CRAFTABLE BRINGS DIVERSE PLATFORM OF SOLUTIONS TO NATION’S RESTAURATEURS

It became easy Pre-Pandemic for restaurant and operators to see their POS as the be all and end all of the tech side of their daily operation. As business changed and priorities and profit niches evolved into areas including Takeout and delivery, it became clear that operators needed a platform not just a POS.

When Craftable first started over ten years ago, there was a serious need in the hospitality industry—for a service that could help managers in all branches of food service to keep track of inventory, labor, and production in one place. Today, Craftable has continued to provide these services for establishments ranging from bars to restaurants to hotels, and plans to keep growing with the industry.

“When Craftable started, most people were using spreadsheets or the back of a napkin to manage their costs and stay organized,” said Phil Probert, VP of Sales. “The problem with those spreadsheets is that they don’t talk to each other.” Originally envisioned as a beverage management product, Craftable quickly grew to become compatible with other areas in the hospitality industry, and is currently used by celebrity chefs, big-name hotels, and mom-and-pop businesses alike. “It’s really all about the people and the relationships and utilizing that. It comes down to understanding the operator, knowing they’re not a typical person behind a desk, and catering to their needs and their business to set them up for success.”

A subscription-based software platform, Craftable is fully mobile and can be used on a phone or tablet—which means you can manage vendors and order inventory from the walk-in freezer. Craftable checks all the boxes of the fundamental food service workflow: starting with the supply chain, Craftable allows users full control over all aspects of ordering and receiving inventory, including tracking rebates and credits. Craftable reduces labor cost and time, not only by centralizing back of house systems to one phone application, but also by integrating with labor management companies. Craftable also makes purchase management, invoice management, and recipe costing seamless—and it’s compatible with over 60 POS systems.

A major draw of a service like Craftable is the ability to integrate multiple systems in one consolidated platform. Probert gave the example of Craftable’s Logbook—any complaints, issues, broken appliances, etc. can be logged into the system, so that they’re easily accessible when ordering product, assigning roles to employees, or opening in the morning; no back-of-napkin notes here. This undoubtedly cuts down on labor costs and allows employees to spend their time working on the things that matter most, without having to search through emails or be surprised when something is out of place. This way, not only can those disparate spreadsheets of ten years ago can finally talk to each other, they can provide realtime updates based on data from sources across the business, and valuable data that can be used to make future decisions.

With all of the technology we have to sift through every day, having everything in one place becomes essential. For busy people in an already busy industry, picking and choosing technology shouldn’t become yet another task. With new technology emerging at a rapid pace, Craftable is committed to continuing their growth, like they’ve done since their inception over a decade ago. from page 2 BLAZE PIZZA dustry, their contributions will be vital in achieving our strategic goals,” Beto Guajardo, CEO of Blaze Pizza explained enthusiastically. Before joining the Blaze team, Moran was Vice President of Strategic Development at Focus Brands International, where he worked on the development for the global franchisor and oversaw operations of over 6,000 restaurants.

In many ways, the next generation of technology has a lot to offer the industry. Particularly for processes such as inventory and purchase management, invoice generation, and costing, Craftable’s bread and butter, automation could significantly cut down on processing time and labor costs. “We have a lot of applications in the pipeline for automation, and making decisions based on analytics,” Probert said. There are a lot of possibilities for growth, and Probert says he’s excited to bring AI applications into the hospitality industry, to save time and reduce labor.

Craftable’s service has a number of different tiers, so if you don’t need a particular module, you don’t have to pay for it. “Not every kitchen has a bar, and not every bar has a kitchen,” Probert noted. This way, managers can pick and choose what works best for their business. Pricing is dependent on the business’s needs, so you won’t pay for what you don’t use.

Experts are available at Craftable to answer questions and assist every step of the way; you can contact them at hello@craftable.com or partners@ craftable.com.

With years of experience in the restaurant development industry, Moran’s expertise is in “international growth” which will help expand the franchise across North America and beyond. “Our goal is to expand our footprint worldwide from the Philippines, to the U.K., and become the pizza industry’s leading worldwide franchisor,” Moran said.

