattan, I can’t help but think about how diners dressed in the 60’s. Women had a black dress and pearls and the gentleman wore a suit and tie. Today you will probably see athletic wear with a fancy watch.

It’s easy to say that there is less expense account entertaining, partially because of tax codes, but I personally think it is because we want to go home and spend time with our families and doing what we want. Thankfully for all of us, that includes eating out.

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NJRHA Awards, from page 76 (NJREF). Notable awards include the NJRHA’s “Restaurateur of the Year Award,” as well as “New Jersey Family Business of the Year” (New Jersey Monthly Magazine) and “New Good Neighbor Award” (New Jersey Business and Industry Association). His Lifetime Achievement Award comes at a perfect moment: the 100-year anniversary of Perona Farms. Through the venue’s annual wild game dinners and other events, Perona Farms has raised over half a million dollars for various charities over the years.

Wade Avondoglio has played an important role in the industry, with such roles as representing New Jersey on the National Restaurant Association’s Board of Directors, and representing the United States as an Exchange Director for the Canadian Restaurant Association. Wade is particularly proud of his time traveling around the world to judge the best food service program

in the United States Air Force.

GOLD PLATE AWARDS Michael Sirianni, Principal of the Culinary Education Center at Monmouth County Vocational School District, helped create the two-year innovative culinary arts program. He is instrumental in assisting students with college placement as well as helping them find jobs in local restaurants and hotels during school and after graduation. Most importantly, he is creating a talented workforce feeding into our state’s hospitality industry while providing careers for our state’s youth.

Kirk Ruoff, Founder and CEO of Turning Point Holding Company will receive the “Gold Plate Award” for his fast-growing restaurant chain.

Comprised of 14 restaurants to date, Turning Point has 11 locations in New Jersey and 3 in Pennsylvania. The

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company is very involved in each of the communities in which it resides.

Last year, Turning Point raised close to a quarter of a million dollars for various charities to support its customers and communities.

HOSPITALITY AWARD Anthony and Lou Calandra learned the inner workings of their family’s business, Calandra’s Bakery, at a young age. The small, family-owned bakery in Newark that their father, an Italian immigrant, founded in 1962 quickly earned a reputation for producing delicious bread. Today, Anthony and Lou have expanded their family business with two additional bakeries, three Italian restaurants, and four family-owned and operated hotels.

The bakeries deliver their products to more than 500 supermarkets, delis, and restaurants in the tri-state area.

The family also produces and sells

their own line of olive oil, coffee, fresh pasta, homemade sauces, and wines from their vineyard in Italy. Although their business has grown substantially within the past 50 years, the Calandra family remains driven by hard work, traditional family values, and a focus on customer service.

The 2017 NJRHA Annual Awards Gala, a black tie event created to honor the winners and celebrate the restaurant and hospitality industry, is traditionally held the Monday evening after Thanksgiving and hosts approximately 350 people.

For more information on the 2017 NJRHA Annual Awards Gala, the Industry Award recipients, or how to sponsor or attend the Gala, please contact Ali Lubin, the Events & Marketing Coordinator at (609) 599-3316 or AliL@njrha.org.

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Laurie Burns, from page 68 You are going to host a special show next month at FortyOne Madison.

Talk about some of the special events that will be taking place?

Yes, October 17-20 is the Fall 2017 edition of The New York Tabletop Show. FortyOne Madison hosts the four-day show annually each Spring and Fall. The three top reasons for someone in foodservice or hospitality to come during the show are: 1. All showrooms are open – no need for an appointment.

2. Company executives are here from around the world, visitors can meet directly with them to talk business and find solutions.

3. Trend shopping and see new product launches – visitors can see the latest trends from many vendors all in one place.

What is the future of FortyOne Madison?

The future is as bright as ever for FortyOne Madison. Presently, our showroom floors are fully occupied with no vacancies available. Recent additions to our roster join others in offering products of interest to the foodservice and hospitality segment – of the 120 brands represented here, 84 work with this sector and many maintain on-staff or independent sales associates knowledgeable in working this specialized field.

Moreover, the range of brands reflects a vibrant marketplace for tabletop products at all price points.

FortyOne Madison is a valuable, yearlong accessible resource and a must visit location for the foodservice professional who’s in the market for tableware.

