Nationwide Restaurant Trends

The 2008 Trends Tour to Chicago and Las Vegas has just been completed. Here are my first observations on trends, issues and buzz:

Green Goes Mainstream
Most restaurants and hotels have been recycling for years: bottles, cardboard and waste oil...but we've never told anyone. Now it's time to ratchet the effort up several notches, finding ways to recycle heat and cut power consumption. And just as we insist on supplier documents for food safety, it's time to ask your vendors for information that backs up their environmentally friendly claims. A second 'guerilla' step to make your own organization greener is to take packing materials from boxes and return them to the supplier why should all that foam and cardboard be your problem?

Staff as Environmental Warriors
Bear in mind that schools are drawing on environmental themes: science students analyze water quality in the local river, the mathematics lesson works out the statistics involved and rainwater is collected for flushing the toilets. Young workers have grown up thinking green and they expect their workplace to respect the environment. Does your facility give them a nice surprise or a nasty shock?

Sure, young people have a lot to learn about the real cost of doing business, but if you're experiencing problems retaining young staffers, this may need attention. Be a hero, not a fossil. There's a ton of work to be done on this issue in every business, and if ever there were a project that could build motivation among workers, this is it!

Create a Kitchen Where Chefs Want to Work
Have you ever spent long hours in a hot, noisy white box, with harsh lights, smelly clothes, a hard floor and no lunch break? No wonder chefs go a little crazy, or leave the industry. One seminar, 'Kitchen of the Future,' at the recent National Restaurant Association show noted that there are lots of ways to reduce heat, exhaust noise and aching legs, and if restaurateurs don't ease those challenges, they should expect to lose great employees to those competitors who do. A staff shower was listed as one item that allows workers to leave work smelling nice or to cool down between long hot shifts.

Easy as an iPod
The downside of having so much technology to drive tills, ovens, payroll, lighting and security is that the complexity defeats the very people it's meant to help. The new twist many savvy equipment makers are offering includes easy-to-use controls that don't require a handbook to decipher. One seminar pointed out that only 10 percent of features are used on 60 percent of the computer-assisted equipment. What a waste!

Safety is a Mainstream Issue
What I didn't hear was moaning about the cost and inconvenience of proper food and workplace safety. The truth is the risks are too high if you get it wrong. The message that was repeated by everyone from coffee franchises to small operators, and shows up in everything from automatic hand-towel dispensers to temperature alarms is safety, safety, safety. When you've got the right policies in place, promote them for all to hear. And don't assume one training session suffices. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Authentic Food
Whether it's customers asking about food miles, local production or organic vegetables, there's a genuine and growing hunger for food from known sources, honestly labeled and true to its origins. Even my local barbecue shop has a banner boasting that its products are unbleached and free of hormones and pesticides. If you are serving authentic food, talk it up on your menu.

Steak Religion
In the U.S. it's tied in with myths of the Wild West and home on the range. In Australia there's growing interests in cattle breeds and the place of origin. There's also more awareness of animal raising issues and humane treatment. Does your staff know where rib eye, sirloin or rump steak come from? What does grain fed actually mean? Beef marketing organizations usually have excellent training material. Use it.

The Tragic Consequence of Corn Ethanol Production
It's not the only reason for soaring grain prices, but there were plenty of comments from restaurateurs who are on the blunt end of subsidies that reward farmers to divert food into producing fuel. We all need to know more about this, as the consequences are worldwide.

Food, Drink and the Retail Experience
Are you making gift Cards available online or in-store, with attractive cards to accompany them. Do you offer patrons T-shirts, baseball caps or bottles of your unique hot sauce? Margaritaville is the fun end of the spectrum, and even up market Charlie Trotters sells books, chef jackets and knives. Don't miss out on an opportunity to sell something around your business.

Ken Burgin is CEO of Profitable Hospitality, which offers management and marketing resources. To sign up for a free e-newsletter, go to www.profitablehospitality.com.