As members of the foodservice industry were in Chicago for the National Restaurant Association's annual trade show this past May, a tornado touched down in Moore, Okla., creating a 17-mile path of destruction so devastating that it seemed like something that came out of a horror movie. Like so many people around the country, and in the foodservice industry in particular, our company felt moved to help.
Or, customer engagement in an age of virtualization. Sometimes there is just no substitute for meeting with a customer or business partner face to face.
That's how Chef Kevin Hickey of The Four Seasons Chicago referred to FE&S' Dealer of the Year and Industry Awards Gala while addressing the crowd at this year's event.
I write this with mixed feelings. My wife Nancy and I have been planning for and looking forward to my retirement day for quite some time. I certainly welcome the freedom that comes with retirement, yet at the same time I will miss the daily involvement with my friends and colleagues in the wonderful foodservice industry.
Built-in obsolescence — it's a concept that the consumer electronics industry has made fashionable. How many cell phones do you have in a drawer at home that you can no longer use? How many computers do you have that you no longer use? The sad truth is that all forms of technology have become disposable in today's society.
From renovations to computer systems, equipment to uniforms — restaurant costs have a tendency to add up quickly. We can always keep a renovation basic or chalk up the cost of a new piece of refrigeration equipment to its investment value, but the one area where it can be more challenging to manage is the cost of food.
College and University Foodservice: Sophisticated, Convenient, Comfortable and Sustainable by Design
In some respects, college and university foodservice is very much like its peers in the business and industry segment. Both face the challenge of keeping customers on campus and trying to address their need for speed of service in a flexible environment that meets a variety of tastes without compromising food quality. But to remain relevant, today's college and university foodservice operators need to keep learning and growing, much like the student populations they serve.
Changing a mindset is a difficult task for anyone. But I believe that for you and your company to remain relevant in the coming years you will need to do exactly that.
Wow! It is hard to believe that this issue of FE&S marks the halfway point of 2013. Joe Carbonara and the entire editorial team have managed to bring you stories from all over the United States, giving you our take on the people and projects making a difference in the foodservice equipment and supplies community.
An interview with Cassidy Martin, Manufacturer Program Coordinator, General Parts, LLC
A Q&A with Angelo Mojica
Culture can be a tricky thing. So many companies today say they want to be one type of organization but their actions typically indicate they're headed in a completely different direction. When it comes to corporate culture, having two divergent paths can cause all sorts of problems from an operational perspective and that impacts customer service and, ultimately, it shapes customers' perception of your brand.
I've always maintained that if a manufacturers' representative, either independent or factory based, does not call on me, then I can safely assume they will not assist my firm in taking care of our clients for any issue or potential problem that may happen once a piece of equipment is installed. This is still a relationship-based business, and we have built relationships with the reps to the point that the good ones know the type and quality of equipment we look for and will work with us as we design projects and specify equipment.
As the foodservice industry evolves, the way professionals within the industry educate themselves will continue to evolve as well. A big part of our editorial mission at FE&S is to continue to play an important role in that evolution.
We all know of the nursery rhyme about the little boy who put his finger in a leaking dyke to prevent water from flowing into his city. In the tale, his finger averts a potential flood as he contained the leak until help arrived to plug the hole. We all know water can be trickier than that and if one leak is plugged it will usually find another way to leak in because water always follows the least resistant path to where it is going.
An interview with Andrew D. O’Quinn Jr. vice president/contract director for Thompson & Little, Inc.
I was re-reading several past Parting Shot articles written by a variety of industry insiders, including dealers, manufacturers, operators, service agents and consultants. Not surprisingly, this feature consistently ranks among our most widely read sections of the magazine. The wisdom and passion that your peers express on the last page of Foodservice Equipment & Supplies often contains the most thought-provoking ideas that we print each month.
An interview with Gary L. Potvin, president of Pine Tree Food Equipment Inc.
As we prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of both the Commercial Food Equipment Service Association (CFESA) and Duffy's Equipment Service it struck me just how much the role of the service agent has changed over the past 50 years.
An interview with Patrick Malloy, area manager for Zink Foodservice Group.
