BREAKFAST NAILS IT on the COVER Avocado Toast Gets Kicked to the Curb When Chef Royce Burke Swaps in Pureed Carrots, Beets and Fried WINT ER 2019 Leeks

FOOD FANATICS FOOD FOOD PEOPLE MONEY & SENSE PLUS Go Dark Get the Picture Get Out? Under the Radar Wines Chicken’s dark side Click with the social 7 deadly signs that it’s time Bargains from the is killing it, page 12 media-obsessed, page 39 to close, page 60 Mediterranean, page 70

Sharing the Love of Food—Inspiring Business Success CARRIED AWAY

CARRIED WINTER 2019 AWAY BREAKFAST NAILS IT ON THE COVER Avocado toast gets kicked to the curb when Chef Royce Burke swaps in pureed carrots, beets and fried WINT ER 2019 leeks. See page USFoods.com/foodfanatics 26 to maximize breakfast.

FOOD INTO THE DOUGH All the ways that keep pizza on its game. 5 IN EVERY ISSUE GO DARK TREND TRACKER Chicken’s more flavorful parts From heating up to cooling down. are killing it. 36 12 Who knew lasagna could THE LAYERED LOOK FEED THE STAFF Instilling a nurturing and Lasagna goes in for a makeover. be so badass, 20 transparent culture for workers. 20 48 WAKE UP CALL PR MACHINE Does your online presence rate? If breakfast is making bank, what 59 are you waiting for? 26 BEYOND THE PLATE Simple, versatile and airier restaurant designs stand out. FOOD PEOPLE 64 GET THE PICTURE How to click with social media- ASK THE EXPERTS obsessed diners. Advice from the street. 39 67 PROTECTED TALK SHOP IHELP Time to cut loose that awful worker? What’s happening with paid IN THE FACE OF THE UNEXPECTED 44 reservations. 69 ROAD TRIP! Drop the stereotypes and get to know I’LL DRINK TO THAT! North and South Dakota. Under-the-radar wines from the 52 Mediterranean are calling. Customized business insurance for more peace of mind 70 MONEY & SENSE BY THE NUMBERS As a small business owner, you know firsthand that each day can bring its PLUG PURPOSE challenges. With over 30 coverage options for customized insurance, we can Get buzzed on coffee. ProgressiveCommercial.com How to share, not shove, your 72 build a policy that’s tailored for your business—from a full line of Commercial restaurant values. Auto insurance to General Liability, Workers’ Compensation, Business Owners 55 TREND TRACKER policies, and more. Because when your unique business needs are covered, GET OUT? you can focus on what matters most—running your business. Seven deadly signs that a restaurant may be on its last legs. Be in the know

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING PAUL BY PHOTOGRAPHY 60 @FoodFanatics Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. & affiliates. Business and Workers’ Compensation coverage provided and serviced by affiliated and third-party insurers.

USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 1 Introducing the Winter Issue The delicious of Food Fanatics® Magazine USFoods.com/foodfanatics Food and restaurant trends are moving faster than ever, so staying up to date on changing diner preferences can be a challenge. In this issue, US FOODS ADVISORY BOARD we’re helping you keep a pulse on what’s hot now! is baked in President and Chief Executive Officer Serve country-fresh flavor all day with Hilltop Hearth® Pietro Satriano Chief Merchandising Officer Our cover story delivers a wake-up call on the evolution of breakfast. Southern Style Biscuits. Available in multiple sizes, these Andrew Iacobucci

ready-to-bake biscuits bring the ultimate convenience Senior Vice President, Marketing Today, it goes beyond bacon and eggs. Specialty diets and demand Diane Hund to your kitchen and dependably deliver flaky, buttermilk for convenience, portability and healthy options are changing the Senior Vice President, Innovation and Quality A.M. game. Trending cuisines and adventuresome ﬂavors are delight to your diners – every time. Stacie Sopinka Vice President, Creative dominating menus, and millennials are leading the charge. All-day Jovo Balach breakfast offerings present an opportunity for operators to increase Content Marketing Manager Jasmine Jones sales. In fact, breakfast is currently the only daypart enjoying growth.

CHEF CONTRIBUTORS RESTAURANT OPERATION CONSULTANTS Steve Affixio, Tampa, FL Speaking of millennials – their inﬂuence on the popularity of global John Byrne, Minneapolis Laura Kron, Cincinnati cuisine has caused a dark meat chicken comeback! Chicken thighs Scott McCurdy, Denver Jeremy Medved, Minneapolis are up by 105% in the past four years. And chefs are not complaining, Lance Reynolds, Phoenix thanks to their cost-efﬁciency compared to white meat.

PUBLISHING PARTNER Feedback We welcome your comments. We all know that a strong online presence is essential in 2018. So, Contact Food Fanatics at: [email protected] Chief Content Officer in our Food People section, we’re guiding you on how to click with Laura Yee Contact Bite Me Media at: Bite Me Media social-media obsessed diners. How can social snapshots help market Contributing Editor 4407 N. Beacon St., Suite 3S Peter Gianopulos Chicago, IL 60640 or email your brand? How do you court inﬂuencers to up your social reach? [email protected] Contributing Writers Unless otherwise specified, all Here are your must-dos. Renee Bacher correspondence sent to Food Kate Bernot Fanatics is assumed for publication Min Casey and becomes the copyright Amber Gibson property of US Foods. In the same section, you’ll ﬁnd our story on Mei Mei – a food truck Alison Grant Matt Kirouac Advertising Information business whose strong company culture helped it transform into a Liz Logan For rates and a media kit, contact Barry Pearce Andrew Eppley multidimensional business. Lastly, don’t miss our Road Trip. This time Megan Rowe 847 720-2963 or email Mike Sula [email protected]. we’re in the Dakotas, exploring their vibrant food scene with one of our Cover Photography Food Fanatics is the go-to source Frank Lawlor for the foodservice industry and local Food Fanatics Chefs, Jared Larson! anyone truly passionate about Photographers food, food people and improving Sean McGill the bottom line. Issued quarterly Frank Lawlor and hand-delivered to readers, the Find these and other timely stories in the pages ahead, all created to help Paul Strabbing magazine is a US Foods publication produced by Bite Me Media. you make it. Plus, check out past issues at www.usfoods.com/magazine. Prop Stylist For more information on the Johanna Lowe Food Fanatics program, visit USFoods.com/foodfanatics. All rights reserved. © Enjoy!

About US Foods US Foods is one of America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 chefs, restaurateurs and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With nearly 25,000 employees and more than 60 locations, US Foods provides its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology and business solutions. US Foods is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois, and generates approximately $25 billion in annual revenue. Discover more at www. usfoods.com. For more information, contact your Andrew Iacobucci US Foods® Representative or Save Time. Chief Merchandising Ofﬁcer Order Online! usfoods.com US Foods®

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IN THE

UnexpectedDOUGH toppings, switching up the crust and showing off on social media keep pizza on its game

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING PAUL BY PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE SULA

USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 5 Chef Erling Wu-Bower, below, of Pacific Standard Time, uses corn and rice flour for TO SOME, his pizza dough. the Triple Threat at Joe’s Rotisseria in Roselle Park, New Jersey, is pure pizza heresy. “A lot of old-timers don’t like change,” says Chef-owner Joe Brignoni. “They don’t want to see new innovations in pizza.” On the other hand, throngs of people actually do, as pictures of pizza are extraordinarily tempting to users of social media. Take the Triple Threat: a bronzed calzone bordered by garlic knots that rise over a crescent of cheesy pepperoni pizza. Last May, a 110-second Thrillist video Bonci, shown here featuring sensuous close-ups of the “pie” and above, breaks racked up 4.8 million views on Facebook the pizza mode with a focaccia-type crust in a month. And now hundreds of people and serving shape. visit the restaurant’s Instagram account, “liking” and commenting on photos of other unorthodox pizzas, like buffalo chicken pinwheels and Oreo-cheesecake pizza on a Sicilian crust. “My goal was to post every single day Gluten-Free Pizza Crust something I wanted to eat,” says Brignoni. Executive Chef Erling Wu-Bower “I knew one day one pie would eventually Pacific Standard Time, Chicago go viral because all these pies are so different.” 3268 grams water Brignoni belongs to a new class of pizza 288 grams sugar makers who are disrupting the pizza 216 grams dry active yeast paradigm by leveraging social media, 3240 grams gluten-free flour* culinary creativity and technology to 260 grams nonfat milk solids redefine what constitutes pizza. 100 grams baking powder For them, pizza is a canvas capable 116 grams salt of accommodating any of-the-moment 72 grams xanthan gum trends, cuisines or dietary restrictions 360 grams extra virgin olive oil their guests demand. Combine water and sugar. Add yeast, mix, A Canvas for “Anything Goes” and let stand five minutes. Combine remaining “Every culture has something that’s ingredients with the yeast mixture. similar to a pizza,” says Chef de Cuisine Andy Dombrowski of Cowell & Hubbard Mix on medium for five minutes. Allow the dough to rest and rise for 30 minutes. Makes Squash blossom in Cleveland. That may explain why his pizza from Serious pizzas are topped with a global array of eight to 10 medium-sized crusts. Pie in Seattle. ingredients, from barbecued pulled pork,

Chihuahua cheese and jalapenos to chicken PHOTOGRAPHY ROSE BY PHOTOGRAPHY BONCI LAWLOR. FRANK BY PHOTOGRAPHY TIME STANDARD PACIFIC AND PIE SERIOUS *Wu-Bower uses a corn and rice flour blend.

6 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 7 At Paulie Gee’s, Detroit- style pizza—a thicker and fluffier type of confit with fontina, mushrooms, goat “Drawing off memory hasn’t allowed me to crust—is cut in squares. cheese and truffle oil. recreate the exact recipe,” says Tung, “but At Krave It in Bayside, New York, Chef- something that is truly our own thing.” owner Vishee Mandahar takes a similar At Gather in Berkeley, California, approach. His list includes a Greek lamb Chef Anthony Lee takes an unorthodox gyro pizza with tzatziki on a pita crust to approach to forming his dough, which the “Homer Simpson”—meatballs, bacon, doesn’t often yield neatly circular pizzas. glazed donuts, maple syrup and cheddar. “We do not overmanipulate it,” he says. He belongs to what he calls “the new- “We’re just simply taking our body weight age pizza” movement. “I think pizza down to the center of that dough with is the gateway to everything,” he says. our palm and allowing gravity to do its “No matter what culture you’re from, work as the dough stretches off the side of everybody loves pizza.” our board,” he says. “We’re not throwing pies in the sky—just stretching it without Break the Mold molesting it.” To make your mark in a crowded market, zero in on a memorable theme. Chef Changing Tastes Meghan Shaw of Pop + Offworld in Detroit Catering to gluten-free diners has bakes the kind of New York-style pizzas become a prerequisite in large markets. “that you would make if you were 17 and Trouble is, pulling off a crispy gluten- stoned.” They’re large and flat so she can free crust is notoriously tricky—as it High tech sell them by the slice, but her toppings are won’t rise like a regular pizza. “As a unabashedly gonzo. businessman you have to do it now,” One of her bestsellers is the coco says Erling Wu-Bower, executive chef at curry, a vegetarian pie bedecked with Chicago’s Pacific Standard Time. or old yellow vegetable curry, a mozzarella and Bower found success by using a corn provolone cheese blend, crispy chickpeas and rice flour blend, a heavy dose of yeast and spicy cilantro chimichurri. and experimenting with hydration levels, school? There are ways to actively engage fans of eventually lowering the amount of water these crazy pies on social media. At Paulie and increasing the flour. INVEST IN THE PIZZA OVEN THAT’S Gee’s in Chicago, owner Derrick Tung’s His cooks wear gloves when they RIGHT FOR YOU staff creates a meaty and meatless special make the gluten-free pies to avoid cross- every other week. Options run the gamut contamination with the regular pizzas, but PACIFIC STANDARD TIME from the house’s Chicago hot dog pizza guests are informed that both pies share Oven: Two enormous wood-burning (yellow mustard base, pan-fried hot dog the same oven. ovens designed by Montreal stonemason coins, grilled onions, pickled cherry pepper At Paulie Gee’s, gluten-free pizzas Alex Chernov relish and hot dog breadcrumb mix) to the are stretched on a separate line with Show me the money: “Yeah it was a lot of “Bechamee Mootzo” with vegan meatballs. a dedicated oven. At Krave It, Vishee money, but the investment of people coming At the end of the year, Tung posts a Mandahar avoids the problem by ordering back again and again and again.” Google survey so customers can vote frozen gluten-free crusts. —Erling Wu-Bower on their favorite pies. The winners are It’s more proof that new ideas—and brought back into rotation. creative solutions—are boundless in the POP + OFFWORLD new age pizza laboratory. Oven: Turbochef high-speed conveyor Diversity of Dough Show me the money: “It’s awesome because As a franchise owner of the original we serve slices, we have to get them out Brooklyn Paulie Gee’s, Tung keeps some really fast and we get super busy at night. It’s flagship combinations, but some of his extremely user friendly and very fast.” most popular pizzas are adaptation of —Meghan Shaw Detroit-style square-pan pizzas with thick, cheesy, caramelized crusts. Fried calamari arrabbiata pizza with COWELL & HUBBARD After making a pilgrimage to the original herbs and two cheeses at Al Forno in Oven: Wood Stone gas oven Buddy’s in Detroit, which is credited for Providence, Rhode Island; Squash with Show me the money: “We use it for different inventing the style, he produced a Detroit- arugula, mint and ricotta at Leonelli things. It’s not a $20,000 pizza oven. It’s a inspired riff with thicker cheese edges Focacceria e Pasticceria in New York City. $20,000 oven.” than you would find in the Motor City. —Andy Dombrowski LAWLOR FRANK BY PHOTOGRAPHY MCGILL SEAN BY PHOTOGRAPHY

8 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 9 Pop + Offworld’s Coco Curry Vegan pizza with chickpeas. Coco Curry Vegan Pizza Fontina, thyme, Chef Meghan Shaw spinach, raclette Pop + Offworld, Detroit and micro greens top pizza at Cowell & Hubbard 6 red Thai chilies in Cleveland. 1 medium onion, chopped 8 cloves garlic 2 ounces ginger, peeled and chopped 2 ounces lemongrass, chopped 2 teaspoons curry powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 2 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire 1 tablespoon tomato puree 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste 4 cans coconut milk Dough, your choice 12 ounces provolone and mozzarella cheese mix 8 ounces crispy chickpeas Spicy cilantro chimichurri, your recipe

Blend chilies, onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, spices, Worcestershire, tomato puree, lime juice and salt in a food processor until smooth. Transfer curry paste to a pot and heat until hot. Stir in coconut milk. Boil for 10 minutes to reduce. Add salt to taste.

