Archives for the Month of March 2006 on Chris Reed's Online Journal
Restaurants and Tourism
The following are some interesting facts illustrating the impact tourism has on the restaurant industry.
Spending by travelers and visitors accounts for roughly 15-30 percent of revenues at tableservice restaurants with average check sizes of less than $25.
According to the Travel Industry Association of America:
• Roughly half of all travelers report that they dine out out when they travel, and that dining out is the most popular activity planned after tourists arrive at a destination.
• The travel-and-tourism industry is the first-, second- or third-largest employer in 29 states and DC.
• 42 million international visitors are expected to travel to the United States in 2004
• The U.S. travel industry is projected to receive more than $568 billion from travelers in 2004.
Tasks of a Restaurant Manager
For those of you curious as to how a restaurant is actually run and who is behind its framework, the following list may help. These two lists illustrate the role a Restaurant Manager fulfills.
WORK ACTIVITIES
Estimate food consumption, place orders with suppliers, and schedule delivery of fresh food and beverages.
Resolve customer complaints about food quality or service.
Direct cleaning of kitchen and dining areas to maintain sanitation standards, and keep appropriate records.
Monitor actions of staff and customers to ensure that health and safety standards and liquor regulations are obeyed.
Maintain budget and employee records, prepare payroll, and pay bills, or monitor bookkeeping records.
May use computer software to monitor inventory, track staff schedules and pay, and perform other record keeping tasks.
Check quality of deliveries of fresh food and baked goods.
Meet with sales representatives to order supplies such as tableware, cooking utensils, and cleaning items.
Arrange for maintenance and repair of equipment and other services.
Total receipts and balance against sales, deposit receipts, and lock facility at end of day.
Select or create successful menu items based on many considerations, and assign prices based on cost analysis.
Recruit, hire, and oversee training for staff.
Schedule work hours for servers and kitchen staff.
Monitor food preparation and methods.
GENERAL ACTIVITIES
Identify and estimate quantities of foods, beverages, and supplies to be ordered.
Maintain relationships with customers and staff.
Update and use job-related knowledge.
Schedule staff work hours and activities.
Evaluate health and safety practices against standards.
Organize, plan, and prioritize.
Make decisions and solve problems concerning menus and staff.
Judge the quality of food, preparation, and job applicants.
Process and analyze information when scheduling and budgeting..
Record information about inventory and health practices.
Handle food, utensils, and bookkeeping materials.
Monitor food preparation and cleaning methods.
Implement ideas or products.
Get information from customers, employees, and inventory records.
Inspect equipment and food deliveries.
Monitor and oversee purchases, menus, staff, and payroll.
Guide, direct, and train staff.
Coordinate the work and activities of staff.
Perform administrative activities such as scheduling, budgeting, and payroll.
Communicate with customers, sales reps, and suppliers.
A List of Facts..
The following comes from ajc.com/news
1. If you're trying to eat healthy, you have to stop going to restaurants.
False. The more often people eat out, the more body fat they are likely to have, according to the Weight-Control Information Network, a service of the National Institutes of Health. But it's all about making the right choices. Substituting grilled foods for fried, lean meats for fatty cuts and vegetables for high-starch sides are some of the ways to make eating out a healthier experience.
2. You can reduce your dinner portion by putting half of your meal into a to-go box before you start eating.
True. Saving part of a large meal can help you control the temptation to overeat.
3. It's OK to eat all the bread you can — as long as it's whole wheat.
False. Whole wheat bread has more fiber than white bread, but you still need to watch how many calories you're taking in. One half-inch thick slice of whole wheat bread can have up to 100 calories.
4. The calorie and fat content of the lasagna you ordered is exactly the same as in the one you make at home.
False. The restaurant's recipe might include more cheese, sauce and other ingredients than yours. Dietitians recommend avoiding foods that have many items blended in, since you can't tell exactly what or how much of each item is in it.
5. You should never order dessert.
False. Go ahead, eat cake — just not a giant hunk. The USDA recommends only 195 "extra" fat and sugar calories a day for a 30-year-old female who exercises for less than 30 minutes daily, and 360 extra for a 30-year-old male with a similar activity level. — For a USDA food guide based on your age, gender and activity level, visit My Pyramid and click on "My Pyramid Plan."
6. It's better to order water than that large soft drink.
True. Sweetened drinks add unnecessary calories. With sweetened drinks, you can quickly use up your daily calorie allowance without getting the right amount of food from all food groups.
7. Having soup or salad before your main meal can only make you eat more overall.
False. It takes your brain about 20 minutes to register that your stomach is full. Eating a soup or salad before your main meal can send the message on its way early. Soup (not creamed) and salad without fatty toppings can also fill you up and make you eat less overall.
