NRN's - Operational SpotlightFri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTSwarms of customers and tons of media exposure for gourmet food trucks in Los Angeles and New York have would-be truckers in many other places eager to try mobile foodservice.JAMES SCARPAhttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=383794&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMT<p>Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. said Tuesday it created an independent purchasing cooperative to handle supply-chain purchases for both Wendy’s and Arby’s.</p>Elissa Elan http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=382278&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMT<p>As at most eateries, business at Asiatique Restaurant is down a bit. Yet the bottom line hasn't weighed as heavily on the mind of co-owner Pabs Sembillo nearly as much as the fear that some of his employees might leave.</p>Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=375702&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTWhen business is slow and managers cut staff, crews often complain that it's a challenge to maintain sanitation standards.Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=375700&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTFor as long as there have been restaurants, customers have been stealing meals. Known commonly as a "dine and dash," guests leave without paying, stiffing operators on the victuals, servers on their tips and leaving both parties asking why.Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=372934&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTFor servers already loaded with side work, cleaning a touchscreen is just one more task on a lengthy list, said Thomas Kapfhammer, general manager at Rocky's Italian Grill in Jeffersonville, Ind. But with servers' hands moving from dirty plates and glassware to money, to doors and to the POS terminal, it's a necessary step.Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=372928&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMT<p>The pending federal minimum wage increase to $7.25 per hour appears to be ruffling few feathers as its July 24 effective date nears.</p>Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=369882&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTWhen the federal minimum wage hike takes effect July 24, some operators could be tempted to slash labor to protect profits. But stretching staffs too thin can make for sloppy sanitation, especially at the close of a shift, say those in the know.Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=369880&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTIn selling online ordering to the restaurant industry, tech providers have promised and delivered a sales tool that saves labor and streamlines the traditional ordering process.Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=366850&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTWhen the Murphy Adams Restaurant Group bought Mama Fu's Asian House from Raving Brands nearly two years ago, chief executive Randy Murphy — already a Mama Fu's franchisee — wanted to add online ordering and delivery to the 14-unit chain's service options. Murphy believed customers would use both, and there was little competition in the fast-casual segment for either service.Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=366858&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMT<p>Chris Bright may not be a scientific genius, but the president of 88-unit zpizza says he smartly recognized chaos theory at work at his Newport, Calif.-based chain two years ago.</p>Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=364188&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTCall centers are terrific for handling phone orders smoothly and accurately, but their very necessity means a restaurant operation likely has a delivery operation. And when food leaves a restaurant's premises, there's always the potential for product contamination due to temperature changes between preparation and consumption — or even worse, deliberate manipulation.Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=364208&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMT<p>At Pizza Patrón's 2007 franchisee conference, founder and CEO Anthony Swad unveiled a drawing of the company's store of the future: a freestanding, pad-built 1,200 square-foot unit with a veritable three-way freeway of distribution points: an exterior order window, an inside order counter and a drive-thru window, the chain's first.</p>Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=362124&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTWhen it comes to inventory management, everyone knows FIFO means "first in, first out." But when it comes to food safety at Pizza Patrón, FIFO could also mean "fast in, fast out."Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=362120&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMT<p>As the old saw goes, it's the little things that most often defeat us, not the big ones. Chef Todd Richards knows this lesson all too well.</p>Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=360988&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTLast year when chef Todd Richards was planning a new restaurant, One Flew South, he and his partners wanted to include a sushi bar. The bar would be a dining room showpiece, and its food would help accent the restaurant's "southernational" blend of southern and international cuisines.Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=360986&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTOperational efficiencies, green initiatives and strategies to offset economic woes were key topics of discussion at a recent roundtable that brought together eight foodservice executives from all industry segments. The event, sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive Co., was held at the Gaylord National Resort &amp; Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., during Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators Conference.http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=360638&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTTwenty years ago The Popcorn Report predicted work-weary Americans would someday begin “cocooning,” huddling at home with family for quiet meals and entertainment. And amid the gloom of the recession, that prophecy has proven true, but not necessarily for the sake of feel-good family time. Folks are cost-cutting as much as cocooning at dinner, and that means fewer seats are filled at restaurants. But some operators also see it as a fresh opportunity to explore or grow their delivery service.Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=360058&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMT<p> November 10 2008 Delivery poses unique food-safety challenges Steve Coomes It’s one thing to manage food safety from the kitchen to the dining room, but it’s another matter to ensure that delivered food is still safe. The food de</p>Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=360056&menu_id=1400Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:05:50 GMTThink you're up for an operational challenge? Strap on one of these.<br />Steve Coomeshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=359320&menu_id=1400