FoodService Resources

Virtual Marketing Toolkit for Allied Partners and Corporate Sponsors

2010-05-24T12:51:00.000-04:00

Virtual Marketing Toolkit for Allied Partners and Corporate Sponsors

Georgia Restaurant Association CALL TO ACTION!

2010-04-29T11:06:00.000-04:00

Georgia Restaurant Association CALL TO ACTION!

The very best overall - FREE - Restaurant Portal on the internet today

2009-01-02T13:16:00.001-05:00

The very best overall - FREE - Restaurant Portal on the internet today is www.FoodServiceResource.com. Here you can find extensive information on Georgia (and many other States). As a matter-of-fact, we have links to Howards website on our Florida Page and Texas Page.

You can also find these other resources on our website:
National Government Resources
Financial Resources
Green FoodService Resources
Human Resources
Restaurant Operation Resources
Educational Resources
Health and Safety Resources
Service Agent and Repair Resources
Pre-Opening Checklist - Georgia
Free Small Business Tools and Document Templates
Commercial Real Estate Brokers, Designers, Contractors, and
Sub-Contractors
Restaurant Equipment and Restaurant Supplies
Commercial Services Available in Georgia and the Southeast

Here are some things that Restaurant Operators say about us:
What a great website! It will definitely be a good resource I'll recommend.
Mike Fuller - Executive Chef
Alon’s Bakery

What a wonderful tool your website is. The amount of information and resources you list all in one place is incredible. I wish I had had something at my fingertips like this in years past. We will certainly use your site as we develop our concept.
Frank Brown - Strategic Business Development
Rasoee Restaurants

Congratulations and thank you all in the same breath! It's awesome that you have taken the initiative to put this all in one spot for aspiring restauranteurs! As an individual that is in the process of embarking on that very adventure, I can't tell you how many hours I've spent sourcing information.
Tony Martinez - Director, Product Development/Executive Chef
Tazinos Inc.

Carl, thanks for the e-mail with the contacts for realtors and business brokers, this really helps us in understanding the Atlanta market. Feel free to e-mail me if you run into any opportunities or case studies. Thanks again Tony.
Tony Lyons
Lyon’s Pubs

Carl, I took a look at your website and was impressed with the facility of use and the scope of information. I'm actually in the throws of beginning a business plan for my own place. I know that your site will be very useful in keeping me on track and informed. Thanks for creating such a useful tool.
Tamara
Famous Pub

We are opening a restaurant this August in Houston and your website has been very helpful to us. Your Restaurant Pre-Opening Check List is a great tool.
Tim Jordan
Spotswood Holdings, LLC

As we prepared to open Danneman's coffee in the Old 4th Ward, I immediately went to www.foodserviceresource.com. I knew from experience with opening a new business that there would be constant questions coming up each day and that I would need quick answers. Your website really saved me time and money. I find the information on permitting, city and county codes particularly helpful! Thank you so much for this service!
Kate Pedrick
Danneman's- coffee in the Old 4th Ward

Have Fun!
Be #1,

Carl Muth
FoodServiceResource.com

How To Hire Employees Before Opening A Restaurant

2008-06-25T10:13:00.002-04:00

How To Hire Employees Before Opening A Restaurant

You know how many employees you will need by the size of your restaurant, and the hours you will be open. You need employees for many jobs and they need to be hired before the opening of the restaurant. You will need to find people who will do a good job, and take pride in their work. This will be very important to the reputation of your restaurant, and will greatly contribute to your success.

If you want good, hard working employees, you will need to offer them a good wage and health benefits. If your employees are not happy, it will show in their work. A successful restaurant business is a bit like a family, you should always treat your employees fairly and honestly.

There are many ways for you to go about hiring employees before opening a restaurant. One of them is in the classified section of your newspaper or the online classifieds. If you need special requirements from a worker, you should mention that in the ad. You should also mention type of attitude you expect from a workerâ€“ friendly, responsible, a people person, to name a few. The last thing you need is a sad sack who is not friendly with the customers. Hopefully you will be able to read what type of personality a potential hire has at the interview.

The local employment office will usually have a job service section. You can let them know you have an opening and they will add your job offer to their computer database, and post a printout on their bulletin board. There are quite a few people who register their resume with the employment office, that would love a job after you open a restaurant.

