Industry Insights

The first hearing the Department of Labor will be holding is on the possible elimination of the tip credit. Originally, these hearings were slated to begin in mid-March. However, due to a scheduling conflict, these hearings were shifted until April 20, which makes Farmingdale, Long Island the first hearing location.

Here are some Earth Day tips to get your food and beverage establishment in line with the GREEN movement and share with your customers that you care about the Earth, and together, we can make a difference!

Creating the right corporate culture will do more than just avert a sexual harassment crisis – it’ll set the right tone for the entire organization. But, it doesn’t come easy. Consider the following steps to building a healthy corporate culture that combats sexual harassment...

After a heated competition at Café Boulud, Master Chef Daniel Boulud named Chef Kelvin Fernandez the winner of the Daniel Boulud/C-CAP 2018 Full-Tuition Scholarship to attend the Intensive Culinary Program at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France, as well as a two-week stage at a restaurant in Lyon, France.

The complicated landscape of regulatory compliance has always been a challenge for restaurant owners and operators. But with the dramatic increase in complexity over the last five years, the operators of multi-unit restaurants need to make sure that they’re following the rules now more than ever.

It was recently announced that the newly established NYC Office of Nightlife hired Ariel Palitz as its Director, a position colloquially known as the Nightlife Mayor. Palitz owned Sutra Lounge in the East Village and was a member of Community Board 3 in Manhattan.

New Yorkers are never at a loss for food choices. Yet, over the last couple of years a new trend has expanded the diner’s selection even wider, and not just in NYC, but all across the country! And despite their brief residencies; it looks like the pop-up restaurant trend is here to stay!

If you are still serving mint Juleps from last July, may I gently suggest that you brighten up the bar menu, seasonally that is! The first item of spring cleaning for your bar that I would recommend would be to replace your machine-made coupe glasses if you are using an off the rack approach to this uniquely pleasurable glass...

One of the most consistent threads that runs through the world of restaurant financing is that in the vast majority of cases, banks have very little interest in financing independent operators in our industry.

The organic market has expanded substantially to include grains, meat, dairy, and even processed foods, in addition to produce. It has also spilled over to the foodservice industry where it is common to see “organic” on a menu. And, it’s not just limited to food items; nonfood products can also be organic.

Now, a major source of litigation is Assistant Managers and Sous Chefs (who are often the “Assistant Managers” of the kitchen) alleging they are misclassified—are not really managers—and are entitled to overtime pay. In this no-win operating environment, restaurateurs would be well served to double check that their Assistant Managers and Sous Chefs actually pass the legal hurdles required to make them exempt managers under the law. 

The most common stadium food safety violations found dealt with insects, vermin, improper food holding temperatures, food prep employees not wearing gloves, and unclean nonfood contact surfaces. But UL experts outline how to take corrective action.

In order to remain relevant in the ever-evolving industry, many chefs and restauranteurs have taken it upon themselves to step away from traditional cooking methods and focus on modernist cooking techniques such as cold-smoking and flash freezing.

What we’ve found over the years is that the fine art of outdoor dining has evolved into a mind set that with a little planning can become both highly profitable and create a signature for your restaurant or club.

I am a big believer in paramount service - it's the only real competitive advantage. Train your staff to over-deliver and treat every guest as the most important guest and your business will grow. Provide anything less and watch your business disappear, especially in this age of online reviews.

Restaurant operators, like operators of all sales tax businesses, need to understand how and when to accept exemption certificates from their customers and how and when to issue exemption certificates to their vendors and suppliers. Improper use of a certificate can lead to an unexpected sales tax liability after-the-fact.

The Letter Grade System was enacted to decrease foodborne illness, promote sanitary practices and create transparency for diners. While the System has achieved those goals since its inception, fines for violations have created additional financial burdens for many NYC restaurant operators already battling...

How can you be confident that your suppliers are insuring the appropriate level of safety and food quality? Your due diligence should include receipt of necessary supporting documentation, but can often be supplemented by actual plant visits to provide appropriate reassurance that a food facility has the appearance and methodology that is required.

Two NYC superstars — Balthazar and Momofuku — earned a nomination for “Outstanding Restaurant” which is only for restaurants that have been continuously open for more than 10 years. Let’s look closely at our local nominees for the James Beard Foundation Awards.

Why hire someone when your POS system can do all the duties and more? Having this system in place can be a game changer when it comes to opening or managing your restaurant, and maximizing your ROI. But does it take away from the friendly smiles of your staff?

It is obvious that the core business of these chains was not foodservice. However, it has now become a prime objective and they have the deep pockets to make it a reality.

With the 2018 club season on the horizon, HAFSCO has been entrusted with a number of major club renovation projects in the Tri-State region. Glen Head Country Club, founded in 1947, is regarded as one of the finest family centered clubs on Long Island. It is situated on over 160 acres of land encompassing a world-class golf course.

Having Fire Suppression systems that automatically detects heat and/or fire, and effectively smothers it, is now the industry standard. By integrating heat sensors, fires are now able to be detected almost before they start. The system’s ability to sense a fire with such speed not only saves lives, but property as well.

The NYC Hospitality Alliance is happy to announce a partnership with Con Edison and the NYC Department of Small Business Services to offer a new service we encourage you to use before signing a lease to open an eating and drinking establishment.

Each week, I have the pleasure of speaking with food entrepreneurs who are at the beginning of their brand story journeys.  They express excitement over their new product or business concept. They’re a bundle of nerves and energy, anxiousness and delight as they look to grow their business from the infancy stage.

It’s not just the fast-casual segment asking their guests to stay a little longer, we now see it amongst the casual dining sector. Gaming in public venues has been becoming more popular. It’s likely all the online communication we're accustomed to has us wanting more face-to-face socializing.

As a ventless kitchen solutions manufacturer, one of the most common questions we get when discussing commercial deep fryer options is why go with a ventless fryer? Why does it matter?  Is it really that important?

An optimistic restaurateur pursued SBA loans but didn’t really understand that the SBA doesn’t actually fund the loans directly – they work with a partner bank. But at least the SBA is willing to guarantee 50% to 85% of the loan depending on the program and amounts, which opens a lot of doors but puts down its own obstacles. 

The National Co-op Grocers, an association of food cooperatives that buy collectively, has seen its membership rise from 106 to 151 since 2006, and natural foods co-ops that have been in business for 40 years have added third, fourth, even a sixth location.

A restaurant manager moves at a frantic pace. Covering a huge amount of ground and juggling a variety of tasks, few outside the industry can comprehend their daily challenges. How can integrated restaurant technology benefit their daily cause?

Establishing a liquor liability prevention policy, training workers and transferring risk are critical to protect your establishment, employees and patrons from liquor liability.

Many challenges face the foodservice operator wishing to offer home delivery. Some operators have turned to companies such as Uber and Amazon who promote home meal delivery by leveraging their existing and powerful logistics technologies.

Just the simple truth that you are doing what you love (at least I hope you are) is good enough for me. Add to that the prize money and the prestige of winning a cocktail competition. The props are even better for me.

2018 is a tremendous year for us, marking the Singer Equipment Company’s 100th birthday and #ACenturyOfService. At the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, we are officially kicking off our yearlong celebration of this milestone.

The Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma today unveiled its newest training hub known as “The Whole Leg.” The website is dedicated to educating chefs and foodservice professionals on using the entire leg of Prosciutto di Parma with tips and training that reduce waste and boost profits.

While watching the new Netflix documentary series Rotten, created by Zero Point Zero Production, I learned some interesting things, such as: Did you know that that selling raw milk in retail locations is illegal in most states? Or that there is a garlic festival every year in Gilroy, California?