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Menu Planning and Strategy
(0) Comments • Permalink • 01 04 2010
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Teleconference Recap: Catering for Franchisors
Because relationship building that results in repeat business can be better person to person, sales reps need to be localized, and capable stores can also be used to drive sales. As much as possible, sales reps outside of the stores should be used for sales calls.
Why online ordering?
There was agreement in the group that the ticket average is higher on online orders. Online ordering is also passive: once you set up the system and market it, no staff is needed to man it. However - you can also follow up online orders with a phone call to cement the relationship, and upsell - especially with new online customers.
Everyone felt that, if the online experience is good, repeat business will follow.
What about limited online access?
This is a problem that will probably go away in the next few years, as broadband is here to stay. But for now, there are some clients or prospects whose online access is very limited. Reasons can be productivity or security, and for some, the nature of their (away from the desktop) business activity.
What has worked for blocked access is this:
Go to the clients at the top of the hierarchy, introduce the value of business to business catering to their operation independent of online ordering. Once they like your service, with the right contacts, work through them to get your site made accessible by the client’s IT system department. Ordering online will give them maximal flexibility, and your site is safe.
Check into getting a phone app – so that anyone can order using their phone, anywhere.
Strive to support both centralized and decentralized processes, then optimize. You can have the online entry point for the customer. In addition, at the back end, you can facilitate order entry at the central CSR, and you can let competent stores enter orders as well.
At the end of the day, it isn’t just about online ordering: it is about centralized ordering. A call center, online ordering or even faxes to head office are ways of achieving this. The infrastructure needs to be there, the control points covered, and procedures established.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 11 25 2009
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Taking Small and scaling it Big
(0) Comments • Permalink • 09 16 2009
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Catering is Happening
(1) Comments • Permalink • 09 02 2009
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The uptrend in home dining can WORK for restaurants
(0) Comments • Permalink • 08 05 2009
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Small and mobile
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 25 2009
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Why run a commissary?
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 23 2009
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4 Operational Tips to Boost Sales, Improve Efficiency
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 01 2009
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Leading with sustainability
(1) Comments • Permalink • 06 17 2009
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Success built on social media
(0) Comments • Permalink • 06 07 2009
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Social media hardware for bakeries
(0) Comments • Permalink • 06 01 2009
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Look who’s catering!
(1) Comments • Permalink • 05 27 2009
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Twenty-one food cost tweets
Often coffee is included in both food revenue and food expenses. Make sure your servers enter each cup of coffee in the POS.
To control waste and spoilage, weigh garbage bags every day for a month. Assign a value of $1 per pound and try to lower the waste.
Many restaurants allow chronic problems to go on for months. Look for waste and misuse in your major production activities.
When your food cost % looks TOO good to be true, it probably is wrong. Look for huge fluctuations by category or location.
Each week, use your budgeted food cost % times your forecast of food sales as a compass for keeping your purchases in line.
Recap your inventory values by storage location and spend more time and effort in the areas with the highest values.
The more frequently you count perishable stock, the lower your food cost % results.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 05 14 2009
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This is a food industry story
(0) Comments • Permalink • 05 03 2009
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Going to Chicago
(0) Comments • Permalink • 05 03 2009
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Nice things from Boudin
(0) Comments • Permalink • 05 02 2009
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Why Catering is Crucial
(0) Comments • Permalink • 03 31 2009
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Scaling your catering effort
Create a more limited menu
Making your catering menu smaller than your in-store menu delivers internal efficiencies and better customer satisfaction. Establish a “staple menu” for the year; add in 4 seasonal menus if needed.
Use existing ingredients
Think of your catering menu as a variant of your restaurant menu. Start with your popular restaurant items, and carry these across into catering, simplifying recipes and preparation wherever possible - eliminating sides, for instance. Use what you have, and avoid broadening your list of inventoried ingredients.
Encourage ‘bulk’ menu choices
Encourage your clients to order by the group. A platter of sandwiches for 10 people is much easier to execute than 10 individual, modified and custom labeled sandwiches. A 5 Lb bowl of pasta salad is easier to execute than 15 individual portions. Etcetera.
