Overall Blogging Experience

Blogging was a new concept for me. I have never done this before for any class or socially for that matter. I approached it with an open mind and have come out with a better understanding of what it is, how it works, and why people use it. Blogging for this assignment was better than writing article reviews because it allowed us to read and research articles that are relavant to the food service industry. I would recommend doing this for future classes.

In blogging for the last several weeks, my knowledge in the food service industry has grown, especially in the qsr/onsite section. I have learned new ordering concepts, the popularity of vegetables during the superbowl game, and the come back of flavored teas. This is only a small portion of what I have read throughout this term. In order to keep current in this ever changing industry I am planning to follow a Food & Beverage blog that is powered by the New York Times. This features postings by professionals as well as average people who can provide a wide array of experience to the table.

The use of a blog in the future can become a great asset for any F & B professional. It will allow us the use of communicating with our competitiors as well as our dinning guests. We will become capitable of staying on the edge and pushing the boundries of the food and drinks.

LAST BLOG EVER!

Well this was my first time blogging, and to be honest it wasn't that bad at all. I mean it is a no-brainer. I found it very easy and actually got a lot of knowledge out of it. Reading new articles every week and posting my opinion about them as well. What I really liked about blogging was voicing my opinion. I liked to be heard and it was great because not many classes you are graded on your opinion. What I absolutely hated about blogging was trying to find the right article to post. I know that may seem kind of strange but I always look for an article that really grabs my attention but once I find one its smooth sailing. I can use blogging in the future by finding different blogs that are related to my field of work or interest. Even trying to find somewhere new to eat or maybe even live I can find out what people think about the area and get opinions and points of view from others. This blog that i will probably follow because I live in the New York City area Eater NY Is a website with many different types of blogs about the nightlife, new restaurants that are opening, and even job postings. This is a great site to keep track of and I definitely plan on it.

Final Post

Over the past few months, I have really enjoyed the blogging experience. It has opened my eyes up to the advantages of the internet. I never really thought about how important reading was for the hospitality industry. Throughout the blogging experience I discovered a number of different resources which will help me in the future. These resources can provide me with information relavent to the industry including those issues effecting the industry, new trends, and success stories within the industry. Through my research for the blog I discovered some interesting information. One of my favorite articles was about the new concepts Johnny Rockets has developed, for the upcoming year. It was interesting to me to see how Johnny Rockets are transforming market trends and economic trends to benefit their business. In the future, I hope that by reading articles I will be able to make my restaurant more appealing to consumers, by staying current with the market.

Although I felt like the blogging experience was positive, I did not like the fact that I was limited to my specific topic. I also feel like I would enjoy blogging better if I could do it in my leisure time. Overall, I enjoyed blogging and feel like I may continue to blog in the future. It is a way to express new ideas and recieve feedback from outside sources, which I believe can be beneficial to me and my business. I also hope to continue reading different industry related article and blogs. One blog which I have started to follow and will continue to do so is the Voltaggio Brothers. The blog looks into different trends and tools of the trade. I have enjoyed this experience and hope to use these skills in the future.

Superbowl Carrots

In this article i found its talks about what the top ten foods eaten at past Sundays Superbowl. surprisingly it wasn't pizza, chicken wings, or beer. Vegetables was the food of choice for this years big game. People have gone years with the same old party food, but now more and more people are worrying about their health. In the survey taken chicken was #7 and pizza was #9. I feel like people have changed there ways because with all these trends and new nutritional ways of eating are becoming more wide spread. People are caring more about what they look like and are looking at the facts of what is healthy and what isn't. I liked this article because it really surprised me that people steered away from junk food on the biggest sports holiday of the year. I don't care how health conscious you are its Superbowl Sunday its meant for wings, pizza, and beer. Binge for one day its not going to hurt.

Within all of the upheaval of new trends for this year colleges and the students within are desiring new and different foods for the cafeteria. This list of trends, in this article, may be surprising to many people across the country, but the company Sodexo believes they are up to challange. Some of the dishes include apricot glazed turkey, meatloaf with frizzle fried onions, and vegetarian lentil shepards pie, not only are these dishes some that you might find in a restaurant, they also feature a variety of vegetarian dishes.
This article has brought to my attention the changing diet of the average college student, they do not just want the normal staple of every day college life, ramen noodles and pizza, but want more of a variety of dishes that have to be eaten while sitting.

