Introduction - grantklover.files.wordpress.com · Web viewStudent Portfolio. New England Culinary Institute. Grant C. Klover. STUDENT NAME. Date Submitted: June 15, 2012. Hyperlinked

KITCHEN MANAGEMENT

Student Portfolio

New England Culinary Institute

Grant C. KloverSTUDENT NAME

Date Submitted: June 15, 2012

Grant C. KloverKitchen Management April 2012

Hyperlinked Table of Contents (Ctrl click to go to entry)Introduction................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Resume........................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Weekly Management Shadowing Journal.......................................................................................................5

WEEK OF: 04/09-04/15/2012.......................................................................................................................5

WEEK OF: 04/16- 04/22/2012......................................................................................................................6

WEEK OF: 04/23-04/29/2012.......................................................................................................................8

WEEK OF: 04/30-05/06/2012....................................................................................................................12

WEEK OF: 05/07-05/13/2012....................................................................................................................15

WEEK OF: 05/14-05/20/2012....................................................................................................................19

WEEK OF: 05/21-05/27/2012....................................................................................................................24

WEEK OF: 05/28-06/03/2012....................................................................................................................26

WEEK OF: 06/04-06/10/2012....................................................................................................................27

WEEK OF: 06/11-06/17/2012....................................................................................................................27

Weekly Periodical Reviews................................................................................................................................ 28

Clean Machines................................................................................................................................................... 28

A Touch of Glass.................................................................................................................................................. 30

Early Warning System......................................................................................................................................32

Friends in High Places......................................................................................................................................34

Bird is the Word.................................................................................................................................................. 35

Clean Enough to Eat Off of..............................................................................................................................38

Cutting Your Own Meat................................................................................................................................... 41

Building Appetizer and Dessert Sales.......................................................................................................44

Walking the Line.................................................................................................................................................48

Building Sales: Through Check Average and Frequency.................................................................51

Why Kitchen Service Backs Up and How Chefs Can Avoid It.........................................................55

“Best Practices” project........................................................................................................................................ 58

Self-assessment........................................................................................................................................................58

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IntroductionThis portfolio is the complete list of everything that I have done for my Kitchen

Management Class in Mod 6 of NECI. On top of the normal class work you will also find a list of each and every shadowing log I created as I worked with a group of two other students to complete our kitchen management project, and each magazine article that I read and summarized or reviewed for class in chronological order. At the very end of this portfolio you will find my own self assessment of how I felt the class went and my own performance in the class.

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ResumeGrant C. Klover

15322 W 81st ST Lenexa KS 66219Web Site: www.grantklover.wordpress.com

E-mail: [email protected]@gmail.com

Career Goals: Looking for a fast paced restaurant to challenge me every day, and provide me with a real life culinary experience to improve my overall skills. I want to take these skills and use them to become certified through the American Culinary Federation.

Work Experience: CulinaryJupiter Island Club, Hobe Sound, FL Dates Worked: 12/17/2010-04/26/2011Intern under French Master Chef Michel Personnaz:

4 Diamond Country Club 5 outlets serving 300+ meals a day

Blue Grotto Brookside, KS Dates Worked: 03/05/2008-06/25/2008Opening Kitchen Assistant:

Helped set up and install the equipment in the kitchen

Helped create and test the opening menu. Rounds cook for the dinner shifts.

Outback Steakhouse Overland Park, KS Dates Worked: 04/01/07-02/10/2008Waiter, Head Waiter, Line Cook

Checked out the other waiter’s cash drops at the end of the night.

Made bank deposits and company cash drops for the night.

Worked with a team of 4 other line cooks to prepare 100+ covers a night

Mr. Goodcents Subs & Pastas Lenexa, KS Dates Worked: 12/02/00 to 12/28/03 Night Manager, Sandwich Maker

Worked the register Nightly Cash drops Inventory ordering and management

Prepare shift schedules

Work Experience: OtherT-Mobile USA, Lenexa, KS Dates Worked: 01/07/2008-03/15/2010

Customer Service Rep 1: Talk to customers about any billing

questions or disputes and applied credits. Provided Tier 1 troubleshooting for all

phone or network problems and processed exchanges.

General account maintenance.

Project Trainer: On-the-floor training for new hires.Project Senior: Supported a team of 15 people in a

supervisory role. Talked to customers who would escalate

above a Customer Service Rep 1.

Education:New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier, Vermont 7/2010 –Anticipated graduation 9/2013Bachelor’s of Culinary Arts

Awards/Distinctions:Boy Scouts:

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mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America A member of the Tribe of Mic-o-Say Order of the Arrow member

ACF Member: Member since 09/2010

References:Chef Michel Personnaz Chef while on internship Cell: 772.263.2572Office: 772.402.4237

Chef Paul SorguleVice President, Culinary Education at New England Culinary InstituteOffice: 802.225.3223Cell: 518.524.5906

Weekly Management Shadowing JournalSTUDENT NAME: Grant C. Klover, George Nydam, & Andrew Menard

WEEK OF: 04/09-04/15/2012

ASSIGNED TO MANAGER: Kevin O’Donnell and Esteban Guevara DEPARTMENT: Food & Beverage

Describe your observations for the aforementioned week and relate to our discussions/topics covered in class:

This week we meet and talk about the project as a whole and outlined what the idea was for this week. We need to start coming up with the challenges/problems that this project could cause both from a student’s education and finical perspective. To do this we developed a survey for students, staff, and customers to fill out to see what the interest is for this project to move forward. We are also compiling a list of questions and pro’s/con’s list that we need to think about for the project.

Survey

Please rate the fallowing questions on a scale of 1-5. 1 being “Strongly Disagree” and 5 being “Strongly Agree”.

1. Should NECI on Main switch service of Tapas to the main floor and Farm to Table to the basement? 1 2 3 4 5

2. Answering Yes or No: If Tapas and Farm to table switch floors should the décor and theme change? Yes No

3. Should the Bar from Chefs Table be moved to the main floor?1 2 3 4 5

4. Should the patio be weatherized to allow for seating year round?

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1 2 3 4 5

Challenge Questions about the project1. What building codes and permits do we need to follow/need?2. What will Will Colgan say?3. What is it like day and night?4. How do we market this plan?5. What are our restrictions and lee way with landlord?6. How long will NoM be closed?7. How is this going to have a positive impact on student education, and guest

experience?8. Is this a financially feasible plan?9. Who will be moving furniture and for how much?10. What paintings and wall color will both upstairs and downstairs be?

Pro’s/ Con’sThis list is small for the time being because before we can expand it and get the full idea we need to come up with a few answers to our questions before we can decide if it is a pro or a

con.

Pro’s

Increases in visibility

Change can breathe new life into a restaurant

Utilization of wasted space and furnishings (CT Bar)

Con’s

Loss of revenue and education while changes are happening

Financial cost to the school

WEEK OF: 04/16- 04/22/2012



This week we talked about revising the survey and expanding it. We have created two Survey-Monkey surveys. Both surveys are the same but one is for staff and one for students. We have sent these surveys out to start gathering information about the level of interest in this project. We are going to take this survey and talk to guest while they dine to get their opinion in addition to the others.

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http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FHDHR3W

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FH9DBWR


We have also asked Kevin and Esteban to e-mail the following to all students and staff at NECI to get their opinion on the project.

Hello Students and Staff of NECI,

We are doing and project for our Kitchen management class and need your opinion on some purposed changes to where Tapas & Farm to Table are served. If you can please help us by taking our quick 8 question survey it would be very helpful.

Staff please click this link

Students please click this link

Thank you again for you time and help,

Andrew Menard,George Nydam,Grant Klover

Survey Part 2

1. How many times per month do you dine with us? 1-22-33-44-55+

2. How many of these times did you dine in Tapas? Farm to Table?

3. On a scale of 1-10 how strongly do you agree with the idea of: NECI on Main switching service of Tapas to the main floor and Farm to Table to the basement? 12345

6789

10

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https://ch1prd0102.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=AJcsRCY8oEqURL5WEA7gcyL6U_yx8c4IfOkBa1fmb7TX_f4eQCwwZhN12Mnw_8XpZJJHNeirHRc.&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveymonkey.com%2Fs%2FFHDHR3W

https://ch1prd0102.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=AJcsRCY8oEqURL5WEA7gcyL6U_yx8c4IfOkBa1fmb7TX_f4eQCwwZhN12Mnw_8XpZJJHNeirHRc.&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveymonkey.com%2Fs%2FFH9DBWR


4. Why do you agree or disagree with this idea?

5. If we switched where Tapas and Farm to Table are served, would you want to come more or less?

6. If we switched where Tapas and Farm to Table are served, how much more would you dine with us per month?

I would dine with you less0-11-22-33+

7. If you answered that you would “dine with us less” in the last question, why would you?

8. What other changes would entice you to dine with us more?

In addition to correcting the survey we have also added the following questions to our list that we need to have answered.

1) What is our local demographics?2) What are future trends looking like?3) What building codes and permits need to be followed4) Do we need a third party contactor?5) Can we physically take the bar down and move it without damage to bar and

walls?6) What do staff and students have to say?7) What does Will Hogan have to say?8) How can we use the Chef’s table9) How can we Market it?

WEEK OF: 04/23-04/29/2012



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This week we presented the idea of instead of changing where Tapas and Farm to Table are served; we open up the restaurant to both menus on both floors. The proposal and idea is as follows:

We think we need to talk about moving the bar down to the main floor but instead of switching where Tapas and F2T are served why not just open up both floors of the restaurant to both menus again? When all three of us were first at school the whole restaurant looked busy because students would come and sit in groups down in the lounge to eat and our normal guest would sit up stairs, but everyone could eat from both menus. When this stopped we all personally saw a drop off in business upstairs.

We still think that we need to move the CT bar down to the main floor to support an increase in sales volume. This was the main focus of the project as was outlined on the paper we got assigned. We think that this is a good idea as well because as of right now it is a waste of profit. It is a waste of profit because we are paying for space that we are not using to its full potential. Even if moving the CT bar down to main floor only results in 5 more customers sitting at the bar drinking or ordering a meal, that is 5 more than it is getting right now. The bar could seat at least 8 people and with a check average of the whole restaurant being about $22.00 we have a potential to make an extra $176.00 in total stales each night if all 8 seats are sat once.

Here is a list of pro’s/con’s for this new idea of opening up the while restaurant to both menus.Pro's:

People get to sit where they want and have whatever atmosphere they want. This means we don't have to spend any money to change the atmosphere. People are allowed to get whatever they want no matter where they sit,

which means better customer service. Both floors look busy again, giving us the high volume look that you both

have said you want. Students like to sit downstairs, take Brunch as an example the students

almost always sit in the basement. Will help even up sales for lounge and main floor servers. Instead of having only 75 F2T seats & 40 Tapas we get a total of 115 covers.

Con's: This was changed for a reason and I don't know what it was.

o Reasons that all three of us have heard of from talking to students and staff and ways/ Ideas to fix them:

F2T wasn't getting enough business because everyone was ordering Tapas.

Offer the Prefix Menu Only as F2T because this is selling very well, and keeps peoples interest in F2T.

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Have nightly student specials on Farm to Table, just like we do in Tapas.

This would serve the same focus as in the tapas class but would have to fit a theme related to Farm to Table. This way the Farm to Table menu can change if a dish is very popular, just like the Tapas menu does.

There was too much confusion in the kitchen because of how the POS system is set up to print tickets.

This is a problem that can be fixed by making adjustments to the POS system so that it prints out correctly.

With the # of computer technicians that the school employs, how long would it take to get the POS to print out correctly?

This could be done while the restaurant is closed for moving the CT bar down to the main floor, and would allow for plenty of time to test the system.

If this is an issue of communication between Farm to Table and Tapas, then from a kitchen management perspective it needs to be address to the chefs and instructors of the classes as a training/coaching point.

Tapas is too small of a kitchen space to handle the volume it puts out. / The impact of education because of the increased volume.

If this is in fact the case then this just means that the busier line gets the bigger line.

Both Esteban and Kevin have said that they want to do more volume and as listed in the pro opening it up gives tapas and farm to table each a potential of 115 seats.

With Farm to Table in a smaller kitchen they can run a smaller more refined “fine dining” menu made up of a few basic dishes and mostly student specials as we talked about in the first reason.

Another Idea is to combine the Farm to Table Class with the Art of Cuisine Class. As a combined class it could be 6 weeks long and still expose Mod 4 students to the experience of the line and also works on plate presentation and design techniques as part of the student specials they would have to do.

If you combined Art of Cuisine and Farm to Table this would leave 3 weeks “free” in Mod 3. This allows you to extend Tapas to a 6 week class as well. This gives students a real chance to get to work in every station for a solid amount of time.

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If both classes are 6 weeks long this would equal out to 30 days in both Mod 3&4 that students would have of real life experience in working stations in a restaurant.

After presenting this idea to Kevin and Esteban we received the following feedback: This idea was originally stopped to develop a consistent # of covers for the

students in each class. One class wasn’t getting the same educational value as the other class The problems with the POS and how tickets are printed “can’t be fixed or

changed.” The communication/ coordination between the two kitchens is very poor

and isn’t effective enough to create a good guest experience. The students can’t/ are not good enough to handle this level of volume

starting day one of class. We can’t make changes to the school curriculum.

After receiving this feedback it was decided that we would not pursue this idea so it has been dropped.

We redefined the goals of this project as: Move the bar from CT down to the main floor of NECI on Main Switch which floors tapas and farm to table are served on If necessary to accommodate the increase in volume switch which lines each

class uses for service. “This project is about refining the space for everyone’s best benefit”

We agreed to each take 3 rough drafts of the survey and have them filled out by other students and staff so that we would have a total of 9 surveys. The survey we had people fill out was: *1. How many times per month do you dine with us at NECI on Main?

1-2

2-3

3-4

4-5

5+*2. How many of these times did you dine in the basement with Tapas? Upstairs with Farm to Table?

*3. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being the worst, 10 being the best) how strongly do you agree with NECI on Main switching service of Tapas to the main floor and Farm to Table to the basement?

1 6

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2

3

4

5

7

8

9

10*4. Why do you agree or disagree with this idea?

*5. If we switched where Tapas and Farm to Table are served, would you want to come more or less

more

less6. If we switched where Tapas and Farm to Table are served, how much more would you dine with us per month?

I would dine less

0-1

1-2

2-3

3+*7. If you answered that you would “dine with us less” in the last question, why would you?

*8. What other changes would entice you to dine with us more

We are going to compile the results that we each got individually and turn in our own Shadowing journal with these results to be reviewed and discussed at our next meeting.

