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Archive for the ‘Restaurant articles’ Category

December 14th, 2007

Copycat Restaurant Recipes - Great Recipes At Your Fingertips

When you have had enough of lining your favorite restaurant’s pockets with your money, you can serve the same food at home using a copycat restaurant recipe. Instead of putting your hard earned cash into their coffers, you can add it to your savings for something special that your whole family can enjoy for longer than a quick meal. You will be amazed at the savings you will accumulate when you use a copycat restaurant recipe instead of dining out.

What’s more, children will be more than happy to help you prepare a dish made from a copycat restaurant recipe. If you have been searching for more ways to enjoy quality time with your children, cooking a favorite copycat restaurant recipe can be a great way to spend time together. You can make a date you keep with your children once a week, where you all help to prepare a copycat restaurant recipe for the family meal.

If you are having a party, you can make a copycat restaurant recipe that will have your guests swearing you purchased it from the restaurant that made the dish famous. You can enjoy the attention your cooking will bring when you decide to make a copycat restaurant recipe for your next party or pot luck dinner.

You can find all your favorite copycat restaurant recipe in a number of ways. You can search for a copycat restaurant recipe by name, by restaurant, and even by the ingredients. You will find many places where a copycat restaurant recipe is available for free or for a small membership fee. You can find exactly what suits you best when you are looking for a copycat restaurant recipe.

With the advent of the internet and the information age, it is more difficult for restaurants to keep their famous recipes secret. Anyone can find their favorite entrees, appetizers, side dishes, and desserts from famous restaurants, and restaurant chains that they can make at home as a copycat restaurant recipe that will be just as delicious if not more so, than what you could buy if your were dining out.

December 14th, 2007

Writing A Wonderful Restaurant Business Plan

There are many ways to make a living of course, but opening a business is one of the best ways to become wealthy.

Creating a business is not easy, and opening a restaurant without a solid restaurant business plan to guide you would simply be foolish.

Adding All Of The Pertinent Information To Your Business Plan

After all, a restaurant business plan will be the first document any potential lenders, investors or partners want to see, and the restaurant business plan will also serve as an important guideline as the business moves forward.

It is therefore vital to put as much pertinent information into the restaurant business plan as possible.

Hiring And Retaining Good Employees

Some of the factors on which that restaurant business plan should focus include the business owner’s plans for finding, hiring and retaining the most talented chefs and cooks in the industry.

The restaurant business is known for being a highly competitive one, and it is important that the restaurant business plan spell out exactly how the business owner plans to find not only the best chefs but the best waiter staff, management and support staff as well.

Detailing The Type Of Food You Will Serve At Your Restaurant

The restaurant business plan should also provide details about what kinds of food the new restaurant plans to serve. Some restaurant owners will focus on a serving a wide variety of fine American cuisine, designed to appeal to a variety of different tastes.

Other restaurant owners will choose to serve a more eclectic mix of cuisines, while others will decide to focus on a smaller niche market. It is important for the restaurant business plan to be prepared to spell out this important distinction.

Getting Your Business Plan Reviewed By Professionals

As the restaurant business plan is being prepared, it is important for the would be restaurant owner to have the document carefully reviewed by a number of business professionals.

It is a good idea, for instance, to have the restaurant business plan reviewed by a qualified business attorney, as well as an accountant or other tax professional.

This professional input can help the business owner structure the restaurant business plan in a way that will make it most effective when it comes to attracting the financing that will be needed to get the new restaurant up and running.

December 14th, 2007

A Gift That Pleases Anyone: Restaurant Gift Cards

Who wouldn’t benefit from receiving restaurant gift cards? Who doesn’t eat? Everybody likes to eat at restaurants. The nicer the restaurant the better, but even a gift card for a cheap chain restaurant would be appreciated by many. Restaurant gift cards are just like store gift cards, in that they are the perfect gift to get for someone when you don’t know what to get them. A gift card for a restaurant is even more rewarding than a gift card from a store, because not only does the person receiving the gift get a free dine-in meal, they also get the experience of eating out, which is a gift all its own. Of course, you could give a gift card from a fast-food restaurant, but that’s probably only suggested when you know the person you’re giving it to has a more than the average longing for that particular fast-food.

It’s not a bad idea if you’re an employer looking to reward your employees in a small way, or a fast-food business owner or franchisee looking to promote your business. For those of you who are purchasing a restaurant gift card for a loved one or a special occasion, like a wedding, you should probably purchase a restaurant gift card from some higher-scale, higher quality restaurant. You don’t have to pick the fanciest restaurant around when shopping for restaurant gift cards. There are some good middle-of-the-road restaurants that, even if you don’t know the person you’re buying the card for, you can’t go wrong with, and they won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

December 14th, 2007

Used Restaurant Equipment

Used restaurant equipment is appliances that have been used in restaurants and which have been refurbished for use once again. Running a restaurant business is not an easy undertaking. It requires lots of effort and time in order to push through with the plan. And, of course, you have to consider your finances. Do you have enough funds for your proposed business? If you do not have, then you have to take some measures in order to save from costs. And one of the things that you can consider is by looking into used restaurant equipment.

