Generating customer referrals is one of the golden keys to building a successful restaurant business. In this aspect, your restaurant business is identical to every single other kind of business.

So, to understand the importance of customer referrals, take a moment to read this story about James. He’s a realtor, but he could just as easily be a restaurateur, just like you! You and James have precisely the same need and desire - to grow your business.

Remember, the VERY best way to grow a business is to turn your existing clients/customers into RAVING FANS, who will tell THEIR friends about YOUR business.

Read how James does it, faithfully copy what he does, and you’ll get the same stunning results…

James is an extraordinarily successful realtor. Some years ago he found a house for us, did a good job of organising the whole deal and we went our separate ways.

At least for a while!

Every three months, regular as clockwork, James sends us a handwritten greeting card. I’m sure he sends pretty much the same cards to everyone, but that’s not the point.
He actually sends them - THAT’s the point!

And while most other realtors are sucking their thumbs and whining about how bad life is, James keeps on selling, selling, selling.

I had a coffee with him a couple weeks ago and I asked him how his business was doing, in a flat market.

“What flat market?” he said. Business is getting better and better, year after year. In fact for James, every single year was better then the previous year.

So what’s James’ secret?

“It’s the cards”, he said.

“I remember Tom Hopkins saying how within 3 years of becoming a realtor, ALL of his business came from referrals. And the vast majority of those referrals came because he religiously sent out handwritten cards. Thank you cards, birthday cards. New Year’s cards. Cards for ANY reason. He just kept on sending ‘em. So I do too, and I get exactly the same results.”

Pretty simple!

So, when I’m standing around a barbecue with a beer and a friend asks if I know a good realtor, guess who I recommend? And remember, we only ever had one transaction with James, but I, along with many other people, send him constant business.

Why? Because James is ALWAYS top-of-mind when it comes to real estate. Because he sends us cards!

AND, James could be in any business, and he’d have the same success. Finance broker, lawn mowing contractor, hairdresser, accountant, restaurateur, mortgage broker. Doesn’t matter - the principle’s identical. Keep top-of-mind by sending heartfelt greeting cards, over and over.

So if this is such a bright idea, why don’t more businesses and sales people do this?

Well, primary reason is that most business owners and sales people are lazy and wouldn’t know a smart idea if it jumped up and bit them!

But for people like yourself, who aren’t, probably the main reason is that it’s too hard, too expensive and too complicated. But not any more. Sending custom written cards, with your own handwriting, sent in an envelope with a real stamp, straight from your computer, is now possible. And you don’t have to handle, or even see, the cards!

So, no more excuses - find a computer system which will generate, print and post REAL greeting cards in REAL envelopes with REAL stamps (not those lame emailed ones), and just DO IT!



Quick House Sale

The greatest advantage to owning a SMALL business is you can change quickly. If your customers suddenly decide they want some other product or service, you can offer that item to them within a few hours or days.

That usually isn’t the case for big businesses. Just take a look at the awful situation the American auto industry is currently in. Detroit made big bucks selling hefty pickups and SUV’s during the past decade.

But when gas prices soared and financing become difficult, those makers of gas guzzling automobiles were left in the dust. There was no way they could QUICKLY start offering smaller, cheaper, more fuel-efficient autos.

Factories would have to be retooled, thousands of employees retrained, billions in old stock liquidated, and a fortune in marketing spent to advertise the change.

Changing a big business like the auto industry takes years and billions of dollars. No matter how much they want to change quickly, the fact of the matter is, they can’t.

Not so with YOU! If your car repair service finds customers need engine work instead of mufflers, you can make the change and be ready to offer the new service in a matter of days.

If your accounting service finds fewer customers need payroll help and more want tax assistance, you can start offering the new service this afternoon.

One of the industries I currently work with is the restaurant business. Your favorite BIG corporate restaurant probably specializes in a niche — offering certain kinds of food, prepared in specific styles, and surrounded by a carefully crafted decor.
It costs the owners hundreds of thousands to several million to get their restaurant up and running. If they find out tomorrow the local clientele doesn’t want another Italian restaurant, but wants Mexican food instead, the owners have a BIG problem.