WEEK OF: 04/30-05/06/2012


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Because of complications with schedules and people being on vacation we did not meet or discuss our project this week. However we did send the feedback & results of the rough draft survey to Kevin and Esteban.

Feedback on survey:For Question’s 1 & 2 on quiz, they were confused with both number one and two. The question 1 on quiz says “…do you dine with us?” The ‘us’ is either farm to table or Tapas. Viewing from a different perspective, we should separate both Question 1 and 2 for example

1. How many times do you dine at Farm to Table?2. How many times do you dine at Tapas?

Question # 3- Needs to clarify which is good and which is bad on the scale of 1-10.Question # 4- Needs to clarify what idea we are talking about.Question # 5- A few people said they would dine with us the same as before.Question #6- Add the option to dine the same as before.

New Survey based on feedback:*1. How many times per month do you dine with Farm to Table? 0 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5+

*2. How many times per month do you dine with Tapas? 0 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5+

*3. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being the worst, 10 being the best) how strongly do you agree with NECI on Main switching service of Tapas to the main floor and Farm to Table to the basement? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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8 9 10

*4. Why do you agree or disagree with the idea presented in question 3? *5. If we switched where Tapas and Farm to Table are served, would you want to come more, less, or the same The Same More Less

*6. If we switched where Tapas and Farm to Table are served, how much more would you dine with us per month? I would dine less I would dine the same amount 0-1 1-2 2-3 3+

*7. If you answered that you would “dine with us less” in the last question, why would you? *8. What other changes would entice you to dine with us more

Results of Rough Draft Survey:Question 1

2/9 said 1-2 times per month 3/9 said 2-3 times per month 3/9 said 3-4 times per month 1/9 said they only dine here 4 times a year

Question 2 From the question above the 9 people surveys visited 25.3 (4 times per year

= 12/4 or 3 and this is why it is .3) 55.3% only eat taps The other 44% is a mix of both or didn’t say which place they dined The persons who said they only eat here 4 times a year only eats F2T

Question 3 Of the 9 people surveyed they rated the idea of switching where Tapas & F2T

are served as an average of 3.7 on a scale of 1-10Question 4

Likes being in the more relaxed environment of Tapas (This was said 3 different times)

Tapas should be in both the main floor and basement and move F2T up in CT (this was said 2 different times)

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We should be able to eat both menus no matter where we sit Tapas is busier so they should be on the main floor 2 people didn’t answer this question

Question 5 Less=33% More=22% Same=44% (was written in on the survey)

Question 6 I would dine less=22% 0-1=22% 1-2=11% 2-3=22% 3+=11% One person didn’t answer this question

Question 7 Only one of the two people who said they “would dine with us less” answered

this question and they said it was because:o The atmosphere would change. Upstairs feels more formal and Tapas

doesn’t match this feelingQuestion 8

3 of the 9 people surveyed didn’t answer this question 1 person said they wanted more money on their NECI Exp card so it wasn’t

relevant 3 people said they wanted more specials for both food and drink 1 person said they wanted a bar on the main floor in general 2 people said they wanted to have both menus open to both floors

WEEK OF: 05/07-05/13/2012



We meet with Eric on Friday (05/04/2012) and talked about the actual figures and numbers of moving the bar down to the main floor and about the potential cost associated with doing this. We talked about the placement of the bar on the main floor and what factors/ permits we need get in place before we could move forward with this construction.

The bar is 17’ long by 6.5’ wide so it could be fit into two different places on the main floor. It would need to be set up with: Electricity, Hot and Cold Water, Drains for waste water, Beer Taps, Kevin wants Wine Taps.

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The Permits we would need are: Building- will cost 1-2% of the total project cost BOCA Code Amendment to Sewer Permit American with Disabilities Act

o This one should not need to be changed or amended as we are not making changes to any of the facility already in place, but we still need to look into it.

Electricalo This permit is normally part of hiring a licensed electrician and is

included as a flat fee in his cost.o Would need to get a state inspector to inspect the electrical work

before we could close up and finish the walls

In talking with Eric he told us that it might be cheaper to just build a new bar downstairs instead of moving the old bar down from CT. At the same time we talked about the possibility of remodeling CT. The costs are as follows:

Remodeling CT would cost $20,000- 25,000 Just to move the old bar would cost $5,000- 10,000 on top of construction for

the Main Floor (unknown at this time) Building a new bar would cost about $40,000

With talking with Eric we came up with 3 ideas and options that we might do with NECI on Main. These Ideas/Options are based in part on the feedback we got from the rough draft Survey we had people fill out and Kevin’s Ideas. The 3 options are:

Idea # 1: Switching Tapas service to the Main Floor and F2T to the basement. Moving the CT bar down to the main floor. (George is creating a Pros and Con for this idea)

Idea # 2: Move F2T up to CT and remodel it to make it a more useable space. Tapas Moves to the Main Floor and the CT bar is moved to this floor as well. The Basement would be used as CT is now, for catering and meeting events and would not need to be changed. (Grant is creating a Pros/Cons list for this idea)

Idea # 3: Tapas would be served in both the Basement and the Main Floor, with the CT bar being moved to the main floor. F2T would be moved up to CT and it would be remodeled. (Andrew is creating a Pros/Cons list for this idea)

We are to have the 3 different Pro’s/Con’s list completed and sent to Kevin and Esteban for our assigned idea by Monday (05/07/2012) so that we can compare them and pick which will be the best idea to move forward with. We would be meeting as normal on Tuesday (05/08/2012).

Idea #1 George’s Pro’s/Con’s PRO’S

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NECI Main floor will physically look busier due to placement of bar Tapas on Main floor equals more covers for them Taking the bar out of Chef’s Table will open the floor up Could drive a new scene of guests to visit and come back Drink and Food on the Main floor would raise Farm to Table will be in a more intimate/finer dining room Utilization of an un-used bar that has history and the potential to make

money Will promote a positive atmosphere change that can excite staff and students A busier NECI establishment equals more student experience

CON’S It will cost less money to build a brand new bar Construction will cause downtime for students and staff Seat covers will be taken away from F2T due to floor change Will take away seats and a server station to accommodate the bar downstairs Project is not a light one and will require a generous amount of funds Returning guests may be confused about the switch and leave Takes away business from beautiful large bar in the basement More funds will be needed to finish off CT after Tapas and F2T switch

Idea #2 Grant’s Pro’s/Con’s Pro’s

Visibility of Tapas and the busier business it has. Put’s CT to more use then it is now F2T will have a nicer, finer dining atmosphere Tapas will have more covers so they will have the ability to increase sales Meetings/ Catering events will feel more private/ intimate down in the

Basement Fits the wants/needs of the rough draft survey results and Kevin’s want for a

flexible space Gives Tapas & F2T each their own separate space so they can be whatever

they need to be, without impacting the other Remodel’s attract new attention/ interest from past/current customers Construction time provides opportunity to assess staffing needs/ training to

provide better service Construction time provides opportunity to create/ test new menu ideas and

concepts Give management a chance to address small issues that otherwise get lost

due to day-to-day business needs

Con’s F2T would be “hidden” up in CT and may see an impact on business All NECI on Main Classes would have a negative educational impact with the

time it is closed Remodeling CT to accommodate F2T will cost a lot more than just moving the

CT Bar down to the main floor

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Just finished remodeling the basement because of the flood, and it could just “sit empty” like CT is now costing more money than it brings in

Would need to hire more runners or wait staff in order to staff both spaces Communication with kitchen and CT requires that you leave the tables in CT

unattended to go to the kitchen. Limiting tables in F2T will hurt business in busier times of year like

“leaf peeper season” when F2T does its best business Being closed for construction could drive business to competitors

permanently Because of being closed may lose loyal long time staff because of lost pay

Idea #3 Andrew‘s Pro’s/Con’s Seclusion-no noise with music and Tapas Secluded- seat arrangement, food

upstairs

Finishing kitchen upstairs-all prep done in big kitchen downstairs

Not all seats would fill up, need to be conscious about how many sales we can get pr sq ft.

More fine dining experience Would moving F2T upstairs would effect sales?

More visibility for Tapas to be Main floor More stepsWouldn’t cost as much to move CT bar down than to buy another one,

Employees and education will be on hold because of renovationsCompetitors in town

Tuesday 05/08/2012We met with Kevin and Esteban to go over the pros and cons list that we each created and after the review we came up with the following filters to look at each idea:

Catering Volume (potential) Sales (potential) Diversity/ flexibility Staffing (will the cost/needs change or stay the same) Demand (Potential) Educational Impact

We are going to meet as a group and put each idea through the filters, in an attempt to pick which would be the best option to pursue as a project. This will mean that we will need to use current numbers for cover count, average check, and staffing numbers to make some educated guesses about what these changes and ideas would have.

Our assignment/task for next week is to come in with the “new” pro/con list, for each idea after they have been run through the filters we agreed on above so that we can make a final choice on our project.

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We also got told that our “ballpark” budget was $100,000

Some things to consider: we want to drive up volume It is ok if avg. check decrease as long as volume increase Basement has less flexibility We will not be making all the changes at once so class/ education will not be

as impacted (e.g. tapas moving to CT while flood renovations were going on last year)

WEEK OF: 05/14-05/20/2012



This week we met to talk our ideas after we put them through the filters we came up with. We created a filters list and a excel document to calculate sales. These Documents and charts can be found below this summery.

While working as a group and putting each idea through each filter we came to the conclusions that idea # 3 was not a realistic idea. This was because in order to reach the projected sales goal based on current trends Tapas would need to do 3 times more business than it does right now. This is on top of meeting a F2T cover count of 802. This would be doing 4189 cover per month. Even looking at it from the perspective of only double the covers which is not out of the question, it is the same as only switching the two floors, but with a higher start up cost because of the remodeling and moving the bar. At this point in time we have narrowed it down to Idea 1&2 before the meeting on Tuesday’s meeting.

Tuesday’s MeetingWe meet with Kevin on Tuesday and talked about the first two ideas. We are going to start talking with Eric to see about getting rough estimates about what it would cost to move the bar from CT down to two different places on the main floor. We are also asking him for rough estimates on just building a new bar in both of the same locations. Once we hear back from him and get these numbers from Eric we can create a pitch on Idea #1 with parts of idea #2 as back up plans to be phased in later if idea #1 is successful.

Idea # 1: Switching Tapas service to the Main Floor and F2T to the basement. Moving the CT bar down to the main floor.

Catering

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o Opens it up when bar is movedo Can be remodeled to fit a more practical catering spaceo Larger size catering parties/eventso Staffing needs to cover potential increase in eventso ($) to remodel

Volume (potential)o F2T would be doing 43% less business because of being short 35 seatso Tapas would being doing 53% more business because of gaining 35

seats Diversity/ flexibility

o One entrance for two different “restaurants”o Can fit the spaces to cliental/ atmosphereo Wine bar downstairs/ beer bar on main floor to fit themeo Main floor bar can cater to the younger hipster crowd by offering

more beers on tapo Look and feel of a Bar and grill; Loosing the restaurant feel

Staffing (will the cost/needs change or stay the same)o Staffing will be the same but would flip flop with the serviceo White table cloth requires a higher trained staffo Need one more bar staff to run two bars

Demand (Potential)o Current F2T market will go downstairs and drive table demand upo No white table cloth in Montpeliero Small plates are the “trend” right nowo Tapas can meet the demand of every age groupo May not be a market for white table cloth in Montpeliero Age groups may not mix well. (older generation doesn’t want to dine

in the same place as younger generation) Educational Impact

o No educational impact

Idea # 2: Move F2T up to CT and remodel it to make it a more useable space. Tapas Moves to the Main Floor and the CT bar is moved to this floor as well. The Basement would be used as CT is now, for catering and meeting events and would not need to be changed.

Cateringo Catering down in basemento Option of cocktails and then moving to other parts of basement to

dineo Basement is a less flexible spaceo Not a private space

Volume (potential)o F2T would be doing 43% less business because of being short 35 seats

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o Tapas would being doing 53% more business because of gaining 35 seats

Diversity/ flexibilityo Two different entranceso Each place is more exclusive/ separate spaceo Visibility of Tapas as you enter F2T- Free marketingo Two different doors could confuse people that are use to our current

one entrance Staffing (will the cost/needs change or stay the same)

o Would need two more Front Waiters then current to fully staff F2T and Tapas

o Need 2 more runners per shift to run the food upstairso Higher level of education on servers with white table cloth

Demand (Potential)o Less tables will drive up table demando No white table cloth in Montpeliero Small plates are the “trend” right nowo May not be a market for white table cloth in Montpeliero Age groups may not mix well. (older generation doesn’t want to dine

in the same place as younger generation) Educational Impact

o No educational Impact with this idea

Idea # 3: Tapas would be served in both the Basement and the Main Floor, with the CT bar being moved to the main floor. F2T would be moved up to CT and it would be remodeled.

Cateringo No Catering space option at NECI on Main

Volume (potential)o F2T would be doing 43% less business because of being short 35 seatso Tapas would be have an increase in 40 seats meaning they could

potentially do 3 time the businesso This would be an increase of 118% for the # of seatso It is unreasonable to think that tapas will do 3 time the business

Diversity/ flexibilityo Two different entranceso Each place is more exclusive/ separate spaceo Visibility of Tapas as you enter F2T- Free marketingo Would not have diversity because we would have two different

restaurantso Two different doors could confuse people that are use to our current

one entranceo Don’t have a place to do onsite catering

Staffing (will the cost/needs change or stay the same)

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o Would need 4 more Front Waiters then current to fully staff F2T and Tapas

o Need 3 more runners per shift to run the food upstairso Higher level of education on servers with white table clotho Need to Hire another Bar tender to cover the second bar

Demand (Potential)o Less tables will drive up table demando No white table cloth in Montpeliero Small plates are the “trend” right nowo May not be a market for white table cloth in Montpeliero Age groups may not mix well. (older generation doesn’t want to dine

in the same place as younger generation)o

Educational Impacto Loss of catering class option currently at NECI on Main (No Brunch)

Sales Filter For all 3 ideas Current

CoversAvg

check Sales

F2T 75 seats 1744 $ 26.07

$ 45,466.08

Tapas 40 seats 1170 $ 23.54

$ 27,541.80

Total 2914 $ 73,007.88

Flip Flop

CoversAvg

check Sales

F2T 40 seats 802 $ 26.07

$ 20,914.40

Tapas 75 seats 2208 $ 23.54

$ 51,965.66

Total 3010 $ 72,880.06

F2T $29 Check avg

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CoversAvg

check Sales

F2T 40 seats 802 $ 29.00

$ 23,258.00

Tapas 75 seats 2208 $ 23.54

$ 51,976.32

Total 3010 $ 75,234.32

F2T $30 check avg

CoversAvg

check Sales

F2T 40 seats 802 $ 30.00

$ 24,060.00

Tapas 75 seats 2208 $ 23.54

$ 51,976.32

Total 3010 $ 76,036.32

F2T $32 check avg

CoversAvg

check Sales

F2T 40 seats 802 $ 32.00

$ 25,664.00

Tapas 75 seats 2208 $ 23.54

$ 51,976.32

Total 3010 $ 77,640.32

Tapas two floors 115 seats

CoversAvg

check Sales

F2T 40 seats 802 $ 26.07

$ 20,908.14

Tapas 115 seats 3387 $ 23.54

$ 79,718.28

Total 4189 $ 100,626.42

Tapas two floors 115 seats

CoversAvg

check Sales

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F2T 40 seats 802 $ 26.07

$ 20,908.14

Tapas 115 seats 2208 $ 23.54

$ 51,976.32

Total 3010 $ 72,884.46

This is a link to the live excel document so that you can change and play with #’s and see the impact they will have.

