There’s a well known expression, “born with a silver spoon in her mouth.” This expression dates back to the Middle Ages, where peasants and those of low-birth status had scant access to quality dining ware, if at all. By contrast, the “let them eat cake” class not only had spoons, but those spoons were made out of silver and handcrafted with the family crest or other decorations. Maybe that’s how the notion of silverware as a formal, luxury item became part of the culture. But, even in today’s era, surveys shows that customers are willing to pay more for a meal served with high-quality silverware.
The popular saying goes, “You are what you eat.” But it may be more accurate in the food industry to say, “You are what you eat with.” Diners judge restaurants by a lot of different factors – the taste of the food, the quality of the service, the ambiance. One small detail that sometimes gets overlooked, but that can significantly affect customer comfort and satisfaction, is what they are eating with – the flatware and utensils.
There are two types of diners at a restaurant. The first one walks in, knows exactly what they want to order and within minutes has ordered and is patiently waiting to be served. The second pores over the menu for a long time, weighing each and every option. This diner seeks a unique culinary experience and is eager to try new foods.
The Prix Fixe menu is a menu format that offers benefits to both ordering styles. It’s a great option for other reasons as well. It can be used to control costs, promote or test new dishes or streamline holiday / special event dining into quicker and more efficient service.
Matt Kalil is a former NFL offensive tackle. Like most football lineman, Kalil is a big guy and he keeps up his physique by consuming 5,000-6,000 calories per day. To ensure he gets enough calories and protein, Kalil “indulges” in three protein shakes daily, each containing 60 grams of protein.
Kalil may be an extreme example, but he isn’t the only athlete pounding the protein. The protein supplement market size is around nine billion dollars annually, and is expected to grow to nearly 30 billion over the next decade.
Last month’s blog focused on natural functional foods, like mushrooms for memory, caffeine for alertness, and whole grains for heart health. In this blog, we will explore the other side of the functional market, including supplementation, fortified foods, and ingredients that are nutritionally enhanced.
Functional foods are an extremely popular culinary trend, netting nearly $100 billion in annual revenue in 2021, and projected to reach nearly $140 billion by 2026. But what can those in the food industry do to leverage this trend and serve up food that is both tasty and also “functional.”
In part one, we’ll define functional foods and look at ways to incorporate functional ingredients into dishes and menus.
In late August, the Midwest weather just starts to shift from the summer humidity to a more temperate, tolerable fall. The skies are still clear and blue, and the corn is tall, green, and ready to harvest. This part of the county is often referred to as the “corn belt,” highlighting America’s connection with this classic golden grain.
Operating a successful restaurant is more than just serving delicious food and providing exceptional service. The unsung hero behind the scenes is often the state-of-the-art equipment that ensures every dish leaves the kitchen cooked evenly and to perfection. But what happens when that trusty equipment starts to falter? Inefficient or outdated appliances and utensils can have a significant impact on your restaurant’s performance, affecting both the quality of your food and your bottom line. Restaurant owners and operators should be aware of the signs that it’s time to invest in new equipment and how to make these upgrades a reality so they can continue turning out tasty, well-cooked food, along with a profit.
We can all relate to the feeling of biting into a lush, juicy watermelon on a hot summer day. It’s sweet and instantly refreshing. The reason watermelon is so good at quenching your thirst is because, as the name suggests, watermelon is composed of 92% water. The other 8% is sweet fructose and healthy nutrients. It’s no wonder that this larger-than-life fruit causes us to bring up memories of summer, picnics, parties, and vacation. Watermelon is basically a symbol of summer. But, watermelon isn’t the only sweet treat that ripens just as the days grow long and the kids get out of school. There are a number of lesser-known mouth-watering melon varieties to add to your summer menus, and so many ways to prepare melons beyond just slicing and serving.
ChatGPT is everywhere. Advertisers, web designers, coders, businessmen, writers, and artists are incorporating innovative generative AI technology to help them work smarter and more efficiently. Will ChatGPT overtake the food industry as well? I wanted to find out, so I asked the AI itself. The following response is ChatGPT’s unedited answer:
It’s a flavor. It’s a drink. It’s a superfood. Matcha powder is a little bit of all three. It’s trendy, healthy, and tasty and has taken the culinary world by storm. This green tea powder features in teas, desserts, smoothies, lattes, and much more. Where does matcha come from and why is it so popular? And how can those in the restaurant business incorporate matcha into their menus.