I recently read an article on the nation’s Top 100 Restaurants, with the top restaurant grossing $66.6 million in 2007. Unfortunately, many hotel F&B professionals still regard the restaurants and bars in their hotels as amenities to drive room rate.

The opportunity to bring in local guests who may consider a banquet/catering function in the future is often overlooked. Sales and catering managers who entertain clients in the restaurant want to showcase the hotel’s hospitality offerings. So how can we maximize the ability of outlets to generate revenue for the hotel? Here are some basic suggestions:

1. Think of the outlets as a sales tool to promote the hotel.

2. Advertise the outlets with minor references to the hotel in local markets.
3. Treat each outlet (i.e., lounge, restaurant) as an individual revenue center so that budgeted funds are used only for its operation.
4. Allow the outlets’ management team to manage their operations, being accountable to the leadership team in achieving margins and service goals.

The article in the March/April 08 issue on Elements Bar in the Embassy Suites Fort Worth is a great example.

I would love to hear from my fellow bloggers and readers on this subject. Leave a comment below or contact me at blog@hotelfandb.com.

Sounds like fun, huh?

But I have to tell you that I am astounded by how many restaurant floor managers have no idea what the definition of productivity is.

A recent job had me inside the workings of a mid-sized resort with several restaurant outlets. I was brought in because these outlets were bleeding at the seams; labor (and other) costs were way over the top!

During my interview with the F&B director, I was assured that all of the restaurant managers had everything they needed to understand their numbers, what they had to spend, and where they were financially on a daily basis.

When I interviewed these managers and asked them what their target productivity numbers were, I was met with blank stares. One of them offered this dandy: “It’s when your servers are really working hard.” OK. How do you respond to that?

For those wondering what I am talking about:

Definition of Labor Productivity: The quantity of output per time spent or numbers employed. (Source: Econterms.com)

Specifically for restaurants: covers per labor hour (meal period specific).

Flash forward several meetings later, and we end up with a full training session, teaching all of the outlet managers about what their budgeted and forecasted labor productivity expectations were, among a lot of other things. In just a few short weeks, the labor part of the expense challenge was solved! Once the managers understood how to schedule labor to budget and forecast expectations, their outlets performed better. Imagine.

A note to upper management:
It is your responsibility to teach your managers about labor productivity. If you don’t, you really have no real way to hold them accountable for labor overages (or service shortages—it works the other way too).

A note to restaurant managers, especially those newer and looking to move up:
Most of you are going to hate this, but you have to know your numbers to get noticed and eventually captain your own ship. If you get a good grasp on labor and labor productivity, you will amaze your boss and astound your GM. In other words, you will get noticed, and fast! If you need help understanding this, please feel free to contact me directly.

Next, Understanding Capture Ratios and Restaurant Cover Forecasting! The fun continues…

Giving back to the community is a long-established practice within the foodservice industry. Many professionals see this not as an obligation but as an opportunity to build better communities and mentor the future generations of hospitality professionals.

Non-profit organizations such as March of Dimes/Star Chefs, Red Cross, and Second Harvest have benefited from my personal involvement over the years, but there are many more who deserve support from the foodservice industry and chefs, operators, manufacturers, and distributors in particular. Substantial support is given in product, money, and time, and countless worthwhile charitable activities take place each year across America.

Miracle on Canal Street was established in 1993 by the Forest County Potawatomi tribe to carry on the tradition of nurturing younger generations so they grow to healthy and productive lives. Funds are raised through a series of special bingo games, drawings, and a vendor golf outing, among other promotions. Some twenty children’s charities in the Milwaukee area benefit from this fundraising effort year after year, raising 8 million dollars over the past fourteen years.

And for supporting the profession, the talented young hopefuls in the foodservice industry in particular, our chefs and managers were once again coaching and judging the recent National ProStart Invitational, which consists of two competitions: culinary and management.