You may want to offer a job to a student. You can do so by contacting your local high schools , they may have quite a few students who would like a job working after school and on weekends. Colleges and Universities usually have bulletin boards where you are able to post job openings. Another idea is to recruit your cooks and chefs at a Culinary College.

Once you have opened a restaurant and find you need a bit more help, you can ask your best employees for a recommendation of someone to fill the position. If they are a friend of the employee, hopefully they will have the same working spirit.

Placing an ad in the window of your restaurant, that states you are taking applications for certain jobs is another way to attract potential employees. Give a time you will be available, and a phone where you can be reached. You will then be able to see a group of potential workers within a certain time frame and not be running helter skelter interviewing people to fill the jobs. Get organized.

If you are out grocery shopping, and you see an employee with great energy and an outgoing personality, tell them about the job. If you encounter a person with the qualifications you desire in any other business, you should tell them you are looking for people with the same pep and personality they have, who might be interested in a job in your restaurant. Leave them a card and ask them to pass it on to someone who might like the job.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on how to start a restaurant checkout his recommended websites.

Post a Job! $35 for 30
days

Simple and Affordable Ways to Lower Your Restaurant’s Impact on the Environment

2008-06-04T16:31:00.001-04:00

Simple and Affordable Ways to Lower Your Restaurant’s Impact on the Environment
Going green is a gradual process and does not require spending a lot of money. You can start by paying attention to daily activities. The best things you can do are so simple. Make one tiny change a month and you’ll make a difference.

Recycling
• Recycle as much paper, glass, plastic, aluminum and cardboard as possible. It takes hundreds of years for these items to breakdown in a landfill.

• Contact your local city hall and ask them about the recycling services they provide. Ask questions, if your county provides recycling pick up – do they provide containers and do you have to pick them up? Where do the recycled items go after they are picked up by the service? Be an active consumer, make sure your recycling company does it right.

• You may have to pay for a service, ask your city/county for suggestions of local pick up services. If they give you the names of a few services, call them and ask them the same questions, also – how much do they charge, how often do they pick up, is there an extra charge for separating the recycled items?

• If they do not know of any, contact the Georgia Recycling Coalition. If they do not provide containers, use old trash cans, or inexpensive plastic containers as bins for recycled items. Place them in a centralized place in the kitchen.

• Train your staff on the importance of recycling as well as where to put discarded/empty recycled items.

• If possible, eliminate or reduce your use of plastic water and soda bottles.

• Go thru your trash, determine how it can be minimized. Can you compost? Determine your food cost and how much you can save by growing your own herbs and vegetables and fertilizing your garden with your compost.

• Support local organic farms, see if they are interested in your compost in exchange for fresh produce. Be aware, on average food is transported thousands of miles, where does your produce come from?

Energy Conservation• Make sure all lights, equipment and computers are turned off at the end of the day

• Make sure your kitchen staff turns off the ovens as soon as service comes to a close.

• Replace old lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs.

• Contact your local utility company to arrange for a free or inexpensive energy audit.

Water Conservation
• As the drought continues our reservoirs are draining down faster than they are filling up, currently it is estimated that it will be at least six months before drought conditions improve

• Install aerators on faucets and adjust the water level in toilets. If just 2 percent of the U.S. population turned on the kitchen and bathroom faucets to a fraction of full blast, nearly 12 million gallons of water could be saved everyday.

• Inspect kitchen and restroom faucets for leaks – www.northgeorgiawater.org for more information. Inspect toilets for leaks.

• Fix the toilet leak and you can save as much as 100 gallons of water per day. If a leak inside your toilet is left unrepaired for six months, as much as 18,000 gallons of water goes unused down the drain.

• Toilet water use can be cut by 30 percent with a toilet retrofit device. It saves about 9 gallons of water a day.

• Don’t leave faucets running, if you are waiting for the water to heat up, fill up a pot that’s intended for boiling potatoes or pasta. Or fill up a container or pitcher with the cold water until it gets warm. Use the cold water for indoor plants, humidifiers, etc. Put dropped ice cubes in plants.

• Train your wait/bus staff to not give customers water unless they ask for it.

• Plan ahead, don’t thaw meet by running water over it.

