By Brad Pierce, President Restaurant Equipment World

via The Schechter Report

The origin of hacking online sites dates back almost to the advent of the internet itself. Back in the early days, hackers were typically referred to as “script kiddies” who would hack sites for fun.  As the internet has evolved so has hacking, and now it’s big business filled with illicit intentions. So, how do you protect your site from hacking attacks?

Its hard to top a Cleveland Steamer…

…But the new Mini Combi Oven expands your menu!

The Mini 2 in 1 Combi Oven comes equipped with two separate cooking chambers placed on top of each other allowing foods to be prepared simultaneously using different cooking methods. Both chambers are easily controlled with just a few simple entries on the key pad using Convotherm by Cleveland’s easyToUCH technology. The small footprint, the ease of operation, and the wide range of cooking options deliver maximum performance within a limited amount of floor space.

The easyToUCH control panel provides self-explanatory symbols to help staff navigate through menu options. A visual help mode with operating instructions and a service diagnostic mode quickly offer onsite help should problems occur. Automatically receive software updates via the internet. A USB connection is included for easy up and downloading of programs and recipes. The easyToUCH system does not require any special or additional tooling and supports standard Windows CE platform.

Standard features include the Crisp & Tasty function – food comes out crisp and crunchy, while the inside stays tender and juicy. The Press & Go control displays individual pictures of menu items to choose from making it easy for staff to operate and ensuring the quality you desire can be reproduced time after time. Programmable up to 250 recipes with up to 20 steps each.

From our friends at SEFA

Press Release Courtesy of the National Restaurant Association

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, November 15, 2010

CONTACT:  Derrek J. Hull (312) 853-2522 dhull@restaurant.org or Annika Stensson (202) 973-3677 astensson@restaurant.org
NRA Show on Twitter and Facebook.

National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show Signs Multi-Year Agreement to Stay at Chicago’s McCormick Place through 2016
A 61-Year Tradition Continues – Bringing More than $600 million in Direct Expenditures to Chicago Over Six Years

(Chicago) The National Restaurant Association was joined today by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and leaders in the city’s convention and hospitality industry in announcing that the annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event will remain in Chicago’s McCormick Place through 2016. After thorough review of options, the National Restaurant Association signed a new five-year agreement with the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) and the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau (CCTB).

Dawn Sweeney, National Restaurant Association President and CEO, delivered the following statement in part at the news conference announcing the future plans of the Association’s annual Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show:

“The restaurant business has always been, and continues to be, all about warm hospitality, extraordinary service and great taste. Therefore, it is critically important to the National Restaurant Association that we hold our industry’s leading trade show in a location that possesses those characteristics.

“We continue to strongly believe that Chicago, Illinois, is a world-class destination that provides outstanding business facilities, along with sensational culinary, cultural and entertainment assets.

“Our 66,000 attendees and exhibitors from all 50 states and more than 100 countries deserve and expect excellence – and Chicago delivers.

“Along with all that the city of Chicago has to offer, McCormick Place – with the new legislation being implemented – will now provide an exhibitor-friendly, hassle-free and cost-effective facility that makes for an outstanding trade show environment.

“Thank you to Governor Pat Quinn, Chicago’s Mayor Richard M. Daley, Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan and Illinois Senate President John Cullerton and others who worked so hard to make the positive changes at McCormick Place a reality.

“The legislation includes many important provisions that will help us grow our trade show – already the Western Hemisphere’s, and arguably the world’s, largest foodservice and hospitality event.

“McCormick Place has made a commitment to enhance its service and value at the NRA Show. Allowing exhibitors the option to undertake a number of tasks they were previously precluded from engaging in, along with decreased foodservice and electrical costs, are among the concrete positive steps that will make the venue highly attractive, and that will place it on a level playing field with other cities.

“We are in a global marketplace with instant communications and intense competition. With that reality as a backdrop, the National Restaurant Association is pleased with the direction the recent legislation has taken, and we encourage labor leaders to continue working to provide an unsurpassed experience to attract an ever greater number of trade show exhibitors from across the United States and around the world to Chicago.