Stretch dough to desired size. Spread curry sauce on top, sprinkle with cheese. Bake in preheated oven on a heated pizza stone at Do You Deliver? highest possible temperature. PIZZA CHEFS WEIGH IN ON THE PROS AND CONS Remove from oven, sprinkle with chickpeas and “In the beginning, we didn’t have a big cus- “Only in a 2.5-mile radius to control the quality drizzle with chimichurri. Makes 1 pizza. n tomer base, so it was kind of tough to make a of the temp. I’m getting robbed blind. When I profit because these big services take 20 to was smaller, they helped me, but as a bigger 30 percent out of your pocket. But now things company it’s starting to affect me more. When have grown, and they do bring us customers. I was starting out they were charging me 9 It does work out in the end because you don’t percent to 10 percent, but the more money have the headache of hiring drivers. They also you make the more money they take—almost bring in a lot more traffic.” 18 to 20 percent.” —Vishee Mandahar, Krave It —Joe Brignoni, Joe’s Rotisseria 93%OF AMERICANS “If you don’t participate, you’re just missing “Some operators think that if they offer deliv- out on clientele that used to have to come to ery then no one’s gonna come. We found that EAT AT LEAST the restaurant. Quite honestly, there’s just not was not the case. If anything, people got the 1 PIZZA PER much of a choice these days.” delivery and said, ‘Oh it’s really good I wanted —Erling Wu-Bower, Pacific Standard Time to come in and try it in the restaurant instead.’” MONTH

—Derrick Tung, Paulie Gee’s SOURCE: 2017 Gallup poll STRABBING PAUL BY PHOTOGRAPHY OFFWORLD + PHILLIPS. POP PORCHA BY PHOTOGRAPHY HUBBARD & COWELL

10 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 ROKI’s dark meat from chicken necks, shown here and opposite page, is tender and flavorful. GO DARK

Chicken’s more The desire and appreciation for authentic year alone, according to food research firm flavorful parts ❱ Diners have global cuisines, many of which construct Datassential. dishes specifically with dark meat chicken, That’s good news, especially for chefs are killing it crossed over to the has been on the rise. So it’s not surprising who deride chicken’s white meat for being BY MATT KIROUAC that chicken thighs have shown the pedestrian and typically costing more PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING dark side and chefs fastest growth on menus compared to than its dark parts. For them, dark meat is other cuts—up 105 percent over the past juicier, deep flavored, more versatile and couldn’t be happier. four years and 27 percent over the past kinder to the bottom line.

12 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 13 Fried Neck Meat But to help diners who remain sheepish meat is not always the healthier choice. Chefs Koji and Satori Hagihara about chicken that’s not white, they “We relay to our clients that dark meat has ROKI, New York know it’s on them to continue the trend. a higher nutritional content and quite a Whether it’s jerk chicken, Peruvian pollo bit more flavor than white meat, with only Canola oil, as needed or karaage, the Japanese version of fried a negligible increase in fat,” says Parind 1 pound chicken necks chicken, making further in-roads lies in Vora, chef-owner of Lockhart Bistro and ½ tablespoons soy sauce showing diners what they’ve been missing Jezebel in Lockhart, Texas. 2 tablespoons sake for so long. Highlighting a type of chicken, such as 2 tablespoons mirin air-chilled, which results in a superior 1 tablespoon sugar Let the Stand-In Shine flavor and texture, or a particular breed Little gem or other lettuce At the Poulet food stall in New Orleans’ can also be a differentiator. At Jezebel, Pythian Market, Chef Marlon Alexander Vora gilds her lobster risotto with smoked Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan until smoky. uses dark meat to amplify the flavor of chicken gizzards and poached Silkie Add chicken necks and allow them to get a his chopped chicken salads and creates chicken thighs. Otherwise known as “black hard sear. chicken versions of traditional Middle chicken,” Silkies have naturally black Eastern kofta meatballs. skin that, Vora says, produce a unique Reduce heat and add remaining ingredients “Preparations that require a higher fat mushroom-like flavor. except the lettuce. Allow the liquid to boil down. content, like a chicken meatball, need “Dark meat is loaded with iron, zinc, B6 Pull meat off necks and service with lettuce. a blend of both white and dark meat and B12,” says Alexander. “If a customer Makes 3 servings. to maintain moistness in the cooking is taking a rounded approach to healthy process,” Alexander says. “It allows a chef living, dark meat should definitely be on Pollo a la Brasa to create moist and flavorful combinations their radar.” Chef Brandon Carter that really shine.” Farm, Bluffton, South Carolina At The Purple Pig in Chicago, Chef- Getting Smoky owner Jimmy Bannos Jr., takes the fat Chicken thighs have an affinity for 4 chicken legs further by confiting thighs and drumsticks smoke, long braises and stews, which 4 chicken thighs to create potent flavors that rival the make them an easy sell for diners looking 1 quart brine, your recipe intensity of flavorful beef. “That part of the for an authentic taste of international 1 cup marinade, recipe follows bird has the best flavor,” he says. classics. 2 avocados, sliced into chunks In addition, chicken thighs can add At Alto Bajo in Portland, Oregon, ½ small red onion, finely julienned a twist to one of the trendiest—and where Oaxacan-inspired cuisine reigns, ¼ cup mint leaves, torn perennially profitable—offerings: small Chef Bryant Kryck uses thighs for his ¼ cup cilantro leaves plates. Dark cuts work better for cold chicken tinga offerings. “Chicken thighs ½ cup cucumber, seeded and diced large and cured items, like rillettes or the pates and dark meat take up more of that smoky 2 tablespoons lemon juice Chef Tim Keating serves at Urbain 40 in flavor, and I don’t have to worry about the 2 tablespoons olive oil Orlando, Florida; it’s also essential for his smoke drying out the chicken as much,” Kosher salt, to taste chicken sausages. says Kryck. “You can stretch profits through the Thighs also allow chefs to experiment Combine chicken with brine and refrigerate for right techniques,” says Bannos. “We use with South American dishes without 4 hours. Remove chicken from the brine, pat the whole bird and find ways to utilize all breaking the bank. Peruvian cooking and dry, toss with marinade and marinate for 4 to 12 of it in different ways. Turning the dark dark meat chicken, for example, go hand- hours. meat into sausage, rillettes or pate is a in-hand, as evidenced by dishes like pollo a great way to show technique and also have la brasa and arroz con pollo. Grill chicken to an internal temperature of a profitable dish.” The former is a staple of Chef Brandon 155 F; rest meat. Carter’s at Farm in Bluffton, South Play the Nutrition Angle Carolina. Roasting the hindquarters To finish, combine avocado, red onion, mint, Arm servers with evidence that white rotisserie-style showcases the succulence cilantro, cucumber, lemon and olive oil and add salt to taste. Serve chicken with the avocado salad. Makes 4 servings.

To make marinade: combine ½ cup soy sauce, 3 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon chopped WE USE THE WHOLE BIRD AND FIND WAYS TO UTILIZE ALL OF IT IN Marinated tufts of green onion, 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, DIFFERENT WAYS. chicken neck amplify 5 cloves, crushed, 2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 —Chef-owner Jimmy Bannos Jr., of the Purple Pig in Chicago the flavor of the teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoon chopped house lettuce wraps at ROKI in New York. fresh oregano and 1 teaspoon ground coriander.

USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 15 Lower-priced and full-flavored legs and thighs have long been the backbone of South American fare, like the pollo a la brasa ER E LAE from Farm in Blufton, South Carolina. Monogram® molded bagasse ﬁber plates are built for the biggest meals. Hardy enough to take on extra helpings, they also offer understated elegance and the responsible convenience of a disposable, fully compostable product. So pile on, sauce up and don’t wait for seconds.

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16 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 of the dark meat, he says. Confit Chicken Drumstick with Sweet Be an At Pisco Rotisserie & Cevicheria in Potato Polenta San Diego, Emmanuel Piqueras uses Chef Jimmy Bannos Jr. Old Gizzard drumsticks for his arroz con pollo with The Purple Pig, Chicago Now that diners are cilantro-beer rice. becoming more accepting “Dark meat works better for stews, 1 quart salt of dark meat, why not move soups and braising or roasting,” he says. ½ quart sugar further into the dark side? “Most of the times, using these methods ½ cup toasted peppercorns, crushed with just white meat can easily result in ½ cup fennel seed, crushed The benefits of adopting a dry meat or lack of flavor.” ¼ cup paprika beak-to-feathers approach— 2 tablespoons cayenne gizzards, bones and back Meatier Margins 6 pounds chicken drumsticks meat—cut costs, reduce food Home cooks tend to appreciate the ease Rendered pork fat, as needed waste and deliver one-of-a- of preparing chicken breasts. Unlocking 6 bouquet garni, your choice kind flavors. the tenderness of the harder-working 4 ounces whole garlic muscles of dark meat takes more skill, ¾ pound European unsalted butter, divided use which can have a snowball effect on 1 quart heavy cream ❱ SHOW SOME HEART supply and demand for the industry. 1½ cups fine cornmeal Pisco Rotisserie & Cevicheria in “Many places lean on the grill and Sweet potato puree, recipe follows San Diego serves up authentic quickly cooked white meats,” he notes. Kosher salt, to taste Peruvian chicken heart anticucho “With greater demand for white meat, it skewers and wok-fried chicken makes the dark meat more affordable,” Combine salt, sugar, peppercorns, fennel, paprika and heart saltado. says Norman Van Aken of 921 by Norman cayenne. Rub chicken and let sit overnight. Van Aken in Mt. Dora. Florida and Three ❱ STICK YOUR NECK OUT in Miami. Rinse drumsticks thoroughly. Place 5 to 6 drumsticks Due to its elasticity and layers Take fried chicken, for example. Koji to a hotel pan in one layer. Add a bouquet garni to each of fat, chicken neck meat can be and Satori Hagihara, the husband and pan along with garlic. Cover with rendered pork fat. a chewy, jerky-like delicacy, as wife duo at ROKI in New York City, use Confit in oven at 275 F for about 90 minutes or until evident by ROKI’s preparation in chicken thighs for their karaage because cooked through. New York City. they cook quickly and yield crispier skin. The same goes for Neal Brown, chef- Heat ½ pound butter and heavy cream in a sauce pan. ❱ COOL CARTILAGE owner of Indianapolis’ Ukiyo, who Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and leave on low heat. Chef Masatomo Hamaya of prepares karaage with dark meat, in part Add cornmeal to sauce pan, cook and continually stir Dragonfly Izakaya & Fish Market because “white meat doesn’t respond as until creamy. Fold in sweet potato puree. Finish with in Doral, Florida, marinates keel well to marinades, becoming more fibrous remaining butter and add salt to taste. cartilage with sake, soy sauce and and tough.” garlic before dredging them in Thighs also tend to retain their flavor To plate, serve sweet potato polenta alongside the cornstarch and deep-frying them when shredded and folded into other chicken. Makes 12 servings. into karaage snacks. dishes. At San Diego’s eclectic Rustic Root, Chef Marcel Childress often To make the sweet potato puree: Peel and chop ❱ GO WITH GIZZARDS smokes and then braises chicken. After 5 large sweet potatoes and toss with ½ cup light Inspired by his grandmother’s they’re cooked, he shreds them and brown sugar, ½ cup dark brown sugar, ¼ cup cane fried gizzards, Chef Lindsay uses the meat to bolster the flavor of syrup, ¼ cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons molasses, 2 Autry of The Regional Kitchen everything from salads and pastas to his tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon salt and ½ tablespoon & Public House in West Palm classic pot pies. black pepper. Place mixture in a roasting pan, cover with Beach, Florida periodically Giving thighs real estate on the menu, foil and roast in a preheated 400 F oven until potatoes serves crispy chicken livers over as the main protein or part of a dish, are cooked, about 40 minutes. Strain liquid for later use dirty rice as an homage to New is essential for engendering change, and cool. Puree sweet potatoes in a blender, adding Orleans cuisine. Childress says. n liquid if needed.

