TARTINE'S CORNER

tar·tine (tär-tn) -noun-

A French open-faced sandwich, especially one with a rich or fancy spread.
The target market of a "Tartine's Corner" does vary greatly according to location. 

However, it is vital you put in the basic market research to begin with so you know the market you are likely to serve.

Remember, not only is starting a business a major life-changing decision, it is also a major financial investment. 

As a result, you will need to make sure you are fully aware of the commitment you are about to make and what is involved...

In this case, I am might be able to outline:
* How to attract more customers and keep them coming  
* Interior design and decoration of your tartine's corner
* Efficient production methods
* Selecting the right staff
* The legal requirements for running a tartine's corner
* Food hygiene standards
* How to monitor and order stock
* How to price your products



Want to learn more?


michelpiton@gmail.com

This blog does not take any comment but I will reply to all of your emails.

SOUP BAR

Soup is in!

It is healthy, nourishing and inexpensive.
Open a small soup bar in almost any food court, arcade or shopping centre and watch the customers queue for a bowl or a take-away cup.

Profit margins are high in this business and it is possible to start off small, building the business as more profits are made.

Location is a major factor to consider when starting a soup bar. In fact, the target market of a soup bar does vary greatly according to location.

However, it is vital you put in the basic market research to begin with so you know the market you are likely to serve.

For instance, if located on a busy thoroughfare in a business/city district, young adults and business people will comprise the bulk of your customer base during weekdays, especially during lunch times. There will be a small percentage of older people as well as young. Weekend traffic will include more young people and families.

Understanding what is involved in the daily operation of a soup bar is also imperative. Since you are dealing primarily in food, it is important that preparation techniques are sound and all food served is of high quality and appearance.

All this and much more will be outlined by our services. We will investigate market potential, what to consider when choosing business premises and location, what equipment you will need, what to consider when it comes to costs and stock, how to effectively operate your business and the tax and legal issues you should be aware of.

Want to learn more?

michelpiton@gmail.com





This blog does not take any comment but I will reply to all of your emails.