“The continuation of this amazing tradition will bring more that $600 million – that’s in excess of one half of a billion dollars – to Chicago through 2016.”

Read Sweeney’s full remarks.

The annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals. The event attracts tens of thousands of attendees and visitors from all 50 states and 100+ countries, and showcases more products, services, innovative ideas and other growth opportunities than any other industry event. For more information, visit the Show Web site at www.restaurant.org/show.

Brad Pierce, President Restaurant Equipment World

via The Schecter Report

I’ve heard the complaint dozens of times, “Social media doesn’t work for my restaurant.” Whenever I hear operators vent about how they’re not achieving the desired results in their social media campaigns, I begin asking a series of questions to determine why they think this online promotional medium is ineffective. Answers typically reveal that operators are either (1) not investing the time to do it correctly or (2) they’re investing the time, but they’re simply posting status updates with specials and other self-serving content.

The first scenario is easy to solve by devoting more time and effort. The second scenario, however, requires more thought by operators about how they’re working with social media. To use an old adage, people don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy. What’s needed is to change the mindset of customers so that they actively want to engage with a foodservice. Then, with luck, they’ll bite.

Let’s look at a real-world interaction in a typical operation: Managers want to sell more desserts to increase check averages. Previously, staff might put a sign on a display table saying “Try Our Pie.” Amongst all the products on the table, the message was often lost. This is similar to how a message gets lost among all the other postings in the social media world people log on to daily. Because the old paper display sign failed, the argument can be made that advertising desserts doesn’t work to drive sales — much like the argument that social media doesn’t work to drive sales.

Here’s how to do it right. Using my example, what if instead of just placing that small sign on the table, staff enhanced it to show a picture, possible a quote or two from customers that the operation serves the best pie they’ve ever had. Do you think that might sell more desserts? Of course you would, but we’re not done yet.

What if customers were talking with one another about how the pie they ate at a facility was the best they’d ever had? That’s the kind of buzz that sends lines of customers coming in the door ready to add pie to their orders. Readers may be thinking that’s just a fictional example, but how do get my customers to talk with friends about what my operation serves? In the real world, you have the benefit of face-to-face interactions to chat directly with customers about how wonderful the pie is and how it comes out steamy hot just like Grandma used to make. In the social media world, however, this “sales pitch” doesn’t translate quite so well.

Instead, operators should quit posting status updates and offers, and begin to engage with customers. Get to know customers, comment on the things they’re doing, the things they care about. In short, don’t try to sell them anything! Build relationships with and get to know customers. Once operators engage with customers, they’ll be the ones who are commenting to others about the great food and desserts they’ve experienced. This is social media working for operators. Bottom line: An effective campaign built upon relationships and engagement, rather than a lackluster one focused on ineffective postings to drive sales.

by Kaila Colbin

Am I the only one who finds it difficult to manage multiple accounts, multiple admins, and multiple campaigns online? Surely not.

Facebook used to live at the inconvenient extreme of making it impossible to remove the originating Page admin, implying that no mere successor admin could ever be trustworthy enough to carry the mantle forward. Now they’ve boomeranged to requiring a nearly saintly level of trust in each and every Page admin, any disgruntled one of whom can remove all the others and destroy your company’s reputation with a few judiciously placed comments and inappropriate pics. Really, Facebook? There’s no middle ground between the power to post a status update and the power to stage an online coup d’etat?

And, while we’re at it, why are Page ads linked to people and not Pages? The whole point of a Page is to give your company an online presence, right? So let me get this straight: if the gal running the ads gets hit by a bus, nobody else can access the ads. (I’m talking AFTER visiting her in the hospital — I’m not completely heartless!) Heck, all she has to do is take a week off and the system grinds to a halt.

Maybe right now you’re all, “No problem, dude; just make a business account.” But no. Technically you’re not allowed to create a business account unless you don’t have a personal profile. So the guy with the business account — the one you’re trusting to manage your Facebook ad presence — is so social-media-savvy that he doesn’t even have a personal profile. And since technically a business account is only supposed to belong to one person, it doesn’t solve the problem anyway.