Changing their decor, developing a new style of food, and retraining or replacing staff is very expensive. Even more costly, the restaurant has to change their image in the minds of the public through massive advertising.

Many large restaurants simply shut down, then later start up under a different name offering the food the market desires. None of this is cheap or fast.

Using the “small is flexible” principle outlined above, I have instead developed a restaurant delivery service. This service offers the one PROFITABLE feature most restaurants don’t or can’t offer — the ability to DELIVER their food to customers.

These days consumers are busier than ever. Not only are they too busy to cook, they are often too busy to take an hour or more off to visit a restaurant. Restaurant delivery is the answer for the consumer as well as restaurants.

The beauty of this service is it is incredibly flexible. A restaurant delivery service can work with 50 restaurants. I’m not the least bit concerned if demand decreases for restaurant A, because I’m also offering the menus of restaurants B, C, D and E.

When tastes change, I change with them — quickly, effortlessly, and with no additional cost.

That’s flexibility. And these days, flexibility leads to BIG profits.



Passive Income

« Atlanta Restaurant Exchange - Restaurant Brokerage - Press ReleaseRestaurant for Sale in Atlanta GA - Great Opportunity! »Atlanta: Restaurants, economy and garage sales

Atlanta GA. Doug Marranci, Atlanta Restaurant Exchange

Uncertain economic times and Restaurant garage sales.

The drought, Gas prices, Immigration and food production = sharp increase in food prices. While prices continue to rise, gas is heading towards 4.00 per gallon, food costs are going through the roof!

Anyone who is in the business, or goes to the grocery store is aware of rapidly increasing prices. Why are restaurants not raising their prices? Simple. There is a “down and dirty” method of pricing a lunch menu called the “Big Mac” Theory. If that sandwich fries and a drink cost 6.00, many individual restaurant owners try to price their lunch menu around that price since the average person expects to spend that amount or less on their lunch.

The problem with any menu pricing is that it is very difficult to increase prices across the board on a menu. Customers WILL notice this, and many will complain, and threaten to not come back. This is mind boggling to the business owner. How do the “big guys’ do it? They do not raise prices, they “introduce new products” (heard about all of the new “smaller portion” menus?) This is not because people want smaller portions, these portions are amounts that we should be eating anyway! This is about re-structuring a menu so an item can be re-introduced with a higher profit margin. This technique works well when you have research and development and a great marketing staff. How many restaurant owners here in Atlanta have these tools available to them? How many restaurant owners have the time to restructure the successful menu that has served them well for so long? In my restaurant in Charlotte NC, I changed the structure of offering side dishes. I dropped the price of the item 25 cents, with less expensive options (at the time that was a salad, before lettuce went thru the roof!) and you could add the sides for one dollar. Thus an average increase of 75 cents on the item. This is an average. Some people just got the main item with no sides, however they were happy with the “new” value. Others did choose the sides, because fries for 1.00 more was a lot less than other restaurants were charging. There was now a new perception of “value” rather than having to deal with explaining why I increased the price of everything by 75 cents or 1 dollar. Customers are happy, I am happy with a slight increase in the items profit margin, and we can remain in a state of “ business as usual”.

Many restaurant owners who are not able to reorganize their menu pricing are finding themselves at the end of the road. Some are selling their business, others are closing their business and selling their equipment at “restaurant garage sales”. Everyone knows that used equipment is worth pennies on the dollar.

Many people seek our advice, since an operating restaurant has a value. Once you darken the doors of a restaurant, the value is negligible. No matter how difficult, keep the doors open and we find someone with a new concept to bring life to the business the restaurant owner spent so much time and energy to create!



Sell and Rent Back

If you are thinking about financing the restaurant of your dreams, you certainly do not need anyone to tell you how difficult it can be. If you already have a go of it, money can be tight while trying to build up the restaurant’s reputation. With respect to cash flow—often times it does not flow. One bad night can result in an unprofitable week, and the slow periods often last longer than expected. On the other hand, you may be in the position to sell a restaurant, and being privy to a few handy restaurant selling tips can be of tremendous value—no matter what side of the fence you are standing on.