RESTAURANT & HOTEL FOOD TRENDS FOR 2012

Courtesy of Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman
Baum + Whiteman are creators of high-profile restaurants around the world...
Their predictions follow:
1. - WHAT’S THAT CRUNCHING SOUND? As the economy crawls sideways, like blue crabs at the shore, mom-and-pop eateries will be hit the hardest. Each time a big national chain cuts its prices, or flings a million half-off coupons into the market via social networks, independent restaurant numbers will take a dive.
2. - THE WHOLE WORLD ON A PLATE. Look for excitement at the lower end of the market where devil-may-care entrepreneurs are piling flavors from all over the globe onto a single dish. Gastronomically, everything goes. Bite into a sandwich of chipotle pork chop with burnt sugar glaze, carrot kimchee and tarragon mayonnaise, and your taste buds will announce that these flavors came from a global Mixmaster... This is what’s emerging: A multi-ethnic, multi-sensory dining experience where flavors clash on purpose.
3. - A WIDENING “FLAVOR GAP”: The menu items discussed above contain ingredients and multi-ethnic combinations that are alien to your local Panera Bread or Pizza Hut or even Five Guys -- because chains’ financial stakes are so high, they’re compelled to serve the fewest number of items to the greatest number of people.
4. - INSTEAD OF BREAD: Stretching for even more differentiation, look for sandwiches piled on things other than bread. Arepas, for example. Flattened tostones. Bao. Waffles. Rice cakes. Think of KFC’s notorious Double Down calorie bomb… but with more inventive ingredients.
5. - INNARDS AND ODD PARTS: We said it last year … and we’re saying it again: Tongue – lamb and beef -- and gizzards are hot. They’re moving up from ethnic neighborhoods (think Mexican and Korean tacos) and onto menus of upscale restaurants... Even fancy places will discover that they can sell tongue tacos at the bar and izakaya-style gizzards on skewers, and pigs’ ears and ox tails will show up on white tablecloths.
6. - IN A PICKLE: House-made vegetable and fruit pickles will appear on more and more menus as chefs concoct ever more complex ways of making these preserves.They’re not your grandmother’s pickles -- chefs are going global with additions of Asian fish sauce, Mexican peppers, ginger, yuzu, smoked paprika, star anise. Some are selling bowls of their own pickled products as individual menu items.
7. - AT LAST, KOREAN HITS THE CHARTS: Thanks largely to food trucks, Korean food has entered the American lexicon. Bulgogi, kimchee, kalbi, bibimbap are all the rage in Wednesday food sections, which means that shelter magazines will start running dumbed-down recipes in 2012 and we wouldn’t be shocked to see Korean-inflected fried chicken appearing on some chain menus.
8. - NO, EVERYONE’S NOT BROKE: About a quarter of America’s population is still happily working and another large chunk has a bit less – but not nothing – to spend, and after deep psychological retrenchment they’ll be returning to restaurant life. They’re not burning money, but they’re still having fun spending. And when they do, they’re seeking fun, interesting food and a sense of adventure. From this, we see the following:
8a - Comfort food hits the wall: When the recession hit three years ago, Americans gravitated to “crisis food”: homey roast chicken, soothing meat loaf, voluptuous mac-and-cheese, unchallenging sushi, and the Holy Cheeseburger. Now we’re bored by gastro-nostalgia. Instead, we’re demanding new taste thrills and culinary invention. Mac-and-cheese is being reworked with pork rillettes, or with chicharrones for crunch and braised pork necks for depth; or it is being stuffed into sandwiches along with fried chicken or chicken-fried steak.
8b - Early drinking , late night dining: People making sales and service calls, and supervisory staff, are spending more time in their cars, so they’re shifting social times to cocktails at four and dinner at ten. That’s because they’ve only chatted and texted with colleagues also scattered on the highways, and 4 p.m is a logical time to rendezvous somewhere, unwind with a cocktail and maybe have lunch that was missed earlier.
8c - Round things that go pop in the mouth: Kimchee- and-parmesan-filled arancini, fried goat cheese balls, spherical falafel, meat balls of all kinds, bacalao croquettes, crispy oxtail risotto balls – all of them dropped briefly in the fryer and served with multi-ethnic sauces and dips – are becoming hot-hot sharable bar food. They’re contemporary, drink-friendly finger food and no one seems to mind the calories.
9. - BEER GARDENS: Outdoor or indoor/outdoor, beer gardens will boom around the country, –especially from restaurants and breweries with unused backyards, oversized parking lots or available rooftops. The bigger the better. Good, cheap beer, often at five bucks a pop, and unchallenging food like pretzels, hot dogs and burgers, draw crowds seeking a fresh air alternative to indoor bars or lounges. Movable roofs and warmers make them year-round businesses.
10. - WHEELS COME OFF FOOD TRUCKS: Dozens of food truck operators will open brick-and-mortar shops in 2012. Many will put their vehicles on the block; others will attempt to run both businesses. The reason is clear: There’s more money to be made in storefronts now that food trucks – pioneering in social media marketing -- prove that eccentric menus have great market potential, and after the trucks create strongly branded identities that attract customers and satisfy wary landlords.
11. - CHOCOLATE DIRT: THE FORAGERS ARE COMING! A few years back, an unknown chef at restaurant Noma, in Copenhagen, created a strange series of tableaux on his dining room tables, using tree bark, pine needles, lichens and other things normally grazed by reindeer... Molecular gastronomy hasn’t exactly evaporated, but now you might get trampled by dozens of upscale chefs rushing to harvest dinner from the underbrush and under rocks – or assembling dishes that looked like they might be untamed gardens.
12. - JAPANESE CRAFT BEERS will gain a following.. They’re already is making inroads on beer-centric menus and Asian-inflected restaurants and they give lots of local artisan brews a good run for their money.
13. - FORGET SKYSCRAPER ARCHITECTURE. Chefs are shifting from stacking food as high as possible to stringing out ingredients in caterpillar-like lines along oblong or rectangular plates. This may looking like “dribble art” but at least it keeps the flavors separated. Ceviches, tartars, sushi and sashimi primarily, with salads as the next frontier.
14. - PERU GAINS MOMENTUM: Peru’s food is cross-pollinated by Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Italian and Andean flavors and cooking techniques. It is the source of the world’s most exciting ceviches and tiraditos (another raw fish dish), and it is where pisco sours come from... We predict that this is the next cuisine, so you need to know about causas, lomo saltado, aji amarillo, anticuchos, cuy (you know … whole roast guinea pig, legs, head and all) and tiraditos, along with vibrant, acidic fruits and juices that go into their unique raw fish preparations.
15. - WRONG ON HAMBURGERS: We predicted last year that “gourmet burgers” would peak in 2011. But they haven’t and we may be premature. Seems that a new burger chain launches every few weeks without regard for the growing density of competition.
16. - THREE CAUTIONARY TRENDS:
(1) Misuse of words like “artisan” and “heirloom” and “local” will pollute their meaning, especially as chains co-opt them for marketing slogans. Adding a whole grain to factory bread doesn’t make it “artisan” and not all misshapen tomatoes are “heirlooms” from “local” growers. “Green” and “sustainable” are in this category, too.
(2) There’s a looming oversupply of farmers markets.
(3) Too many chefs are smoking too many foods

THE "BIG TABLE" SOCIETY

Courtesy of Tim Hayward

(First published in "Financial Times": April 2 2011)

For as long as mankind has practised institutional dining, a defining characteristic has been the large shared table. In monasteries, college halls, barracks, factory and school canteens, we ate sitting at the communal board. Even in taverns and inns, one dined at the “table d’hôte” – the host’s table.


There were sensible reasons for this. Food was easier to transport from the kitchen, diners could pass dishes among themselves and the members of the order, faculty, class or mess benefited from eating together. Communal tables had a ritual quality celebrated in what we still call “banquet-style” dining.


It was only with the arrival of restaurants in the 18th century that things changed. Even in the years before respectable women could dine publicly, there were private rooms for assignations, booths in which business could be conducted or just separate tables that ensured no one needed to break bread with a member of another social order.


Alan Yau started the resurgence in 1992 when he reintroduced long shared tables at Wagamama. Refectory eating seemed appropriate in the literary atmosphere of the first Bloomsbury branch, with the sterile lines of the room echoing a certain monastic asceticism.


Since then many restaurants, gastropubs and coffee shops have opened with a big table as a design feature. In some, such as Ottolenghi, shared plates and shoulder rubbing seem intrinsic to the modern middle-eastern aesthetic. In others, Giraffe, for example, it’s all about convenience (and possibly an ability to hose down the place once the last child has left). In a few, it’s offered to those dining alone – a kind of holding pen for the hopeless, where the staff can put awkward individuals who might otherwise take up a whole, high-tipping two-top.


