R&I Insider - September 15, 2005

By The Editors -- Restaurants & Institutions, 9/15/2005

Canned Soda?
Soft drinks and candy available to students through school vending machines have been the target of heavy criticism during the debate about childhood obesity, and some state legislatures and school districts have moved to curtail availability of such snacks. Last month, the Washington, D.C.-based American Beverage Association (ABA) responded by adopting a new school vending policy calling for only water and 100%-juice drinks in elementary-school vending machines and limiting sales of full-calorie soft drinks and juice drinks to after-school hours in middle schools. The policy calls for limiting high-school vended beverages to no more than 50% soft drinks.

ABA recommends that beverage producers, distributors and schools adopt the new policy as soon as existing vending contracts expire, or earlier if both sides agree to do so.

“We encourage our members to offer beverages such as low-fat milk, 100% juice and water as alternatives to soft drinks,” says Ruth Jonen, director of food service at Township High School District 211 in Hoffman Estates, Ill., and president-elect of the Alexandria, Va.-based School Nutrition Association. “Vending and à la carte sales ultimately are an issue of local control.”

Controlling vending sales is a start, but some organizations, including the American Dietetics Association (ADA), believe education is part of the problem. “I applaud ABA for stating that they understand that their products contribute to the problem,” says Milton Stokes, ADA spokesman.

Customers’ Choice
Ten cheeses plus 12 meats and 15 accompaniments add up to a multitude of antipasto options at piebar, a new casual-dining hotspot from Atlanta restaurateurs Todd Rushing and Bob Amick. The menu invites guests to choose their own options from the three categories at varying price options: $7, $11 or $14.

The approach reflects consumers’ increasing desire to customize meals and take control of the dining experience, a trend also noted at the recently opened Ballo in Chicago. Chef-partner Joe Farina’s Italian concept displays antipasto selections in a dining room corner and allows guest to select meats, cheese and other dishes on order sheets similar to those used at dim sum restaurants.

MENU FOCUS
A top choice for stuffing, mildly hot poblano chiles—at peak season in late summer and early fall—make snappy accents as well.

CHICAGO
Salpicon: Mexican-style gazpacho with roasted poblano chiles and spicy cucumber sorbet

DALLAS
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: Barbecued chicken with caramelized onions, roasted poblanos, mozzarella cheese and cilantro

HOUSTON
The Raven Grill: Lightly battered onion and poblano rings served with spicy ranch dressing

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Pico’ Mex-Mex: Chile Relleno en Nogada: stuffed poblano peppers with walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds (r.)
Qdoba Mexican Grill: Poblano Pesto Burrito with grilled chicken and sauce of roasted poblanos, cilantro, almonds and pine nuts

SAN DIEGO
Jsix: White corn and roasted poblano soup with crema and pumpkin seeds

SEATTLE
Cyclops Café & Lounge: Grilled natural beef patty with bacon and sharp Cheddar cheese on a toasted brioche bun with roasted-poblano aioli

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
Wake Forest University (Aramark account): Veggie burrito with beans and poblano rice in a warm flour tortilla

Well Stocked
Kona Grill, the seven-unit casual-dining chain that went public last month, may be unfamiliar to many but two top members of its executive team are well known in the restaurant industry. Don Dempsey, president and CEO of the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company since May 2004, was Burger King’s marketing chief during the “burger wars” of the 1980s. He later joined McDonald’s Corp. as president and CEO of China operations before joining Caribou Coffee in 1999 as CEO. Kona Grill Executive Vice President and CFO Mark Robinow earlier served as senior vice president and CFO of Rainforest Cafe during its growth into an international chain.

Despite operating only seven locations, Kona Grill’s initial public offering (IPO) of stock at $11 per share (closing at $12.70 on the first day of trading) yielded net proceeds of $29.3 million, the majority of which the company says is earmarked for new-restaurant development. According to Kona Grill’s prospectus, four locations open at least 12 months averaged revenues of nearly $5.5 million in 2004. During the first half of 2005, the average check (excluding alcoholic beverages) for its Asian-influenced food was $14.25. Each restaurant has a display kitchen fronting a main dining room, a full-service bar, outdoor patio and sushi bar plus a 2,000-gallon saltwater aquarium as a central décor element.

Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee registered in July for an IPO but at press time had not yet completed an offering. Peter Oakes, restaurant analyst with Piper Jaffray & Co., New York City, told clients last month that he considers it “probable” that McDonald’s will launch an IPO for its Chipotle chain.

Recipe for Success
If grilled beef tenders with pomegranate barbecue sauce, mango relish, Southwestern spring rolls and steamed asparagus sounds more like the stuff of four-star restaurant menus than of hospital foodservice, then New York City-based National Society for Healthcare Food Service Management’s (HFM) first culinary competition provided a perfect reality check. The winning recipe, entered by Mary Spicer, director of food, nutrition and conference services at Presbyterian Hospital of Plano (Texas), and the department’s chef, Gary Vorstenbosch, bested four others in the final round. Judging prefaced HFM’s National Training Conference held last month in Phoenix and attended by more than 500. All entries were required to use beef tenders.