So the guy with the business account — the one you’re trusting to manage your Facebook ad presence — is so social-media-savvy that he doesn’t even have a personal profile.
Kaila Colbin -
A Little Administrative Rant

At least Google allows multiple admins on AdWords accounts. But what they don’t allow is single administrative access for multiple YouTube accounts. I have a personal one, and four business ones, and for each one I have to remember what unique blimmin’ email/password combo I used for it. Seriously, imagine if this happened in the real world. You’re a freelancer, but you have to use a different name and cell phone for each client. PLUS I have to log out of Gmail so it doesn’t automatically read the stupid cookies and try to be helpful. You’re not helpful, Gmail. You want to be helpful? Give me a Master Admin page on YouTube and let me choose which account to manage.

Speaking of not helpful, try logging into New Twitter, which jovially announces, “Everything in one place!” (The cheerfulness is reminiscent of the excessively happy Eddie the Shipboard Computer from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”: “Hi there. This is Eddie, your shipboard computer, and I’m feeling just great, guys, and I know I’m just going to get a bundle of kicks out of any program you care to run through me.”) The reality, of course, is that “everything” is almost entirely unlike being in one place. If I want to manage multiple Twitter accounts — for, say, personal and professional purposes — I’m going through a third-party app, not logging in and out every time I need to switch persona. Incidentally, the fact that pretty much every third-party app offers this functionality shows that it’s not that hard, is it?

The folks who run these services are collectively some of the brightest people on the planet, and have collectively managed to influence our culture more dramatically over a shorter period of time than perhaps any other group in history, so please don’t take this article as a sign of disrespect. It’s just a plea: Look at us. Look at how we use these services. There are a lot of small things you can do that will make our lives so much easier.

Do you share my frustration? Am I being ridiculous? Let me know either way, in the comments or via @kcolbin. And thank you for putting up with this small interruption.

If you want to connect with us as well as @kcolbin, get us on our Twitter @REWonline.

by Karlene Lukovitz, Media Post Marketing Daily

Wendy’s International, Inc. is rolling out a new series of television and radio commercials targeting the U.S. Hispanic market.

Themed “Sabor de Verdad,” roughly translating to “Real Taste,” the Spanish-language campaign is the first Wendy’s effort from WPP Group’s Miami-based The Bravo Group, which was chosen by the QSR in August as its new Hispanic agency of record.

Timed to coincide with Wendy’s expansion of its 99-cent Everyday Value Menu offerings, the campaign positions Wendy’s as the solution for Hispanic consumers looking to satisfy their “antojos,” or taste cravings, with quality food at affordable prices.

The campaign, which starts Nov. 1 and will run through year-end, will include a series of TV spots airing on national network and cable and local spot TV, plus local radio efforts run at the discretion of individual markets. Some of the television media being employed are Univision, Telefutura, Galavision, Telemundo, mun2, Estrella, TVAztecaAmerica, Discovery en Español, MTVTr3s, Fox Sports en Español and ESPN Deporte. Wendy’s Hispanic media planning and buying continue to be handled by MediaVest and MV42.

The campaign centers on a Hispanic couple, “Cesar and Gabriela.” In the first TV spot, they are seen ordering from the value menu at a Wendy’s drive-through. After Cesar orders a “papapolloguesa,” which Gabriela doesn’t recognize on the menu, it becomes clear that he has combined three products into one: baked potato, Crispy Chicken Sandwich and Double Stack burger.

The current efforts do not include digital/social media support. New Hispanic creative will roll out in 2011, according to Wendy’s and Bravo Group, which is working with Wendy’s general-market agency of record, Kaplan Thaler Group, to ensure that efforts both resonate with Hispanics and are integrated into the brand’s overall marketing and positioning.

“Sabor de Verdad” will serve as a platform for a long-term campaign in which Wendy’s will seek to “build faith” with its growing Hispanic consumer base by delivering on its goal of being “the real choice in fast food,” summed up Wendy’s SVP brand marketing Bob Holtcamp.

