Floored! includes everything you need to know about the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show (NRA Show) and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB). And more!
Written by:
Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief
Brad Pierce, Equipment & Supplies Dealer Contributor
Tina Fahrenbruch, Contributing Blogger
Tatiana Vieira Green, International Contributor
Nathan Greene, Resident Mixologist
Nancy Kruse, Menu Trends Contributor
International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB)
May 19-20, 2013
McCormick Place, Chicago
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By NRA Show Staff
Foodservice consultant Nancy Kruse will answer questions via live chat during the rebroadcast of her "Menu Innovation 2012: Turning Trends into Money Makers" session om NRA Show 2012, tomorrow Tuesday, July 31, 3pm ET. Register online.
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief
The Hospitality Education Foundation of Georgia is competing in a contest for a complete video production worth up to $50,000. If the Foundation wins (fingers crossed it does!), it will use the money to create a video that tells the story of who the Foundation is and its mission to help hospitality and foodservice students.
It just takes a minute to vote for Hospitality Education Foundation of Georgia.
What is HEFG you ask? Well, the Foundation is dedicated to providing direct support for the education of hospitality and foodservice students, by facilitating industry experiences and connecting the classroom with industry professionals and resources.
Tell your friends! This is a popularity contest after all and the Foundation needs all the votes it can get.
Contrary to what many pundits espouse, e-mail is far from dead. It is a very personal channel that is effective in raising the level of engagement with consumers, Sundeep Kapur writes. Here are some tips on getting consumers to "like" or follow your brand on social media channels even more.
Start with the signup page. Tell them who you are on your signup page(s). Make it easy to find your social media links by putting them on your e-mail subscription page. If you can, and if your consumer is willing, facilitate the email signup via social media. The Wall Street Journal does a nice job in this respect. Privacy issues may stop you from using the Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter sign-in to create an email account, and a few financial institutions have learned this the hard way.
Send a socially focused email message. Run a campaign each month where your primary call to action is to invite your consumer to join your social media following. When you do this, don't take them to an empty discussion board. Instead think about getting your consumer into a discussion that is already well underway. Hold back on the offer to sell to the consumer within the email or even on your social media site as soon as they get there. Instead, use a content engagement strategy to get them there, get a dialogue going, and then make the offer. This step-by-step approach works very well.
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief and Nancy Kruse, Menu Trends Contributor
Question: What’s hotter than a habanero, growing faster than the speed of sound and influencing menus across all segments of the industry?
Answer: Food trucks, which combines creative cuisine with mobility, spontaneity and marketing buzz.
There’s a lot to be learned from the current meals-on-wheels craze, and conventional restaurateurs don’t need to be left in the dust by these upstart competitors.
Tune in on at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 31 for a live chat (it's a free online event) of my "Menu Innovation 2012: Turning Trends into Money Makers" session from NRA Show 2012. We'll look at food truck operators’ innovative approaches to menu development and delivery and ideas you can adapt to your own operation.
Blogger's note: We first began reporting on the food-loving streets phenomenon in 2010 with "Food Trucks Roll into NRA Show 2010".
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief
The National Restaurant Association has surpassed a milestone by issuing its 5 millionth ServSafe certification, underscoring its place as the number-one food safety training program in the U.S. and abroad. The ServSafe Food Safety program has been the gold-standard for educating restaurant and foodservice managers and staff about food safety requirements and best practices for nearly 40 years.
“We are proud to celebrate this milestone of 5 million ServSafe certifications and continuing our success into the future,” said Paul Hineman, executive vice president for the National Restaurant Association.
Hineman added, “We take great pride in our food safety training program and are thrilled that it has been embraced by so many restaurant and foodservice professionals around the world.”
Continue reading "National Restaurant Association surpasses 5M ServSafe certifications" »
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief
Here’s something you can raise your glass to: It’s National Tequila Day today.
