Leading the Culinary Lifestyle Segment With Christopher Hunsberger of Appellation
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | November 8, 2023
F&B/ FF&E
The Future of Casual Dining: What to Expect
Court Williams | November 9, 2017
By Court Williams Targeting future audiences is a longstanding marketing strategy, and that's exactly what the casual dining restaurant industry is doing in a current effort to survive. Cracker Barrel's Holler and Dash, is a new chain with a fast-casual concept built around fresh-baked biscuits. With bare-brick walls and concrete floors, H&D is targeting a younger demographic than its parent chain. This is part of an industry-wide shift by outdated restaurant chains to reinvent themselves, by creating "offshoot" brands under a new name and image that are aimed at Millennials and younger diners. Downward Drift A casual dining industr...
Hotel Industry Pillars: You Sleep, You Dine
Georges Panayotis | November 7, 2017
By Georges Panayotis The two pillars of the hotel industry are accommodations and restaurants. A fresh wind is also blowing on the catering industry, with newcomers and changes in customer expectations and practices. The days when pubs served a single menu to employees at lunchtime and great dishes of French gastronomy graced starred table are fading. The Food & Beverages sector is emerging in a new light, sometimes with determination. Here again, digital companies such as Deliveroo, are multiplying the catchment area of restaurateurs without forgetting to take a substantial commission - any resemblance to hospitality players is not...
Bartech Demonstrates Latest Advances in Hotel Minibar Design and Technology at BDNY 2017
Bartech | November 7, 2017
Global leader in automated minibar innovation to showcase wireless eTray, Neotray and eDrawer solutions New York — November 7, 2017 — Bartech, a world leader in profit-generating automatic minibar solutions for the hospitality industry, is set to present hoteliers with the latest in minibar innovation at this year's upcoming Boutique Design New York (BDNY) show. Taking place November 12-13, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, BDNY attendees visiting booth #364 will have the opportunity to take part in live demonstrations of Bartech's innovative standalone eTray, as well as the adaptive Neotray guestro...
Hospitality Financial Leadership – Food Cost and the 80/20 Rule
David Lund | October 23, 2017
By David Lund We have all heard of the 80/20 rule. But I am willing to bet most of you have not heard it in conjunction with the words "food cost." A good friend of mine who was an executive chef explained it to me and I am going to share it with you. So first off, the 80/20 rule states that 80 percent of any result comes from 20 percent of the activity. In food cost, what Chef taught me is the 80 percent of the food cost comes from only 20 items. That's right—the top 20! What he explained was so simple and powerful. Identify the top 20 food items your hotel buys using the dollar value of those items. It takes a bit ...
Foxwoods Casino Goes All In With BirchStreet Procure-To-Pay Suite
BirchStreet Systems, Inc. | October 11, 2017
Newport Beach, CA – October 11, 2017 – Foxwoods Resort Casino has chosen the BirchStreet Procure-To-Pay suite for its entire campus of casinos, restaurants, hotels and convention spaces. The Mashantucket, Conn. property, which is the largest resort casino in North America, will use the BirchStreet eProcurement, AP 3-Way Auto-Matching, Food & Beverage Inventory Control, Recipe Management and Capital Projects modules. They will rely on BirchStreet to meet procurement needs for both direct- and indirect-spend items across the Foxwoods campus. Foxwoods's evaluation found BirchStreet to be a user-friendly system, that, with i...
Can You Make a Beet Taste as Good as Bacon?
Stacey Dash | October 3, 2017
Food must taste good; people aren't willing to change behaviors for something that isn't equally as tasty as what they are eating today By Stacey Dash Can you really make a beet taste as good as bacon? Is free-range (insert protein) truly better for the environment? How do we help with the environmental problems, give people what they want to eat, and not assume the role of the "food police"? At the Menus of Change conference, hosted by The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard's School of Public Health and held in Hyde Park, N.Y., the agenda focused on the long-term, practical vision of integrating optimal nutrition and public heal...
Island Hospitality Management Selects BirchStreet eProcurement Platform
BirchStreet Systems, Inc. | September 27, 2017
Newport Beach, CA – September 27, 2017 – BirchStreet is pleased to announce that Island Hospitality Management selected the BirchStreet eProcurement platform for its entire hotel portfolio. West Palm Beach, Fla. based Island Hospitality Management operates a portfolio of 162 premium, select-service, upscale and extended-stay hotels under six different brands, located in 29 states and the District of Columbia. In selecting its eProcurement platform Island Hospitality had two primary criteria: to make it easy for its properties to order their food and beverage (F&B) items and for its hotel management and properties to be a...
Modern Food Service Challenges are Driven by the Modern Guest
Larry Steinberg | September 18, 2017
By Larry Steinberg, Sr. Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Agilysys Consumers want more options. For every practiced chef, there is a collective of guests eager to spend their hard-earned dollars on something exotic and different. They want to experience a bit of culture by way of their next meal, and they want to find it using the latest technology. How do businesses prioritize which technologies to embrace? How do they stay in business in such a saturated, competitive marketplace? How do they keep up with the constantly-expanding demands of consumers? This highly competitive landscape, combined with changing guest expectat...
