“For me it’s all about having fun, enjoying yourself, that’s what’s important. How many times have you been to a restaurant where the food’s very nice but actually it’s quite boring, you don’t want to be there and you leave."
"We’re in the business of selling fun, we’re in the business of selling a night out, that’s what it’s all about really and I think the more dimensions you can add to that, the better.”
- Marco Pierre White in a recent interview with HotelierMiddleEast magazine
Marco Pierre White, at the age of 33, became the youngest and the first British chef to be awarded three Michelin stars in England.
Not still looking to the same sources for new ideas, are you? If you are a regular reader of TabletopJournal, I trust you are not. However.....for all others.... Design Quarterly might be a good place to start toexpand your mind. There are others...but DQ is a good starter. So...now you have your homework assignment for the coming weekend. Get it. Read it. Absorb it.
Photo by Jeff Gilbert
| In Wednesday's Telegraph newspaper, top British chef Marcus Wareing takes on young chefs who he says "want to be at the top, but don't want to put the work in. Young people come into your kitchen judging you rather than us judging them."
Is this a typical industry veteran looking simply negatively upon new culinary talents coming into the industry who are likely better trained and readied than the previous generation? Or, are these claims of young chefs being "clueless and lazy" legitimate? And, if the claims are legit....is it a British phenomena or a global issue? Here's a link to the article.....what do you think? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9257348/Marcus-Wareing-blasts-clueless-and-lazy-young-workers.html |
The 2012 version of the NRA Show has concluded and the city of Chicago will now prepare for the upcoming NATO Summit. Each year at this time we are reminded about what a great city Chicago is. While there are "normal" big city issues....construction causing blocked streets, difficulties getting cabs, long waits on certain restaurants......all in all, Chicago does a pretty damn good job hosting the world's hospitality industry. A tough assignment, for sure.
Lots to bring you in terms of tabletop.....new products, new directions, new people. We will bringing these stories to you and will be doing so over the next days...and even longer. And, if there is anyone there who feels we missed them....drop us a note and let's talk.
The tabletop and the products that operators use on them remain a great way to differentiate their particular restaurant brand. In the theater of dining experience, food and beverage may have the starring role.....but tabletop is a fantastic co-star!
We're looking forward to bring it all to you.
Looking for something different to do while in Chicago attending the NRA Show?
The majority of bars are dedicated to serving fancy alcoholic drinks, but the Peninsula Chicago has embraced a new bar concept! Check in to this luxury hotel in the Windy City and take advantage of its phenomenal chocolate bar. Their ‘Chocolate at the Pen’ bar is more of a buffet presented by Executive Chef Kai Lermen and Executive Pastry Chef Hsing Chen, and it can be found in the 5th floor lobby sitting area every Friday and Saturday evening. A few delectable options on the menu include chocolate tapioca, chocolate-peanut tarts, chocolate-dipped strawberries, white hot-chocolate infused with lavender, chocolate truffles, and much more! The menu options vary, so be sure to call ahead of time to inquire what will be featured. Reservations are available from 8:00 – 10:00pm, and the cost is $40 per person ($20 for children 12 and under). This price includes unlimited coffee, tea, espresso, or cappuccino, and the full selection of chocolates and desserts. For folks already dining in the Lobby, the chocolate bar is available for an additional $20 per person. At 8:30pm, the evening gets even more festive with a live jazz band and singer playing until 11:30pm, and dancing is of course encouraged. Make your reservations at the Peninsula Chicago and get ready for an evening of luxury, decadence, and a smooth good time
This is an idea we can get buzzed about! Check it out here: http://columnfivemedia.com/shop/in-caffeine-we-trust-poster/
We have been saying for a while that 2012 will see a continuation of consolidation for operators, dealer/distributors, manufacturers.....and, yes, even manufacturers representative groups will continue to consolidate. As we all look for more efficient ways to go to market, we need to keep our eye on the value that we are brining to our part of the hospitality chain. Here are copies of a couple of Tweets today reinforcing the consolidation trend for the global hotel business:
#JonesLangLaSalleHotels forecasts global transaction volume to hit $30 billion this year, equaling 2011 numbers (up 13%). #LHmag #hotelsalesRT @LHMagazine: #JonesLangLaSalleHotels says 42% of select-service hotel investors want to buy assets in '12, highest in survey history
Driven by positive same-store sales and an increasingly optimistic outlook among restaurant operators, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) rose to its highest level in five months in November. The RPI – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 100.6 in November, up 0.6 percent from October. In addition, November represented the second time in the last three months that the RPI stood above 100, which signifies expansion in the index of key industry indicators. “The November increase in the Restaurant Performance Index was fueled by broad-based gains in both the current situation and forward-looking indicators,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the Association. “Restaurant operators reported their strongest net positive same-store sales results in more than four years, while customer traffic levels also grew in November.”
“Among the forward-looking indicators, restaurant operators’ outlook for both sales growth and the overall economy rose to their highest levels in seven months,” Riehle added. Restaurant operators’ outlook for capital spending remains positive. Forty-seven percent of restaurant operators plan to make a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling in the next six months, essentially unchanged from the levels reported in the previous two months. To read the entire article, go here: http://www.restaurant.org/nra_news_blog/2011/12/november-restaurant-performance-index-hits-five-month-high-1.cfm
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