Eliminate hot food from your lunch menu
Hot food can be part of your catering program, but limiting hot choices, or reserving them for the dinner menu, will eliminate time and trouble in lunchtime preparation, delivery and setup.
Stick with room temperature or chilled items for lunch, such as platters, sandwiches, wraps, salads, desserts.
Prepare as much as you can the day before
Rationalize production to assembly and packaging. During restaurant down times, package & stage all of your non-perishable items hours before delivery; prep and portion sandwich ingredients for quick assembly.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 03 22 2009
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Finding your way: adjusting budgets
These figures can vary tremendously as the sales drop as a % of budgeted sales increases. Some operators are experiencing drops of 20% in revenue. If you had a $5 million restaurant turn into a $4 million business, you’d be in the 20% club. Perhaps your average entree is in the $25 to $40 range. What do you need to do to survive?
You would be looking for a cost cut of 7.5%. WOW! That is huge. I’m expecting you have already cut costs to the bone and were projecting a break even year. In the short run, many operators in this position are selectively cutting management positions.
Trying to find the $300,000 bottom line short fall in food cost % is probably tantamount to slicing your own throat. If you had your food cost % in line and can’t increase menu prices (which may be out of the question for many of you) a 7.5% drop is tough. Cutting portions to achieve a 7.5% of sales drop would certainly be perceived by your patrons. Operators are cutting fat from their staffs to make up most of these shortfalls. A $300,000 cut means 5 key people making $50,000 plus benefits.
For the companies growing sales at this time, your hiring woes will come to a screeching halt. There are plenty of well qualified professionals looking for work this quarter.
(1) Comments • Permalink • 03 05 2009
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Subscribe to real bread
(0) Comments • Permalink • 03 03 2009
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Forecasting errors = spoilage
(0) Comments • Permalink • 02 16 2009
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Catering at the Executive Level
(0) Comments • Permalink • 02 08 2009
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Finding growth in a recession: ENRG
(0) Comments • Permalink • 02 04 2009
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Riding to fight homelessness
(0) Comments • Permalink • 02 01 2009
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Diversifying with specialty foods
(0) Comments • Permalink • 01 28 2009
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When Catering and Restaurant compete for resources
(1) Comments • Permalink • 12 10 2008
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Higher end restaurants, now on call
(0) Comments • Permalink • 11 29 2008
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Catering & Delivery: a different business, a different promotion strategy
1. In store promotions
Catering & Delivery customers are mostly business-to-business clients, and as such, don’t represent a typical cross-section of your restaurant customer base. But business people do come to your restaurant. Cross promote, signaling to business people that already come to your restaurant that “Yes, we do cater breakfasts and lunches (and dinners).” And under your own roof, well-trained, perceptive service staff can get qualified leads for the catering line.
Some examples of in-store promotions:
- Print a message about your Catering & Delivery service on the store’s point-of-sale receipts, pointing people to a number or web site, or prompting them to ask for details
- Give financial incentives or other perks to restaurant staff who create qualified leads for telephone follow up, or who distribute coupons that are used by first-time Catering & Delivery customers.
- Set up a business card drop bowl for a Catering & Delivery giveaway, providing you with a new permission-marketing asset of email addresses and business names.
- Place tent cards throughout the front of house, and/or signage on the storefront: “Now we Cater!”
- Provide a catering menu on display or by request
2. Out of the store: hitting the pavement
People who are willing to listen to your message are giving their attention. Giving them something tangible for their trouble is a good practice.
Selective gifting works. Erle Dardick is a two-time Catering & Delivery pioneer: first at Tony’s Deli in Vancouver, and now as product manager of MonkeyCatering Software. At Tony’s Deli, Erle identified office towers with the right demographic, and delivered gift baskets of store-made light munchies right to the door. He converted almost 100% of the businesses he targeted. Also consider bringing 10% off first-time catering buyer coupons with your smaller treat samples.
