Trends

Keeping the foodservice equipment marketplace up to date with the latest menu and concept trends.

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Stadium foodservice operators leverage a variety of equipment to execute diverse menus out in front of the watchful eyes of their customers.

A division of Stanford University's Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE), Stanford Dining strives to be more than just a foodservice provider. Instead, food is promoted as a multidisciplinary educational experience.

While the University of Louisville football team is scoring on the field its fans are having similar success at the concession stands thanks to a $71 million renovation project that enhanced the offerings available to patrons.

The University of Oklahoma's dining program is popular with its students, and it's no wonder. There are more than 30 restaurants in 14 locations on or near campus.

When Minneapolis' Target Field opened last spring, it became known as more than just the home of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball team. The 40,000-seat venue's foodservice program showed just how far stadium fare has come over the years.

College and university foodservice has undergone a major overhaul in recent years.

With the economic climate slowly starting to rebound, here is a look at what steps foodservice operators should take to ensure their businesses are ready to take advantage of the improved business conditions.

Is social networking valuable to campus dining? For today's high school and college students, social networking is a very important facet of everyday life. This instantaneous connection with friends new and old provides a lifeline of existence. But it can also have an impact on how labor is deployed and the operation's ability to drive some last-minute foot traffic.

While the future of healthcare in the U.S. remains unclear, one thing that remains certain is that sooner or later nutritional disclosure will be a mandate that foodservice operators will need to address.

When foodservice operators elect to make changes to their businesses, many of them choose to start small or with the least complex aspect of the project and move forward from there. Well, when it came to implementing a recycling program for its units here in the United States, Pret A Manger took the opposite approach.

From Sous Vide to Pickling to Liquid Nitrogen and a few others, this month's Specifier takes a closer look at these foodservice operator defined trendy preparation techniques and the operational considerations associated with them.

From iPads to combi ovens to high-tech ice machines, there seems to be no shortage of technological innovations available to foodservice operators today. The challenge is sifting through all the promise the various forms of technology offer to find a solution that will enhance the customer experience and provide a positive return on the foodservice operation's investment.

Both consumer and commercial grade products can earn Energy Star ratings. But the testing that goes into achieving this rating can differ dramatically depending on product category. Such is the case with commercial kitchen equipment.

Hot food holding equipment can support a variety of foodservice operations. Some key market segments for this product include catering, school foodservice, supermarkets, prisons and healthcare. Basically, any foodservice operator that needs to keep warm a specific menu item for a period of time can use a piece of hot food holding equipment.

In researching its article "The Truth and Consequences about Energy Star," FE&S requested an interview with a representative from Energy Star and the Environmental Protection Agency. Unfortunately, the EPA could not arrange an interview but its media relations department did provide answers via email to the six questions submitted by FE&S. Below please find the EPA's responses to FE&S' questions about the Energy Star program.