NOMADIC CHEF: Above the Fold Restaurant Marketing

NOMADIC CHEF: Above the Fold Restaurant Marketing: Above the Fold restaurant marketing by DOUGLAS D. STUCHEL | ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT THE CENTER FOR FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT IN THE HOSP...

RADISH—The Farmer's Food Truck

RADISH, a food truck serving locally grown and organic menu items, was created to promote healthy eating and creativity in Providence, Rhode Island. The food truck was the brainchild of a few passionate students at Johnson & Wales University, the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University. The students were looking to put their exciting and progressive ideas to good use. In addition to offering organic, farm-fresh food, the RADISH team promotes artists, musicians, cooks and adventurers every month via its truck and website.

After winning the grand prize in the Johnson & Wales Shark Tank Competition (modeled after the ABC television series), CEO and 2011 JWU graduate Tim Silva and his team used the social networking website known as Kickstarter to fund their mobile restaurant. Kickstarter is an entrepreneurial social media outlet that serves as a funding platform for creative projects. Through Kickstarter, cutting-edge ideas are brought to life as people all over the world donate money to support the development of innovative products and services. Since its launch, Kickstarter supporters have brought to life more than 30,000 creative projects in the fields of music, art, technology, film, gaming and food services. To date, monetary support of Kickstarter projects totals over $350 million, with pledges from more than 2.5 million individuals.

By April 5, 2012, RADISH had received financial support from 95 supporters. With pledges totaling nearly $10,000, the RADISH team had reached its Kickstarter goal. The team used some of the cash to refurbish a truck to comply with health code requirements and other state regulations, while the remaining funds went toward a commercial hood system, a flat top grill, plumbing and wiring costs, a commercial refrigerator and decorating materials.

According to a recent Forbes article, the cost of starting a food truck business can range from $50,000 to $200,000, with $60,000 being the expected cost of a reasonably priced and reliable truck. An additional $10,000 is needed to cover start-up costs including fuel, maintenance, permits, kitchen equipment purchases or rentals, food supplies, insurance, advertising dollars and employee expenses.
The costs of a food truck are far lower than those of a traditional restaurant with a physical space in one location. Start-up costs for a traditional restaurant typically range from $100,000 to $300,000, depending on its size and location. Both the mobile food truck and the fixed location restaurant have a niche in the food service industry, and each caters to the unique needs of its respective clientele. In fact, many restaurateurs in Providence now have both a fixed location restaurant and a mobile food truck.

The founders of RADISH wanted their truck to be a hub for artists, musicians and adventurers in their community. Imagine a mobile gallery space that also serves delicious, feel-good food you can eat with your hands. Shortly after winning the competition, the RADISH team conducted a guerilla marketing campaign by posting black and red stickers all over Providence; the stickers featured an image of a radish and the slogan: “RADISH - the farmer’s food truck.” They also created “Where is Radish?” accounts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and even posted pictures of future menu items on Pinterest.
To learn more about RADISH, visit http://whereisradish.com/.

by DOUGLAS D. STUCHEL | ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT THE CENTER FOR FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT IN THE HOSPITALITY COLLEGE

 AT JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY

Above the Fold Restaurant Marketing

Above the Fold restaurant marketing

by DOUGLAS D. STUCHEL | ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT THE CENTER FOR FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT IN THE HOSPITALITY COLLEGE

 AT JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY

The restaurant business has traditionally relied on word-of-mouth advertising as a method of marketing and to drive repeat business. Historically, this exchange has resulted directly from conversations amongst friends and acquaintances who have recently dined at a particular restaurant.

The advancement of technology, though, has prompted modern society to rely more and more on such mobile applications as Urbanspoon, Foodspotting, and OpenTable to guide them in their quest for dining options. It used to be said that if you had a bad meal at a restaurant, you’d tell approximately ten friends about your experience. Today, one bad online review can reach hundreds of potential customers in real-time, thereby influencing their dining decisions and immediately impacting a restaurant’s bottom line.

Recognizing this growing trend, technologically savvy restaurateurs have begun to promote and market themselves instantaneously through the use of social media, blogs and smartphone applications. Capitalizing on new advances in technology, current and future restaurateurs alike are challenging preconceived notions of what it takes to establish, promote and operate a restaurant. If your customers aren’t tweeting about their experience, liking your restaurant on Facebook, or posting photos of menu items on Pinterest, you are losing a valuable market segment comprised of young, tech-savvy customers with an ever-increasing desire to eat out and socialize with their friends.

