Trends and innovations in foodservice are some times evident by simply opening a menu or two. But there is nothing special (or profitable) about spotting trends when everyone else does. Those in R&D, marketing and other disciplines where research is an active ingredient in planning know that the trick to uncovering the latest trends in foodservice is in the tools you use.

Chicago-based Mintel's Menu Insights (www.menuinsights.com) menu tracking database offers rich research capabilities to culinary and marketing types alike. The company's ongoing compilation of menu data from 550 restaurants--which includes the top 350 chain operators, 150 innovative independents and the top 50 independent chefs--tracks current and historical menu data and offers a user-friendly but robust tool to create customized charts, graphs and reports based on the latest menu data.

We all know that a database is only as good as the information it contains. To Mintel's credit, a perpetual effort by a dedicated Menu team at Mintel's headquarters in Chicago is constantly capturing the most recent menu data--from pricing to parmesan--and is specially trained to classify applications with great detail.
Getting to Know Macrotrends

The Menu Insights database allows users to construct search definitions on a variety of variables, creating completely customized results. The database provides subscribers with a global view of the foodservice marketplace, allowing users to search for macrotrend results across all 550 operators.

In a global search, the database identifies the most frequently menued flavors. The top five, excluding sensory descriptors such as spicy or sweet, are: garlic (2,482 incidences on 550 menus), honey (652), barbecue (502), lemon (387) and herb (371.) By drilling down by foodservice operator segment, these flavor trends vary dramatically. This drilled-down segment search shows that garlic appears most frequently on the menus of family/midscale and casual dining operators compared to the industry as a whole.

Mintel's GNPD database--which tracks new product activity in the U.S. and globally--shows the popularity of these five flavors follows a similar pattern in terms of the proportion of new food and beverage products launched in the U.S. that contain each flavor type. Similar to the Menu Insights results, garlic appeared most frequently (1,490 times between November 2003 and November 2004) out of the five flavors.

The Georgia Department of Revenue seized 280 bottles of high-priced wines from one of Atlanta's most exclusive restaurants. Tax officials say the restaurant didn't purchase the wine from a wholesale dealer. Owner Richard Lewis says there's a reason for that: The wine belongs to regular customers, for whom the restaurant holds it to drink when they eat there. No dice, say the revenuers, that's still illegal.

Not all wine lists are created equal. Some aren't created at all, in fact; the wines on them are more or less distributed. By that I mean more than a few restaurateurs know heaps about food but only a pittance about wine. They put themselves in the hands of a large distributor or two to compile their wine list--with all the business agendas you can imagine in that scenario.

The winners are the behemoth wineries, which carry weight with their volume--the names that bring on deja vu when you pick up the list in a new bistro. Of course, big doesn't mean bad. And meeting old friends in new places makes you feel safe. But is that what you want on a Friday night, in a buzzing restaurant, with a plate of potato-crusted scallops on wild greens in front of you? With the plethora of wines around us in the West, we can do better than safe.
The least familiar-sounding wine list I've come across recently is at seven-month-old Myth in San Francisco. Partner Marc Cohen, a New York doctor turned Napa vintner, had the preposterous-sounding goal from the beginning of offering "wines you can't find anywhere else in the world," at a markup 20 to 30 percent less than other restaurants. He brought in wine director Alex Fox (formerly wine educator at Niebaum-Coppola winery) to help pull off such a collection. It took serious legwork--months, if not years, of off-site tasting duty--plus connections, end-of-vintage deal making, and just plain chutzpah.

Still, obscure bottles don't sell themselves, even if they're a bargain. The success of Myth's list depends on ready information, on Fox's unpretentious, near-religious table-side testimonies--and on customers meeting him partway, according to Fox.

"Pick me out a red" doesn't get him far enough. To ferret out just what kind of red would curl that diner's socks with the sweet-bread and shiitake salad he's ordered, Fox needs to know whether he generally likes light or full-bodied reds. "It's not 10 questions," he says, "just 2 or 3. And don't worry if you don't have the right wine words. Just tell me what you normally like to drink at home, and I'll find you the best bottle, at the lowest price, in that style." (Unless you want to spend more, presumably.)

AS CHAIN RESTAURANTS extend their reach into urban locales, independent restaurant owners say the best way to protect their turf is to join forces against the chains.

"The independent restaurant share of the dining-out pie is getting smaller and smaller," says Don Luria, president of the Council of Independent Restaurants of America (CIRA), which began in 1999 and now has 15 chapters. He points out that the rise in new restaurants, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics pegs at anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 new restaurants per year, mostly comes from chains and franchises.