Moran’s vision is highlighted by a unique mission. “We would like for pizza and the Blaze brand to act as a enable each of our international franchisees to add local touches including spices and proteins to their menus,” he said.

This inventive strategy introduces fresh creative concepts to diverse nations, aiming to establish a distinct style unique to each location. “Not only does that embrace the local culture of wherever we add a franchise, but it actively supports nearby farms and distributors. Connecting different

Rational

Fast and Versatile

cultures with their brand around the world is a sure-fire way to get people talking, especially in countries where there is not fast casual, artisanal pizza.” Moran and his Blaze international development team seek to bring the same savory fare that US customers have enjoyed for the past two decades.

Other than taking over the world one personalized pie at a time, Moran sees the selection of real estate and locations as crucial to growth. “We see a world of opportunity in nontraditional venues including airports, arenas, amusement parks, and more.

The veteran executive also sees ghost and virtual kitchens as potential platforms for growth. These kitchens operate without a traditional dine-in or storefront, focusing solely on fulfilling online delivery and takeout orders.

“Ghost kitchens are known to be cost effective, have an increased reach in the community, simplified operational setups with flexibility, as well as the fact they allow for recipe experimentation with more ease than a typical restaurant would,” Moran concluded.

Blaze Pizza is making waves domestically and with a unique fast casual dining experience, With the leadership of Kevin Moran, Blaze is sure to carve its niche as a world leader in quality pizza.

Wolfgang Puck

from page 4 caccia, crisp bacon, griddled eggs and Tillamook cheddar. Lunch highlights include a Sugar Snap Pea Salad made with arugula, shaved radish and pecorino cheese tossed in a Treviso mustard vinaigrette; the 1228 prime burger, topped with dijonnaise, American cheese, kosher dill pickles and red onions, served on a brioche bun and served with fries; and smoked bacon BLT with mayo, heirloom tomato and iceberg lettuce in rustic sourdough bread and served with fries. erations, Doug Chippewa. Debuting with cocktails showcasing flavors of summer, the menu honors 1228’s diverse playlist. Highlights include the 1228 Negroni, made with Botanist Gin, Campari, Amaro Nonino, Carpano Antica and house-made brine; “Mysterious Ways,” described as a ginger spice and stone fruit cocktail inspired by a Pimm’s cup, is made with apricot Carpano Antica, Averna, cucumber and Fever Tree pink grapefruit sparkling soda; and “Somebody Else,” described as a rich, spiced and slightly bitter rum punch, is made with Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva rum, Triple Sec and pineapple. from page 82

Signature dinner selections include hand-cut steak tartare served with garlic-chili-almond salsa matcha, crispy potatoes and garlic aioli; grilled California squid with gigante beans, Castelvetrano olives, herbs and fresh lemon; truffled chicken pot pie made with market vegetables and thyme velouté in a housemade puff pastry; and grilled Snake River Farms Zabuton Steak prepared with a mustard-peppercorn au poivre and served with a potatobacon terrine.

Prepared from an exhibition bakery, artisan breads range from classic sourdough to seasonal creations. An assortment of pastries, breads, desserts and craft coffees are served from a counter throughout the day. .

Looking ahead, Urbanik aims to add more RATIONAL combi ovens to the banquet kitchen as the 355room resort continues to grow. He appreciates their high capacity, variety of cooking functions and space-saving feature.

“They’re big enough units that they can accommodate a lot of products, especially important for a busy resort like us, and they’re so versatile,” says Urbanik, explaining employees will, in a matter of a few hours, go from roasting chicken to steaming potatoes to switching back to roasting another menu item. “They save not only time, but space in the kitchen that you would need to do all those functions [with traditional equipment].”

Employees also value the quality of the product the iCombi ovens produce. At the ChopHouse, for example, they prefer to use the units for a mushroom side because they can get a really good roast on them at the right time and temperature versus braising or roasting them in the restaurant, Urbanik says.

Overall, he says, “They’re a really great piece of equipment to help solve a lot of problems.”

All photos by Allison Rezendes

Behind the inventive, flavorful cuisine is Robins, executive vice president of domestic operations for Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, culinary director, Dustin Lewandowski, and Alex Huizar, executive chef of 1228 Main. Artisanal breads and pastries are made fresh daily by a talented team of bakers led by Kamel Guechida, director of pastry development and operations for Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group; along with Sébastien Polycarpe, executive pastry chef; and Brittany Simmons, lead baker for 1228 Main.