Customer preferences are changing. Virtual menus adopted by such establishments as the Grand Met restaurant at the Grand Hyatt Dallas Fort Worth offer guests an interactive, touch-screen tour of the menu, detailed food descriptions and chef-recommended food and beverage pairings.  The virtual menus are available for dinner service only and do not at all infringe on the first-class service provided to patrons by the Grand Met’s wait staff. Rather, the virtual menus are simply a new option intended to enhance the overall dining experience of Grand Met’s guests. After a guest completes their virtual menu tour, a personal server is on-hand to offer further recommendations and answer any questions.

Another innovation is the use of Twitter by mobile restaurants, whose teams will broadcast their next location to their online followers. Food trucks sell niche menu items ranging from cupcakes and sushi to vegan dishes and everything in between. Food & Beverage Management seniors at the Johnson & Wales North Miami campus responded to the food truck trend for their capstone project, operating their own mobile restaurant for a day. The introduction of food trucks on campus was so successful that several trucks now drive through campus every Thursday, offering unique cuisines to students and the community.

Pop-up restaurants, yet another restaurant trend, rely almost exclusively on social media for promotion, as they will only be at a specific location for an evening or two. In the pop-up environment, chefs set up temporary kitchens and serve hip, locally-sourced meals in any location deemed safe to cook and serve food. Menus are typically prix fixe and offer few or no substitutions to customers. Some chefs see pop-up restaurants as an opportunity to generate the revenue necessary to open their dream restaurant, while others simply like the challenge of offering completely different menus in exciting locations for a short period of time.

Doug Weiler, a 2009 JWU graduate and one of the chefs and owners of Lost and Found, a pop-up restaurant located in the Long Island area of New York, focuses on menus that offer healthy, Long Island-grown and locally foraged ingredients. Chef Weiler and his partners use Facebook, Twitter and its website to build buzz about their food and the unique, exciting and innovative locations in which they serve it. One recent stand-out location was the Lali Lali Salon Gallery in New York City, where Lost and Found was part of a book launch for famed photographer Denis Piel in October 2012.

The restaurant trends discussed here suggest that physical structure and location are no longer as important to a restaurant as is its ability to promote good food through both traditional and innovative methods. But what’s next? What are some future trends in restaurant marketing?  

Look for restaurants, especially high-end ones, to start promoting smartphone applications and websites that allow the customer to order from an online menu, like the very successful tracker website introduced by Domino’s Pizza. However, unlike the pizza giant’s menu options, expect your gourmet items to be packaged in eco-friendly, reheatable containers.

Also look for new and creative apps that incorporate social media into the marketing mix. “Gratafy” is one such smartphone/social media application; recently launched, it lets you buy and pay for a round of drinks, food items, a game of pool or even comedy tickets for your friends over the web. This online service is sure to entice customers to visit a restaurant or venue that they otherwise may not have considered going to before. Think about it—would you pass up a free meal?

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To view the Grand Met’s virtual menu description, please visitwww.hyatt.com/hyatt/images/hotels/dfwgh/TheVirtualMenu.pdf.

To locate Lost and Found, like them on Facebook:facebook.com/LostAndFoundPopup, follow them on Twitter:@lostandfoundpop, or go to their website: www.lostandfoundpopup.com.

New York Produce Show and Conference 2012

 THE NATIONAL PRODUCE SHOW & CONFERENCE, NYC DECEMBER 4-6 2012

http://www.nyproduceshow.com/about.html

For the second year in a row I had the great honor of taking four Johnson & Wales University, Culinary Foodservice Management Students with me to NYC for the National Produce Show & Conference.

Prior to the event opening up to the public the students and I got a chance to forage from all of the fresh produce on the trade show floor.  This to many may seem to be a chefs dream, but as soon as you start foraging you don't know where to begin.  Do I want unique and new to the market produce such as the finger limes, or produce that have yet to hit the market such as the micro greens that taste like granny smith apple, or the one that taste like cheese?  Do I want to use product that I have never seen before or really have never cooked with? Do I want to use a product my students coined "culinary pop-rocks"? These Herb Crystals & Flower Crystals from  Fresh Origins were my personal favorite of the show.

Herb Crystals™ and Flower Crystals™ are an innovative original concept from Fresh Origins!  With dazzling, all-natural colors, an exciting crunch and incredible flavors of fresh flowers and herbs, these are spectacular new flavor ingredients.  We are developing a full spectrum of flavors and colors to be introduced over the coming months.  