"The first thing to do is realize other independent restaurant owners are not enemies--they're your best friends," says Luria, who also owns Cafe Terra Cotta in Tucson, a restaurant with $3.5 million in annual sales. The 35 member restaurants of the Tucson Originals, the local CIRA chapter, buy co-op billboard ads together--something they couldn't afford on their own.

Likewise, the Washington, DC, chapter of CIRA is running a yearlong Web site promotion with WashingtonPost.com, posting a link to the chapter's Web site--which in turn links to its individual member restaurants. It's an advertising feat that would bankrupt one restaurant paying on its own.
In addition to group ads, CIRA chapters work to educate future customers. Several times a year, Luria sits down for dinner with a table full of middle-school students, fielding questions about topics like calamari salad. This Tucson Originals program, called Kids Dine Out, came about because the first restaurant experience for most children is of the burgers-and-fries variety, so many youngsters "never get past the chain restaurant," Luria explains.

Another goal: Spread the message that independent restaurateurs are people with a passion for food who are working together to better their communities. Ouita Michel, 39, owner of the Holly Hill Inn, a fine-dining restaurant outside Lexington, Kentucky, with $1 million in annual sales, teams with other independent chef/owners to host charity events throughout the year. "We sell authenticity," says Michel, whose menu ranges from dim sum to cassoulet. She says the charity-event teamwork lends her restaurant a nostalgic feel, reflecting the style of the 150-year-old inn. While Michel is not yet a member of CIRA, she is working to form a local chapter.

ONE-PRODUCT RESTAURANTS: Specialization is the next stage of evolution in the restaurant industry, says Aaron Allen, founder and CEO of Orlando, Florida-based Quantified Marketing Group, a strategic marketing and PR firm for the restaurant industry. So bring on the restaurants selling only cream puffs, soup or cereal. Americans are hungry for them.

Jodene Jensen, 39, Ken Hall, 36, and Keri Barney, 36 (above, 1. to r.), gambled big When they opened P.B.Loco, a restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2003. Some thought their idea for a restaurant specializing in peanut butter was nuts, but these former lawyers were confident they could strike it rich by giving a classic commodity a modern taste. They opened their first cafe in Minnesota's Mall of America, featuring low-carb wraps and unique sandwiches like "The Wacko," which combines Asian Curry Spice Peanut Butter with pickles, coconut and potato chips. Sound good? It's tasty enough that P.B.Loco has since become a multimillion-dollar business, with franchises selling faster than peanuts at a baseball game. Says Hall, "People feel very passionately about peanut butter."

Choose an adaptable product, find a niche, and get to know as much about the product as possible. "You have to be an expert in a particular area," says Allen. Do this, and you'll certainly stand out in the restaurant world, which has become, according to Allen, a $430 billion-per-year industry.--S.W.

Today, many people are interested in obtaining financial freedom. Many also will look at a multi-level marketing (MLM) business as a way to reach their goals. The problem is that about 95% of those who get involved with MLM fail. Let's take a closer look at why many such home-based businesses are set up to fail from the start.

Reason #1: Most opportunities are way too similar. They just try too hard to copy each other. Plus, the products and services are boring. To make matters worse, the marketplace the company is serving isn't growing very quickly. This type of home-based business screams failure.

Reason #2: Many home-based MLM business opportunities force people to do everything by themselves. It's unfortunate, but businesses are loaded with all kinds of headaches and hassles. It's a huge struggle just to keep things going, market, and build a list. There are too many challenges and no help! The end result of this type of opportunity: people will quit!

Reason #3: Most home-based business opportunities will never make their affiliates rich or obtain financial freedom. Scams abound. This is very sad since most people's goal is to develop long-term wealth. The bottom line: people must look for a business that is already making other average people wealthy, and that is easily duplicated. The fact is, there are legitimate home-based business opportunities that offer this.

Reason #4: The majority of home-based businesses do not pay much in upfront cash. Unfortunately, many times people are paid in small sums. Low cost products and services are offered with a small percentage profit. To make matters worse, people put in tremendous effort and time only to wait around to get paid. No one should ever get involved with this type of opportunity if they want to succeed.

Reason #5: Many MLM home-based businesses are filled with gaps and missing pieces. There is so much hype. However, when it all dies down and one takes a closer look at what's being offered, they find the work-at-home opportunity is pure fluff and fiction. Basically, the home-based business opportunity is just a good idea that someone is trying. If the opportunity is researched, what usually is discovered is that only the heavy hitters make the money, the company behind it is getting rich, and the products and services being sold are only to the distributors! This would be a horrible type of business to become involved in.