On-site visits and sandwich board promotions, give you a direct, personal opportunity to network and deliver advertisements & fact sheets that indicate:
- Your menu, and your quality product
- How in house delivery adds to productivity and teamwork / the hidden lost revenue at lunchtimes
- Special details about your location and service that sets you apart, including any customizable service features
(0) Comments • Permalink • 11 21 2008
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Determine the cost of each item
When handling wholesale product requests from existing or new customers as a co-packer, time can be critical. Many product requests are shopped out to several bakeries and the bakery that gets the best quote in a timely manner has the customer’s attention. During this time of pressure we must resist the urge to shoot from the hip. We need to be able to negotiate the potential sku knowing what it will cost to produce it thus being able to determine if the potential customer’s price point is going to allow profitability of the producer. Remember that the purchaser we are co-packing for is going to want as much of the margin as they can get.
The goal typically is to move a high number of units with high gross profit margins. Moving a high number of products with soft margins can again be attractive as compared to moving a small number of highly profitable products or even moving a large number of products with poor profit margins. However, the waste factor must be considered. Is the business guaranteeing a certain number of sales and accepting back that which isn’t sold? Is there a cripple or waste factor at the store or significant damage in transportation?
Obviously, we want to fade out products that cost us more to produce than we can earn back by selling them. Additionally, when a product with a medium profit margin is lost, especially a high dollar item, it may take the sale of many more to make up for the one lost. A fruit pie, for example, that sells for $9.99 with a profit margin of 30% creates a profit of $2.99. For each pie that is unsold or lost in transportation, three more must be produced and sold to make up for the one that isn’t sold.
Without specific knowledge of our cost of doing business juxtaposed to the profits or monies coming in for each SKU, we are doing business in the dark. And, with the cost of ingredients heading up, we can’t afford to do business in the dark.
To download the Product & Ingredient Costing form, click here.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 11 20 2008
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Moving ahead: earning liquidity
(0) Comments • Permalink • 11 20 2008
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Help: the market is shifting
3. Build a better shelf life into the product lines
For food factories like bakeries, the shelf life of goods is a key element of profitability.
First we need to be specific about what we are trying to accomplish in addition to a simple volume of time. Secondly, we have to be educated concerning what is possible so you are not asking for the impossible. Thirdly, we have to know how to create product that stays eatable for as long as possible.
To better understand shelf life it is important to separate two common concerns which have markedly different causes and cures. One half of the discussion revolved around molding or staling by microorganism. The other form of staling is a mechanical hardening of the starch and protein matrix that makes up the structural characteristics of many baked goods.
Click here for a more on building a better product shelf life into baked prepared goods.
4. Minimize material waste
Food is expensive. So is waste. Ask yourself:
a. Do you make extra products every day anticipating customers that call in late?
b. Are there tracking practices in place that identify how much of a dough or batter is unsalable or material waste? Look carefully for the practices that allow material waste in production. This category includes everything from scaling errors resulting in material being thrown out, batter and dough lost in the processing steps, to quality control standards or practices that are insufficient to reasonably limit unsalable goods.
c. Are you allowing the coveted customers to abuse you by making constant changes and cancellations thus causing chaos in your labor use and production efficiencies? Do you need help sufficiently planning production? Customer agreements are necessary and they can be sold to customers as attempts to keep the price to them down. Minimizing chaos in daily production may yield vast amounts of waste savings through limiting unsold products and efficiencies in production and thus production time and cost.
d. Are you ordering ingredients without closely regarding shifting demand?
