Consumer research firm Mintel found that more than 60 percent of consumers want nutritional info posted on menus. However, the same 60 percent of respondents said they look for menu items that taste great. Only 23 percent say they want a healthy meal.

In January, the Pediatrics Journal reported that mothers made better choices for their children when provided with the calorie info but didn’t make those same decisions for themselves. In the randomized, controlled study, 99 parents of children ages 3 to 6 were given a McDonald’s menu and asked to choose what they might order – just as if they were in the restaurant.

Those who got the menus with calorie info ordered an average of 102 fewer calories for their kids than a control group not given that information. But there was no calorie difference between the two groups in what PARENTS ordered for themselves. So why don’t they make better choices for themselves?

“Maybe in other areas of health, like smoking, they may be more inclined to be healthier when they know it’s going to affect their children,” says Dr. Pooja Tandon, Pediatric Researcher from Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

And you know what? The doc is right! People are typically going to advise their kids against taking up the parents’ vices, but unless someone wants to eat healthier chances are they won’t. Posting the calories on a menu may be needed to help those who can’t help themselves to make healthy decisions, but come on, are you telling me that the guy who orders 1 bucket of KFC’s finest, is gonna say, “Geez, the bucket actually has 50 trillion calories, so let me get a grilled chicken salad this time!” Nope, he’s not gonna say that! He’s gonna say “Damn, those 50 million calories sure taste great – and their less than $3.99 too!”

I see lawsuits coming down the pike – the same way the Marlboro Man got reamed in court. People are gonna take restaurateurs to town because they “made my loved one overweight, blocked his arteries and made his heart stop.” Think about it, if a cigarette’s warning label didn’t help, why would menu labeling? Don’t get me wrong – I don’t smoke, I’m a former (out of shape) track athlete and I am all for a healthy lifestyle. But imposing menu labeling on restaurateurs - thinking that it’s gonna MAKE consumers eat better- it generally won’t. It will do the following:

- increase the operational expenditure of these establishments

- increase the marketing expenditure. (To be honest, I personally don’t mind this part since this is how I’m able to keep the lights on!

- cause more service-confusion by having servers who get paid less than minimum wage become in-house health advisors  / dieticians

- mislead consumers into thinking that little calories mean good calories.

Here are my recommendations:

- Recommend labeling it but don’t make it mandatory.

- Focus more energy on targeting the menus in schools

- Have the FDA impose greater guidelines for resource manufacturers – for example, the cooking oil producer.

- …and I’m sure there are a bunch more better ideas.

Maybe I’m just too narrow-minded, but what do you think about this? Check out other viewpoints from a chef and a personal trainer.

Hey you Food and Hospitality industry pro’s, as you know we made our annual trek to the Southwest Foodservice Expo – this time in Houston. The Texas Restaurant Association as always does a great job with this event. We saw some familiar faces, but met some new folks for the first time. On the fly we thought it would be a great idea to give some of these new brands a chance to plug themselves, so we whipped out the flip cam and just told them to go for it.

It’s funny when  you tell someone without notice that they have to plug their company, the kind of “Are you for real” feedback you get.  Despite that, they did a good job. From the beverage companies, to the hospitality technology folks to the local shrimp company – these are all good folks to know from the show. Check them out.

360 Vodka_Southwest Foodservice Expo 2010 from Adapt Marketing and Design on Vimeo.

Our friends over at Genesys conducted a survey and found that when a US business lost customer in 2009, that business lost $289 in annual revenue from that single customer. Roughly 70% of consumers stopped patronizing a business due to bad service. What’s even worse – that’s not in the survey – is the amount of money  businesses probably lost from those who simply heard about the bad experience from their friend. You do the math for your business. Though hospitality was one of the more favored industries, it’s frightening to know how much revenue your business could be throwing away just because of less-than-acceptable service. Of course there’s no magic pill for achieving excellent service, as it’s a combination on training, execution, more training, and the conscious willingness of you and your staff to do what’s right.
The survey indicates something that my wife used to tell me when we were dating – “I just want to be heard!”  After heading that request, she & I are still doing “business” 5 years later   Those of you who’ve had a loyal patron for 5 years, know that you’re gonna protect that relationship as best as you can; but what about the guest you’ve had for only 5 minutes? Nearly half of the respondents said the ability to communicate over multiple channels was very critical to their loyalty! They said in essence “Treat my interaction like a conversation”. And they are right. Who want’s to be treated like a number?  Unless of course that number is 1.
What channels  & tools are your company using to help manage those vital customer relationships?

Fort Worth, Texas. Beverage gas and draft beer systems experts – The BeerGas Company – has expanded the Cowboys’ Stadium options, enabling them to serve draft beer to fans and guests. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, The BeerGas Company is a beverage gas company that serves the food service, hospitality, sports and entertainment industries with brew-specific gases, beer-systems expertise and on-demand service. They were selected by the Dallas Cowboys Stadium to install and manage the draft beer systems for the billion-dollar, 100,000 seat sports and entertainment mega venue.

BeerGas helps Cowboys avoid waste while responding to customer demand for draft beer.

“When we built the stadium, we chose not to include draft beer systems in the plans, for various reasons,” says Cowboys Beverage Director, Carter Helwig. “The BeerGas Company has alleviated our concerns. The draft beer pours consistently, with the right amount of head, they do a great job maintaining the systems, and there is no loss of pressure from any of our bulk CO2 tanks. They have been great.”
The BeerGas Company which is known primarily for their ability to provide both ’standard’ and brew-specific beer gas mixtures are also beer systems experts and no stranger to projects of this magnitude. Company President Richard Brashier explains that, “Having served large clients such as Reliant Stadium (Houston), Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, Minute Maid Park and others, we fully understand and can delivery the expertise and service required helping these organizations become successful. Wasted product from a poorly designed, installed and managed draft beer system can lead to millions of dollars lost for organizations like the Cowboys,” says Brashier. Beyond the impact on the company, The BeerGas Company also recognizes the importance to the end-user – the fan who buys draft beer. BeerGas VP of Operations David Walker says, “because we help thousands of restaurants, bars and hotels serve their guests a great tasting and refreshing pint, we know what the draft-beer-loving customer wants. When you put those same customers inside the Cowboys Stadium on game day or concert-day, you then simply multiply their expectations by 10. The consumers in this setting expect their draft beer to be poured faster, colder and with the acceptable amount of foam – without compromise.”

BeerGas gave the Cowboys peace of mind.

A huge part of The BeerGas Company’s success has been derived from their high touch customer support. “In the food service and hospitality industries especially, our clients rely heavily on us to make these (beer gases and beer systems) components of their business worry-free. Operators and managers have a multitude of things to address each and every day, so if BeerGas can help them have one less thing to worry about, then we’ve done our job,” says Brashier.
Included in the general bars and concessions that cater to Cowboys Stadium’s 80,000 general seating capacity are 10 private Clubs. The Clubs accommodate and cater to up to 15,000 exclusive fans by providing their own full service bars and full concessions. These add to Helwig’s complex and demanding role as the stadium’s Beverage Director.
“Their (BeerGas Company) service is like no other,” Helwig says. “They’re extremely professional and the extent of the team’s knowledge makes them very easy to work with. They give me peace of mind.”