Three veteran foodservice consultants provide their take on some of the leading foodservice trends and the related design and equipment issues.
While weathering the economic storm of the past two years, foodservice operators have had to deal with a plethora of factors as they try to get their businesses back on track and plan for their futures.
Brad Barnes, CMC, the first NAFEM endowed professor at the Culinary Institute of America, says getting the most out of attending The NAFEM Show starts with doing your homework and creating a plan well before your plane touches down in Orlando. It also takes being proactive on the show floor. Here's his one-two punch strategy for working the show:
Several industry-leading consultants share their perspectives on operator trends and developments when it comes to planning for their facilities and purchasing foodservice equipment and supplies.
As a result of a waste management initiative that focused on a pair of corporate cafeterias, Intel and Bon Appetit developed some best practices in food handling and waste reduction. Here are a few lessons they learned and how they have been applied in Intel’s two Hillsboro, Ore., dining facilities.
Updating an existing concept can be as exciting as it is challenging. In order to generate the right return on investment, it is important to understand what’s driving the need for change and how that impacts customer expectations.
The concept of waste management continues to gain traction within the foodservice industry. That’s probably due to the fact that better management of food waste can positively impact a business in multiple ways.Namely by lowering operating costs and lessening the facility’s impact on the environment.
Thanks to a focus on value and convenience, the B&I segment seems poised for a comeback.
Although the unique name is unfamiliar to those living outside of Columbia, S.C., to its many loyal customers "Lizard's Thicket" is synonymous with down-home Southern cooking.
Five foodservice professionals share their thoughts on what individuals and companies need to do to cultivate the next wave of talent that will propel the industry forward.
Facing pressure from QSRs and other competitors, the family-dining segment continues to focus on its core competencies – namely breakfast and lunch – to meet consumers' needs.
For a gourmet meal, head on over to … the food court?
Battered by the recession and competition from non-mall retailers, shopping centers are trying to attract customers with a decidedly upscale culinary hook.
Burger joints and smoothie shops are giving way to sushi bars and churrascarias. Flatware is replacing plastic utensils. And forget grungy cafeteria seating with the sticky table tops and fluorescent lighting. Now customers are chowing down in Wi-Fi-equipped patios with lush landscaping, waterfalls, fireplaces and city and ocean views.
Years ago, Steven Polen, 59, would have never ventured to a mall to eat. But he recently headed to Westfield Century City just to have lunch at its food court, now called the “dining terrace” following a posh makeover.
The calendar may be rolling over to fall from summer, but the food safety season never ends for the foodservice industry. This article takes a look at some developments in this area offers a few tips as to how operators and other foodservice professionals can help maintain food-safe environments.
Value engineering is a term that both design and MAS consultants either fear or shun. But for designers who specify foodservice equipment, value engineering represents an unfortunate reality, and one they may have faced to a greater extent in the last couple of years because of a damaged economy that has resulted in tighter than normal budgets.
Eric Norman of MVP Services in Dubuque, Ia., however, has a solution for this issue that has worked well for him in assisting foodservice operators from all industry segments. Known as single-source and pick-three specification, it's an approach that Eric's father Ed taught him, and it is something other consultants might use, too.
Durable equipment and supplies represent a key ingredient as foodservice operators continue to feed Americans' seemingly insatiable appetite for these Italian pies.