Teams participating in the culinary competition demonstrated their creative abilities through the preparation of a meal consisting of a starter, entrée, and dessert in 60 minutes. At the competition, the students had the opportunity to network with leaders of our industry and demonstrate their mastery of the culinary and management skills needed to build a successful career in the industry.

The management competition highlighted a team’s knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry by competing in a case study, where students were tested on their communication skills and ability to apply their industry knowledge to practical situations, as well as a question-and-answer game show-style event. It was also a learning opportunity for the students, as they met with the judges for valuable feedback on the culinary and case study events. These students were competing not only for scholarships and awards, but for recognition and feedback of their future colleagues.

On April 1st, the “Chefs of Tomorrow Challenge 2008″ took place as part of the Reinhart Spring Food Show at the Midwest Airline Center in Milwaukee. The participating teams were from culinary programs of WCTC and MATC in town as well as Black Hawk Technical College in Janesville, WI.

They were to prepare two dishes in two hours from a mystery basket containing whole Halibut sponsored by Alaskan Seafood. As part of the judging panel which also included ACF members Gregg Abate from the Brynwood Country Club and Gregg Wozniak of Sendiks in Whitefish Bay, we observed a competition of highly dedicated and motivated teams.

The winning menu from Black Hawk Technical College consisted of the following:

• Seafood Trio
• Braised Halibut collar in pomodoro sauce
• Creme brulee of sea scallop and avocado mash
• Grilled shrimp and pineapples

Followed by:

• Olive Oil poached Halibut with a creamed fish sauce
• Feta cheese enriched cous cous
• Bundle of roasted vegetable julienne

Some of these young culinarians are graduating from their program in May and will have no difficulties in finding placement and growing their career from here. In fact, I am looking forward to bringing a few of them onboard to get them started in one of our new concepts when they open late in the spring.

Did you know that the price of wheat has risen over 60 percent since the start of the year? Did you also know that the cost on a bag of flour has more than doubled since last year? You may also ask yourself…”How does this impact me?”

Consider that wheat products are in a number of the items we buy. Let me give you some food for thought (yes, pun intended). Flour, a product produced from wheat, is the key ingredient in breads, bagels, donuts, pastries, cookies, cakes, doughs, batters, and other prepared products. Alone, these items may not account for a lot of your total spend. When you consider the aggregate of these purchases, you will quickly understand the impact to your bottom line.

Why is this happening? There are a number of items impacting the price. Page one of our Economics book refers to basic supply and demand. The wheat supplies are at their lowest point in years. To add insult to injury, farmers are venturing into the production of other crops that are also seeing some of their highest prices in years (i.e., corn and soy). You can’t blame the farmer for trying to make a buck. I am fine with this but don’t get me started on the government subsistence programs. Believe it or not, the oil market is also impacting this market.

At some point we will see the market correct itself. In the interim I would keep an eye on these items (traditionally we just scrutinize the center-of-the-plate costs based on the 80/20 Rule). If you don’t keep up with this you will be selling some items for the price you paid for them. Until next time…

As a service to our team of 2,300 employees, we started a small green market. The market sells various lettuces, sweet corn, hydroponic strawberries, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, zucchini, green beans, celery, herbs, juices, flowers, and even Orange Blossom Honey. The significance of this is that all of these products are produced in a relatively close proximity to the hotel. Our team members pay what we pay for the products. They are able to buy products that were, in some cases, picked that day. Like clockwork, each Friday the banquet tables go up. From 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm, our team members pick, poke, prod, smell, and ask plenty of questions. For less than $10, most walk out of the market with enough product for dinner that night. Because the products are so fresh, they will easily keep for days in the refrigerator.

The market concept is an offshoot of our Farm-To-Plate initiative (to be discussed down the road). We purchase items from local farms for use in our outlets. The Green Market helps to ensure that the vendors will be able to deliver enough product to make the trip viable. Some of these local farms are operated by limited families who grow, harvest, and deliver the items they sell. The market is limited by the growing seasons. So far this idea has proven to be a win/win for everyone involved.