Reason #6 Many MLM home-baaed business opportunities are very risky. They are filled with problems, pain, and frustration. As a result, business opportunity seekers view them as a risk and don't want to become involved with them. They know starting a business from home has to be right and if they see red flags, they will avoid it. Sometimes, people become so skeptical that they never choose a business at all. They fail to realize the right business opportunity can be found and worked without the headaches.

The truth is, home-based MLM businesses can work. It simply takes time and careful research to choose the right one. Avoid the problems discussed in this article and you will be sure to find the MLM home business for you.

Convenience stores by nature have a singular brand promise: convenience. But in a fast-paced retail environment, the busiest of stores struggle to live up to that commitment. Some retailers are taking a step back and discovering opportunities to improve on convenience by rethinking their supply and fixture layout.

They’re recognizing opportunities to improve flow and better address their customers’ needs quickly and efficiently. If a store is properly staffed for its typical daily traffic, there should be no reason for lines and congestion. Convenience store managers need to realize the importance of efficient design in delivering on the promise of the industry.

Store layout plays a big role in improving efficiency and convenience. It demands a customer-centric approach that allows managers to view the store as a customer would. By seeing the company the same way customers do, retailers have the necessary perspective to identify opportunities and make changes. Convenience store retailers should consider the most popular products, and then determine how easy or how difficult they are to get to.

Also, consider products that are often purchased together and how closely they are positioned within the store. If the store’s premade sandwiches are popular with regular customers, move them closer to the front in a portable display fridge that puts them in front of customers and makes them easier to get to. If it’s a popular destination for cross-country travelers, make the automotive supplies such as antifreeze, motor oil and air fresheners easy to find and get to. By making things easier on customers, retailers keep them moving and keep everybody happy. Retailers should also be sure to maintain a logical flow between the entrance, the products and the register.

Look for subtle hiccups in aisle flow and identify a way to overcome them. If there’s a display case that was placed as an after thought, it may be getting in the way or blocking some other popular merchandise. While congestion is a big problem in a store that promises convenience, fixing the issue may only require a series of small changes that keep busy customers on the move.

Not all wine lists are created equal. Some aren’t created at all, in fact; the wines on them are more or less distributed. By that I mean more than a few restaurateurs know heaps about food but only a pittance about wine. They put themselves in the hands of a large distributor or two to compile their wine list–with all the business agendas you can imagine in that scenario.

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The winners are the behemoth wineries, which carry weight with their volume–the names that bring on deja vu when you pick up the list in a new bistro. Of course, big doesn’t mean bad. And meeting old friends in new places makes you feel safe. But is that what you want on a Friday night, in a buzzing restaurant, with a plate of potato-crusted scallops on wild greens in front of you? With the plethora of wines around us in the West, we can do better than safe.

Dining in Las Vegas has been moving from buffet to gourmet for at least a decade, but with the latest round of restaurants, it’s vying to become the country’s culinary capital.

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Westerners can attribute much of this to their own good taste: The hottest new restaurants are led by chefs from Hollywood, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the Napa Valley. Menus now are less formal and more fresh, less about showmanship and more about substance.

Las Vegas has become a kind of litmus test of culinary importance–come here after you’ve made it elsewhere. “Las Vegas is a headliner kind of city, so casinos brought in recognizable names,” says Thomas Keller of the famed French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, California. He opened Bouchon, a French brasserie similar to his Napa Valley catery of the same name, in January in the Venetian’s new tower, Venezia.

The influx of big names means that the Strip is now a smorgasbord of food trends. Along with Keller, in the last year and a half, other chefs who have opened up shop Strip-side include the Lark Creek Inn’s Bradley Ogden, Maya’s Richard Sandoval, the Bellagio’s Michael Mina (who now has three Vegas venues), and Hubert Keller, whose second restaurant here, Fleur de Lys, has just opened. And then, of course, there is the city’s original culinary innovator, Spago’s Wolfgang Puck, who launched his latest, a bar and grill, at the MGM Grand last summer.

Ono Hawaiian Grill. Surfboards and tiki torches aside, it’s chef/owner Michael Lacy’s mouthwatering coconut shrimp and fresh ahi that bring patrons from afar. A super-size option will satisfy even the big kahuna’s appetite. $$. 3048 N. Cabrillo Hwy.; 650/726-8114.

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MILPITAS

Aloha Restaurant Bar. A family-owned Hawaiian hideaway with island comfort food like loco moco (hamburger with eggs and gravy over rice), lomi lomi salmon, and a steaming bowl of saimin (noodle soup with pork). $$. 148 N. Milpitas Blvd.; 408/946-9260.

SAN FRANCISCO

Tita’s Hale ‘Aina. With a Hawaii state flag and photos of hula dancers, this Castro District gem welcomes diners to savor a slice of island life. For dessert, try the hot malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts). $$; closed Mon. 3870 17th St.; 415/626-2477.

