Restaurants Have Become Increasingly Focused on Cutting Waste

As restaurants become increasingly focused on cutting waste, many are taking innovative steps to meet their goals. Whether it’s completely feasible for restaurants and foodservice establishments to achieve zero-waste, however, remains questionable without changing key operational strategies. UK eatery Silo was recently celebrated for its commitment to zero waste but even its proprietor Douglas McMaster admits that some trash is inevitable at the end of each night, such as empty wine bottles. However, that doesn’t stop him and other restaurateurs from trying to come as close to achieving zero wasted food as possible. Planning is imperative. “There are many levels of waste happening in every restaurant today,” says Tom Penn of consulting firm Real Restaurants Solutions. Impeccable planning can help eliminate many of the problems that stem from food waste, he suggests: Waste from preparing finished goods: For example, the compostable exterior of fruits and vegetables, as well as portions that are not used but come as part of the ingredient. “These waste areas can be controlled and reduced through cross-utilization menu planning, training, purchasing techniques and composting,” Penn advises. “This waste component will probably never get to zero, but if the back end was developed to repurpose and reuse all scraps, it could be a closed cycle.”

Waste from over prepping, leading the product to spoil before serving: Menu planning, prep planning techniques, training, purchasing techniques and composting can help drive down this waste component, he says. A restaurant could create a closed cycle in this category as well, “but unless there is a pickup for spoiled food, this waste will remain,” he says. Waste from guests not finishing: Waste in this area can be reduced by careful observation of what is not being consumed and adjusting portion sizes accordingly, Penn advises, which could eventually make it a closed cycle. Waste due to refrigeration malfunction: “This is infrequent, but it does predictably occur on a few occasions per year, where a freezer or walk-in refrigerator goes down on a hot day and all of the food must be discarded — heartbreaking but true — unless there is a pickup for spoiled food, this waste will remain,” he adds.

Track waste the same way other costs are tracked. Before a restaurateur can begin to slash waste, he or she must first identify how much it has, advises John Turenne, president of Sustainable Food Systems, LLC in Wallingford, Conn. “You manage your business by carefully monitoring labor and food costs, why should you not track your waste? This way, as you implement the technical aspects of waste management, you can see if there’s an impact to reduce the poundage and cost of food wasted,” he says.

Once an eatery is aware of its wastage, it can appropriately find ways to cut down on it. “Techniques should start with better forecasting,” he says. “Also, make sure the staff is trained on proper culinary techniques. For example, when they’re trimming fruits and vegetables, they should take the time to trim effectively. It may sound like common sense, but when you are mass producing and under a tight time frame, staff members may simply chop the bottom 25% off a head of celery and throw it in the compost instead of pulling the stalks of celery off and trimming the bottoms. For every head of celery, you could improve from a 75% yield to a 90% yield.” In addition, kitchen staff should keep close eyes on dishes throughout the cooking process. “If food is prepared poorly, tastes bad or is burnt, they will toss the whole thing away. You’d be surprised how often the food has to be done over and it’s thrown away just because it isn’t perfect,” Turenne says. In buffet restaurants or foodservice venues such as college kitchens, batch cooking processes must be tracked very prudently. “Carefully track customer flow and transactions,” Turenne advises. “That way, you can prepare smaller amounts over time as needed, so when it gets to the end of a meal period or to the point when they stop serving, you only have a small amount left.” Discuss environmental impact with staff. Because kitchen staff members aren’t always as attuned to the financial costs of wasting food, it’s a good idea to train them about the environmental impacts, Turenne says. “They should know the impact both upstream and downstream as food is wasted. The food had to be grown, transported — and then thrown away. Think about how much gas, water and pesticides are wasted due to that.” In addition, on the downstream side of things, visually show the staff exactly how much food the kitchen has thrown away and put in landfills, composts and dumpsters to allow them to visualize the impact of waste on the environment. Turenne points to the EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy pyramid as a quick visual that allows staff members to understand how best to manage food waste. “Many people think that a sustainable food program just involves composting, but if we look at the pyramid, that’s the next-to-last recommendation — the highest priority should be minimizing overproduction of food. Forecasting and planned production in the first place should happen so there aren’t leftovers, and if there are, they should be donated,” he said. Source: SmartBrief.