On one hand it says something special about a place to have a communal table – something about democracy and informality. On the other it flies in the face of our national characteristics of reserve and privacy. It’s a bold diner who doesn’t feel the faintest flicker of ‘rabbit-in-the-headlights’ panic when presented with the choice. Is this seat too creepily close to the girl reading the paper in the corner? The psychology and geopolitics of the tabletop can be exhausting before you’ve even sat down.


It seems unlikely that anyone would sit at the big table if a private one were available. It’s just so un-British to sit with strangers. There’s no denying that it suits the restaurateur though. Forcing people together means fewer wasted seats and less of the camping-out that punters might regard as a leisurely meal, but adds up to lost revenue.


For all that, there’s something comforting about sharing a table – it reminds us of the exquisite urban experience of being simultaneously alone and in a crowd. For better and for worse, it looks like the big table is back to stay.

FOOD IS THE ATTRACTION: CULINARY TOURISM

A unique food and drink experience has the power to lure tourists like museums - recreation and shopping.

Culinary tourism is the hottest niche to emerge within the travel industry in years because dining is one of the best ways visitors can get to know a new and exotic locale.
Because regional foods and recipes are a major part of what makes one place different from another, restaurants should create unique and memorable food and drink experiences to build excitement and develop a competitive advantage.


Your restaurant may already be contributing to culinary tourism in your community without even knowing it. Culinary tourism includes any unique or memorable dining experience that a traveler encounters.


Who are culinary tourists?
A culinary tourist can be a visitor who has traveled to town specifically to dine at your establishment. A culinary tourist can also be a business traveler who decides to dine at your restaurant.


Nearly 100 percent of tourists dine out when traveling, and dining is consistently one of the top three favorite tourist activities.
There is a high correlation between tourists who are interested in wine/cuisine and those interested in museums, shows, shopping, music and film festivals and outdoor recreation.


Unlike other travel activities and attractions, cuisine is available year-round, any time of day and in any weather.

What can your restaurant do to promote culinary tourism?
It’s important that your restaurant take full advantage of your region’s culinary tourism opportunities by establishing itself as a unique and memorable dining destination that locals will refer visitors to and tourists will want to return to again and again.


Here are four ways to foster culinary tourism:


Novel notions
One of the main philosophies that drive culinary tourism is the idea that tourists can get something at your restaurant or in your town that they can’t get back home. Your restaurant should capitalize on this idea by identifying a local or regional specialty and creating your own version of it.

Few restaurants in the world provide guests a retreat into a sanctuary of imaginative art, wine and cuisine like Siam Winery, in Hua Hin Hills, an independently-owned food, wine producer and art gallery which features a three-course menu that changes daily and a showroom of locally-produced art and wine selections from a small production boutique winery.

Chef demonstrations or in-the-kitchen chef training are two other ways to create an unforgettable dining experience for guests by showcasing a famous chef or locally-grown or manufactured ingredients. Even sitting at the chef’s table located directly in front of the kitchen can provide a memorable experience for guests.


Show locals love
Your local client base can be your restaurant’s greatest culinary tourism ambassadors. One of the top questions tourists ask locals when visiting a new place is, “Where’s a good place to eat around here?” If you build loyalty with locals, chances are they will direct tourists to visit your restaurant.


Band together to beef up business
When it comes to culinary tourism, don’t view other restaurants as competition. Partner with other local restaurants to create a culinary event that will benefit your city’s entire dining scene. Call it “Tastes of (insert your town’s name here).” Together restaurants can make a larger impact than one restaurant could afford individually.


Bottom line benefits
Culinary tourism has the power to create cooperative marketing opportunities for local restaurants and build name recognition for your restaurant regionally and nationwide.


Name recognition often opens the doors. Your restaurant may consider organizing cellar door sales or create their own line of customized products that can serve as another major source or revenue.


If executed correctly, culinary tourism can put your restaurant “on the map” and make a huge economic impact on your restaurant and community.

Want to learn more?
michelpiton@gmail.com


FOR YOUR UNREVEALED REGULAR DOSE OF FOOD, FROM BANGKOK AND BEYOND...
FIND ME ON FACEBOOK

RESTAURANT & HOTEL FOOD TRENDS FOR 2011

Courtesy of Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman

Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co. are creators of high-profile restaurants around the world...

Their predictions follow:


#1 Old Italian is Newly Respectable: All those old Italian chestnuts, from meatballs to all-you-can-eat spaghetti nights are getting new focus. Fancy sandwich shops and Artisan pizza boutiques are spreading everywhere, many adding mozzarella bars to their menus, making the stuff in-house and serving it still warm.

#2 Good News at the Top: Business will return to upscale restaurants, especially contemporary ones. Average spend may not rebound fully, and lunches will still be weak, but at least seats will be filled at dinner – and not necessarily with coupon-bearing bargain hunters who are something of a plague among recession-battered mid-priced casual restaurants.

#3 Stealth Competitors Creeping Up: Drug stores and convenience stores are ramping up their food departments with newly conceived fresh “grab-and-go” departments. These stores are already loading up their front-of-store reach-in refrigerators with packaged salads, sandwiches and sweets.