Finalists prepared their recipes live, in front of an audience of peers and a judging panel that included chefs and industry publication editors. A trophy and scholarship to The Culinary Institute of America were awarded to the winner. In addition, the dish was prepared for the conference’s banquet at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass. Second place went to DCH Regional Medical Center, Tuscaloosa, Ala., for pistachio-crusted beef tenders with blackberry-chipotle essence, hoppin’ John, sweet peppered greens and roasted root vegetables; third to Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, for jasmine-tea poached beef tenders with shiitake-scented five-grain risotto, sautéed pea vines, citrus-saffron emulsion and wasabi foam.

Consumer Beat: What’s in a Name?
Would consumers be more intrigued by The American Riviera or Pink Champagne Martini, two of many specialty cocktails on the menu at Wish in Miami Beach? According to a study recently published in the Journal of Consumer Research, The American Riviera is likely to draw interest not because it blends vodka, French black-raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice but because its name is appealingly vague.

Elizabeth Miller and Barbara Kahn, professors at Boston College and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, respectively, conclude that “consumers prefer atypical and unspecific (ambiguous) names to more-typical and more-specific names.” In one experiment, participants were more likely to try jelly beans with indistinct names such as “antique red” or “friendly green” rather than straightforward labels such as “dark red” or “dark green.” Unexpected names such as “Florida orange” and “rain-slicker yellow” did not appeal as much as the ambiguous options. The researchers conclude that uninformative names cause consumers to wonder how the name was chosen and that such engagement increases satisfaction.

Posh Hospitality
Terms such as “first-class accommodations” and “five-star service” are more likely to be associated with resorts than hospital foodservice. But when renovation is complete later this month on Century City Doctors Hospital in Los Angeles, patients will have professional waitstaff delivering meals prepared by Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Wolfgang Puck Catering.

“We’re creating a world-class facility; we want a world-class food program. We started talking to people and Wolfgang was at the top of the list,” says Lorraine P. Auerbach, hospital president of Century City. “Part of what we did was figure out how we could mesh the two industries into one hospital-based foodservice program. We wanted our patients to have restaurant-level food, but knew they had to have dietary limitations addressed and regulatory requirements met.”

Having the Wolfgang Puck imprint on room-service and cafeteria menus comes at a price. The high-end fare will cost twice as much to prepare as a traditional hospital meal-service program, says Auerbach. “We’ve invested in the right quality food; we have a higher level of service,” she says. “We feel the experience is going to be worth that investment.”

On-Trend
R&I tracks the latest menu introductions at operations across the country ...

• BAJA FRESH MEXICAN GRILL, multiple locations: The fast-casual concept features carnitas, slow-cooked pork marinated with garlic, onions, and chipotle, pasilla and New Mexican chiles.
• BUDDAKAN, Philadelphia: Stephen Starr’s Asian-themed hotspot has added three-course $18 Bento Box lunches in combinations such as edamame ravioli and tea-smoked spare ribs.
• COCO PAZZO, Chicago: Executive Chef Tony Priolo’s seasonally inspired heirloom-tomato dishes is panzanella, the Tuscan bread salad with tomatoes, house-made Italian bread, cucumber, basil, green onions, olive oil, vinegar and seasonings.
• JODY MARONI’S SAUSAGE KINGDOM, multiple locations: Chicken Sausage Gumbo joins the lineup as a new menu signature.
• RITZ-CARLTON CHICAGO, Chicago: Executive Pastry Chef Michelle Antonishek introduces Sugar Puffs, a quartet of house-made, sugar-dusted doughnut holes with dipping sauces.

Table Turns
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena, Calif., named Charles Henning general director of operations. Previously he was general manager of Hotel du Pont, Wilmington, Del. ...

Scott Steinard (l.) joined 16-unit, Largo, Fla.-based Ker’s WingHouse Bar & Grill as vice president of operations. He had been owner-operator of a Moe’s Southwest Grill unit in Miami. ...

Robert Rabold was named chairman of the board at Bob Evans Farms Inc., Columbus, Ohio, and Larry Corbin appointed interim CEO following the abrupt resignation and departure of former Chairman and CEO Stewart Owens. Rabold has served on Bob Evans’ board since 1994; Corbin retired from the company as executive vice president in July 2004 and serves on the board. ...

Dennis Mullen was named chairman and CEO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Greenwood Village, Colo., following the retirement of Chairman, CEO and President Michael Snyder. Mullen has served on the company’s board since 2002. Additionally, Eric Houseman was elevated from vice president of restaurant operations to president and COO. ...

Co-owners Scott Youkilis (executive chef) and Michael Pierce (wine director) named their new San Francisco restaurant, Maverick, in honor of Samuel Maverick, the mid-19th century rancher who refused to brand his cattle and whose name became synonymous with independent spirit. ...

Myriad Restaurant Group’s Drew Nieporent and Chef-partner Aarón Sanchez have opened Centrico in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood. Sanchez, son of Chef Zarela Martinez, showcases the cuisines of Mexico’s regions. ...

Chef Gerry Hayden and Pastry Chef Claudia Fleming created the menu at Waverly, a restaurant in New York City’s independent-film haven IFC Center. ...

Rich Scanlan joined Champps Entertainment, Littleton, Colo., as COO. He had been vice president for operations at Sbarro’s Carmela’s division. Additionally, Dave Womack was elevated to CFO from controller/vice president for finance. ...

Mark Wolfinger succeeds the departed Andrew Green as CFO for Denny’s Inc., Spartanburg, S.C.