This little blurb is just explaining what we are doing for our team and our local farmers. I am sure that others reading the website work for organizations that are doing similar things. I would be curious to hear what others are doing. Until next time…

March 10 through 12 marked the 27th Biennial World Championship Cheese Contest at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin. It is the largest International contest of this kind.

I was fortunate enough to be attending the American Cheese Renaissance workshop here, an exclusive educational session designed especially for chefs, specialty food retailers, and food writers and an invitation-only event. And eat we must, lunch was prepared upon arrival, and we joined in with dozens of international contest judges and volunteers.

Following lunch, Regi Hise, cheese expert and chef educator for Roth Kaese, presented Cheese Trends. This discussion detailed the most significant trends in cheese today and included a guided cheese tasting of several washed rind cheeses, seven stages of cheddar, and five great blues of the world. An outstanding presentation by Food Trends LLC.

Next on the agenda was the World Contest Overview and Tour. For the first time ever, I was able to join a contest judge for a “behind the scenes” tour of the World Championship Cheese Contest, learning how cheeses are evaluated and scored and walking the floor during live judging while getting a feel of the support logistics behind this biennial event. More than a dozen judging stations were located around the room, where two judges each concentrated on the product presented to them, working diligently, quietly but swiftly through their categories. A number of 180-pound big wheels of Emmentaler were on display at the judging floor of the 2008 World Championship Cheese Contest that day. It was the first time I’ve ever witnessed so many giant wheels of cheese being cut at the same time.

A meet and greet with a group of passionate and talented new Wisconsin artisan cheese makers rounded up an exciting day. Here are two of my favorites:

Roelli Cheese: Newly minted cheese maker Chris Roelli shared his new Lowlander Goudakaas aged Gouda. Chris shared the oldest members of his first batch&mdas;two wheels of 4-month old aged gouda—which judging by the taste, is only going to get better with age. This is one cheese worth watching.

Saxon Creamery: Gerald Heimerl brought along some of the most beautiful wheels of cheese I’ve ever seen—Big Ed’s, Green Fields, and Saxony. These cheeses are almost too pretty to eat. Shaped in 3D molds with leaf patterns on the edge and “Saxon” embossed on the top, I’d buy this cheese just to look at. Guess what? It also tastes really good. It’s a win-win.

An international panel of expert judges picked a Swiss Gruyere as the 2008 World Championship Cheese, but Wisconsin cheese makers still captured 27 of 77 gold medals during the three-day contest.

Swiss cheese maker Michael Spycher, of Kaserei Fritzenhaus in Wasen, took top honors out of 1,941 entries from 19 countries for his Le Gruyere Switzerland. First runner-up was a Gorgonzola made by CERPL Cheese makers in Italy, while second runner-up went to an Emmentaler made by Bernhard Naf of Guntershausen, Switzerland.

Wisconsin dominated the US participation with 27 gold medals, while New York took five golds, California and Idaho each took three; Iowa two; and Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Rhode Island each earned one gold medal.

Overall, U.S. cheese makers dominated the competition, earning gold medals in 46 of the total 77 categories judged, including golds in both butter classes and in the retail packaging class. Netherlands came in second among the countries, with eight golds; Denmark had six; Canada had four, and Switzerland took three. Austria, Australia, and Spain all won two gold medals, while Sweden, Italy, France, and South Africa each captured one each.

The Wisconsin gold medal winner list reads like a who’s who of Wisconsin cheese makers with everyone from big plants such as Foremost and Land O’ Lakes to tiny Hidden Springs Creamery, a farmstead sheep’s milk dairy near Westby, capturing gold medals. We even won the Unsalted Butter category, with Graf Creamery of Zachow, Wisconsin, taking first.

So while there are predictions that California may overtake Wisconsin in cheese production and output, I am once again convinced that this Midwestern state is working hard and smart to keep the leadership position with support from institutions like the Dairy Business Innovation Center and the Babcock Institute, among others.

The World Championship will return to Wisconsin in 2010. Until then, we’ll be happy to make and move good cheese.