The Secret Ingredient at this Brooklyn Restaurant?

Seventy-two billion pounds of food is wasted every year in the U.S., with restaurants making a significant contribution to that waste: According to a 2016 report by the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, 93.7% — or 1.83 billion pounds, roughly — of uneaten food in American restaurants is thrown away. Just 4.2% (83.1 million pounds) is recycled and only 2% (39.2 million pounds) is donated. Kitchens across the country are looking for new ways to waste less and cook more.

At Reynard, a restaurant at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, New York City, executive chef Christina Lecki has plans to make the restaurant a “zero-waste” kitchen. “[It] literally means you’re wasting 0% of your food and products,” Lecki said in an email. “I’d say we’ve reached approximately 50% of that goal so far. Working in restaurants has made me so aware of how much food and trash actually gets wasted per day, and it doesn’t necessarily have to, and I want to break that mold.” Instead of donating unused food, Lecki’s zero-waste initiative challenges her staff to develop creative, delicious recipes that use as much of the food as possible. “My thought is, it’s usable, free energy — why waste it?” Lecki said, explaining how vegetable trim goes into powders or ferments, herb stems are used for vinegar or stocks and bones beef up broths and soups. The restaurant has zero animal waste, she said, because beyond the bone stock, all of the byproducts and cuts go into other dishes to add flavor. In other words, every scrap counts. “We’re also starting to experiment with a 24-hour cooking schedule. We use a big coal oven in the Reynard kitchen, and at the end of each evening when we put out the fire, the coals stay hot for hours and hours,” Lecki said. “I’ve been putting tomatoes and squash in the oven overnight to start to cook — they get the most subtle, deliciously smoky flavor, and then we finish them off elsewhere.”

The focus on using every piece of food leads to creative and unfamiliar menu offerings: Fermented carrots amplify a buttermilk dressing; fingerling potatoes are flavored with tallow (beef fat), cider vinegar and fermented chili. Food waste reduction isn’t a fleeting trend. Lecki cites chefs Matt Orlando from Copenhagen’s Amass — a sustainable restaurant that goes as far as repurposing coffee grounds for flatbread — and Dan Barber from New York’s Blue Hill as two of her inspirations. Barber helped pioneer Wasted, a popular initiative that encourages cooks to make dishes out of food parts that would normally be thrown away. Without new efforts to lessen waste, food will continue to be incinerated and dumped into landfills, further contributing to a polluted planet and climate change — and dining at waste-conscious restaurants isn’t the only way to waste less. Lecki said the freezer is the first tool home cooks can utilize to reduce their own wasteful contributions: Save animal and vegetable trims for future broths and plan out meals before you shop to ensure you’re only buying what you need. – Source: Mic.

Europe’s First Underwater Restaurant to Debut in Norway

The global design firm Snohetta has revealed designs for the first underwater restaurant in Europe. Part marine research center, the restaurant on the southern coast of Norway, near the village of Båly, will be called Under, a word that can also be translated as “wonder” in Norwegian. It’s scheduled to open in 2018. No diving gear is required. The restaurant is actually only half sunk into the sea. With thick concrete walls, the monolith-like structure rests on the seabed, about five meters below the water’s surface, like a sunken periscope. Guests enter from dry land and descend through three levels, including a champagne bar on the second floor that marks the transition from shore to sea. The restaurant seats 80 to 100 guests, with the main dining room at seabed level. Unsurprisingly, the menu by Danish chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard Pedersen is seafood focused, with cod, lobster, mussels and a special locally sourced kelp that has the flavor of truffles. Under is built to become an artificial mussel reef, with a surface that encourages mollusk growth. More mollusks will mean more marine life to put on a show. Lighting on the seabed and from the restaurant will allow guests to see more of the action from the 11-by-4-meter acrylic window. – Source: Restaurant Hospitality.

