GORDON RAMSAY: DON'T ORDER THIS AT RESTAURANTS
Considering Gordon Ramsay's penchant for expletives, the name of his new Fox TV series - The F Word - should come as no surprise. (Though the chef insists it stands for "food," because, of course.)
Premiering May 31 at 9/8c, Ramsay's latest foray into television promises to be a kid-friendly variety show that features "foodie families" from across the country. And while that all sounds terrific, we tend to think the British restauranteur is at his best when he's serving it to us straight - sans the sugar-coating required for primetime.
With that said, we asked Ramsay for the cold hard truth about what really goes on behind-the-scenes of your favorite places to dine. Thankfully, he didn’t disappoint.
What should you never order at a restaurant?
Ask what yesterday’s soup du jour was before today’s special. It may be the case that it’s the soup du month.
What’s the proper protocol if you get a bad meal?
The customer is king. You are going out for a special night, so if it’s an unsatisfactory experience, take the opportunity to let the staff know so that they can rectify it then and in the future. It’s also just as important to compliment great food and service, so don’t be shy either way.
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SEAFOOD THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.
A BOOMING BUSINESS: BABY BOOMERS CAN BOOST YOUR BOTTOM LINE
IS IT TIME TO RAISE YOUR PRICES?
Making sure the price is right for each menu item is no game – it takes lots of work. Before adjusting your prices, consider the following eight factors:
1. Food costs. “You’ve got to know your costs before setting a price,” says restaurant consultant Linda Lipsky of Broomall, Pennsylvania. She recommends that food costs run about 33 percent of menu prices, on average. This can differ per operation, with fine dining restaurants typically posting higher food-cost percentages and casual pizzerias running lower percentages. The percentages also vary widely from item to item. “A soup could cost as little as 18 cents per serving to make, but you’re not going to sell it for 54 cents,” Lipsky says. Soups, appetizers, desserts and alcohol tend to have lower cost percentages than entrees, she notes. Consider your sales mix when pricing items.
2. Margins. Food-cost percentages are only part of the equation. “The biggest mistake I see operators make is that they rely too much on food-cost percentages and not enough on food-cost margins,” says Dennis Lombardi, executive vice president of foodservice strategies for WD Partners in Dublin, Ohio. Take an expensive item, such as lobster. If operators base their menu prices strictly on food-cost percentages, they might price the lobster too high to sell. If they determine they want, say, a $9 margin on entrees, they can price the lobster to sell with a profit.
3. Additional costs. Don’t forget to factor in your labor costs. The cost of baking and decorating a chocolate cake in-house, rather than buying it premade, is more than just the price of the ingredients. Include the price of any giveaways, such as bread and olive oil, and the cost of food waste and spoilage.
13 FISH OIL BENEFITS PROVEN BEYOND MEDICINE
According to research conducted at Harvard University, omega-3 fatty acid deficiency is officially one of the top 10 causes of death in America, claiming the lives of up to 96,000 people each year. Out of the 12 dietary, lifestyle and metabolic risk factors examined in the study, omega-3 fatty acid deficiency ranked as the sixth highest killer of Americans. (1) These deaths are considered preventable since getting enough omega 3-fatty acids in your diet can ward off this now common cause of death, and fish oil benefits omega-3 intake as a potent omega-3 source.
The fish oil benefits include decreasing the risk of heart disease and stroke while also helping reduce symptoms of depression, hypertension, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), joint pain, arthritis and chronic skin ailments like eczema. (2) Fish oil intake has also been associated with aiding the body in weight loss, fertility, pregnancy and increased energy. Prescription fish oil has even been approved by the FDA to lower unhealthy high triglyceride levels. (3)
Most of the fish oil benefits are because it’s one of nature’s richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids. While fish oil benefits are numerous, there are some false claims on how to use this incredible supplement, but in this article I go over the proven scientific evidence to demonstrate the true benefits of fish oil.
5 TIPS TO SATISFY HEALTH-FOCUSED DINERS
Win over health-conscious diners by offering them more choices and accommodating their food preferences. When people look for ways to get healthier, they are looking for more, not less: more healthy snacks, more exercise, more whole grains, more fruits and vegetables, says Steve Walton, general manager at Healthfocus.
Restaurants have an opportunity to give today’s diners more of what they want. Here are five tips from the National Restaurant Association 2013 Nutrition Study Group meeting.
- Give customers what they want. For example, Chick-fil-A spent 10 years designing a new grill to produce juicy grilled chicken for an upcoming sandwich, said Brian Wray, manager of product strategy and development during a tour of the company’s new research and development facility. Chick-fil-A will serve the new sandwich on a wheat bun.
GOOGLE'S NEW LENS WILL LET YOU SEARCH RESTAURANTS BY POINTING YOUR PHONE AT THEM
On Wednesday, May 17, Google announced the launch of its newest feature, Google Lens, which allows users to search a restaurant by simply pointing a phone camera at it.
In a keynote by Google chief executive officer Sundar Pichai, he explained that the feature uses photo-recognition to dip into the company’s data and provide additional information on the object the camera is pointing at, Grub Street reported. When the feature is used with restaurants, Google Lens automatically populates information, such as the restaurant rating, price range, and more.
The feature isn’t just for restaurants — Pichai said Google Lens can be used to find information on almost any object. Point your camera at a flower, for instance, and Lens can identify the species.
In December 2016, Google also launched a feature that allows people to tweet an emoji at the company and get recommendations on anything from restaurants to gyms. To read more about Google’s emoji feature, click here.
