Pigging out in Chicago …

Serious Eats just posted a neat article about the 2009 National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show, which was held in Chicago last-last weekend (May 16-19).
The article takes a close look at some of the new products, equipment and gadgets that were on display at the show, and references the challenging economic environment the U.S. foodservice industry [...]

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“Continuous improvement” … recipe for success?

Today’s story came from an unusual source: my iPod.
I first heard this story read as part of Slate magazine’s daily podcast and I have to confess that I nearly fell out of my chair — okay, off my seat on the bus — when I got to this part:
 
Operating margins—the holy grail of any business—at [...]

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Coming soon to a mailbox near you …

… you lucky ducky CRFA member!
This year’s edition of Foodservice Facts is hot off the presses, complete with that luscious “new publication” smell. Over the next couple of days I’ll be previewing some of the content, notably:

Where Canadians source their meals (hint: results may not be accurate for 30 year old guys who still [...]

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Isn’t she lovely

This blog was only a few entries old when my boss Jill and I attended a fantastic workshop on e-marketing, led by Mitch Joel of Twist Image. In that workshop, I asked whether or not it was advisable to have the blog writer identify her/himself. The answer was “yes,” hence the transition from [...]

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Of all the synonyms, I choose “crunch”

There are plenty of words that can be used to describe our current economic climate. Many unrepeatable in a family/corporate blog.
Today, I’m going with “crunch,” because it sounds immediate but not fatal, and vaguely seasonal (think “the moon on the crest of the new fallen snow”). But for the record, “crunch” is my [...]

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The disposable income bone’s connected to the …

I’ve written a few blog entries about the connection between economic conditions and restaurant sales — notably, here and here — but as interest continues to grow on this subject, I wanted to draw your attention to two informative pieces.
The first is an analysis over at the main site, written by our economist, Chris Elliot. [...]

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