G.E.T. Enterprises Welcomes Winco to its Team

G.E.T. Enterprises, a supplier of alternative tableware, and its investment partner Olympus Partners, are pleased to announce that G.E.T. has merged with Winco, a manufacturer and supplier of kitchenware and tableware to create a leading supplier to the foodservice industry. G.E.T. has been a leading supplier of high-quality dinnerware, drinkware, and displayware crafted from melamine and alternative materials for over 30 years. G.E.T.’s tableware portfolio features the look and feel of traditional materials while delivering unique designs with exceptional durability benefits.

The company’s dedication to quality, reliability, and customer service has made it a favorite among national restaurant chains, universities, caterers, hotels, contract feeders, and other foodservice establishments. Winco was founded in 1992 by David Li (CEO) and Peggy Ding (CFO) who, along with other early team members, developed the company into a key manufacturer and supplier to the North American foodservice industry. As a result of its clear market strategy and precise product positioning, Winco has grown exponentially over the last 25 years. Through a commitment to customer-focused service, along with a unique strength in product development and sourcing specific to the commercial foodservice industry, Winco is proud to be an award-winning supplier partner for foodservice operators and distributors. With an extensive 5,000-product line across 20 categories that span from tabletop to back of the house, Winco is a leading preferred brand among professional chefs and restaurateurs. Heidi Modaro, Chief Executive Officer of G.E.T. and the parent company stated, “G.E.T. continues its expansion to provide our foodservice customers and chefs with more options. We are thrilled to create one G.E.T. and Winco family. By adding the Winco product lines, we are blending our alternative material products with a broad line of the highest quality small-wares. This merger will bring clear benefits to our customers – together G.E.T. and Winco will have stronger new product development and sourcing capabilities.

Importantly, we will be able to serve our customers faster and more effectively throughout the U.S. and internationally with a more extensive global supply chain and expanded distribution capabilities positioned strategically across the U.S. in California, Texas, and New Jersey.” David Li, Winco’s CEO, stated, “For Winco to have been able to grow to our current standing in the industry today makes me incredibly grateful for and proud of all our employees, and appreciative of our customer and supplier partners for the opportunities they provided and their support. I envision that a partnership with G.E.T. will be an excellent platform for us to build off one another’s brand strengths. We will work together to collaboratively support a broader range of markets and industries, and to further provide better products, services, and solutions to all of our customers. We look forward to being a part of a stronger combined family with G.E.T. and to flourish together in the future”. – Source: G.E.T. Enterprises.

Why Walmart is Changing its Name

The world’s biggest retailer formerly known as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has changed its corporate name to Walmart, Inc. as “a symbol of how customers are shopping us today and how they’ll increasingly shop us in the future,” said Doug McMillon, president and chief executive officer. Whether it’s in our stores, on our sites, with our apps, by using their voice or whatever comes next, there is just one Walmart as far as our customers are concerned,” Mr. McMillon said in a corporate blog post. “When they shop with us, they expect it to be an easy and seamless experience.” The name change is also a nod to the company’s roots, Mr. McMillon noted. “You might be surprised to learn that, when Sam Walton opened the first store in 1962, the name on the front of the building was simply, ‘Walmart,’” he said. “A few years later, we incorporated as Wal-Mart, Inc., and amended the name to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., when we went public in 1970.” Today, the company operates under almost 60 different banners around the world, including e-commerce sites, and has more than 11,600 stores and clubs in 28 countries. “Now, we are focused on strengthening stores and clubs around the world to make sure customers continue to have a great experience every time they walk through the door,” Mr. McMillon said. “At the same time, we’re also building our eCommerce and digital capabilities, and we’re putting them together in a way that makes every day easier for busy families.” E-commerce has been a major focus for Walmart, which currently offers grocery pick-up service at hundreds of stores nationwide and is testing same-day delivery at a handful of stores. Recently, the retailer began testing “in-fridge delivery,” a service that stocks a customer’s refrigerator while he or she is away from home. “Sam Walton said, ‘To succeed in this world, you have to change all the time,’” Mr. McMillon said. “He wouldn’t have known that customers in the future would shop on their smart phones or with their voices, but he did know that retail would continue to change. He taught us that, and that for a company to succeed, it has to be agile and innovative.” – Source: Food Business News.