18 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 THE LAYEREDLAYERED LOOK

Lasagna goes in for a makeover and emerges as a head-turner BY LAURA YEE AND MIN CASEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING

20 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 21 Braised Pork Lasagna Chef Brian Arnoff LASAGNA Kitchen Sink Food & Drink, Beacon, New York has withstood the evolution of 1 tablespoon whole fennel seed restaurants and changing tastes. But 1 tablespoon whole coriander seed even though it’s reliable and satisfying, 1 tablespoon black pepper, plus as needed the old-school staple of red sauce joints 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes probably won’t cause any double-takes. ¼ cup brown sugar Because it’s comfort food for ½ cup kosher salt, plus extra as needed diners, this multi-layered dish serves 4 pounds pork butt as a creative vehicle for chefs. The GO GLOBAL 5 cloves garlic standard construction of meat sauce, Brian Arnoff draws influences from the 5 sprigs thyme and rosemary pasta sheets and mountains of cheese places where he’s worked, whether it’s the 32 ounces cream ale remains vital, offering plenty of East Coast, Southeast Asia or Europe, to 32 ounces pork or chicken stock room to innovate and update without create a menu. But if he’s thinking lasagna, 2 tablespoons olive oil disrupting food costs or diverting the dish won’t be limited to its Italian 1 small onion, chopped from standard ordering. Many of the roots. Instead his current location, the 2 cloves garlic, minced ingredients are apt to be on hand and Hudson Valley in New York where Kitchen 1 pickled Fresno chili can be parlayed into a menu star. Sink Food & Drink is located, will come ¼ cup red wine vinegar “The great thing about it is people into play. 3 bunches dark leafy greens, trimmed understand lasagna,” says Chef Brian “I’ve always wanted to open something Fresh pasta cut into 3- or 4-inch circles Arnoff of Kitchen Sink Food & Drink that’s unique for us,” he says. “And that’s Bechamel, recipe follows in Beacon, New York. “It opens the meaningful when you know that your Roasted heirloom tomatoes, as needed door for a dish that’s not as familiar but customers are the same people who are Grated parmesan, as needed more exciting.” growing your ingredients.” The Don Angie in New York City Creating fresh-tasting lasagnas helps Coarsely grind all whole spices and mix with revamped its presentation by simply to achieve that goal. The braised pork in sugar and salt to form rub. Rub pork butt and cure constructing the dish differently. his lasagna features pork and swiss chard overnight. Roast at 400 F for up to 45 minutes. Bechamel, cheese and sauce are spread raised nearby. The bechamel is made with Transfer to deep pan. Add garlic, rosemary, beer onto a sheet of curly pasta, rolled and milk from the local dairy, while the greens and stock and braise in 275 F oven for 5 to 6 sliced. The slices, which resemble that garnish the plate also are grown within hours. rosettes, are simmered in red sauce and a few miles. accented with mascarpone. Offered as Ingredients can be swapped out when the Shred pork into pot, strain liquid on meat. Reduce a dish for two (or for the table), it sells seasons change or when Arnoff reaches to liquid 40 to 60 minutes. Cool overnight in liquid. for $65. past gigs for inspiration. At Marcella’s Lasagneria in San Heat olive oil and sweat onions until translucent. Francisco, the mainstay is traditional: PREP: Arnoff didn’t like the standard ring Add garlic and chili flakes. Cook until flagrant add Six ultra-thin layers of pasta are mold sizes he needed for cutting circles from greens and red wine vinegar. Cook until tender. layered with bechamel, Parmigiano- house made pasta sheets, so he had them Season with salt and pepper. Reggiano, mozzarella and tomato made to his specifications. The 3.5-inch ring sauce. But then the restaurant mixes molds are also used to build the lasagna. Grease 3 or 4-inch ring molds. Place a layer it up with options such as Sicilian of pasta, followed pork mix and bechamel. Add eggplant; Bolognese; mushroom; PRO TIP: Main components from bestsellers another layer of pasta then greens, tomatoes butternut squash; verdura with pesto; can be deconstructed and layered into a free- and bechamel. Layer until dish is filled. Spread zucchini and dried tomatoes; and white form lasagna. “There’s no limit to what you bechamel on top; then parmesan. Bake at 350 F wine with pancetta and onions. can create,” Arnoff says. until center reaches 170 F. Makes 10 servings. Whether you choose a different presentation or swap in ingredients, APPEAL: The construction of the dish allows To make the bechamel, boil ½ gallon whole milk. lasagna can be transformed in diners to see each layer. Arnoff’s tweaks to Melt ½ pound of butter; whisk in 8 ounces flour; innumerable ways. Think of the classic lasagna for the winter months—warm add to hot milk. Cook 5 minutes until thick. Add ½ layering approach—the backbone of spices in the bechamel, boldly flavored teaspoon nutmeg, pinch of cloves and cinnamon, lasagna—to see how far this menu braised meat and smoked provolone—also pepper and salt to taste. Remove from heat; whisk classic can take you. resonate with diners, he says. in 1 pound provolone until melted.

22 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 23 GOODBYE, GLUTEN but becomes gluten-free by using rice flour Zucchini Lasagna By using egg-dipped and fried slices of or gluten-free flour instead. Make sure to Chef-owners Carla and Christine Pallotta zucchini, Chefs Carla and Christine properly drain and cool the fried zucchini Nebo Cucina & Enoteca, Boston Pallotta swapped out pasta for vegetables so it stays crispy before compiling. long before gluten-free and plant-based 14 eggs, divided use Butternut Squash Lasagna dining became lifestyle choices. The dish THE APPEAL: Familiarity sells, especially 3 teaspoons salt, divided use Executive Chef Christian Frangiadis is as comforting as the classic version but when a vegetable leads the ingredient list. 1½ teaspoons black pepper, divided use Spork, Pittsburgh offers a twist that follows the mantra of Although “healthy-ish,” the dish still teams 10 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated, the concept behind the Boston restaurant with ricotta, Romano and mozzarella divided use 1 small butternut squash Nebo Cucina & Enoteca: family-inspired cheeses. But its big claim to fame? It’s the 6 large zucchinis sliced lengthwise about 1 ounce butter, melted classics that “we love to eat.” dish that won “Throwdown with Bobby ¼-inch thick 1 ounce brown sugar Flay,” on the Food Network show. 3 cups flour 3 cups ricotta THE PREP: The $25 zucchini lasagna is Canola oil, as needed 1 cup mascarpone served in individual portions, allowing 2 pounds housemade ricotta cheese 3 cups Grana Padano, divided use the kitchen to prep the dish in advance. ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped ¼ cup sage, chopped Let portions come to room temperature 8 cups marinara 1½ teaspoons black pepper throughout services or par bake to cut 20 ounces fresh mozzarella, shredded ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg time. Look at the dish’s ordering history to Kosher salt, to taste prevent waste. Whisk together 12 eggs, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 32 ounces marinara teaspoon freshly grated pepper and 6 ounces 12 fresh pasta sheets PRO TIPs: The dish is gluten-friendly (the romano cheese in a large bowl. 32 ounces bechamel lasagna slices are lightly dusted with flour) 2 cups chicken of the woods mushrooms, Monday Coat the zucchini slices in flour, then dip into the sauteed night lasagna egg mixture. Fry until golden brown. Drain and specials help 1½ pounds fresh mozzarella, diced cool. drive traffic 2 cups chicken of the woods mushrooms, at Spork in sauteed Combine ricotta cheese, remaining eggs, parsley, Pittsburgh. ½ cup parsley, chopped remaining salt, pepper and romano cheese in a ½ cup basil, chiffonade large bowl. Split the squash lengthwise, scoop out seeds, Layer ingredients starting with marinara (about brush the flesh with butter, sprinkle with sugar 4 ounces if using a 9x13-inch pan) followed by THREE TIMES A CHARM might be made in a hotel pan and sliced, and roast in a preheated 375 F oven for 40 to 45 slightly overlapping fried zucchini and 8 more When Christian Frangiadis returned baked as a single serving or constructed minutes or until tender. Cool, scoop out flesh and ounces marinara. Spread a third of the ricotta to Pittsburgh a few years ago to open freestyle. combine with ricotta, mascarpone, 1 cup Grana mixture over the marinara, and sprinkle with 6 Spork, he was older and wiser, intent on Padano, sage, pepper, nutmeg and salt to taste. ounces mozzarella. making restaurant decisions based more PRO TIP: Some diners rarely deviate from on business rationales rather than ego. the standard, which means a classic version Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with a Repeat layering the zucchini, sauce, ricotta filling, He remained committed to freshly made should be included. Thinking beyond the thin layer of red sauce. Top with a thin layer of and mozzarella, ending with 1 cup of mozzarella. ingredients, from house-baked breads to expected should drive a version, while bechamel and two pasta sheets. The pasta should fresh pasta, but also considered how best to another lasagna could check the box for cover the entire area of the pan. Top the pasta Cover the dish in foil and bake in a preheated fill seats on Monday nights. local and seasonal. sheet with a thin layer of bechamel, a thin layer of 350 F convection oven for 45 minutes. Uncover “Yes, your food is terrific” he says, “but red sauce, a thin layer of squash filling, a thin layer and hold until service and bake at 400 F for 20 what else can you offer on a night where THE APPEAL: Dishes that are only made of mushrooms and top with some of each cheese. minutes longer to brown. Makes 8 servings. Adjust everyone is recovering from the weekend?” available on certain days boost demand, baking time for individual servings depending on His recommendation? Offer diners a solid especially when you run out. But it’s a Cover with two more pasta sheets and repeat the the serving vessel. deal built around a beloved favorite, like delicate balance because you don’t want process over again. Repeat three more times. lasagna. Every Monday, his chef-driven to alienate or frustrate diners. Frangiadis shareable menu offers three types of expresses his passion for lasagna with a Place the last two pasta sheets on and cover with lasagna paired with wine and salad for $25. classic Bolognese and a three-cheese basil bechamel followed by red sauce. lasagna made with housemade spinach PREP: The trio of options are similar noodles. For the winter, the seasonal one Cover and bake for 45 minutes in a preheated but vary enough to ensure the dishes are works in toasted butternut squash as well 375 F oven. Uncover, sprinkle with more Grana distinguishable. Unique presentations are as with spices that pair well with cold Padano and fresh mozzarella and serve. Garnish also important, which is why a lasagna weather, such as cinnamon and nutmeg. with mushrooms, parsley and basil. n

24 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 25 COVER STORY

Wake Up Call

If everyone is making bank on breakfast, what are you waiting for? BY AMBER GIBSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING PAUL BY PHOTOGRAPHY

26 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2018 “We have more people for breakfast Yarrow Cafe in Los than lunch,” says Geoffrey Meeker, owner Millennials Angeles, opposite page, of French Truck Company, which has five are more likely than any other and below, blurs the cafes in New Orleans, Memphis, Tennessee breakfast line with its carrot tartine. See page and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with five more generation to purchase breakfast, 1 for details. on the way. Meeker says that 70 percent of averaging two breakfasts per his customers buy food. “Restaurateurs have figured out that margins are better for week, compared to 1.3 in the breakfast than dinner,” he says. “What’s an population at large. egg—even a good egg—cost?” Some 29 percent of restaurants offer a —Datassential 2018 report on millennials separate breakfast or brunch menu, a 24 percent overall increase from a decade ago, according to Datassential, a food research firm. The growth is concentrated in sit-down restaurants with a 58 percent increase in casual restaurants and a 31 percent jump in fine dining spots for the same period. Breakfast, in fact, is the only daypart enjoying growth. The NPD Group says breakfast visits have increased 1 percent for the year ending March 2017, while lunch sales were flat and dinner decreased.

A Healthy Turn Today’s “healthy” breakfast offerings rest squarely on protein and veggie combos that satisfy meatless and paleo diets. Diners at Early Girl Eatery in Asheville, North Carolina, can add tempeh to its veggie breakfast bowl of rice, black beans, sweet potatoes, fresh spinach, cheddar and scrambled eggs topped with salsa and avocado relish. Denver’s Whole Sol offers an array of nutritious savory options like its primal bowl, which tops a base of shredded cabbage with two poached eggs, avocado and a creamy nut-free hemp seed pesto. And for those who want comfort without the gluten, cauliflower grits topped with a fried egg, sauteed Brussels sprouts and Let’s agree that just about everyone Parmesan satisfies or a pepper and egg white sandwich with shishito peppers, loves breakfast. pepper jack, organic kale and spinach fits Maybe it’s ingrained from childhood and walk at the same time. Convenience, the bill for on-the-go customers at Beatrix, as we’re told it’s the most important portability and healthy also rank. a health-centric concept in Chicago. meal of the day. Or that today’s healthier Today, the same rules apply, but the At Real Good Juice Co., cold-pressed lifestyles begin with a nutrient-charged choices extend beyond bacon and eggs. juices and organic smoothies act as the breakfast. Specialty diets—paleo, keto, Trending cuisines, evolved healthy, more backbone of its menus, but according to vegan and gluten-free, just to mention adventuresome flavors and dishes that blur founder Jon Schiff, breakfast sales have a few—also stress the importance of the the breakfast fare lines are dominating grown “exponentially” at the Chicago morning meal. menus. Also trending: all-day breakfast concept. Most of Real Good’s customers To take the biggest slice of the breakfast spots as well as traditional lunch-dinner order breakfast to go, so the portability of pie, past sales growth statistics indicate that operations that open early to capture toasts and smoothies is attractive.

menu options must allow customers to eat breakfast or brunch sales. “Today, breakfast is 30 percent of our LAWLOR FRANK BY PHOTOGRAPHY

28 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 29 The cabbage in The Whole Sol’s Primal Bowl is topped with eggs, avocado and hemp pesto.