Don’t Let Gift Shop Inventory Be a Drag on Your Bottomline – Clear Sky Software Has the Solution
Clear Sky Software | September 12, 2017
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – September 12, 2017 –Clear Sky Software, Inc. ® announced today the release of Clear Sky RETAIL for the hospitality industry. This new software allows hotels to track and control their gift shop items with speed, accuracy and efficiency. Clear Sky RETAIL is offered as a complement to the company's proven Food and Beverage inventory software and is available immediately for organizations desiring better inventory control in this department. Clear Sky RETAIL provides a more efficient way to order gift shop products, improves accuracy during the receiving process via automatic cost updating, and e...
Grab n’ Go Isn’t Going Anywhere Anytime Soon
Gary Isenberg | August 16, 2017
by Gary Isenberg The grab n' go outlet is the latest hotel food-and-beverage evolution. Don't make the mistake of thinking that it's just a trend. As a youngster, I recall summer after summer sitting in my parents' station wagon as we ventured on family vacations along the East Coast. When it was time to eat, we stopped at a Howard Johnson's. From the mid-1930s through the late 1970s, Howard Johnson's evolved from a single-unit restaurant in Milford, Connecticut, to more than 1,000 restaurants and 500 motor lodges. At that time, people preferred a more utilitarian food experience. We didn't—for the most part—seek different o...
Florida’s Historic Don CeSar Appoints Michael Molloy as Executive Chef
The Don CeSar | August 9, 2017
ST. PETE BEACH, FLA. (August 10, 2017) – The Don CeSar, the landmark property on the white sand beaches of St. Pete Beach, Fla., announces the appointment of Michael Molloy as Executive Chef. Molloy, who began his career at The Don CeSar 15 years ago, comes full circle to lead the culinary team of the 277-room historic hotel. In his new role, Molloy oversees all aspects of The Don CeSar's food & beverage program, ensuring culinary excellence across the hotel's restaurants, including the award-winning Maritana Grille, as well as the property's lounges, in-room dining and banquet offerings. He will also lead the reinvention of t...
BENCHMARK’s 2017 Food & Dining Trends: From Farmer Chefs to Sustainable Seafood, Millennials Drive Today’s Culinary Trends
August 9, 2017
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, August 2017 … Chefs become farmers, eggs are more edible than ever, the drinks of the '20s roar again, onions appear in jams and desserts, while the demand for sustainable fish is rising like the tide. It's largely driven by Millennials with adventurous tastes, disposable income and a good bit of nostalgia for the foods they may have missed growing up. "Chefs from Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and the Gemstone Collection are not just tracking culinary trends; they are setting them with a commitment to sustainability, quality and creativity," according to Todd Parmelee, vice president food & be...
Rethinking the Bread Basket
Larry Mogelonsky | July 27, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) When we go into a restaurant, a bread basket is all but an expectation. If we must ask for it, then there is a service problem! And for those restaurants who feel as though they can charge extra for this item, be warned that you certainly aren't winning customers over with your penny-pinching approach to F&B. Knowing how profound a role bread has played throughout the course of civilization, still to this day nothing sets the stage for a great meal better than a freshly prepared loaf. The smell of baked bread and the satisfaction of physically handling its chewy texture are both...
Manage Housekeeping Inventory with a New System from Clear Sky Software
Clear Sky Software | July 24, 2017
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – July 25, 2017 – Clear Sky Software, Inc. ® announced today the release of Clear Sky HOUSEKEEPING for the hospitality industry. This new software allows hotels and clubs to track and control their linens, supplies, uniforms and other housekeeping products. Clear Sky HOUSEKEEPING is offered as a complement to the company's proven Food and Beverage inventory software and is available immediately for organizations desiring better inventory control of these items. Clear Sky HOUSEKEEPING supports more efficient ordering and receiving of housekeeping products and an easier transfer of these products ...
Controlling Alcohol Risks Effectively® (CARE) Training Approved in Rhode Island
the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) | July 6, 2017
Orlando, Florida, July 2017—The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute's responsible alcohol service training program has been approved for use in Rhode Island. Controlling Alcohol Risks Effectively® (CARE) for Servers is now listed as a Certified Alcohol Server Training Program by the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Development Disabilities, and Hospitals. Both the print-based seminar and CARE Online training are approved for use. CARE for Servers is a one-day seminar that prepares servers with the proper knowledge of how to handle the challenges of responsible alcohol service. During the program...
New Tableware Inventory System Available from Clear Sky Software
Clear Sky Software | June 27, 2017
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – June 27, 2017 – Clear Sky Software, Inc. ® announced today the release of Clear Sky TABLEWARE for the hospitality industry. This new software allows hotels, clubs, convention centers, restaurants and other food and beverage outlets to manage and control their china, glassware, flatware and linens. Clear Sky TABLEWARE is offered as a complement to the company's proven Food and Beverage inventory software and is available immediately for organizations desiring better inventory control of these items. Clear Sky TABLEWARE supports more efficient ordering and receiving of tableware goods and easier...