Dave & Buster’s to Grow with Smaller-Format Stores

Dave & Buster’s could be coming to a small market near you. The entertainment-driven chain announced this week that it plans to start opening smaller-format stores, with the first debuting in Rogers, Arkansas, early in 2018. Dave & Buster’s said during a conference call that the unit will be 15,000–20,000 square feet, with anticipated average unit volumes of $4–$5 million. In the long term, chief executive officer Steve King said Dave & Buster’s sees the potential for 20–40 of these new locations. The Dallas-based brand has attempted to trim down its massive stores in the past, but without much success. This model will be a much different experience. The first time around, Dave & Buster’s simply “took everything and proportionately shrunk it,” King said. There was a special event space; a dining room; and the arcade dropped down to 5,500 square feet. It was like a miniature version of the traditional big-box space. The new restaurant, however, will feature an arcade that’s 10,000 square feet, or essentially the same size as the current restaurants. And instead of having a separate dining room and special events space, Dave & Buster’s will showcase a straight sports theme King called “D&B Sports.”

“We will have some dining oriented toward the arcade like we have in most of our stores. But we’re really going to focus on D&B Sports attached to a 10,000-square-foot midway,” King said. “We just think it’s going to be a much better and more effective way for us to try to tackle those smaller markets.” Dave & Buster’s plans to open two of these in 2018—the Arkansas store and one other—so the unit can be properly vetted and the returns and volumes measured. What’s also notable about the model is the notion it will allow Dave & Buster’s to enter markets it couldn’t before. The idea, King said, will be to open in 20–40 completely new markets once deemed too small for the brand’s current small format, which is 25,000–30,000 square feet. King added that the new format could fit in markets with populations of 200,000–500,000. “We look at a number of different factors to try to determine where we thought we could get that $4 million to $4.5 million of sales,” he said.” Dave & Buster’s opened 14 restaurants in 2017, which represented about 15 percent unit growth. Six of those stores were in markets where the company already has stores. From a size perspective, Dave & Buster’s is expecting to open 10 large stores in 2018, including eight that are about 40,000 square feet, two between 30,000–40,000, and four at 30,000 square feet or less. There are currently 11 stores under construction and a total of 27 signed leases. Overall, Dave & Buster’s has 105 locations in 36 states and Canada. The news highlighted what was a muted, but expected, third-quarter earnings report. Dave & Buster’s comparable same-store sales dropped 1.3 percent, year-over-year—the first time they’ve gone negative since the brand went public in 2014. Total revenues increased 9.3 percent to $250 million from $228.7 million versus the prior-year period. Sales in amusements increased 1.1 percent, while food and beverage fell 4.2 percent. Dave & Buster’s said hurricane activity affected total revenue and EBITDA about 50 basis points, $2 million and $0.7 million, respectively. Wildfires also hurt sales in California, the company said. Still, Dave & Buster’s stock traded as much as 9 percent higher on Tuesday in after-hours and rallied the following day. Optimism could have been buoyed by the small-format news as well as the company’s slightly better-than-expected earnings. King began the call by talking about Dave & Buster’s four strategic priorities. He said the company’s 2018 games lineup is shaping up to be its best yet. The brand’s Summer of Games lineup focused on highly recognizable products, such as Spider-Man, and Despicable Me. In October, Dave & Buster’s launched its Injustice Arcade on an exclusive basis ahead of the release of Justice League. As for the future lineup, King said it includes “a proprietary virtual reality platform that will enable us to rotate content and capitalize on this emerging opportunity for several years.” He added that Dave & Buster’s has figured out a multiplayer platform for virtual reality that could fix some of the prior concerns. Mainly, VR bogging down the arcade. “I would think about it as more of an attraction-oriented piece, although it will be interactive in the sense of a game, but it’s more like a simulator than it is like our redemption kind of game,” King said, adding the Dave & Buster’s will reveal more closer to launch. Secondly, Dave & Buster’s is trying to reignite the momentum in its food and beverage business by improving product alignment and speed of service, King said. The company also wants to “remove friction in the guest experience,” and, bolstered by strong new store returns, drive unit growth for the company in the long term. Dave & Buster’s plans to emphasize its Eat & Play combo, which was advertised on TV during the quarter. A menu redesign and simplification in the kitchen will boost speed. Also, technology, such as pay-at-the-table and mobile pay, are being tested. Kings said Dave & Buster’s is looking at offering a quick casual alternative delivery mechanism inside restaurants as well. The company will begin testing the platform in 2018. “We want to implement solutions including leveraging technology that enable our guests to better control the flow of their visit and frees up our staff to have more personalized and meaningful touch points with our guest,” he said. – Source: Dave & Buster’s.