Nielsen shows Wendy’s having spent $25 million in major Hispanic media last year and $8 million during first-half 2010, according to Brandweek.

Wendy’s is far from alone: Many QSRs, including Burger King and Carl’s Jr., are beefing up Hispanic marketing. Hispanics have become the most important U.S. demographic growth-driver for restaurants, as well as food and beverage makers, according to Latinum Network market research.

While they are spending more than the general population on food consumed at home, they are also eating out more in both fast-food and full-service restaurants, even as other segments are cutting back on restaurant expenditures. Hispanics also are increasingly likely to eat out during the work day, offering breakfast and lunch opportunities for QSRs and other restaurant formats.

Moreover, Hispanics, African-Americans and Asian-Americans tend to originate food and cultural trends subsequently adopted by the general market. This dynamic has caused McDonald’s, which has been running minority-specific marketing campaigns for more than three decades, to employ insights about minority group preferences to help shape menu selections and advertising efforts intended for general-market consumption, reports Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Google Place Search Emphasizes Local SEO

by Laurie Sullivan, of Online Media Daily

Google began rolling out Place Search to combine local and organic listings on Google.com when searchers look for information around location. It aggregates results based on places, so searchers can compare information, but there are a few things SEO experts will want to pay close attention to when optimizing Web sites for local search.

When Google’s search engine believes the searcher wants information about a location, it returns local businesses high in the search engine results page. The new results in Place Search supports longer descriptions and reviews. Scroll down the page and the map follows along in the browser window.

Google Place Search will lead to more SEO work for companies that focus on small business optimization. Andrew Shotland, founder of Local SEO Guide, says the tool favors small businesses in Google’s search results. “It intensifies the competition for local rankings,” he says. “Previously, if you couldn’t rank in Google’s Seven Pack for the local set of results, when it detected a relevant local query, you could always rank in the Web results around the map. If you weren’t good at map SEO, you could get by with Web SEO.”

The new change allows map listings to dominate the page, pushing non-local organic listings down or off the page. Businesses that ranked well in organic search results and had a map listing will now see the two merge. That merge reduces the number of Web results on the page by one, explains Shotland. He also says it means Web sites that don’t have a physical location in the city get pushed off the page.

Sites that have customer reviews have an exaggerated prominence in the search results, Shotland says.

David Harry, community manager at the SEO Training Dojo, says the ability to rank high in the search engine results pages for local search will require SEO professionals to consider domain extensions such as .com .ca .co.uk; and information on the site that might appear on the contact page and in the footer. He says to make sure it’s accurate for each location if the business has more than one, and to update local directories to make sure the business is listed on Web sites such as local directories and Google Maps.

For the better part of a year, Google has been asking local companies from restaurants to lawyer offices to “claim their business” listing by adding information about their Web site, telephone number and local address. IT generates a listing for the location in Google Maps, allowing searchers to find the business, get information and leave a review.

The tool will compete for space with listings on Yelp, Citysearch and other local directories. And now with Marissa Mayer behind the helm supporting local as the vice president of geographic and local services at Google, we will likely see much more innovation focused on local in the near future.

Expectations Important For Coupon Campaigns

Courtesy of The Center For Media Research

Welcome to the Saf-T-First e-newsletter from San Jamar.  Saf-T-First has been created to help keep you informed of important food safety information. As the leader in commercial food safety tools, San Jamar is always innovating to address safety issues and needs of foodservice professionals.  San Jamar food safety tools are designed to reduce employee and customer injuries and illness, while reducing labor and operating costs.

