July 2011 Archives

Recycling has become an integral part of operations for most restaurants, according to a National Restaurant Association study conducted with Georgia-Pacific Professional. About two-thirds of restaurant operators (65 percent) said they have recycling programs.

The study found that fullservice operators (66 percent) and quickservice operators (64 percent) were neck-in-neck when it came to having a recycling program. And 17 percent of those operators who don't have recycling programs said they plan to start one in the next year.

The most common items recycled in restaurants are paper and cardboard, with 85 percent of study participants stating they recycle these items. Seventy percent of operators said they recycle aluminum or metal cans, while 68 percent recycle plastic and 62 percent recycle glass.

In addition, the recycling study found that 56 percent of operators with a recycling program said they recycle cooking oil or grease. Twenty-eight percent of restaurant operators also reported recycling food waste.

To learn more about the restaurant industry's recycling practices, download the study.

To effectively serve food in any establishment, it's important to focus on preventing cross contamination, or the transfer of microorganisms from one food or surface to another.

When you know how and where microorganisms are transferred, cross  contamination is simple to prevent. Here are some tips:

Creating physical barriers between food products is one way to prevent cross contamination. Create barriers in your operation by following these guidelines:

. Assign specific equipment to each type of food. Use one set of cutting boards, utensils and containers for raw poultry, another for raw meat, another for produce.

. Color-code cutting boards and utensils. Color-coding can tell employees which equipment to use with which food products.

. Ensure employees clean and sanitize all surfaces, equipment and utensils after each task. Make sure employees know which cleaners and sanitizers are needed for each job. Rinsing cutting boards isn't enough.

For more information on preventing cross-contamination in your operation, visit www.ServSafe.com.

Take a minute to examine the electrical panels and circuits at your restaurant. Are they properly marked? If not, you could be courting major headaches and expenses if you have an electrical problem, says Stephen Lawson, a master electrician in Columbia, S.C., who has worked with restaurants.
 
Imagine the chaos in your kitchen if ingredients and products weren't correctly labeled. Now consider what your electrician faces when he comes to your restaurant to troubleshoot a problem with a lighting fixture, for example, and he has no idea to which circuit it is wired.

If that happened at your home, the electrician simply might "flip" breakers. In your restaurant, which might have more circuits than an average residence, the problem could be become awfully time-consuming. Moreover, can you afford to interrupt power haphazardly to equipment and lighting right before or, forbid, during a busy shift at your restaurant?

Do you know what equipment is supposed to be plugged into which receptacles? Most modern commercial kitchen appliances require dedicated branch circuits to ensure reliable and compliant operation. It's easy for staff to plug appliances into available receptacles without thought to the power scheme as designed.

Consider how many times after cleaning the kitchen circuits become unreliable.  That's why lighting controls, mechanical equipment, cooking equipment and general-use receptacle circuits should be clearly identified and labeled with indelible markings.

Receive free business plans, restaurant server training manuals and restaurant profit tips of the week at www.RestaurantOwner.com.

Menu design is all about human psychology. That's been one of Sybil Yang's focuses for years as a doctoral student at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and now as an assistant professor at San Francisco State University.

Yang has conducted and written several studies on how we read, respond and comprehend menus when dining out, including studying the way our eyes move along a page when we read.

"Menus aren't going to make or break your operation, but they're there to capture that last bit of low-hanging fruit in an industry with already low profit margins," Yang says. "Menus are a way restaurants build trust between them and the guest, so you have to pay attention to how you want them to look and feel."

First, don't confuse the guest. "That's the worst case, when the guest feels lost and they don't know where to look." Menus that are packed with dishes and information and overloaded with text can be overwhelming and require servers to offer more assistance than typical.

This is why for years menu items have been listed in different categories, from appetizers to salads, to seafood and meat, entrees and desserts. Today, however, more restaurants seem to veer from strict categories into more natural progression of smaller to larger plates.

"As long as dishes are naturally progressive or somewhat categorized in some way, it allows the guest to find what they're looking for quickly," she says. It also allows them to explore and try new things they wouldn't have normally tried, she adds.

Instead of providing a strict "seafood" section -- where someone looking for a light meal automatically might go skip and skip other sections --  use more open, progressive menus to naturally encourage diners to try more creations. That can also lead to bigger tickets:multiple small dishes ordered at a table can add up fast.

Hidden card-processing fees could be taking a bite out of already slim restaurant margins. Although those fees add up to one of operators' greatest expenses, they can be difficult to manage.

Credit/debit card processing is usually one of restaurateurs' top three expenses, including labor and product costs. 

The National Restaurant Association's card-processing rate calculator can help restaurateurs educate themselves about how much they pay processors, Visa and MasterCard. They can also compare that to what other restaurants pay.

To use the calculator, restaurateurs enter four pieces of data from their most recent card-processing statement. Once you know your true costs, you can start controlling your expenses and put that money to better use within your operation.

Maintaining a clean and sanitary establishment not only requires an effective cleaning program, but it also demands a dedicated and properly trained staff. The National Restaurant Association's ServSafe food safety and training certification program ensures restaurant employees receive proper guidance to keep your operation -- and guests -- safe.

Help your employees understand the tasks and level of quality you expect. Use these guidelines to train your staff and ensure the cleanliness of your operation:

. Arrange a kick-off meeting to introduce the program to employees. Stress the importance of cleanliness as it pertains to food safety.

. Schedule enough time for employee training. Provide written cleaning procedures, and guide employees through the process step by step.

. Provide plenty of motivation. Reward employees for jobs well done.