Richard Mazer Elected CIA Board Chairman

Food industry executive Richard L. Mazer has been elected the 19th chairman of the board of The Culinary Institute of America. He succeeds former Dunkin’ Brands CEO Jon Luther in this position. “Richard Mazer has long been a trusted consultant and leader in the food business, and played a key role in Ventura Foods’ rise to prominence,” CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan said. “Richard brings valuable experience and industry insight to his role as board chair, and I look forward to working with him as we move the CIA into the future,” he said.

Before his retirement as CEO of Ventura Foods in 2010, Mazer had been a key player in the foodservice industry for more than 25 years. At Ventura — a company that makes cooking oils, shortenings, cooking sprays and other edible oil products — his leadership positions included chief operating officer, president and CEO. During his tenure, the company grew from $500 million to more than $2 billion in annual sales. Prior to joining Ventura Foods, Mazer was a consultant to producers, manufacturers, retailers and grocery and convenience store wholesalers. He previously held management positions in the business world at Deloitte and Touche; Kidder, Peabody & Co.; and Boston Consulting Group before specializing in the business of food. Mazer holds degrees in both economics and management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to serving on the board of trustees of the CIA, Mazer has been a member of the boards of Food for All, Gardenburger, Thrifty Foods of Burlington, Hospital Cost Consultants, and Accountants, Inc. “I am deeply honored to become chairman of The Culinary Institute of America,” Mazer said. He joined the board of trustees of the college in 2007 and served as vice chairman for the past two years. “Since its founding in 1946, the college has trained thousands of chefs for work in a vibrant hospitality industry and has distinguished itself as the premier culinary school in the world. I am proud of the work the CIA does and proud to be associated with such a well-run institution,” he said. New members of the board for 2018 are Stanley Cheng, CEO of the Meyer Corporation; Noah Glass, founder and CEO of Olo; Cheryl Henry, president and COO of Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc.; and Robert Unanue, president of Goya Foods, Inc. The CIA Board of Trustees consists of 25 leaders in the foodservice industry and business world. They provide expert governance and guidance for the not-for-profit college, and are not compensated for their services. – Source: Patch/Mid Hudson Valley.

Chris Sullivan was one of Bloomin’ Brands Inc. Four Original Founders

Chris Sullivan, one of Outback Steakhouse’s four co-founders, resigned from Bloomin’ Brands Inc.’s board of directors, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The move is effective immediately, and the size of the board will be reduced to seven, the company said.

