What's a FOH BOH

Michael Atkinson has a passion for the restaurant business. He also has experience on Wall Street and is knowledgeable about new Web technology. Last November, he put his restaurant experience, financial acumen and technological skills together to develop www.FohBoh.com, which stands for Front of the HouseBack of the House, a social networking site for the global restaurant industry. The site launched in January.

The timing is good for a social network, says Atkinson, president of Foh Boh. There are other social networks out there, but most are business-to-consumer and that market is pretty crowded.

We are the only B2B social network. We are blogcentric with user-generated content. Foh Boh enables people in the business to have a voice; it's a platform for restaurants, he says.

Atkinson says the Web site is also good for business. Generation Y gets it, and businesses are now starting to adopt this medium. It connects [business owners] to their employee group, he says.

So far, the site seems successful. More than 6,000 members from 75 countries have signed up, and there are a handful of members from the Granite State. It's a pulse, a virtual water cooler, says Atkinson.

Foh Boh also includes a Group Purchasing Network, which is a free service in which members can sign up and save money on food supplies and chemicals. For more information, visit www.FohBoh.com.