Selected Archives
Selected stories 2011-2021
According to best selling author, Bernard Marr, only three questions really matter during the interview process.
To find out what is behind these questions, read the entire article: https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140331030822-64875646-job-interview-why-only-3-questions-really-matter?trk=tod-home-art-list-large_0
The National Restaurant Association surveyed 1800 chefs and 200 professional bartenders about what trends we can expect to see in 2013. This under 3 minute video gives you the result of that research.
Tablelop recruiter Mike Hawkins Part 2. My oh my, don’t you look the tabletop sales professional in your Armani suit, and I can just see you parading around the NRA, New York and NAFEM shows like you own the floor. It’s encouraging that you log onto the Tabletop Journal and read Food Arts, etc. I’m not surprised that you study the latest trends in food and know the difference between a Syrah and a Petite Syrah, and in what stem they each should be poured. I am encouraged that you can hold a conversation with a F&B Director on his menu and how items are positioned on it and your knowledge of food cost, labor cost and wine markups are certainly above average. Unfortunately there is many an “empty suit” in an Armani and I hate to be the one to tell you, but a skilled hiring manager and recruiter are going to ask you why it is that your resume/CV is posing so many questions about your actual recent performance. Personally, I would rather hire someone whose pants have had an argument with their shoes, if they can prove to me that they can open new accounts consistently and expand existing ones.
A manager at Edward Don said this in the late 70’s: “Any club that I have ever been a member of cancels my membership if and when I do not pay my dues”. So what you did ten years ago may be very impressive but hiring managers and recruiters are interested in current velocity especially in this time of increased competitive offerings. Also, during an interview, be prepared to give examples of how you go about attacking a new account, fighting for that opening, differentiating yourself, developing a dealer/distributor, managing independent representation, what your chain account philosophy is, how do you increase the profitability of an order, etc., and is all of it current - No? What do you do when you are in a city and finished working with your rep? Are there no end user calls for you to do on your own? What do you do in the evenings? Have room service in front of the TV or have a pre-planned dinner with clients and potential clients? A skilled interviewer is going to lure you into uncovering your real self so always be prepared to give examples as to your behavior as past behaviors help predict the future. The right behavior leads, inevitably, to increased market share, and unless you can show that you are a real performer you will not have the stellar reputation that leads to recruiters knocking on your door and unfortunately, dooms you to surfing career websites along with masses of other “B” players. No real hunter has the inclination or energy to spend time on that nonsense. You can reach Mike Hawkins at [email protected] With hotel brands like J. W. Marriott, Intercontinental, and more slated to expand there.....and, now, franchise chains like Cinnabon and Carvel announcing plans.....is Lebanon heating up as a place for new growth?
What a difference a regime change can make..... Hot off the presses (yes, they still do use presses), The Australian published a list of the Hot 50 Restaurants in Australia which, to us, was interesting as we always love to see who's "hot" and why they are considered to be that way. But included also was a commenary on trends and issues facing the Australian restaurant industry which we found even more fascinating. As the world we live continues to shrink, whether you live in Europe....America....Asia...Middle East....or even Australia, often the issues confronting us sound incredibly similar. We thought you would enjoy reading: PIG'S EARS, AND OTHER EMERGING TRENDS * Times are hard. A significant number of high-end restaurants/groups have taken a tumble over the past 12 months, particularly in Sydney. Others are either struggling to put bums on seats, or scrambling to reinvent themselves. Restaurateurs are losing the will, and the means, to maintain traditional-style high-end restaurants. * People are still going out - perhaps even more than ever - but they're spending less. So the restaurants that are canny about how their prices are perceived - and parlayed on the social media grapevine - are thriving. * Part of the industry's struggle to keep its head above water is the no-bookings phenomenon. At the more casual end of the market, it simply makes more business sense for the restaurant to manage demand this way and as long as the public plays the game, it won't change. * The digital world is changing the way some restaurants operate. Chefs are now plugged in before plating up, reaching out in cyberspace to let people know about new dishes, special dinners and discount deals. More diners are booking tables online, and the web is awash with meal deal sites offering incentives such as midweek discounts, which are changing the way diners "shop" for restaurants. *The line between formal and informal is being blurred. Some of the best restaurant food in Australia is served at bare tables with a rock'n'roll soundtrack. Cooking creatively is a young person's game and that's being reflected in the dining rooms they run. * The tricky economics behind small, chef-run dining rooms has ushered in a renewed impetus for degustation-style dining. Set menus save money. * Wood is the word: whether it be cooking over charcoal or coal, smoking all kinds of ingredients or indeed adding smoke to dishes for the big "reveal" at the table, wood and its smoke are hot, smouldering even. * The Mugaritz-Noma effect: Spain and Denmark have replaced Paris and London as the Mt Olympus of the 21st century, for chefs anyway. At the pointy end of dining, the pervasiveness of food gods Andoni Aduriz and Rene Redzepi has been phenomenal in Australia. From Hobart to Brisbane, Perth to Sydney and many points in between, you'll find great Australian chefs inspired to forage, plant kitchen gardens, discover edible flowers and generally celebrate the virtues of naturalist cuisine. * And what have we seen on our plates? A litter of pig's ears; a Babel of tongues; a school of mackerel; a bed of Rottnest scallops; ovens of housemade bread; herds of hanger steak, rump cap and a whole lot of secondary cuts your butcher has never heard of (Wagyu has jumped the shark); and salt mines of saline caramel. Oh, and chicken that tastes like real chicken (because it is). * The importance of correct lighting is being reinforced by its absence: too many restaurants are confusing one-dimensional low lighting with mood, leaving too many of us in the dark. * The Scandinavian aesthetic has jumped off the plate and into the dining room as never before: we're seeing lots of blond wood, Danish-designed furniture and an overall look of Nordic reserve. * And what are we drinking? Less, but more frequently: the trend towards smaller by-the-glass pours mirrors the smaller-portion trend on the menu. It helps soften sticker shock, and diners can cast their drinking net a little wider. Those by-the-glass lists are getting longer, while the bottle lists get shorter; a great idea in principle, provided what they're selling is kept fresh. We're drinking more "natural" wines, more sake, cider and small-brewery beers. * And who is serving us? Sometimes, it's the chefs themselves (another trend out of Denmark) but too often it's a generation of fairly clueless, undertrained waitstaff. Australia's pool of first-class waiter talent stays within the inner circle of elite restaurants and restaurateurs: for the rest, it's slim pickings. Any of this sound familiar? Thought so.... Congratulations to our friends at Garagistes for being named the hottest restaurant in Tasmania.....think we told you that a while ago, but nice to see our opinions re-affirmed.