Bank loans may be thought of as the obvious way for a buyer to raise capital for a restaurant business. However, it may surprise you to know that from the viewpoint of the lender, even a profitable restaurant is a big risk due to historical pre-tax profits ranging from 4-7%. If you are on the buying end and obtain a loan whereby the interest rate is high, this can be a problem within itself—especially for low margin businesses such as restaurants. Do the homework and make sure that a bank loan is the way to go. For the owner looking sell a business, knowing any likely stumbling blocks ahead of time that the buyer might encounter will help you to part with the property on schedule.



Self-Financing



The owner of a restaurant is looking to successfully sell a business, and is not over concerned what type of financing you use—as long it is legitimate. If you have the available capital, self-financing becomes a viable option. A word of caution though, there is often no recovery of personal capital if a venture goes bad once you have taken it over. On the other hand, if you are using your own capital, the incentive to succeed might be stronger. Of course, the stronger the incentive to succeed—the greater the chances of making your new restaurant venture a success.



Personal Loans



For the buyer negotiating with an owner to sell a restaurant business, the numbers indicate nearly 42% of private investors are close family members, such as a sibling, spouse, parent, or grandparent. There is a lot of investing going around these days, and approximately five out of every 100 adults in the United States have invested in someone else’s business within the past three years. Restaurants are the most common businesses started in the United States; therefore, it stands to reason that selling a restaurant will be among the most common types of business transactions. Keeping these numbers in mind, it should give you a great deal of encouragement if you are looking for a personal loan.



Factoring the Accounts Receivable



At this stage of the process, the selling price for a restaurant has been agree upon, and all the variables have been taken care of. Now that the business is up and running, there may be those periods that you will need a quick influx of working capital. Factoring is a form of finance whereby a business can accelerate cash flow by selling its accounts receivables at a discount. It allows the business to move forward and receive needed cash flow without waiting for outstanding invoice to be paid, and is a process that works well for service-based businesses. However, restaurants usually have very little business of this kind. You should never rule out any avenue of help at the initial stage though. Always follow through! You can never tell what kind of surprise might show up at your doorstep.



Factoring Credit Card Payments



Restaurants do have a lot of credit card transactions, and by leveraging this type of capital—restaurants can literally obtain capital with other people’s money. Restaurants can actually leverage up to $120,000 in the process. The restaurant owner can use the money for any purpose—from expanding the business to buying new equipment. The factoring advance is not a loan; it is simply an advance against future credit card payments.

The company purchasing the credit card payments usually takes a fixed percentage of future credit card transactions, and makes the payment to the restaurant usually within 14 days. If this is a viable option for you, make sure you know what the restrictions are. Generally speaking, to qualify, a restaurant would have to be running for more than a year, and take in over $5000 per month in credit card transactions. Additionally, there would need to be more than one year left on the lease to qualify. A word of caution is to avoid companies that charge an application fee or closing costs. There is not that much information paperwork to be processed.

Angel investors may also be a route worth considering as well. These individuals look for restaurants with high growth prospects. You may have to relinquish some control over the business, but it can be a start if your business is in the early stages of growth. These types of investors can be readily found in large metropolitan areas.



Quick Property Sale

The statistics on businesses sold in California are well worth knowing. Over 70% of all businesses on the market, are not sold. Why is this?

The two strongest reasons for failure are lack of preparation and an unrealistic selling price. Valuing a business correctly tends to resolve the unrealistic selling price problem. Know when to hold the price and when to change the price also helps businesses sell quicker. But, what about the preparation points?

Lets discuss the various factors that can help you get fully prepared when selling your business.

