In order to meet new USDA mandates, school foodservice operators are learning how to better leverage their equipment packages to make the most of their often tight budgets.

Operating from an 80-year-old, 48,000-square-foot central commissary was not only becoming inefficient and expensive, but it also posed a significant challenge for the foodservice staff at the Granite School District in Salt Lake City.

Heading into the 2008-09 school year, the State of Rhode Island wanted to improve nutrition in its foodservice operation. To achieve this goal, the state sought ways to add more fruits and vegetables to the menu in a way that was appealing to students, and to utilize as much locally grown product as possible.

If Arizona is the birthplace of the breakfast/lunch restaurant concept, the 21-year-old U.S. Egg Restaurant is one of this segment's pioneers.

When Phil Burke and his wife Debbie opened the first Scrambler Marie's Breakfast Bistro 22 years ago in Toledo, Ohio, the plan was to create a family restaurant with limited hours so the owners and staff would not have to sacrifice family time.

The increasing popularity of breakfast paired with the efficiencies of a single-shift operation have these limited-service restaurants, which specialize in breakfast and lunch, rising and shining.

On a visit to Italy, Philadelphia chef and restaurant owner Marc Vetri was overcome by the large beer culture that was beginning to evolve. Inspired by beer-centric restaurants abroad and in the United States, Vetri opened his first gastro pub, Alla Spina, just two months ago.

When partners Paul Kahan, Donnie Madia, Terry Alexander and Eduard Seitan teamed up to open The Publican in Chicago about four years ago, the original plan was to create an authentic gastro pub. In this case, the best laid plan went awry with positive results.

Innovative menus and craft brews drive the operational requirements for this emerging segment of the foodservice industry.

As the economic environment continues to improve, the outlook for business and industry foodservice begins to look a little brighter. Just like other foodservice segments, though, providing a high-quality product that does not compromise speed of service represents a defining attribute among the successful operators.

Especially in today's economy, businesses recognize that time is money. Despite a slower economic environment, a growing number of companies continue to invest in their business and industry foodservice operations as a way to drive efficiency.

Coming into the B&I industry in 2003 after working as a food and beverage manager for the Ritz-Carlton, Damian Monticello, now corporate foodservice liaison with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, quickly realized he was entering a different world entirely.

When the first Fatburger opened in Los Angeles back in 1952, it was a local hamburger joint with a diner motif. Today, there are more than 100 locations in California and Nevada, with sites planned for South Korea, Dubai, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

When Bull City Burger and Brewery opened its doors in March of last year, the goal was not only to serve burgers its customers would come back for, but also to play an integral part in the cycle of energy from the farms it sources.

The senior care foodservice segment is undergoing a transformation as more upscale restaurants continue to replace institutionalized dining halls. As a result, today’s residents have more dining options, including snack bars, bistros, pubs, hotel-like room service and catering.

As the tastes and needs of their clientele continue to evolve, so too must the way senior care facilities manage their foodservice operations. Such is the case with Atria on the Hudson, an Ossining, N.Y.-based senior care facility with more than 60 residents.

Those who are skeptical about the quality of foodservice programs in today’s senior care facilities would be pleasantly surprised by the operations at Legacy Retirement Communities in Lincoln, Neb. Alongside the casseroles, chicken fried steak and other traditional comfort food are menu items reminiscent of an upscale steakhouse, such as beef tenderloin, lobster and prime rib.

Hotels are placing a renewed focus on food and beverage sales. This is because the segment has discovered that a distinguishable restaurant is a draw not only for overnight guests but also for locals. In other words, it’s a win-win.

Just about everything at Milwaukee’s Iron Horse Hotel has a story attached to it. The 100-year-old warehouse it inhabits was initially built for a bedding company and then became home to a box company in 1927 and finally was transformed into a cold storage facility from 1955 until 2005.

Even though the Heathman Hotel and Heathman Restaurant and Bar are two different businesses, the operations are symbiotic.

These operators continue to leverage small yet efficient footprints to serve multiple dayparts. Most people would associate a menu containing gourmet deli sandwiches, grilled items and from-scratch pizza with a family-style restaurant or quick-service operation.

Competing in the crowded pizza segment is a challenge for any restaurant, let alone a retail convenience store chain. Yet, Casey's General Store, a 1,600-store chain based in Ankeny, Ia., has more than competed — it has thrived.

Although in the convenience store business since the early '60s, family-owned Rutter's Farm Stores started as a retail dairy operation in the 1920s. Now with 56 stores in five south-central Pennsylvania counties, the chain has distinguished its operations with an extensive foodservice offering.

Even though it has been six years since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the region continues to deal with the devastation and is still in the midst of rebuilding efforts. After its 52,000-sq.ft. cook-chill facility was left completely underwater due to the epic storm, Sheriff Marlin Gusman of the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office took temporary action to keep his operation running.

Housed in two buildings, the 829-bed Hennepin County Adult Detention Center, operated by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, is the largest pretrial facility in Minnesota. Each year, the Sheriff's Office books approximately 40,000 inmates. Commonly referred to as the Hennepin County Jail, the facility is one of only two in the state to utilize cook-chill production. The production kitchen opened in 2001.

Factors such as unskilled labor and shrinking budgets are not handcuffing these foodservice operators as they leverage easy-to-use equipment to serve large volumes of food on a daily basis.

A sharp contrast to sleek coffeehouses with high-end finishes, the ambiance of Actual Café in Oakland, Calif., mirrors its diverse, urban surroundings.

Even a thriving business can be reborn, transformed and achieve even greater success after its recreation.