WEEK OF: 05/21-05/27/2012



Before we talked with Eric we agree that it might be a good idea in the first phase of the pitch that we move the bar from CT and plug the hole between the floors because this gives the option for more seats on the main floor. Along with getting more seats this give us two different locations that we could put the bar so we sent this E-mail and picture to Eric:

“Eric,

We are hoping to get a rough estimate on what it would cost to move the CT bar down to the Main floor, or to build a new bar in two different spaces. The first space is in brown and marked with an "X" on the paint picture attached to this e-mail. The other location would be to cap the hole between the floors and build or move the CT bar to the location in green marked with a "Y".

Thank you very much for your time and help with this estimate,”

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The paint picture attached to the E-mail was this:

We received this e-mail back with his estimate about both locations “X” & “Y”:“Grant,

There would not be much difference between retrofitting the existing CT bar and building a new one in either of the two places shown. The difference between "x" and "y" would mainly be due to the cost to infill the open floor. Also, the cost for new plumbing in "y" would be more expensive due to the lack of easy access to water and drains. The "x" location has the major basement plumbing chase directly below the floor. As for cost: (assuming that the bar equipment would be reused) "x" would be about $25-30K, with "y" costing $5-10K more.Eric”

Even at the top end of his budget ($30K) + an extra buffer of $10,000 for “unexpected problems and unforeseen project funds, this means that “X” would cost about $40,000. With Eric saying in his e-mail that “Y” would mainly be more expensive because of filling in the hole in the floor and running the extra water, swear, and drains to that side of the restaurant. Once again taking the full $10,000 estimate as the cost it would take to simply plug the hole and adding that to the cost of moving the CT bar equals $50,000. This is only half of our “Ballpark” $100k leaving the rest of the money for CT remodel. With plugging the hole if we only get another 5 seats for tapas, at its current check average of $23, it would take only take 87 turns of this table before it paid for the cost of plugging the hole. It is our recommendation that we make a basic remodel of CT so that it can be a “completely open space” as the structural integrity will allow. Depending on the cost it would also be a good idea to convert one of the un-used offices on this floor into a small catering/finishing kitchen. To this end we sent and received this e-mail back to/from Eric (his responses are in blue):

“A question about CT: If we move the bar from CT, or if we have to tear it down, what would be the Cost ($) to remodel CT to have as much of a completely open floor plan as structural integrity will allow? We could probably remove part of the existing back bar wall, and open up the private dining room a bit more.

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Some columns might be required. Cost; $5K+-

This is a different but related question:How much would it cost to convert One of the Offices on the same floor as CT to a small Catering/ Finishing Kitchen? Assuming no cooking/exhaust hood needed and just some cabinet/counter space....$10K. If a hood system is needed would be an extra $10k for an 8' s/s hood with tempered make-up air, and fire suppression system for a total of $20K

Taking all of these figures into account we can see a total cost of this project being about $70,000, to move the bar, plug the hole between floors, remodel CT, and convert an office to a catering/finishing kitchen. This figure includes a $10k buffer fund to cover extra or unknown cost that could pop up during construction. This is still $30K under our ballpark budget of $100k and this will leave plenty of room for new carpet on the main floor and “high-top” tables to accommodate the bar on the main floor.

The proposal and Idea that we feel should be pitched as our proposed presentation or pitch is:

Phase 1 (minimum cost of $50k)o Switch what floor Tapas & F2T are served on (“free”)o Move the CT bar down to the main Floor into the space marked with an “X”

in the above picture ($40k)o Fill the hole between the main floor and basement ($10K)

This would be a great time to make any changes to carpet/ wall paint and also buy high-top tables (this can be taken out of the “un-budgeted” $30K)

o Remodel CT to be a completely open floor plan (+/- $5k) Phase 2 (minimum cost of $25K)

o If F2T is showing success with less seats at a higher average check in the basement, Move F2T up to CT

o Build Catering/Finishing Kitchen in one of the office upstairs. (With no hood system $10K. With a hood system $20K. This does not account for any ovens or hot-boxes that may need to be bought.)

o Move Catering/ meetings from CT down to the Basement Phase 3 (no extra cost but is based on sales volume)

o If all the above changes have been successful consider opening up the Basement when not in use for a function as “over flow”

o This would be on busy nights only and would be tapas only

After talking with Esteban this week we are going to compile our best practice project draft #1 as a power point presentation for next week so that we can go over it.

WEEK OF: 05/28-06/03/2012


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Describe your observations for the aforementioned week and relate to our discussions/topics covered in class:This week I presented the first draft of our pitch presentation to Kevin and Esteban, because both Andrew and George did not show up for our meeting. You can view the Power Point Presentation I put together by clicking on the link.

The feedback I received on the power point was as follows: Add page #’s to each slide so that when it prints it is easy to keep in order Re-organize Goals so that they are in the order of importance to the school. Wanted a running total of project cost after each phase. Remove the last two bullet points of phase 3 so that it only has the cost of

weatherizing the patio

The changes have been made to the power point presentation and Kevin will be getting back to us about when we will be presenting this to the board for approval.

This will be the last meeting with Kevin and Esteban and we will not be meeting with them again until the Pitch to the board.

WEEK OF: 06/04-06/10/2012



While I did not meet with Kevin or Esteban this week I received a meeting notification for Monday next week (06/11/2012) at 2:45pm. This will be a meeting with the PAC board up at Harris Hall to present the proposed changes to NECI on Main.

Because of not helping with the creation of the PPT or showing up for our last meeting with Kevin & Esteban, Andrew and George will not be invited to participate with this meeting.

WEEK OF: 06/11-06/17/2012



I meet with the PAC board along with the following NECI employee’s on June 11th:

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Kevin O`Donnell, Michelle Ford, Chef Laureen, Chef Lyndon and Chef Michael Rhoads.

The presentation went well but the feedback I received from the PAC board was as follows:

Not enough information to support the pitch Need to have a return on investment timetable None of the cost or sales projections could be trusted because they were

estimates and not real solid numbers. If Farm to Table is failing then the idea should be to fix it first before

spending more money on a failing concept. This project should focus more on marketing the restaurant. Chef’s Table does need a remodel because it is a wasted space right now. No demographic report to support that NECI on Main will do the increases

business that was projected for Tapas Tapas needs a name and needs to be marketed as its own restaurant. I should have presented a complete business plan in place of the Power Point Tapas should be open later (2am was the suggestion) Farm to Table wasn’t being done correctly by the school and that should be

the focus of the meeting. Switching what floor Farm to Table and Tapas are served on wouldn’t solve

any problems because:o Tapas doesn’t do an extra 35-40 covers each night to support the

moveo Farm to Table is the NECI flagship and needs to be on our main floor

to convey this ideao Making the change would drive away the few customers Farm to

Table has now, and would cause Tapas to start failing.

Kevin had to jump in and explain that this was a theoretical assignment on what I would do if given $100,000 and told that I had to come up with ways re-vamp the NECI on Main concept. With it being determined that this was just a theoretical assignment, to my knowledge, this project will not be presented to any other boards and will not be proceeded with in any way.

This concludes my Kitchen Management Project & Shadowing Logs.

Weekly Periodical ReviewsClean Machines

When people start to think about opening a restaurant or really any type of food service business one of the last things they think about is the type of dishwasher they are going to use. When really it should be closer to the top of the list; a dishwasher can save or cost a business several hundreds of dollars each year.

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In the November 2011 issue of “Restaurant Startup & Growth” they walk us through a few of the newest technologies that can help save money on both the water and energy bills, and let’s face it as a business that on average only makes about 5% profit every penny counts. In fact, according to the EPA, energy-efficient dishwashers can save $200 per year in water costs and up to thousands in energy costs, a savings of 10-30%. It just takes a little operational analysis, hood consideration and product research to figure out what setup will work with your space, ventilation capacity and volume needs. In the article they break it down into four different dishwashers and how recent improvements in just these four can have a large impact on our business and more importantly our profits.

Under-counter and glass-washing machines are typically used for behind-the-bar and other small applications, including coffee shops and kiosks. As restaurants and emerging chains expand their bars to support a growing cocktail culture, and as others consider opening kiosks and other remote off-shoots to support their brand, these small, compact machines make a suitable match. Recent models, in addition, tend to be more efficient than ever before. There are Energy Star models available for single-rack and high-temp under-counter dishwashing machines. In tight spaces, which are increasing in restaurant real estate, an operator could combine high-temp, full cleaning and sanitizing units alongside a traditional three-compartment sink for larger pots and pans. But for larger, full-service operations, a single three compartment sink doesn’t always cut it. That’s where door-type and conveyor dishwashers come in.

Here’s where you start running into more potential for energy and water savings. Energy Star qualifies a host of door-type and flight-type or conveyor dish machines (meaning they’re deemed energy efficient by the EPA). The Energy Star standard for water is a maximum of 0.7 gallons per rack and an idle energy rate no greater than 2 kilowatts. Just because a dishwasher may not have an Energy Star stamp, though, doesn’t mean it’s not energy efficient. In the article the mention CEE-Tier 2 designations as well. This is a lesser-used certification body for showcasing energy efficiency, but industry experts say it can be even more reliable based on their more stringent requirements.

Hobart recently came out with a door-type machine using a heat recovery system. Basically, instead of wasting the steam created in a wash cycle through ventilation, the machine uses that excess to heat water for subsequent cycles. Still, water heater boosters are still necessary for most dishwashers. Anyone who has paid water and electric bills can tell you it’s very expensive to elevate water to 180 degrees, so a water heater booster speeds up that process.

“The Hobart CLeR with Advansys Energy Recovery for conveyor machines can reduce energy on the building by as much 21 kilowatts per hour,” says Allen Hasken, product line manager for Hobart. “Customers seem to like this model because it saves them more money over time from a financial standpoint if your machine is running 800 racks per hour, which can equate to a $2,300 savings per year in energy costs.” In addition to capturing heat during the final cycle, Hobart’s heat recovery

machine also captures heat from the hot dishes themselves. Not only does that help power up the next cycle, it also reduces the temperature of the dish-room air, which

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takes pressure off the ventilation system and makes for a more comfortable place to work. Costs for advanced machines like these, however, can cost more upfront than traditional dishwashers. But with good maintenance and the proper specs, operators can see returns on their investments in as quickly as a year or two year’s time. Considering that most restaurants are at the make it or break it point after a year or two this return on investment could mean keeping the doors open or closing up shop for good.

In addition to heat recovery and related technology, vent less dishwashers present another energy saving option. The first vent less dishwasher was an Ecolab machine 10 years ago. As the steam would rise, the machine mixed in cold water to cause the steam to condense. That cold water would go back down the drain. Now there are systems that use that water instead of wasting it. At the same time, these units have their own vent system that allows excess steam to flow directly outside, rather than into the dish room where it’s then picked up by the building’s HVAC unit. Leftover, hot ambient air in the kitchen only makes the HVAC work that much harder to cool the room. The idea is that vent less machines capture more from the machine, so there’s less “makeup air” lost from the space. Sadly at the same time, vent less machines aren’t perfect. They may actually suck a little air from the outside to the inside in the venting. That means if it’s cold or hot out, the HVAC has to work harder to moderate the air indoors. So if you’re already paying for the hood operation in the dish room, going vent less doesn’t offer that much extra in savings. Vent less machines also offer little extra help if they’re sending hot water down the drain rather than recycling that water for rinse cycles.

Some dishwashers, however, combine both technologies. Hobart’s Advansys vent less door-type ware washer runs 100 percent on cold water, and it has a more enclosed system to capture and recapture steam. At the same, the machine doesn’t require the purchase of a separate ventilation hood, which can lead to a savings of $3,500 in upfront capital costs. Energy recovery/condensate removal systems that are available for conveyors present another option. Energy-efficient door-type dishwashers can save $800 or more a year in costs and efficient conveyors can save at least $2,200 a year.

Unfortunately, none of these units change the water consumption so energy savings is the driver here. Water usage runs about the same, regardless. Whether you want a big or small, high volume or low-volume, selecting the right dishwasher for your operation is just as important as selecting the right grill or refrigerator. The more closely you align the machine with your production needs, municipal codes, utility costs, climate, dish room labor, and even plate or tray selection, the more energy can be saved over time, and in a workhorse station like the dish room, that can equate to thousands of dollars in costs; and who knows it could be the difference in staying open or having to close.

A Touch of GlassFor this week’s article I decided to stay with the November issue of

Restaurant Startup and Growth, because they had good article about how to go about picking the right type of wine glass for your restaurant. The article brings up

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all of the different things that we need to consider when it comes to selecting wine glasses, everything from the type of wine being used and if you honestly need a wine glass with a stem. While the article is mainly talking about wine glasses the information they talk about doesn’t just reflect wine glasses but how to go about sourcing and selecting all of your glassware.

One of the first things that the article talks about is, knowing who your customers are, and what your restaurant is trying to be. Until you know what the answers to both of these questions are you can’t make the right choice when it comes to your glassware. Think about it like this if you are trying to be a four star restaurant then you are going to need a different wine glass for each of your wines because your customers are more than likely going to know a bit about wine. On the other side of the coin, if you are trying to be a casual dining restaurant then you could get away with one or two styles of wine glasses. The fact is that there are enough factors to consider when it comes to selecting the type of wine glasses that without some consideration to what your restaurant is going to be you can’t make the correct choice.