#4 Bricks-and-Mortar vs. Meals-on-Wheels: Food trucks, trawling for customers across the country, are driving restaurant owners nuts. They have big competitive advantages: low investment, no rent, no air conditioning, no utilities hookups, no real estate taxes, no dining rooms or waitstaff, no reservationists… and marketing costs reduced to Twitter and an iPhone. Look for more restaurant operators and big-name chefs to supplement their businesses by chasing after customers with their own trucks.

#5 Korean Food and the Nothing-Is-Sacred Taco: This will lend legitimacy to Korean flavors, and bulgogi, bibimbap and kimchee will enter our gastronomic lexicon. But the wrapper will become more important than its contents: Look for an outburst of outrageously creative multi-culti tacos, soft and hard, from fast food to haute cuisine.

#6 Popsicles going global and artisan -- and what it means: These niche items are becoming trendy. Gourmet ice pops are popping up filled with all sorts of exotica – mostly small batch products riding the wave of “fresh” and “locally made.” Keep an eye out for ingredient combos like these in new wave cocktails, house-made sodas (another small trend), house-made salad dressings, …etc

#7 Making Customers Unwelcome: Economically gun-shy consumers increasingly will face an unwelcome mat rolled out by restaurateurs trying to save a buck here and there. Look for more restaurants putting no credit card signs in their windows; eliminating reservations; upping the price of wines-by- the-glass while these wines appear nowhere on the list; no tablecloths; trying to ration the time people can occupy a table.

#8 How Does Your Garden Grow?: Increasing numbers of people will pay $2 for a holy tomato at burgeoning farmers markets, or a buck for an organic egg; and upscale hotel chefs will tend heirloom vegetable gardens and beehives on their rooftops to feed their fancy clientele. Watch out for restaurant “snacks” to swell up, people buying multiple snacks during the day will actually skip a traditional meal, knocking their nutritional intake seriously off- kilter.

#9 Breakfast All the Time: Morning food business grew fast when the economy went to hell; and then leveled off. But so many chains will jump into the business that we predict excess serving capacity before 2011 is over. At the other end of the price spectrum, soft slow-cooked eggs are appearing all over upscale restaurant menus. Runny eggs on pasta, on pizza, on braised meats, on truffled toast as stand-alone first courses; breaded and fried poached eggs on salads...

#10 Grits will leap from morning food to an all-purpose starch – part of another trendlet: down-home southern cooking. Shrimp and grits could well be the dish-of-the-year .

#11 “Free From”: Gluten-free menus will grow this coming year , but allergy sufferers aren’t the issue: Consumers are increasingly convinced that anything added to food is objectionable – and phrases like gluten- and lactose- free somehow sound healthful and reassuring, and perhaps organic – even though this is irrational.

#12 Wife Swapping … but with Restaurants: Kitchen swapping. Big name chefs will trade kitchens for a night or two which keeps life lively for diners as well as chefs. Some chefs now have permanent one-night stands, taking over humble dives or diners once every week. Often with only one or two dozen seats, snagging a place at these popups will become something of a status symbol and a culinary adventure.

#13 A Sandwich By Any Other Name: Last year it was gussied up hot dogs and gourmet hamburgers. This year it’ll be sandwiches over the moon but they’ll be called something else. Tartines have grown from a slice of bread with a simple spread to fancy open-face sandwiches with $15 price tags. Seeing success with far-out ingredients, several big-name chefs are toying with their own very upscale sandwich shops.

#14 Past Their Sell-By Date: Artisan hot dogs with inventive toppings will be on the downslide. Gourmet hamburgers will peak; too many players in a crowded field. Slapping bacon onto everything will be so-last-year. The novelty of increasingly expensive pork belly will wear off. Cupcakes will peak.

#15 Going Collaborative: Conventional reservations and marketing programs will be bypassed – so will old-media critics without new platforms –. Location-based “here’s-where-I am” sites are grabbing hold of what used to be restaurant-generated promotions. This could create irresistible pressure on restaurateurs who haven’t got their own mass to push back.

BUZZWORDS FOR 2011: Coconut water, awash in a mythology of good health; bourbon, for people who actually like booze; cucumbers, lavender and hibiscus, especially in cocktails; upscale food courts; umami along with stealth use of miso; sangria with new twists; peppadew; fancy poutine, a Canadian calorie bomb, could have a US trend life of a year; macarons, not macaroons; whoopee pie; Korean spicing and condiments; pesto variations; newfangled machines vending fresh fruit and vegetables; designer donuts imitating froufrou cupcakes; meatballs; burrata; tacos with global and wacky fillings; convenience store cuisine; artisan ice pops; “free from” food labels; popup restaurants; fregola, a pasta from Sardinia; Greek yogurt; ever-larger “snacks” and multiple snacks replacing meals; meatless Mondays; reinvented grits and down-home Southern cooking; and isn’t anyone tired yet of black kale?


And for your dose of regular food related news clipping:
FIND US ON FACEBOOK


Want to learn more?
michelpiton@gmail.com
+66(0)877733413


This blog does not take any comment but I will reply to all email.

TARTINE'S CORNER

tar·tine (tär-tn) -noun-
A French open-faced sandwich, especially one with a rich or fancy spread.



As a "Tartine's Corner" operator you will be no stranger to hard work and long hours. However, not only is this business demanding, it is also just as rewarding.