The wine collection is inspired by the partners’ favorite selections and reflect new finds one might look forward to sharing with friends versus statement wines. Created by wine director, David Morris, the wine list includes more than a dozen selections by the glass.

In keeping with downtown Las Vegas’ eclectic bar scene, 1228 Main offers next-level cocktails, including barrel-aged spirits that are used in the negronis, by talented mixologist and now director of op - the table can be an easy sell.”

The design of the 6,000-squarefoot restaurant, bar and bakery blends the bones of the building with modern architecture, from an array of materials mirroring the original brick to rich brown banquettes, communal tables and a slatted wood ceiling. The art, by celebrated local artist David Ryan, adds pops of color to the bar and dining room. Recycled Propaganda, the moniker for favorite local street artist Izaac Zevalking, is behind graffiti that spans an exposed surface of the walk-in cooler. Outdoor dining is available on either side of the main entrance.

An expansion to the building houses an ambitious bakery and catering business that is equipped to facilitate orders throughout the Las Vegas Valley. 1228 Main can host up to 130 guests between the dining room, patio and bar.

She’s especially going through a lot of prosecco because, while it’s not what they’re generally pouring for guests who simply want to sip it, the prosecco on tap is an integral part of their spritz program – a hot selling section of the cocktail menu. Both the prosecco and the red on tap are big sellers. Robinson shares, “We’re burning through either of them at a similar rate. That’s because our spritz program is such a chunk of the menu and that’s a highest seller.”

With high volume drinks like the spritz time efficiency for service is key. Robinson loves having the draft system available as she remarks, “There is definitely a huge benefit to being able to top off a carafe or a glass. You don’t have to open bottles, reach into refrigeration. On tap is a big part of the efficiency of Pies. Also, we are right next door to an outside amphitheater, so it’s good to have the small thingslike an extra moment to enhance service - that happen with efficiencies at the bar.

Being cost efficient also comes into play when you buy in true keg format. And a lot of it comes down to waste. Robinson and her colleagues know that if you open a bottle on a Monday and don’t sell it for a couple of days that wine is past its prime and needs to be dumped as it’s not the quality you’d want to serve your guests. At a place like Poole’side Pies which is open only four days a week keeping wine fresh is really a positive for their bottom line.

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina at The Katharine Brasserie And Bar in the Kimpton Cardinal Hotel Bar Supervisor Justin Rankin is constantly considering his bottom line while he develops menus for the restaurant and the lobby wine hour and that draft system the restaurant has installed plays a big part of it. Though he doesn’t currently have any cocktails on tap he notes, “We definitely have the infrastructure. We change menus at least quarterly to keep present with what’s relevant in the city. We do a lot of events here and part of that is that we do a lot of cocktails for the cause.”

For a big group being able to push out drinks fast is helpful. Rankin also utilizes his draft system to surprise and delight guests. He shares, “I have done mini-taps – batched cocktails for the hotel. I do that for the hotel about once a quarter. It’s a little extra other than the wine hour.”

Rankin sees his wine on tap program as the little extra nudge guests need to be more adventurous. A USP (unique selling proposition) for the hotel as it builds great memories and helps drive local business sometimes too. Recently he had a verdejo on tap, and before that a rose. With wines like verdejo that may not be familiar to clients it’s easier to educate when they’re on tap as Rankin explains, “I think if you’re doing something that’s not universally known – cocktail or wine – and you take that profit margin and lower the price you can intrigue the guest, then the bartender can educate. On tap it’s easy to give you a taste of the wine.” the 2019 SECURE Act, unrelated employers can join together even if they are not in the same industry or region.

Truthfully, that taste of verdejo didn’t intrigue guests enough that they were willing to take a whole glass at the price point it was offered, but that’s the beauty of a draft wine; even if it doesn’t move it’s not like it’s sitting in a bottle and oxidizing so at least you can eventually run through it rather than dumping it.