The decision to sell – People decide to sell their businesses for many different reasons. My experience shows that the main reason is because of a failed goal or purpose, of some sort. Sellers are not happy when he or she has not been making it to their satisfaction or their original goal has not being achieved. Another truly legitimate reason is if a business owner’s health is going down hill. Lastly, sometimes it is just time to retire, and play golf or travel. Whatever your reason, it is important to identify exactly what the reason is that you want to sell your business, and to be totally honest with yourself and others on this point. The reason you might be selling does not adversely affect the selling price, but it may help the marketing activities, for the agent and make the final negotiations go easier. People really like to understand why a seller wants to get out, and they are perceptive if you are lying on that point.

How to sell it – The next part of being prepared, is to make the decision to “sell it yourself,” or use a business broker. The main advantage in selling the business yourself is that you save on the commission. Brokers, usually charge 10% of the sales price for businesses priced at less than $1 Million Dollars. This can seem like a lot of money but it isn’t. If you do the marketing yourself, you would have to cover all cost of advertising the business and take all the time necessary to talk to every inquiry. Have you looked at what an add costs in the Los Angeles Times? Imagine putting in an advertisement every week for 6 months. You could take your wife on a first class cruise around the world for that much money. (Sorry Norman Chandler.)

The advantages in using a broker are many. Brokers have established marketing lines that allow them to offer your business to lots of people, in a short period of time. They know the market and are well versed in all the potential pitfalls involved in selling a business. They handle all costs associated with marketing and packaging the business and they are only paid if and when the business sells. No legitimate brokerage asks for upfront fees. You need to decide, are you going to sell it yourself or use a competent broker? I did say a competent broker; there are both good and bad brokers as in any business.

Who you should not try selling it to – When people think about selling their business, they often think of selling it to their competitors or employees. This is actually not a good idea. A competitor’s value of your business is based entirely on advantages they would be achieving, if you were not in business and therefore not hindering the expansion of their business. They look at what the net effect would be if they owned your resources (clients, territories, inventories, etc.)

Also, competitors historically are only willing to buy a similar business, for 20-33% of the price that an outsider would pay for your business. This is because the insider knows the headaches of your business and discounts the price because of them. Also many competitors will appear to be interested in buying your business, as a way to find out trade secrets. Many times they never had any real interest in buying your business at all.

Employees, when buying a business from their employer do like the idea of all the perks of ownership, but in truth, they do not like the responsibilities and potential liabilities that come with ownership. A really big problem is when employees know that a business is for sale; they usually start looking around for a new employer. I really cannot say this strongly enough. When selling your business, it is not a good idea to go to your competitors and / or employees, as a starting point.

Things that will help with the sale – A part of being prepared is to have your accounting records up to date, available and complete. This will make it much easier to get started on selling the business and to close a deal quicker. Try to put together the following before you start;

a) 2 years of profit and loss statements for the business

b) The most recent twelve to eighteen months of sales – listed by month

c) List of all equipment, with estimated market value as used equipment in place, not at fire sale prices.

d) Current list of inventories – if any

e) Copies of any property lease, equipment leases and other business related documents, such as current health department certificate as in the case of a restaurant, or OSHA spray booth permit.

f) List of all perks you personally get out of the business (these, added back into the financial reports, increase the profit figures for the business, thereby making the business more valuable).

g) A brief description of the business; what it does; the area it covers and the future expansion possibilities.

Changing the way you keep your accounting records – If you are one of the few people who do not keep accurate books, then today is the day to change your record keeping. If you are writing off everything in the world against your business, you do not need to change that action in order to sell your business. Just be able to pick out those items that a buyer wouldn’t incur if they bought the business and be able to give this information to a buyer or broker. The more important change that is needed is to take 100% of all sales and services and get them deposited in the bank and recorded as sales. If you are unwilling to do this for tax reasons, I understand. This is critical to getting the highest price. Declaring all your income, also allows you to sleep better, knowing that you are keeping books that you can show any buyer or any government official. If you feel that recording all income will also raise your income taxes, then stop worrying. There are some very good accountants around who know how to save taxes legally. If you cannot find one, I will find one for you.