Market research is essential if your business is to be a success. While identifying your market is not a precise science, there is more to market research than just assuming your customers will be anyone who is hungry.

The target market of a "Tartine's Corner" does vary greatly according to location. However, it is vital you put in the basic market research to begin with so you know the market you are likely to serve.

Again, location choice will be a large factor in the type of customers you are likely to draw from the surrounding area.

Your equipment needs will also have to be considered. One obstacle for new business owners is finding the cash to buy the equipment required to set-up the business. You may have a list of the equipment you need but not enough capital to cover the expense.

You will also have to be aware of food handling regulations and hygiene standards and abide by them.

Remember, not only is starting a business a major life-changing decision, it is also a major financial investment. As a result, you will need to make sure you are fully aware of the commitment you are about to make and what is involved.

We will help you to arm yourself with the appropriate information. Information that is accurate, up-to-date and applicable to your individual circumstances.




We will also outline:

* How to attract more customers and keep them coming back
* Interior design and decoration of your soup bar
* Efficient production methods
* Selecting the right staff
* The legal requirements for running a soup bar
* Food hygiene standards
* How to monitor and order stock
* How to price your products






And for your dose of regular food related news clipping:
FIND US ON FACEBOOK


Want to learn more?
michelpiton@gmail.com
+66(0)877733413


This blog does not take any comment but I will reply to all email.

RESTAURANT & HOTEL FOOD TRENDS FOR 2010

Courtesy of Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman

Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co. are creators of high-profile restaurants around the world...
Their predictions follow:

#1 NEW PRIORITIES FOR BEATEN-UP CONSUMERS: Too many restaurant and hotel execs are grappling with pre-recession consumer issues, while people today are expressing entirely new – and more complex - sets of concerns. These concerns might tamp down consumer spending for another five years – and are difficult for hotel and restaurant professionals to deal with. Why? Because what worries people today no longer reflects abstract and idealistic pre-recession issues. Now people are focusing inward.

#2 PUTTING FOCUS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE MENU … because that’s where the emotional resonance is! Look for more creative snacky things, more small plates, more portion options … things sized for one, for two, for a crowd. This isn’t just a “small plates phenomenon” … because it isn’t about the size of the plate: Sharing is the key … sharing responds to consumers’ needs for comfort and safety, for intimacy and friendship.

#3 UPSCALING THE DOWNSCALE: No question that consumers are trading down. Steakhouse sales slipped 25%-30% since last year, and $100 bottles of wine gather dust. Predictably, hamburger and hot dog sales are on the rise but not because they’re cheap. What’s important is that consumers are using these vehicles as trade-up treats! That’s what’s behind the explosion of “gourmet” hamburgers smothered in the likes of manchego cheese and Iberian ham; or fanciful hot dogs served with goat cheese and guacamole; or french fries revved up with parmesan cheese and truffle oil. Consumers are trading down in order to trade up!

#4 FRESH = LOCAL = HAND-MADE = SAFER = BETTER
The words “organic” and “natural” are so diluted (polluted, actually) by big-brand food companies that they’re being replaced in consumers’ minds by “fresh” and “local” and “hand-made.” That’s why farmers markets are catching on everywhere even though food there costs more than at chain retailers: People are looking for edibles they can trust, and for food communities that stand personally behind their products.
Restaurants and hotels are spotlighting house-made or locally-made bread, artisan-cured salami, chef-pickled vegetables, locally- butchered beef, honey from nearby hives, food purchased from regional farms.

#5 FRIED CHICKEN IS THE NEW PORK BELLY: Fed up with globs of pig fat from undercooked pork belly? Say hello new-fangled fried chicken -- crisped in all sorts of inventive ways by lowly diner cooks and exalted chefs alike. Ahead of the curve: Korean fried chicken, invisibly coated, amazingly flavorful and fried twice for ultra-crunch, moving out of traditional Korean-towns into mainstream neighborhoods. Global players from Southeast Asia are eyeing the US market, their birds fragrant with lemongrass, fish sauce and warm spices.

#6 PUTTING IN “GOOD” ADDITIVES INSTEAD OF TAKING OUT NASTY ONES: After years of purging their food of such “nasties” as transfats and other greases, preservatives, sodium (still work to do there), and artificial flavors and colors … food companies now are scrambling for additives that make you healthier and more beautiful. Savvy restaurateurs ought to take note of shenanigans like adding omega-3 and plant sterols to breads to alleviate stress and lower cholesterol; antioxidants and pro-biotics to goose your immune system; vitamins to already adulterated bottled water; collagen to dried fruit (you can’t make this up) for women sidestepping the ravages of aging; and various unpronounceables that blunt your appetite so you’ll(maybe) lose weight!

#7 THEY LAUGHED WHEN WE SAID “TONGUE”: Last year, some bloggers said we’d gone bonkers by predicting that tongue – beef and veal – would be hot in 2009. Well … here’s the Offal Truth: For 2010, it’ll be tongue (including lamb) and oxtail along with beef and pork cheeks, chicken gizzards, tripe, and other innards and odd parts.

#8 LOSING CONTROL OVER LANGUAGE: Hotels and restaurants no longer control what’s said about them … or who says it. The old experts … travel and food journalists … are disappearing, along with their newspapers and magazines. Instead, authority is dispersed among the Instant Opinion Makers: bloggers, texters, twitterers, facebookers,... who broadcast “buzz” and bad news to a million gullible people in the blink of an eye. So we’re swapping good gourmet-journalism for dubious opinions.