CA Raises Bar on Food Safety
Foodservice workers hired in California will be carded as of next year. You could call him “The Germ-inator”, as California Governor Arnold Swarzenagger recently signed a foodservice safety training bill into law.  Read more from NRN -  California Food Handler Card

It’s a Viral World
With the viral nature of the internet and the blogosphere, information is everywhere.  And bad news travels fastest.  One health code violation, one foodborne illness… and a foodservice provider can become the victim of viral media coverage — with a reputation irreparably tarnished.  The results can be devastating.  Read about one example of viral media roadkill from WTMJ online -  Egg Recall Expands; Kenosha Restaurant Linked

Food Safety Insights: HACCP & Local Sourcing
by Dr. Norm Faiola, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Hospitality Management
Syracuse University

Let us consider some of the food safety challenges produce poses to our internal food safety systems. Using a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) model, we know that there are potential hazards (mostly biological, i.e. pathogenic bacteria and viruses) related to almost all types of produce.  The produce we need to process and serve our guests requires procedures that will reduce these potential hazards to an acceptable (safe) level.   Sure, an operation can purchase ready-to-eat (RTE) produce which does not need to be rewashed (USDA) but labor still must handle it correctly to maintain safety. Expiration dates need to be carefully monitored and a First in-First out (FiFo) rotation must be maintained. Shelf life and safety are based on strict packer processes (HACCP/GMP’s based) in conjunction with in-house strict time-temperature controls and monitoring of package integrity.

Thinking about sustainability and locally sourced produce?  Produce purchased not RTE must be carefully processed so as to reduce the potential contamination to a safe level. Safe produce starts at the farm level and we rely on the grower to minimize the risk of hazards associated with produce.  Any product that is grown in soil has contamination that is potentially harmful.  Your in-house processing must assume the worst case; processing procedures need to carefully planned and monitored. Start with clean and sanitary utensils, sinks and storage containers. Enforce strict personal hygiene. Maintain temperature control by batch processing. Since no heat treatment is part of the processing steps (who wants cooked lettuce?), you are relying on agitation and dilution to reduce the bio-load on the products. If you are adding a chemical or converted water sanitizing step to your process, carefully follow the manufacturers’ directions. Remove excess water before storage.  Do not store produce in standing water even under refrigeration.

Responsibility for food safety belongs to the operator as they are the final control point for any produce served to guests.  Keeping produce safe takes as much work and planning as any meat or poultry product. Let us make sure we consider this and proactively work to serve safe food.

Make Sure Your Produce is “Saf”
Produce is the #1 source of foodborne illness– even pre-washed/ready-to-eat (RTE) produce can harbor dangerous bacteria. Not only does Saf-T-Wash by San Jamar provide 52% greater pathogen killing power than traditional produce sanitizing methods like chlorine; it harnesses the power of ozone to significantly extend the life of produce, saving money.  And Saf-T-Wash is easy to install and use. To learn more about the power of Saf-T-Wash and, click here.

ServSafe® Quick Quiz

While commonly associated with ground beef, which microorganism has also been associated with contaminated lettuce?

A. Salmonella spp.
B. Campylobacter jejuni
C. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli
D. Norovirus

Something to Chew On…
PB&M sandwich, anyone…?  Imagine the shock when Dad finds mouse baked into bread while making kids’ lunches.  See photo and read more from The Sun.
*Answer:C  Symptoms of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli include diarrhea and abdominal cramps.  Severe cases can lead to life-threatening kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

From our friends at SEFA and Sanjamar

REW is proud to present the first installment in a new series of tips and tricks on how to safely and efficiently protect your customers from foodborne illness.

This Week’s Topic: The Receiving Dock and You

Here are some tips from the pros:

• Use durable and efficient brooms, mops, buckets, etc., to keep the receiving area clean.

• Make sure the area is well lit to discourage pests.

• Air curtains act as thermal, bug and dust barriers in doorways, thereby saving energy and increasing comfort.

• Place incoming shipments on dunnage racks to keep them off the dock floor.

• Check and record the temperature of food shipments as they arrive.

• Keep thermometers and sanitizer test strips handy
  for use throughout your area of operation.

• Check and record all expiration dates and package
  integrity. Refuse, quarantine, or return any products that
  fail your checks.

Next weeks installment: Dry Storage: Friend, or Foe?

REW's Dry Storage Facility

Courtesy of SEFA and SANJAMAR