Negotiation and flexibility – One of the reasons some brokers are worth their weight in gold, is because they are very good at negotiation and know how to create win-win situations. They keep the parties talking and know how to work the offers until the business is sold. You should be prepared to be flexible while negotiating the sale of your business, also. Do not for example insist on ‘all-cash for the business and nothing else’. This sort of inflexible approach will usually kill a deal before it gets started. Also, let your broker do his or her job; do not discuss price and terms with prospective buyers directly. Let your broker know what points you are willing to negotiate and which you are not, in advance of getting offers. This will help to get more offers.

Most of all you want to do everything you can to make sure a deal to sell your business is concluded as quickly as possible. There is a law with regard to selling a business. “The more time that passes, the harder it is to sell a business, and the easier it is for a business deal to fall apart.” So, do what you can to expedite the sale of your business and work with your broker.



Quick House Sale

Studies on the United States’ restaurant and food services sector have shown that the industry is one of the fastest growing, with the number of food managers touted to rise by around 45,000 annually starting the year 2014.

In fact, data from the National Restaurant Association attest to the fact that plenty of job opportunities are available for people both from within and outside the industry. It is for this reason that more and more people are getting interested and increasing their investment on restaurant and food services training and education.

What the Industry is About

The foodservice and restaurant sector covers areas such as catering, casual family diners, fine dining, chef-owned bistros, resorts and casinos, motels and hotels, cruise ships, fast food chains, theme parks, schools, company cafeterias, hospitals and just about wherever the preparation and selling of foodstuff is present.

To date, there are about twelve million jobs in this sector alone. It is one of the most widespread because food is a basic necessity. That’s why many entrepreneurs say you can never go wrong when you enter the food business. Food services exist in every city, state and country, from the most metropolitan of environments to the most quait and far-flung locations. Due to such, employment opportunities in the restaurant industry is always high.

A career in the restaurant and foodservices industry does not mean simply asking the customer if he wants a side of coleslaw to go with his chicken. It is more than that. You will also have to hone your people skills in order to properly interact with the customer, as well as practice stellar hygiene and good grooming. A restaurant that does not demand so from its employees is no good.

In fact, even without the restaurant owner telling you how to conduct yourself on the job, it is your personal responsibility to make sure that customers all satisfied, happy and very much keen on coming back.

What Sort of Training Do You Need?

Most hole in the wall restaurants start from scratch. That is, without the formal education and training to set up and operate such a business. Some of the older and pioneering institutions began from owners’ very own kitchens, without so much as a bachelor’s degree to their names and, still, their restaurants continue to grow and thrive with the times.

However, the industry is growing at around 12% each year and the demands of the customer are getting more and more cosmopolitan. While zero training can be offset by pure dedication and interest in the restaurant and foodservices business, there also are strong arguments in favor of acquiring the right education and formal training needed for the job.

Education is useful given the changing times. With globalization at an all-time high, it is important for those engaged in the food business to keep themselves up to date and knowledgeable with the latest trends. With travel and communications booming at an alarming rate, the restaurant sector has the responsibility to move with it.

Most restaurants provdie in-house training for their personnel, in order for them to more easily advance to supervisory and managerial positions. Hence, it is not unusual for a former dishwasher or table service crew member to be the boss over a period of time. And though a number of food service staff are promoted to higher posts, the job opportunities for those with formal training, whether via an associate or bachelor’s degree, in institutional food service and restaurant management are greater. It will be easier to climb up the ladder if you combine education with solid on-the-job experience.

Why Formal Education is Important

Employment in the food industry is considered a profession. Before, those who simply had ample interest and experienced-based know-how and resources can enter the business. While this is still true today, most institutions prefer that you have a certificate to back your resume.

Programs related to the restaurant and food services sector include food technology, marketing, customer relations, human resources, finance and business management. Institutional food service facilities also provide courses on nutrition, sanitation, record keeping, understanding of policies and procedures, food preparation, reports preparation, and personnel management.

Such hospitality management programs usually run for two to four years, after which you get a diploma or a certification. The more credentials you have, the more you will be perceived of as a professional who is well-trained, highly skilled and motivated. Achieving these credentials only shows how serious you are at advancing the industry and growing with your chosen career.