The United Kingdom’s Future of Food Health and Safety in the Digital Age
David Teasdale | June 20, 2017
By David Teasdale Firstly, it's important to know what's happening. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has pledged to change the way food businesses are monitored by 2020. For starters: there will be a renewed focus on the consumer having the right to make culinary choices based on fact, not fabrication. That means the FSA will be doing everything in its power to make sure food is exactly what it claims to be. Dining out is a growing trend, and for the past decade there has been year on year growth in the number of breakfasts, lunches and dinners that are being consumed in the nation's cafés and restaurants. Food industry insight co...
Top 10 Selling Minibar Snacks for 2017 That Guests Love!
Minibar Systems | June 16, 2017
Minibar sales are driven by guest's impulses especially with comfort food and name brand recognition. Everyone always asks me "What are the top selling snacks out of the minibar?" says Walt Strasser, Executive Vice President at Minibar Systems, the Rockville, MD based global minibar supply company. "We are unique in that we track all product sales through our systems so we can monitor trends to better assist our client hotels with menu engineering and planning," says Strasser. The graphic above shows guest's desires when in the privacy of their hotel rooms. Unlike traditional stores or boutiques, the minibar sales are driven by guest's ...
Minibar Systems Releases Major Global Software (S3) Upgrade for SmartCube Automated Minibars
Minibar Systems | June 15, 2017
SmartCube, the world's most popular fully automated minibar gets a major upgrade. The long awaited next generation version of Minibar Systems award winning S3 software for SmartCube automated minibars is being unveiled at this year's HITEC show in Toronto June 27-29. The new S3 software incorporates many enhanced features requested by hotels to give them further control over client centric operations and guest satisfaction. The new S3-V3, has a new robust set of features including credits to guests, exacting inventory and expiration date control, customizable alarm reporting and flat icon driven user touchpoint for ease of use by hotel ...
Minibars Are Heating up for 2017 as Hotels Seek to Increase Incremental Guestroom Revenue
Minibar Systems | June 14, 2017
What's the new trend in Minibars these days? Outsourcing (Let the experts do it) Many smaller to mid-sized hotels (200-400+ rooms) in several key markets across North America have discovered ways to increase incremental guestroom revenue and guest satisfaction scores by signing up for the new Minibar Outsource Program. Previously this program was only offered to large city hotels with more than 750 rooms, but recent "clustering" trends in several markets have opened up the door to the vast majority of full service hotels, regardless of room size. These key markets across North America include New Orleans, Nashville, New York, Chicago, M...
Minibars – Why Hotels Love to Hate The “Darn Things”. Can They Love Them Again?
Minibar Systems | June 13, 2017
Hotel magazines are littered with articles on why hotels are removing the "darn things" but refuse to discuss the fact that minibars still command a 30% guest utilization rate. Ah, the proverbial minibar, unwanted by so many hotels today. But why? Hotel magazines are littered with articles on why hotels are removing the "darn things" but refuse to discuss the fact that minibars still command a 30% guest utilization rate when offered. How can this be? Unwanted by guests (as the industry experts claim) yet 30% of guests use them? These opposing facts don't make sense. What's not being said here? The answer is IMPULSE. The indisputable dri...
Wireless SmartTrays Drive Guestroom Impulse Sales to All Time High
Minibar Systems Worldwide | June 9, 2017
Minibar Systems, one of the world's leading hospitality supply companies is pleased to announce new wireless automatic SmartTrays to drive guestroom revenue. Statistics prove that guestroom snacks can increase revenues and profits up to 40% with attractively displayed snacks which are driven by guests' impulse sales. The beautiful presentation of quality snacks is hard to resist by guests and hotels can realize up to $2.00 revenue per room. SmartTrays are available in several sizes including 2, 4, 8, and 12 sensors as well as custom sizes with unlimited sensor capacity. The wireless SmartTray can be placed anywhere in the guest room for...
Bartech Bolsters Global Market Position with Expanded Presence in Asia, Latin America and Caribbean
Bartech | June 6, 2017
World leader in minibar technology expands customer base with installations at prominent properties in Macau, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. Las Vegas — June 6, 2017 — Bartech, a world leader in profit-generating automatic minibar solutions for the hospitality industry, has significantly expanded its presence in some of the world's fasting growing travel markets, with recent installations at properties in seven key regions. Over the past year, new hotel properties in such far-flung international hot spots as Macau, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas have all begun levera...
Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort Unveils New Outdoor Bar Concept, Evolves Food and Beverage Options
Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort | May 24, 2017
The Blind Turtle is part of hotel's $25 million renovation, enhanced guest offerings DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort will officially open a new outdoor bar, The Blind Turtle, on Memorial Day. The venue replaces the former poolside Pelican Bar and incorporates a tiki bar-themed concept with an updated food and beverage menu. As part of the renovations made to the resort's expansive pool areas, the previous Pelican Bar space was removed in an effort to give poolgoers an unobstructed view of the Atlantic Ocean. The new pool deck layout repositions The Blind Turtle at the north end of the pool, allowing gu...