• Set timers on outdoor landscaping so that outdoor watering occurs at night and only in 15- 20 minute intervals, better yet water grass and outdoor vegetable/herb gardens with stored rainwater. Rainbarrels can be purchased at Pike’s, Lowes and Home Depot or online at www.buildinggreener.com.

Involve your staff
• Employee participation is essential. Bring together a team of employees to educate co-workers on environmental issues and keep track of the recycling, energy & water conservation, and restaurant & cleaning supply ordering activities of your restaurant. Consider creating incentives and recognition for employees who drive your environmental efforts.

Create a healthy, sustainable work environment by replacing antiquated systems

Heating & Cooling
• Maintain your heating and cooling systems and make sure they are checked annually.

• Replace your air filters regularly with charcoal based air filters.

Restaurant Equipment
• If you are remodeling, replace old kitchen equipment and appliances with energy-efficient, Energy Star rated kitchen equipment – stoves, dishwashers, hoods,

refrigerators, freezers, etc.
• Replace kitchen flooring with flooring made from recycled materials

• Replace worn carpeting with carpet tiles made from recycled carpet materials.

Restaurant Supplies
• Try to use recycled paper in your restaurant, replace plastic straws with paper straws.

• Stock bathrooms with recycled tissue products. Tissue manufacturers destroy forests when they turn virgin wood into throw-away paper products.

• Consider new options for takeout packaging, such as corn starch to-go cups and takeout containers, takeaway utensils made from potato starch.

Create a healthy environment by using non-toxic products and cleaners
Reduce your risk of exposure to toxic chemicals by reading the packaging on products.

• Buy cleaning products that are Nontoxic, biodegradable, chlorine-free, chemical free, phosphate-free, non-petroleum based, fragrance-free – Soy Safe offers a product line of these types of cleaners

• Stop using or try to avoid using products that contain: Ammonia or Chlorine Bleach

Environmentally friendly actions don’t have to be large to have an impact. Consistently reducing the amount of energy, water, and toxic cleaners we use can make a huge difference, both to the environment and to our pocketbooks.
Education, awareness and action are the three things you can do to make a difference.

SANDRA CUMMINS
SOUTHEAST GREEN
sandracummins@mindspring.com
770-314-1720
www.southeastgreen.com

Worksheets and Costs Associated with Startup, plus FoodService Equipment and Supply Requirements

2008-03-30T15:17:00.004-04:00

Worksheets and Costs Associated with Startup, plus FoodService Equipment and Supply Requirements

These are a few of the Basic Steps that you should take when considering opening a Restaurant or Bar.

First
Design your Menu
Determine Recipes, Food Costs, and Equipment Specifications. You do not want a 35# electric fryer if you sell a lot of fried food. You won't get enough production to cover a four seat restaurant, and the recovery time on the fryer will be much too long to get out a second batch of food. When buying equipment Don't be Penny Wise and Pound Foolish. Many operators save a few dollars on their core pieces of equipment only to find out that it costs them thousands in lost revenue once they open for business. Clarify your concept and put all the proposed details--from decor to dessert choices--in writing. If you can't write about them, they need more thought.

Second
Business Plan
Most Successful FoodService Operators STRONGLY RECOMMEND putting together a Business Plan BEFORE making any kind of monetary investment. Without a GOOD Business Plan you could lose Tens of Thousands of Dollars. If you can successfully create a Detailed Business Plan, you have gotten past your Second Hurdle.
Click Here to see a Restaurant Pre-Opening Checklist

Small Business Tools & Templates Page
Sample Restaurant P&L (excel file)
Restaurant Market Analysis.pdf - University of Wisconsin-Extension Center for Community Economic Development and the Small Business Development Center.

Third
Financing
Even people with a lot of experience in the FoodService Business Lose their Shirts. The primary reason for this is Under Capitalization. Make sure that you have enough money to operate your restaurant for Six Months to One Year without making a profit.

Fourth
Licensing and Regulations
If you plan on selling Alcohol, make sure that you fully understand, and are prepared (Financially & Personally) to meet State, County, and City Regulations. Research Local FoodService Establishment Requirements & Health Code Regulations BEFORE looking for a property (See the Santa Barbara Example). This will give you the ability to intelligently negotiate a Lease Agreement. Look very carefully at the property to make sure that there will not be any MAJOR changes required to the physical plant by the local Health Department. Even if the location was a restaurant previously, does NOT mean that it meets current Regulations. Many people have found out after they signed their lease that they would need to spend $5,000.00 to $15,000.00 to upgrade the Greasetrap and Septic Tank Systems.

