12 Hottest Dining Trends For Restaurants and Hotels in 2013 - #trendalert

Here's another installation of hot trends for 2013:

5 Best Practices For Training Your Kitchen Staff To Go Green

Remodeling your commercial kitchen to become eco-friendly involves a number of changes - from installing more energy-efficient appliances to using greener cleaning products to explaining to your staff why being green is important.

 

Below are 5 best practices to implement when training your kitchen staff how to be green.

What's Edging In On Restaurant Market Share?

According to the NRN, "experts participating in the MUFSO panel Stealth Competition: Who's After Your Share of the Market? cautioned attendees...that this new wave of competition is employing lessons learned from restaurant operators themselves and using them to lure away potential customers." So who are these nontraditional competitors, and what are their strategies?

Business Social Media Trend For 2013 - Creating a Mobile Device-Compatible Website

We've all been there - trying to use a smart phone or tablet to browse a website, only to find that the site is not user-friendly at all. If you're anything like me, you simply leave the site. Bam. Their loss.

 
Don't let that scenario happen to you. Your business may be terrific, your website top-notch, but if you haven't optimized your site for mobile devices yet, you may be losing valuable interactions with potential customers.

Searching for information and shopping by mobile device is not a passing fancy. In fact, it's the hottest thing since (insert generational euphemism - Example, sliced bread)! As Tech Republic reported in June of 2012, "Since 2010, mobile searches have seen a 400% increase and it is estimated that by 2013, there will be more mobile internet users than desktop users." Certainly our most recent Holiday season saw a rise in mobile shoppers.

So what's a busy business owner to do? Well, you can start by using a free tool such as Google's "Test Your Site" feature to see how your site looks when viewed on a mobile device. Doing this will let you know how potential clientele are viewing your website.

Then, when you're ready to take the plunge into mobile optimization, consider a company like bMobilized, where for $9.00/month you can get the following:

Point is, there's no reason not to embrace mobile marketing. It's here to stay, it's an expected service to customers, and it's relatively simple to get started. Good luck to you!

Is Your Business ADA Compliant?

In business, it's simply good practice not to make people feel excluded from your establishment. But are you unknowingly turning customers away?

 

54 million - This is the number of Americans who have a disability, according to the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Government Census.

By age, this breaks down to:

• 5 % of children 5 to 17 have disabilities (or, 1 in 20)
• 10 % of people 18 to 64 have disabilities. (or, 1 in 10)
• 38 % of adults 65 and older have disabilities. (or, roughly 2 in 5)

The best way to ensure that you are meeting the needs of every customer is to familiarize yourself with the ADA guidelines for your type of business:

ADA Requirements Checklist - Restaurants
ADA Requirements Checklist - Hotels
ADA Requirements Checklist - Retail Stores
ADA Requirements Checklist - Existing Facilities
ADA Requirements Checklist - New Lodging Facilities

And don't forget, some of your employees may need special accommodations, too:

ADA Requirements Checklist - Employees 


Some people find it difficult to anticipate what a disabled person might need, or even how to properly interact with a disabled personm which is why you might find this helpful:

7 Steps For Making Your Customers With Disabilities 

Feel Welcome     

With a little research and possibly some modifications, your business can become a place where each customer feels valued, respected, and welcome. And isn't that how we'd all like to feel?

 

 

Top 20 Dining Trends for 2013 - #trendalert

It's that time of year again - when one year ends and another begins. On that note, here are the predicted Top 20 Dining Trends* for 2013:

 

1. Locally sourced meats and seafoods will be in demand.

2. Locally grown produce and restaurant gardens - Top 10 Farm-To-Table Restaurants

3.  Healthful kids' meals - find ideas here for restaurant kids' meals.
4. Environmental sustainability as a culinary theme. Read what GustOrganics CEO Alberto Gonzalez has to say on this topic.
5. Sour gets its day - there will be an abundance of tart, acidic, and bitter flavors to choose from on menus.
6. Chefs will be health-conscious and include items such as brown rice, high-fiber grains, and vitamin-rich vegetable broths in their dishes.
7. Asian foods will add spice and variety to traditional American comfort foods. "Expect to walk into a classic ... diner and see options like Vietnamese chicken sandwiches, Sriracha mayo and Korean-glazed pork ribs."
8. Children's nutrition as a culinary theme. Enlighten yourself about the nutritional needs of your smallest patrons.
9. New cuts of meat will be sought after, such as Denver steak, pork flat iron, and teres major. Learn about these new cuts.
10. Hyper-local sourcing - see restaurant gardens, above.
11. Gluten-free cuisine.
12. Vegetables are featured as a main dish, and are no longer relegated to a side or a salad. Here are 18 Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes from Saveur.
13. Customers will seek out sources of sustainable seafood.
14. Kids' menu options will grow up and become kid-friendly versions of adult dining options. Adios, chicken nuggets!
15. Major U.S. cities will proudly develop support local, artisan foodie destinations in 2013. See an example.
16. Diners are done with the "family-style" sharing of food.  Small plates traditionally meant for sharing will now be used for smaller portions, for a truly customized dining experience.
17. Savory fruit. "Chefs are fermenting, pickling, drying, dehydrating, salting, grilling, frying and generally manipulating fruit to get new flavors out of what we are used to eating raw."
18. Chefs who are cutting-edge realize and plan for the varied diets of their diners. Vegan and gluten-free options will become more prevalent on menus.
19. Whole grain items will make their way into kids' meals. Here are some kid-friendly whole-grain recipes to get you started.

and last, but not least (drumroll, please) ...

20. Popcorn is the snack for 2013. It's healthy, it's inexpensive, and it's versatile. Flavored Popcorn Recipes: Sweet, Spicy And Savory

Which of these trends do you think are most likely to show up in restaurants across America?

Share your predictions in the comments below ...