Selected Archives
Selected stories 2011-2021
The Rain Collection from Service Ideas comes in a variety of sizes and styles with a pattern that looks just like its namesake – slashed lines. You can plan your entire dinner service with this line as it has bowls, tumblers, plates & trays. It’s an elegant way to take your table service to the next level. Interesting company, that Service Ideas. (and you thought they were only about themal servers!) They continue to change the conversation...... You can view the entire lineup of conversation changing products at Service Ideas by going here: http://www.serviceideas.com/
Here's where you find the Service Ideas Blog: http://serviceideas.wordpress.com/ The love of caffeine that the staff at TabletopJournal has is well documented, but we admittedly tend to focus our caffeine craving towards coffee and we know there's a whole world of tea drinkers out there. And, tea evidently has its own list of benefits. For instance...who knew that green tea has the ability to boost a person’s metabolism by producing heat in a person’s body (thermogenesis). Apparently, drinking 4 cups of green tea burns 50 calories!
Well, the good folks at Service Ideas know these things. That's why they are the tea experts. Keep up with the tea experts bygoing to and subscribing to their blog - http://serviceideas.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/teas-part-two/ And, if you just want to see the cool serving products that Service Ideas has for both tea and coffee, simply go here: http://www.serviceideas.com/ Cool Stuff. From Cool People.
Get the details: http://serviceideas.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/steelforme/ Those of us here at TabletopJournal are not tea experts.....but, we DO know there's lots of reasons why more of your customers are ordering and drinking tea. Yes, we have heard about the good things associate with tea like increasing levels of flavonoids, reductions in stress, increased quality of blood platelets, and more. But, what we do know is that more and more of YOUR customers are ordering tea. Yes, we know there's lots of focus on coffee and its growth, but tea sales continue to climb, as well. A recent article at MarketingForecast.com, some 173.5 million consumers drink tea and 183 million consumers drink coffee, according to David Sprinkle, publisher of Packaged Facts, eye-popping numbers that also imply limited usage growth potential. "The challenge for foodservice operators, therefore, involves expanding varieties and occasions for use while converting home and office coffee and tea users into foodservice users." So, Mr. Restaurateur.....what are you actively doing to increase the guest experience of your TEA customers? (along with increasing sales and profits?) TabletopJournal would suggest that a good start might be to make tea more fun and guest-friendly, while increasing the theater surrounding tea service. There are a variety of ways to do that....but simply adding color and entertainment to the process would be a good start. Service Ideas - people who really understand know tea (and, coffee, by the way) - have a large selection of items to help raise the tea customer's guest experience. I'll even bet they have some good, practical ways to educate your staff on tea without breaking the bank, as well. You may want to check them out as a way to increase both your sales and profits. Nice people. Check 'em out.
You can see the entire collection of product from Service Ideas by going here: http://www.serviceideas.com/Default.aspx Service Ideas has some terrific colorful thermal servers in their Gusto line. And....like most things at Service Ideas, not only are they beautiful....they're smart, too. Gusto keeps your coffee (or tea) warm for 6-8 hours and their lacquered stainless outside finish minimizes fingerprints, we bet! In addition to the colors you see here, they've got three new colors - Ocean Blue, Purple, and White. See Gusto and all the other cool products at Service Ideas by going to: http://www.serviceideas.com/Default.aspx In 1946, Art Murray had a vision to improve the service in his own Murray’s restaurant of Minneapolis, and to share those ideas with fellow operators. His ideas, innovation and successes were the seeds of Service Ideas. Today, a half century later, the original Thermo-Serv beverage server and Thermo-Plate platters are food presentation standards, often copied but never duplicated.
Just received our own copy of the new 2012-13 catalog from Service Ideas and I can tell you.....it's not your father's Service Ideas anymore. Probably hasn't been for a while. Very nicely done. We continue to see Service Ideas as a company that is working hard to remain competitive - and relevent. Anyone who has known this company for any length of time would expect to see the types of products shown below: But, in recent years, Service Ideas has become much more than thermal serving carafes. For instance, the catalog pages shown below show how Service Ideas has adjusted with the times and offer tabletop products now that you might come to expect only from "traditional" tabletop companies. Staying relevent, indeed. Flipping through the Service Ideas catalog, one could even make the argument that this sometimes "below the radar screen" company is a bit cutting-edge as they have a large array of tea-related products. Recent studies have shown that while coffee is already huge, tea may be the next big boom. If so, Service Ideas will be more than ready. And, this is just the products. Collateral materials - especially the new catalog - are well designed and appropriately matched with the brand's position, using colors popular today. New social media programs are being utilized that also support the Service Ideas efforts to keep current. Personalizing the company by introducing company employees via their website add to the notion of Service Ideas as a customer-friendly company. (how many company websites do you know where there's not so much as a single person's actual name on it?? we can think of a bunch) We're not trying to make Service Ideas out to be cutting-edge in the same way we see a Raynaud porcelain or Sambonet flatware. But, this IS a company that is working hard to make itself attractive to today's hospitality tabletop decision-maker....without sacrificing its heritage of good value, friendly service, and quality for money spent. We speak to lots of companies that worry about the economy, so they play it safe, take minimal risks, and hope that the market comes back around to their type of products or company. Typically, the only way these companies compete is to lower prices in one form or another until there's no margin left. Service Ideas doesn't seem to be waiting. With an apparent vision of who they intend to be, this company continues to evolve, grow, and remain as relevent as they were back in 1946 when Art Murray began it all. So, get your copy of Service Ideas' new 2012-13 catalog. We think you will be impressed. P.S. Restaurateurs and tabletop dealers.....think this lesson on staying relevent only applies to suppliers? Wrong....as wildly successful as the original Spago was up on Sunset, it was closed and moved in down into Beverly Hills. The rest is history as today Wolfgang Puck is likely the most prolific chef in America...possibly the world. (ok, Bocuse, fans....you may have something to discuss, but who else?)