The article give a layout of how to go about deciding if you are going to need a wine glass for every varietal of wine that you serve or if you only need two or three different glasses. They present arguments for and against picking different bowl styles and if you honestly need a stem. The article argues that you don’t need a stem for red wine as holding the glass in your hand will warm the wine and help keep it the right temperature; while a stem-less wine glass would actually “hurt” the temperature of a white wine. Another aspect that they talk about is your overall space consideration for storing the glasses safely when not in use, and how much it would cost you to replace the glasses when they break. When you are potentially going to spend $8-$12 dollars per glass this could be a big issues. Today the type of wine glass you pick isn’t so much about the stem itself but the lines the glass holds. The article ask that you consider the curvature, feel in the hand, and lip thickness, as all of these things are going to have an impact on the glasses you pick.

Without getting into if you should buy crystal or glass, the real question is to bead or not to bead. Beaded lips are less expensive but are also generally of a lower quality. The bead is on the lip of the glass to help keep it from chipping or breaking. This once again comes back to the question of if your guest is going to know the difference, the guest who doesn’t know or care much about wine isn’t going to notice that the lip has a bead, but the wine snob is going to judge you all the harder because of the bead.

Regardless of what type of wine glass you end up going with the next thing the article talks about is that you also need to have the right glass rack, both for storage and for washing your glasses. Anyone who has worked in a restaurant has seen the effects of glasses washed in the wrong sized rack, but more than this the article actually recommends that you let your glasses rest after two turns around the restaurant, so that they don’t get thermal shock. How a busy restaurant is going to keep track of the number of times a glass has gone into the dishwasher each night is beyond me.

Glassware companies will tell you that the shape of the glass and the quality of the crystal will actually make a difference in the flavor and taste of the wine. I

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honestly wouldn’t know if this is true or not but the article has Rudy Miick who runs a restaurant consultant firm out of Boulder Colorado affirming that he can taste a difference and that it’s not just for high priced wines but even the “cheaper” wines will benefit from this trick. Quality of the crystal aside, what is really important is that size does matter. Related to this is the question of filling a wine glass to the rim. If you have a customer who doesn’t know about wine they are going to be happy that they have a full glass of wine, but in reality this doesn’t give the wine room to breathe, or room to swirl the wine so you can smell the aromas. This is going to be a double edge sword because if you are using a 16oz wine glass and only pouring 6oz into it you are going to thrill the wine snob, but to the person who doesn’t know about wine you just ripped them off.

What all of this really comes down to is your restaurants brand or image, while I might not be ruined by having the wrong wine glass, it couldn’t hurt to put some thought into what you are going to buy. The article itself is a bit on the fun side but it makes a few good points that might be overlooked when opening a new restaurant. While you are never going to know if the person ordering a glass of wine is knowledgeable about wine or not if you make a few good choices you can help your brand and image just that little bit more. In our industry every little bit counts and sometimes it can make all the difference.

Early Warning SystemHow do you know if your restaurant is operating as you expect or want it to?

Is it by the looks on the faces of your guest? Is it the reviews, both positive and negative, on industry related websites? The amount of activity in our kitchens; or is it just a gut feeling? This week’s periodical summery is all about using the number our restaurants generate daily, weekly, and monthly to stay on top of how our business is doing. This article from the February 2012 issue of Restaurant Start-up & Growth talks about how to identify what number should be examined daily, weekly and monthly to give operators an idea of how their restaurant is performing. It goes into depth about how weekly prim cost reporting makes managers more cognizant of the effects labor scheduling has on the business.

The article breaks itself up into three different sections starting with daily reports and how using daily information helps us be more efficient each shift. As strange as it may be to start off talking about the article points out that most restaurant operators like to start out with an annual plan and break it down into periods, and monthly cycles. The importance of doing this is to be able to use this annual goal to set daily and weekly expectations and sales goals for your management team to keep them on track. This is because by using daily number properly managers are better prepared to accurately plan the preparation of product, efficiently manage labor cost, and meet that day’s sales goals. Think about it like this: You are giving your management team access to the numbers form the same date the year before and you are asking your team to beat last year’s numbers.

However a daily sales report isn’t simply a sales record, it is this and so much more. The real main purpose of a daily sales report is to track the day’s actual sales, account for any voids, promotions, refunds, and payouts so that cash is accurately accounted for. If you use this report to track sales by day part, breakfast, lunch, and

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dinner, along with including cover counts and check averages your management team can better track trend in daily customer spending and let us as operators know what is working and not working on a day to day basis. Tracking lunch cover counts and check averages can let managers know what daily specials to offer, just as tracking these same things with dinner can let a manager know when to run server sale contest on appetizers or desserts.

Another great daily report to use is the daily P-mix or menu-item sales report as it is also known as. This is a great report for chef’s and kitchen managers to use to help prep themselves for the day and week ahead. It’s great to look at a monthly report and see that you sold 360 orders of “X” a month, but if you can see the daily reports and see that on this day you sell 15 of “X” dish and on other day’s you only sell 5 of “X” dish you can prep accordingly. This will not only save money on food cost because we are not wasting extra product, we are also saving money on the second biggest prime cost in the restaurant industry by cutting back on labor. If there is less to prep then it takes less labor hours to do it. In the end the little bit of time and product that is saved at the end of each month will add up to large savings over the course of a year.

Knowing what each day is projected to bring or how each day did also helps with the second part of the article and that is weekly prime cost calculations. The prime cost of the restaurant world is our food and beverage cost plus all payroll salaries, wages, taxes and benefits. A restaurants prime cost is also one of the best indicators of the profit potential and how well our restaurants most volatile costs are being managed. A restaurant whose prime cost are out of control almost always have problems with product consistency, and food quality. If a restaurant is really interested in making the most profit it can then calculating prim cost only once a month is not enough, the highly profitable restaurants actually use weekly prime cost reports.

When prime cost are calculated weekly, operators and managers don’t have to wait for the end of the month to find out what happened with the most important cost areas for restaurant success. If there is a problem with food cost, beverage cost, or labor cost it can be addressed that week and is normally fixed by the next week, putting the restaurant back in-line with its sales goals. If it isn’t calculated each week you won’t know how long the problem is going on and it could take a lot of time and lost sales to fix if you are only looking at the month end report.

Another benefit with weekly prime cost calculations is that it changes the entire culture in your kitchen because of the awareness and sense of ongoing accountability it creates. If you can tell your chef and managers that they raised the prime cost of the restaurant each week it puts them on notice and gives them time to correct the issues so that it doesn’t affect your monthly sales goals. The article claims that in as little as the first few weeks you could see a decrees in prime cost by as much as 2-5%, and assuming that everything else stays the same this 2-5% goes right to the bottom line.

Lastly the article talks about the how monthly review and analysis of your restaurant’s P&L or income statement is one of the most important reports to see the restaurant’s overall profitability. The best way to review and compare how your business is doing is to set up our income statements using The National Restaurant

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Association’s Uniform System of Accounts for Restaurants. This creates a common language for all restaurants to talk about industry specific expenses and sales. On top of giving you monthly totals of your daily and weekly reports all in one place the monthly P&L statement let you monitor and keep track of our other expenses, both controllable and non-controllable.

When it really comes down to it, it’s a numbers game. Restaurants generate lots of numbers and the more reports that help you understand the numbers the better and more profitable your restaurant can be. When these reports and numbers change for the better or worse it lets us as operators and managers know when something is working well and should be continued. These same reports can provide a reliable early warning system that something in our restaurant is amiss and needs attention. Staying on top of your key numbers is a way to stay on top of our business and our prospects for success.

Friends in High PlacesWith social media having such a big impact on how people today research

and find the places they want to go; the difference between making money and losing money could be as simple as how well you manage your social media presence. This week’s article once again comes from the February 2012 issue of Restaurant Start-Up & Growth, and is all about why our restaurant needs to be on Google Places and how to get started if it isn’t already. The article explains why Google Places is so important to our business’s success, as well as how to “claim” you’re Google Places listing and to improve the ranking on Google Places.

Let’s start off with a brief description of how Google presents search results: When a prospective customer searches for a restaurant on Google they will be shown between 1-10 Google Places results along with a listing of other results. In other words let’s say the search for “insert type of food Restaurant in insert city or town” what they would get on the first page is 1-10 Google Places results mixed in with other web page results. This is assuming that they haven’t selected a more refined search option from the top or left hand menus like Google Maps, or Google Video’s. Most of the time a Google search won’t end up showing a listing for both your website and Google Places link on page 1 but you could get lucky. The reason why this is so important is because if you do a general search Google Places will always be at the top of the page and you would have to scroll down for website listings. Another great benefit to a general search is that the Google Places listings will show the number of stars that you have gotten based on guest reviews. If you set it up correctly Google Places can do wonders for your social media marketing as putting your Google Places listing at the top of the page with your average rating allows a guest to quickly look and compare your restaurant with your competition all without having to scroll or hunt any farther than the first page of Google.

Before you can start utilizing the benefits of Google Places you will need to “claim” your restaurant or business or even sign up for a Google Places account, both of which are free. If you have been is business for a year or more you may already see a listing for your restaurant, but the information you see may not be correct. Regardless you can be certain that the information on your restaurant will not be as compelling as we would like it to be. This is how “claiming” your listing

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comes into play. The first thing you are going to need to do if you have a listing or even if you don’t have a listing is to sign up for a Google account, and you can do this on Google.com or Gmail. Once gain this is free and only takes a few moments. Checking if you have a listing is just as easy, because all you have to do is click on Google Maps and search for your restaurant. If you do have a Google Places listing then you will see an option to claim it in the top right of the map.

Don’t have a listing for your establishment? Not a problem, simply go to your new Google.com/Account page and click on the Google Places link. From here it is simply a matter of entering you information. You will start out with things like your restaurant name, address, and phone number. AS you enter this information you will see your Google Places listing populating on the right hand side of the screen. Once this basic information is completed click on continue. If on the other hand your restaurant is already listed in Google then it is a matter of claiming it as your own. You can claim your listing in two different ways: first is by phone which is the fastest way, and second is to fill out printable forms and mail them into Google. The mail option can take as much as 2-3 weeks and you won’t be able to make any changes to the listing in this time, so a quick phone call is much easier.

If you are going to take the time to create a listing or to claim one already present on Google then take the time to optimize it, and please don’t just list your restaurant’s name as this could work against you. Think about it like this; your restaurant is called “Bob’s” if you only list the name how many other “Bob’s” do you honestly think are out there in the wide Google Places world? Add as much information in this as you can like “Bob’s Restaurant” or “Bob’s Pizza Parlor”. If on the other hand you have only called yourself “Bob’s” then you might want to consider changing you legal name to be a little bit more specific because remember this is all about standing out and getting noticed. Other ways of optimizing your listing is to having things like your physical address and a real desk phone number instead of an 800 number. You also should pick at least one category from Google’s listing but you don’t have to pick just one. Pick as many different ones as you can so that you have that many more chances to get noticed.

This may all be common sense but remember this is all about trying to get the Google search robots to place you listing at the top of the screen. You can do all sorts of things with your listing and the more you do the better your chances of getting this top spot on a Google Search. You can even add pictures and video’s of your restaurant, but keep in mind the first picture you upload is going to be the picture that shows up on your listing so pick one that represents your restaurant the best. The more information you put on your listing the better off you will be, and if you take an hour or two to do all of this right the first time then you can expect to see months and years of free marketing from the most used search tool on the internet.

Bird is the WordHave you heard about the bird? The bird is the word in this week’s periodical

review, and is going to be the last article that I review from the February 2012 issues of Restaurant Start-up & Growth. I decided to do this article because as we learn more about healthy eating and managing our cost an interesting fact stood out

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tome from this article. Some poultry products can have much lower food cost percentages than some beef items; 15-20% for poultry compared with 30-35% for beef. The article goes into some of the basics of working with poultry and fowl, and then goes on to talk about different factors about each type of fowl. This article presents a nice overview of the different ways that you can use each type of poultry because poultry can fill many roles on just about any menu. Various types of poultry are often some of our best low priced proteins, and others can be some of the most expensive and sophisticated dishes available. No matter where in the world you go you are going to see fowls of all kinds featured on the menu. With chicken being a classic and all-time favorite of many people around just the US makes the increased availability of organic and free-ranged options a great way to pick “healthier” or more humane selections on our menus.

Let’s start off talking about the word poultry first as it means much more than just chicken and turkey. Besides these two it includes: Goose, Duck, Cornish game Hen, Quail and Pheasant. What is really surprising is that until advents in technology after World War II the poultry that we take for granted today was an expensive treat for the affluent diners in the past. The new production techniques are exactly what has been a major factor in the rise of popularity. It is these same techniques that are creating a demand for healthier and more humanly raised birds. Free-ranged birds for example are given “more space” and the ability to forage for feed, giving them exercise and outdoor time that one’s raised on commercial farms do not have. That is why some people think that these birds have a fuller, richer flavor that those raised exclusively in tiny cages. Even terms like “organic”, “no hormones” and “no antibiotics” mean largely what they imply.

Since chicken is the most widely used form of poultry, not to mention one of the most commonly served foods in general, let’s start there. On top of the USDA grading that you see on all meats chickens are also classified in age and size categories. This classification is important to understand, as different types of chicks are better for different types of cooking. When you see things like “Broilers” or “Fryers” on the label, this means tht the bird was about 2 ½ months old, and they will weigh about 1.5-3 pounds. These are going to be very tender birds that will work well with any cooking technique, but they work best with broiling, frying roasted or even grilled. “Roasters” on the other hand can be up to 8 months old and between 3 ½-5 pounds. These can also be used well with any cooking method but because of the higher fat content in them they make great birds for roasting. As we increase in age and weight you will see birds called “Stewing Hens” or “Boiling Fowl” and while they are going to be quite tough, they more than make up for this with the great flavor they have. Use these for when you want to make stocks, stews, and braises.

Cornish Game Hens are still chicken but they are a hybrid of two types of chickens, the Cornish, and the White Rock chicken. Being plumper and having a higher ratio or white to dark meat then other chickens they work very well roasted or broiled and typically because of the small size each bird is one portion. Birds like Capon’s are roosters that have been castrated before they are 8 weeks old and then feed a very rich diet until about 10 months old. A Capon is going to be very juicy and plump bird perfect for roasting, as one bird will yield five or six entrée portions.

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Chickens are available year- round, both fresh and frozen. With the exceptions of the smaller birds you can buy them whole or broken down into just the part you want. Depending on the menu and the skill level of your staff it may be more economical if you buy whole birds and fabricate them yourself but this isn’t always the best option. Be careful with the difference between “ready to cook”, which is just that ready to go into the oven, and “dressed” which has only had the feathers plucked clean. “Dressed” birds will still have the head and feet on and will not have been eviscerated.