Wake Up. Be Plant Proud.

Breakfast is not just for mornings anymore. MorningStar Farms® Veggie Breakfast Sausage is a perfect addition to menus, meeting guests’ demand for more vegetarian offerings and for breakfast applications any time of day.

RESTAURATEURS HAVE FIGURED OUT THAT MARGINS ARE BETTER FOR BREAKFAST THAN DINNER. WHAT’S AN EGG—EVEN A GOOD EGG—COST? — Geoffrey Meeker, owner of French Truck Company

®, TM, ©, 2018 Kellogg NA Co. PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING PAUL BY PHOTOGRAPHY To learn more about this product contact your US Foods® TM or visit: www.USFoods.com/order 30 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 Code # 1140284 | MorningStar Farms® Veggie Breakfast Sausage Patties | 112/1.34oz. caramelized onion, roasted garlic aioli and sunny-side-up eggs. Even their breakfast sandwiches skew toward the creative with Hawaiian bratwurst, scrambled egg, pepper jack cheese, grilled pineapple and harissa mayo on sourdough. Jordan Kahn innovates further at Primal Breakfast Bowl Destroyer, his 14-seat breakfast and lunch Co-founder Alexa Squillaro spot in Culver City, California. An alum of Whole Sol Blend Bar, Denver Thomas Keller’s Per Se and Grant Achatz’s Alinea, Kahn draws from the breakfast fare 2 cups shredded organic cabbage of Southern Chinese peasants by serving 2 eggs porridge, only his comes with caramelized ¼ avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced broccoli, puffed rice and burnt onion. 1 lime His breakfast menu also features green Salt and pepper gage plums with Bavarian cream and Hemp pesto, recipe follows pistachio streusel, plus mushrooms with Hot sauce, your choice spelt, arugula, cheese and seeds. “People are going out for breakfast Add cabbage to pan with just enough more now,” says Meeker of French Truck water to cover and a pinch of salt; bring Company. “You just have to get people over to boil and cook until tender, about 5 the mental barrier of spending more than to 7 minutes. Drain and add cabbage to $10 for breakfast.” Breakfast sandwiches serving bowl. Cook egg to preference are his bestsellers, contributing to 70 (Whole Sol poaches them) and add to percent of his retail business. one side of bowl. Arrange sliced avocado fanned along the other side and top with 2 Global Flavors Wake up the Morning tablespoons of the hemp pesto. Finish with When the vegetarian and vegan-friendly healthy squeeze of fresh lemon juice as Pondicheri opened, Indian food for well as salt and pepper over all. Drizzle on breakfast was a hard sell, but over the past hot sauce of your choice. seven years, it’s become a cornerstone of How to Get Juiced the business. Owner Anita Jaisinghani For hemp pesto: Pulse 4 tablespoons Want to add a juice element to breakfast? believes the desire for more robust flavors, extra virgin olive oil, juice of 2 organic Some tips from Real Good Juice Co.’s Jon a younger audience and healthier items lemons, 2½ cups fresh organic basil, 2 Schiff: contributed to this shift. teaspoons organic garlic and 1 cup of Her Houston restaurant serves a creative The Breakfast Burrito at Yarrow Cafe gets organic hemp seeds in a blender until a Go with organic ingredients—no added sug- and health-conscious Indian twist on a crispy umami blast smooth paste forms, adding additional oil if ars. And don’t get carried away with fruit. breakfast. Inspired by food from her home from a seared slice of needed for a smoother consistency. “We juice tons—literally—of local apples but state of Gujarat, India, the menu includes Monterey cheese on are diligent as to how much goes into each the morning thali, platters of saag (creamy the outside. bottle to keep the sugars down,” he says. spinach), oats, saffron yogurt, salad, Wendy Peffercorn Smoothie potato cake, uttapam (South Indian savory Real Good Juice Co., Chicago pancake) and a fried egg. Dosas are popular menu and they tell me that I’ve encouraged “People tend to gravitate towards overall business,” he says. “I think people and Sean Lehmann of Feed Cafe in as well as the breakfast franki, a Mumbai- them to cook healthier at home,” says breakfast items that are familiar,” says 10 ounces filtered water are looking for real food that they can Bozeman, Montana, know that some based masala scrambled egg roti wrap with owner Reza Setayesh. James Beard-nominated chef and baker 6 ounces organic mango, frozen grab and go. Something that is fiber and customers want staples, such as French veggies or lamb (think Indian taco). Melissa Weller, known for her creative 4 ounces strawberries, frozen nutrient dense.” toast and pancakes, but they’ve found Dosas are on the menu at BimBeriBon in Always a Place for Classics approach to comfort food at Philadelphia’s 2 dates, pitted success focusing on more creative fare. Asheville, North Carolina, too, along with A commitment to breakfast classics has Walnut Street Cafe. But that doesn’t mean 1 tablespoon lemon juice This is Breakfast? Panzanella made with sourdough bread, the egg and tomato dish shakshouka and served restaurateur Martha Hoover well they aren’t attracted to twists on nostalgia. ¼ teaspoon camu camu powder To satisfy millennials, the largest organic arugula, bacon, sheep’s milk feta Chinese jianbing , a vegetable-fill egg crepe. over the past 30 years at Cafe Patachou in “Our cinnamon rolls are very nostalgic,” 5 leaves mint demographic driving breakfast sales and sun-dried tomato vinaigrette topped The new all-day cafe appeals to vegans Indianapolis. With six locations, the menu she says. “They’re bestsellers along with according to Datassential, it’s essential to with a fried egg is among the specialties as and carnivores alike with its globally has changed and now even serves avocado our pistachio cherry croissants and kouign- Toss everything in the blender and venture beyond the familiar. well as pastrami hash made from grassfed influenced menu. toast, but many items, including the amann (cake made from bread dough).

blend. Makes 1 serving. Owners Nick Gabriel, Serena Rundberg beef, potatoes, French cut green beans, STRABBING PAUL BY PHOTOGRAPHY LAWLOR FRANK BY PHOTOGRAPHY “I’ve had diners carefully studying the namesake omelets, remain from day one. These really hit home with our guests.” n

32 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 33 SPONSORED SECTION

Fresh-baked items are syncing with Menu Must-Haves Take it Away morning routines, meeting consumer demand for Items that dominate Biscuits are an a.m. bright spot, portability and quality while driving profitability into reaching 13 percent of breakfast menus, a 20 percent increase the afternoon. Muffins, cinnamon rolls, scones over the previous four years. The and biscuits not only anchor menus, they’re rise of handheld breakfast sand- strongholds. Classics are beloved but baked goods wiches and Southern cuisine has driven some of the growth. also welcome innovation by way of toppings such as Muffins brown butter granola, seasonal fruit, roasted nuts and sweet and salty flavors. Sweet aromas await. 44% Good things come in small packages Cinnamon Miniature baked goods have rolls staying power. Smaller-sized pastries satisfy sharing among fellow diners, the Fresh wins chance to mix and match flavors and 20% the opportunity to cash in on snacking Customers occasions when consumers might not willing to pay want a full-sized treat. % more for items baked on premise. 23 percent 67 Growth in mini breakfast pastries Scones Tomorrow Morning 20% On the Menu Consumers will continue embracing the sweeter side of breakfast: Inside the biscuit Proteins and protein-rich grains will become greater breakfast * influencers. Expect rolls and buns to not just have plain but roasted Coffee braised brisket, egg, mustard and seasoned nuts to offer bolder flavors. Biscuits greens, tomato and Dijon Division 3, Los Angeles * Higher-nutrient whole grains and ancient grains—oat flour, flax 13% meal and kamut among others—are expected to make greater inroads. Housemade chicken sausage, organic They satisfy a younger generation that wants healthier foods. egg, cheddar and basil pesto Bird Bird Biscuit, Austin, Texas * Clean label ingredients will make a greater impact to meet Tofu bacon, “omelette,” vegan cheese, consumer demand for transparency. Think non GMO grains, no avocado and tomato artificial flavors or colors and natural ingredients. Sweet Water Course Foods, Denver rolls Salty sweet flavors are poised to make a larger impact among Peanut butter, banana, honey and bacon * Wandering Goose, Seattle breakfast pastries, such as salted caramel and bacon, jumping from 11% doughnuts to morning buns. Smoked sausage, cherry jam and pimento cheese Source: Datassential Fox Bros. Bar-B-Que Que-osk, Atlanta For more inspiration and menu ideas, check out generalmillscf.com Morning Calls TREND TRACKER The heat index on what’s happening

DUMP THE FAKE PIE PLEASANTRIES Stop saying, “Have you dined with us before?” SQUARED Your POS program Rectangles are disrupting already knows. Spreading triangles, possibly dethroning pie-cut pizza. It’s TRY THIS INSTEAD: a brave new world, giving the Love Simply welcome diners. square slices some solidarity. Dips and spreads have moved Odds are that everyone Thanks, Detroit-style. from “dullsville” to superstars on Win Tin Tin knows how shared shareable appetizer menus. plates work. CURRYING UP LAST SEEN: Flip to page 5. Open a can and serve has never been Curry is muscling into American- smarter and, duh, easier when artisanal LAST SEEN: Look for feta and themed menus where its spicy oil-cured seafood is inside the tin. roasted chili dip at Iron Gate in complexity is the new gold standard. Washington D.C., and smoked LAST SEEN: Tinned Seafood Platter mahi-mahi dip at Number 13 in LAST SEEN: At NOLA’s Bywater at Brenner Pass in Richmond, Virginia, Galveston, Texas. American Bistro, you’ll find curried where mussels escabeche are an snapper with sticky rice, green apple option. Seattle’s JarrBar serves polpo and nasturtium, while Washington, with aioli and pimiento while Boston’s D.C.’s Elle revs up green goddess Saltie Girl pairs sardines with bucheron dressing with curry for its gem salad cheese and piquillo jam. with lentils.

The Rind Way Keto and gluten-free diets have given pork rinds a second life and their usefulness really gets crackin’ when they’re blitzed into a panko coating. The coating for gluten-free fried chicken can go for it, too.

LAST SEEN: Blue Dog Cafe in GRAMMABLE Lafayette, Louisiana serves cracklin’ crusted Gulf catch with gnocchi, CARRY ON NOW peas, lump crab and ham, while Sitting down to breakfast is so 1990. Call a Truce FADS. Get woke with portable foods that Jumping on Instagram food trends David Burke whips up porky panko Dial back the high-minded superiority LOVES ME, THE BAAS HAVE IT like mermaid toast and unicorn shakes waffles. are on-the-run awesome. Beef burgers will always rule, but many that often goes hand-in-hand with might land you 90 seconds of internet BOTTOMS UP. your meat and dairy-free ways. LAST SEEN: Check out these eye- operators are finding that it’s merry to fame, but at what cost? Cocktails made with brandy’s many forms, VSOP and LOVES ME NOT openers on page 26. add a little lamb burger to the menu. Don’t leave voicemails instructing also Calvados, pear brandy, Armagnac, pisco and eau TRY THIS INSTEAD: Train staff TRYguests THIS to INSTEAD: call back toNo confirm matter the de vie, are set to make winter suck a little less. LAST SEEN: The Trippel at Chicago’s to embrace alternative proteins and concept,a reservation. make sure It’s dinner,to have not adequate a Farm Bar with three melted cheeses, veggies as the star. They’re not going lightinglong-term for quality relationship. pics, use fresh LAST SEEN: Los Angeles’s Momed mixes Douglas fir pickled cranberries, bacon mayo on anywhere anytime soon. ingredients with eye-popping colors, eau de vie with mulberry brandy, blanc vermouth and Find the marble rye, while Bittercreek Ale House TRY andTHIS stick INSTEAD: to what Ask you for do a best. call if egg white; San Francisco’s Interval serves cognac, flame to see in Boise, Idaho, pairs house-ground plans change. Or try texting. Either spiced pear liqueur and creme de cacao neat with a what’s hot. leg and shoulder with feta, greens, way, say something that actually sparkling wine back. jalapeno, crispy onions and tzatziki. sounds nice instead of snotty. #TrendTracker

36 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 2018Silk PCsFoodFanaticsAd-HR.pdf 1 9/28/18 2:58 PM

Showing a little love to the Snapchat and Instagram FOOD crowd can yield a whole lot of free marketing buzz. PEOPLE

GET THE

M PICTURE

CMY

HOW TO CLICK WITH SOCIAL MEDIA-OBSESSED DINERS

BY KATE BERNOT PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN GOLD BY DAN PHOTOGRAPHY

USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 39 hef Chris Coombs found a perfect spot photos, but not disturb other guests.” MAKE IT SHINE for the second location of his restaurant An extreme example of catering to Boston Chops. There was just one glitch: today’s social-media-addicted customers? Visually driven mediums—especially it had no windows, so no natural lighting. Perhaps, but the logic behind the move is Instagram—have magnified the Coombs knew that photos of his food sound: More diners than ever are tethered importance of eye-catching design would come out dim and pixelated. Not to their smartphones, snapping photos features, allowing them to double as only would this pose challenges for in- and updates and posting them in real marketing tools. At Steak 48 in Chicago, a house food photography, it would render time. According to a 2017 survey by Maru/ wall sheathed with vintage meat cleavers guests’ Instagrams flat and unappealing. Matchbox, 69 percent of millennials snap has shown up in guests’ social media He chose the location but built a table a photo of their food before eating. And posts “more than a few times,” says Oliver for photo-snapping diners by reservation if 33 percent of customers discover new Badgio, chief brand officer of hospitality only—one decked out with adjustable lights businesses through social networks, then group Prime Steak Concepts. overhead and on the table’s sides. those photos have real value. Likewise for the restaurant’s elaborately “A lot of these serious food Luckily, what the Snapchat and displayed raw bar, which typically includes Instagrammers or photographers, they Instagram crowds seek from a restaurant oysters, Maine lobsters, colossal shrimp bring their own lighting systems to dinner, isn’t so different from what other diners and whole-cluster Alaskan king crab. It’s and it’s really intrusive to other diners. want: a memorable experience, some eye-catching, sure, but social media posts And that was really how the idea initially eye-catching details and the chance to feel also point to Steak 48’s focus on fresh formed,” Coombs says. “We wanted to give special. How that’s delivered, however, ingredients and underscore that there’s them what they needed to take beautiful makes all the difference. more than just steak on its menu. Strategically curated artwork can be similarly magnetic, especially when it captures a particular mood or idea. At Steak 48, striking black-and-white closeups of women wearing elegant hats upends the notion that it’s a boys’ club- only steakhouse, while at Denver’s Mister Tuna, a dynamic mural of a woman’s lips highlights the artistic nature of its industrial chic space and creative platings. When in doubt, go local or symbolic. Detroit’s Townhouse has a chalkboard- esque mural extolling the virtues of its fair city, while Fox In The Snow Cafe in 69% Columbus, Ohio, encourages selfies in front of millennials snap of a wall illustration of its namesake fox. a photo of their “Our new restaurant, Taco Chelo, has food before eating. been called ‘Instagram-friendly,’ and we designed it with that in mind,” says Lauren Saria, marketing director for Chamberlin Hospitality. She points to a huge red 33% neon sign against a brick wall that reads of customers “Taquero Mucho” as a major draw. “The discover new neon sign was handwritten, and a lot of our businesses through furniture is custom. That adds to the space

social networks COLLECTIVE BY EATERS PHOTOGRAPHY BOTTOM: PAGE, LEFT being one-of-a-kind and interesting.”

40 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 41 TASTES LIKE MEAT. LOOKS LIKE MEAT. HAS

MNO EAT. ALL FOOD IS PHOTO FODDER correspond with an ingredient or produce “You can’t take a picture of service, but an aroma that highlights an ingredient in you can certainly comment about it in a Indulgent, colorful, fresh and whimsical the drink. And the swizzle stick is part of caption,” Combs says. “I think if you give food dominates photo-driven platforms: the grand tradition of cocktails.” people a tremendous experience, they’ll tacos, sushi, burgers and pizza tend to be reflect that in the post.” the most Instagrammed foods globally. Food can look different in a photo than INVITE THEM IN in person, so consider lighting: Does your RETHINK CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS space offer enough windows or soft light There’s no doubt that “Influencers” are sources during all times of day? Consider the pinnacle of this social media triangle, Not every restaurant can draw in A-list— angles: A customer’s line of vision is a with the potential to sway thousands of or even B-list—celebrities, but there are downward slope to the plate, but photo- followers. But it’s also true that today’s benefits to inviting well-connected social snappers might take shots from table level, upcoming Instagrammer may become one media personalities, including guest chefs, overhead or from a distance. Does your of the chief influencers of tomorrow. bartenders or even musicians. plate offer vertical and lateral intrigue? The solution? Treat them like they’re Lost Lake brought in Elliott Clark, Consider the palette: Are the colors vibrant insiders. Consider inviting influencers a Denver-based bartender and the and fresh? to new menu rollouts or private events, photographer behind Instagram account Meat-free your breakfast menu. Then there’s the whimsy factor. There’s says Coombs. A private event lets them @apartment_bartender, which has ™ a thin line between novelty—doughnuts properly style their photos and allows the 50,000 followers. Clark guest-bartended Bring nature’s best flavors to breakfast with PlantFare Plant-Based Protein Shreds. in a Chinese takeout container, say— kitchen to plate each dish perfectly. If an for a night at Stranger In Paradise, a and absurdity, so plate with your identity influencer has 200,000 local followers in smaller “experimental” bar space adjacent Each wholesome bite has a hearty meat taste and texture made from just six in mind. a particular market, the right event can to Lost Lake. The tiki culture at Lost Lake in Chicago, generate real reach. “We packed the house for hours,” Allison ingredients. Thaw and prepare your way — from breakfast bowls to scrambles, burritos to allows bartenders to go wild with fresh What can’t be ignored is how important says. “I did maybe two Instagram posts tacos — for a flavorful, protein-packed dish that meets the growing demand for meatless. 72% garnishes, swizzle sticks and umbrellas, service remains, especially during regular promoting it, and he did some stories and of Millennials including its iconic banana dolphin garnish. dining hours. If your service is not on posts and like 100 people came. Which to are trying to eat more “Each of the garnishes is functional,” point, you’ll read about it in the caption to me, for so little work and promotion, was plant-based foods. says co-founder Shelby Allison. “They that gorgeous photo. very successful.” n Contact your sales rep for more information. International Food Information Council Foundation, 2016 © 2018 Kerry Foodservice 42 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 GEORGE MADZHIROV ALEX ZUPANCIC IT’S EASY TO CEO and founder of HandCut Foods in Chicago CEO and Co-owner of the Last Call Tavern Group Backstory: Launched noncommercial Backstory: Founded in 2014, Last Call Tavern UNDERSTAND WHY foodservice in K through 12, university and Group operates seven establishments in Chica- business dining based on fresh, farm-to-table go, including the recently opened The Reveler. RESTAURATEURS approach. HANG ONTO LESS MADZHIROV SAYS ZUPANCIC SAYS “When someone stops contributing to “Letting a staff member go is our least THAN IDEAL the organization’s success and becomes favorite thing to do as an employer and a damaging factor to the company’s not a decision we take lightly. Our priority EMPLOYEES. culture, work environment or financial is to follow the law and our employees’ With the growth of fast casual performance, it is my responsibility as a rights... Next, we consider the tenure restaurants and unemployment at leader to let that person go. of the employee and their individual historical lows, the labor pool has grown We attract great talent and carefully circumstances. Given the nature of our increasingly shallow. The crackdown onboard our team members, making sure business, employees are not numbers, but on undocumented workers and fewer they are a good fit and have all the training rather family, and we like to take a personal teenage applicants also contributed. A and tools to be successful at their job. So approach to handle each situation. decade ago, 45 percent of those between usually we do not come across clear-cut It’s important we set initial expectations the ages of 16 and 19 worked in the cases of dismissal. upon hiring a new employee so there’s industry. Today, it’s 30 percent, according We have great retention. I attribute less room for confusion and error on to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. it to being transparent about company either side. We have weekly meetings Keeping a poor worker based on the goals, achievements and challenges. Such with management which then flows down adage “someone is better than no one” an approach ensures buy-in and mission directly to their staff. We have regular may be a quick fix but certainly not a long to metric of most team members. Also, performance reviews with employees, offer term solution. Unhappy workers can encouraging our employees to express continuing education and training, and alienate guests, hurt the bottom line and themselves, challenge and state ambition. always keep open lines of communication. poison morale. We’re a young, dynamic and We try to work through issues with Still, how do you know when to cut fast growing company. Roles and employees as often as we can. the cord or try more ways to help the organizational structure have needed to Due to a shortage of qualified employees employee become a better work version adapt along with those changes. It has been in the market, we work even closer with of him or herself? In their own words, my responsibility, and my own expectation our new hires to try to prevent issues and restaurant pros weigh in. of myself, to articulate these changes be proactive when an issue arises. We have and transition people into new roles probably been more lenient over the years successfully. What decides if someone stays for this reason. It’s been key to create long- or not is that individual’s desire to grow term connections with the employees to professionally, adapt with the needs of the ensure retention along with competitive company and continue to contribute.” financial compensation.” WHEN IS IT TIME TO FIRE A BAD WORKER?

USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 45 GET THE RIGHT FIT MOLLY HOPPER TRAVIS

SANDROF CHRISTOPHERSON Director of People and Staff Development for Director of Operations for Levy Restaurants at Garrett Harker’s restaurant group in Boston Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois EVERY TIME Backstory: Handles human resources at East- Backstory: More than 20 years in restaurants ern Standard, Row 34, Island Creek Oyster Bar, and health and wellness, opening Applebee’s The Hawthorne and the Branch Line. restaurants and Lifetime Fitness clubs. DUE TO THE HOPPER SANDROF SAYS CHRISTOPHERSON SAYS SHORTAGE “We never want terminations to be a Before you go down that road, make sure surprise to the employee or any fellow you’ve given that person every opportunity OF QUALIFIED managers. To achieve this outcome, we to succeed. I look at it from two areas. Have use very measured approaches of course they quit the job and keep showing up or EMPLOYEES, correction, communication (both verbal are they engaged in what they are supposed and written) and documentation. to be doing? WE WORK We do train all managers on delivering The other thing I look at is have you feedback and coaching. When coaching done your job as a manager or a leader to an employee, we often encourage that two be successful? Is this employee damaging EVEN CLOSER managers sit with an employee. This helps the overall team? Is working with the the employee receive two perspectives and employee an addition or subtraction? Is the WITH OUR may remove personality conflicts between time you’re spending taking away from the two people. business and hurting it? Are you going to We discuss expectations with the be losing respect as a manager if you carry NEW HIRES... —Alex Zupancic individual during the hiring process, as someone along who isn’t performing? part of onboarding, throughout training There are so many measurable and at the conclusion of training. Then, components to our business. Look at we act swiftly if an employee seems to not performance: how are the prime costs understand the expectations associated going? How are sales going? Looking with their position. at the nuts and bolts of the business and We use every tool at our disposal to help what’s affecting costs is a real indicator. an employee work through issues. These The numbers don’t lie; they tell a story. For tools could include additional training, example, if the employee is a bar manager, ® support from other managers, change in is he struggling with costs? Put a plan and US Foods is your partner in the cleaning and ® schedule or area of responsibility, access start impacting the numbers of where you disposables category. Monogram Can Liners are to appropriate counselors or professionals fall short. If you don’t see an increase in the best in the market, with star seals, premium and also the opportunity to define their effort or an interest in improving that’s resins and easy-to-use dispensing boxes. own strategy for solving problems.” when you make that decision. n Talk to your US Foods representative today about our wide variety of sizes, colors and styles. EXCLUSIVE BRAND

46 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 © 2018 US Foods, Inc. 06-2018-FOF-2018060402 By codifying and creatively communicating its simple yet powerful creed— “a better way to source ingredients, and a better way to employ people”—Mei Mei in Boston has evolved from an upstart food truck operation into a multidimensional business.

❱ Irene Li is a rising star. Since starting Mei Mei, a food truck specializing in Chinese-American eats, with her siblings in 2012, her business has grown to include a thriving brick-and-mortar restaurant and a sauce company. Numerous accolades followed; Eater named Mei Mei Boston Restaurant of the Year and Zagat anointed Li with a spot on its national 30 Under 30 list. Her secret weapon? A strong organizational culture that clearly communicates its mission, while offering fair compensation, employee training and loyalty-building incentives. “Thirty years ago, restaurant culture was a very corporate idea,” says Salar Sheik, owner of Savory Hospitality Restaurant Consulting in Los Angeles. “An owner or general manager would take a class and come out saying, ‘OK, we’re going to implement a culture.’ Now everyone is establishing a specific culture from the very beginning—even an ice cream ONLY THE shop with only five employees—because it reflects on their product and their customers.” NURTURING AND Sheik says 80 to 90 percent of problems he solves for clients can be traced to an “I-don’t-give-a-damn” TRANSPARENT culture. A nurturing, growth-focused ethos, by SURVIVE contrast, can yield a variety of enduring dividends. BY LIZ LOGAN ON A MISSION

Mei Mei distills its core values into a two-part creed: “A better way to source ingredients, and a better way to employ people.” In practice, this translates into locally sourced, sustainable ingredients and ethical labor practices. “When we conduct interviews, we always ask people why they want to come work here,” Li says. “They need to have a compelling answer—one that aligns with those values. We end up attracting highly educated, passionate people who are looking for a different type of restaurant experience.” Loyalty tends to follow. Li’s staff members typically stay a year or longer, while her three most- senior employees have been at the restaurant all five years. Sheik says, “Every restaurant should have a mission statement, as a guideline for management. But don’t overuse that language—if it’s repeated ad nauseam at the end of every team meeting, it

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MEI PHOTOGRAPHY becomes meaningless.” Culture? Got