To read about the # 1 cause of food waste in restaurants, Joe Dunbar’s article is posted here.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 11 19 2008
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Driving new sales with value added comfort foods
(0) Comments • Permalink • 10 30 2008
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Get a grip on popular and unpopular items
(0) Comments • Permalink • 10 23 2008
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Reporting on inventory variances
(0) Comments • Permalink • 10 20 2008
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The #1 cause of high food cost
(0) Comments • Permalink • 10 20 2008
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Changing the shape of America
(0) Comments • Permalink • 10 14 2008
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Mandatory calorie counts splash down in California
(0) Comments • Permalink • 09 30 2008
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Sounds good, looks good
(0) Comments • Permalink • 09 28 2008
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2008 Harvest Review
(0) Comments • Permalink • 09 23 2008
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Keeping an eye on commodity prices
For example, in the next 60 days or so of the writing of this article, many farmers will be making a decision concerning whether or not to commit their acreage for a fall planning of Hard Red Winter wheat or commit their land to corn. They make this decision based on the projected value of the commodity at the time it is to be harvested. They need to have hard market data by which to make these decisions. At the point that the amount of money and percentage of crop speculated upon is such that the value of the commodity is altered from the value that the market would otherwise have yielded, proper decisions on the part of the farmer become difficult. Simply put, when the price of the commodity as futures is falsely above or below the fair market price at the time of the availability of the commodity, the farmers no longer has the ability to plan their production properly and the market itself begins to break down. This condition has a significant negative impact on the market.
Many commodities, and producers thereof, are currently suffering this condition of divergence between futures bought ahead of time, and cash value upon actual trade of the commodity. As the prices of various commodities increase due to this volatility, the cost of energy and petroleum based fertilizers increases etc., speculators have more incentive to increase their activities in pursuit of the exaggerated values. The assumption is that if we get convergence under control, buying and selling would be predominantly based (once again) on reasonably predictable market positions that the farmers have always been used to, and less so on the more volatile results of exaggerated speculation.
I’ll use wheat, the flour and water baker’s primary ingredient, as an example of what is being done about this problem.
As a result of increased concerns about diverging futures and cash positions with regard to wheat, the US Government has made it clear to the Chicago Board of Trade that we need to see convergence on price. This was being talked up most loudly in Spring 2008, when the prices were high, and had risen sharply.
Industry experts that I talk to is that the Board of Trade aren’t sure about how convergence is to happen: all agree it needs to be done, and would rather see the market correction than well intended government involvement. Limits may be placed on the amount of index money going into the market. In order to have hedgers there must be speculators, yet limits can be placed to ensure that the impact of the activity isn’t in opposition to convergence.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 09 23 2008
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Food Cost Control for Restaurants
Other times, operators may simply be unaware of the varying product specifications that are available, therefore, they many not be taking advantage of potential opportunities. Operators should be sure to pay particular attention to case sizes, package sizes and the use of split cases. By merely adjusting these packing specifications, operators can experience significantly lower landed costs. It is worth noting at this point that when determining key item specifications, care must be given to how a particular specification will affect the edible portion cost. What might appear to be a better price for a particular product based upon a spec change might, in fact, be more costly in the end. Meat grades and fat percentages are a good example of this. This is of critical importance to operators with Prime Rib as a key item.
Step Three: Manage the price paid for each key item. Depending on what the item is, operators may be able to negotiate contracted prices for key items. Whenever possible, it is recommended that operators negotiate contracted prices for key items to simplify the purchasing process. A good contracted price might not always bring the landed cost of the product in below bid pricing at a given point in time, but on an annualized average the contracted price should have a net positive effect on purchasing. Because key items inherently represent significant purchasing volumes, an operator may be able to negotiate with a broker or manufacturer to get manufacturer price deviations that will be passed on through the distributor. This method of negotiation should be examined to see whether it is possible, as it rarely has negative impacts on the distributor and, therefore, has fewer potential downsides. If a price deviation is negotiated through a broker or manufacturer, it will typically be available through the vendor of your choice. Therefore, even with manufacturer price deviations in place, an operator may still want to bid out the item to several distributors to keep their mark-up on these items in check. For many operators, bid pricing is the method of choice for purchasing decisions. This method is also commonly referred to as “cherry picking.” While this method can work, operators are required to actively examine bids and stay vigilant that distributors are not passing their lost profits from bids onto other, non-bid items. If an operator negotiates a purchasing contract with a particular distributor, they need to look at both a market basket report, as well as the pricing structure for the key items under the contract. A cost plus contract could seem to be a great deal, until you realize that a particular vendor is unable to be competitive on certain key items because of their particular market share and case movement sizes.