Cocktail service on draft has similar efficiencies. Additionally, you avoid consistency issues. Batched recipes taste as they should, and balance isn’t dependent on individual bartender skill. The last thing you want happen is that cocktail influencer coming in and posting about your signature drink and having other guests follow yet find the drink isn’t consistently great.

Like a draft system preserves your wine, it also can preserve your bar or restaurant’s reputation. So many reasons to think about adding wines, and cocktails, on draft to your bar menu if local statutes allow.

4. Participate in a plan sponsored by a Professional Employer Organization (“PEO”), which can also provide human resources and payroll support, along with benefit plan offerings.

5. Participate in a multiemployer plan for employees covered by a union contract.

Many of these options allow employee retirement contributions to be integrated with payroll (avoiding the burden of manual adjustments and potential for error). In addition, the IRS limits for these retirement plans are substantially higher than the IRA limits, offering employees additional opportunities to save their own money for retirement. In 2023, the maximum 401(k) employee contribution is $22,500 ($30,000 if you’re age 50 or older), while the IRA limit is $6,500 ($7,500 if you’re age 50 or older). resources. Look around for commercially compostable facilities and recyclers in your area. What makes the most sense for you?

Under the recently-enacted SECURE Act 2.0, employers are entitled to additional tax credits when sponsoring their own retirement plans. Employers with less than 50 employees are eligible for a threeyear start-up tax credit equal to 100% of the administrative costs for a new plan (up to a maximum credit of $5,000). For employers with less than 100 employees, existing law provides for a 50% tax credit. In addition, SECURE Act 2.0 provides for additional tax credits for employer contributions to a new plan. The additional credit lasts for five years and is equal to the amount of employer contributions, up to $1,000 per employee. This credit applies to employers with up to 50 employees and is phased out for employers with between 51 and 100 employees. None of these credits is available for an employer’s participation in the NYS Program.

You may find that you need the high performance characteristics of rigid plastic and have a local recycler who can accept them. Or you might find that you can work with paper cartons that are commercially compostable and welcome near you. Balancing these tradeoffs, while difficult, is the key to finding the right package you need.

Fit and Size

The fit and size of your packaging is crucial to a successful packaging program. You want packages that fit your food easily. Ideally, you want them to have little space left over as well so customers don’t feel like they got a small portion. Take the regular orders from your menu, combo meals especially if you offer them, and see how they fit into the different packages you’re evaluating.

The Look

Food packaging has to be appealing to a customer’s eye whether it’s standing on the shelf at a supermarket or being dropped off on someone’s porch. Otherwise, it can harm their appetite. The packaging has to convey the value of the product inside it, which means you want a package that looks clean and inviting—not something that’s leaked grease or is difficult to open or handle.

By now, you should have a few options in mind for your packaging. As you narrow down your options, ask yourself these questions:

• How does your food look inside of it with the lid open? With the lid closed?

• Does the package get greasy or otherwise gross looking after some time?

• Does it appear easy to open and/ or inviting?

Deliverability

Food delivery is a growing business and it makes up more and more of restaurants, grocery stores, and even convenience stores’ bottom lines every year. Many third-party apps will deliver up to five miles—which could mean multiple potholes, sharp turns, and other hazards to your food.

That’s why it’s important to get a package that can stand up to the rigors of even a rough delivery experience. Having inserts that keep your food separate from each other or compartmented plastic containers can help keep your foods from swapping flavors during delivery and transit.

Budget

Of course, everything comes down to the budget one way or another. If you’ve followed our suggestions above, you should have the right-sized packaging with the right performance characteristics that makes an impactful, yet cost-effective, investment in your brand. If you’ve got too large a package or are using too many SKUs, you may be missing out on cost savings. Your packaging is an extension of your brand and not just a cost of business. It’s your brand ambassador, and it makes sense to invest in it.

Get More Insights about Food Packaging from the Pros

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If you’d like more tips on how to put your best food forward, visit Inno-Pak’s blog at https://www.innopak.com/ blog/. There, you can find information about using QR codes, how sustainability factors into consumers’ decisions, the latest trends in packaging and how they’ll impact your business, and more.

ucator. Many years ago, education was about teaching the three R’s, we taught that for many years. But today, we teach everything, I really think the school system has to have a holistic approach to educating children. When it comes to nutrition, fitness, wellness, that is part of that. Now, just like the rest of education, there is some responsibility outside of the school system at home, maybe with the community. But once again, I think we have to embrace that part of our job as showing students, educating students on how to be healthy, how to be physically fit, how to be physically active, and also their diet and so forth. I actually think being physically active is often overlooked. It’s not talked about enough. It’s one thing to watch out our diet is but I think we need to be more physically active, including myself, and I tried to be.