With the continuous increase in prices of brand new restaurant equipment these days, it certainly makes a lot of sense to buy used models. If you are looking for better quality restaurant equipment that lasts longer but you do not have a huge budget, used restaurant equipment is a good option for you. Many manufacturers nowadays produce high performance restaurant equipment. However, you still have to consider a lot of things before buying one.

One of the things that you should consider is the cost for repairs in case your used restaurant equipment starts malfunctioning. The problem with buying used equipment is that you can never see the most important components. So, there is no way that you can effectively inspect the inside of the equipment such as the refrigerator and the air conditioning system.

December 14th, 2007

Important Considerations For Restaurant Coffee Machines

Beverages including coffee are one of the biggest money makers for any restaurant. It is important for any restaurant to have reliable and efficient equipment for their beverage service. There are many brands of restaurant coffee machines on the market and most of them are quality brands in the restaurant business.

When purchasing a restaurant coffee machine the buyer should look for the names that have always represented restaurant quality. Names such as Bunn have been in the restaurant coffee machine business for years and receive good reviews. With the purchase of any restaurant coffee machine the buyer should look for a good warranty or service contract. These machines are expensive and can prove costly if there are repairs and breakdowns which are not compensated for.

Other Needs In Restaurant Coffee Machines

Before buying the restaurant coffee machine an eating establishment needs to make an educated estimate regarding the amount of coffee being served on a daily basis. Coffee makers can come with several burners and even one or more warmers. This will enable the coffee cups to remain full with hot coffee and ensure happy customers. The buyer may want to make sure not to have too many burners as the restaurant staff may not make fresh pots of coffee as often as needed.

It is also important to look for ease of use. The restaurant staff does not have time during the meal time rush hours to play with a difficult restaurant coffee machine. We have more information on espresso machines at http://www.bestespressocoffeemachines.com . Everyone involved will appreciate being able to push a button or two to get a hot pot of coffee in just a couple minutes. Restaurant buyers need to take the time to find the best restaurant coffee machine to make their restaurant top of the line.

December 14th, 2007

Restaurant And Bar Decor

Profit and success in your restaurant and bar depend on decor. Trends in the restaurant and bar industry show what works and what is ultimately pleasing and lucrative for your restaurant and bar. I will now discuss the most critical dimension of restaurant and bar decor.

Empower your restaurant and bar business with knowledge about you customers. How do I go about this, you say? Ask you customers directly. They are your main line fo revenue adn what keeps the customer happy is good for your restaurant and bar bottom line. Ask them if you’re restaurant and bar is exciting. Figure out your competitor and incorporate what they are missing in their restaurant and bar decor. Get your customers to tell you what they like in another restaurant and bar and what they would like to see in your restaurant and bar.

Restaurant and bar decor can go horribly wrong or spectacularly right. Learn from your competitors mistakes and listen to your costomers’ feedback.

Include something unique in your restaurant and bar that will help you stand out from the crowd. Buzz about your restaurant and bar is what gets the customer in, but the atmosphere you set with your restaurant and bar decor is what keeps them coming back.

December 14th, 2007

Restaurant and Bar Lucrative Business Secret Revealed!

I love foreign delicasies. Those oriental delights are some of the tastiest snacks I have ever eaten here in North America.

Imagine the peanuts and chips you find at restaurant and bar scenes. Now what if you discover the joys of your local restaurant and bar are no longer restricted to the consumption of alcohol.

North America is growing and so too are the ethnic communities within it. Visit any Chinatown, Little Italy or India etc. and the sight of exotic snacks becomes just as common as the familiar beer and peanuts in your local restaurant and bar.

The restaurant and bar scene is hot in immigrant neighbourhoods and is expanding to include every exotic cuisine that visitors could ever dream of.

The sushi restaurant and bar is a great example of how the most successful restaurant and bar entrepreneurs incorporate traditional Eastern and Western cuisine in their menus. It often proves to be quite lucrative for their restaurant and bar business.

Opening a restaurant and bar is a giant financial risk. However, the chances of your success can greatly improve with the introduction of a few exotic delicacies. In fact, this single act may be the difference between an early retirement or having to declare bankruptcy on your restaurant and bar.

