Not much need for tabletop items for my breakfast at Gate D82 this morning.

In the first half of 2011, the Villeroy & Boch Group generated net revenue of €362.4 million, up €12.5 million or 3.6% on the same period of the previous year. This revenue growth was generated both in Germany (+7.4%) and outside Germany (+2.3%).

Incoming orders at the end of June 2011 increased by €20.8 million year-on-year to €76.7 million. This includes a major order in the Tableware Division.

The Villeroy & Boch Group recorded earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of €10.6 million in the first half of 2011, a year-on-year increase of €2.5 million or 30.9%.

The Tableware Division generated revenue of €120.6 million in the first half of 2011, a figure that was almost unchanged as against the previous year (€121.5 million) despite the fact that revenue of around €4 million that was expected to be recorded in the second quarter was postponed tentatively due to the political unrest in the Arab region. This revenue of around €4 million is expected to be recovered in the second half of the year. The major order concluded in the first quarter of 2011 will be delivered from July 2011 onwards.

The Villeroy & Boch Group invested €13.8 million in the first half of the current financial year compared with €9.7 million in the period from January to June 2010.

Villeroy & Boch is forecasting consolidated revenue of around €760 million and an operating result (EBIT) of around €30 million for the 2011 financial year as a whole.

Today's really cool item is the CONFETTI Divided Plates from Zak! Designs. These colorful (remember....Zak! Designs is ALL about color!) divided plates are made from recycled melamine with a patented process that reduces the raw materials needed to produce them, cutting down on the waste that otherwsie would have been disposed. So, what's not to like!?

Great for buffets and any outside or poolside dining areas, these break resistant plates are perfect for adding entertainment to your dining experience. Zak Designs CONFETTI is available from most tabletop dealers such as Wasserstrom, Edward Don, and more.

Zak Designs has been exhibiting at Chicago's NRA Show for the past 5 years and they understand the foodservice business. Check out their complete lineup for hospitality by going to: 
http://www.zak.com/Food-Service-Hospitality_c_322.html

When confronted with a new idea, do you:

• Consider the cost of switching before you consider the benefits?
• Highlight the pain to a few instead of the benefits for the many?
• Exaggerate how good things are now in order to reduce your fear of change?
• Undercut the credibility, authority or experience of people behind the change?
• Grab onto the rare thing that could go wrong instead of amplifying the likely thing that will go right?
• Focus on short-term costs instead of long-term benefits, because the short-term is more vivid for you?
• Fight to retain benefits and status earned only through tenure and longevity?
• Embrace an instinct to accept consistent ongoing costs instead of swallowing a one-time expense?
• Slow implementation and decision making down instead of speeding it up?
• Embrace sunk costs?
• Imagine that your competition is going to be as afraid of change as you are? Even the competition that hasn't entered the market yet and has nothing to lose...
• Emphasize emergency preparation at the expense of a chronic and degenerative condition?
• Compare the best of what you have now with the possible worst of what a change might bring?

Calling it out when you see it might give your team the strength to make a leap.

Check out Seth's Blog: 
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/08/the-warning-signs-of-defending-the-status-quo.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29

Hotels Magazine reports that the Park Hyatt hotel brand is introducing seasonally and locally inspired culinary workshops that will take place around the world four times per year, an evolution of its former Masters of Food & Wine events. While the workshops will officially debut in 2012, 19 Park Hyatt hotels will preview the new programming during the weekend of September 23.

Always leaders in food & beverage, Park Hyatt chefs and sommeliers will lead the “masters” programs, which will feature hands-on courses focused on the themes “in the field,” offering guests a chance to interact with artisanal food and beverage purveyors; “in the kitchen,” where guests can participate in cooking workshops; and “in the moment,” providing guests with tips on service and presentation.

The masters events will take place on four weekends at the turn of each season, with 2012 dates set for January 13-15, March 23-25, June 24-26 and September 21-23. Classes will be limited to between eight and 25 guests, depending on the property.

“Our guests actively request one-of-a-kind, culturally rich experiences that have a take-home element, particularly in food and beverage,” said Achim Lenders, vice president of food and beverage, international, for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. “It is a natural evolution to transform our Park Hyatt Masters event into something more simple and interactive, pairing guests with local chefs and vintners to become masters themselves and letting guests see the destination through local eyes.”

Innovation and newness is not exclusive to the permenant tabletop category. Sometimes, the most creative new products come fm the disposables segment of tabletop products! Like this one.....

The “green” movement in tabletop is led by the disposables manufacturers and the latest news from Hoffmaster is their “Earth Wise-Tree Free” napkins! These disposable napkins are made from bamboo and the only napkins in the world that are 100% tree free. They’re an affordable alternative to tree-based and recycled napkins and truly go beyond green!

Extremely soft and absorbent, Hoffmaster’s “Earth Wise-Tree Free” napkins use no wood pulp and are made from renewable resources that renew within 12 months or less. Embossed to tell restaurant customers they made a sustainable choice, these napkins from industry leader Hoffmaster are available in beverage and dinner sizes, and come in a choice of colors.

Hoffmaster’s 100% compostable “Earth Wise – Tree Free” line of disposables includes tableware items with lids, containers, and cutlery. As the buying public becomes more environmentally conscious, their demand for affordable green products is increasing according to Hoffmaster. For over 60 years Hoffmaster has lead the industry in producing the most complete line of specialty disposable tabletop products.

To see the complete line of Hoffmaster products, go to: www.hoffmaster.com

Another cool company that we are beginning to learn a bit more about is called Glass Studio. They are an international company based in Europe, specializing in glass plates for professional use. With 17 years experience in serving luxury hotels and restaurants, this family-owned boutique company appears to be  a leader in the category in a number of markets. Glass Studio offers tabletop design services on a global scale through their offices in US, Japan, Singapore and Greece with expertise in dinnerware design, glass dinnerware production, and worldwide exports and logistics.

As glass becomes more popular to use as dinnerware in restaurants (like it's not already!) great companies that offer colorful, practical alternatives to plain, white porcelain will continue to prosper. We still have much to learn on this company, but from what we have seen so far, Glass Studio is clearly on the right track.

You can see the entire line of Glass Studio products and read more about them at: 
http://www.the-glass-co.com/myglassstudio/

Just because something is new, or the latest fad, doesn't automatically make it cool. Sometimes, classic items with grace and a style that endures are also VERY cool, too. Such is the case with Hepp's silveplated cloches. Can there be anything much more elegant - and a bit intriguing - than having your meal "unveiled" by the lifting of one of these gorgeous pieces?

With the casualization of dining, there are less and less restaurants using these beautiful pieces.....bit, oh..the ones that do! Dining becomes an event to be savored when Hepp silver is used!

See the entire range of elegance that Hepp offers by going to:   http://www.hepp.de/

I just stumbled onto this.....but, look at these beautfiul designs on Villeroy & Boch's New Wave cups! Wow!

Two wishes (there might be more, but I'll settle for two):
1) Please tell me these are standard designs and they are readily available.
2) Please also tell me that they are available in both the "regular" coffee cup size and an espresso size.

Parts of these designs look like they are inspired by Villeroy & Boch's old Acapulco pattern. In any event....this is how to merchandise and sell more coffee and espresso!

Enhance your guest experience - differentiate your restaurant!

Here's another great photo by our favorite tabletop photographer Eric Futran.

His website - http://www.chefshots.com/ - has a variety of images that Eric has shot, with a recent trip to Mexico providing some very colorful photos.  Of course, our favorite Eric Futran image is his famous B&W shot of forks from famed New York restaurant Lutece.

Check out all the great images from Eric at:  http://www.chefshots.com/