Currently they have four flavors Mint, Basil, Fennel and Rose.  I added these to several of the dishes we prepared, they were great for both a pop of flavor and for a garnish.

The students had the great opportunity to assist Chef Ben Pollinger

 and Chef Michael Giletto with their chef demonstrations: 

Executive Chef Ben Pollinger from New York City's Oceana 

Chef Michael C. Giletto, Executive Chef for Bayonne Golf Club

"The students from JW helped me with my demos , they all performed fantastic !"

Chef Stuchel and his team

Until I blog again:  Eat Well, Live Life and Be Safe

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4612378101199.179684.1044914656&type=1&l=342759b6c1

http://www.freshorigins.com

The urban chicken roost movement hits Rhode Island - This Just In

Providence Phoenix article where I am quoted in about the Urban Chicken Movement
The urban chicken roost movement hits Rhode Island - This Just In

The urban chicken roost movement hits Rhode Island

Good Eggs

By JOHN LARRABEE  |  November 21, 2012

Ernest and Linda Lambert, retirees living in a shaded suburban cul-de-sac just off Woonsocket's Mendon Road, have an unusual backyard project.

There, in a series of plywood coop houses, sit more than three dozen chickens — Rhode Island Reds, Guinea Hens, and other pedestrian breeds. And some that are more exotic, like Araucana, known for their turquoise eggs, and Silkies, covered with fluffy plumage to the tips of their toes.

A wire fence surrounds the hen house, but during the day the gate is open and the birds run about the yard. They've scratched small pits into the earth where they sit and rub their feathers in the dust, a behavior said to ward off mites. They also pursue any squirrel that tries to mooch some feed.

Linda collects 10 or 12 eggs a day. "They taste better than the ones you get in a supermarket," she says. "Buy them in a store, and you have no idea how old they are."

As it turns out, breakfast eggs that fresh can be a rarity, in Rhode Island and elsewhere. The Lamberts' flock is tolerated in Woonsocket only because their coop is older than a zoning ordinance that bans farm livestock from the city. Other families in the old mill town have been ordered to bid their birds goodbye. Many communities in America's urbanized areas — yes, the Blue States — have similar laws, adopted in an age when anything that smacked of Old MacDonald was viewed as a dirty, stinky nuisance.

But these days a revolution's brewing. Foodies and locavores across the country are pushing to end local restrictions, and a half dozen websites now advise urbanites on how to raise "pets with benefits." The argument: backyard eggs are cheaper, tastier, and healthier, with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Sustainability is an issue, too. Grow your own and you eliminate the energy consumption and carbon emissions that go with transporting food. What's more, chicken shit is a great fertilizer for your organic garden plot.

In just a few years grassroots activists have overturned ordinances in more than 30 major cities, including Los Angeles, Houston, Ann Arbor, Madison, and Missoula. They've gained ground in the Ocean State, too. Providence, West Warwick, and even snooty Barrington have all revised their laws, allowing residents to keep hens in limited numbers, so long as there are no crowing roosters in their coops. And in Cranston and Warwick, city council members are now reviewing proposed changes.

"It's definitely a national movement, and I think the Internet has a lot to do with it," says Douglas Stuchel, a professional chef who now teaches at the Hospitality College at Johnson & Wales University. "People can research and learn how agriculture has become big business. They know it's not simply about feeding the world."

Stuchel has taken up the banner himself. He's constructing a coop behind his West Warwick home where he plans to keep some Rhode Island Reds. "As a chef, I know the food your raise yourself is better," he says. "Pesticides are one concern, but taste is an issue, too."

Chicken fancier Sam Abram believes snobbery fuels anti-avian sentiments in some Rhode Island suburbs. The real estate manager raised hens while living in New Hampshire and never heard any complaints. Shortly after he moved to Barrington, he built a backyard hen house. A few days later an animal control officer told him it had to go.

He fought back, lobbying town officials to change the law. Today residents are allowed to keep up to six hens, and the town has a dozen coops. Abram says he's won over some neighbors by sharing eggs and letting their kids visit and observe his flock. "I guess some people thought Barrington would be less elite with chickens," he says. "One member of the zoning board told me it would change the character of the town."