October 4th, 2006

Nutritional information on restaurant menus empowers consumers to make healthy food choices

In case you hadn’t noticed, we have an obesity problem in this country. And while the responsibility for each person’s body weight is ultimately up to that person, it certainly helps to have better information made available to consumers. Obesity is basically about eating too much while not expending enough caloric energy. And one of the primary sources of hidden calories in the diet of Americans is fast food. A Big Mac has something like 1200 calories in it. Given that the average person only needs 2200 calories a day, that one Big Mac is a whopping serving of extra energy (which will, undoubtedly, end up hanging around poor Joe’s waistline). To their credit, McDonalds publishes the caloric content of their foods. If you ask for it at any McDonalds restaurant, they’ll hand you a nutrition facts sheet. But a lot of restaurants have no such policy, and they make no nutritional information available to their customers. Herein lies the problem: restaurant foods are typically loaded with calories in places you might not suspect. That’s because they’re prepared with far more oil and sugar than people would use if they baked the foods on their own. If you require basic nutritional information on restaurant menus, such as grams of fat and total calories, you’ll empower consumers with the information they need to make informed dietary choices. That’s good for consumers: especially people who are trying to lose weight. If you’re on a diet, you simply have to know what you’re eating. And presently, that means avoiding restaurants altogether. The National Restaurant Association, of course, hates the idea of adding nutritional information to menus. It’s not hard to imagine why: once people learn how many grams of fat and calories are actually contained in each menu item, they’ll probably leave the restaurant in shock. In addition, there’s the added cost of reprinting all the menus and, inevitably, coming up with lighter menu items that calorie-conscious people can choose. And that’s the whole point, actually: by forcing restaurants to operate in plain sight, consumer demand will result in those restaurants altering their menus to sell more healthful items. It’s a great system that relies on the free market and the free flow of information, not government mandates, to help people make healthier food choices. In the end, however, the restaurant industry isn’t about health. It’s about profit. And informing customers about how fat they’re going to get by eating a side order of eggrolls is simply not in the interests of restaurant owners. So they’re going to fight this all the way. But you can make a different, of course. Contact your representatives in Wsahington and let them know you support legislation requiring restaurants to list fat and calories on their menus.

October 4th, 2006

Restaurants realize that low-carb menu items are not only good for customers, they’re good for business

The low-carb diet trend is having a huge impact on fast food restaurants. Customers don’t want the bun, the bread, or the sugar candy soft drinks. They want high-protein, high-fiber meals, and if you restaurants are listening and starting to deliver what customers want. Those restaurants include Burger King, Subway, and Carl’s Jr.

I think it’s an excellent example of how consumer demand can change the practices of an industry in a free-market society. And it isn’t just fast food restaurants who are paying attention to the Atkins diet: it’s also local, sit-down restaurants who are increasingly offering low-carbohydrate menu items to customers.

As a person who has avoided refined carbohydrates for nearly a decade, this is a great relief to me, because it makes it a little bit easier to eat at restaurants or while traveling. Hopefully, these restaurants offering low carb menu items will experience a great deal of success from it, and customers will experience improved health by avoiding refined carbohydrates in their diets.

October 4th, 2006

The Cleveland Clinic battles with McDonald’s over fast food in hospitals

One of the most ridiculous things about many hospitals and surgical centers is that they host fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and Pizza Hut. Now making headlines is the heated debate between the Cleveland Clinic and McDonald’s restaurants. Toby Cosgrove, director of the Cleveland Clinic and a cardiovascular surgeon, wants McDonald’s out of the hospital. He says (paraphrased) it is ridiculous to offer foods that are inconsistent with the heart healthy advice doctors are attempting to give their patients.

I couldn’t agree more. Hospitals are supposed to be places of health and healing, and to have restaurants serving saturated fats, hamburgers with white flour buns, french fries with trans-fatty acids, milkshakes containing added sugars and soft drinks containing high-fructose corn syrup as well as aspartame is simply inconsistent with a place of health. Thus, the doctor wants McDonald’s out of the hospital.

Interestingly, McDonald’s defends its position by claiming to offer — get this — healthy menu choices. The Vice President of this particular McDonald’s restaurant said, “Our menu is something we’re all proud of,” which is sort of interesting all by itself since I’ve never hear the term “pride” used in the same sentence as “McDonald’s menu.”

But there’s something else to consider here, too: apparently the staff member of the Cleveland Clinic are hoping to keep the McDonald’s restaurant there! They want to eat Big Macs and french fries, hamburgers and milkshakes.

Shocked? Actually, it’s not that surprising to hear when you realize how unhealthy most people who work in the conventional medical industry truly are. This heart surgeon, Toby Cosgrove, is certainly an exception; he’s apparently a trim man, 63 years of age, and is one of the few to have the courage to stand up against the fast food industry. And he’s probably very healthy. But his colleagues, nurses and support staff, on average, are likely less healthy than Dr. Cosgrove, and they actually want restaurants like McDonald’s in the hospital so that they can eat those foods any time they feel hungry.