Thus, formal training is important because:

1. Having specialized qualifications entails that you’re entering the restaurant and food services industry with more than the basic necessary skills to professionally advance

2. Specialized training shows prospective employers that you are motivated enough and have an ample level of maturity to move around such a high-pressure and fast-paced environment

3. People who graduate from hospitality-related programs and courses have turned out to be the ones who do better in their careers, whether they have actually entered the restaurant industry or not, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Studies

4. Highly-skilled staff and those with formal restaurant training will be in high demand because jobs in full-service restaurants are expected to rise at a huge rate compared to other food services units.

Conducting Yourself on the Job

People working in the food services industry are not robots. Their job is not just to take directions and follow t hem to the letter. They must be able to make decisions themselves and have the initiative to address certain issues. A lot of restaurant operators take note of your personal qualities, for instance, problem-solving skills and attention to detail, before they decide if they want you to be part of their team or not. Grooming is also crucial.

A lot of these qualities you will learn while you’re receiving formal training. While traits like leadership and initiative are ingrained, the right way of handling operations and customers if often not found if you just go it alone and rely on your instincts. Opportunities in the restaurant world will continue to rise as the industry grows in conjunction with the population, leisure times and personal incomes.

Whether you’re eyeing a job at a small restaurant or a fine dining place, the amount of dedication you give out should be the same. It is inevitable that you’ll start at the rank and file level, as you will need the experience to gain solid footing in all possible restaurant duties. Coupled with a degree, it won’t be surprise if you find yourself at one of the top positions in six to twelve months’ time. When this happens, relish the moment. You definitely deserve it.



Repossession

For those of you who weren’t able to attend this year’s NAFEM show, held on February 5-7, Cook’s Direct was there to review and evaluate the newest products and innovations from Restaurant Equipment and Supply manufacturers across the country. We’re providing you with our list of this year’s coolest and most innovative restaurant supply items from the show. “There were new products for use in all areas of the commercial kitchen, but we believe that Chefs, Restaurant Operators and Foodservice Directors alike, will be most excited by the new restaurant equipment items we’ve got listed in this year’s Top 10 Coolest NAFEM introductions round-up ” said Jeff Breeden, Chief Merchant at Cook’s Direct.

1. Cooktek’s Six Burner Induction Range

Heavy duty design is combined with great looks for a cooktop that can work in the busiest kitchen or is perfect for presentation cooking. Cooktek’s newest Induction Range is the first ever, six-burner induction cooktop available. It has high power strength with energy efficiency built into the design to help save money on utility bills. This induction range can be installed on a refrigeration unit or worktable, and with its tempered glass top, it’s easily cleaned.

2. Vollrath’s Super Pan® Super Shapes Steam Table Pans

 

Innovative designs for your buffet are here with Vollrath’s new Super Pan ® Super Shapes steam table pans. The stylized pans allow you to affordably enhance the look of your buffet line. And with several unique shapes to choose from, you can quickly and easily create an entirely new presentation for different events. It’s also great way to freshen up each day part with a unique appearance for your buffet or salad bar.

 

3. Steelkor’s X-Green Produce Washing System

Steelkor’s X-Green washing system is perfect for the larger commercial kitchen, like those found in a university, arena, or hospital setting. This complete washing system removes dirt, grime, waxy buildup, and harmful microbes from large batches of produce. The cold water, FiT injected system kills 99.9% of harmful microbes like E. coli and Salmonella sp. This system is easy to use, provides consistent and effective results to your produce sanitation process, and takes up little space in the kitchen. The big payoff is that you are secure in the knowledge that the produce you serve your customers is safe and sanitized.

4. Cres Cor’s Logo Heated Cabinet

With a great new look, you’ll want these storage cabinets in front of customers rather than in the back of the house! Imagine seeing your logo or a full size image of your best selling products moving in front of thousands of people at a Big 10 basketball game. By applying a graphic wrap to their heated cabinets, Cres Cor has created a product that’s great for branding businesses through visibility at high traffic events like trade shows, sporting events or music festivals, anywhere that heated food is served.

