News, trends and case studies related to restaurant and foodservice operations, both front of the house and back of the house, including equipment, technology, food safety, management systems and other operational elements.
English and Hazen: The New Power Duo? By Allison Perlik, Senior Editor - 07/16/2008
Top chef-restaurateur Todd English talks about his new partnership with former Tao top toque Sam Hazen and his upcoming big-time projects in New York City and Las Vegas.
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Business: Pricing Under Pressure By Kate Leahy, Senior Associate Editor - 07/01/2008
We’re in the penny business,” says Chris Contino, vice president of marketing for Prairie du Sac, Wis.-based Culver’s Frozen Custard & ButterBurgers. And these days, chains are counting and watching pennies ever more closely. Besieged by rising food and energy costs, restaurant operators continually do battle with the threat of margin shrinkage.
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Interface: Jack Baum By Allison Perlik, Senior Editor - 07/01/2008
Dallas-based Food Friends & Company operates 17 restaurants in 10 states and is still growing strong. Chairman and CEO Jack Baum, a foodservice veteran who founded Southwestern-themed chain Canyon Cafe, talks to R&I about his multiconcept strategy, the need for differentiation among chains and the keys to staying the course in a time of economic uncertainty.
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Economic Indicators: Are More Diners Trading Out? 05/29/2008
New data from Chicago-based researcher Mintel suggests that more consumers have moved from spending less on food away from home to curtailing restaurant visits altogether.
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Tales from the Food-Price Front By Kate Leahy, Senior Associate Editor - 05/28/2008
It’s no secret that rising food costs have affected everyone in the retail and restaurant industries, and with reason: 2008’s big picture doesn’t look favorable.
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Special Report: Chefs Inc. By Allison Perlik, Senior Editor - 05/15/2008
Mario Batali and Daniel Boulud boast their own wine labels. Charlie Palmer is building an eponymous luxury hotel in Las Vegas. Nobu Matsuhisa has starred in commercials touting everything from golf clubs to the Gap. And Tom Colicchio was named one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive. It’s a brave—and potentially lucrative—new world for chefs, one where branching out from behin...
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Training: One-on-One or One-Online? By Marcia Passos Duffy, Special to R&I - 05/15/2008
When Starbucks closed its doors from coast to coast for three hours on a February evening to retrain baristas in the art of espresso-making, it not only made a splash in the media, but also it sent a clear message to foodservice businesses: Face-to-face training was Starbucks’ preferred method to boost sales and rejuvenate one of the best-known and most-profitable brands.
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Starters Chris Muller, Professor, University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management June 30, 2008 Authenticity and Wellness
Why, in a time of economic downturn, with the housing collapse and high gasoline pric... More
Starters Chris Muller, Professor, University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management June 13, 2008 Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Today it’s tomatoes and salmonella. A while back it was spinach and E. coli. Ad... More
Starters Chris Muller, Professor, University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management November 8, 2007 Let’s Play “Fantasy Restaurants”
Which is the better strategy—adding restaurant brands to your portfolio or remo... More
Paul Prudhomme-The View from New Orleans
Legendary chef Paul Prudhomme takes a nostalgic look back at Crescent City dining before Hurricane Katrina. This proud ambassador for New Orleans also predicts the future of the city’s restaurants and how they will help rebuild the city’s stature and culture
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