Job descriptions — HR’s love letters

by Nate DaPore — President and CEO, PeopleMatter

It's Valentine's Day. I am sure that some of you celebrate, some of you don't and a few are the diehard anti-card-and-flowers type... But I'm going with the…

When is food service NOT a restaurant?

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

If you own a place that sells prepared food for people to eat, you're in the restaurant business, right? Not necessarily.

Gloves! The Controversy Continues – Part 2

by Paul Mcginnis — Vice President, Marketing, Ecolab Food Safety Specialties

There is a general agreement that hand sanitation is a problem, but how that problem is best addressed is not always clear. The arguments to wear gloves and to…

Food fight: Combat rising costs with smarter hourly hiring

by Amanda Richardson — Senior Vice President of Product and Marketing, Snagajob

The restaurant industry is expected to grow this year, but realizing big profits will be a tall order in the face of rising food and labor costs.

Make the final word your best

by Don Fox — CEO, Firehouse of America

Each and every day, your restaurant team serves scores of customers. Your desire is to have every guest experience the very best of your brand, from the time…

Get 'in' on the biggest trend In foodservice

by Nate DaPore — President and CEO, PeopleMatter

Healthy, affordable dining — for kids.

The Secret Decoder Ring and Loss Prevention

Over the holidays I watched “A Christmas Story” for the gazillionth time. One of the scenes in the movie is Ralphie getting his secret decoder ring to unlock…

As serious as a heart attack

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

It's a good idea to designate a senior member of the waitstaff or a manager to be the point person when dealing with diners with allergy concerns.

The top 10 (unmentioned) food industry trends

by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

Adventure in food and flavor is back, comfort food is out.

The Apps of Foodservice

by Nate DaPore — President and CEO, PeopleMatter

Now is the time for restaurants to take control of their mobile presence -- develop apps, mobilize websites, give flexibility to online menus, add special…

I could not have said it better myself

by Don Fox — CEO, Firehouse of America

Put a bunch of fast casual restaurateurs in a room together and before long it is likely that a discussion will break out on what sets us apart from our fast…

What else can I get you?

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

Listen to your customers before -- and after -- tweaking your menu options, and teach your staff how to sell something new.

But I thought it was being done – Inspecting the expected

We may have too much faith that it cannot happen, or won’t happen or we’re simply naïve. Perhaps we don’t seek, therefore we don’t find. Maybe it’s…

A lesson in loyalty

by Janet Eden-Harris — CMO & SVP Strategy, Market Force

Recession or not, the restaurant industry is here and growing. Consumers spend a huge percentage of their food budgets on eating out at restaurants, and…

Screening your background screener

by Amanda Richardson — Senior Vice President of Product and Marketing, Snagajob

If your application process takes too long, it could repel top talent, leading to bad hires, high turnover and lost profits.

Putting a ribbon on the recession

by Don Fox — CEO, Firehouse of America

Conventional wisdom (or at least the wisdom of the National Bureau of Economic Research) says that the Great Recession began in December of 2007 and ended in…

Revitalize ‘good service’: A foodservice must

by Nate DaPore — President and CEO, PeopleMatter

Loyal customers make approximately 70 percent of all purchases, so increasing loyalty by a mere five percentage points can increase profits by more than 6…

Convenience stores, QSR, fast casual and the food police

by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

Perhaps it is consumers who should be studied further to uncover the reason for their behavioral disconnects, instead of placing all the blame on QSRs and…

What’s on your kids’ menu?

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

About 8 percent of all Americans under the age of 18 have some kind of food allergy.

The top 5 reasons to franchise your business

by Harold Kestenbaum — Partner, Gordon & Rees, LLP

If you are an entrepreneur and you have one, two or even three operations, why should you be thinking about franchising? There are many reasons, but here are…