Turkey has moved beyond a dish served only on Thanksgiving. Today it is available year round, fresh and frozen, as a whole bird or in parts just like chicken. They are classified as either young hens or toms, and can weigh anywhere from 8-30 pounds. AS a whole bird they are traditionally roasted, although deep-frying is gaining favor in some areas. Boneless cutlets, whether purchased or fabricated down to the can be used in many different ways, just like chicken. If you are going to butcher your own birds in house then by all means use the resulting carcass to make a great turkey stock for all seasons use. Even things like ground turkey are being seen today to make healthy burger options, and let’s not forget the fact that you can roast your own turkey breast and slice it very thin to use for sandwiches that will be hands down better then store bought deli meat.

Geese are very popular in Europe but for some reason haven’t been as popular in the US. This could be because of their high fat content, and the two very popular French dishes of foie gras, and confit. Foie gras, the velvety rich enlarged liver from “force-fed” geese can be made from certain varieties of duck however and duck confit has seen a rise in popularity here in the US. A female goose is known, simply enough as a goose, while the male is called a gander. Younger birds of both sexes are known as goslings and will weigh between 6-10 pounds. Goslings are generally roasted as the higher fat content and size makes them perfect for this cooking method, and can yield about six entrée portions. Older Geese can weigh up to 18 pounds, and are often braised stewed or turned into confit because of the tougher quality they have. One of the benefits to have goose on your menu is that like duck you can render the fat and use it as you see fit.

Also like geese ducks are available year-round more often than not frozen. Most ducks come to market when still young so the normal age terms are less important than with other types of poultry. With that being said a typical “Broiler” or “Fryer” duck is less than 8 weeks old and typically weighs between 2-4 pounds. Ducks have very tender meat and work well with any cooking method. Unlike chickens or turkeys ducks do not have salmonella, so they don’t need to be cooked through. In fact, most people will expect duck breast to be served no more than medium rare. When roasted or grilled to medium rare and sliced into thin medallions, this makes one of the nicest examples of poultry anyone could put on their menu.

Lastly we come to the game birds, and historically, game birds were only available during hunting season. Today, many of these birds are now available year round often frozen but still farm raised. This presents a down side as they will more than likely lack the “gamey” character of their totally wild counterparts. This isn’t always a bad thing as domestically raised pheasant has a very mild, slightly sweet

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flavor. No matter what size of pheasant you get it is important to cook the bird just until it’s juices run clear. Quail is also available year round now and can be bought in two different ways, whole with bones or semi-boneless. When semi-boneless they will be flattened with only the leg and thigh bones remaining. This type of quail is great for grilling and frying, but if you’re not careful because of the small size they can overcook quickly. Depending on their size, one or two whole quail will make a nice sized appetizer. If you want to make some of the most opulent “chicken” nuggets you can fry the breast meat of a quail.

No matter what birds you decide to put on your menu poultry and fowl have earned a place and are so versatile that you can do almost anything you want with them. Take a chance and see what your customers think of the different types of poultry that are available year round. Use them as specials that will bring new flavors and life to your menu each night. Since most poultry and fowl will still have a lower food cost percent then beef you can use them in more applications while maintain or even lowering you cost. Given that many choice are “healthier” then beef it is a great way to shift your restaurant into having a “healthy” reputation. The bird is the word and if you haven’t heard about the bird then it may be time for you to take flight and see what great dishes await you and your guests alike.

Clean Enough to Eat Off of

I don’t think I am going out on a limb to say that most of us didn’t get into the restaurant business because of an attraction to the field of sanitation. We chose this path because of a love of food and wine, or the possibility of turning a passion, into a livelihood. Nonetheless, we have all found that in addition to the obvious, we must also gain more than a passing familiarity with a wide variety of extra-culinary skills like: marketing, bookkeeping, insurance and plumbing, to name just a few. Although each of these topics is important, none compare to how crucial the implementation of good sanitation practices in our kitchens are. Few things can bring your business to an immediate, grinding halt more effectively than actually hurting customers with your food. In the March 2012 issues of Restaurant Start-up & Growth, they talk about 10 different things to think about that will help improve the overall health and safety of our restaurants.

Physical contaminants exist in every kitchen. The point is to make sure that, by establishing and maintaining certain procedures, and by training your staff to be observant, none of them ends up in the food you serve your guests. Hair, rocks, metal shavings, broken glass, foil, plastic wrap, bandages and other obviously non-food items will disgust your guests at best, or injure them at worst. Giving your staff as many reasons as you can for being proud of their work will go a long way in this regard. It’s important for management to pay attention to what goes on in the kitchen as well. If a cook doesn’t look through the dried beans for rocks before he cooks them, or doesn’t replace the foil on a hotel pan when it gets torn, or has more hair sticking out from his cap than he has under it, someone should notice and steer him in the right direction. Chemical contaminants are useful products in our kitchens that, if consumed, will cause chemical poisoning. Things like cleaners, disinfectants and pesticides all have their place

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in our kitchens, but care must be taken to keep them out of the food. Keep all of these products stored in an area away from food storage and preparation. They should all be well marked, in the original containers when possible. Ideally, pesticides should be handled only by professionals, and not stored in your kitchen at all. Biological contaminants, know as pathogens, are the ones that can most easily cause food-borne illness due to an operator’s lack of understanding or effort. Pathogens are microorganisms found in food that, when present in sufficient quantities, will make a person who eats that food sick. From a practical standpoint, it’s all about understanding how pathogens flourish, and how to prevent them from doing so.

Training your staff to frequently and correctly wash their hands is one of the simplest things you can do to insure good sanitation in your kitchen. First, do your job as a manager by always having hand soap and paper towels available at each hand sink, and having each hand sink supplied with plenty of hot water. Then, as simple as it sounds, make sure that each of your workers knows the proper technique for washing their hands in a commercial kitchen setting. A quick rinse under cold water, followed by wiping their hands on their apron won’t kill the pathogens on their hands, which is the goal. Once everyone knows how to wash their hands correctly, it comes down to when should they. At the very least: before handling any food, after using the restroom, after sneezing or coughing, after eating, after handling any raw product, and whenever they feel like they should. Never be shy about suggesting that someone wash their hands if you think they should, and always lead by example.

Pay close attention to the condition of your food products and how they are handled from the minute they are checked in, to the moment they are served, and at every stage in between. As soon as perishable items are received they should be stored at the appropriate temperature. Keep refrigerators between 34ºF and 40ºF, and freezers at 32ºF or below. If you keep fresh seafood on ice, have perforated pans and other necessary equipment handy, so that it will be convenient to use. Keep your storage areas clean, uncluttered and well lit to make it easy for your staff to rotate the stock. Pay extra attention when storing raw chicken. Always be sure that it is kept on the lowest shelves in your cooler. If a crate of raw chicken leaks Samlonella onto the cooler floor it’s not great, but it’s a lot better than leaking into a case of Iceberg lettuce.

The best way to thaw frozen products is in the cooler. If you don’t have time for that, the next best way is to place the wrapped product under cold running water in a prep sink. As soon as it is defrosted, place it in a cooler until needed. When prepping perishable items like seafood, keep only a minimum amount out of the cooler, and keep that small amount in a pan or bowl over ice. When cooling items like hot stocks, stews or soups, the idea is to get them from hot to cool as quickly as possible. This is so that they are in the “danger zone” (40ºF-140ºF), where pathogens multiply most quickly, for as little time as possible. An easy way to accomplish this is to put the product in a metal container, put the container in a sink containing ice, add water to the sink and stir the product frequently. Once the product gets down to below 40ºF, place it in a covered, marked container and store in a cooler. To cool items like rice, spread it into a thin layer on a sheet pan.

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In the same way that your staff should be trained to instinctively wash their hands throughout a shift, your kitchen staff should automatically clean and sanitize their stations after every task, before starting the next. When something has been sanitized, it means that any pathogens on it have been killed. Your chefs and cooks should be trained and encouraged to wipe down all surfaces with hot, soapy water, replace cutting boards if necessary, wash and sanitize all tools in a three-compartment sink and then finally wipe down all the surfaces on their station with a towel that’s been soaking in a conveniently located container filled with a sanitizing solution containing bleach, iodine or quaternary ammonium.

Cross contamination is when a piece of equipment such as a cutting board, knife or work table becomes contaminated with something like raw chicken or pork, and is then used for another item, such as a ham sandwich, without first being sanitized. Frequent hand washing and sanitizing stations after each task will avoid many chances for cross contamination to occur, but everyone in your kitchen, from pot washers to the executive chef need to be aware of this potential problem and help avoid it at all cost.

Some types of cleaning like washing and sanitizing individual stations during a shift and hand washing, will become automatic for your staff; other cleaning chores are more likely to get done when listed on printed schedules, with printed checklists to act as reminders. Two checklists that work as valuable tools for many operators are basic opening and closing checklists. Depending on your operation, you might want to write specific daily checklists for each station in your kitchen, for each shift. While probably containing more duties having to do with food production, cleaning/sanitation items can also appear on these lists.Having a periodic “deep clean” schedule is usually a good idea. Tasks that might only get done once a week or every few days, like cleaning behind work tables or cooking equipment, more complete cleaning of walk-ins or stoves, and super-cleaning of floors and walls, have a much better chance of getting done on a regular basis if they appear on a list that needs to be initialed when completed.

Waste disposal is neither difficult nor glamorous, but it is important and needs to be handled well to avoid smells, rodents, insects, and to generally maintain a healthy environment. Have plenty of garbage cans in your kitchen and plenty of properly fitting liners to go in them. Part of your opening checklist should be to have them set up and ready for action before prep begins. Encourage your staff to empty them before they’re overflowing, and be sure that you are getting trash pickups often enough so that when they take a trash can out to the dumpster, there is room in it. Sanitize your trash cans regularly. Be sure that the dumpster is always closed, and maybe even locked at night, to keep out various visitors.

Pests such as cockroaches, flies, rodents and ants cause many problems for restaurateurs. From spreading disease, ruining product, destroying property and scaring away customers, they are something to combat with all of our resources. Usually the best approach at keeping these pests at bay is two-fold: doing everything you can in-house, and also hiring a professional to take it from there. First, follow all of the advice given above. A clean, organized restaurant, from the front door back to the dumpster, is much

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less appealing and accessible to all manner of vermin than one that is less immaculate. Be on the lookout for any holes that pests can enter your building through, and have them sealed. Keep all kitchen and storage areas well organized and spotless. Regular treatments by professionals who can read the clues that we might miss and act on them appropriately can be very effective in keeping pests at bay.

Understand that everyone who works in your restaurant needs to understand the importance of good sanitation, and know just what that means in a practical sense. It does no good if your chefs and cooks understand just what and what not to do, but your steward thinks nothing of putting a pan of raw chicken in a speed rack over a cheese tray. It should be your goal to develop in your staff an instinctive reaction against doing anything with food that will make it unhealthy to serve to their guests.

Don’t forget that your inspector from the Health Department and you are on the same side. It’s very important for both of you that no one gets sick from eating in your restaurant, and you both bring different experiences and insights to the table to prevent it. If you approach him or her with the attitude that, “I’m doing everything I know to run a tight ship, and would appreciate any advice you might have to help me do better,” you might be surprised at what an ally they will be in your efforts to run a healthy shop.

Cutting Your Own Meat

One of the most basic decisions a restaurateur makes when developing their concept is where his or her kitchen will exist on the continuum that starts with buying everything pre-prepared, and ends with doing everything from scratch. Very few restaurants occupy the terrain at either extreme, with most fitting somewhere in between. They arrive at this position after many decisions have been made having to do with, to name some of the more important considerations: quality, consistency, cost of goods sold, labor costs, product availability, time constraints, customer expectations, vendors, the skill level and size of the staff, kitchen layout and storage space. Meat is one of the highest cost items in most restaurants, with some of the highest customer expectations and one of the greatest potentials for profit as well as loss. As chef’s and or restaurant owners it is important to figure out just how much in-house meat fabrication makes the most sense for your particular operation. In the April 2012 issue of Restaurant Start-Up & Growth, they talk about the different factors we should take into account when making our decisions. The article also looks at a few specific fabrications that many operators would benefit from incorporating into their procedures.

The article starts by looking at how an entire animal carcass is broken down into progressively more manageable stages prior to finally becoming the cuts we ultimately cook in our restaurants. Beef, veal, pork and lamb all follow a similar basic plan. First, the entire carcass is divided into two “sides” by making a cut down the length of the backbone. Then, each side is cut into two pieces between pre-specified vertebrae. The part from the front of the animal is called the “forequarter,” and the other, the “hindquarter.” Both these quarters are further divided into what is known as “primal cuts.” The primal cuts that come from the forequarter are the chuck, rib, brisket, fore

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shank and plate. The primal cuts that come from the hindquarter are the loin, round, flank and shank. Each of these primal cuts is then broken down into “subprimals” and then, finally, “retail cuts.” Realize that each of the primal cuts contain retail cuts that might be useful to incorporate on our menus, but some knowledge about just how to best use each cut is important. Some are great when sautéed or grilled, others do better when roasted, and others need long, slow simmering to bring out their best attributes. Some are expensive, and others are relative bargains, but all of them can be profitable.

Sadly few kitchens have the prep space, trained staff, equipment or storage space to deal with forequarters or hindquarters, let alone sides or entire carcasses. Band saws and other specialized equipment, dedicated butchers and ample walk-in and prep space are beyond the scope of most restaurants. But, depending on your situation, many benefits might be garnered from processing primal or subprimal cuts of meat into the products you ultimately cook and serve on your menu. Simple, easily learned techniques that can be perfected with a little practice will yield benefits such as increased consistency of portions, product specs that may not be available from your vendors, increased product quality and reduced costs. And much of the trim that results from the butchering process, although this should always be kept to a minimum, can be used for other menu items such as stocks, garnishes, soups, sauces, and burgers.

One of the main points to take into account when deciding if it makes more sense to buy a certain product ready to cook or to butcher it in-house, is to figure out how much trim is produced in the process of butchering it. With this information we can figure out what our actual price for the finished product is. The price we pay for the finished product is called the Edible Portion cost (“EP cost”). The price we paid for the entire cut we get the desired product from is known as the As Purchased cost (“AP cost”). Always use the EP cost when figuring out menu prices and food cost per serving.

