September 15, 2005

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Super Spuds
“The potato is an American staple. It’s something we play with all year,” says Chris Prosperi, chef-owner of Metro Bis. Operators across all segments get into the game, creating guest-satisfying potato preparations as appetizers, sides and entrées.

Dish R&D: BBQ Pork & Black-Eyed Pea Soup
San Francisco Soup Co. treats customers at its 10 locations to a Southern-influenced combination of pork shoulder with Spanish smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, black-eyed peas and collards.

High Spirits
The high end is where the action is in distilled spirits, leading restaurants and bars to fashion pricey and ever-more-imaginative cocktails with superpremium alcoholic beverages.

SPECIAL REPORT

Front- and back-of-the-house technologies are changing—and improving—how foodservice monitors finances and enhances guest satisfaction.

Star Tech
Foodservice is making connections. With Web sites and intranets, e-mail-based marketing and digital menu boards, operators are more in touch with consumers and more in command of their businesses.

The Future at Hand
Already in use at some schools and colleges, biometrics—allowing recognition of a person through physiological or behavioral characteristics—may be foodservice’s next transformative technology.

BUSINESS

Something Old, Something New
Renewed popularity of traditional pasta dishes leads Italian chains to expand menus with new flavors and to explore the possibilities of regional preparations.

OPERATIONS

Starting Points
When Fayetteville, Ark.-based Shake’s Frozen Custard couldn’t find the right financial-management software for its point-of-sale (POS) system, the chain created its own. That’s one of many approaches to getting the most from POS technology.

Rollout Review
New-product introductions are an ideal time to reassess and strengthen food-safety procedures. San Diego-based Jack in the Box builds handling, storage and safety principles into every rollout.

DEPARTMENTS

R&I Insider
A beverage association calls for restrictions on school vending; Wolfgang Puck Catering provides hospital room service; The National Society for Healthcare Food Service Management finds winning recipes; Atlanta’s piebar lets guests customize meals; San Francisco celebrates its African-American foodservice community; Kona Grill joins the ranks of public companies. On-Trend serves hot foods; Menu Focus dishes up poblanos; Consumer Beat reports colorful research.

The Ten-Minute Manager's Guide to ... Nontraditional Hiring
The Ten-Minute Manager examines benefits of nontraditional hiring. “Just because someone has gray hair or is disabled doesn’t mean that person should not get the job,” says foodservice consultant Rudy Miick.

EDITORIAL

Viewpoint
New Orleans’restaurants represent not only tradition and memory but jobs and dreams.