Step Four: Complete a yield analysis for all key items whose edible portion cost is different than the “as purchased” cost and for all key items that are utilized in sub-recipes or prep recipes. Key items that are utilized in these two ways can translate into significant, unnecessary food cost expense if yields are not tracked and managed to ensure consistency. Once acceptable yield standards have been established, continuous monitoring of yields should occur to ensure compliance to production and purchasing specifications. The most common issue with yields among the key item category for operators occurs with meats. Meats that are cooked off prior to portioning or that are broken down in house can often times have huge yield variances that can play havoc with food cost. The following paragraph deals with managing menu item profit margins with respect to key items, but before establishing accurate menu item costs, accurate yields need to be established to determine the accurate edible portion costs.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 09 19 2008
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Ask a food industry expert…
(0) Comments • Permalink • 09 11 2008
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Recipe Costing - Beyond Basic
(0) Comments • Permalink • 09 10 2008
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High commodity prices: What’s a baker to do?
(1) Comments • Permalink • 09 08 2008
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Tasting with our eyes
(0) Comments • Permalink • 09 03 2008
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Basic Recipe Costing
(3) Comments • Permalink • 09 02 2008
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When customers have allergies
(0) Comments • Permalink • 08 28 2008
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Technology for the enterprise
(1) Comments • Permalink • 08 19 2008
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Food fight
(0) Comments • Permalink • 08 05 2008
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Managing supply agreements
In addition to managing consistency and getting what the baker pays for, the whole liability for a recall becomes in focus for many bakeries that are doing business as wholesale co-packers or component manufacturing. Let’s take the example of a pizza crust manufacturer who then sells the skins (crusts) to another food company who then tops, packages and markets their entrée. If there is a problem with the crusts that is a result of a compromised ingredient or replacement that didn’t allow for the nutritional fact panel being in compliance, the pizza crust manufacturer will be liable for the recall unless an agreement passes that liability on to the ingredient supplier. This is becoming much more common and simple record keeping concerning specification sheets, nutritional declarations from suppliers and agreements on notification if the ingredient is in any way in departure from the agreed upon nutritional profile at the point of purchase can go a long way to protecting the baking company’s bottom line and brand integrity.
With regard to price, let suppliers know that you are being pressed to bid out to see how the suppliers can give a purchasing break concerning price tier by volume profiles etc. Remember that the economy affects the suppliers too and they have to compete to keep you as a customer, and share the burden.
Another possibility is on line clearing houses for ingredients where data is stored and certified. This option is becoming more and more beneficial as it becomes more common. This is a way that the baker and the ingredient supplier can have stored agreements tracked chronologically in addition to the certification of the ingredient specifications.
In time of increased price of ingredient and changing ways of marketing baked goods either as retail, wholesale or component, one must become more sophisticated concerning managing the supplies used. Making the ingredient suppliers aware of your specific needs, what is within acceptable variance, what will be rejected, the need for specification sheets with deliveries and ingredient nutritional statements if there is a change, and legally accountable for recalls if you are not notified of a change by them, can not only protect your brand name but minimize daily variances in production that lead to quality, yield and waste increases.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 08 04 2008
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QA and QC in the bakery
It is not easy to do, however the advantages of having the workers understand that coping with problems all day, commonly referred to as firefighter management, is infinitely more difficult than taking simple steps to keep problems for occurring in the first place, understood as preventive management.
A HACCP, or hazard analysis critical control point program, can be viewed as a sub program of quality control. The HACCP program is comprised of pre-defined criteria for evaluating hazards by ingredient and process, monitoring for deviation, documenting compliance or lack thereof, documenting deviation, a plan for addressing deviation and documenting the responses to deviations. Elements of a HACCP program, in addition to the prior mentioned policies and documents, are control points and critical control points. It is generally recommended that there are many control points in processing, ingredient handling, and contracted handling of freight by transportation after the shipping to customers. Additionally the critical control points are described as the last line of defense against safety compromised product going out. Again, more information concerning this or the other elements of the Q&QA programs is available. The goal of this article is to make recommendations concerning how these programs can and should be structured and implemented for success.