Dunkin Donuts

In recent years, the food service industry has seen a shift in the way consumers approach food. Today consumers not only expect their food fast, but they also expect its comply to a healthier lifestyle. In the past, Dunkin Donuts was known for its production of fresh coffees and high carb items such as donuts and bagels. Today, Dunkin Donuts is trying to alter their image and provide consumers with more optinions. Over the past year Dunkin Donuts has introduced new items to their menu such as their flat bread sandwhiches and hashbrowns. Although these items added an interesting twist to the menu they still did not display the healthy choice consumers hoped for.

On January 1, 2010, Dunkin Donuts announced the introduction of the new DDSmart menu. The new menu, which will be offered at all location, will offer consumers a "better-for-you" food and beverage menu. This menu will include items such as low fat Cranberry Orange and Apple Caramel Muffins. The menu will also offer consumer an egg white wrap and other breakfast sandwhiches with egg white options. All of the items on this menu must meet the following: "25 percent fewer calories; 25 percent less sugar, fat, saturated fat, or sodium than comparable fare, and/or contain ingredients that are nutritionally beneficial. "

I beleive that the introduce of this menu is a good direction for dunkin donuts. I also believe other establishments like dunkin donut will begin moving in a similar direction in the next few years. Introduction of healthier menu items has become a trend in the industry and I believe we will continue to see this trend expanded into foodservice establishments of all sizes.

Tea Party

No im not talking about Boston but a Tea Party that is current across the nation. Although the sales of tea has slowed slightly in the past few years, innovation of different flavors, health benefits, and quicker brewing methods are ways for a come back. In a study refered to in this article 44 percent of Americans purchase ready to drink tea that cost them an average of $26.10 a year. Better for you ingredients such as super fruits and antioxidents.

Tea has always been put to the back burner in this coffee drinking culture. So many different kinds are out there and many Americans are uncertain of what they are, how they benefit us and where we can find them. We have black, white, green, tazo, and loose tea put in a sachet. Each one of the following has a different characteristic that are beneficial to us.

New health benefits of teas are always in the news or are popping up out of no where. Tropical smoothie cafe has experimented with combining fruits with teas and making smoothies. This alternative to coffee with provide the recipeant with less caffeine, more fiber and a nice change. Subway has done this with their fuzed iced teas that contain 10 percent of daily value in vitamins B3, B5, B6, B12 and C per 8 ounce serving.

Coca Cola is facing a challenge of creating an iced tea brewer that is quick and has a little footprint. This unit will provide customers with a variety of options that can be brewed fresh and quickly. This would be a perfect route for quick service chains due to the healthier benefits of tea to soda and a nice change from juice.

Do it yourself

I found this article about " Do it yourself stations" in colleges. In some college dining halls they have different stations; grill, pasta, or maybe even a nacho station. This gives the student more choices of what they want and can customize their meal to exactly how they want it. Throughout the dining halls there are diffenrnt stations, not just your basic grill station, such as a stir fry station. Having so many options students have a wider view of the culinary world. This could even help obesity in schools. For example if you have a "do it yourself" salad station, the idea of being able to customize the way you want it and have an almost a hands on experience of it will get more students to eat salad. It can work for any cuisine, as long as they have healthy menu items.

I found an article that talks about a quick service chain in Washington called Burgerville that, upon start up, has been all about having local foods to make their burgers. This restaurant chain has been very popular and very cheap considering all ingredients are grown locally. The way this chain can have a seven dollar check per customer is because they have great relationships with all of them.
This article gave me an idea on how people can pay so much money and not mind, because the food is all local and they are supporting their own economy.

Food & Beverage Trends of 2008

The year 2008 seems so long ago in terms of the food service industry. Many policies, procedures, and standards have been change since then but low glycemic, low or sugar free, organic and low carbohydrate foods that have been popular back then are still present in the industry today. The article in titled, "Food & Beverage Trend Report of 2008" discusses each of the sections above in detail and significance to the industry.

To begin with, low glycemic foods have not been given any light in years past. No one gave a concern to the effects of how foods affect your blood sugar and that certain foods increase your blood sugar faster than others. When your blood sugar goes through the roof it converts to fat and with this transformation it is very tough to convert it back to sugar. This article identifies a few foods that help raise your blood sugar a small amount and make it last for a long time. Whole wheat pasta and bread, brown rice, and sorghum are perfect examples.

Next, we have seen many reports about how many grams of sugar are contained in a variety of foods we eat. When all of this said consumers are leaning towards low or sugar free foods and beverages. This has been done with sodas, juices, gums, and cereal but with the increase in amount of energy drinks on the market with incredible amounts of sugar, contradicts the trend.