So, off the couch with video games and onto some sort of a phys-ed program. That is correct. And once again, phys-ed programs have been cut through time. And it’s a shame, it’s not really a side effect of child nutrition, but it’s a factor.

You recently had your annual convention and trade show in Denver. Can you talk about some of the highlights that came out of that event?

First of all, when it comes to that conference, the biggest highlights are the exhibit floor. There was over 800 booths that consisted of over 320

Chotto Matte Sf

companies. And it’s always great to see anything new they may have, to see if there’s any new companies that I could utilize. I know there’s a lot of plant based in the world today. You see advertisements for plant-based products and so forth. So, we did have a lot of plant-based manufacturers there. The other thing I like seeing is just maybe presentation, because a lot of times it’s about how we serve students. When you go to your convenience stores, it’s all about how it’s packaged and presented to you. And I think sometimes we’ve got to do something similar in our kitchens. We also had over 100 education sessions, where participants could go to their topic of interest and so forth. And last but not least, just networking. When you’re able to talk to a colleague in another state, and have conversations about how you do this, and you work through this, you take away a lot.

Anything on the equipment side like combi ovens that have caught your eye in terms of production of food?

Combi ovens are something I have purchased in a couple of districts I have been in. They’re great, because it takes care of the oven and the steamer. The challenge with the combi oven is obviously the learning curve. And one of my biggest hurdles, and I think a lot of people feel this way is training time with our staff. That’s something that’s not often thought of, and it’s often overlooked, but I just need training time for my staff. But combis are a from page 80 shi and Pollo den Miso. The brand’s culinary identity has been curated by internationally acclaimed Group Executive Chef Jordan Sclare, promising a menu full of bold natural colors, mouth-watering taste sensations and fresh organic ingredients. Leading the kitchen in San Francisco is Chef Carlos Couts, who joins as Head Chef, bringing to life Sclare’s creations, with a wealth of restaurant expertise in tow. Also set to make an impression, the Tokyo to Lima beverage collection, inspired by the innovation of the cuisine and bursting with unlikely flavors and playful ingredients. San Francisco will also see its own capsule cocktail menu released post-opening, with exclusive sips inspired by the local landscape.

Chotto Matte’s global appeal shows no signs of slowing down, with further expansion planned for Nashville, Philadelphia, Riyadh, Manchester and more. The concept hot topic. And we’re always looking for equipment that maybe just makes our kitchens more efficient and so forth. seamlessly adapts to each of its locations, while the unmistakable essence of the brand remains at the forefront.

With that, are you concerned with the ability to attract people coming forward to work in child nutrition?

I think it’s fair for me to say that a lot of people are having trouble finding people to work. It’s no different in education. We’re struggling with finding teachers, custodian secretaries, and likewise, I’m struggling to find cooks. I don’t have an easy solution. I know we didn’t used to have to recruit. But I feel like we are now reaching out there, and we actually are actively recruiting in all those positions, including cooks. So yeah, that’s a concern.

Any committee working on that? Any concrete recruiting plans as an association?

I don’t know from an association standpoint, I know from my district standpoint, we’re looking at going to college fairs, and so forth. And we’re also just doing a lot more promoting on our social media and our website, hey, come work for us, here’s some of the benefits, sometimes our pay is not the best, but we do have some positives to these things.

You’re out of there at 4 o’clock, you can have a life, there’s a lot of positives to it all.

You’re off on the weekends, you’re with your children for holidays, and that kind of thing.

When we talk a year from now, you’ll have a very different look at it, I’m sure. What does the future look like in terms of the next generation of leadership? What do you see?

