Premium and natural descriptors resonate with consumers of beef and pork menu items, finds Technomic.

Nearly two out of three consumers recently surveyed by Chicago-based trend-tracker Technomic say they think beef and pork products labeled or menued with premium descriptors such as “grass-fed,” “lean,” “organic” or “natural” will taste better than other beef and pork products that do not carry these same labels. Terms describing premium types and cuts of meat had a strong influence on perception of flavor and price thresholds, while terms describing natural farming and preparation were likely to influence consumers’ perception of healthfulness.

Leading fast-casual restaurant chains not only weathered the economic storm, they prospered, reports NPD.

Visits to the leading fast-casual restaurant chains grew 17% over the last three years while the rest of the industry experienced its steepest traffic declines in decades, and consumer demand for fast-casual offerings exceeded the unit growth of leading fast-casual chains, according to foodservice market research by Port Washington, N.Y.-based The NPD Group, a leading market-research company.

By Lynn Schwartz

Daniel Holzman of The Meatball Shop in Manhattan doesn't miss the pressure of fine dining. That's partly because he's smiling all the way to the bank.

Daniel Holzman makes meatballs. Lots of them—beef, spicy pork, chicken, vegetable and a daily special ball, which one can customize with sauce—tomato, spicy meat, mushroom gravy, Parmesan cream or pesto. Holzman, executive chef, and Michael Chernow, general manager, own The Meatball Shop, located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The two born and bred New Yorkers have set out to give the customer a ballistic food adventure in their "fuss free kinda joint." A limited, meatball-focused menu offers up simple, sustainable eats with no strings attached (like an expensive bill) until 4 a.m. With an impressive upscale culinary background, Holzman had plenty of options, and the meatball business is no accident. It's a calculated choice. A choice designed to incorporate a satisfying lifestyle, good-quality food, customer value and fun.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Site visits, or field trips, are great educational experiences that provide students with an industry perspective we cannot provide in our classrooms.

Last month, we discussed Organizing Review Sessions, which help students prepare for examinations. However, the activity that broadens their education the most is probably field trips to restaurants, foodservice facilities, dining rooms, food markets and other organizations in our industry. While the logistics of these visits can be a challenge, this "Mayo's Clinic" will focus on making these trips into valuable educational experiences, a task that requires some careful planning ahead of time and the attention to appropriate follow-up assignments.

Planning for a Field Trip
One of the hardest activities for many of us is identifying the correct site for a field trip and then integrating it, effectively, into the courses that we are teaching. Often, the sequencing of the field trip becomes a challenge because the availability of the site might not match the timing of when appropriate topics are covered in the course. Sometimes, I have used a field trip to start attention to a topic and at other times, been forced to use it to review material later in the course.

By L. Adam Weiner, CFSE

Mind the chef, don’t steal and watch food costs. Students should live by these and eight other essential dos and don’ts to remain employed in that job for which you’ve trained him or her.

Last issue I addressed how to help your students get jobs. This issue will be about how to make sure they keep their jobs. Here are 11 key points to cut out and give to your students:

1. Be on Time. Depending on which survey you read, 90% to 97% of firings occur because of failing to arrive on time, not showing up at all and/or leaving early. Timeliness and attendance are so important because the schedule of the kitchen is based on everyone being there, and everyone being on time. If you come in 15 minutes late in the morning, the kitchen will be behind all day.