On a much more frequent basis, foodservice professionals need to justify capital projects as facilities age, equipment fails or customers demand new services. At the same time, the C-suite faces increased financial pressures, which result in the organization's most valuable capital projects requiring funding approval before moving forward. This combination becomes challenging for operators when, by nature, foodservice capital projects face tough scrutiny. Without a solid financial analysis detailing the return on investment (ROI), a project stands little chance for approval.
Last year I got up on my soap box and wrote an article entitled "A Climate of Denial." The article discussed how the foodservice equipment industry's business model changed to one where everyone buys direct thus destroying or eliminating entire channels of distribution. For years I have written articles for publications and never received a response like this: 254 emails or phone calls. And these calls and letters weren't to touch base but to share opinions.
If there is one lesson that I have learned well through my association with FE&S over the years, it is the tremendous value of peer recognition. I have listened spellbound as award winners from DSR of the Year to Hall of Famer to Top Achievers to Dealer of the Year have graciously accepted their place among the very best in the industry at the FE&S Dealer of the Year and Industry Awards Gala.
The expectations for today's foodservice operations continue to mount. The net result is that the process to design and build a new foodservice operation or remodel an existing one has never been more complex
A couple of years ago the Wounded Warrior Unit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center made headlines for all of the wrong reasons. The facility was outdated and in poor shape. Simply put, the facility was beneath the level of quality that the U.S. soldiers who had sacrificed so much for our country deserved.
In the past full-service restaurants could insulate themselves somewhat from the impact of higher prices, as long as they were better than fast-food venues in customer satisfaction. But this is no longer the case, ACSI reported.
Zero food waste is the next frontier in going green for foodservice operators.
Yoshinoya America Inc. is a 1,600-unit global restaurant chain based in Japan, with 90-plus franchisees throughout California and Nevada.
I am an outgoing person and have my father to thank for that. Throughout my childhood, my dad would take me places and introduce me to attorneys, doctors and other professional people. This social upbringing helped shape my 38-year career in the foodservice industry because it taught me to respect people and enjoy their company.
Almost like a celebrity on a red carpet, food waste has begun to receive significant attention within the foodservice industry. This has occurred, in part, as a result of increased interest in foodservice sustainability and early regulatory requirements to remove food waste from landfills in places like Seattle and San Francisco.
In a world full of me-too competitors, it is sometimes difficult to recognize true innovation. I was struck by this thought as I read this month's facility design project, which profiles Danforth Dining Hall. Much of what this University of Rochester project features will seem somewhat familiar to you: open prep areas, vegetarian and vegan options, Mongolian grill, and air conditioning. (It's OK to smile if you hadn't realized that there were still places in the continental United States that, up to this point, thought they could get by without air conditioning.)
We are especially excited to bring you this July edition of FE&S. Inside you will find a photo recap of this year's Dealer of the Year and Industry Awards Gala. We enjoyed a record turn-out this year and feel particularly good about that fact given the change in date necessitated by NATO's visit to the Windy City.