The movement has some opposition. Sanitation is a common concern: manure piles can stink, and rats are attracted to food scraps left for hens. Critics also fret some newbie chicken enthusiasts will neglect their animals once the novelty wears off. In a recent Slate article, vegan journalist James McWilliams ridiculed urbanites who raise chickens as naive hipsters looking for a bandwagon to climb aboard. He emphasized the point by posting an audio file of a bleating goat; the animal was dying, sickened after eating something careless left around by a wannabe urban farmer.

Back in Woonsocket, the Lamberts are largely unaware of the national debate. They began raising hens almost two decades ago, when their children were young and there was nothing trendy about homegrown eggs. Today they enjoy their pets chiefly for the entertainment they provide.

"It's a great hobby," Ernest says. "But not in this city. There's a law against it on the books. We happen to be grandfathered."

Read more: http://providence.thephoenix.com/news/147912-urban-chicken-roost-movement-hits-rhode-island/#ixzz2DfHeZHKv

Urban Greens Food Cooperative- Providence

My latest locavore food adventure was joining Providence's only cooperative food market, Urban Greens Food Co-op, Urban Greens Food Co-op is a community of members who believe in establishing a full-scale, cooperatively owned market to expand access to healthy foods throughout our community.  They are scheduled to open this fall, I hope you join me and become a member in this sustainable food adventure.

So What is a Food Cooperative?

A food cooperative or food co-op is a grocery store organized as a cooperative. Food cooperatives are usually consumers' cooperatives and are owned by their members. Food cooperatives follow the 7 Cooperative Principles and typically offer natural foods. Since decisions about how to run a cooperative are not made by outside shareholders, cooperatives often exhibit a higher degree of social responsibility than their corporate analogues.  ^{^ The food cooperative. Guardian.co.uk. 8 December 2005.}

The following information is from the Urban Greens website. 

Urban Greens Food Co-op?

Urban Greens is a food co-op working to open a full-scale consumer-owned grocery store on Providence’s west side, to provide direct access to affordable, local, natural products. Urban Greens Food Co-op evolved out of a buying club that began in the year 2000 and is still in operation today. By opening a community-owned grocery store Urban Greens will meet our community’s needs for healthy food, support our local economy, and provide a sustainable community based-alternative to corporate supermarkets.

The store will have about 6,500 square feet of retail space, with another 1500 square feet of office space and storage space: the size of a well-stocked neighborhood grocery store.  The atmosphere will be warm, friendly, neighborly and informal.  The members shop at Urban Greens for reasons of health, affordability, politics, community involvement and quality.  The co-op will welcome members of the community into the storefront through classes and workshops on topics such as nutrition, health, gardening and more.  All members will have a equal opportunity to make organizational decisions and to become involved in programing.

Mission

Urban Greens is a food cooperative on the west side of Providence with a mission to provide simple, direct access to affordable, local, natural products through a full-scale, community-owned grocery store.

Values

• Equal Access: Every person, regardless of economic or social status, deserves access to healthy, affordable food produced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.
  
  •  Local Agriculture: Our health is dependent upon responsible stewardship of the planet's resources. Supporting local agriculture is an important part of this stewardship. Happily, local food also tastes better
  
  
  •  Local Economy: Small businesses, as opposed to national retail chains, keep a higher percentage of every dollar spent within the community. The co-op will help create and support jobs for local farmers, food producers, and staff.
  
  
  • Cooperative Principles, Cooperative Values: Cooperatives are based on the values of democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. As a cooperative, we believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.
  
  
  • Community Partnerships: Building and sharing strength requires actively seeking collaboration with neighbors, community members, local community groups, small businesses, non-profits, members and non-members.
  
  
  • Social Entrepreneurship: We can affect social change in our food systems through entrepreneurship. The cooperative measures success in terms of both social change and economic viability.

  Membership Options

  • The full one-time cost of a member share is $160, which can be paid in full or $40/year over 4 years.
  • We also offer the option to purchase a low-income member share, which reduces the cost to just $80, paid in full or $10/year over 8 years. (Download the Membership Form for more details about member shares)

  Contact Information

  
  
  Urban Greens Food Co-op
  1560 Westminster St
  Providence, RI 02909
  401-267-UGFC info@urbangreens.com
  
  
  
  
  I hope you join me and I look forward to seeing you as a member.
  