#9 SWEET TO BITTER TO TART: A decade or so back,palates made a profound shift from sweet to bitter – which explains the rise of strong coffee, dark chocolate, broccoli rabb, Brussels sprouts and other bitter food. There’s been another, quieter shift, from sweet-sweet to tart-sweet. That’s why chefs are now pickling their own vegetables to serve with newly trendy rich and fatty meats.

#10 MENU CHURN: A crummy economy and declining consumer traffic forces restaurants to poach each other customers by stealing competitors’ top menu items. This happens all the time in a copycat industry, but it has accelerated. Fast food chains are adding up-priced imitations of gourmet burgers. Pizza chains are suddenly becoming pasta, sandwich and chicken wings specialists. Specialty juice chains fight back by adding pizzas and flat breads. Look for juice bars and smoothie bars in fast food and fast-"en-cas" outlets in 2010.

#11 MEET YOU AT THE SUPERMARKET: The frequency of meals eaten away from home was sliding even before the global economic collapse – in large part because fewer women are working -- but accelerating numbers of consumers are re-discovering their dining room tables.

#12 CATERING TO KIDS: It’s no accident that kids’ menus are popping up on chain restaurants: The recession did it.Look for more kids-eat-free restaurant promotions, more emphasis on healthful kid’s menus, and more “adult” things for kids to eat along with their food-savvy parents.



For the complete report and other bright ideas: www.baumwhiteman.com


And starting from now, you won't hear from me until the end of January...

SEASON GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES TO ALL OF YOU...

Want to learn more?
michelpiton@gmail.com
+66(0)877733413


This blog does not have any comment but I will reply to all email.

DESTINATION MARKETING

Lately, there has been plenty of discussion about Koh Phangan and its potential for luxury ecotourism. New hotel projects are in the works all over the island.
Despite all the talk, hope and speculation, Koh Phangan has little history of high end tourism success and no clear plan for success.
Success is defined differently by many involved in these discussions, but more worrisome is that few agree on what defines failure.


It is never to late for a positive reaction.
Here are the Five Deadly Sins of Tourism that Koh Phangan must avoid:


1. Hyper-growth =Rushing Into Mistakes

Rome was not built in a day, and neither was tourism to visit the ruins of modern-day Rome. A tourism infrastructure requires planning, training, rules and regulations. I am not a big fan of government and especially local authorities, but in the case of tourism, there at least needs to be some zoning and long-term thinking that is enforced with smart laws. Koh Phangan is growing at such breakneck pace, we all have concerns that some of the areas with greatest tourism potential are being overrun with the most expedient projects, many of which have zero concern for long-term effects on ecology, economy or logistics.


2. Copycat = Loss of Culture

Koh Phangan tourism development today lacks much that resembles anything uniquely Southern Thailand. Despite a culture that is as rich and wonderful except its "world famous fullmoon party", too much of the present development borrows on played out ideas from elsewhere. Thai people are far too creative, artistic minded and proud to have their tourism landscape hijacked by unoriginal, cookie-cutter projects.


3. Eco-Unfriendly = Not Sustainable

Whether its an over crowded Haad Rin, water front mega beach hotels, record breaking swimming pools or a tendency to look the other way while projects drain mangroves…it is pretty clear that Koh Phangan is not attempting to mimic Koh Chang's archipelago (Koh Kood comes to my mind) success as a perceived “green” destination.


4. Service-untrained staff = No Return Clients

It is difficult to find a truly service-oriented business in Koh Phangan. Even harder still to find one that can cater to clients who do not speak English. Koh Phangan faces an uphill battle on both fronts, with a shortage of labor trained in foreign languages and fewer still familiar with the adage that, “the customer is always right”. Service training and language skills are not the only challenges facing Koh Phangan’s aim at becoming a tourism mecca; the island has a glut of public holidays that occur during peak tourism months. Good luck to the politician who tries to resolve that delicate issue.


5. “All-Exclusive” Projects = Angry Locals

Koh Phangan entrepreneurs cannot forget to include locals and local culture as part of its future tourism . Development must not mirror the walled in “all-exclusive” disasters of Phuket, Samui, etc. where locals do not actively mix with tourists and exchange culture, ideas and memories. Walling out locales is the fastest way to create resentment toward tourists who traveled all the way to meet and know them.



Despite these pitfalls, having resided five years on the island and still a regular visitor, I do believe fiercely in Koh Phangan’s potential. I will outline my suggested solutions to the possible issues above as well as WHY I am betting on Koh Phangan, in future posts.




Interesting read: What Will the Tourist Be doing in 2030?





Related post: Food is the Attraction: Culinary Tourism

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+66(0)877733413

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And starting now, you will not hear from me again until the end of August...

TOP 10 FLAVOR TRENDS 2009

Source : Flavor & The Menu magazine.

Casual, comfort flavor cues will be driving restaurant trends in 2009, predicts Flavor & The Menu magazine, in its annual selection of Top 10 Flavor Trends.

Consulting with a team of restaurant industry experts, Flavor & The Menu's editors forecast, among other menu trends, a French-cuisine comeback in the form of more approachable (and affordable) bistro and brasserie fare, an "urban" expansion of traditional, widely-accepted barbecue flavors and formats, and beer informing a new culinary evolution of restaurant concepts and menus.