Bob Basham, Sullivan, Trudy Cooper, and Tim Gannon founded Outback in 1988. Gannon, Basham, and Sullivan created Bloomin’s predecessor, OSI Restaurant Partners, Inc., in 1987. The company’s initial public offering came in 1991. Sullivan served as a director of Outback and subsequent companies since then, and was CEO from 1991 until March 2005. He was the longest serving director on Bloomin’s board. Sullivan confirmed the news to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. “All is good with [Bloomin’ Brands] and I am going to focus on several opportunities that I am currently involved with,” he told the Tampa Bay Business Journal in an email. Sullivan will remain a shareholder in Bloomin’ Brands, where he controls 1.2 million shares, or 1.17 percent of the total stock outstanding. He’s currently the chairman of ConSul Partners LLC, a Tampa Bay firm helping develop and expand the Metro Diner and Besito Mexican concepts. Sullivan, who was 69 years old when Bloomin’ issued its proxy statement earlier in the year, also told the Tampa Bay Business Journal, “Given the current situation with the activist shareholder I am not in a position to comment further on Bloomin’ Brands.” Bloomin’ Brands could be preparing for an eventful year. In November, activist hedge fund Jana Partners announced an 8.7 percent stake in the casual dining company. It revealed in a securities filling that with the assistance of the other reporting persons, it intends to have discussions with Bloomin’s board of directors and management regarding topics, including “a review of strategic alternatives including exploring a sale” of the company. Jana is also the fund that took a stake in Whole Foods Market earlier in the year. In that case, like Bloomin’, Jana pushed Whole Foods to explore strategic alternatives. On June 16, Amazon sent a shock wave through foodservice with its $13.7 billion purchase of the supermarket behemoth. Outback reported its first quarter of improved traffic since 2016 in November when it posted an increase of 0.1 percent in Q3. Same-store sales were up 0.6 percent at the chain. They were down at Bloomin’s other brands: Carrabba’s fell 2.8 percent; Bonefish 4.3 percent; and Fleming’s 1 percent. Bloomin’ credited 1 percent of Outback’s decrease to hurricanes Harvey and Irma. – Source: fsrmagazine.com.

Ramon Laguarta new President of PepsiCo, Inc

Ramon Laguarta has been named president of PepsiCo, Inc., effective Sept. 1. Currently, Mr. Laguarta is chief executive officer of Europe Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA) for the company. In his new role, he will oversee PepsiCo’s global category groups, global operations, corporate strategy, PepsiCo Foundation and public policy and government affairs functions. “Mr. Laguarta will shape PepsiCo’s corporate strategy, work closely with business units to deliver top-line growth, drive productivity to enable this growth, and invest in new areas of disruptive innovation, all in support of the company’s previously announced Performance with Purpose 2025 agenda,” PepsiCo said. Mr. Laguarta has been with PepsiCo for more than 20 years.

Prior to his most recent position as CEO of ESSA, he was president of developing and emerging markets for PepsiCo Europe. His previous roles at the company include president of PepsiCo’s Eastern Europe Region, commercial vice-president for PepsiCo Europe, general manager for Iberia Snacks and Juices and general manager for Greece Snacks. Additionally, PepsiCo announced two other leadership appointments effective Sept. 1. Laxman Narasimhan, currently CEO of Latin America (LATAM), will become CEO of LATAM and ESSA for PepsiCo. In this new role, Mr. Narasimhan will oversee PepsiCo’s food and beverage businesses across both geographical areas, focusing on “unlocking new growth opportunities for the two organizations, sharing commercial strategies and other best practices, and investing in talent development,” the company said. Prior to his position as CEO of LATAM for PepsiCo, Mr. Narasimhan was c.e.o. of Latin American Foods for the company. He also was senior vice-president and chief financial officer of PepsiCo Americas Foods. Mr. Narasimhan joined PepsiCo in 2012 from McKinsey & Co., where he spent nearly 20 years in a variety of positions, including a senior partner and co-leader of the Global Consumer and Shopper Insights Practice. Silviu Popovici has been named president of ESSA for PepsiCo. He currently is president of Russia, Ukraine and CIS for the company.  Previously, Mr. Popovici spent three years as president of PepsiCo Russia. Prior to joining PepsiCo, he held several general management positions with the Coca-Cola Co. in Eastern Europe. “Ramon, Laxman and Silviu are highly respected executives with long track records of delivering strong results throughout their careers,” said Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. “These moves continue our longstanding practice of elevating great leaders within PepsiCo and allowing them to apply their capabilities in new ways that support our strategies for growth. We have an incredibly strong executive team in place, and I have no doubt that our next generation of talent will lift our company to even greater heights in the years ahead.” – Source: Food Business News.

