Here are the featured articles and editorial content in the May 2006 issue of Restaurant Startup & Growth magazine.

RestaurantOwner.com members have access to these articles in the RS&G Archive department on RestaurantOwner.com.

FEATURES

Nip & Tuck
Operational Concerns of Menu Makeovers
by Dave Pavesic, Ph.D., FMP
A static menu may make cost controls easier but it has one major drawback: Customers become bored with the menu choices. Here, the author reviews the litany of operational aspects that must addressed even when seemingly moderate changes are made to a menu — just a “nip and a tuck.”

Lean & Mean
Why Prime Cost is the Most Important Number (That Should Be) On Your P&L
by Jim Laube
The importance of containing food, beverage and labor costs begs operators to approach them differently than any other costs on their P&L. This begins with looking at them combined as one cost category, which is referred to as a restaurant’s “prime cost.”

It Just Hit the Fan
Media Relations During a Crisis
by Patricia Luebke
A Welsh proverb says, “Bad news goes around in clogs, good news in stockinged feet.” You may get scant publicity for your annual Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless, but should something negative happen at your restaurant, you’ll get more attention than you thought possible. The author shares a few easy ways to prepare for a public relations meltdown.

DEPARTMENTS

Opening Remarks
 by Barry K. Shuster
Always Improving - Success doesn’t happen in the “wow” moments, but in the incremental improvements that inch up the bar on performance and profitability.

Letters to the Editor
Comments from our readers.

Insights
Compiled by Patricia Luebke
“Marriott Forecasts Dining Trends for 2006” and other information you can use in your startup.

What Our Readers are Building, Buying and Remodeling
by Gene Gentrup

Points of Origins
by Doug Turner
A Nationwide Economic Force - A bird’s-eye view of new restaurant activity in the United States.

Initial Sources
by Ross Norman
Clear, Cool Water - A clearer understanding of your mystery ingredient.

Equipment Notes
by Robert N. Rossier
Cashing In On Slow Cooking - A primer on cook-and-hold ovens.

Chef Training
by Robert N. Rossier
An Ounce of Prevention - Keep the back-of-the-house healthy with a kitchen safety checklist.

New Products and Services Startup Resources
Useful gear and help for your startup.

Showtime
by Gene Gentrup
Your best ideas might be waiting for you at trade shows staged across the country.

Last Seating
by Emily Durham
Wanted: Restaurant Owner - Houston restaurateur brought no restaurant experience, but plenty of smarts, to the business.

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