Flavor & The Menu magazine is a foodservice publication acclaimed for taking a flavor-focused approach in its original coverage of flavor trends and menu-development strategies. Most culinary trends originate in restaurant kitchens, and Flavor & The Menu editors select the leading menu influencers they predict will have the broadest appeal and the most influence on menus in the years to come.

"With restaurant visits and check averages in decline, restaurants are looking to tap into new growth opportunities," says Cathy Holley, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief. "As chefs explore ways to differentiate their menus and create cravable offerings, especially in an unsteady economic climate, many of these trends will factor into their menu-development strategies."

Flavor & The Menu's Top 10 Trends for 2009:

Top Culinary Trend - Tapping Beer's Potential: Now that beer is the new wine, thanks to a flood of new craft beer products and imports, chefs are creating menus that match beer lists in their complexity and casual-yet-sophisticated approach to pub food. Beyond the usual pretzels and peanuts, these post-modern pub menus present hearty food that's designed to pair with beer.

Top Concept Trend - Barbecue Branches Out: A wave of new barbecue restaurants is introducing consumers to more sophisticated interpretations of classic barbecue-shack specialties with a difference - upgraded with signature sides, more interesting preparations and full wine lists and cocktails. This "urban barbecue" approach will offer chefs opportunities to bring barbecue's flavors, techniques and presentations beyond its established boundaries.

Top Comeback Trend - French Bistro: After years of being overshadowed by Asian and Latin fare, classic French bistro cuisine is being taken up by leading chefs looking to bring their culinary vision to a more approachable and moderately priced style of dining. These new-generation bistros sport a bustling energy and broadened appeal to bring a new generation back to French food.

Top Menu-Making Trend - Snack Attack: The appetizer-entree-and-dessert meal progression will never be the same; from small plates and wine-bar menus to fast-food "fourth meals" and handhelds, snacking offers an affordable way for consumers to sample and share interesting new foods.

Top Ethno-Cuisine Trend - Asian Noodle-Mania: From Japanese ramen and soba chains establishing beachheads in the U.S. to Asian-American chefs like David Chang offering upscale takes on classic noodles, and a proliferation of blogs dedicated to the quest for the perfect bowl of noodles, there's a whole lot of slurping going on.

Top Sauce Trend - Fruitful Finishes: From simple salsas to classic reductions, chefs are turning to fruit as a base for signature sauces. These include chunky compotes and smooth coulis, infused vinegars, gastriques, jams and fruit butters. These inventive sauces are becoming a great way for chefs to better utilize fruit in savory dishes, while intensifying flavor profiles in desserts.

Top High-Impact Ingredient - American Artisanal: After a wave of interest in European cheeses, American chefs are turning their attention to the growing domestic cheese scene. American cheesemakers are coming into their own, crafting Euro-style adaptations and their own signature creations.

Top Buzzword - Farm: "Farmers market" is the new mantra, as chefs seek to distinguish their menus and establish a culinary connection with customers. A farm-focused approach complements back-to-basics cooking styles, including pickling, curing and other artisanal crafts, while ingredients like natural beef and cage-free eggs satisfy cravings for wholesome foods and simpler times.

Top Beverage Trend - Latin Refreshers: Thanks to an interest in all things Latin, restaurants beyond the South American and Mexican niches have started serving licuados (fruit shakes), aguas fresca ("fresh water," or juices) and cheladas. Even sangria is experiencing a renaissance, with new fruits and distinctive presentations.

Top Dessert Trend - Italian Inspirations: With Italian restaurants holding a larger share of the American heart, it stands to reason that dessert menus would expand beyond predictable mainstays like tiramisu. And they have: We're seeing custardy panna cotta, indulgent gelato, soothing budino (Italian-style pudding), homey polenta cake, and semi-frozen specialties known as semifreddo.

Related post: Restaurant & Hotel Food Trends for 2009

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RESTAURANT & HOTEL FOOD TRENDS FOR 2009

Courtesy of Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman

Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co. Are creators of high-profile restaurants around the world for hotels, restaurant companies, major museums and other consumer destinations. Based in New York, their projects include the late Windows on the World and the magical Rainbow Room, Equinox in Singapore, the world's first food courts, and five three-star restaurants in New York. Their predictions follow ...

DUST OFF THOSE MEATLOAF RECIPES...TOUGH TIMES ARE HERE!

The global economic meltdown is forcing profound changes in the hotel and restaurant world. Costly frills are out. Wanton indulgence is now bad manners. Here are 13 major trends to look for in the year ahead.

1. THE BISTROS ARE COMING, THE BISTROS ARE COMING!: Restaurants, especially hotel restaurants, are lagging economic indicators: They take so long to design and build that a turn in the business cycle catches them flatfooted.
Because they're lagging indicators, whenever you see first courses costing more than last year's main courses; whenever you see waiters dressed in name-brand clothing that you can't afford; whenever restaurant designers are featured in consumer magazines; and whenever you see corks popping on triple-digit wines like there's no tomorrow - that's when you know tomorrow has arrived.
So all those new restaurants that recently were hell-bent for opulence and dripping with luxury will now be part of the cyclical "bistro-ization of America." And if not bistros, look for "osteria", which are the Italian equivalent.