Then, the organic craze started during the year the article was published growing at an exponential rate but stopped slightly with the decline of the economy in the years following. People were willing to spend extra for foods with no pesticides but found themselves back in the processed isle of the supermarket fixed on price.

Finally, low carbohydrates were once dead with the atkins and south beach diet but they are coming back. This has been a result of the low glycemic and low and sugar free foods. With people not focusing on good carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index they reduce the amount of sugar they consume due to the sugar content in low glycemic foods. Its like a win, win.

In conclusion, these food and beverage trends are still present in the year 2010. They may not be growing at the same rate as the article explains back in 2008 but they are growing. So lets keep it up with low glycemic foods and that will solve our obesity and health problems.

Text Ordering!

Each year it seems as if the world gets more and more impatient. With the every increasing "need for speed" quick service restaurants have had to develop ways to become even faster. Today technological advances have helped the industry for fill the consumers needs for faster service. In this article the newest technological gadget for the quick service industry is introduced. One of the newest trend which a few restaurants are experimenting with is the idea of texting in your food order. Just like calling in for pick-up, customers are able to text restaurants there order ahead of time.

This article looks at how Subway is planning on using this new technology at their restaurants. After becoming frustrated with waiting in lines at sandwich shops Ford Blakely developed Zingle, which is now the texting order system on Subway franchise has been experimenting with since the summer. The owner of several Subway restaurants in San Diego has been using the text ordering since last summer and has enjoyed the usefulness of the system. The franchise has seen an increase in pre-ordering, along with more accurate order fulfillment. Due to the success in this location 30 more Subway locations have begun using Zingle for text ordering.

I believe that the use of text ordering through operations like Zingle, will dramatically increase over the next few years. Just as people enjoy using the drive through, I think that texting in rastaurant orders will become second nature. In a world where there is not enough time in the day, this simple uses of technology can make a restaurant more appealing to consumers look for a quick lunch or dinner. Like Subway, other chains such as Pizza Hut have also joined in on the text-ordering trend. Although, I believe it can be helpful to both the restaurant and consumer I find it unfortunate that restaurants are losing the personal touch. Consumers and Employees are no longer communicating, in an industry that was once reliate on "hospitality" people are now reling on technology. I think that although this innovation helps improve wait times and accuratcy, it uliminates a large portion of what this business is about, Guest Relations and Hospitality.

In this article It shows how even the trendiest Restaurants are giving prefix menus, offering gourmet food at a very reasonably fixed price.

school cafeterias

This article is about how school cafeterias are aiming more towards feeding the children healthier meals that also are cost effective. Schools are concerned about the recent studies in childhood obesity, which have been linked to poor eating habits, and are trying to combat that with making their menus healthier. Ways that they are combating this crisis are to change the amount of sugar or salt in many of their recipes.
I have heard of the childhood obesity scare but not to the extent as to how much work that the government and school cafeterias are putting towards making children healthier. This article has put into perspective what has to be done in order to make the nation healthier.

Johnny Rockets Plans

In a recent class, we talked about food trucks and interestingly enough Johnny Rockets is planning on expanding into the mobile food market segment. Recently, Johnny Rockets presented there plans to expand into new market segments. Along with opening a mobile kitchen the company also plans on introducing sports bars and fast-causal establishment. By entering into these new markets Johnny Rockets hopes to appeal to a more diverse consumer base.

Last week, Johnny Rockets opened their second sports lounge themed restaurant in the upper east side. Unlike their traditional 50's diner concept the, sport lounge features televisions, a full bar, and new appetizers. The bar includes their famous milk shakes with an alcholic addition. Along with the development and opening of the sports lounge, Johnny Rockets has recently introduced Johnny Rockets Fast. Johnny Rockets Fast is a fast-casual restaurant which will offer a limited menu and fit in small spaces such as mall food courts. Unlike the $750,000 investment needed to open a traditional Johnny Rockets the new fast-casual concept will be much cheaper.

In the next few years, Johnny Rockets hopes to expanded upon each of these 3 new concepts. With each of these concepts, Johnny Rockets hope to expand their customer base while still appealling to their current diners. With the recent economic crisis many companies are looking for new innovative ideas to help expend their brands, and by introducing these new concept I believe Johnny Rockets will see continued success.

food and beverage trends

I found this interesting article about beverages trends. The article in titled "Beverage trends all about health and variety," starts off with disscussing that we as consumers are looking past the soda, ice tea and coffee drinks options. We are becoming bored of the same old choices and are looking to add that spice back to the beverage section. Coca-cola is looking to include minute maid products into some of their new products. The new trend? Smoothies, Lemonades, and energy drinks.

