Where’d That Come From?

Ever wonder that while at the grocery store while pondering a stack of vegetables or a pack of meat? Well you should soon be able to find out.

New food labeling rules are set to kick in after September 30 when the law being called the “country of origin labeling” law kicks in. While many products that currently do not have labels now will, that will not be the case for everything. Many products that should fall under this new law will not have to be labeled, simply because they are considered processed. A few of these items that are made from fresh foods that have to be labeled but are considered processed: roasted nuts, meats that have been marinated, and bagged salads, to name a few.

So check out this article to get a better understanding of where you can expect to see these new labels and where you should still be concerned.

Aperitif? Non, merci.

Americans aren’t the only diners reigning in their dietary budgets these days…  Incredibly—almost impossibly—so are the French.

 

“It strikes at the cultural heart of Europe, for the French, with their 35-hour weeks and two-hour lunches, have long set the leisurely eating standard to which the rest of the Continent always aspired. It established perspective and showed a respect for human dignity. If it goes, something rather deep will wither in the European soul.”

-Seattlepi.com from The Independent

 

To me, this is fairly unexpected coming from the country that brought us baguettes, an appreciation for fabulous wine, brie and various other stinky cheese delights.  But it seems no one is immune to today’s toughing economy.

 

The strange part of it is that instead of adapting to the new French dining style (no aperitif, no end-of-meal coffee, etc.), some restaurateurs are reacting with indignation.  The aforementioned SeattlePI.com article even says angry restaurateurs have kicked patrons out for refusing to order an aperitif.  The article notes that 3,000 restaurants have gone under in the first six months of this year, and customer visits are down anywhere from 15% to 30%.  While indignation may be the first gut reaction to such a loss of revenue, this also seems like an opportunity for restaurants to woo budget-conscious diners.

 

I read articles daily about American restaurateurs doing this very thing.  Some have redecorated and redone menus to reflect a more casual (and less expensive) restaurant.  Some offer smaller meal sizes at cheaper rates.  Most seem to be stressing the meal’s value for the price.  In all cases, these restaurant operators are adapting to their customer’s changing needs. 

 

In all fairness, I imagine a great many French restaurateurs are also adapting to the changing times.  (And I know from experience that rudeness is not a natural trait of French people, not even servers!)  But this Seattlepi.com article illustrated one perfect example of what restaurants should NOT do if they want to survive tough times: give up.

Chefs to the Rescue

After September 11, 2001, an organization called ChefRelief.org was formed (read an article about the group here). The group, which came out of the Research Chef Association, is made of chefs who work to feed people when there is a time of need (FEMA, the Salvation Army, and the Red Cross all accept this group).

When Hurricane Katrina hit the group shifted their focus to New Orleans and began to get as much food as possible to those who needed it in that area. And recently, when Hurricane Gustav was about to hit Texas the group once again shifted their focus. They moved resources in to place so they would be able get in to help feed those in need as soon as possible. Once the hurricane hit (both with Katrina and Gustav) the organization was ready to help those who greatly needed it.

This is a great organization, made up of chefs who really care about their fellow citizens and who want to make a difference. To learn more about this organization check out its web site.

Dine Out and End Childhood Hunger

That’s right.  Going out to eat any day from September 21st through September 28th could help end childhood hunger in America.  But the key is to eat at a participating restaurant.

The program is called the Great American Dine Out and it is being put on by Share Our Strength, a national organization dedicated to eliminating childhood hunger in America.  To make it super simple for you, I’ve got the link to the participating-restaurant-finder right here.  Just go on over to the site, punch in your zip code, and you’ll find a list of restaurants nearby who have agreed to make donations to the cause–based on traffic to their stores during the event.  Some restaurants will donate a portion of their profits while others might donate all profits from a particular dish, and still others may handle their donations in some other way.  It might be best to ask the management when you go out to eat; in that way, you can be sure your dining out dollars are going toward the cause–AND you can send the signal that you support local restaurants who show a dedication to their community.

So where’ll it be?  I think I’ll be divying up my time amongs the three nearest participating stores: Monical’s Pizza, McAlister’s Deli, and Lone Star Steakhouse.  If you’re in the Chambana area, maybe I’ll see you there!

Restaurants Tackle Allergens

A major issue in any restaurant is the possibility of a customer accidentally ingesting something they are allergic to. This is why restaurants post warnings listing possible allergens that food may come into contact with and why servers are trained on what is in each dish so that they can accurately answer when someone asks.

This article details the way that Milwaukee restaurants are handling this issue. Check it out to see if they have any new ideas you may not have thought of.