To read the rest of the "Hot" list go here: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/food-wine/hot-50-restaurants Anchor Hocking and Oneida Ltd. have integrated into one company under the new name EveryWare Global, Inc. Monomoy Capital Partners, owners of Anchor Hocking, purchased Oneida Ltd. in November, 2011.
Earlier this year, Monomoy decided to unite the two brands to form a company focused on total tabletop and food preparation solutions servicing retail and foodservice customers, according to a company statement. John Sheppard has been named CEO of EveryWare Global Inc. Other appointments named are Mark Eichhorn, COO, responsible for retail sales and United States operations, Andrew Church, CFO, Jaci Volles, chief marketing officer, Steve Lefkowitz, evp/Foodservice, and Kerri Love, vp/general counsel. Wondering if all this stuff on branding and brand differentiation means anything? Well certainly the international hotel chains think there is something to the idea of building distinct brands, with unique points of differentiation. In a just-published article in HotelierMiddleEast magazine, read what one executive from Starwood Hotels had to say.....
“Brands are no longer just a guarantee of reliability. Our different brands have been purposely developed to reflect the various lifestyle aspirations of our guests, instead of focusing on the notion of traditional hotel segmentation, the focus lies on positioning the brands by lifestyle,” Starwood vice president marketing for Europe, Africa and the Middle East Steven Taylor explained. “Consumers today want to feel like a brand adds something to their life and to who they are. Brands are now all about how people identify themselves. And in fact consumers — especially young ones — often create their own identity through the brands they choose. So, brands today must make an emotional connection to their guests,” continued Taylor. “They have to resonate with people and capture their hearts and minds. Brands need to have a personality to cater to different types of travellers and our brands do exactly that. When guests enter any of our hotels they can feel, see, hear and even smell how distinct each of our brands is.” Sounds to me like Starwood understands the importance of differentiation. How about you and your company? How really distinct is your brand? Really? You can read the entire article by going here: http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/14475-big-name-operators-embark-on-a-brand-boom/1/ On 30 May 2012, the General Assembly of the European Federation for Table- and Ornamentalware (FEPF) appointed Mr. Gérard Zink as its new president.
Mr. Zink has spent over 25 years in the table ware sector as shareholder and managing director of Guy Degrenne, and particularly as former CEO of Porcelain Guy Degrenne in France and Hungary. Mr. Zink is currently Co President of the Deshoulières Group. For the first time a Vice President of FEPF has been nominated. Mr. Kevin Oakes, Chief Executive of Steelite International, with 35 years of experience in ceramic tableware industry, will bring additional competencies to the European Federation. The FEPF thanks the former President Mr. Charles-Antoine de Theux for his valuable contributions and long-standing service and warmly welcomes his successors. In this newly reinforced Chairmanship, the FEPF will continue to respond to the challenges and opportunities being currently faced by the European ceramic tableware industry, including the on-going anti-dumping investigation against imports of cheap ceramic tableware from China and the new legislative revision on food contact materials. The European Federation for Table- and Ornamentalware, presently comprising four members from France, Germany, Italy and the UK, encourages ceramic tableware associations or producers from other European countries to join FEPF in order to cooperate together on issues pertinent to the European ceramic tableware industry, notably in the fields of trade policy, environment & health and technical & scientific issues. Following the success of earlier editions, CERAM, the internationally renowned centre for ceramics and materials testing and analysis, has now published an updated issue of its comprehensive guide to Toxic Metal Release from Ceramic Tableware and Cookware, which also includes updates to glassware and glass ceramic ware.
The popular guide is of particular benefit to tableware manufacturers (glass and ceramics) as it ensures they can keep abreast of regulations and standards in over 50 countries worldwide. It will also be of benefit to major tableware retailers and glaze and colour manufacturers who also have to ensure that their products meet international guidelines. The Guide includes lists of migration limits, brief methods of test methods and full references to the relevant regulations and standards. Copies of the guide (which is available in electronic or paper format) can be purchased now – price £30 (plus p&p) – by contacting Joanne Dawson, Environmental Information Scientist, by Email: [email protected] or Tel: +44 1782 764245 and Fax: +44 1782 412331. |
We support the
Shouldn't you?
Ment'or Inspiring Culinary Excellence Archives
November 2021
Categories
All
|