I’ll tell you one thing I feel, and I hope this doesn’t reflect my age, I feel like there’s a lot of younger people becoming child nutrition directors earlier in their career. And I actually welcome that, because sometimes they think a little bit differently, they think outside of the box that I’m used to. I think they’re willing to take some challenges that maybe older people like myself aren’t willing to take. And I think that helps everyone. And I’d say something else that the SNA has been working on is we’re trying to make sure our board, people involved in leadership positions with committees and so forth is diverse. We really want to make sure we get input from all types of people, young, old, etc., just so we’re getting input from everyone.

As you look into the crystal ball, what changes do you hope that you will be able to make?

Well, I don’t know how measurable this is, but I would like to hope a year from now, I can be very happy with the feeling of how important child nutrition is when it comes to educating students. That both principals, teachers and the greater community really recognizes the role that the cooks and cafeteria managers and others play when it comes to education.

Fronted by acclaimed real estate firm Blatteis & Schnur, the redevelopment of 100 Stockton will revitalize the key intersection of Stockton and O’Farrell in Union Square, which is poised to become the center of San Francisco’s retail core. Given the city’s legendary food scene, the addition of Chotto Matte on the building’s rooftop will notably become one of the few openair rooftop dining terraces in San Francisco.

Chotto Matte San Francisco is located at 100 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94108. For more information, follow Chotto Matte San Francisco on Instagram at https:// www.instagram.com/chottomattesf/

20 years of work with the NYC DOE. In our 20 years, we have worked in kitchens, cafeterias, classrooms, recess yards - and with all levels of stakeholders. For this program, we hire chefs, who are uniquely qualified to prepare meals from whole ingredients, which is what we will be doing in school kitchens across the city.

Chef Telepan, could you share with Total Food Service readers how the Chefs Council members collaborated to create over 100 culturally relevant recipes that will be served to nearly one million schoolchildren?

Please name three of your favorite recipes.

I’m not sure I could pick just three! We are working with some great chefs on recipe development, and they have all contributed in a very personal, thoughtful way. From Grace Ramirez’s Sofrito to Zoe Adjonyoh’s Cowboy Caviar Salad to Anup Joshi’s Kachumber Salad to Yessemi Awosan’s Jollof Cauliflower Wings — we have some fun, exciting recipes for the kids to eat. Working with our Chef Council has really helped Wellness in the Schools to expand our repertoire and allows us to bring the best flavors and delicious recipes to NYC public schools.

Nancy, how did WITS gather feedback from students and parents regarding the recipes, and how did both WITS and OFNS respond to this feedback?

Together, we tested the 100 recipes that were developed by the Chef Council and brought 15 to schools for samplings. We offered sampling tables at the selected schools, highlighting the “star of the show”, or the featured produce, such as sweet potatoes or cucumber or cauliflower. In addition to the sampling tables, our teams moved through the cafeteria tables to deliver samples. We then provided students with tickets to place in the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” buckets. We also conducted taste testing at OFNS headquarters, where a finite number of students came on a “field trip” to test. In these cases, we used an application called “plicker” where we could scan the room for test results and take votes via an app. This was our “hard” data and the collection at the schools was considered “soft”. We used the feedback to inform the fall menu.

Chef Telepan, could you provide details about the specific training that the school cooks are undergoing to implement the new recipes in all public school locations?

As with all of Wellness in the Schools’ training, we test and evaluate the recipes ourselves to ensure they are appropriate for a school kitchen and meet nutrition standards. We then talk through techniques, ingredients, and the best ways to prepare a recipe with the OFNS development team. We are also making training videos that detail each step of the recipe, with different knife cuts or cooking techniques that will bring out the best in each recipe. Then from there, our team of WITS Chefs begins training the school cooks on the specific recipes as well as general kitchen techniques. WITS Chefs will continue side-by-side support in schools throughout the next two school years, rotating through schools as the recipes roll out on the menu.

Nancy, what can students in schools affiliated with WITS look forward to in terms of the back-to-school menus this fall?

All students in NYC public school can look forward to trying out the new scratch-cooked, plant-forward and culturally relevant recipes. Wellness in the Schools will also work in 30 schools, providing our educational programming -- cooking and nutrition classes, plus fitness breaks. The cooking classes are based on recipes they will see on their menus, to help increase participation.

For information on bringing Wellness in the Schools to your school, school district, or organization, please visit: https://www.wellnessintheschools.org/