It has been my experience that only the largest of baking companies and a percentage of the mid level retail/wholesale companies have a functioning QC&QA program in place. Many have a paperwork skeleton in place that provides for the appearance of coverage without the practical protection of the product and the brand. It should be understood that the cost of having a dedicated and capable person take the time to organize the approach is infinitely less than the cost of a catastrophic problem and the legal fallout. Further, the ability to do business with customer companies that can distribute our baked goods in mass can provide plenty of incentive and the profit that it sometimes takes to get us to take the practices seriously.
(1) Comments • Permalink • 08 04 2008
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Scrutinizing bakery formulas
From proper hydration of a formula to utilizing synergy between ingredients and even conflict between ingredients, the baker’s percent view is a very important troubleshooting and transparency tool. The specifications and type of flour used will be capable of optimum performance at differing hydration rates. Additionally, the proper hydration of flour is greatly affected by natural softeners like sugar and fat. Shelf life is impacted by relationships of basic ingredients as well as product quality attributes. How ingredients compare to each other is a critical view for maintaining healthy balanced formulas.
In addition, different forms of ingredients yield different product characteristics. For example, hard fats like butter, margarine or shortening disperse very well into bread dough and will yield a slowing in the rate of mechanical staling or hardening of a finished bread product. Fat in the form of oil will not yield the dispersion and subsequent shelf life result mechanically; however, it is perceived as liquid by the tongue and mouth when eaten and makes moister eating bread. Some of both may be used if nutritional profiles allow. Sugar syrups are not sugar in water but a wide spectrum of sweetness’s, sugar solids for yeast and viscosities. Sugar syrups are very hydroscopic and may assist in keeping moisture in a baked product. Baking powders come with differing actions intended. Malt products are enzyme active or not and result in vastly different effects from use. For more information on proper formulation see the “Ask the Experts” section.
Minor Ingredients
In addition to basic structure of ingredients, many ingredients used for mold inhibiting, flour strengthening, dough conditioning, and shelf life extension can and are used inappropriately or when not needed at all.
Dough conditioners like oxidants, reducing agents, enzymes, emulsifiers, etc., are not all created equal. They can be a very expensive way to accomplish very little if the application isn’t well founded and the use appropriate. This is an area where much expense limitation is usually possible.
As the cost of ingredients increases, the need and in fact ability to cut unnecessary cost out of formulations is greatly increased. The savings from removing or limiting an expensive, unnecessary ingredient can add up very quickly. Limiting the incidence of customer dissatisfaction, increasing sales on profitable products, and handling less inventory translate to real savings that will have as much of an impact on the bakery as almost anything else.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 08 04 2008
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Don’t ignore them
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 31 2008
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Visiting the Food Bank
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 30 2008
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Store Wars
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 22 2008
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Open Invitation
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 21 2008
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Privacy Policy
Permalink • 07 17 2008
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Extending shelf life on product lines
(4) Comments • Permalink • 07 13 2008
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Fresh food
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 09 2008
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Food safety
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 09 2008
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Better to accept criticism
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 04 2008
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Sourcing local foods
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 04 2008
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Food pairing
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 02 2008
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The square of an egg
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 02 2008
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A taste of things to come?
(0) Comments • Permalink • 07 02 2008
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Zingerman’s Irish
(1) Comments • Permalink • 06 12 2008
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Fueled by passion: what microbreweries teach us
In the 1990s, RIck and Barry traveled the world, designing beer process lines and brewing equipment specifications for over 50 brewpubs around the world. If you consider that In 2007 there were a total of only 1,406 regional craft breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs combined in the US, it quickly becomes obvious that Rick and Barry are experts in the brewing industry.