Service Ideas new catalog is HOT! off the presses and everybody's got their nose buried in it!
Get your 2012 Service Ideas catalog by going here: http://serviceideas.wordpress.com/ We've talked about Service Ideas before and how we like so many of their branding concepts like deliverying great value in their products, honoring their strong heritage and being known throughout the industry as a friendly, easy-to-work with company. Service Ideas is one of those companies that certainly has been around long enough to be an "old school" thinking (and acting) company that is evolving to be what we think of as more of a "new generation" of foodservice tabletop companies. Too often, we see tabletop companies taking the same old approach to branding - and sales & marketing activities - and expecting different results. Service Ideas is a company that seems to understand and honor the past but is changing - evolving & adapting - and staying current to today's marketplace. Beyond traditional methods of "change" such as adding new products, new sales programs, etc., Service Ideas is utilizing social media through their blog - http://serviceideas.wordpress.com/. We love how Service Ideas uses their blog to introduce us to members of their staff and Michelle L. is the latest staff member at Service Ideas to be profiled: Meet… Michelle Name: Michelle L Title: Package Handler? But I do lots of other things. Years of Service: 5 in June What are some changes you’ve noticed in the warehouse since you first started? Lots of system upgrades to help better the flow of things. Also the new additions like the thousands of feet in warehouse that was added! Do you have a favorite product? If so, which one and why? I don’t have a favorite but I enjoy seeing the new products come in. How do you describe our company to people who are unfamiliar with our name and our brand? I start with the history of Murray’s restaurant and how we started from there and what the Murray family has made, done and where we are now and what we are doing. What’s one of your most memorable moments here at Service Ideas? When the openings came down between the new and old warehouse. If you could live somewhere else for a year, where would you go? I would love to live somewhere where I could ski and snowmobile most of the time. Want to learn more? Be sure to stop back to meet others in the team that are committed to “service ideas.” (check it out.....you will love the size of the fish that Julie has caught!) Many companies have Facebook pages, blogs....some even Tweet....but often they go stale with long lags between updates or they only post when they are doing a trade show or have a totally new product. These companies don't realize that customers aren't interested in simply a product. Yes, it's true that customers are buying products.....but cusotmers also want a relationship. And relationships are with people. Service Ideas gets that. Too often when We go to various company websites, you can't find an actual person's name to contact at that company. It simply says "to contact us, fill out this form" or the email address is [email protected] or [email protected]. If you check out the Service Ideas website, it's very personalized and their blog - http://serviceideas.wordpress.com/ - reinforces that persoanlized approach by profiling their employees, along with pictures. Having been around for over 60 years, Service Ideas qualifies for "old school" status and certainly selling thermal servers might not be considered sexy by some. But, don't tell Tina Brandt that. She and the team at Service Ideas are working hard at staying "new school" and one of the premier suppliers in the hospitality trade. Well done. Very well done. You can see the entire line of Service Idea products by going here: http://www.serviceideas.com/AboutUs.aspx Or, you can learn more about the team at Service Ideas by follwing their blog at: http://serviceideas.wordpress.com/ Family run for 65 years by second and third generation members, Service Ideas continues to maintain a vision of great service and sharing of ideas within the tabletop industry. However, you may be like me....that when I thought of Service Ideas, I thought of this item: But, today, Service Ideas is much, much more than that. There are new product categories such as table baskets, handcrafted glass serving plates, metal table accessories, and, of course, a wide range of coffee and tea service items. Through the years, Service Ideas has worked hard at keeping their product line relevant and fresh. Like many companies, they have a blog site. But, what is different about the Service Ideas' blog is that it really differentiates the company....and it tells its customers how to use their products to differentiate THEIR restaurants. For instance: Looking to create a modern oasis with a look and feel that sets you apart from the rest? We at Service Ideas would love to assist you! We’ve noticed that lots of restaurants today will pick certain color themes to invoke a specific look and feel to their establishment. Below are just a few great options you might like to try. Red is a very strong color. It’s a hot color that evokes a powerful emotion of passion, lust, sex, energy, blood and war. Red is a good color to use for accents and works great in tandem with blacks and silvers. Orange is a bright and warm color. It represents fire, the sun, fun, warmth and tropical images. It is considered a fun light color associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Orange works great alongside white and light green. Yellow is the brightest color to the human eye. It represents youth, fun, happiness, sunshine and other light playful feelings. It is a cheerful energetic color. Yellow works great with other light colors, and compliments browns and greens. Green is the color of nature and health. It represents growth, nature, money, fertility and safety. Green is a relaxing color that is easy on the eye and has a healing power to it. Creams and lighter colors, along with muted grays compliment greens. Blue is a cool calming color that shows creativity and intelligence. Blue has a calming effect on the psyche. Blue is the color of the sky and the sea and is often used to represent those images. Blue looks great in any shade, and works well with white and shades of gray. Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Throughout history purple has been associated with royalty, nobility and prestige. It symbolizes mystery, magic, power and luxury. Purple really pops when complimented by white or metallic tones, like gold or silver. Then, Service Ideas matches the above text with great images like the one below to reinforce what they mean. I will give you the Red image....you can find the rest when you get there. Just click on the picture: If you take just a few minutes to check out Service Ideas.....you are going to quickly see that there's more to them than simple thermal servers (although, they are STILL the gold standard in that category, too).
To see the entire line of Service Ideas products, go to: http://www.serviceideas.com/ Then, cruise by their blog site at: http://serviceideas.wordpress.com/ (you're gonna like this) |
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