Smoothies are now becoming a popular item because of their convience to consumers. The amount of shops that are springing up are increasing every year and its really bringing in revenue. Smoothies have always been health options that is why they have been put to the back burner several years ago but in this health crazy demand they are making their return. They can also serve as replacements to meals.

Lemonades and Teas are popular because of their versitility. They can be fuzed with almost anything and will meet the flavor needs of the costumer. People are becoming familiar with different types of teas because of their antioxidants powers.

Energy drinks are a huge market in todays age. People are sleeping less and working more to support for their families. They choose to replace and hour or two of sleep for one or two energy drinks to keep them going.

I found a very interesting article about how one of the current trends are that most restaurants, especially the quick service restaurants, are gearing more towards consumerism than other years. Other trends mentioned are that the consumers are more concerned with herbal supplements the growing use of functional or convenient foods. People are moving more towards going out to eat rather than staying in and cooking a meal and most times then not they will go to a fast food restaurant, which leads towards something mentioned in this article called "McDonaldization". With the rapid growth of people eating out, the number of people in the age group 18-34 has declined when it comes to a sitdown restaurant. All of the statistics leads to the growing epidemic of obesity in the united states, which is another trend, the concern for the health and happiness of the consumers of america. Another trend is the growth of the ethnic fast food restaurants, people may go to taco bell instead of going to McDonalds or Wendys.

This article has given me the chance to think of ways that maybe we could fix how we go about the nutrition in fast food restaurants. One solution may be to bring in healthier choices, for example have the meat patties at Burger King or McDonalds be a lower fat percentage.

Post 1

Since the start of the new year, there have been numerous lists and articles written each trying to predict what the newest trends in the food service will be for 2010. Trends such as "going green", using organic products, and "going local" showed up in a number of the articles, which was not surprising to me. One trend, which I was not expecting to see mentioned in so many lists was breakfast. Experts are predicting that breakfast in both fine dining and quick service restaurants will be on the rise. as consumers become more health conscience experts believe that consumers will recognize the importance of breakfast in their diets. Along with that, the recent economic crisis has left consumers trying to find alternatives to going out for an expensive dinner. With more diverse breakfast menus, going out to breakfast with a group of friends may can become a cheaper option. With the talent and creativity that today's chefs are putting into their breakfast menus, breakfast may become just as grand as a fancy lunch or dinner.

In the article,"The Breakfast Trifecta" author Marc Halperin examines the different types of breakfast consumers and divides them into three very different categories. The first of these categories are the A.M. Pit stop. The a.m. pit stoppers are those consumers whom are looking for a quick bit to eat that will fill them up with having to waste time. This category of consumers lends themselves nicely to the quick service industry which can offer customers a quick meal for a great price. Some establishments who have noticed the demand for quick, easy to eat breakfast option are McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts, whom in recent months have started to expand their breakfast offerings. In the article, Halperin suggest developing original smoothies and breakfast type wraps to accommodate the pit stop breakfast consumer.

The second group of breakfast consumer are those how see breakfast as a "Getaway Break". This group sees breakfast as a necessary part of their day and a time to relax and prepare for the days coming events. Halperin suggest that consumers in this group enjoy eating foods that are comforting and familiar to them such as breakfast sandwiches and pastries. To appeal to this group he suggests adding different types of hot cereals and bread puddings to a menu to separate from the crowds. This is an idea that many small establishments like diners and local bagel shops can expand upon.

Those who see breakfast as a "Personal Oasis" make up the final category of breakfast consumers. People who belong to this group usually make more time for their breakfast and eat a complete meal. To appeal to these guest the article suggests allowing the customer to make their own personalize breakfast combos. Although he also mentions the use of a swipe card, I believe that would require more money and training that some businesses may not be able to afford. The idea of the personal breakfast combo is something I believe many chain restaurant who are wanting to add breakfast to their menu could utilize.

Breakfast often becomes the over looked meal of the day, but by utilizing some of the tips from this article and really getting to know your client base it can become one of the most profitable meals. I have already seen quick service restaurants such as Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's expand their breakfast menus and I am sure that many more will follow in their footsteps. The idea of breakfast becoming a trend surprised me at first, but after researching the topic it is easier for me to understand appeal and the profitability it can have.

First Article Posting

Mc Donald's new Big Mac Snack Wrap.