You want your employees to be comfortable and confident in what you ask them to wear. And you want them to invite their families and friends to your restaurant and talk about their work with pride.

It's important to invest in attire that complements your operation and attracts and retains hospitality-minded employees. Here are a few tips to upgrade your uniforms and instill that comfort and confidence:

. Stay away from polyester polo shirts or unisex tops, advises Sarah van Aken, a custom designer from Philadelphia who has created wardrobes for the Gotham Bar & Grill, Marc Forgione and the Starr Restaurant Corporation. Those tops don't flatter many body types and can look sloppy when they don't fit right, she says.
  
. Invest in aprons. "Everyone has one, it's the most visible, and you can have a lot of fun with a simple apron," says van Aken, a former restaurant manager.

. Choose practicality over design trends. Van Aken is all about pockets and long-lasting quality fabric.

. Consider the marketing power. "A simple apron done right can look so special and become a conversation starter," van Aken says. "Plus they make a great take-away product for cooking classes or other events in your restaurant."

Receive more ideas, plus free business plans, server training manuals and restaurant profit tips at www.RestaurantOwner.com.

Inventory your daily, weekly and monthly maintenance responsibilities to develop a regular maintenance schedule. Then list the tasks to create a training checklist for employees.

Get started on your operation's maintenance checklist with these recommendations from H.G. Parsa, a professor at the University of Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management:

Daily tasks
. Clean all dining areas.
. Clean all food production and storage areas.
. Maintain the parking lot, dumpster/recycling areas, signage, etc.
. Organize all storage areas, including dry storage, refrigerated storage and freezer storage.
. Clean all equipment.
. Check walk-in coolers and freezers to make sure that they maintain proper temperatures.
. Check for cash register paper so you don't run out in the middle of the rush.
. Clean all cooking surfaces properly, and season them at the end of the night.
. Check the water heater closet, and remove clutter that could obstructi air flow. Obstruction of air flow is a fire hazard.

Weekly tasks
. Empty all ice bins. Rinse them with hot water first, then a sanitizer. Then fill ice bins so the cold plates stay cold.
. Empty all reach-ins and clean the fan guards. Make sure all vertical refrigerators and reach-in coolers are at least three inches from the wall to allow free flow of air. 
. Check all walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers to make sure all fan guards are clean and free from obstructions such as plastic wrap, etc.
. Check all dumpster and recycling areas, and make sure they are clean to keep bugs and rodents off the property.
. Check air fresheners in the restrooms to make sure they work properly.
. Check fryer coils for cleanliness. Turn off fryers, and clean the coils weekly.
. Check vacuum cleaner bags, and empty them regularly.
. Check interior and drive-thru signs to make sure all lights inside the menus work properly.
. Clean coffee machines for mineral buildup, as suggested by the manufacturer.
. Check all air vents in dining areas and kitchens to remove dust build-up.
. Do a surprise audit of the safe for the store bank and deposits.

Monthly tasks
. Calibrate all major equipment for proper temperatures.
. Thoroughly clean the exhaust hoods. Remove all exhaust filters and power-wash them.
. Check all three types of storage shelves for proper labeling and the first in, first out inventory-management system.
. Empty large and small ice-machine bins. Rinse them with hot water followed by a sanitizer. Don't forget to turn off the ice machine while cleaning the bin. When the bin is clean, turn on the machine again.

Quarterly tasks
. Empty all walk-in freezers. Transport all frozen food into the walk-in coolers. Turn off the freezer by flipping the circuit breaker. Thaw out the freezer first. Then clean the compressor vent followed by walls and floors. Word of caution: Don't keep food in the refrigerator too long or it could thaw out.
. Check all chairs and tables for missing screws, chips or damages.
. Inventory all china, silverware and glass for losses and pilferage.
. Check lawn sprinkler system for missing heads or leaks.
. Check the grease trap.
.Clean air-conditioner vents for dust and debris. Replace the air filter.
. Check the vacuum cleaner belts.

Restaurant companies continue to modify recipes to tweak the nutritional content of menu items. In some cases, they're responding to guest inquiries about healthful choices. In others, they're gearing up for federal regulations that will require them to disclose calories and other nutrition information.

Here are what a few National Restaurant Association members are doing:

.Au Bon Pain's "Portions" line offers 200-calorie snacks or desserts, along with lower-calorie, smaller-portion sweets. The company reformulated several products, including soups and breads, to reduce sodium and plans to continue reductions product by product.

. Chevys cut portion sizes of sour cream, guacamole and other items, reduced the amount of oil in certain dishes and increased the use of low-calorie flavorful broths. The company also cut sodium content by upgrading to sea salt. It also switched a lower-fat mozzarella cheese. 

. Corner Bakery boasts more than "100 Corner Combos," which have fewer than  600 calories each. They include "Mom's Tuna Salad Sandwich with Three Lentil Vegetable Soup" and "Turkey Pretzel Sandwich with Caesar Salad."

. McDonald's recently rolled out Fruit & Maple Oatmeal, salads with premium greens and other vegetables, and smoothies made with real fruit and low-fat yogurt.

. Moe's Southwest Grill has cut sodium in its dishes in half over the last two and a half years. In adjusting its recipes, the company replaced the salt it used with natural flavor enhancers and low-sodium sea salt. It decreased the amount of salt in other recipes. Moe's continues to looking for ways to reduce calories in other menu items.

Find out how to boost the nutrition profile of your menu. National Restaurant Association partner Healthy Dining can help you modify your offerings.