An example of determining EP cost, using a fabrication common in many kitchens, can be seen in the in-house cleaning of a beef tenderloin psmo(“Peeled, Side Muscle On”). The normal fabrication would be to remove the silverskin and the side muscle before either roasting the tenderloin whole, or cutting it into individual steaks to be grilled or sautéed. The price per pound of the psmo, as purchased, is the AP cost. To determine the EP cost, which is what really matters, weigh the tenderloin after removing the silverskin and side muscle and divide the AP cost by that weight. So, if the psmo cost $18 per pound and weighed 6 pounds, you paid $108 for that psmo. If, after removing the silverskin and side muscle, it weighs 4.5 pounds, divide $108 by 4.5. This tells you that your EP cost, the cost you’ve really paid for what you end up cooking, is $24 per pound. Although there is no use for the silverskin, you can use the pound or so of side muscle meat, once the connective tissue is removed, for something like a Bolognese sauce. If your vendor’s price on a psmo is $26 per pound, you’re ahead about $8 per tenderloin, plus you have a pound or so of excellent trim to use in another dish. There is also not a bad chance that, with some practice, your staff will do a nicer job of trimming this cut than the butchers working in the processing plant do. If, however, you can get a psmo for $23.50 per pound, you might want to reconsider. Another reason to opt for the more-processed cut is if you’re in the middle of a very busy season and value the time and

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convenience more than you do the savings in cost or usable trim. To take it a little further, for reasons of convenience, workspace, time or training, you might decide that the way for you to go is to buy individually portioned fillet mignons of a specific weight. Regardless, make sure that you are comparing apples to apples by checking to see that any prices you are quoted are all for the same grade of meat: prime, choice or select.

Another major point to consider in deciding whether or not it’s in our best interest to make a particular fabrication part of your operation is the labor involved. You must weigh the advantages of greater control of portions and quality, and savings in food costs, against the time and resources it will take to train and supervise the staff required to do the butchering and, of course, to schedule them to do so. If you can’t find a vendor who can supply a particular cut to the specifications you want, you may have no choice. But if a certain amount of in-house fabrication will give you the exact quality and specs you want, it will be worth the time and effort. Just don’t forget that, even though any increased labor costs won’t show up in your food costs, they are still there. A dollar is a dollar. That being said, there are often many advantages to fabricating certain items on premise. Even taking into account additional labor, many products will still end up being less expensive than buying them ready to cook, and you will also have the advantages of better consistency, quality and useful by-products. Plus, just like making your own stocks, doing a certain amount of butchering in-house is a sign of a more professional, well-trained kitchen.

With all this in mind, here are a few fabrications from the article that save numerous operators money while enabling them offer a higher quality product to their guests:

Cutting and pounding cutlets, whether beef tenderloin, beef top round, veal loin, pork loin, or chicken or turkey breast is easy, results in a more consistent product and is more economical than purchasing them pre-made. A cutlet refers to a portion of meat pounded thinly to an even thickness across its entire surface so that it will cook evenly and quickly when sautéed or pan-fried. First, using an ounce scale, cut individual portions from the larger piece of meat. Put each individual portion between two pieces of plastic wrap on a cutting board and, using a mallet and working from the center to the edges, gently pound the portion until it reaches the desired thickness. If you don’t have a mallet, the side of a cleaver or bottom of a skillet can be used. Store the cutlets between sheets of plastic wrap.

Trimming beef tenderloin (psmo), as mentioned above, is another simple fabrication that is almost always worth doing in-house. First, remove any fat that remains on the tenderloin. In an effort to not accidentally remove any meat, much of this step can be done with your hands instead of a knife. Then cut off the chain, which runs along one side of the tenderloin and contains a lot of fat and tough, connective tissue. Next remove the silverskin; this is the thin, silvery covering that will be very tough if left on. To do this, use the tip of a very sharp boning knife to get under a portion of the silverskin at one end of the tenderloin and release a couple of inches of it from the meat. Then, tightly holding this released piece of silverskin up away from the meat at about a 30-degree

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angle with one hand, slide the knife along the entire length of the tenderloin to remove a thin strip of the silverskin. Keep the blade of the knife angled slightly upward, away from the meat. Repeat until all the silverskin is removed. The goal is to have no meat on the strips of removed silverskin. At this point, the tenderloin can either be roasted or grilled whole, or portioned into individual steaks. Make sure to use an ounce scale! The chain can be trimmed of fat and sinew and used in sauces, soups or in a very good staff meal.

Frenching racks of lamb in-house will give you greater control over the extent of trim loss, as well as save some money. Figure out the EP cost, as described above, to decide if this fabrication makes sense for your operation. With a little practice, it becomes a very quick and easy process. First, find the two points on each side of the top of the rack that are about 3 inches from the end of the eye of the meat, measuring towards the end of the bones. Using a boning knife, make a straight cut connecting the two points, going all the way down to the bones. Then, along that initial cut, use the point of knife to cut all the way through between each bone. Turn the rack over and use the tip of the knife to cut through the membrane along the center of the length of each bone. Hold the rack on the cutting board with the ends of the bones facing up and curved away from you (so the top of the rack is facing you). Push the bones through the slit in the membrane with your thumbs, pulling the fat back with your fingers. At this point, the rack is “Frenched,” with the bones clean and free of any meat or fat. To finish, remove as much fat covering as desired from the top of the rack.

When it comes down to it the choice is yours to make but if it comes to saving money, and getting extra ingredients or products for basically free it can be a very good choice to make. It is all going to depend on your operation and your staff, but if you can save even a dollar on every meat item on your menu it will add up over time to help make a more profitable business, and that is what really matters in the long run.

Building Appetizer and Dessert SalesIt’s not uncommon for a person to be able to tell when a stranger, a waiter

perhaps, is trying to get them to buy something they don’t want, and to recoil when it happens. The practice of mindless “up selling” is so endemic in much of our industry that it has become a caricature. “Would you like fries with that?” delivered deadpan, with no eye contact or thought in a quick service restaurant is bad enough, but at least there it makes a little sense. If there are only a half dozen items on the menu, there’s not a bad chance that a guest might very well want the most popular side dish to accompany his meal. And what’s the harm in reminding them, just in case they forgot? When the same level of enthusiasm and forethought is applied in other types of restaurants, it probably won’t translate well. We all know that we can count on most diners to order at least one course, whether it is an entrée or an appetizer, as their meal. It’s less of a given that they will augment that selection with a first course or dessert. The May 2012 Issue of Restaurant Start-up & Growth talks about some strategies that could help increase and build appetizer and dessert sales.

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One of the most important parts of forming a strategy to increase appetizer and dessert sales is to understand how our customers perceive our waiters. We must train our wait staff to be knowledgeable about the menu, and to come across as engaged, competent professionals who care about each guest’s experience while being served by them. Regular tastings of each menu item for your wait staff, with part of the culinary team included, should be part of your restaurant’s routine. A member of the kitchen staff or a manager should describe the dishes, how they are made and what makes them special. Any ammunition that your chef can offer the waiters that can be used as a sales pitch should be brought up at these meetings. If the beef is hormone free and raised in the adjacent county, if the sauce takes 2 days to make, if the pasta special is just the way his grandmother made it, now is the time to mention it. Common concerns that some customers will have should be addressed at these tastings. If a certain dish has a high fat content, or contains pork, shellfish or peanuts, for example, your waiters should be aware of it. They should also know which menu items would work as good alternatives. If the fried shrimp appetizer is not going to work for a particular guest, maybe the poached salmon will. If it makes sense in your restaurant, this would also be the perfect time to have your beverage manager explain his or her choices, for the perfect wine or beer pairing for some of the dishes. Over the course of several such meetings, both by-the-bottle and by-the-glass selections should be covered; as well as specialty drinks.

As easy as it is to get the wait staff enthused about the savory dishes they have to offer their guests, it is usually even easier to get them excited about the desserts, and enthusiasm is really a big part of the game. In addition to your waiters simply tasting each dessert on your menu, it’s even better if whoever makes the desserts can describe part of the process involved to the servers. Whether it’s using a big propane torch on the crème brûlée, making sponge cake from scratch for the tiramisù or making the raspberry sauce from whole, fresh raspberries, these interesting tidbits, and valuable sales tools, shouldn’t be kept secret from the people who can use them more than anyone. Even if the most exciting thing that happens in the kitchen is taking a particular dessert out of a box, if it’s honestly the best example of it the waiter’s ever had, he’ll be able to recommend it with real sincerity. Another reason not to neglect desserts as part of the tasting rotation is that, by the end of a meal, your waiters have built up their maximum rapport and trust with their guests and, hopefully, will have somewhat increased powers of persuasion.

Building a good rapport with their guests is one of the most important things every waiter needs to accomplish to succeed. This applies to and encompasses the waiters’ multiple roles as hosts, technicians and salesmen. Although we are currently concentrating on the last role, they are all interrelated, and, in fact, successful salesmanship is impossible without previously laying the groundwork of the first two. Emphasize to your wait staff the importance of making their guests feel at home, respected and welcome from the moment of their first interaction. This doesn’t mean insisting that each waiter initially approaches his or her tables with a chirpy, “Hi, I’m Biff and I’ll be making sure that you have a FABULOUS dinner tonight!” In fact, a one-size fits all approach will fail more often than it succeeds. Train your waiters to really pay attention to their customers, listen carefully to everything they say, notice how they interact with each other, do their best to figure

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out what they want from their dining experience and then act accordingly. The only constants should be an overall demeanor of courtesy, attention and being ever mindful of the fact that they are there to serve their guests in whatever way will make them the happiest

Before a waiter can intelligently try to sell a customer a specific appetizer or drink, they need to get a feel for just why that customer came in, and what will satisfy his or her particular needs. With a little experience and a lot of attention, a waiter will be able to notice patterns they’ve seen go by before. Are they picking up on clues that the guests at a particular table are foodies who might be interested in trying a wide sampling of the chef’s offerings? Describing a number of appetizers, which the waiter can enthusiastically recommend from personal experience, and making the suggestion that they can be split or shared family-style would be worth a try in this case. Offering a round of appropriate wines by the glass that would show the food off in its best light might close the deal. On the other hand, making the same pitch to a table that has made it clear that they have only 40 minutes before they have to leave to make it to a show would only make the waiter look like he’s not quite with the program, and probably can’t be trusted with anything else either. If a waiter can actually figure out without being told that a table is a little stressed about their itinerary, and point out that a certain dish will take 30 minutes to make and should be avoided under the circumstances, he’ll look like a hero. It should always be remembered that the best way to insure that each waiter is attentive to the needs of their guests and treats them with all the respect they deserve, is for that same courtesy to be extended to everyone who works at the restaurant, from the steward to the owner, in both directions.

If the first half of increasing revenue through selling more appetizers and desserts is taking the steps to have an enthusiastic, well-trained and well-informed sales force in place, the second half is making sure you are giving that sales force something attractive and desirable to sell. Besides the obvious reasons for making sure that your appetizers and desserts are something special, there’s another factor at play. The primacy effect and recency effect are two terms that psychologists use to describe the phenomenon that, in essence, an individual is most likely to have the clearest memory of the first and last things they experience during a particular event. This means that a typical guest will probably remember the appetizer and dessert they had in your restaurant more than they will the entrée. If you want your guests to leave your restaurant with great memories of the experience, your appetizers and desserts are the place to make your mark.

The first step in writing the appetizer and dessert portions of your menu is to offer a wide enough variety of items so that everyone will be able to find something that tickles their fancy. As much as possible, working within the framework of your concept, appetizers should include selections containing shellfish, fish, poultry, red meat and a vegetarian option. Plated appetizers, soups and salads should all make an appearance. As should a variety of cooking styles: poached items, fried foods, sautéed foods, etc. might all have a place on your menu. Mix it up, with some items hot and some chilled. Also be open to including at least some appetizers that are easy to share among everyone at a table. One of the best ways to make sure that your appetizers hit the right chord with your guests is to change them with the

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seasons. Conversely, not making seasonal adjustments might explain why they just aren’t selling. The beef-barley soup that you can’t make enough of in February probably won’t be as popular in August. Your chilled cantaloupe-mint soup has its season, too. While some of the above suggestions may not make sense on your menu, the basic concepts and ideas behind them can be used as groundwork for your restaurant.

One factor that applies to appetizers in just about any setting is that they should look at least as good, if not better, than anything else you serve. It’s the first thing guests see and, as the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. If you have cooks who’s knife skills will allow them to delicately fan an avocado on a plate, brunoise a red bell pepper, or very thinly slice a duck breast, this might be the place to let them shine. Colorful sauces such as a red pepper coulis made out of the scraps from the production of the brunoise pepper might be a welcome addition to the right first course plate. In general, any extra attention paid to presentation on your appetizer plates is probably not a wasted effort. Of course, no matter how good an appetizer plate looks, if it is not well seasoned, served at the wrong temperature, or not cooked properly, the fashion points you gain in presentation won’t save the day.

Many of the suggestions made about appetizers also apply to desserts. A wide variety will help your guests always find what they are in the mood for. Depending on your concept, options should include chocolate, fruits, custard, baked items, warm items, cold items, etc. Guests love “home-made” desserts if for no other reason, ironically, than they can’t get them at home. Even if you don’t have a dedicated pastry chef, there are plenty of desserts that can be done in-house by most cooks, with a good recipe and a little direction. “Chef Desserts” rely less on the specialized techniques and experience of pastry chefs and more on skills already mastered by many cooks. If your kitchen can produce a good Béarnaise sauce, then they can make many popular custard-based desserts like bread puddings, Crème Brûlée or the world’s best chocolate pudding. If you offer Chardonnay-poached salmon, then you can offer poached pears. Dessert sauces such as various fruit coulis can be very easy to prepare, and are less expensive and taste better than many you can buy. They are also a good way to use fruit that may not be fresh enough to serve whole. Even adding just one or two desserts made in-house will give your dessert menu more credibility than it would otherwise have. If your kitchen is already maxed out and adding even one more thing would do more harm than good, just make sure that you choose wisely from the many excellent products available to purchase, ready-to-serve. Also don’t forget, dessert is the last thing your guests will see, so make it pretty. A sprig of mint, three raspberries, a spoon of whipped-cream or a streak of sauce from a squeeze bottle can work wonders.

In many situations, a separate dessert menu can be an effective sales tool for your waiters. If you are going to go through the trouble and expense of producing one, be sure that it is attractive, fits the style of your restaurant and feels good to the touch. If it makes sense in your restaurant, include your most popular after dinner drinks on the dessert menu. If your desserts are big enough to split, and your waiters point this out, you’ll probably make more money selling more desserts than it cost you to increase the portion size. A heartfelt recommendation from a waiter to

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end their meal on a high note, especially with a sample dessert tray in tow, might be all that is needed to encourage a guest to add one more course to their meal. Remember that it is all about our first and last impression, and if you can get your waiters to pay attention to what your guest really want and leverage this to make the right recommendations then you could see an increase in your sales.