In 1997, they opened R & B Brewing, a two minute walk from Vancouver’s False Creek. They knew that the challenge for large brewing companies was to create distinctive, flavorful beers that people love. For microbreweries, on the other hand, the challenge has been reliability, including cross-batch product consistency, and sustained sales volume. Rick and Barry felt that with their background, passion and convictions, they could combine the best of both worlds in a job they would love doing every day.
R & B started with their signature Red Devil Pale Ale, perfecting a very good, very distinctive beer that is in some sense the antithesis of mass-market beers. It is not a beer that can be accepted in a passive way: its complexity challenges people to like it or dislike it.
Over time, R & B has developed a small line of hand crafted beers, and in doing so, has cultivated a mixed but devoted clientele. Some came to them as a pure alternative to the major brands; others found the cachet and exoticism once only found in imported and gourmet products. Some love the bohemian urban branding. All of them appreciate R & B’s line of delicious, hand made natural beers, beers with no mass-market BS.
A small part of the R & B business is selling kegs to anyone, with 12 hours notice. This reflects their commitment to individuals, even though the company is not a primarily direct-to-consumer business. For the most part, R & B sells to bars and restaurants that are keen on their products. Customers passionate about beer, and what R&B is toiling over. It’s a two way street: their customers get a vendor that is as hands on as they want.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 06 12 2008
The opinions represented on this site do not necessarily reflect those of the site owner. No warranty is implied.
Fun in the food court? Yes, it is possible
(0) Comments • Permalink • 06 06 2008
The opinions represented on this site do not necessarily reflect those of the site owner. No warranty is implied.
Learning from spaghetti sauce
(0) Comments • Permalink • 06 06 2008
The opinions represented on this site do not necessarily reflect those of the site owner. No warranty is implied.
Cracks in the fast food nation
(0) Comments • Permalink • 06 06 2008
The opinions represented on this site do not necessarily reflect those of the site owner. No warranty is implied.
Food costs: World and US trends as predictors of what is to come
The good news begins with the increased prices incentivized increases in plantings, or the acres planted, of the crops that are projecting the values. Wheat plantings are up in spite of the issues like bio-fuels, and conditions remain favorable for a global harvest that is projected to be 42 mmt above global use. This is according to data and interpretation of the International Grains Council. United States Department of Agriculture will issue early harvest figures probably by the time this article is published. As stocks go up, prices soften or come down historically. This surplus can be used to rebuild stocks and soften prices. Internal U.S. Wheat Associates (a not for profit corporation representing US farmers) projects that out of the total 42 mmt surplus globally, some 31.7% will be soft wheat and the remaining 10.3% will be hard wheat. If this is realized, the price softening should be seen more with soft or cake/cookie/cracker, wheat and to some lesser degree hard or bread wheat.
Although the concerns of diversion of food to be burnt as fuel are reasonable concerns and the ethics questionable, we don’t see either a shortage of corn for use and export, or the increase in corn production limiting wheat plantings. Although corn production is up 80% in the last 6-7 years, it has not taken acreage from wheat as the price of wheat has stayed high. Corn has initially taken acreage away from soybeans but this year soy is expected to take some acreage back from corn as corn production is leveling off. It seems that the real concern of using food for fuel is the price impact of increased feed grains on meat, poultry and dairy products.
Concerning midterm projections, one serious concern with regard to further negative impact on grain prices is the potential and real increases in governmental regulations globally. Nations from Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to Argentina are banning exports to protect their local markets. The unintended consequences are reducing plantings on commodities with imposed price ceilings.
Any time taxes are high or exports banned, the farmers typically respond by asking why they should plant something that they cannot sell at market price. Kazakhstan and the Ukraine have very good conditions for planning oil seeds like sunflower, and legumes, and they don’t require expensive petroleum based fertilizers. Argentina is now reporting a decline in wheat plantings in the wake of their temporary export ban on wheat. It is yet to be seen how temporary these taxes and bans will be.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 06 05 2008
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Trends in packaging design
JD
What are your clients pushing for?