48 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 49 OPEN THE BOOKS

A few years ago, Mei Mei instituted an open-book restaurant-management training program for all staff. Once a week, the entire staff meets for a class that teaches basic business practices, including how to read Mei Mei’s profit-and-loss statements. The system teaches valuable skills, while making employees feel more invested in the restaurant. “So often in restaurants, it feels like the owner or the management versus the employees, and that’s not a smart way to run a team,” Li says. Employees can see firsthand how much money goes toward covering the business’s high costs and debt—as opposed to the owners’ pockets. Li’s open-book management system also makes running inventive incentive programs easier. Her “Cost of Goods Challenge” asks employees to negotiate better prices with suppliers. Should the restaurant exceed its healthy profit target for the year, a profit-sharing plan kicks in, and additional profits are split equally among all employees. Dishwashers receive the same cut as managers, which motivates everyone to contribute. “We reward them for the money saved in the short- Culture Shock term, and the business continues to save money in Tips for creating a positive the long-term,” Li says. restaurant culture. EVERYONE IS ESTABLISHING A ROOM TO GROW • Be Holistic Fund compensation plans that enable full-time SPECIFIC CULTURE “Right now, a lot of the restaurant workforce employees to lead healthy, well-rounded lives FROM THE VERY consists of millennials, who like changes in their by providing health insurance, paid vacation and routine,” Sheik says. “They get bored easily, so after paid parental leave. Good benefits often translate BEGINNING—EVEN six to nine months in a given role, often performance to better performance. AN ICE CREAM goes down.” To keep employees engaged, Phil Krajeck of Rolf • Mix It Up SHOP WITH ONLY & Daughters and Folk in Nashville, Tennessee, To gain buy-in, schedule vendor talks and farm FIVE EMPLOYEES— methodically rotates kitchen workers so they trips to let employees know that you’re investing learn different stations. The restaurant also has in them. BECAUSE IT many months-long experimental projects, such REFLECTS ON as developing new sauces and seasonings, which • Get Organized individual employees can spearhead. Each day Consider organizing activities, like a designated THEIR PRODUCT during staff lineup meetings, a new technique is coffee and pastry hour, so that the front and AND THEIR demonstrated. Every few months, there’s an in- back of the house can get to know one another. depth, two-hour educational catered lunch—with CUSTOMERS. handouts—that cover topics like fermentation and —Salar Sheik of Savory

• Be Available Hospitality Restaurant all the ways the restaurant uses those ingredients. Owners should make their presence felt Consulting Krajeck says, “From teaching people how to use during group meetings, not only to make every part of an animal and respect it, or how to themselves available for questions but to pickle and ferment the stalks of a vegetable, we want forge personal bonds. to invest in people and help them learn and grow.” n

50 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 THE BOILER ROOM THE HIGHLIGHTS FOOD FANATIC ROAD TRIP! Get a mouthful from our resident expert North Dakota The Boiler Room, Fargo Stop at the Boiler Room for a scotch egg that comes with a spicy maple aioli and its version of a tater “hot dish.” Theirs features sweet potato tater tots atop sausage gravy, bacon, cheddar cheese and caramelized onions.

40 Steak and Seafood, Bismarck It’s a classic steakhouse with equally noteworthy seafood Chislic is a South Dakota food, that started out as a and cocktails, but the standout is the tomahawk ribeye. way to use tough mutton by cubing and deep-frying This dry-aged steak, with its long bone, is Instagram- it. Served with just about any kind of sauce, it’s a worthy and one of the most popular items on the menu. menu staple but only within South Dakota. In August, Urban Chislic, located in Sioux Falls, Kroll’s Diner, Bismarck, Mandan, and Fargo opened as the first-ever fried cubed meat concept You know the tradition of knoephla is valued when it’s that was designed to be replicated. Diners pick a made from scratch. That’s why this is the place for it. protein (lamb, beef, pork or chicken), a sauce (such as Thai chili, buffalo ranch, sweet and spicyjeow bong or 15 others) or a rub (garlic salt and vinegar, Rosey’s Bistro, Fargo tangy lime or several others). Dessert is even cubed It’s all about the cheese, but the bread makes a helluva difference, too. Don’t skip any of the variations on and flash-fried; think chunks of brownies, cookies or cranberry wild rice bread, especially the offering with rice crispy treats served over ice cream. candied bacon, gouda and roasted tomatoes. Once you get your list of must-try foods, which also should include hot beef commercial (roast beef over white bread and mashed potatoes covered with South Dakota gravy); pastries such as kolache (sweet dough filled with a fruit) and kuchen (cake-like crust topped Laughing Water Restaurant, Crazy Horse “When in the Dakotas, do as the Dakotans do” by with custard and fruit) be sure to head over to the stopping at the Crazy Horse Memorial. It’s your chance Toasted Frog in Bismarck, Fargo or Grand Forks, for Knoephla to try tantanka stew, buffalo cooked with carrots, pearl a fried pickle. It consists of a pickle spear wrapped in Chef Jared Thor Larson onions and potatoes served with Indian fry bread. Havarti cheese and an egg roll-type wrapper that’s 1 tablespoon olive oil deep fried and served with a side of ranch Sriracha. 1 large onion, diced Flatland Flyways, Hecla On a slow night, they sell 80; on a busy one, upwards 3 cloves garlic, minced of 500. Two nights a month, the kitchen will prepare your game 1 stalk celery, diced birds. It fits the concept around the lodge and introduces SKOGEN KITCHEN Hospitality is the same, whether it’s a mom-and- 16 ounces potatoes, peeled and diced guests to the overall menu. pop shop or a place suited for your Sunday best. 2 bay leaves The Dakotas That’s because no matter where you go, no one is a 48 ounces chicken stock Those born and bred in North and South Dakota are accustomed to an stranger even on your first visit.n 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons slurry The Blarney Stone Pub, Sioux Falls outsider’s lack of knowledge about what makes our plains great. Some restaurants break out Irish food once a year in Kosher salt, to taste March, but here the classics, from corned beef and We’re hardy outdoor people whose favorite foods align with our way of life: ice Knoephla dumpling dough, recipe follows fishing, snowboarding and embracing the elements. Once you get a taste of what cabbage to Shepherd’s pie, are year-round offerings. makes these states unique, you’ll wonder why the Dakotas are under the radar. Since these aren’t light foods, save room for the signature In a Dutch oven, heat oil and sweat onions fried bread pudding. You’re welcome. Locations also in The foods cooked in our homes and restaurants reflect the terrain—wheat, and garlic. Add celery, potatoes, bay leaves Bismarck and Fargo. potatoes, livestock and even honey. Though the background of both states is FOOD FANATICS and stock and simmer until potatoes soften. heavily influenced by Germans, Scandinavians and Native Americans, the Remove bay leaves, stir in cream and slurry geography lays claim to certain foods. Jared Thor Larson to thicken. Add dumplings and heat through. Skogen Kitchen, Custer This chef-driven restaurant could play with the big dogs in In North Dakota you will find our version ofknoephl a, a creamy chicken and is a Food Fanatics Makes 6 servings. dumpling soup—with both the soup and dumplings made with potatoes. From chef for US Foods any major food city thanks to owners Eliza Raney (GM) and Joseph Raney (chef). After working with the Patina Group Bismarck to Fargo, you’ll find restaurants, such as Kroll’s Diner, touting its who is from North To make potato dumplings, peel, cook and out of Los Angeles, they infuse their Scandinavian heritage knoephla. It would be an anomaly if it didn’t appear on the menu. Dakota, just below boil 24 ounces russet potatoes. Rice potatoes and other influences into their breakfast and dinner menu. Lefse is also out of North Dakota, a potato flatbread made on a flat top grill the Canadian border. and cool. Combine potatoes with ¾ cup flour, Think local walleye with potato bacon hash, mint emulsion that cooks up like a tortilla, usually spread with butter, sugar and cinnamon and Land to table has ½ teaspoon salt, 1 egg and enough whole and sunny-side up eggs in the morning and braised short ribs with green chermoula, couscous, toasted almonds, rolled. It’s mostly eaten at home, though it’s surprising that no one has built a always been a way milk to form a dough. Drop by teaspoonfuls

ILLUSTRATION BY TIM MARRS fried apricots and capers at night. concept around lefse the way things are changing for another favorite: chislic. of life. into salted water and boil for 15 minutes.

52 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 53 MONEY Display your “green” values in authentic & SENSE ways, like the potted spices on display at Spice Kitchen + Bar in Cleveland.

Plug with a Purpose How to share, not shove, your restaurant values BY ALISON GRANT PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANSHU A PHOTOGRAPHY

USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 55 fryer that recovers used frying oil that is At Spice Kitchen + Bar later converted into biodiesel fuel. in Cleveland, owner Ben Bebenroth’s social On its website, Chipotle pledges it and environmental values are on visual will shun GMO ingredients and uses display as customers walk from the parking vegetables “grown in healthy soil” and lot into the restaurant. pork from pigs “allowed to freely root and The 40-seat patio is lined with open-air roam.” shelving, holding pots of Thai basil, wild “The key to being transparent is making marjoram and borage; flats of pea shoots sure our customers can get the exact and micro-greens; young apple trees and information they want, whether that is beds of strawberries. information about what is in the food, its Spice is among the next generation of nutritional value, or the stories behind restaurants that believe in transparency by some of our suppliers,” spokeswoman putting ecologically sustainable and moral Quinn Kelsey says. “Our website and app practices at the center of their business contain it all.” model. They practice “hyper-localism, Displaying buy non-GMO products, believe in the Back Up Claims with Numbers house-canned ethical treatment of farm animals and Common Roots Cafe buys as much products can hire staff that subscribe to their values. It’s product as possible from local farms. And it convey your an approach that particularly appeals to provides the details. brand as well as using design millennials and Generation Z, who make The Minneapolis restaurant publishes elements, purchasing decisions and become brand a pie chart every month that shows the Common Roots Cafe below. loyal to businesses with similar do-good portion of local (sourced within 250 miles documents how much of the cafe), organic, fair trade, sustainable local produce is used in core values. its offerings. Conveying such principles, however, can seafood and conventional ingredients, while be tricky. an interactive map identifies its vendors. Too heavy of a message can be a turnoff “I’d like to see more accountability in “The majority of customers come to the food locally, cooking in season, buying for customers. “Some people come here for the market,” owner Danny Schwartzman restaurant because they want to eat fried organic, paying workers well—the path to the politics,” Bebenroth says. “Some just says. “One of the things that frustrates chicken with honey butter on it,” co-founder profitability can be tougher than if they come for the polenta fries.” me is ‘green washing’ and ‘local washing,’ and owner Christine Cikowski says. “But threw their principles to the wind. Furthermore, some restaurants blithely intentional or not.” we try to use it as an opportunity to educate “I do think you see a payoff in terms of adopt terms such as “sustainability” for a our customers about why we’re running repeat customers, happier, more engaged gloss of environmental concerns without Communicate the Values In-house the business the way we are, and why they employees, the community connections actually employing many Earth-friendly Spice puts a map of its companion farm, should also support us for that and not just you build,” says Common Roots’ practices. Spice Acres, on the back of its menu. It because we have delicious food.” Schwartzman. “It’s a long game. It’s not, If you’re the real deal, how can you show reinforces the restaurant’s message to the At Spice, immersing staff in the trenches ‘I’ll do this program, and I’ll bring in this your authentic self to customers who are diner—and staff. A diagram shows the plots helps reinforce the message. New hires much money next week.’” interested in knowing? for asparagus and raspberries, the location commit to a half day at Spice Acres. They’re Cikowski says that ensuring Honey of fig trees, mushroom beds, laying hens paid and treated to lunch for their time. Butter’s food is free of chemicals and Use Your Website to Carry the and beehives, all of which are 21 miles from “The server you’re talking to may have responsibly grown is more than an ethical Message the front door of the restaurant. The motto weeded that row of radish,” Bebenroth decision. “It’s also a practical decision and Check out the “Philosophy” drop-down “from our farm to your plate” accompanies says. “That’s one way we tell our story.” a financial one, because our business is link on Honey Butter Fried Chicken’s site, the map. actually doing really well,” she says. and you’ll find the source for ingredients, Honey Butter stresses good pay—$13 an Play the Long Game At Spice, Bebenroth turned his first how the food is prepared and served and hour for servers—health insurance, paid The National Restaurant Association, in profit in 2017, $22,000 on revenue of $2.5 who’s cooking it. “So when you eat our parental leave and profit-sharing for its a first of its kind report this year, tracked million from the combined operations chicken, our sides and desserts, we hope employees. So it tells customers, via a sign restaurants’ environmental actions. The of the restaurant, Spice Acres and a busy you’ll spend some time thinking about at the ordering counter, “No need to Tip! “State of Restaurant Sustainability” found catering service. the ideas behind every bite,” the Chicago Hospitality is included. We are committed that restaurants are focusing on recycling “My investors are the most patient, restaurant says. to being a great place to work. Every order used boxes and food containers, managing thoughtful and core value-aligned people,” Website visitors learn that the chicken includes great service and delicious food.” food waste, and adopting energy and water- he says. And for those not so like-minded? is humanely raised, antibiotic-free and saving techniques. Bebenroth has the formula: “Give them comes from an Amish farm in Indiana. The Make the Message Echo For restaurants that go further with what they want, man, with a smile and staff has health insurance and fair wages. Honey Butter seeks employees who their sustainability convictions—sourcing some hustle.” n Packaging from straws to chicken boxes is identify with the restaurant’s wholesome compostable and biodegradable. The single food agenda and encourages employees to For common terms on promoting social and health values, PHOTOGRAPHY BY COMMON ROOTS PHOTOGRAPHY largest capital investment is a closed-loop BY SPICE PHOTOGRAPHY relay its narrative. visit USfoods.com/foodfanatics

56 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 57 PR MACHINE Sharp ideas to get butts in seats

