November 1, 2005

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Pizza 101
With Americans consuming pizza at the rate of 350 slices a second, there’s always an appetite for better crusts and toppings. That’s a need chefs in all industry segments are happy to meet because there are few boundaries to pizza innovation.

Four Stars: Gentle Ribbing
Give short ribs to six great chefs and you’ll get six very different but delicious preparations from which to choose. At Wynn Las Vegas, six of its fine-dining restaurants—Alex, Daniel Boulud Brasserie, Okada, SW Steakhouse, Tableau and Wing Lei—share their distinctive approaches.

Percolating Profits
The modern coffeehouse, with its relaxed atmosphere and broad menu of coffee and tea drinks, has enrolled on college campuses and been warmly welcomed at healthcare and workplace venues, where specialty beverages from espresso to chai are profitable and popular.

SPECIAL REPORT

R&I’s annual exclusive ranking of the largest multiconcept operators takes the pulse of the restaurant industry’s entrepreneurial heart.

Mix It Up
Creating restaurants remains a core competency, but multiconcept operators are moving into other channels—from catering to managing foodservice in retail operations or museums.

Top 75 Multiconcept Operators
With 2004 sales up 11% from the previous year, the largest multiple-brand operators’ growth reflects consumers’ commitment to quality dining concepts. Ambitious plans for 2006 are under way.

BUSINESS

Better Business Brewing
Statistics may show cocktails’ popularity in steep ascendance but brewpubs are regaining strength nonetheless. Riding a wider interest in artisanal products, small-batch craft beers are drawing support.

OPERATIONS

Clean Handed
Gloves are important tools in the battle to safeguard foods, but staff needs to understand that nothing eliminates the need for frequent, effective hand washing.

DEPARTMENTS

R&I Insider
Boston Market rethinks its format to increase appeal; Burger King brews a new pitch to coffee cravers; Purdue University develops a quick-service concept of its own; The Smithsonian gets its first frozen-margarita machine; restaurant chains suddenly are in high demand by investment firms; and Las Vegas bets on demand for more high-end restaurants. Menu Focus serves mole; On-Trend spots what’s new. Consumer Beat ponders whether too much of a good thing really is a good thing.

The Ten-Minute Manager's Guide to...Cultivating Regular Guests
Repeat customers are a restaurant’s—especially an independent’s—lifeblood. The Ten-Minute Manager gathers best practices for cultivating loyal guests who are happy to play favorites.

EDITORIAL

Viewpoint
Bitter employees perceive their roles as pawns in a game played by boorish patrons.