SB
Everyone wants color coding. If your soft drink is orange flavor, then the label is orange and then blueberry has to be blue and strawberry is red. It drives me crazy but it’s tried and true. And clients seem to always want their logo bigger, which isn’t always the best idea.
JD
What do you see that is interesting in design these days?
SB
A lot more use of recycled paper products. I’m seeing a lot more products let the packaging show through, rather than cover it entirely. It’s nice to show the actual paper stock, it gives the impression of a natural product. It’s great for the organic and high end products. Just changing the weight of the paper stock can make a product feel more expensive. Picking up a cardboard box that is kind of bendy and flimsy gives a bad impression. If you look at it and it closes in an interesting way or is a perfect square, something you almost never see, then you are intrigued. Sometimes it’s subconscious but it registers with the consumers.
Sherry Bissonette is a package design consultant, and owner of Sherry B Design. She creates private label branding for distributors, and frozen food and snack food manufacturers.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 06 05 2008
The opinions represented on this site do not necessarily reflect those of the site owner. No warranty is implied.
Packaging rules
• What is the product name and descriptive text?
• What are the package specifications like size, product types, flavors?
• Do you have photos? Or do I arrange the food photo shoot? Pictures from your website can’t be used for packaging.
• Who is the demographic?
• Is there an assigned UPC code?
• What is the nutritional information?
• What is the domicile information which is the source and address of the food source?
• Is the product or packaging recyclable?
• Is it a product within a series that should it tie into?
• What is the overall feel and statement it should make?
• What is the package printing company contact information? I’ll need to talk to them. You always want your designer to talk to the printing press. It’s vital.
• Really important: having a single project contact. Design by committee never seems to work. Getting back proofs with question marks from various sources just confuses things.
JD
Are you involved in the copywriting for the products?
SB
Not often, but I have in the past and even named some products. Usually the client comes to me with the product text and I contribute and suggest changes. Sometimes the text is “Eight Hamburgers. Keep Frozen” and I’ll add text like “Tasty Seasoned Beef Burgers” and try to make it friendlier. Just saying “Keep Frozen” is a little forceful.
JD
What’s the biggest challenge in your work? What’s the one big hurdle you always seem to face?
SB
Two words: Government Specifications. Displaying nutrition information isn’t difficult. The problem is that the rules for displaying it are different in every country. And then there are countries that have bilingual requirements. The nutritional panel changes sizes between countries and then that has a domino effect on the rest of the design. The formula for setting the sizes of nutritional panels is very specific and precise.
Sherry Bissonette is a package design consultant, and owner of Sherry B Design. She creates private label branding for distributors, and frozen food and snack food manufacturers.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 06 05 2008
The opinions represented on this site do not necessarily reflect those of the site owner. No warranty is implied.
Why Cater?
You Can Chase The Business
To survive as a caterer, most of your business will be corporate. As a result, your selling process is “business to business”. It is true that your retail customer will also want to order catering; however, your survival will depend on the relationships you develop with the administrative assistants in the corporate world.
There are five basic segments within the corporate market. They include morning service, lunch service, dinner service, cocktail parties and full-on events. My recommendation as a new caterer is to focus on the first four, which are easier to execute and the most profitable.
The next step is to get the business. Use your restaurant as a billboard – put up posters, give out fliers, talk up the catering with your clients. Most importantly, do a great job, and encourage your satisfied customers to spread the word.
You’re Not Just a Restaurant That Delivers!
Catering is very different from restaurant take-out and delivery because the needs driving demand for each of these services is different. Typically the demand for catering is driven by some type of get together. One person has been chosen to arrange food for the activity, and one person or organization will pay for the service.
In the case of take-out or delivery, the demand is driven from the individual perspective. For example, my friends are coming over to watch the hockey game so we order a couple of pizzas for delivery. For this event to be defined as catering, I would bring the experience up a notch by adding a salad, beverages and dessert.
Putting It All Together
Catering can be an effective and profitable way to leverage your existing location, staff and menu. But to do both well requires understanding each side of the business and making sure that you do not ignore one while dabbling at the other.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 06 05 2008
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