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CaterTrax, from page 10 perience, the more confidence they can pass along to their staff, and ultimately to their customers, and the better their business runs. As we continue to fuel innovation we look at more than just system functionality. We examine the many features of our system to determine where we can foster greater confidence so we can deepen the value we provide. Our annual survey is a key barometer we use to stay in touch with our users. We take the good with the bad as we read every response that comes in. We are learning from our users all the time. In addition to our annual survey, we’re also launching our new Insight Community where users can opt in to provide ongoing feedback. The Insight Community will provide actionable intelligence we can use to meet our users’ needs at a faster rate.

CaterTrax offers some truly innovative inventory management solutions.

Please talk about those. Advanced Menu Pack?

Inventory management actually isn’t the best term to describe what our software supports. Food Cost Management really represents the value Advanced Menu Pack brings to the table.

If you are in catering, you’ve likely run into supply issues that leave you with not enough or too much and these mistakes cost the business money and potentially customer satisfaction. Building inventory management features into our systems enables clients to keep a tighter turnaround on inventory. Clients can see the difference in their bottom line with lowered carrying costs, less rush orders, and less waste.

Our Advanced Menu Pack (AMP) add-on increases kitchen staff’s efficiency. AMP includes sub-product categorization for recipes on the menu, theoretical food costing, menu ID’s and label printing. Consider yourself

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the person responsible for buying ingredients for an order. You need to understand with a certain number of guests how much chicken or produce to buy. The recipe has the amounts of cilantro and chicken by person needed for the chicken burrito menu item and when that lives in the TRAX Platform all the information is calculated for you – no shortages, overages, or mistakes. Our clients are also frequently reviewing their menu item prices. If chicken were to dramatically increase in price from the supplier a client could adjust the price and see how it impacts their bottom line using our theoretical food cost features. We’ve found features like these truly help our clients control inventory – a big costsaver, as well as time-saver, for them.

CaterTrax has built a portfolio of success in the school and university marketplace. What has been the key to that success like Hofstra?

Hofstra is an account through a strategic partner we don’t have permission to talk about, but we can share that our company has had a lot of continued growth in the higher education industry. Campuses are offering catering for alumni events, important donor dinners at the President’s house and for student organizations, while running the foodservice across the campus for students, faculty and staff. These operations have busy catering days almost every day of the week. The TRAX Platform delivers the best way to optimize operations in the kitchen so the foodservice team can do what they do best, provide the best experience by serving the freshest food at a fluctuating volume.

The TRAX Platform is also a centralized system of record for all foodservice transactions, so reporting for all locations across the campus is

continued on page 98

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CaterTrax, from page 96 rolled up making it easy to understand trends and make smart business decisions. Everyone on the foodservice team can log into the TRAX Platform from their desktop or mobile device to understand what needs to be prepped, print packing slips for delivery, or access routing sheets for quality control.

Many healthcare facilities have specified CaterTrax. How does CaterTrax make the healthcare operator more efficient?

Many healthcare facilities utilize our Catering and Floor Stock solutions and depending on their campus they may also deploy our Take-Out Solution. Catering is ordered for medical staff meetings and social events. Our Floor Stock Solution is used for stocking food staples on certain floors in the hospital, and provides foodservice staff a way to track inventory levels across the hospital and assign different budget codes if applicable when they are fulfilling supplies. All of this is done with the convenience of a computer or tablet. When visitors are in visiting loved ones, the Take-Out Solution can offer a great service to them. They can order ahead online and arrange to pick up when it’s convenient for them – it’s a line-buster. Similar to the Higher Ed industry, the TRAX Platform provides a way to make operations more efficient so that the staff can focus on delivering hospitality to their guests.

Talk about CaterTrax’s approach to training at installation and beyond.

You can build the best software out there, but if people don’t understand how to use it, they won’t use it.

We consider ourselves a “Service as a Software” company rather than the reverse. We have invested a lot in our training department to ensure the investment in our software is returned to our clients. With any technology there is friction in adoption and it’s important to provide those resources to instill confidence. We are fortunate to have a very high client retention rate

and we can attribute some of that to taking care of our clients and ensuring they have the support they need to be successful.

Walk us through the reporting tools that create added value from CaterTrax for management.

Reporting capabilities are built into the TRAX Platform with many easily accessible standard reports that can be used to monitor an operation’s key performance points. Through our Professional Services’ team we also offer custom reporting or data feeds at a nominal cost. As we said before, the TRAX Platform is a centralized system of record and there is an immense value in a system that aggregates data, eliminates manual labor, and makes the information you need accessible.

