Celebrity Chef John Besh To Open New Restaurant LUKE In New Downtown Hotel Later This Fall…

Chef Besh has been a fan of San Antonio for many, many years. Being an avid quail hunter, he and his wife have visited the Alamo City often and now he has decided to expand his restaurant empire a bit more by opening up LUKE on the Riverwalk soon.

He see’s this restaurant as being a throwback to the old brasserie’s and beer-halls. A comfy place where a family can feel comfortable dining without all of the pretense of high-end dining. He has assigned the post to one of his longtime chefs and business partners.

Stay tuned for more detail!

Mark

You may have seen them on the corner while you are stuck in traffic. Those guys and girls waving, spinning, tossing, and generally having fun with a company’s logo or directional sign.

Here is a short video and article about the success of these campaigns with local restaurants and small businesses here in San Antonio.    

Article and Video:

Mark

One of my favorite and most frequented restaurants is absolutely killing it in sales and profitability AGAIN this past quarter. (Why oh why did I not invest in this thing back in 1995??!!)

You can read the full article here at Nation’s Restaurant News

Mark

Another great conference! Some of the relevant trends and emerging trends to watch that I noticed at this year show were the following:

1. Low Sodium and Salt reduction ingredients. Finally the industry is heeding the desire from the public for our food to NOT be loaded with sodium.

2. Gluten-Free products and applications

3. Clean label/simple ingredients. Imaging that, consumers want food without having to reference a molecular chemistry dictionary of ingredients.

4. Multi-Grain, Vegetable, Beneficial Fiber and other pro-biotic inclusions into foods.

5. Omega 3′s encapsulated products

There was also a strong international foods and ingredients presence at the show. With the advent and popularity of internet food sites and all of the cooking shows, more and more Americans are realizing the bounty of the worlds’ food basket.

Stay Tuned!

Mark

My colleague Russell Skall, Corporate Chef for Fleming’s says the inspiration for the Maine Lobster & Seafood Boil he created for this upcoming LTO menu offering reminds him of vacationing along the New England Coastline.

“One of my favorite ways to enjoy Maine lobster is in a traditional New England seafood boil,” said Skall. “I find a large pot and fill it with market-fresh seafood, add fresh vegetables and seasonings, then boil it. If I were cooking on the beach or at home, we would serve it in the traditional manner — the contents simply spread out on a newspaper in the middle of a table for all to share.”

The Maine Lobster & Seafood Boil includes Manila clams, mussels and shrimp, along with corn on the cob, new potatoes and andouille sausage. It’s served in a bowl with buttermilk biscuits and coleslaw salad with tomatoes and mozzarella in an apple cider vinaigrette. A peach and cranberry cobbler is the dessert.

The item costs UDS 99 for two or USD 49.50 for one and is available through 15 August.

Fleming’s,  is one of several chains promoting American lobster this summer, some for the first time.

Upscale casual dining concepts such as Ruby Tuesday,  with more than 900 restaurants nationwide, has rolled out five new lobster menu items in the past 12 months. Its nine-item summer menu features five lobster entrées, including Lobster Carbonara and Steak & Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese.

Low lobster prices — the result of reduced demand due to the global economic downturn and increased catches — are making the crustacean accessible to more chains.

Independent restaurants were hardest hit this past year according to a new CREST report.

The total number of units closed was over 5,000 and independent restaurants faired worse than the national chains. Cited as reasons were sales and traffic declines chiefly due to prolonged high unemployment.

Read the full article here.

Mark

After seeing these salads in test for the past few months, Wendy’s will be rolling out a new entree salad line nationwide.

If you recall, Wendy’s was the first chain that brought the salad bar to the fast food arena. They also were first movers in 2002 with their  Garden Sensations line. My good friend and mentor Girard Lewis is at the helm of new product development for the company and here is the list of salads coming soon to a Wendy’s near you.

Apple Pecan Chicken, BLT Cobb, Spicy Chicken Caesar, and Baja

The four reinvented salads combine real ingredients and fresh preparation at unit level. The taste profiles and recipe builds are similar to a casual dining restaurant or cafe, but compete on price, value, and convenience of a QSR.

Ingredients not typically found at a fast food feeder include, spring mix with 9 different types of greens, real blue cheese crumbles, shaved asiago, fresh pico de gallo, roasted pecans, and two types of apples.

Thank God someone in fast food is realizing that most customers want quality, not 99 cent mystery products filled with more chemicals, processors, and fake food ingredients than anyone should ever consume.

Until Next Time,

Mark

RCKSTRCHF

Newsflash just came over the wires…Read about it by clicking here

I recently read a top-line consumer report from one of the biggest consumer research think-tanks in nation that stated customers are racing to prepared food and meals from supermarket retailers…and why restaurants should be concerned.

A snap shot of the data reports that of those consumers that were interviewed, over half were more likely to eat a dinner at home, with food purchased from the grocery store. The data also indicates that 64% reported buying ready-to-heat, ready-to-eat, or ready-to-prepare meals within the last 30 days. Most of the comments and reasons for the purchase intent were value and one-stop shopping convenience.

The retail food industry seems on track for a 7% top line sales growth increase in the next year which is almost unheard of in the industry.  Much of the growth is coming from customers who seek a low cost alternative to restaurant meals or those who see the time value in buying prepared foods at the store instead of dealing with the dining hassle of a restaurant. Price, Time, and value all seem to be the drivers of this trend.