5. Continental’s Recycling Cart, The Quad-Collection Dolly

Are you looking to launch a recycling program? Getting started is easy with the help of Continental’s new Quad Collection Dolly which is designed to carry four Wall Hugger™ Recycling Receptacles. The Wall Hugger™ containers are available in blue or black and with or without handles and you can get specially designed color coded lids for the Wall Hugger™ containers to encourage users to sort their recyclables. These lids have molded openings to receive certain products like news paper, bottles, aluminum cans, etc. When you get the containers, lids and the new Quad-Collection Dolly, your recycling program will be ready to go.

6. Chill Rite’s Shock A Vodka Dome System

Add a special WOW factor to your next event serving ice cold liquor to guests with the Shock A Vodka Dome System from Chill Rite 32. The presentation that you get with this system makes it a hit with customers. The bottles are inverted and placed in frosted domes to chill the liquor to a cool 5 degrees Fahrenheit. It then pours directly from taps on the frosted domes. If you’re serving beer along with liquor we suggest the yeti dispenser option, which serves up beer at a thirst quenching 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The dome system is mounted on a 48” long by 8” wide rail that’s also frosted to keep up the presentation. Also included is a full LED illumination display to merchandise top brand liquor bottles. Customers will love the cold tap liquor delivery system and you’ll love the increase in sales.

7. Blendtec’s Kitchentec™ variable speed blender with memory

For chefs who run a busy kitchen, this memory enhanced blender is a must, letting you program combinations of time and speed to create a blending sequence. Once the Master Chef has perfected the blending cycle for key recipes, these can be programmed into the new Kitchentec™ Blender. Kitchen staff can then simply run the program to recreate the recipe. The programming capabilities can also be used to replicate various prep activities for consistency and efficiency. Easy-to-use and intuitive this blender will increase your kitchens productivity and improve consistency in your final products.

8. Jade’s High Mass Oven

The innovative High Mass Oven from Jade introduces a fresh approach in range ovens. They took a standard range oven and added a 75 pound, ½ inch griddle plate to the inside bottom and back of the oven cavity.  The oven bottom plate comes with welded steel side splashes to contain spills from leaking into the stainless steel burner box.

9. New Age’s Beverage Container Transport Cart

For caterers or event producers that are looking for a rough and rugged, high volume beverage cart this new product from New Age just what you need. Built with high capacity in mind, the New Age beverage cart is capable of carrying up to six 10-gallon beverage containers at one time. It’s extremely durable and capable of handling the heaviest loads. This cart is so strong, it’s even recommended for jail or prison kitchens. The transport cart is backed with a lifetime guarantee against rust and corrosion and a five-year guarantee against workmanship and material defects.

Dexter’s Cool Blue™ Heat Resistant Turner

Dexter’s new Cool Blue™ heat resistant, melt resistant kitchen turners left a lasting impressionson all who saw them. Dexter representatives demonstrated how these Cool Blue™ handles will withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, outperforming Mercer’s Hell’s Handles™ Utensils, which have been getting a lot of press lately. Even after hours of use, the handles remain cool, and you never have to worry that they will melt to your grill. As well as being heat and melt resistant, the handles are easy to clean and slip resistant and the turners feature a precision ground blade. They are also NSF certified to meet health codes standards.

 

About Jeff Breeden and Cook’s Direct:

Jeff Breeden is active in the Foodservice Industry through his work at Cook’s and as a member of NAFED (National Association of Food Equipment Dealers). During the past 12 years, he has held a variety of roles including new product development, national account sales, and brand development. In his current responsibility as Chief Merchant, he utilizes his experience and expertise to find innovative equipment and supply solutions to meet the evolving needs of restaurant and institutional foodservice operations. Cook’s Direct provides a full range of commercial kitchen solutions including all types of kitchen supplies and heavy duty restaurant equipment to correctional facilities, institutions and other large foodservice operations across North America. The company was founded over 10 years ago and is known for its innovative products, strong customer service and expert knowledge of institutional kitchen operations.