Our multi-unit operators and enterprise partners also capitalize on our roll-up reporting capabilities for corporate initiatives. Whether it’s information about your top performing customers, or the products and packages you sell, or the volume of orders you are processing, we put the power of your data into your hands.

Let’s talk about the impact that CaterTrax has on the employee that is serving the guest in a number of capacities.

Organizational chaos is a major issue for any catering operation and this also holds true for non-commercial operators. The TRAX Platform gives operators control over, and insight into, all the moving parts and pieces of their operation. They’re able to communicate with customers in a trackable way so details and requests don’t get lost. They can track and report on everything. We’ve said before caterers sell confidence and this system makes our users confident that they are meeting the unique needs of their customers and delivering their unique brand of hospitality. The other key thing is

continued on page 110

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Give your customers what they want—natural ingredients and great flavor.

Restaurants around the world use Bascom Family Farms maple syrup to enhance appetizers, entrees and desserts. With our seven generations of experience in the production and use of maple products, you can be sure that you’re using the best for your customers. Contact us today for product, delivery information, and recipes.

info@maplesource.com

www.maplesource.com

802.257.8100

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Western Pest, from page 14 the sooner you act to identify the problem and resolve it, the better.

Rodents are prolific breeders – particularly mice. One pair of mice can produce 200 offspring in just four months, so it’s easy for an introduction to spiral into a full-blown infestation if it’s not addressed.

Consider placing tamper-resistant bait stations around the exterior of the building. These stations can be used to monitor rodent activity.

Work with your pest management professional to determine what type of placements are needed.

Also, train your employees to recognize the signs of rodents, including: • Damaged food packaging • Gnaw marks on furnishings and walls – new gnaw marks tend to be rough to the touch and, if found on wood, light in color • Droppings – mouse drop-

David Scott Peters, from page 82 pings are about the size of a grain of rice and rat droppings are about the size of a raisin • Grease markings – look for greasy markings on walls left behind by rodents regularly travelling down the same path • The presence of indoor nests Take these steps now; before the weather gets cold, to help make sure your restaurant isn’t attracting rodents this winter.

Jennifer Brumfield is a Training and Technical Specialist and BoardCertified Entomologist for Western Pest Services, a New Jersey-based pest management company serving businesses and homeowners in major Northeastern markets. Learn more about Western by visiting www. westernpest.com.

DO YOU SERVE THE LATEST TRENDS IN BEVERAGES? We do and we’d be happy to help you!

much food on a plate, you are probably seeing 25 percent or even more extra on the plate.

So here’s why 10 percent over portioning is a problem. If your ideal cost is 30 percent based on your recipe costing cards and menu mix report, and you over portion each dish by only 10 percent, you change your ideal food cost by 3 percent.

That means instead of running a 30 percent food cost, you are running a 33 percent food cost. If you were to have $100,000 in food sales per month, you just robbed yourself of $3,000 a month or $36,000 a year in bottom-line profitability!

While it’s important to get good pricing for the products you purchase, if you keep up to date, accurate recipe costing cards, you will have the ability to make small changes to your menu that counteract the potential negative impact

W E N

on your business. If you don’t follow those recipe costing cards, you can quickly give away any potential profits right back to your guests.

To make the money you deserve in this small-margin industry, it requires your kitchen management to ensure your team is trained on the recipes and executes the recipes — period. Eliminate your Achilles heel with systems!

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Compact Footprint, with a Lifetime of Performance

Represented in Metro New York by: enduraXL.com Tel: (201) 525-1433 Fax: (201) 525-1437 dmm@dmmreps.com

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Peter Kaplan, from page 12 • Investigate potential sources for a refrigerated truck to be used during a power outage.

• In the event of a power outage, you and your staff should know exactly what to do, based on training and planning that you have done in advance.

• If you have prior knowledge of an event that could cause a power outage, you can prepare for the event, including getting additional lighting and getting any equipment, you may need together in advance, including ordering extra ice in case the fridges and freezers break down during service.

• Think about creating an “emergency menu” of foods that can be served with minimal preparation and without additional cooking.

• Keep a list of emergency phone numbers.

• When a power outage occurs, throw away any foods that are in the process of being cooked but have not yet reached their final cooking temperature. (Note: A power outage of 2 hours or less is not considered hazardous to food that was being held under safe conditions when the outage began.

