Well, as hard as it might be to believe, it’s time to look at 2011 in either a rear view mirror or with a backup camera, depending on your commitment to pointless modern technology. (Really…we can’t turn around anymore?).

The Arab Spring has given way to the Euro Fall and perhaps at no point since WWII have Americans felt so beholden to the twists and turns of world events. Japan, the world’s second largest economy, was both shaken and stirred by a great tsunami. JoePa, Papandreou and Berlusconi are out: Siri, social networking and Watson are in.

Here at FE&S, we have done our level best to remain focused on satisfying the needs of our readers; people working in the sometimes unheralded profession of foodservice. I am referring, of course, to the dealers, operators, and consultants who buy, sell, and recommend foodservice equipment and supplies, plus, the technicians who service the same.

It may not always seem particularly important to the folks on Wall Street, occupying and otherwise, or to the dignitaries at the G20 who will displace the NRA Show in Chicago next spring, but the 8.5 billion dollar foodservice equipment industry has never required or requested a bailout. As we recover globally from financial calamity visited upon us by a contagion borne of fully leveraged collateralized debt obligations, over the next year or the next decade, depending on which expert you listen to, one thing is certain: people will continue to need to eat, and, at least in the US, it appears that many of those meals will occur away from home.

Here at FE&S our response in 2011 has been to invest in doing more and better proprietary research to benefit the readers of FE&S and our advertisers. We have improved the look and feel of the print magazine while working to increase our circulation among operators. We recognize that the way you consume media is changing and so we have sought to facilitate the inexorable move to digital consumption by improving and quietly redesigning our website, making the digital edition of the magazine readily available, and creating a free iPad app for FE&S.

We took all these steps while keeping our eyes trained on FE&S’ main objective: to be the must read source for information covering this great industry.

Looking forward to 2012, we are accepting submissions for our Performance in Tabletop Awards, the winners to appear in the February issue. Judging will take place on January 6th, so please check out the contest guidelines at fesmag.com or on page 17 and make sure that your project receives the recognition that it deserves.

Of course, you are always invited to nominate a dealer sales rep who continues to set the standard for service and product knowledge through our DSR of the Month award. Just send an email to Joe Carbonara, editor in chief, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..