8. Eating buffet-style can thwart your best intentions.
True. Buffets tempt even the best of us to get the most for our money. But most isn't always best — in this case it means more calories than you need.
9. If you have a big dinner date coming up, it's a good idea to eat nothing during the day so you can have all your day's worth of calories at dinner.
False. Starving yourself slows your metabolism and defeats the purpose of weight-loss goals. Your body reacts to food deprivation by hoarding fat. You also risk falling short of the daily quota of nutrients that come from non-dinner foods.
10. You can never eat too much when eating at a salad bar.
False. Fruit and vegetables are good for you, and even high volumes of vegetables are low in calories. But watch your toppings. Don't pile on gobs of salad dressing, oil, croutons or other fatty or high-calorie add-ons.
Service in Restaurants
One of the biggest problems restaurants face today is being able to provide top notch service to their customers. According to an online aticle, "Service is the weak link," declared Tim Zagat, co-publisher of the 70-city Zagat Survey. In Zagat's just-released 2004-2005 Chicago Restaurants survey of customers in the city, 1,083 restaurants were given scores for service that averaged two points lower than their overall scores for food quality." Customer service seems to be the key in maximizing sales and profit. Zagat goes on to say that restaurants who also have their owner more visible seem to be more successful.
A Place for Waiters to Vent
A new website called shamelessrestaurants.com gives restaurant employees a place to vent their frustrations concerning the restaurant industry in New York City. "The food industry in the city has been out of control, and the truth is that many of N.Y.C.'s restaurant employers are abusive, sexist, mean, sleazy and crooked," states the site's manifesto. "We need to share what happens behind the scenes." The majority of the posts on the site come from waiters and managers. These posts are also anonymous. Restaurant owner and industry insider Steve Hanson, who says he's never seen the site himself, says he brought up the site at a meeting with his employees and told them he felt that the personal attacks on managers presented in this way were unacceptable. "If it was written in a newspaper, it'd be slander. The problem here is with accountability," Hanson says. "There's no legislation. It's malicious." Hanson may have a point,although other restaurant goers disagree and feel the site is very helpful in telling the truth about these places. They feel they have a right to know about where they are choosing to eat.
Food Service Managers
Today, I am going to take a look at the role Food Service Managers have in the everyday life of a restaurant. Here are some quick facts from the U.S. Dept. Of Labor.
"Those who have college degrees in restaurant and institutional food service management will ultimately have the best job opportunities."
"Besides coordinating activities among various departments, such as kitchen, dining room, and banquet operations, food service managers ensure that customers are satisfied with their dining experience. In addition, they oversee the inventory and ordering of food, equipment, and supplies and arrange for the routine maintenance and upkeep of the restaurant, its equipment, and facilities. Managers generally are responsible for all of the administrative and human-resource functions of running the business, including recruiting new employees and monitoring employee performance and training."
Long hours may also be part of the job as well.
"Food service managers are among the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night. Long hours—12 to 15 per day, 50 or more per week, and sometimes 7 days a week—are common. Managers of institutional food service facilities, such as school, factory, or office cafeterias, work more regular hours because the operating hours of these establishments usually conform to the operating hours of the business or facility they serve. However, hours for many managers are unpredictable."
"Food service managers held about 371,000 jobs in 2004. Most managers were salaried, but more than 40 per cent were self-employed in independent restaurants or other small food service establishments. About 70 percent of all salaried jobs for food service managers were in full-service restaurants or limited-service eating places, such as fast-food restaurants and cafeterias."
Next time you dine in at a restaurant, try and look past the food you've eaten and think about the logistics that make up a restaurant and how vital of a role Food Service Managers play in creating a successful business.
McDonald's Launches Nutrition Information Initiative
If anyone has never seen the documentary "Super Size Me", it is a film about the harmful effects McDonald's food can have on your body. Many Americans are unaware of the nutritional value or lack of it in most McDonalds food. This film really shed light on the fact that Americans are becoming more and more obeese by choosing to dine in on these fast food restaurants.
Recently, McDonald's has agreed to take part in a nutritional initiative that entails them labeling their products with nutritional information. McDonald's is the leading foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 local restaurants that serve nearly 50 million people in more than 100 countries each day. The fact that McDonalds is finally choosing to post these nutritional facts on their products is a step in the right direction, however, I am not quite sure how effective it may be. There has always been a negative portrayal of the food McDonald's serves, yet millions of people still choose to eat there. At least, I do hope this new information will help inform individuals about what they are putting into their bodies.