Repossession

A good business plan will say everything that is necessary about what you are planning to create, and will give potential investors and banks a hard copy of your ideas, your predicted costs, and all other pertinent information for them to mull over.

If you’re looking to start your own restaurant, chances are you’re going to need some money to help you in your business. Getting a loan is hard enough as it is, but there are things you can do in order to present yourself better when the time comes to meet with investors, banks, or other sources of funding.

One of the primary things that you will want to do is create a business plan. A good business plan will say everything that’s necessary about what you are planning to create, and will give potential investors and banks a hard copy of your ideas, your predicted costs, and all other pertinent information for them to mull over.

While having a business plan sounds easy enough, putting them together is more difficult than you might think. These are long, detailed documents that tend to follow a particular format and must be presented in a straightforward, professional way. Luckily, there is restaurant business plan software out there that will help you create the perfect business plan. All you have to do is put in the information that is necessary in a business plan, and these software programs will format it for you so you have a perfect copy to present to potential investors.

While there are many writers out there that are proficient in putting together business plans, it’s always good if you take the time to put it together yourself. If you don’t feel confident enough to do this you could try a consultant, but most consultants take your problem away and solve it for you. So you may get more value if you work with a coach who will show you how to write your business plan and guide you as you do it yourself. That way you’ll will know exactly what you’re showing others.

You can put together a great business plan with a number of software programs, so look into your options and choose wisely.

Business plan software will help you create plans that are suited for a number of different business types, including restaurants. Using software will help you to create accurate financial forecasts for your company using wizard programs. Sales, investments, loan payments, inventory, and other important parts of your businesses financial forecasts can be tracked and put into a business plan to give investors an idea of what profit margins you are looking to make.

A great business plan will help you sell your ideas and get the financing you need.



Sell and Rent Back

Most of my childhood was spent in the country, out in a little village in Dartmoor. I managed to buy my Jeep – a battered second-hand Wrangler – in my early twenties, when I returned to look for gainful employment after spending three years away at University. I tried a lot of different things – anything from working in tourist gift shops to restaurants – before I landed job as a Dartmoor ranger with the National Park Authority. Amongst the Land Rover Defenders, my Wrangler was a bit of an oddity, but they don’t really look so different when they’re liberally covered in mud.

It took me another two years to figure out that I really wanted to go back to university to study zoology, at which point I knew I had to sell my Jeep. It had been indispensable in my job as a ranger, which took me all over the moors, not to mention the challenges of negotiating some of the muddy and badly-maintained tracks around my parents’ home. Unfortunately, everything that made it perfect for Dartmoor also made it a bad choice for the city. I didn’t want to be just another ‘Chelsea Tractor’ driver in Exeter, so I put an advert in the local paper in the hope of finding a Jeep buyer before I left. If I could sell my Jeep before my new course started, I would be able to buy a new car for the regular journey – rather than begin the search when time was tight after I started. I also didn’t relish the thought of being stuck with it in the city.

It’s not made for efficient fuel consumption and I knew I’d spend a fortune filling it up – not good now that I was heading back to a student budget. I’d also had a few interesting experiences at speed and on twisty roads, when I found out that the handling wasn’t quite what I’d expected. Not to mention the fact that I felt kind of self-conscious driving down the dual carriageway looking down from my vantage point on all the other cars (barring van drivers, of course, and they seldom offered me much solidarity). Although there are urban areas of the country where four-by-fours are popular, the SUV craze hasn’t quite caught on in England like it has in America.

Selling my Jeep didn’t take long. I had bought it second-hand and cheaply to begin with, and given it a real hammering on the rough tracks and hills ever since. I wasn’t asking much for it and it wasn’t long before one of my old school mates saw the advert and got in touch. He was willing to buy my Jeep for slightly below the asking price, and I agreed because I knew what a state it was in! He was in a similar position to the one I was in two years earlier, so I was glad to sell my Jeep for a good cause. The money I got for it went towards a nice, conventional little hatchback – far more suited to my regular commute into the crowded city than the Jeep would be.



Rent Back