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•

What to do with potentially hazardous food:

Cold Foods Hours Power is Out

Cold Food Temperature 45º F or below

46 ºF to 50ºF

51 ºF or above

0-2

OK

OK

OK

2-4

OK

OK

X

More than 4

OK

X

X

Hot Foods Hours Power is Out

Hot Food Temperature 130º F or above

129 ºF or below

0-2

OK

OK

2-4

OK

X

More than 4

X

X

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Gary Bimonte, from page 72 A large part of the learning curve was getting the oven right. At the time, we were unaware that the bricks contained moisture and needed to dry out to avoid any undesired effect on the essence of the flavor. Now we fire up the ovens two months before opening a location to avoid that issue.

Please talk a little bit about building a management team, and creating a culture within the restaurants.

Our consultant helped to secure a

location, and was in charge of opening the Fairfield location. We went on to create the Pepe Development Company, and made the consultant, Ken Berry, the CEO. He’s worked in the food industry for over forty years, so he had many contacts. Berry led the interviewing process, brought in the managers, and through building a team he created a culture. Now, twelve years later, we’re working on our tenth location.

Through the years, many other pizza brands and concepts have emerged.

Do you tend to focus on your own project, or do you find yourself thinking about potential competitors?

What does the pizza industry look like at this point?

The pizza industry has grown leaps and bounds, but we tend to focus on what we have to do. We work every day to continue making the terrific product that my grandfather created. My grandfather always said, “You need to

do one thing, and do it the best you can.” We’ve held on to that wisdom.

We’re not in the pasta business, and we don’t make subs. We focus on making great pizza.

When you operated a single location, you could work with a local vendor for pizza dough and toppings. However, when you expanded and began delivering to various areas, did that require any strategic change with the vendors you worked with?

Yes, that changed as soon as we started expanding. When our sole operation was in New Haven, I used local vendors. However, as soon as we opened in Fairfield we needed to make the necessary adjustments. Now we use a single distributor that serves all of our locations.

What is your strategy in terms of marketing and advertising? I’m sure you were accustomed to lines down the street, but as you expanded into new locations how did you attract new customers?

We have a marketing department, and our CEO was instrumental. Now we have billboards, and social media has proven very beneficial.

Can you discuss the beverage side of your business?

My grandfather went through prohibition. He had bottled beer and draft beer. He never served wine, but we serve wine now. At this point we also offer craft beers, IPA’s and seasonals.

The Director of Operations makes the decisions regarding beverages for all of the locations.

Have you incorporated online ordering or other digital solutions into your business model?

We’re currently experimenting with it. We do online orders at our Yonkers and Chestnut Hill locations. At this point, we’re trying to find the right software, but we are certainly looking into it.

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Edamam, from page 22 mam’s data to provide nutritional and diet information for the restaurant’s recipes. The white glove service charges $20.00 per recipe. Edamam offers these services to individual operators, chains, and caterers.

Penev has created an excellent concept in an increasingly health-conscious age. In addition to consumers opting for healthier meals, recent legislation has also encouraged restaurants to consider the nutritional values of their offerings. Edamam has clients that wish to make adjustments in order to accommodate the health conscious consumers, as well as restaurants that must make menu modifications to satisfy the legislative requirements.

In the health and wellness industry, Edamam works with companies that manage diets either for people with chronic diseases or for wellness and lifestyle management programs. The company is able to provide meal suggestions customized to a diet’s specific requirements, whether it is related to an allergy, health condition, or lifestyle choice.

Edamam also provides restaurants with valuable information for diners with specific needs or requirements.

Many of Edamam’s clients are restaurants seeking guidance on accommodating allergies, or creating lifestyle specific offerings such as paleo or low sodium, for example. “Helping restaurants work through their menus to accommodate allergies and other special dining requirements is one of the areas in which we are most helpful,” Penev said. Edamam has the capacity to provide valuable insight into all allergies and lifestyle or belief-driven diets.

Individual chefs can use the Edamam service directly. In fact, it can be quite beneficial for chefs that change their menus frequently, seasonally, or daily depending on the ingredient provisions available at the time. Penev explained that well-organized and proactive chefs stand to benefit greatly from the Edamam service. Chefs that keep a Word document or Excel spreadsheet with their recipes can simply copy and

paste them into Edamam and receive real-time nutritional data. Once processed, a recipe is stored in the cloud and can be accessed from anywhere and adjusted quickly.

Penev rejects the notion that healthy and tasty are mutually exclusive. Concerns have been raised regarding the effect that creating healthier offerings has on the taste profile of a menu.

