Dealing with Allergies – Put on the Ritz, but Hold the Cracker, Please.

Once upon a meal, somewhere out there in the restaurant-wilderness, a picky eater decided to ‘save time’ and pretend to have an allergy. Pleasantly amazed by the server’s understanding looks, and exhilarated by the careful exorcism preformed by the kitchen on the hapless ingredient, this picky, and as it turns out, loudmouthed, eater decided to spread the word. Flash forward to 2010 and servers are constantly faced with supposed allergies, which, nine out of ten times, are just the labels finicky diners give to their dislikes. Sadly, this has led to a backlash against the truly anaphylactic, those who aren’t just “breaking out in chives” as journalist Ruth Samuelson put it. I say sadly because, when treated with the appropriate care, fastidious customers can become the most loyal (and lucrative) of patrons.

So, with that in mind, consider this post the first in a series on staying allergy conscious, both in the front and back of the house.

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Most restaurateurs see an allergic customer as a hassle, an annoyance, someone better left at home but surprisingly…the allergic customer sees us the same way! A diner with a sensitive palate can rarely enjoy a simple meal out, always having to rigorously barter with the staff, often watch their companions eat while the kitchen fixes an inaccurately prepared dish and even, for the very severely limited, face unpleasant physical reactions. If you can prove yourself to be as accommodating to these tables as you are to any other, well, there’s a whole community out there just waiting to shower you with business! So, what to do?

First, you should check out FAAN, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, and their comprehensive program on welcoming guests with food allergies. Second, you should read this article about how a frustrated father couldn’t find a restaurant that would cater to his allergic sons and then, you should review your restaurant on his brainchild, an online guide to allergy-friendly restaurants across the United States. Finally, you should tune in next week for the second installment. Or at least…that’s what I would do!

Deciding on Menu Prices – How to Jet Yourself into Profit.

Everybody knows that the restaurant industry has one of the greatest fail rates of any service-related field. Think about it; when was the last time you heard of the immense attrition facing massage therapists? Taxicab companies? Movie theatres?! So why not start taking a page from one of their books and adapt our, considerably less-successful, marketing and pricing schemes?

One of the more lucrative and unique of our peers is the Airline industry. Even with the ever-increasing, ever-confusing, regulations related to the ‘war on terror’, companies such as WestJet, British Airways and Delta still manage to fill a remarkable amount of seats. Restaurant Business magazine recently broke down four great high-flying promotional pricing approaches that could easily be redesigned for foodservice. Of course, they do warn you not to take it too far…Don’t forget what the meals up there taste like!

And once you’ve decided HOW you’re going to price your menu effectively, you can actually choose those prices. Here’s a great description of the four most commonly applied pricing formulas. Just determine what it’s going to cost you, or decide how much you want to make, plug the number in, and ta da! Instant menu prices.

Happy Pricing!

(And, remember, if a Captain Kirk look-a-like tries to push you into some sort of priceline negotiation, just stand your ground!)

The Soaring Costs of Hazardous Food-Handling – Up, Up and Away!

Salmonella, Listeriosis, Norovirus: The microscopic villains of the food service industry. Make the wrong move and these no-goodniks will give you sick customers, bad press, recall edicts and expensive legal hassles. As if you weren’t already concerned about the negative consequences of unsafe food handling, take a look at this article published recently in the LA Times. According to a new study by Georgetown University, the health-related costs of food-borne illnesses come close to a whopping $152 billion…a year. The study was released in an effort to push a food safety bill that would increase U.S. inspections, fund research and force the American food industry to ramp up record-keeping efforts, a bill which has stalled since last November.

But bill or no bill, making a heroic effort to keep supreme control over the food safety of your establishment is a smart choice. Fight BAC®! Fight bacteria that is, with these four key techniques as established by the Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety program Be Food Safe:

                                     - Clean carefully
                                     - Separate to avoid cross-contamination
                                     - Cook to appropriate temperatures
                                     - Chill in a timely fashion

Remember, we professional foodies genuinely know what evil lurks in the hearts of romaine, so it’ll always be one of our most important tasks to keep those nefarious pathogens at bay.