“but we also want our guests to learn about the high quality ingredients we use and the integrity behind our cooking.” Also Your new Socially consider creating curated hashtags across accounts, says Bullfrog + Baum Digital Director Arthur Bovino. “Repeating words and slogans is just good marketing, no Aware matter the decade.” hot spot Does your online presence rate? Train Wait Staff to be Social Media BY RENEE BACHER Savvy Knowing whether your social media efforts are paying off can be tricky, but Bovino argues that tracking engagement with key influencers is a good barometer. “Analytics can also be a well-trained wait y now you should accept the fact Be Authentic staff,” he says. “Do people come in asking that a social presence online Pastry Chef Scott Green, formerly of for things you’re posting on social media? is as important as the one at Travelle Kitchen + Bar in Chicago, has Are you turning dissatisfied customers into your restaurant. But are you amassed 30,000 followers on Instagram repeat visitors or, at least, making sure they making the most of the channels (@chef_scottgreen) in part because he don’t turn into permanent negative brand connecting your brand to current posts images of desserts he actually serves, ambassadors?” and potential customers? not super shiny and overtly glossy dishes BWhile you think of ways to make a created just for the camera. “This is not Be Engaging bigger impact in the New Year, consider (just) a visual craft,” he says. “Food is Post specials and hashtag the names and these tried-and-true best practices from meant to be eaten.” dishes you post, but don’t use social media restaurant industry influencers. for blatant marketing pitches, which can Use a Scheduling Tool get you unfollowed. Try responding to good Do Facebook, Instagram and Yelp “We love Later,” says marketing director and bad reviews alike (be generous and The most important social media Natasha Miller, who runs the social media solicitous with the latter, asking people platforms for chefs and owners to accounts for The Meatball Shop in New for another shot), try the poll feature maintain are Instagram (800 million York City, which has 59,900 followers on Instagram by asking lighthearted users), Facebook (2.19 billion monthly on Instagram (@meatballers). “You questions, like “Life’s short. Eat this Diners love spicy foods, and their preferences active users) and Yelp (75 million average can schedule Twitter, Facebook, and dessert first? Yes or no.” And don’t be for new and adventurous flavors continue monthly desktop unique visitors), says Instagram at once, which is a big help.” boring. “Don’t be afraid to ‘go live,’ but Alessandra “Ale” Madrid, director of In addition, chefs and owners developing don’t abuse it either,” says Executive Chef to grow – especially among millennials*. marketing for Pythian Market, a food hall their brand should post about life outside Piyarat Potha Arreeratn (aka Chef Bee) Look to Molly’s Kitchen® for an assortment in New Orleans. their restaurants. Miller encourages who has 33,000 followers on Instagram No matter how good your menu reads on founders to post about openings, events (@beenaiya). “No one cares that the post of hot products, including our Spicy Battered your website, she says, “people crave things and personal campaigns, while chefs can office line is extra-long today.” Cauliflower with Aleppo Pepper, to instantly after they see them.” Madrid recommends focus on what they’re eating and cooking, Only Post Quality Photos spice up your menu. posting at least once a day on both as well as their travels. “Chefs are experts Instagram and Facebook, (on Instagram and their audience wants to learn from and The new iPhone profile photo feature post relevant hashtags; produce two to be inspired by them,” she says. makes food pop, while blurring the three Instagram “stories” daily, tagging background, so there’s no excuse for For more information, contact your your business location to expand your Continually Strategize posting shoddy images. “Don’t post dark US Foods® Representative or Save Time. reach). Visually, images should be consistent and or blurry photos,” says Miller. “It doesn’t Order Online! usfoods.com She likes Facebook because it’s visual complementary. Miller suggests reviewing matter how much you love the dish, and allows for reviews, while Yelp ensures two weeks of Instagram posts to ensure no one wants to look at that.” Natural your restaurant’s information is accurate images tell a story and reflect a restaurant’s lighting usually works best with iPhone EXCLUSIVE and up to date. And if you have a blog, identity. “At The Meatball Shop, humor is photography, but if you can afford a all social media accounts should drive a key part of our brand, so we like to have professional photographer, or even a digital BRAND followers there. fun, hence all the ball jokes,” Miller says, SLR camera and one umbrella light, do it. n

BY MEGAN ROWE

The failure rate for restaurants is notoriously high—up to 70 percent, depending on the source. So it’s hardly headline news when a spot shutters, except for the shocked staff who had no clue. A lifeless dining room is an obvious red flag, but plenty of subtler clues can signal that a restaurant is on shaky ground. Do you ride it out or jump ship? PHOTOGRAPHY BY MASAAKI KOMORI KOMORI BY MASAAKI PHOTOGRAPHY

60 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 financial controls.financial tighter and it energy, renewed new ideas with bring can as it rattle, death sure-fire isn’t a infusion for acash a new investor IshouldMaybe stay: problem.” aserious that’s taxes, and payroll their make can’t they if “but Consultants, Restaurant of Synergy CEO Small, Dean says some degree,” to costs food control and vendors float moneybetween can restaurant a “Usually resume. offyour dust amiss. supply, be may something short in are or disposables linens that notice or servers below norms is inventory If for new tenants. around employer’s your fishing is that landlord or whispers deliveries in monitor reductions So to feel it. first the often are landlords and suppliers to shrink, start flows cash When 2. it thrived. time, In demand. neighborhood matched better that lineup affordable and menu favor of amore in casual tasting pricey alabor-intensive, eliminated New York in Italienne City Restaurant IshouldMaybe Menus stay: do change. out. thin to start supplies everyday and overnight shrink portions protein two, to get reduced tacos three with high once piled Platters ways. subtler in corners cutting start will costs beverage and food slash to want who owners cash-strapped many but thing, is one off-cuts using Purposefully ingredients. or lower-quality Watch cheaper to out for asudden switch 1. 2 ODFNTC | FOOD FANATICS 62 CUTTING QUALITY CAN ANTICIPATE CAN JOB CUTS QUALITY CUTTING . Should your paychecks start arriving late, late, arriving start paychecks your Should TROUBLE PAYING TROUBLE BILLS WINTER 2019 An operator who taps taps operator who An

just be finding the right balance. right the finding be just might The owner overstaff. they sometimes And aweek. seven days open for longer hours, staying justify to don’t demand the have new ones— restaurants—especially IshouldMaybe Some stay: hours. set keep can’t that restaurant any friends, with and online both eviscerate, will customers and apay cut, take to going message. abad website—sends on a stated hours the to antithetical when it’s or open later—especially earlier close to off choosing or days Taking it. about strategic nothing there’s aweek, often days or two one down shutting “strategically” start restaurants everyday When SERVICE” 4. training. service and finance in restaurant specializes service consulting Rockstars Restaurant whose Rogersays Beaudoin, satisfaction,” ensure to spot on the empoweredare to solve the problem staff the overlooked be if can meal “A big add up problem to gains. can things small that stressing and staff its educating basics, the to back goes IshouldMaybe Management stay: for everyone. ahead likely are days difficult that less,” know do with “making and elsewhere” about “looking talking begin managers When shrinking. starts income— their thus numbers—and their bolt if will Servers bellwether: house. the of front the in ofor layoffs defections track keep house, of the back the you’reIf in 3. A SHRINKING STAFF A SHRINKING BEWARE THE PHRASE “MINIMAL “MINIMAL PHRASE THE BEWARE Staff members know they’re they’re know members Staff akey are managers and Servers training or better management. management. or better training menu the through and service improving means that if particularly with, sticking worth is wrongs rights and critics the heeds who owner Maybe Ishould An stay: customers.” back win to you need it because rectify to awhile it takes “Sometimes California. Southern Group in Restaurant &Shine of Rise owner and founder Engman, ago,” Johan says or two amonth happened that something generally aproblem, it’s you catch “When some time. forbeen smoldering probably has fire the appears, review anegative time by the once-thriving restaurant. Unfortunately, a kill on Facebook comments can critical of Yelp or atrail ratings Disastrous 7. success. lasting finding before closing with flirted has restaurant one More than game. the in he’sideas, still absorb to meetings staff regular holding and food the tasting tables, by touching problems critical identify to a willingness operator shows Ishould an Maybe If stay: quickly,” Small. says very ball eight the get behind you can accounting, your you don’t if up keep with And it. handles owner bookkeeper—the a have necessarily don’t “A restaurants brewing. lot of small often is trouble absent, conspicuously become owners hands-on When 6. offerings. bar thematic or trying section anew menu creating chef’s experience, your about anarrative penning simple as as be can These doesn’t feel desperate. or PR that push strategy amarketing in invests IshouldMaybe Management stay: again.” down are sales but offer month, onceexpires, the that go up for might agency. “Sales marketing aNew York-and Marketing, Boston-based Marlo with Bushoy, director account Yana says of adrug,” kind it becomes discounting, aggressive to turn restaurants “When operators. for cash-strapped crutch adebilitating often is freebies of but wave acontinuous oneis thing, or Groupon offer deal meal occasional An 5. MONITOR YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS YOUR MEDIA MONITOR SOCIAL DEALS THAT NEVER DIE NEVER THAT DEALS

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY REDD ANGELO with the Sterno Delivery Catering–Large SternoDelivery the with *Foodservice Equipment ReportsMagazine,2018Tabletop Winner Competition STERNO SPEEDHEAT BUSINESS LUNCHES PERFECT FORQUICK-SERVE, DININGEVENTS LASTINGUNDERANHOUR. HIGH-HEAT STEAM,KEEPING FOODAT THEIDEALSERVING TEMPERATURE. DELIVER ITHOT Insulated FoodCarrier | CORPORATE MEETINGS ™

IS WATER-ACTIVATED ANDPRODUCES | HOMEPARTIES WE’RE FLAMELESS HEAT FOR SAFETY NON-TOXIC SAFER AVAILABLE NOW! STERNOSPEEDHEAT.COM ( re SERVE INMINUTES SERVE SET-UP AND SIMPLER ) DEFINING WINNING INSTANT HEAT AWARD PROVIDES FASTER * A veranda-like feel, plus bricks and plenty of greenery bring the farm- to-table ethos to life at Prato Italian KEEP IT Gastropub in Florida. REAL

If a single unifying overly designed or gimmicky.” open the large windows facing downtown Many of the hottest trends in 2019 Evanston and invite the outside in. thread could sum up will continue to blur the line between Morton has a story for each design restaurant and residential design—a perk element, anecdotes that servers can share restaurant design for owners, as they are comparatively with diners to forge a more personal for 2019, it would be affordable. Plants cost less than marble connection. “I wanted to take it down or artwork, and cherry-picked vintage or a notch in formality,” Morton says, “so authenticity. refashioned pieces can convey personality people know it’s OK to just come in for a Consider what’s in: Green, both the color and comfort with minimal investment. drink or some oysters, or to eat at the bar.” and the movement, is big. Nontraditional seating—mixed and more communal— MAKE IT PERSONAL GO WITH COMFORT continues to grow in popularity. Less After six years of seating guests in a At Rosemary’s, a seasonal Italian spot will be more, or even less will be even dining room meant to resurrect the spirit that opened in the West Village of New more, as long as you avoid the overused of a 1920s Parisian salon at Found in York City in 2012, Dekar Design imported “minimalist” tag. Evanston, Illinois, Amy Morton opted for the ambiance of an Italian piazza via rich Retro remains in. The ’80s are growing in a makeover last spring. “I wanted it to be woods, rustic tables, benches and chairs, plus influence, but mid-century modern is still me,” she says. “The spaces that speak to me strings of outdoor lights. For its new sister king. Warm woods and vibrant colors will are the ones that grew out of someone.” restaurant, Rosemary’s Pizza, which opened be everywhere, inviting diners to linger in Found’s makeover, says Morton, is last summer, Grant and Dekar co-founder versatile spaces that can assume different “Jackie O meets The Beatles in India.” Dolores Suarez took an even more casual Simple, versatile and airier identities as day edges into night. Palm-print wallpaper greets diners, approach, creating a residential feel in an old “There is definitely a trend toward more vibrant textiles cover the walls and brownstone that boasts a wood-burning oven designs stand out authenticity and lighter, brighter, airier seven bright lotus flowers are painted and a long banquette with colorful throw BY BARRY PEARCE spaces,” says Caroline Grant, co-founder on the ceilings above the bar. And when pillows. The open, airy space oozes comfort

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL PISARRI PHOTOGRAPHY of New York-based Dekar Design, “nothing the summer breeze arrives, Morton can and simplicity, without pretension anywhere.

64 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 65 Food Fanatics chefs and restaurant operations ASK THE EXPERTS consultants help fix everyday industry issues

PROBLEM: Increasing cost of labor and shrinking employee pool.

SOLUTION: Automation, such as kiosk ordering and hand-held tableside point of sales. These options aren’t new, but the choices are better today and warrant another look. BENEFIT: Lower labor cost, fewer employees serving more customers and faster and more efficient service. The upfront costs are offset when staff and customers are comfortable with the change. Fully commit with ongoing training and clear directions to guests.

