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An Update on the Massachusetts
Allergen Awareness
Law
The new Massachusetts Allergen Awareness Law requiring restaurants to inform staff and customers about food allergies went into effect on October 1, 2010. Over the Columbus Day weekend I visited five restaurants: two independently owned limited service operations, one national fast food chain, one casual family restaurant, and one "white tablecloth" restaurant (I am trying to support the industry in every way that I can). None had the required notices on the menus or at the point of order although one did have the required state poster posted (incorrectly) in the customer waiting area.
We remind you that you can visit our website [www.wheelwrightconsultants.com] and click on "Industry Updates" to get information on these requirements. If you do not understand them or do not know where to get the posters or stickers for your menus, contact us at (413) 774-2786.
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If you haven't experienced it, you can't appreciate it
(or do it!)
Many years ago I was making reservations for a business associate and I to visit a hotel whose Executive Chef we were interested in hiring. We were going to "shop" the hotel and sample the food before scheduling an interview. When I called the hotel I was told that there were rooms available at two different prices - one room being $10.00 more than the other. When I asked the reservationist what the difference between the two rooms was, yes you guessed the answer, "ten bucks!"
This experience came back to me recently when I was talking with several clients who indicated that their staff just did not seem to understand the service training programs that they had, that despite multiple trainings, the staff just wasn't consistent or polished. In one case, a seasonal white tablecloth establishment, I gathered the staff and asked them to list on a card their "best" dining experience and where they ate out most often. A very few of these individuals had eaten at "nice restaurants", but for the majority their "best" experience was one of the casual theme restaurants and their most frequent experiences were at fast food operations. Some had never opened a bottle of wine with a cork.
Small wonder then that these servers did not appreciate the quality of the dining experience that their guests were supposed to experience, nor did they appreciate the difference between the expectations and economic situations of their guests and themselves. After we were able to get the staff to understand their guests' point of view, it was easier to train them to meet expectations.
Many restaurants are the point of entry to the working world for young people, recent graduates, and immigrants. The point of reference that these folks have may be radically different from that of owners and managers, and even more different from that of the guest. Unless, and until, we educate our employees about who they are caring for, and what those guests want, training will always be more frustrating and less effective than desired. One of the most effective ways to do this is to have them experience the level of service that you want your guests to have: perhaps they can dine in your business so they know and appreciate what you want, or perhaps you can provide a "scholarship" for them to experience one of your competitors, provided that they write up a report about the experience detail what they liked and didn't like, what they feel is done better in your operation, and listing what they think they can do to improve their guests' experience.
The Syms claim that an educated consumer is their "best" customer, we think that an educated employee may well be your "best" employee.
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Greetings!
As the weather gets colder, folks tend to think about eating warm, hearty, comfort food. And it brings to mind how important it is for us in the restaurant industry to both satisfy our guests taste buds and give them healthy options at the same time. So this month we start looking in to ways to make the healthy food initiatives successful and profitable for your business. We also have an update on the new Massachusetts Allergen Awareness law, an article about the importance in understanding the dining "experience" for your staff, and some great promotional opportunities.
Enjoy this beautiful fall weather.
Sincerely,
Eric F. Nusbaum, Ph.D., CHA
Wheelwright Consultants
(413) 774-2786 (617) 938-8668
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Heathier Menus - Efforts to Shrink Waistlines and Expand Profits
 Wheelwright Consultants is pleased to announce that we have recently become involved with two different projects that are seeking to provide restaurant patrons with healthier food options when dining out. The restaurant industry's dilemma is to satisfy the tastes a nd appetites of our guests with healthy options without turning them off by forcing healthy foods down their throats and we have to do this while making a profit!
Before we look at some of the issues, let's look at a few facts: > More than 50% of American Adults that are overweight or obese.
> More than 70% of American Adults don't get the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
> Up to 33% of American children are overweight or obese.
> Obesity is a major factor in development of diabetes and many other health-related problems.
> Most Americans consume more than twice as much sodium as recommended leading to an increase in high blood pressure, heart disease, and death.
> Heart disease is the number one killer of men and the number three killer of women in this country.
> The amount of physical activity that the average American gets has been dropping for years while their caloric intake has been increasing.
We know that a number of prominent people in the restaurant industry say that we are not to blame for the epidemic of obesity: that we are merely giving customers what they want and that people "save up" their calories for when they eat out. Before you accept or reject these arguments, we ask you to consider that:
The percentage of food consumed away from home was 18% in 1978 and 37% in 2006.
Here are a few facts about changes in restaurant portion size between 1987 and 2007:
< Bagels have grown from 3" in diameter (140 calories) to 5.5" in diameter (350 calories) - not to mention the excess cream cheese.
< The standard chain hamburger of 1.6 oz. (250 calories) has competition from the new 1/3 pound burger (750+ calories)
< The 12 oz. soda (112 calories) has been replaced by a 16, 20, or even 32 oz. soda (150, 188, or 300 calories, respectively).
< The size of the average dinner plate has increased from 10" in diameter to 12" in diameter that is a 44% increase in the size of the plate, leading many people (cooks at homes and in restaurants) to fill this bigger plate with more and more food and more and more calories.
If people increasingly eat at restaurants, our restaurants, then it seems that we have an increasing responsibility to provide healthy food. Over the next few months we will look at the following issues in this newsletter:
· The issue of transfats in foods - what are they, why is there concern, and what to do about them.
· Replacing "bad" fats with "good" fats and reducing fat content.
· Sodium in food - how does it affect food taste and health and what can you do in your restaurant and home kitchen to reduce the problem.
· Portion sizing and control.
· Introducing and promoting healthy menu choices profitably.
· Operational changes that support healthier dining.
We invite you to continue to read this newsletter in the coming months as we discuss these and other health issues and report our activities with these two healthy food initiatives. We hope to bring you new and successful ideas so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel yourself.
We are convinced that if we as an industry do not voluntarily make these changes, these changes will be forced upon us. Federal legislation will soon require chains to include calorie counts on menus (some cities already require this). The individual who led the charge against transfats (banned in many cities) has set his sights on sodium in food. There are countless other initiatives pending in local, state, and federal legislative venues. Our intent is to assist restaurants in offering healthy menu options so that their businesses and profits remain healthy. Our goal is to provide you with information that you can use to make your menu healthier for your customers without damaging your reputation and profitability. Those who get ahead of this curve will profit, those who are behind it will get hurt.
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Promotional Opportunities
There are very few business that would not benefit from increased sales. Today's marketing professionals agree that the most effective promotions are those done internally or through the web. Wheelwright Consultants offers web marketing services, but here are a couple ideas for internal use:
October in Spinach Lover's Month
Sunday, October 24 - Mother-in-Law Day
Wednesday, October 27 - Cranky Co-Worker's Day
November is American Diabetes Month
November is Peanut Butter Lover's Month
Wednesday, November 3 - Sandwich Day - Birthday of the "Inventor" of the Sandwich, John Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich
 Saturday, November 6 - Men Cook Dinner Day
Sunday, November 14 - National American Teddy Bear Day
We have literally hundreds of holidays and events that you can promote. Many of them can be "surprise" events for those who are in your business, but which will generate good will and "buzz" as people talk about their experience; many can be promoted with a simple poster, table tent, or posting on your website; while others require some planning to pull off successfully and may actually require a couple of repetitions before they work. Contact us for more ideas or promotional assistance.
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| Thank you for reading our newsletter. We hope you found it interesting and informative. Our next newsletter will have more news and information. Look for it in your inbox in November.
Sincerely,
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Eric Nusbaum, CHA, Ph.D.
Wheelwright Consultants |
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