What do you do at your business to address this problem? Any tips for other business owners? Let us know in the comments.

No, REALLY–how is the food?

When your server stops to ask how your meal is, how often do you give a truly honest answer?  Most of the time, the question sounds similar to an acquaintance asking, “How’s it going?”—to which you are absolutely expected to reply, “Fine” or some similarly short affirmative.

 

There are times when I’m honest with my server—namely when the food is extremely bad or extraordinarily good.  Those meals that fall somewhere in between, however, I tend to keep my comments to myself.  Based on a mediocre meal, I’ll simply avoid that restaurant in the future.  It’s a sad irony that there may actually be a better chance of me returning to a restaurant where I had a terrible meal—because those places may just make it up to me and convince me to give them another chance.

 

The trouble with this is that many a good restaurant may end up on my blacklist.  Based on feedback to a Chow.com story on this topic, it seems that a lot of restaurant owners wish their customers would speak up.  Certainly, there will always be those who are unreasonable in their complaints, but the people who leave quietly disappointed are arguably worse because their business may be lost forever without the chance to make amends.  (Those who go on to post their complaints on Chow or Yelp are another breed altogether.)

 

Constructive criticism allows restaurant owners and/or chefs the opportunity to improve.  This seems especially important at independent operations where the menu is potentially more malleable; your critique may inspire their next special!

 

But what will push the average customer to give the meal an honest critique?  I think a lot of this comes down to service.  Does the server show sincere concern for the guest’s opinion?  I’ve spent too much time lately at restaurants where the servers can’t seem to be bothered with attending to their guests’ needs, let alone listen to guest opinions.  In situations like these, retraining the waitstaff may be in order.  For a restaurant’s servers to take an interest in the customer experience, the management needs to first.

 

In fact, when a chef/manager/owner has the time to make a trip to the dining area and speak with diners, it leaves a great impression.  Management like that shows both the staff and the customers that great food and great service is their priority, and it’s likely they’ll be rewarded for the gesture.

Are You Viral?

Seen any viral videos lately? You probably have, unless you live under a rock.

Burger King does a lot of them. They use them to make their company and products look cool and get the word out about their company. And now Wendy’s is getting in on the act. They now have a viral video of lettuce eating one of their Baconator sandwiches (you know, the one with no vegetables on it).

So, have you gone viral? What’s your favorite viral video out there? Least favorite? Have you ever made a viral video? Would you? How could your video help your business.

Restaurant Decor Makeovers to Draw Casual Diners

Would you invest $75000 to take your upscale restaurant down to casual?  At least one restaurateur is doing just that in light of the tougher economy.  He’s changing his restaurant’s name and the restaurant decor to make the eatery more appealing to casual diners and families–and he’s calling it a great move in today’s economy.

So what do you think?  Is a fresh face a good investment for today’s restaurants and bars?  If you’re a restaurateur, what changes would you make to your own eatery if you could?  If you’re a foodie, what changes would you suggest for your favorite restaurants?

Get in on the Game

You’re reading this blog, so you obviously are online. But, are you on the Internet? This blog entry tells you about the importance of havign a presence online and how to make a great one for yourself.

And if you don’t believe the importance of being online yet, just read this article. It’s important to be on the web so that you can formulate your own presence, and not just hope others are nice when they talk about you. Being online can also help you communicate with customers (current and future) so you better know who you are catering to.

So while you relax this weekend take a few minutes to set up your presence on the web, your business will thank you.

Coffee Wars

While scanning the restaurant news of the day, I couldn’t help but be struck by the opposite ways that two restaurant giants are marketing their coffee.  First, there’s Starbucks with their new and mysterious coffee brewing machine known as the Clover.  They’re touting it as a brewing breakthrough–and in buying out the Clover manufacturer, they’re certainly putting their money where their (figurative) mouth is.  On top of that, Starbucks will be brewing “small batch” coffees with this miraculous machine.

Contrast that tactic with that employed by McDonalds, recently coming onto the scene with budget gourmet coffee.  Behold, unsnobbycoffee.com.  That website certainly has a few things going for it–tongue in cheek humor, a bit of fun at the expense of people who might be tempted to try the new Starbucks blends.  It also emphasizes price at a time when there are rumors that gourmet coffee is suffering the effects of a tough economy.

So I’m curious what people think about these two disparate marketing techniques….  My thoughts are that the two are actually appealing to different audiences–but for the short term, my bet is on McDonald’s to come out on top.  McD’s is targeting a group often ignored by higher end coffee shops–the budget coffee lover.  And at times like these, who isn’t on a budget?