There are all kinds of tequila varieties out there to choose from and lots of ways to enjoy the drink. Whatever your preference, today is the day to celebrate (responsibly, of course)!
Spicy Peach Margarita by Top Chef Judge Gail Simmons
Tequila Sunrise
1 1/2 cups ice
2 ounces Rincon Alteno tequila
4 ounces orange juice
1 cup ice
3/4 ounce grenadine syrup
Continue reading "3 Cocktails to Celebrate National Tequila Day" »
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief
Known to audiences around the world as the compassionate, discerning judge from the Emmy Award-winning Top Chef, Gail Simmons offers up this delish Spicy Peach Margarita recipe to help you beat the summer heat.
SPICY PEACH MARGARITA
Makes 2 drinks
2 tablespoons honey-chili mixture (see ice cream recipe)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons kosher salt (or margarita salt?)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 lime
1 cup peach nectar
4 ounces Patron tequila
Fresh peach slices, for garnish
In a small saucepan, combine the honey-chili mixture and water. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer and stir. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, mix the salt and cayenne pepper. Transfer to a plate. Moisten the rim of two rocks glasses with a lime wedge and rim the glasses with the salt and cayenne mixture.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the cooled honey-chili mixture, peach nectar, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice and tequila. Pour over ice in prepared glasses and garnish with a fresh peach slice and another wedge of lime.
Continue reading "Spicy Peach Margarita by Top Chef Judge Gail Simmons" »
How restaurants can use top social media sites to boost marketing efforts
Image: Thinkstock
Reposted from Nation's Restaurant News
by Ron Ruggless
Social media has become the focal point in many restaurant marketing efforts, but the battlefield for consumer awareness has become clouded with a growing number of platforms and a limited amount of resources.
Foodservice companies remain intent on getting their message heard, however. In the NRN Restaurant Operators Survey released in January executives said they planned to increase marketing spending this year and that social media would get the lion’s share of marketing efforts. About 47 percent of survey respondents said social media was the most important part of their 2012 marketing campaigns.
And consumers are poised to accept marketing messages delivered via social media, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast. Released in February, the study revealed that nearly one third of consumers said they would be likely to sign up as a follower on Facebook or Twitter if a restaurant made its specials available on those platforms.
The NRA [National Restaurant Association] forecast also found that more than nine out of 10 operators said their restaurant will likely be using Facebook in the next year or two, with use of Twitter and smartphone applications expected to rise as well.
To make it easier to sort through the growing number of social media offerings, Nation's Restaurant News identifies some of the most useful social media sites for marketing and gives tips on how restaurants can use them.
Facebook
Facebook continues to be the platinum standard for social media, providing a platform for its 900 million users to share information about themselves and people and places they like. A few more women (58 percent) engage on Facebook than men (42 percent). Restaurateurs, big and small, can create a page to connect with fans of the brand and potential customers and even conduct polls and contests.
For restaurants:
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief
Restaurants are introducing new menu items at record levels to lure recession-spooked patrons. Discover successful strategies to convince consumers to return to restaurants in a live rebroadcast of a standing-room-only session from NRA Show 2012.
Foodservice consultant Nancy Kruse will answer questions via a live chat during the rebroadcast of her "Menu Innovation 2012: Turning Trends into Money Makers" session. Join us at 3 p.m. ET on July 31 to learn what’s hot on menus and how to make simple, tweaks to turn trends into moneymakers.
Learn more, and register.
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief
The 5th Annual International Wine, Spirit & Beer Event (IWSB) at NRA Show 2012 in May brought together a record number of attendees, a dynamic lineup of industry experts and legends, and a diverse and exciting array of exhibitors. We all took away inspiration, ideas and memories to last until next year.
Save the date for IWSB and NRA Show 2013. The NRA Show will take place May 18-21 at Chicago's McCormick Place. IWSB is set for May 19-20. Visit www.winespiritsbeer.org and www.restaurant.org/show for updates and information.
