Here are the featured articles and editorial content in the July 2007 issue of Restaurant Startup & Growth magazine.

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

FEATURES

Relative Success
Working Effectively With Family Members in Your Startup
by Lisa Waterman Gray
A strong family business can be formidable. Particularly in the restaurant business, in which many independent operations are family-owned and -managed, there are numerous success stories. As this article discusses, it is critical that you learn to work effectively with your parents, spouse, children and siblings, and, more importantly, work at it every day.

Bang for Your Buck
Tracking Your Marketing Return on Investment
By Joe Erickson
While the particulars may differ on “how” operators market their restaurant, no one wants to throw money down the drain, so regardless of what type of operation you have, marketing expenses need to be planned and tracked if you want to get a good return on your marketing investment.

Answering to a Higher Authority
A Kosher Food Primer for Startups
by C. Ben Reuven
The word “kosher” is derived from the Hebrew word for “fit” or “proper.” It is most commonly used in reference to Jewish dietary laws dealing with what foods Jews can and cannot eat and how those foods must be prepared and eaten. As we’ll see, kosher goes well beyond the “pork” issue.

DEPARTMENTS

Opening Remarks
by Barry K. Shuster
Measuring Your ‘ROL’ (Return on Life) – Money isn’t the only thing on which you expect a positive return in the restaurant business. You also invest your time, knowledge and, in some cases, your family relationships. Are you getting the best return on all of these?

Insights
by Patricia Luebke
Rethinking carpet for your new restaurant, dumb things your servers are saying, chasing away patio pests, and other tips in our monthly appetizer of useful information.

Startup Tech
by Joe Erickson
Incorporating Video Displays in Your Startup – Video in the restaurant used to be limited to suspended televisions showing sports, news or other entertainment intended to keep patrons in their establishment by entertaining them. Now restaurant operators are discovering the power of video technology to capture their guests’ attention and are using the opportunity to digitally market to them.

In-House Counsel
by Alisa Pittman Cleek, Esq.
The Importance of Effective Retention and Access of Records in the Electronic Age – In the era of electronic information, employers create and retain records that may never be “printed” or reduced to a sheet of paper that is stored in a file cabinet. However, laws and good business practices require employers to manage, access and retain these electronically created and stored records.

Chef Training
by Chef's Dan Butler and Michael Tsonton
Eating With Conscience: A Sustainable Seafood Primer – Farm-raised catfish and tilapia can alleviate pressure on wild saltwater and freshwater stocks, and can be well-received on menus when well prepared. Here our chef contributors share their thoughts on these sustainable species, positive and negative, and recipes to take advantage of their gastronomic qualities.

What Our Readers are Building, Buying and Remodeling
by Diana Lambdin Meyer
This month we visit an homage to the '30's, Harry & Izzy's Restaurant in Indianapolis.

RecipeMapping
by Joe Erickson
Our cool, new department, RecipeMapping, is a three-step process that allows you to add new items to the menu consistently, methodically and profitably. This month, we help you offer your guests Blue Cheese Strip Steak and Lobster Pot Stickers without losing your way or your shirt.

New Products and Services
A peek at an "all-natural" line of uncooked, marinated chicken; dessert toppings to dress up after-meal drinks; muffin and bread mixes; and safety posters for the back of the house.

Points of Origin
by Doug Turner
A bird's-eye view of both the number and the geographic distribution of the nation's new  restaurants.

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

Last Seating
by Chef J. Arthur Gordon
All Things to All Bodies – There is a simple economic “triangle” that represents all strategies no matter what type of business you run. The three points of the triangle are 1. Good 2. Fast. 3. Cheap. Pick any two.

Receive Restaurant Startup & Growth magazine FREE when you join RestaurantOwner.com.