Jim Kuhn Joins Sushi-Grill Chain from Chalak Mitra Group

Kona Grill Inc. has named Jim Kuhn chief operating officer, the company said. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based sushi-grill chain said Kuhn most recently served as CEO of Chalak Mitra Group, parent to Genghis Grill. The Kona Grill COO position had been open for several years. Prior to Chalak Mitra, Kuhn held leadership roles at Brick House Tavern + Tap and Joe’s Crab Shack, then owned by Houston-based Ignite Restaurant Group Inc. In his 25-year career, Kuhn also worked with Ruby Tuesday Inc., Sbarro and Bertucci’s Corp. “I have never met anyone in the restaurant industry as dedicated and professional as Jim,” said Berke Bakay, president and CEO of Kona Grill, in a statement. “His work ethic is unmatched, and his hands-on approach and proven history of execution and growth is exactly what we need right now.” Kona Grill owns and operates 46 restaurants in 23 states and Puerto Rico, and franchises two restaurants in Monterrey, Mexico, and Dubai. – Source: NRN.

Len Van Popering has joined Subway as VP of Global Brands

Len Van Popering has joined Subway restaurants as vice-president of global brand management and innovation. In his new role, Mr. Van Popering is tasked with driving Subway’s global transformation through food innovation, brand positioning, visual identity and channel development, which includes delivery, catering and mobile ordering, Subway said. “Few brands have the opportunity to impact dining habits worldwide as much as Subway does,” Mr. Van Popering said. “I’m excited for the challenge to contribute to the transformation of this iconic brand.” Mr. Van Popering was previously chief marketing officer at Logan’s Roadhouse. Before that, he was senior vice-president of marketing and product innovation for Arby’s Restaurant Group. “We are evolving our global marketing team to reflect the contemporary vision we have for the company,” said Joe Tripodi, CMO for Subway restaurants. “Len’s diverse background, collaborative approach and shared enthusiasm for Subway will help us expand the innovation and creativity so critical to our brand.” – Source: Food Business News.
Le Cirque, Circo to Get New Life in New York and Dallas

The famed restaurants Le Cirque and sister brand Circo are close to announcing new locations in New York. At the same time, a location of Circo is scheduled to debut as a revamped “spa restaurant” in Dallas in February. After more than 40 years as a power-dining spot in Manhattan, the iconic Le Cirque, founded by the Maccioni family, is scheduled to close at the end of the year in its current location in the Bloomberg building. Sister restaurant Circo in New York also closed several weeks ago. The closures were blamed on a dispute with the landlord, but NYLC LLC, operator of the two New York locations and led by Le Cirque founder Sirio Maccioni’s son Marco Maccioni, filed for bankruptcy protection in March. However, Carlo Mantica, CEO of parent company Le Cirque International LLC, said last week that new locations in New York for both Le Cirque and Circo will be unveiled in the next few weeks, adding that the version of Le Cirque to come will be “smaller, vibrant and clubbish.” Eater has reported that the company is looking at a spot on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Od/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images.