Restaurateurs and chefs are always considering the balance between the taste profile and profitability. However, Penev does not believe that creating

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healthier options necessarily affects taste or profitability. “I believe that to be a false dichotomy. A meal can be healthy and very delicious at the same time. I’m not a believer that there is a trade-off,” Penev stated.

Edamam is an innovative company that has come around at a very opportune time. The data that Edamam offers the food industry is more valuable and beneficial than ever. Penev recognizes the opportunity, and is poised to play a tremendous role within the food sector. “I would like Edamam to

become the nutritional engine behind every business within the food industry. Restaurants are very important to us as they serve over 50% of meals eaten in the United States. We’d like to be the company providing nutritional data for all of these meals, from which both restaurants and consumers will benefit,” he said.

For more information, visit edamam.com/nutrition_wizard. The Edamam app is also available for download via Apple or GooglePlay.

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Consolo, from page 18 8th Street. Coffee chain Blue Bottle has its tenth New York location at 101 University Place.

East Village: The Bean coffee shop opened its fifth New York location last month, and its third in the East Village in what had been St. Mark’s Bookshop at 31 Third Avenue.

West Village: Fairfax, 234 W 4th Street by Gabe and Gina Stulman of Joseph Leonard and Fedora fame is a cafe by day, and a wine bar with Mediterranean-accented small plates for lunch and dinner. 4 Charles Prime Rib by Brendan Sodikoff of Chicago’s Au Cheval, created this West Village steakhouse focusing on its cuts of beef, richly topped patties and elaborate sundaes at 4 Charles Street.

Chinatown: The newest vendor inside Canal Street Market is Calito, 265 Canal Street, a Cal-Mexican stand serving hand pressed tacos, nachos, quesadillas, and plates like pollo asado. Sherman’s, a fast-casual Greek and rotisserie chicken restaurant on Division Street is essentially a Kiki’s spinoff that has taken over a former shoe store at 121 Division Street.

Technology-centric dining is becoming the new norm, improving the way we engage with restaurants and enhancing our culinary experience. Dining establishments are embracing the latest technology trends, integrating them, even replacing the service elements that defined more traditional restaurants. And, the shift to social media platforms are becoming a function of that experience, where a snapshot is virtually as important as the food itself, and the hype created around that photo-op can turn you into the next destination hotspot.

Savor these new bites of the season and watch for my next edition of Faithful Food!

Happy Fall & Happy Dining!

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CaterTrax, from page 98 that our solutions are highly configurable so that where and how our users serve their guests are built into the system. Our software is a silent employee that moves the administrative barrier out of the way so our clients can focus on connecting with customers, serving great food, and delivering hospitality.

What’s the next step for an operator that wants more info and a “test drive”?

Give us a call at (800) 975-8729, email us at sales@catertrax.com, or visit our website at www.catertrax.com. One of our knowledgeable sales executives will provide a custom demonstration of the TRAX Platform tailored to address your industry and business challenges. During this time operators that want to experience the software can log in as their customers and see how easy it is to order anytime, anywhere.

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Bobrow, from page 16 Prep: 1. Chill a Martini glass with ice and water- set aside to coolempty just before needed 2. Into a Mixing Vessel, fill ¾ with ice 3. Add the Martin Miller’s Gin 4. Add the Triibe Celtic Spirit 5. Add the Dolin Vermouth 6. Stir well 7. Strain into the pre-chilled martini glass 8. Garnish with a flamed orange zest Triibe Rum N’ Ginger Beer Ingredients: • 2 oz. Ginger Beer Syrup- like Pickett’s- get the spicy hot one!

• 1 oz. Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice • 6 oz. plain seltzer water • 2 oz. Triibe Celtic Spirit

Prep: 1. Add all the ingredients except for the seltzer to a Boston Shaker filled ¾ with ice 2. Cap and shake hard for 30 seconds 3. Strain into a Double OldFashioned glass with ice 4. Top with Seltzer water 5. Serve Alone in a glass, Triibe is also very friendly. Oh, I’d add a splash of cola to the glass perhaps, or even a bit of freshly squeezed orange juice for a morning refresher. You could add it to a affigato with espresso and vanilla gelato or even in a snifter, heated gently over a cup of hot Vietnamese coffee (with condensed milk of course) or a cool glass of either mint, or Oolong Tea. Very delicious!

October 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com •

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