  

  Until I blog again:  Eat Well, Live Life and Be Safe

Now Legal to Raise Chickens (hens) in West Warwick, RI

Urban Chickens - THE VOTE

TOWN OF WEST WARWICK

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

DATE: TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2012

PLACE: TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBER

1170 MAIN STREET, WEST WARWICK, RI 02893

Tonight the West Warwick Town Council voted and passed ORDINANCE NO. 2012- 6,

 

It is now legal to raise chickens (hens) in West Warwick, RI if you abide by the following:

 

TOWN OF WEST WARWICK ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN COUNCIL ORDINANCE NO.

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SEC. 4-24 ABATEMENT OF NUISANCE ANIMALS AND CONDITIONS, ADDING SEC. 4-24.1 KEEPING OF HENS AND AMENDING SEC. 4-34 KENNEL LICENCE OF THE WEST WARWICK CODE OF ORDINANCES.
WHEREAS: There has been shown an interest by the residents of the Town to raise hens for the personal consumption of home grown hens and the production for personal use of eggs from such hens, and

WHEREAS: The Town Council is desirous of enabling such endeavors but doing so in a manner that will be in the best interests of the Town and will have no adverse affect on the surrounding neighborhood, and

WHEREAS: The Town Council had been made aware of an error in the provisions for the issuing of kennel licenses and now desires to correct such error, Town Council

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDAINED that the Town Council of the Town of West Warwick hereby that the West Warwick Code of Ordinance shall be amended as follows:

Sec. 4-24. Abatement of nuisance animals and conditions shall be amended,

Sec. 4-24.1. Keeping of hens and shall be added, and

Sec. 4-34. Kennel license shall be amended as follows:

Sec. 4-24. Abatement of nuisance animals and conditions.

(b) In addition to those animals prohibited by Rhode Island General Law, the keeping of specific creatures is designated as a public nuisance: fowl, poultry except hens as hereinafter provided for in Sec. 4-24.1 hereof, rabbits, pigeons, poisonous snakes, pigs, minks and any similar species which carry or may carry and spread diseases or otherwise may be considered unsanitary or present a nuisance or hazard to the general public, except for the following:

(1) Pet stores that are in compliance with all applicable local ordinances and state laws;

(2) Agricultural enterprises that are in compliance with all applicable local ordinance and state laws;

(3) Research facilities that are in compliance with all applicable local ordinance and state laws;

(4) Creatures kept by special permit approved by the town council, with conditions as established by the town council;

(5) Rabbits and pigeons for personal enjoyment and/or use.

Sec. 4-24.1. Keeping of hens.

(a) The keeping of hens shall be subject to the following restrictions and regulations:

(1) The keeping of hens shall be permitted in Residential Districts only and shall be on a lot containing a dwelling in which dwelling the owner of the hens must be a resident.

(2) There shall be no more than 12 hens per lot.

(3) The keeping of any roosters is prohibited.

(4) All hens must be provided with both a hen house and a fenced outdoor enclosure subject to the following conditions, restrictions and regulations:

a. The hen house must be covered, predator resistant and well ventilated.

b. The hen house must provide a minimum of two (2) square feet per hen.

c. The hen house must be kept clean, dry and sanitary at all times.

d. The hen house must be located on a permeable surface that prevents waste run-off.

e. The hen house must provide the hens with adequate protection from the elements and inclement weather and provide for the hens good health and prevent any unnecessary or unjustified suffering.

f. The enclosure fence must adequately contain the hens and provide security from intrusion by any predators or animals, wild or domesticated.

g. The fenced enclosure must be kept clean and sanitary at all times.

h. All manure must be composted in enclosed bins.

i. No food shall be placed in the open for the feeding of the hens except in such containers as will prevent the scattering of such food upon the ground.

(b) All hens shall be subject to the nuisance provisions of Sec. 4-24 of the West Warwick Code of Ordinances and must be confined in the hen house between the hours of 9:00 pm and 8:00 am.

Sec. 4-34. Kennel license.

(a) Required. No person shall operate a kennel as defined herein, without first obtaining a license to operate said establishment by the state director of environmental management, as provided in §4-19-6 of the Rhode Island General Laws; and obtaining a license to operate said establishment as issues by the town council.

(b) Kennel permitted. No license shall be issued by the town council, director of environmental management to operate a kennel on premises other than those designated by the zoning ordinances.

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SEC. 4-24 ABATEMENT OF NUISANCE ANIMALS AND CONDITIONS, ADDING SEC. 4-24.1 KEEPING OF HENS AND AMENDING SEC. 4-34

Until I blog again: Eat Well, Live Life and Be Safe