Fifth
Get a professional Contractor
One that can stick to a schedule and is familiar with local regulations and inspectors. Don't rely on your cousin Ernie just because he has built a few Houses. Everyday that you go over schedule will cost you Thousands of Dollars in Operating Expenses and Lost Sales.

Sixth
Shop for Goods and Services
Once you have gotten past these hurdles, you can start pricing the equipment, Smallwares, Goods, and Services that will go into your operation.
Use the Spreadsheet in conjunction with prices that you can get from the Restaurant Equipment And Supply Store

Sample Restaurant P&L (excel file)
This is a (relatively) complete list of supplies needed to open a 100 seat restaurant. If your restaurant has 75 seats, multiply the total listed by .75, If your restaurant has 187 seats, multiply total listed by 1.87 etc.
If you get a pop-up screen asking for a Password, just click the cancel button and the document will download.

2008-02-27T13:36:00.000-05:00

The Georgia Restaurant Association has been spearheading the development and implementation of the new Food Code for over two years. Until the GRA stepped in, there wasn't any input from actual restaurant professionals. The code had been written by members of the DHR and if passed into law, could of had a disastrous effect on FoodService Operators in the State. There is also a Georgia Food Code Resource Center where you can ask questions and get answers from the Staff and Director of the DHR.

To quote Nancy Oswald (Ruth's Chris Steak House) past Chairwoman of the Georgia Restaurant Association:
"... 2006 was no doubt a year of accomplishments for the GRA, perhaps none more important than our work on the Georgia Food Code. For those of you who missed the front page of the AJC on January 18th and the editorial in today’s paper, the DHR Board just last week approved the third revised version of the Rules and Regulations for Food Service. What the AJC article did not mention is the tireless hours spent by MANY of our GRA members to reach this conclusion and insure a smooth implementation by year’s end. Please allow me to publicly thank those who worked on the front line and those behind the scenes who helped achieve this goal. First and foremost, I will forever be indebted to Frank Ferko of Rare Hospitality (who led the charge and guided us all as we navigated through what was sometimes very unfamiliar regulatory territory), Todd Burrowes and Tammi Stigger also of Rare Hospitality, Niko Karatassos of Buckhead Life, Neel Sengupta, Eric Holm and Don Adkkison of Golden Corral, Pam Williams of YUM Brands, Board member Jaime Gonzalez, GRA Executive Director Ron Wolf, Hal Noakof Hal’s, our Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Guy Thomson, Senator Don Balfour, Mike Vaquer and Jean McRae of the Vaquer Firm, our 2006 GRA Vice Chair and Incoming 2007 Chair Lenore Krentz, and last but certainly not least -- our esteemed General Counsel Charles Hoff who spent tireless hours crafting our message, researching and advising.

The results of each and everyone’s diligent efforts are clear. We will now have a Food Code that is more closely aligned with the most current version of the national Model Food Code – the most scientifically sound food safety technical guidance document available today. The GRA’s continued advocacy of the Model Code is largely responsible for this result. Other positive revisions to the code that the GRA played an integral role in securing are a reconfigured scoring mechanism where risk factor values are weighted according to severity, a true 100 point scoring scale, and revisions to the original plan calling for the displaying of letter grades on our restaurants’ front doors."

You can find more Health and Safety information on our website FoodServiceResource.com

FoodService Resources: Using Web 2 as an information gathering and business generating tool.

2008-02-19T16:52:00.000-05:00

FoodService Resources: Using Web 2 as an information gathering and business generating tool.

Using Web 2 as an information gathering and business generating tool.