Problem: Menu is tired Solution: Do your Problem: Customers are of off-premise dining, it’s with your selection won’t and needs a jolt. Change incentives speak to them? complaining about the good business sense to generate engagement. Consider Spacious, a company in New York can be good, but longtime According to surveys, quality of delivery—food shore up any deficiencies Also use ad-targeting GET PLANTING and San Francisco, that turns dinner-only loyal customers may not be younger workers have isn’t warm, containers leak. in that area. Ultimately, features to pinpoint Ray Chung, director of design at The restaurants into a shared work area during the receptive. shorter attention spans Are delivery services all food quality will more likely and refine your desired Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry, says his firm day by supplying a host, coffee, powerful Wi- than millennials. Not that different? have a greater impact on demographics. has been incorporating more greenery into its Fi and meeting space, all for a monthly fee. Solution: Pair familiar surprisingly, they respond the restaurant. restaurant designs, whether it’s a wall lined These deals offer additional revenue favorites with on-trend better to immediate Solution: Before you Benefit: Goal-minded with planters at Prato Italian Gastropub in streams when they’re dark. But the hope is accents. If you offer a gratification. Ensure dump your current Problem: Posting on posts make it possible Winter Park, Florida, or a project underway that workers will stick around for happy-hour steak or roast chicken, for incentives, whether delivery system, look at social media isn’t yielding to track whether the in the Catskills that incorporates two large drinks or a meal as the space transitions back example, top it off with a they’re monetary rewards, your packaging. How does results. effort was successful and trees into the dining room. Bringing in visual into a restaurant. butter infused with bold discounts for dining or it rank in quality? What to adjust your strategy reminders of the farm-to-table movement “A lot more owners are interested in having Indian spices or whipped schedule preferences, menu items are getting Solution: Develop a accordingly. Before every not only reflects diners’ increased interest in multifaceted experiences in one space, so can with miso or ssamjang, come sooner rather than the most complaints? After results-minded social post, ask yourself the Restaurants such as health and sustainability, says Chung, but also I make this a cafe by day and a bar by night a Korean paste. That later. evaluating the materials, media strategy by question: “What will this The Milling Room in same butter also could determine whether the identifying goals, whether picture, video or sentence New York City double produces simpler, warmer spaces. or create a grab-and-go area in the front of as work spaces during “People are trying to get back to what I call the restaurant that in the evening becomes a be tossed with grilled or Benefit: Understanding size of the containers is it’s increasing dessert accomplish for me and my off hours. a sort of exuberance, not classic luxury but display,” says Jeremy Levitt, co-founder of roasted vegetables. what matters most to the right fit for the amount sales or calling out new business?” n something that has more life to it,” says Chung. Parts and Labor Design. your workers leads to of food. drink specials. Posting “Restaurants have always been a kind of Levitt says his firm considered how such Problem: Younger better performance and photos of beer when escape, and people are looking for a full escape mixed-use projects might impact the public workers aren’t responding a stronger commitment to Benefit: With the growth customers are familiar now, partly because of the political climate.” space at The Evelyn Hotel in Manhattan, which to incentives. the job. offers a bakery, fine dining and a large lounge. GO WORKPLACE CHIC And he expects many concepts to follow suit. Keep tabs on the evolution of office space “Restaurants are becoming more designs, as mobile professionals may be approachable, and there’s less in the way of Got a question for the experts? Send your challenges, comments and suggestions to [email protected]. embracing the idea of turning restaurants into serious fine dining,” Levitt says. “It’s a more

temporary workspaces. casual approach to really great food.” n BY THE MILLING ROOM PHOTOGRAPHY

66 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 67 iHELP Be efficient and tech savvy at the same time REC Show Us UR the Money Are pay-to-play reservations and booking services here to stay? DINERS BY MIN CASEY

Introducing your new protective shell. Asking diners to open their wallet before sitting Undercooked eggs in sauces and down to a meal is becoming more common. But dressings, runny yolks and soft-boiled eggs many diners still need convincing. Milwaukee restaurateur Dan Jacobs understands can pose risks to your operation and brand. the crippling effects of no-shows and last-minute But Glenview Farms® Pasteurized Shell cancellations. By securing reservations with Eggs protect your patrons and allow you to advanced payments or deposits on meals, online and agree to non-refundable contracts, so why not restaurants? booking platforms such as Resy and Tock are Tock’s system comes with advantages: no-shows are virtually nonexistent, fully execute your menu – with no anxiety eliminating one of the costliest variables in running while food purchasing/prep and staffing can be controlled as the number of over food safety. a restaurant. covers is known. Plus, money is banked before guests walk in the door. When Jacobs and his partner, Dan Van Rite, Pre-payments are only one option on Tock. Clients also can choose industry- opened EsterEv, he turned to Tock to secure advance standard bookings or deposits that are applied later to the diner’s tab. Kokonas payment for its 40 seats. Within months, however, says that pre-paid reservations represent only a sliver of the business, making the restaurant reverted to OpenTable, whose online sense only when demand for tables exceeds supply—i.e. red-hot restaurants with reservation system also offers marketing muscle prix fixe menus. “A restaurant that often has empty seats would not be the right and collects data about diners like Resy, Yelp and candidate,” he cautions. Reserve. With roughly 2,500 U.S. restaurant clients, Resy holds a middle ground, “Paying in advance was not what our guests size-wise, between OpenTable and Tock; it pins growth to e-capabilities on its wanted,” Jacobs notes. “I’d love it if we evolve to website and app. where we can go back to Tock, but you can’t ignore Launched last spring, a revamped site and app allow guests to book more customers.” simply. For operators, an inventory optimization program “helps minimize gaps Restaurateur Nick Kokonas, who revolutionized between reservations,” says a company spokesperson—in other words, fill tables the industry when he introduced Tock in 2014, at all hours. Resy, too, offers pre-pays and deposits as options and like Tock, it says Milwaukee—or any city—is ready for Tock’s has a waitlist option that can help fill tables when reservations are canceled. capabilities, including instances where up-front Flexibility among such platforms is important, such as allowing the diner to cash is part of the pact. While its 600 restaurant apply the deposit when a missed reservation is rebooked, considering the cost of clients are dwarfed by the 45,000 that use Priceline- OpenTable’s $1 per reservation charge. owned OpenTable, he says that a vastly improved product, high degree of restaurant-controlled Up with Down Payments customization and 24/7 customer service will Christopher Muller, professor of the practice at Boston University’s School For more information, contact your continue to drive growth around the world. of Hospitality Administration, says technology is driving change. “We’re the US Foods® Representative or Save Time. industry that stands with arms outstretched saying, ‘Come in, come in.’ We do Order Online! usfoods.com On the Clock it for free. Hotels and airlines don’t, and that helps consumers accept it from The good news for Tock is that some high-profile restaurants.” restaurants, including French Laundry, Eleven This summer, Tock struck a partnership with Chase and Chase Pay that EXCLUSIVE Madison Park—as well as Alinea, The Aviary and Kokonas says will extend reach and raise visibility. The company also picked up Next, of which Kokonas is a partner—use Tock. McDonald’s as a client, not for its burgers and fries but for special events at its BRAND Sports fans and concert-goers pre-purchase tickets new Chicago headquarters, a sign that the times may, indeed, be a-changin’. n © 2018 US Foods, Inc. 08-2018 FOF-2018082002

USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 69 By trusting his palate, he’s forged If one of the oldest and oft-quoted maxims of the relationships with quality producers and wine world—“what grows together, goes together” haggled down prices, further reducing the costs of already inexpensive wines from commandment—is still trustworthy, then coastal wines of across the globe. the Mediterranean are due for a breakout year. “I really wanted it to be a value wine list, where people can come every day or twice a Consider the current trends: Open- feeling of pure escapism. week and not go broke,” he says. As a result, fire cooking. North African and Middle “There’s a romantic element to these his staff can sample a wide array of styles Eastern spices. Ancient grains. And veggie- wines,” says Casip, “We want people to and promote their favorites. This, in turn, centric preparations. feel like they’re being transported to Tel produces impassioned recommendations They all yearn for the intensely bright Aviv, that they’re getting a complete Israeli that often embolden guests to sign up for and clean vinos produced in ancient wine- dining experience.” Avec’s “island wine” dinners. making regions across the Mediterranean. While pairing Mediterranean wines with Whether the region is in Turkey, Greece, Pick a Region Mediterranean cuisine is a slam dunk, Malta, North Africa, Corsica or Israel, At Estiatorio Milos in Las Vegas, head sommelier Sarah Snyder of Commonwealth you’ll find quality, under-the-radar wines sommelier Ronald Buyukliev only pours in San Francisco says these wines pair that can lure young guests, build head- Greek wines, in part because ultra- brilliantly with cuisines that often clash turning wine lists and impress well-heeled premium producers tend to retail for with traditional varietals. regulars. Provided, that is, you know how around $35 a bottle. They taste great and She’s found that a weighty and aromatic to sell them to customers accustomed to make diners feel like they’ve scored an Greek roditis (a pink-skinned grape Californian, Italian and French standbys. incredible deal. “These wines are an insane best known for whites) pairs even better value,” he says. “Nobody remembers yet with spicy curries than a typical French The Ultimate Ice Breaker another generic California cab. But they do semillion or New Zealand Sauvignon blanc. When the French-inspired DB Bistro remember these wines.” And Slovenian whites—perhaps a Burja morphed into Boulud Sud Miami in Best of all, diners’ eyes light up when Estate blend like its Bela—marry well with January 2018, Haunah Klein was tasked they hear how a modestly priced wine asparagus, nut butters and vegetable- with developing a more Mediterranean- such as a xinomavro allows them to enjoy centric flatbreads. heavy wine list. a Nebbiolo-like experience at a steep “The fun part,” says Snyder, “is when Her first step? Ensuring that her staff discount. Buyukliev, for example, likes the guests turn around and look at you, and could properly pronounce obscure 2013 Kir-Yianni Ramnista. say, ‘I had no idea it would be this good.’” n varietals. She created a phonetic-based At El Five in Denver, Wine Director pronunciation guide and followed up with Kelley Pottle Graham has been impressed YouTube videos. by Moroccan wines. She says something Klein opened with relatively inexpensive like a Domaine Ouled Thaleb white blend wines that people could associate with (Faranah/Clairette) with its subtle citrus HOW TO TALK UP THE REGION a stunning locale—assyrtikos evoking notes, works as a weightier substitute for Santorini and nerellos from sun-baked Sauvignon blanc and pairs beautifully with ❱ Spin a yarn, whether it’s about the Sicily. She wanted bottles people could take of-the-moment offerings like shellfish, volcanic terroir of Sicily or the ancient a chance on and ones she could replace if hummus and spiced cauliflower. wine-making heritage of places like they didn’t click. “Generally,” she says, “the Plus, the stories behind these wines Turkey, Israel and Palestine. sweet spot for these wines are $15 to $16 at are tailor-made for social media posts. cost.” Try starting there, then moving up “If you try a Moroccan wine for the first ❱ Compare wines on the list with more to something pricier, like a Bianco Gentile time, believe me you’ll have a great story to traditional or highly coveted varietals, e.g. 2014 from Antoine Arena in Corsica, which share,” says Graham. try framing agioritikos as a dry merlot. clocks in at approximately $45 per bottle. In some cases, regulars have become so Strike a Grand Bargain ❱ Tap into the “natural wines” trend by CLUB MED CALLING enamored with a region that they return to Eduard Seitan, a partner at One Off highlighting how producers limit sulfur, try everything that fits that profile. “These Hospitality and wine steward at Avec rarely inoculate and adhere to organic or Mediterranean wines are ready to bust out wines give servers the opportunity to really in Chicago, has been championing biodynamic guidelines. BY PETER GIANOPULOS engage with guests, to have a conversation unoaked or neutrally oaked wines PHOTOGRAPHY BY SEAN MCGILL that people actually remember,” says Klein. from underappreciated Mediterranean ❱ Project knowledge and confidence. At Aviv in Portland, owner Tal Caspi producers for over two decades. Think If servers know what they’re selling and fortifies his list with Israeli wines from the young vine Syrah/Cab blend from Chateau offer short descriptors, it’s often a done Golan Heights because they pair flawlessly Musar in Lebanon or a nielluccio-grenache deal. with plant-based offerings and provide a blend from Domaine Giacometti in Corsica.

70 FOOD FANATICS | WINTER 2019 USFoods.com/foodfanatics | FOOD FANATICS 71 THE BUZZ ON COFFEE Pose the question, what did you drink yesterday? and percent will say coffee compared to percent who prefer unflavored bottled water and percent who choose tap water, according to a National Coffee Association survey. Coffee is hot but not ust in your cup. WHEN COLD HOW DO YOU COFFEE MUCH? IS HOT TAKE YOUR COFFEE? HOT, ICED R SPECIALTY 93% Growth of Meican coffee

Growth of cold brew coffee 87% ource atassental increase Growth of pumpkin- oer the last four ears. flavored coffee

People who say they drank coffee 75% the previous day Growth of ginger-flavored coffee ource ational Coffee ssociational annual sure of respondents. 68% RUBBED THE Growth of almond-flavored coffee RIGHT WAY 59% Growth of Vietnamese coffee 39% Growth of caramel-flavored coffee WHEN YOU SELECT BREW, ® 31% YOU SELECT SATISFACTION. Growth of coffee Growth of coffee desserts rubs on food, on menus People are drinking co ee more than ever before because such as pork they’re nding all new ways to enjoy it. e Select Brew® or chicken ource atassental increases oer the last four ears on dessert menus. Millennials who drink coffee, Co ee System o ers the brands, roasts and beverage options making up the largest group of that make it easy to satisfy your guests’ unique tastes. coffee drinkers ource atassental increase oer the last four ears. ource ational Coffee ssociation annual sure of respondents. BY ROB WILSON ILLUSTRATION LEARN MORE AT SMUCKERAWAYFROMHOME.COM/SELECTBREW