Walking the LineAs restauranteurs and chefs, we do a lot of planning. Almost everything we are

responsible for getting done requires that we think things through early enough to get the ball rolling soon enough to get each task accomplished by the time it needs to be done. We have to write our menu in time to source the ingredients, and have an inventory done in time to place an order by the deadline to get our delivery when we need it, schedule enough cooks to do the prep and work the line, and then make sure they are all shown exactly what we want them to do before they head off too far in the wrong direction. We give so much thought to what we want to happen, and spend so much energy explaining to people what role we want them to play in our grand design that it’s easy to leave out a very important step at the other end the equation. We need to get into the habit of doing very simple, easy checks after our plans are made and set in motion that will give us or our sous chefs a quick, accurate and clear indication that all of our plans are actually being carried out the way we intended. This is one of the best ways to insure that the deck is stacked in our favor in terms of our guests truly enjoying our vision of hospitality. Great, friendly and timely service as well as beautiful, delicious, consistently prepared food will only be realized if your line chugs along with no more than the very occasional hiccup. The two basic issues that we are trying to control on a well-run line are quality and timing. First, we must establish good systems and procedures including proper staffing for our line. After that, the three components of our line that have the biggest influence on quality and timing are technique, prep and equipment. Each of them can be easily observed, quantified and adjusted. The May 2012 issue of Restaurant Start-Up & Growth explores each of these components in turn.

The simplest thing to do to insure that your line operates like the well-oiled machine that you envision is to see that each cook has the tools he or she needs to do their job as easily and efficiently as possible. First, as the manager, don’t nickel and dime your staff with equipment so that the hardest and most frustrating part of their job is to get a hold the ladles, bains, side towels and sauté pans they need before their colleagues do. Have enough equipment available for your staff to do their jobs. However it’s the rare kitchen that has enough equipment to get through a busy shift without washing and reusing. Have enough pot washers and soap, scrub pads and hot water available to clean things like sauté pans during a shift, and have a system in place to move the equipment to where it needs to be at any given time. In the course of service, one of the things managers should be paying attention to on the line is whether the cooks are using the best utensils for the job at hand and that the major pieces of equipment, like ovens, steamers and grills are working properly. One of the most important parts of having a line that will be able to handle the busiest of shifts is to have every line cook and every chef understand the importance of each station being completely and correctly set up on time.

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If the chef decides he wants the line in place and ready for action at 5:30, then 5:35 is not close to being good enough. Giving a menu-driven checklist to each cook of all the prep and equipment that they will need on their station during their shift is an easy way to help them in their efforts to not forget anything. This is especially helpful for new employees or if there are specials or new items the crew is not yet familiar with.

Even with this level of planning and effort, mistakes will happen. It should be part of your procedures to start every service by always having a sous chef or kitchen manager go down the line to double check whether or not your cooks have everything they need at hand to do their jobs. While your cooks’ intentions are hopefully good, distractions, confusion about just what a dish they need to produce requires, or running out of time before they need to have their stations ready will invariably lead to occasional lapses in a perfect set up. If a cook consistently has trouble getting their station set up on time, either you need to revisit your expectations and requirements, or you need a new cook. Whoever is checking to see that each cook has the food they need on their station should have a thorough understanding of the products, as well as knowing the menu like the back of their hand. They should be checking for a number of factors. Is there enough of a certain item on the station to make it through the shift? If not, because of space limitations, is there more readily available to replenish with? This is also the last chance to check for accuracy in pre-portioned items. If what is supposed to be six ounce fish fillets look right, great; if not, now is the time to decide to turn three orders into two, if that would effectively correct the mistake. Also, if you serve a six-ounce beef tenderloin at lunch and an eight-ounce tenderloin at dinner, make sure the correct steaks are where they should be. All items should be checked to make sure that they are being held at the correct temperature. Whether you have on-line refrigeration or depend on ice in hotel pans, seafood, dairy and meats need to be kept cold until cooking begins. Use an instant-reading thermometer to see that sauces are being kept at above 140°F. If they are not, bring them up to temp on the stove before returning them to a clean bain. In addition, freshness shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Last but not least, don’t assume that just because an item is on the line in a reasonable quantity looks good and is at the right temperature, that it tastes right. Check sauces, relishes and dressings for salt content, degree of spiciness, acid/fat balance, and any other pertinent criteria. Not only does a quick taste of any preparation on the line make perfect sense as a last minute double check on your cooks’ work, but it lets them know that management cares about what goes out of the kitchen, and that they need to do everything they can, all the time, to make and serve their very best work. The guest in the dining room can seem a distant, abstract entity to someone who never leaves the kitchen, but a direct supervisor who is paying attention, and who offers both compliments and constructive criticism is very real.

As important as it is to make sure that each station gets off on the right foot at the start of every shift, realize that your line is a perpetual work in progress, and the goal is to keep it as well-stocked and ready for action as service develops as it was when the first table went out. Your sous chefs or managers should always have their fingers on the pulse of how each cook is doing in terms of the quality and timing of their work, as well

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as the basic necessity of just having a supply of the prep they need to get their plates out. The kind of checks they did at the beginning of each shift in terms of the quantity and quality of prep on the line should continue as the shift progresses. Clear and efficient systems for replenishing the line should be in place and followed. If your situation warrants it, separate staff should be available to bring more prep out to the cooks as they request it. The cooks should also understand that everything takes time and that it’s better to ask for or go get more tuna, for instance, when they’re a few orders away from running out than when it’s time to fire four orders and they’ve had none for the last fifteen minutes. If you have separate staff to replenish, you can use them to do prep work to get ready for the next shift, whether it’s butchering meats and fish or slicing fruit for breakfast.

Besides the correct ingredients, the other thing your line cooks need to succeed is a high level of ability at whatever techniques are required to produce the plates that come off of their stations. No matter how proficient they are at grilling, roasting, sautéing, poaching, frying, slicing, or saucing, you shouldn’t take for granted that the prep on their station is beyond reproach, you shouldn’t assume that every plate they make is prepared perfectly, without any oversight, either. First, take the time and effort to train every cook to prepare your food the way you want it to be. No matter how much experience they’ve had at other restaurants, don’t assume the way they do things are what you’re after. Then, after they understand just what your standards are, during each service, keep an eye on what they’re turning out. It only takes a few orders of lack-luster cooking before what started out as golden-brown seared scallops start to look poached. Nip problems at the bud, quickly, politely, but firmly. Most people are happy to do the right thing if the goal is made clear and they’re appreciated for always accomplishing it.

Pay attention to each individual cook and ascertain just how comfortable and adept they are at running their station. The best thing to do is to have them train on the station with someone who has already mastered it. Take the time to show them little things they can do to help with their timing. For example, if you serve thick, grilled veal chops, it might be a good idea for them to keep a few aside on a busy night, already cooked to medium, so that they can get a well-done order out in time to go out with other orders on a particular ticket. On the other hand, if you notice them using a similar technique with snapper fillets, point out that they don’t need that time to get any grilled fish order out, but they’re turning your expensive snapper into something resembling baccalà. Similar attention should be paid to how each line cook handles every one of the myriad tasks they are responsible for in the course of a meal. How they wield a two-ounce ladle, handle a slicer, place a few ounces of salad on a plate, arrange medallions of roasted meat on a plate, operate a sauté pan, clean a plate’s rim….all of these things and more will teach you volumes about each of your workers, if you pay attention to them during service. It might be better to offer suggestions for improvement during a less-intense time than in the heat of battle of a busy night, but make observations to yourself during service and act on them when it will do the most good. Of course, each cook should be trained to scrutinize every plate before it leaves their station, and the chefs should do their best to do the same before it leaves the kitchen. Your customers certainly will as soon as it arrives at their table.

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Building Sales: Through Check Average and Frequency

To make the most of their operations, restaurateurs need to leverage every asset they have available to them. Whether it is making sure that every bit of their chef’s experience and talent is evident on the plates in their dining room, that the most appropriate and pleasant wines their vendors can supply are being sampled and considered for inclusion in their wine program, or negotiating the best terms for a line of credit with their banker, the more effective they are at not wasting opportunities, the better off everyone is. When it comes to assets, one of the biggest you can have as a restaurateur is your current client base. These are people that were attracted enough to your establishment to have given it a try, decided that they like what you have to offer, and have made your restaurant a part of their lives. Although gaining new customers is important and necessary, and efforts must certainly be made to attract them, it’s an expensive proposition in terms of money, thought and time. When these efforts pay off, there is no doubt that it’s a great feeling to see new faces at your tables. But never forget that a dollar is a dollar, and you’ll also get a great return by giving existing clients good reasons to happily spend more while they’re with you, and to return more often to do so. While it is an older issue of Restaurant Start-Up & Growth the August 2011 magazine has an article that gives some great tips on building sales.

Our two goals are to increase our check average, and to increase the frequency that our regular customers visit us. Since the basis for both of these occurrences is increased customer satisfaction, it is no coincidence that there is at least some overlap in getting both jobs done. The only way we are going to consistently get our customers to order more items, or more expensive items, while in our restaurants, is to offer them things that they really want, that they will actually enjoy, all in an atmosphere where they feel comfortable and happy, while trusting that well-trained staff have their best interests at heart. These are some of the same things that will cause them to return in the future, rather than give your competition a chance. In essence you are “killing two birds with one stone.” One of the first techniques to employ in raising your check average is up-selling. At its most basic, up-selling simply means having your waiters and bartenders suggest to your customers an option or two that the customer may not have considered, or at least didn’t mention. “Would you like fries with that?” is the perfect question to ask if you are operating a hamburger franchise, but will be less appropriate and effective in other situations. Having your waiters ask, “Would you like a glass of Chardonnay with that?” while possibly being better than making no effort at all, will probably not inspire your guests to begin their exploration and climb to new culinary heights. There’s a good chance it won’t even get them to consider straying from their normal beverage of choice, whether it be iced tea, coffee, or tap water with a slice of lemon. If a particular customer is already enthusiastic and curious about wine, he or she will be disappointed at best, or annoyed at worst, if your wait-staff can’t meet them half way. If a guest has not had much experience with wine, the only way to encourage them to get with the program is with an obvious dose of honest zeal from the staff, with a particular focus on your wines and menu, and how great they are together.

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A wine program that will increase your sales as well as be an overall asset to your operation will require a two-pronged attack. First, a person who is experienced and well versed with the world of wine and how it relates to your menu must work with various vendors to assemble a wine list. This list must make sense for your particular situation in terms of price points, length, variety, your clientele and just how it relates to what is coming out of your kitchen. It must be understood that a wine list is not a static thing. It should be updated in light of the season, changes in menu and tastes, availability of product and other factors. Be sure that the person you have writing and maintaining your list is up to the task; it’s especially nice if they can work with the chef to some extent, or even better if the chef can do this themselves. It would be just as big a mistake to let your wine vendors write your wine list as it would be to let your produce vendor and seafood vendor write your menu. Even if you can’t afford to have someone on staff full-time to act as your sommelier, seek out professionals who are available for hire on an as-needed basis. In the same way that it would be an uphill battle for your waiters to sell food from a menu that made no sense, didn’t offer enough of a selection for a typical guest to choose from, or was written by a someone interested in selling a product to you rather than selling a product to your customers, a poorly conceived wine list won’t be worth the paper it is printed on.

One of the best ways to insure that your wine program will be a real tool to help increase your check average is to have a well-conceived list of wines by the glass. Although we all love to sell a table a bottle or two, a few glasses of wine are a lot more profitable than everyone having an iced tea. For many people, for various reasons, a whole bottle is just too much of a commitment or expense. If you can offer them a glass of wine that will be worth the expense, calories and effort in terms of really adding a new level of enjoyment to their meal, everyone wins. The successful sale of a glass of wine starts with the wine list. The wines offered by the glass will, of course, vary greatly from one restaurant to another, but some basic guidelines will always apply. First, there should be a wide enough variety so that for the most part, whatever a guest is in the mood for, you’ll have something close. At the very least, your by-the-glass offerings should include sparkling wines; lighter, non-oaked whites (like certain Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Grigios); richer and fuller whites (like some Chardonnays); Rosés (both slightly sweet, like a white Zinfandel and dry, like a Tavel); lighter, fruitier reds (such as Beaujolais or a light Pinot Noir); and bigger reds (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and others.) You might also consider a dessert wine or two. Depending on your clientele and menu, it might make sense for each of the above categories to have choices from different regions, made from different grapes and, certainly, at different price points.

After you have a good wine list, the next step is to put a wine training program in place that will give your waiters a fairly thorough knowledge of winemaking, geography, styles, varietals, tasting, and food and wine pairing as it pertains to your restaurant. This should include a mix of written materials and regularly scheduled wine tastings that include food and wine pairings. Besides the obvious result of a more educated staff, if done correctly, these activities can be great ways to increase enthusiasm and teamwork among your crew; be sure to include any interested kitchen staff. Besides teaching general wine knowledge, special effort should be made to demonstrate how and why

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specific wines on your list pair well with particular menu items, and to introduce any new wines to the staff in terms of how and why a guest would enjoy them. All of this will help to make your staff more professional, comfortable, and better able to make confident, meaningful recommendations that your guests will consider to be welcome, helpful advice as opposed to a lame sales pitch like “would you like wine with that.”

Even if you feel that the kind of up-selling that a well-crafted wine program as described above would offer wouldn’t be a good fit for your business model, consider having a list of specialty cocktails, available both before and after dinner. Some of the same criteria that apply to a wine by the glass program apply here as well. First, your offerings should include a variety of styles, from well-made standbys like Margaritas, Martinis and Bloody Mary’s, to some creative, contemporary choices. Some should be dry, some sweet, some more masculine, and others more feminine. If a list of ten different Margaritas or a dozen different single malt Scotches makes sense within the framework of your concept, go for it. And don’t leave nondrinkers out in the cold. A few attractive non-alcoholic choices will give everyone a chance to join the party. Help your staff to sell these drinks by training them to know the offerings inside and out, encouraging them to be on the lookout for guests they think might enjoy one, making sure the drinks look as good as they taste, and by having high quality, good looking drink menus printed and available.

Along with a well-trained wait staff, your menu is one of your most important sales tools. Although menu design is a complex topic unto itself, it’s worth covering a few basic points here to insure that your printed menu is a help rather than a hindrance in increasing your check average while encouraging your customers to return. First of all, don’t make the mistake of discounting the importance of the menu each of your guests is handed the first few minutes after they sit down. The size, feel, legibility, layout, colors, cleanliness and design are all just as important as its content. Especially for first time visitors, it is one of the initial criteria, along with the décor and how they were greeted, that your guests will use to size up your establishment. Making a good first impression in this regard is crucial in determining how long they will want to stay and, consequently, how much they will eat, drink and trust their waiter’s suggestions and opinions. Successful menus can be sophisticated or zany; whisper subtle suggestions or shout the obvious; emphasize bargains or downplay costs totally but probably not all at the same time or in the same restaurant. Be sure that your menu has the right tone for what you’re trying to sell.