2008-02-18T11:15:00.001-05:00

One thing that I have learned in this business is that trying to get a group of FoodService Industry Professionals together in one room, is like trying to herd cats! I have created a private domain where we can share information about what is going on in our area. Who's opening, closing, moving, selling, etc. I have also learned that several salespeople can hold one piece of the puzzle when it comes to a single business unit. In a group of 15 - 25 people, chances are that someone knows an address, another a name, another a phone number, and another may have had a previous relationship with the operator. The fact that our community is on-line allows everyone to participate at their convenience and add to the puzzle when ever they have a piece. They can get or place information where ever they have a connection to the internet. We also produce a marketing piece for our group that allows us to cross-promote. Because we get instantaneous information from our domain, we only meet once a month instead of 2-4 times a month like other groups! Another bonus is that members of our group (in many cases) beat their competition to the punch. I have attached a copy of our Monthly Market Report from last October as an example.

Have Fun!
Be #1,
Carl Muth
FoodServiceResource.com

Restaurant Equipment Maintenance and Repair

2008-02-11T20:02:00.000-05:00

http://www.foodserviceresource.com/ServiceAgents/service_agents.htm

Like they say; an ounce of preparation is worth more than a pound of cure. I was an E & S salesman for 12 years, and invariably I would get that call around 3 or 4 in the afternoon from a customer who had a piece of equipment that had broken down. So they call me (even though I may not of sold them the piece of equipment) to find out who the authorized service agent is for that manufacturer. Now (because they are a good customer) I have to stop making sales calls, get some one from the office that can look up the information on the phone, then get some one on the phone at the mfg to give me the information, then get the restaurant operator (the person that called me in the first place) on the phone to answer his question. This whole process could take up to an hour or longer, so the rest of your day is shot just trying to take care of a simple problem.The good news is that I have created a solution to this problem. On my website (FoodServiceResource.com), I have created a Service Agent & Repair Page where the Sales Person or End User can quickly get the information that they need. If you're a salesman out in the field, all you have to do is tell your customer to go to FoodServiceResource.com, look for the Service Agent & Repair Page., and get the information that they need. One phone call, no follow up calls, Zero Cost, and off to the next customer. Brilliant!!

Restaurant Start-Up Resources

2008-02-10T16:11:00.000-05:00

I'm not that great of a writer, but I am very good at research. So please excuse any bad grammar or spelling errors. I have created a FoodService Resource Website based on my experience opening, operating and selling E&S to restaurants. In the old days when we opened up a restaurant we had to run all over town picking up applications, permits, rules and regulations, inspection requests and tons of other paperwork. We went through 100's of catalogs setting specifications for equipment, furniture, tabletop, smallwares, etc. As a salesperson I spent 100's of hours helping end-users specify equipment, smallwares, furniture, tabletop, etc. With the advent of the internet, it has become ever easier to find all the things that you need on-line. The only problem is that all that stuff is all over the place and can be difficult to locate quickly and efficiently. Search engines return millions of links and it's easy to wind up at a dead end. Also, the companies that come up at the top of the search lists are not always the most qualified to provide the goods or services that you need. Pay-per click advertising and other crafty means of manipulating the search engines often put the worst companies at the top. My Website is a no frills, meat and potato site that offers tools and resources for the Restaurant Owner/Manager/Worker. The website actually started as a way to help a friend of mine open her Catering/Special Events Facility in Alpharetta Georgia (http://www.themetropolitanclub.net/). I started finding and aggregating all the information, documents, links, and requirements that I could find from the internet. The easiest way to organize all the information available was to create a navigatable website that categorized and linked all the different documents. I sell space on my web to reputable companies that sell to the restaurant market. Eventually, I would like to bring some manufacturers (ones that I have used and trust) on board as sponsors. So far, I have collected information on 22 States, and we are adding more all the time. If you are in a State that I have not started, please Email Me and I will get to work on it. I have a Research Page specifically designed for people that are “thinking about” getting into the “Restaurant Business”. The page has some rudimentary steps about what you have to do and think about when getting started, along with articles on what it is like to run a restaurant. I especially like the advice given to people with no experience in the biz, which suggests working as a dishwasher in a restaurant that has the volume of business that you would like to achieve. If you can work at that job for a month, you will have a better understanding of what it takes to be an owner. The page also contains a sample P&L, a Smallwares Requirements List, a Pre-Opening Checklist (Both-Downloadable below), a Restaurant Market Analysis Tool, and many other resources that describe the colossal task of opening and operating a restaurant.

Have Fun!
Be #1,
Carl Muth
FoodServiceResource.com