It’s clear that the resurgence of comfort foods is one of the major menu trends to emerge out of the economic recession. And what’s a better comfort food than pasta? From penne pomodoro to fettuccine alfredo, few dishes marry satisfying taste an budget-friendly value like pastas. Wholesome, flavorful and easily customizable, pasta is the perfect comfort food for cost-conscious diners and restaurant operators alike.

If anyone knows the value of pasta, it’s the owners and operators of Italian restaurants. From nation-wide chains and franchises to local mom-and-pop shops, more and more pizzerias are adding pasta-based entrees and appetizers to their lineups – and reaping the financial rewards.

Roughly 60% of the independent pizzeria operators surveyed in PMQ Pizza Magazine’s 2009 census already served some kind of pasta dish in their restaurants, and an additional five percent planned to introduce one within the next six months. What’s more, those already serving pasta in their pizzeras reported that…

Considering the stereotypes surrounding military food, it’s no wonder that most people rank it just above “jailhouse fare”. Luckily, things have changed since the days of Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) and Spam.

Today’s base commissaries are stocked with the same products that fill commercial grocery store aisles, as well as ready-to-cook frozen foods and prepared dishes. Most bases also feature a wide variety of restaurants, from quick service chains to fast casual concepts. With so many options available, it’s easy to forget how much time servicemen and women spend dining in traditional mess halls. Simply put, military foodservice workers provide a lot of food to a lot of people, every day. But how do they keep their operations organized?

For some military bases, outside food manufacturers are the answer. Many bases choose to outsource contracts to government-funded foodservice vendors with experience in the nontraditional sector. For instance, when the U.S. Marine Corps bid out its first…

For years fusion dishes were heralded as one of the trendiest fads in the foodservice industry. These days, they’ve become mainstays on many restaurant menus, and industry forecasts indicate they’re not going anywhere. Diners love the innovative blends of bold flavors and unexpected ingredients that fusion dishes offer, and restaurateurs love the profits that they bring in.

But now that it seems like every corner bistro has added a token Eurasian entree to its menu, how can restaurants like yours stand out — and spend less — with new spins on fusion-inspired cuisine?

It’s a matter of thinking smaller. Street food, for instance, is typically finger food you can buy from a streetside vendor, or from a food stand or portable truck. These traditionally ethnic fast foods are now as popular as ever, and many restaurants have started adapting the recipes for use on their own menus. You don’t need a roadside stand to incorporate street foods into your restaurant’s existing fusion…

Ask anyone who runs a family-friendly restaurant and (s)he’ll tell you: Keeping the littlest customers happy can be one of the biggest challenges – and bring the biggest rewards . Your best bet is providing enough kid-friendly entertainment to keep children happy and occupied the entire dining experience. Try a few of the time-tested tips below at your own restaurant to keep guests of all ages coming back for more:

Create a kids-only play area. Kids aren’t the only ones who get fussy while waiting for tables, but they can certainly be the noisiest. Create a dedicated play area for your younger customers to enjoy before they are seated. Don’t worry about building a McDonalds-style playpen; even a few slides or jungle gyms and a sand pit give kids a great outlet for all that energy and keep them entertained until it’s time to eat.

Table games and coloring books still work. Nothing kills the atmosphere in…

Our society is always on the go. Between work, school, family and friends—not to mention a little sleep here and there—it can be hard to find time to grab a bite at all, let alone sit down for a full restaurant meal. As a foodservice operator, you’ve probably seen the effects of our collective time crunch firsthand. Whether your restaurant features a curbside take-away lane or a take-out delivery service, you know that today’s customers appreciate the speed and convenience of grab-and-go dining.

One proponent of grab-and-go dishes, Sodexho Corporate Services’ Bill Mitchell, attributes the genre’s growing popularity to its speed and convenience, something every restaurant operator appreciates. So take advantage of the on-the-go trend and expand your restaurant’s grab-and-go menu selections using the helpful tips here:

It’s all about portability. Lunchtime favorites like salads (Sodexho’s 5-ounce “Salad Shots”) and sandwiches (the “pocket” sandwiches sold in Wolfgang Puck’s To Go kiosks) are easily converted to portable menu…

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So you’ve calculated your restaurant’s profits using the throughput formula. Now comes the second step to maximizing your foodservice sales: using these figures to improve your operation’s efficiency, boost your customer count and increase your total sales. The key is incorporating the throughput concept into all aspects of your operational processes.