2. ON THE HOTEL END, there had been a single-minded focus on luxury targeted at expense-account types who, more and more, are getting pink slips instead of bonuses. What's more, high-margin business banquets and private parties are being canceled (stockholders are hissing mad at corporations spending $500 a head for lavish dinners), making big dents in hotels' food and beverage profits. So the days of foie-gras and truffles are over for the foreseeable future and culinary ambitions are tumbling. As menus are downscaled, and dining rooms "bistro-ized", one wonders how consumers will react to eating coq-au-vin and mashed potatoes in inappropriately extravagant and glitzy dining rooms. Look for clever disguises covering over last years' excessive opulence.

3. ALSO ON THE HOTEL END, a very large question: Will those Big Deal Hotel Restaurants carrying the names of Absentee Star Chefs become economic albatrosses, or will they indeed prove to have stable drawing power? We look for fewer hotels turning their restaurants over to star chefs. The cost of building these things often outstrips potential profits, and when times get tight, hotels can do without. Besides, we're running out of star chefs.

4. ITS "COMFORT FOOD" TIME AGAIN as people attempt to escape the ravages of the Dow. Exotic seafood topped with micro-greens and frou-frou is out of bounds in the face of 401(k) deprivation, so the old standbys are coming back. But, as with men's ties, not in quite the same way. Yes, MACARONI-AND-CHEESE ... but also certain Asian pasta dishes (such as PAD THAI and sesame noodles) for their equivalent creaminess without the palate fatigue; and RIGATONI CARBONARA for the same reason. SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS will make a roaring comeback ... but with creative meatballs.

5. CHICKEN SOUP loyalists will have more than noodles and matzo balls to choose from, as comforting ASIAN NOODLES IN BROTH edge onto menus (look for Pho from Vietnam, Ramen from Japan, and Laksa from Malay peninsula).

6. We'd be surprised if TURKEY LEGS don't pop up on menus around the country, as well as lots of BRAISED AND FRIED CHICKEN - this time in various ethnic flavorings, particularly from twice-fried Korean chicken chains that are growing in popularity wherever you find concentrations of Korean expats. Also on the comfort food front, watch for MASHED POTATO VARIATIONS - combined with creamy and pungent cheeses, for example, or with multiple winter vegetables: potatoes and pureed cauliflower, potatoes and parsnips with a bit of bacon, potatoes with butternut squash and ginger ... all the right creative comfort flavors and textures to dress up a homey meatloaf.

7. BREAKFAST at any time of day will become the new comfort food. Grits, waffles or steak and eggs for lunch and dinner.

8. EATING LOWER ON THE HOG - OFFAL IS EXCELLENT: Last year we predicted a great upswing in innards and odd parts, and this year we'll see even more. Guanciale (pigs' cheeks), pigs' feet, tripe, lardo (cured pork fat), artisan salami, beef cheeks, tongue, neck meat, oxtails ... and chicken livers taking the place of costly foie-gras.

9. TINKERING WITH THE MENU: Casual dining chains are confronting their worst fear - that customers, pummeled by the meltdown of their pensions, will no longer drive an extra mile for the same mozzarella sticks they can get just down the road. These chains - whether Applebee's or beleaguered Bennigan's or TGIFriday's and their look-alike - have rushed back to their test kitchens seeking ways to distinguish their food from the pack of copycat competitors. The danger these giant companies face is that they may all - as they've repeatedly done in the past - come up with similar solutions. The upside, if they really can distinguish themselves, is better choice at better prices for the consumer.

10. LUXURY RESTAURANTS that got away with $75-and-up price-fixed dinners will be unbundling their menus, allowing cash-strapped patrons to control their checks by ordering a la carte. A la carte restaurants will add low ball price-fixed dinners to their menus, hoping to attract people by offering bargains. You'll see more and more placemats, and costly tablecloths will disappear as owners cut costs; linen placemats will give way to paper ones, and many restaurants will actually serve meals on bare tables. Watch for overpriced wines and cocktails to start slumping, too; those $12-$15 drinks are still profitable at $9.

11. EVEN BETTER FOR CONSUMERS: Smug owners who've treated customers as supplicants will turn ultra-friendly -- "Yes, sir, you certainly can share that main course." Many Americans will suddenly find tables available during normal dinner hours rather than a 6:00 or 9:30. Hotels in particular, will need radical staff retraining.

12. Look for an UPSURGE IN SMALL PLATES offerings as operators seek to add lower price points to their offerings. HAPPY HOURS will become relative bargains as hotels and restaurants hope customers will order lots of small plates instead of dinner; but those prices will have to fall, too (five bucks for two deviled eggs might not cut the mustard).

13. UNDERGROUND RESTAURANTS: There will be big growth in "black market" restaurants this year ... one-night-only unlicensed dinner ventures staged by skilled home cooks (and occasional professionals) in warehouses, garages, cellars, vacant nightclubs and personal dining rooms. With ambitious menus, these dinners are by invitation only ... word spreads via blogs, text messages, notices on Craiglist. Prices vary from pretty expensive to pay-what-you-like, menus offer no choices, and often it's BYOB - giving guests great reasons to uncork their treasured Burgundies.

For the complete report and other bright ideas: www.baumwhiteman.com


Starting now, you won't hear from me again until the second part of January...

BEST HOLIDAY WISHES AND SEE YOU IN 2009!

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