It’s a good idea to update your menus on a regular basis. Retailers learned a long time ago to regularly move and rearrange their merchandise to prevent customers from bolting past most of their inventory, as if on auto-pilot, to get to what they want and then leave before considering more options. Don’t forget, you’re in retail, too. Help your customers break out of any ruts they may have gradually gotten into by handing them menus that they haven’t memorized. While you won’t want to omit your classic and most popular items, adding new ones, or at least variations on established themes, will keep your guests interested in what’s coming out of your kitchen. With every change of season, you and your chef are given a natural opportunity to evolve your menu. The

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grilled shrimp with mango chutney that made so much sense in August should naturally give way to braised lamb shanks with risotto by January. If you conduct a staff tasting including a couple of wine options at different price points each time a new dish is added, your odds of selling the new items along with the perfect beverage will increase dramatically. And so will the odds of your guests having a much more satisfying and memorable meal, so that they choose your restaurant over a competitor’s the next time they go out.

We’ve talked about the importance of offering plenty of food and drink options that your guests will want to try, really enjoy when they do, and having an informed staff that is comfortable and competent at selling them. The other main thing that will keep your customers coming back for more is to leave no doubt in their minds that, when they are in your restaurant, their presence is genuinely appreciated, and that it’s all about them. If we were to realize only one thing about our guests, a good choice would be to understand that each one of them wants to feel important.

“The desire for a feeling of importance is one of the chief distinguishing differences between mankind and the animals.”

Dale Carnegie, How To Win Friends and Influence People

Within the confines of a restaurant, how to accomplish this should be no mystery. When your front of the house staff first meet each guest, besides the obvious necessity of a pleasant and sincere greeting, they should make the effort to try to figure out what their priorities seem to be. Are they there to discuss business, catch up with an old friend, have a romantic interlude, enjoy a culinary adventure, or get out by 7:00 to make a show? Each instance will require a different demeanor and level of interaction from the staff. A one-size-fits-all mentality will turn more of your guests into detractors than fans. Perhaps the most important thing a waiter must do to be a success is to really listen closely when a customer speaks to them. Their goal should be to understand just what the guest is trying to communicate to them and, without judgment and to the best of their ability, get them what they’re after. If something’s not understood, they should feel free to politely ask for clarification. The simple act of making an honest effort at genuine communication will work wonders at guest relations. Another point to remember is that a waiter or bartender should not miss an opportunity to make their guests look good in front of one another; without, of course, descending into parody. If, for example, you have an effective wine training program in place, there is a good chance your staff will know more about wine than many of their guests. Any recommendations they make should be delivered with confidence and enthusiasm, never arrogance on condescension. Any choice made by a guest should be greeted with appreciation of its merit. A sincere “thank you” should be a regular part of each staff member’s conversation, whether responding to a guest for sharing a recommendation or thought, or a co-worker’s helpfulness. As in every other aspect of your operation, setting clear expectations coupled with regular, constructive feedback is crucial. Of course, the best way to have a staff that makes your guests feel welcome, comfortable, respected and happy to be there, is to hire welcoming, comfortable, respectful and happy people to begin with, easier said than done, and then do everything you can to encourage them to stay that way.

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Why Kitchen Service Backs Up and How Chefs Can Avoid It

Your dining room is full of happy customers looking forward to a great meal. You are proud of the job you’ve done putting together some crowd-pleasing specials that the waiters are having no problem selling alongside your classic dishes. The orders start coming in and, at first, things in the kitchen are humming right along. But before you can begin to relax a little and start to enjoy the well-oiled culinary machine you thought you had assembled, you notice a few things aren’t quite right. Entrées coming off the fish station start looking dried out and over-cooked. The veal chops are taking forever to come off the grill station. A little while later, the vegetable cook is looking nervous at the same time that the side dishes on several plates start looking skimpy. Waiters are returning plates that have been sent back. Your expediter tries to correct them, but ends up screwing up other tables’ orders in the process. As more veal chops are ordered, more plates are dying in the window waiting for the chops to make their appearance and complete their tickets. As dissatisfaction among the guests takes its natural course and rolls downhill, the waiters become less jocular and more ornery. Just then, the expediter calls for the entrées for the 25 guests in the private dining room to be picked up. Saying that it’s a lousy feeling to be in a kitchen that’s going down in flames, either figuratively or literally doesn’t put a fine enough point on it. To lessen the chances of ever being in that situation again the May 2011 issues of Restaurant Start-Up & Growth has a few suggestions to prevent or at least pre-empt this from happening in your restaurant.

From a chef’s point of view, prep time is one of the most important parts of the day to examine for things that we can control that could easily cause service to back up. First, an accurate prep list needs to be written early enough so that orders can be placed soon enough to have the entire raw product in house in time to prep. Extra attention needs to be paid to unusual ingredients needed for any specials that are planned. When orders are delivered, be sure to check them in for accuracy. It’s easier to correct any mistakes at that point than hours later, when your cooks are looking for product they need immediately that’s not there. The next part of successful prep is to have sufficient staff scheduled to get all of the work done on time for service, without burning your crew out before they even plate their first order. If part of your prep consists of butchering whole fish or primal cuts of meat, make sure you have people on hand who are trained and experienced at doing it. It’s even better if you can have others assist them, so that you are continually training more of your cooks to do more and more of everything that goes on in your kitchen. With this system, everyone wins. The same is true of any specialized, high-skill job you need to get done, whether it is perfect braising, sauce making or fine knife skills. When the cooks on your line have done most or all of the prep that they’re handling at service, even just occasionally, they’re more likely to treat it with respect, resulting in greater quality going onto their plates, and less product going into the trash.

The other part of successful prep that will prepare your kitchen for a busy night is clear direction from managers, coupled with sufficient follow-up. The two basic points to cover are quality and quantity. If someone is portioning fillets, should they be 6, 7, 8 or 9 ounces each? And how many should they cut? Telling them the answers is a good first

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step. But without making sure they are using a scale, even 20 minutes into the task, and possibly stacking the deck in their favor by telling them how much tenderloin to use and then counting them after they get them on their station. Getting these points correct during prep will avoid steaks being returned at service, and lessen the chance of running out. The same is true with everything being prepped. Sauces should taste good, as well as filling up the correct bain. Garnishes should be attractive, and stored in a way that they’ll still be attractive in a few hours, in sufficient numbers to last the whole shift. The same should be true with everything being produced during this very important part of the day. A chef should never feel like his kitchen’s prep time is on autopilot. It’s always time well spent for him to take periodic laps around the kitchen and give respectful, constructive corrections where needed. Even if everything looks good, it’s a great opportunity to tell someone, “In my twenty years in the industry, those are the best _______ I’ve ever seen.” It’s OK to exaggerate a bit to make a point.

Next up, the actual service. It’s very important for each line cook to have a clear expectation of just how they needs to have their station set up, and by what time. This includes having all necessary utensils such as specific ladles, pans and knives handy, and having grills and steamers at the proper temperatures, as well as having the right amount of the right food. If a busy night is anticipated, everyone needs to be aware of how much more prep they should have on hand as compared to a normal night. A sous chef or manager should always check each station to see that expectations have been met. If any stations are not up to snuff in terms of quality and quantity of food and equipment, corrections should be made immediately and the reasons ascertained. If there is a cook on a station that is new to them, it’s a good idea to pair them with someone who has worked that station before until they get the hang of it. Any specials should be demonstrated to the cooks who will have to produce them, and the waiters should get a description and a taste of the specials to help them sell the dishes. In addition to the line cooks at each station, there should be enough managers to expedite, check for quality and jump in if needed.

Although our focus is what a chef can do to insure smooth service from the kitchen, we shouldn’t forget that the wait staff certainly plays an important role in this endeavor. Ultimately, we’re trying to get our guests the food they want, exactly when they want it. The waiters are in a unique position to communicate this information to those of us in the kitchen. Hopefully, we can assume that a good system is in place for the waiters to take orders and get them to the kitchen. One way the wait staff can really help the kitchen do its job is to be aware of any nuance taking place at a certain table, and then take the time and effort to let the chef in on the secret. Anything having to do with special requests, whether it’s that Table 16 has to be finished with dessert no later than 7:30 to make a show; or the couple at Table 20 is acting very romantic, and is in no rush whatsoever; or that the rib-eye at Table 12 must be very well-done; or that a gentleman at Table 3 is deathly allergic to peanuts, should be clearly related to the chef in time for him to do something about it. It’s a green chef who doesn’t appreciate a waiter who can calmly and clearly explain the problem at a particular table, and then suggest what they think needs to be done to alleviate the issue. Wouldn’t it be nice if the waiter in charge of the large banquet let the kitchen know that it would be fine to wait 10 minutes before

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firing the entrées? Of course, this kind of cooperation goes both ways, and a chef is much more likely to get it if he reciprocates on a regular basis. Just as any kitchen can be helped or hindered by the front of the house, the opposite is also true. As a chef, do everybody a favor and always help the waiters however you can. It’s as important as good prep work in terms of keeping your kitchen out of the weeds.

While we are talking about staff, the jobs description of your stewards in the pot washing station is straightforward, but crucial in keeping the food coming out of the kitchen in a timely manner. Your cooks can’t do their jobs without sufficient amounts of the right equipment, and it’s the rare restaurant that has enough to get through a meal period without washing and re-using. Make sure that you have enough stewards scheduled and that they have the equipment and training they need to do their jobs. Soap, scrub pads and hot water are not glamorous, but don’t ever run out of any of them. Also, be sure to treat these members of your team with all due respect and professional courtesy. If a screaming hot sauté pan ever finds its way to the pot station without clear warning, the experience should end up being worse for the cook responsible than for the hapless pot washer who inadvertently grabs it.

The two main problems you can have with your line cooks at service are quality issues and timing issues. Good initial training and regular reinforcement can keep both in line. As far as quality issues go, don’t take anything for granted when a cook first starts working the line. Even if they have great experience at another establishment, take the time to show them exactly how you want things done. Then keep a close eye on what comes off their station and don’t put off making corrections when things start to stray from what you have in mind. The beautiful, golden brown seared sea scallops you showed your cook how to do will only have to go through a few less-than-beautiful iterations before they start to look poached. Nip even small problems in the bud before they become larger problems. As far as timing goes, make the effort to teach your cooks specific ways to handle a super-busy night on their station. Explain to your grill cook what a good idea it is to keep a few veal chops pre-cooked to medium rare so he can get them to medium or well-done a few minutes sooner when the need arises. Conversely, if you see him using a similar technique for snapper, let him know it’s not such a good idea.

Your sous chef’s or kitchen manager’s main job during service is to orchestrate the entire show in terms of timing and quality. If they can pull that off through a combination of experience, paying a lot of attention to what’s going on around them and effective management of the crew, you should have no worries about having anything but a seamless night. It is also still important for your line cooks to get very regular feedback about the plates they are producing. This fact needs to be stressed to your managers, as they are the ones who will be giving the feedback. The manager’s other major task is expediting. As much art as science, knowing just when to call for which plates, and when to wait, requires a big-picture understanding of what’s going on in the kitchen as well as the dining room. The person expediting needs to be keenly aware of how each cook is doing at any given time, in addition to having his or her finger on the pulse of what is happening at each table. Clear, courteous communication with the waiters is the key, and should be constantly cultivated. Finally, managers need to realize that one of their most

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important functions is to solve problems that come up as quickly as possible without causing more damage somewhere else. Systematic changes to prevent a particular problem from reoccurring can happen later, but while in the midst of a situation, everyone needs to take a deep breath, stay focused, solve the problem and move on. Within a few hours the shift will be over, and everyone can pat each other on the back for another great night.

“Best Practices” projectMy Kitchen Management Best Practices project was a power point presentation given to the NECI board of directors. You can view the power point that we gave to the board of directors by clicking HERE.

Self-assessmentI am going to start out by saying that I was a little bit concerned about this

class when I first began it. The concern was a combination of looking over the weekly PPT’s and worrying that we wouldn’t actually be talking about how to manage a kitchen or staff. While I did learn in this class I really didn’t like sitting around reading power points, but the day Will came to class was a lot of fun and I wish we could have had more guest speakers, or even taken field trips to talk to successful managers in the local area. As a management class I don’t think that we got a wide enough viewpoint of different management styles and I think that more guest speakers or field trips could have helped this because multiple viewpoints on the topic allows people to find a management style that works best for them. As this was really the point of the class I don’t know that everyone got enough out of it. I personally feel that I learned more from reading and writing a review on a magazine article each week then I did from the power points. Sadly this is another point where I think the class fell short because we started out talking about what people had learned each week and then we just stopped. Because the articles were no longer being used in class and I wasn’t able to learn anything from what other people read about, articles just became busy work.

Now, let’s talk about the group project. It was very apparent from listening to

everyone talk in class that these were not very well thought out by the school. It also wasn’t a shadowing project. Shadowing implies that you are following someone around and learning how they manage their day. This would have been a much better opportunity for learning then what we actually did. I would have been thrilled to shadow someone like Charlie and actually learned how to place orders and manage inventory. Even if I had still shadowed Kevin it would have been a lot of fun to learn what the “Food & Beverage Manager” actually does. The problem with the projects was that not everyone had a manager that cared or had time to actually do them. On top of this there is the fact that in order to get something done we had to talk to 10-15 different people who all had to approve a part of the project. There

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where to many people who wanted to have a say or had to approve the idea and it wasn’t our project at this point but there’s and we just did the work for them.

Since this a self evaluation of how I did in class I think it is only fair to point out that I was not only present for every class I was always early. My work was turned in on time if not early. I was also doing the work of 3 people by myself because I was pulling my group members along with me. When I reached out to try and find a way to get them better involved and lead the team, I was told: “Try and motivate them so they feel like they are valued members of the team. At the same time, if you want something done right, do it yourself.” I take responsibility because I should have tried harder to reach them but I didn’t know how, as nothing I tried worked. After trying many times to be the leader I eventually gave up and did the work myself. I tried very hard to learn in this class and I can safely say that I did learn something but sadly I don’t think many of my fellow classmates feel the same way. This class had a large amount of potential to be something that is really worth the time and energy that we all put into it, but as it is written right now it was a weekly frustration. As I said before I learned more from doing the weekly reading in a magazine than I did from the content of this class.

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