The McDonald’s restaurant, for its part, is actually calling this a racism issue because it turns out this McDonald’s franchise is owned by an African American. So instead of answering the true issue here, which is whether or not unhealthy, disease-promoting foods should be served to heart clinic patients, they are playing the racism card, trying to turn this into a racial issue when it clearly is not.

This McDonald’s restaurant apparently thinks it has the right to finish out its lease contract with the hospital and continue serving unhealthy foods to its patients. From a legal standpoint, it may indeed have that right. It’s also true that McDonald’s isn’t the only restaurant in the building that offers unhealthy food. There are vending machines and cafeteria offerings that are equally unhealthy, because they are very high in sodium, high in saturated fat and lack nutrient density. Thus there are all sorts of foods available in the hospital that are bad for heart patients. Of course, that doesn’t mean McDonald’s food is any healthier, it just means that the entire Clinic is a nutritional disaster, and that Cosgrove is on the right track by starting with McDonald’s. He probably intends to work his way through the vending machines and other food offerings until every item available for sale at the hospital is consistent with heart health.

Another interesting point about all of this is that some of the workers at the clinic don’t appreciate the hospital acting as their parents. They think this attitude by Toby Cosgrove is paternalistic and that they should have the right to make their own decisions about what they want to eat. On the other hand, it shows that these people need parenting because they obviously don’t have the wisdom to choose healthy foods on their own — they’re eating like their children would eat if they were locked in a candy store.

What’s my take on all of this? Sadly, most people will eat whatever is available. So if you make unhealthy foods available, that’s what they’re going to eat, and if those foods cause cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and other health disorders, then that’s what you’re going to see in the population. It’s no coincidence that the U.S. population is currently suffering from skyrocketing rates of all these chronic diseases. The solution, therefore, is to have new options available for people.

Let’s face it: We shouldn’t have U.S. hospitals stocking foods that destroy cardiovascular health. The whole idea is ridiculous. But it is equally ridiculous that we have McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants in our public schools. Why are we feeding our schoolchildren junk food that’s promoting chronic disease and impairing their ability to learn… and then turning around and complaining about the plummeting quality of education across our country? It’s the food, stupid! And if you don’t understand that point, it’s probably because you had lunch at a fast food restaurant today and your brain isn’t functioning too well.

I say we ban fast food restaurants in hospitals and public schools across the nation. No hospital and no public school with any degree of ethics should support the financial success of food and beverage companies that serve disease-promoting products. This behavior has gone on for far too long. Hospitals have sold out to fast food restaurants in order to make a buck on a lease. They have, in a sense, exploited the health of their patients in order to earn some extra money. And then those very same hospitals and clinics turn around and charge patients a couple of hundred thousand dollars to perform cardiovascular surgery that was caused by the very same type of foods those patients ate in the lobbies of those clinics in the first place.

How insane can things get in this country? That’s why it’s people like Toby Cosgrove who deserve tremendous credit for having the courage to stand up and challenge this cycle of disease insanity that is unfortunately now the norm here in the United States, the most diseased country in the world. And we got diseased in this country precisely because of financial deals like this, where one institution after another is selling out to drug companies or food companies or beverage companies in order to make an extra buck at the expense of its guests or patients.

Because if people want to destroy their own health in their own homes, that’s certainly their free choice — we still live in a free society. But if they’re going to go to a hospital or a place of public education, they should not be tempted with foods that we now know directly promote chronic disease. In a sane world, none of these institutions would have ever agreed to let fast food restaurants and soft drink companies onto their premises in the first place, but it seems like sanity is sometimes late to the party, especially here in the United States where free market greed tends to be the number one priority regardless of who gets hurt in the process.

It’s only through these wake up calls like skyrocketing rates of obesity and chronic disease, the Vioxx scandal and the FDA credibility scandal (where we find that even two thirds of the FDA’s own scientists don’t have confidence in the agency’s ability to protect the American public) that we are reminded to open our eyes, take a look around and ask some serious questions like “Hey, if this is a hospital treating heart patients, should we really be serving french fries and double cheeseburgers in the lobby?” Well, of course not! Only a McDonald’s representative would insist that they should. Everybody else who has any remaining cognitive ability would agree with Toby Cosgrove on this. The man is right, he deserves credit for his courage in standing up against McDonald’s, and I hope he is victorious in evicting the restaurant from the clinic.

Let it be the first of many such evictions. It’s time to boot fast food restaurants and soft drink companies from all our institutions of learning and health.