From the Front Door to the Dining Room
Increase your restaurant’s throughput from the moment guests walk in the door by making the seating process as efficient as possible. On top of maintaining a well-trained staff of hosts and servers, it helps to add a second host at the front door to keep customer traffic running smoothly. Try an “on-deck system in which waiting parties are called just before their tables are ready. Letting your guests know their tables are being prepared keeps your waiting list in order and reduces the time you wait between calling and seating your customers.

Still, wait times are often unavoidable.…

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As a restaurant operator, you know it’s difficult to run a business in this market. But while the economy’s certainly gotten tougher over the last couple of years, the challenges facing restaurant owners are hardly unprecedented. Long before our friends on Wall Street started dusting off their resumes and updating their LinkedIn profiles, foodservice operators were working hard to keep their restaurants from joining the failed start-up club. At first glance, the odds seem to be stacked against you.

According to a recent study of Dallas-based start-ups, 23% of new restaurants shut down within the first year of business, 14% closed in the second and 7% failed in the third. As hospitality expert Richard Williams points out in a 2008 article, “Why Restaurants Fail”, these figures translate to a 61% failure rate for independent restaurants by the third year in business. (Franchise restaurants don’t fare much better, with a 57% failure rate by year…

By now you know that frozen foods are one of the quickest and easiest ways to improve your restaurant’s menu and profitability. Whether you’re building standout dishes around heat ‘n serve entrees or creating delicious sides from frozen fruits and vegetables, ready-to-cook products offer a convenient, cost-effective alternative to cooking from scratch. What’s more, advancements in packaging help prevent wasted food, allowing you to serve great dishes to more diners at less cost to you – something every restaurant operator can appreciate.

Once you’ve decided to incorporate frozen foods into your restaurant’s operations, it’s time to find a provider. But with so many options, how do you choose the right frozen foods manufacturer for your restaurant?

Here are a few helpful hints:

1) Talk to your distributor. Take advantage of your sales representative’s regular visits and familiarity with your restaurant. He or she knows your account and can arrange a cutting among several manufacturers and brands to find the best fit for you.…

Keeping your restaurant running smoothly can be challenging in today’s market. You want to cut costs and save time in the kitchen without sacrificing great-tasting, nutritious food. Luckily, you can improve your menu and your bottom line while reducing preparation time and labor expenses, simply by incorporating heat ‘n serve frozen foods into your kitchen.

Here are five ways frozen foods can help your restaurant:

1) Quick and Easy Customization — Frozen foods help make creating signature dishes quicker and easier. They serve as an excellent base for your custom creations. Just add sauce, seasonings or sides, and you’ve got delicious dishes in less time — and at less cost — than traditional cooking from scratch.

2) Great Nutritional Value — A common misconception holds that frozen fruits and vegetables lack the nutritional value of their fresh counterparts. Not true! The modern process of flash-freezing fruits and vegetables takes place within 24 hours of harvest, capturing them at their…

In an age when diners have more choices than ever but fewer dollars to spend, restaurants aren’t just competing for new business; they’re doing all they can to retain customers and ensure return business, too. Odds are your restaurant is no different.

We’ve already suggested some creative ways for you to market your restaurant and get new diners in the door. Now it’s time to turn those first-timers into regulars by creating your own signature dishes.

Whether you run a corner café or an upscale bistro, few things help define your restaurant and encourage customer loyalty like a signature menu item. Unlike the temporary specials you introduce from time to time, a signature dish should be a permanent staple on your menu, so it needs to have real staying power. Your signature item might be a barbeque pork sandwich, a special salad or a distinctive chili, but above all else, it should be the one dish that really represents your restaurant, your chefs…