With small-plate restaurants popping up everywhere these days, sometimes it’s easy to forget the pleasure afforded by large plates. A romantic dinner is made even more so when you share a single delicious dish. And if you’ve forgotten the fun of going halves on a roast chicken or an airy souffle, plenty of Bay Area restaurants haven’t. Order these dishes for two, and you won’t have to worry about stretching across the table for a bite. For two people who finish not only each other’s sentences but also each other’s dinners, these restaurants are the perfect places to celebrate.

French kiss

Cafe Jacqueline would be among the most romantic restaurants in town even if it weren’t for the creamy souffles at the menu’s heart. Order the delectable crab souffle ($50); you’ll have plenty of time to gaze into each other’s eyes before it arrives, puffed, browned, and rich with crabmeat. The only thing better is the chocolate souffle for dessert ($30). Technically, it’s big enough for three or four people, but my husband and I were enchanted enough to spoon up every sweet bite. Special menu on Valentine’s Day. Dinner Tue-Sun; reservations required.

The restaurant industry and other small businesses employing workers who receive tips recently took a hit from the Supreme Court. In June, the court ruled that the IRS has the right to charge restaurants additional Social Security taxes if it believes employees are underreporting their tips.

Seven out of 10 restaurants are small businesses, many of which operate with slim margins, says Peter Kilgore, general counsel and senior vice president of operations for the National Restaurant Association. The restaurant industry maintains that holding employers liable when the IRS fails to determine which workers failed to report tips pits restaurant owners against their own employees.

The case of Fior d’Italia v. the U.S. involved a claim of underpayed tip taxes by the San Francisco restaurant. After a federal district court and a federal appeals court ruled in the restaurant’s favor, government lawyers petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.

The ruling comes as the IRS is expected to step up its audits of restaurants, says Bill Zaagman, director of government affairs for the Michigan Restaurant Association. As a result, more restaurants are likely to enter into a TRAC (Tip Reporting Alternative Commitment) agreement with the IRS to limit their exposure to these audits. Under a TRAC, an employer promises to set up a system where employees are provided a written statement of charged tips attributed to the employee. In addition, the restaurant agrees to educate employees about the need to report 100 percent of all tips.

BETWEEN ever-expanding “estimated” tax targets for tip income, draconian restaurant licensing restrictions, and proposals for menu labeling laws, you might think governments had already done their utmost to eliminate waiting tables for tips as a viable form of employment. But the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is, as always, one step beyond the rest.

The City by the Bay recently upped its minimum wage to $8.50 an hour, a hike that includes waitresses’ and waiters’ pay. Restaurateurs, who have until February to comply with the new law, are already discussing plans to cut back benefits and freeze hiring to offset the new expense.

San Francisco isn’t alone in its commitment to “living wage” requirements. Santa Fe went to an $8.50 minimum wage earlier this year. Madison, Wisconsin, is aiming for $7.50, while the Wisconsin state legislature is considering a proposal to make that minimum statewide. New Orleans passed a $6.15 minimum last year, only to see it struck down in court.

Aside from making life difficult for small-business owners, and by extension their employees, these efforts have another thing in common: Their pre-ponents all cite a discredited New Jersey-Pennsylvania study by economists David Card and Alan Krueger that appeared to find that minimum wage laws have no effect on low-skill employment. Although based on skewed and in many cases false data, the Card-Krueger study, a favorite of clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich, refuses to die. Alas, the same can’t be said for a restaurant or shop expensed out of business.

HACCP & Sanitation In Restaurants And Food Service Operations

Lora Arduser & Douglas Robert Borwn

Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

1210 SW 23rd Place, Ocala, FL 34474-7014

0910627355 $79.95 1-800-814-1132 www.atlantic-pub.com

A comprehensive, detailed, superbly organized and imminently practical instructional guide and reference to health and sanitation issues in food storage, preparation, presentation in the commercial food establishments ranging from sidewalk food carts to fast food outlets to up-scale gourmet restaurants, HACCP & Sanitation In Restaurants And Food Service Operations by Lora Arduser and Douglas Robert Brown is an essential, core, emphatically recommended reading which is enhanced by an accompanying CD-ROM. Based explicitly on the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code, HACCP & Sanitation covers everything from food measuring devices to strict measures to prevent food-borne bacteria and illness, to flow charts that pinpoint the most hazardous points of food preparation, facility plans, pest management and more. Useful as a resource for restauranteurs, food science students, HACCP & Sanitation lays down basic “need-to-know” information in no-nonsense terms and comes very highly recommended.