The two New York restaurants will be operated by a new licensee with new investors that could not be disclosed, said Mantica, but the Maccioni family will remain involved.      Meanwhile, the first Texas location for the Circo brand is getting ready for its debut in Dallas in mid-February, operated by licensee White ROC Hospitality Group, which also plans to develop the Le Cirque brand domestically. The Dallas-based group, for example, plans to open a Le Cirque in Beverly Hills, Calif., within the next two years, said Lauren Santagati, CEO and an owner of White ROC. Circo Dallas, meanwhile, will serve as a prototype for a brand refresh and redesign for future locations while maintaining the Maccioni family’s DNA for the restaurants, she said. The 25,000-square-foot, two-story restaurant in Dallas is scheduled to open in a residential tower close to The Ritz and other glitzy hotels. Circo Dallas will be a “resort-style restaurant,” with poolside dining, cabanas and access to the tower’s spa. A partner in the restaurant is Barbara Adelglass, who also co-owns the cosmetic surgery and skin-care center Skintastic in Dallas. “So if you’re having drinks by the pool and you want to get eyelashes or something, you can go right upstairs,” said Adelglass. “It will be a local destination, but it will also appeal to travelers.” The design of the Dallas location will help shape what’s to come for Circo in New York, said Santagati. White ROC will handle certain aspects of operation for locations in New York as well, including marketing and purchasing, she said. There are licensed locations of Circo in Abu Dhabi and the Dominican Republic as well as Le Cirque restaurants in Dubai, India and Las Vegas. A Le Cirque in Las Vegas’ Bellagio is also licensed separately and doesn’t need a brand refresh, said Santagati. In New York, however, the circus-themed design of the restaurants had become a bit dated and needed a new look, said Santagati. The group, however, intends to keep the same emphasis on service and the quality of food. Some of New York’s top chefs have come through the kitchen at Le Cirque, including Daniel Boulud, David Bouley, Terrance Brennan and Geoffrey Zakarian. In recent years, however, Le Cirque’s menu has come under fire. The New York Times in 2012 gave the restaurant one star in a brutal review. More recently, The New Yorker offered a eulogy spotlighting the iconic history of Le Cirque as the epitome of the clubby Manhattan fine-dining scene, but also as a restaurant where “the food was neither the draw nor the point.” Santagati disagreed, arguing that Le Cirque was the first to offer classic dishes like crème brûlée and pasta primavera. “It’s not tired. It’s that other restaurants are copying what they had first,” she said. The menu at Circo Dallas has not yet been finalized, but it is being developed by Alfio Longo, a longtime chef of the New York location, who will relocate to Dallas, Santagati said. Circo Dallas will also aim to have the massive wine collection Le Cirque was once famous for — though Santagati said the New York location has been forced to sell some of its 1,500-bottle collection. White ROC Hospitality Group, meanwhile, has also acquired the Fat Rabbit Kitchen and Bar and Masque nightclub, which are across the street from the Circo Dallas. Santagati is a partner in Fat Rabbit, which will close in early 2018. White ROC is planning a new concept in the spot, not yet revealed. Adelglass hinted that Le Cirque may also come to Dallas. Le Cirque and Circo “already have a strong base and reputation. We want to take it further,” said Adelglass. “Stay tuned.” – Source: Restaurant Hospitality.

Glassdoor’s top 100 also include Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and Darden

In-N-Out Burger outranks Facebook, Southwest Airlines and Apple as one of the best places in the world to work. The Irvine-based hamburger chain landed in No. 8 spot on the list of the 50 best places to work as ranked by job site Glassdoor and was the only fast-food restaurant that made the list. Google Inc. held the top spot, followed by Boston-based consulting firm Bain & Co., Nestle Purina PetCare, F5 Networks Inc., Boston Consulting Group, Chevron and grocery chain HEB. Rounding out the top 10 were McKinsey & Co. at No. 9 and Mayo Clinic at No. 10. Facebook was No. 13, Southwest Airlines Co.was 15 and Apple Inc ranked 22. Other companies with a significant Southern California presence that made the list were San Diego-based Qualcomm Inc. (14) and Toyota, which has its U.S. base in Torrance (37). NBCUniversal ranked 31 and Walt Disney Co.’s  Disney Parks was 50.

The ranking of companies with at least 1,000 employees were determined by employee reviews submitted to Glassdoor between Nov.13, 2013 and Nov. 2, 2014. Employees were encouraged to complete a brief online survey that asks them to rate their company, a variety of workplace attributes and their CEO. The survey also asks employees to provide insights into some of the best reasons to work for their company as well as some of the downsides. In-N-Out Burger had a 4.2 rating out of a 5-point scale and received a 95 percent approval rating for its chief executive. Carl Van Fleet, vice president of planning and development at In-N-Out, told Huffington Post the company’s starting wage is $10.50 an hour, which is higher than the $8.94 an hour median pay for fast-food workers nationwide. “We strive to create a working environment that is upbeat, enthusiastic and customer-focused,” Van Fleet told the publication. “A higher pay structure is helpful in making that happen, but it is only part of our approach. It is equally important to treat our associates well and maintain that positive working environment in all of our restaurants.” In-N-Out Burger was founded in 1948 in Baldwin Park by Harry Snyder and was California’s first drive-thru hamburger restaurant. The company is now helmed by Snyder’s granddaughter Lynsi Torres and has 286 restaurants in five states. – Source: NRN.

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