Here are the featured articles and editorial content in the August 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

Keeping the Heat Down in the Kitchen
How to Stay on the Right Side of Immigration Law in an Era of Aggressive Enforcement
With Joe Erickson and Sanford Posner
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is more focused than ever on enforcing immigration laws. This can have a potentially significant effect on the restaurant industry, which, historically, has been quite dependent on immigrant labor. This article describes the current legal environment and how you can avoid costly violations.

Added Value
Getting the Most From Your Vendor Reps
by Patricia Luebke
“I think our best reps are the ones who become like a board of directors or consultant for our operation,” says one restaurant operator. The average distributor representative calls on 10 or more other restaurants. Here are some thoughts on how to leverage this experience to benefit your business.

Outbreak!
Preventing and Responding to a Food Safety Emergency
by Alisa Pittman Cleek Esq., and Clay Mingus Esq.
Are you and your staff prepared to deal with a food safety emergency at your restaurant? This article will address measures you should take to reduce the chances of a food illness outbreak and some thoughts on how best to respond should this kind of emergency arise.

DEPARTMENTS

Opening Remarks
by Barry K. Shuster
Let Me In, Immigration Man – When the United States no longer offers the promise of a better life — access to education, economic opportunity, religious freedom, and a legal system based on protecting individual rights — many of our problems associated with immigration will disappear.

Insights
by Patricia Luebke
The role of beer in restaurant revenue growth, what to do if a customer complains he got sick at your restaurant, catering to the mature market, direct-marketing advice, and other interesting tips in our monthly appetizer of useful information.

Structures
by Jeff B. Katz
Form and Function – Running a restaurant is difficult enough without having to compromise your concept, efficiency or space because you didn’t take a little extra time to design it right from the start. Here the author walks you through some of the most basic and vital elements of restaurant design.

Equipment Notes
by Howard Riell
Mix It Up – Blenders are versatile workhorses in the kitchen but don’t leave this vital role to a model best designed for the home. A commercial blender offers features and durability that make it a whole different beast from the device you use to make Margaritas for the next-door neighbors.

Chef Training
by Dan Butler
Lighten Up!: How to Cut Fat From the Menu – Years ago you’d never think of someone coming to a restaurant to try to lose some of that caboose. It was an indulgence and was treated as such. What was once an indulgence, though, has become more routine and customers are relying more on meals prepared out of the home, whether it be in the form of restaurant meals or home meal replacement, for their dining as well as dietary needs. Diners are looking to cut the fat from their fare, and that’s why you need to, as well.

What Our Readers are Building, Buying and Remodeling
by Diana Lambdin Meyer
This month we visit the North Shore of Oahu where Ola caters to guests in a Pacific paradise setting.

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 Flat Iron Steak and BLT Wedge Salad without losing your way or your shirt.

New Products and Services
A description of useful gear and services for your restaurant, and how they can benefit your operations.

Points of Origin
by Doug Turner
A bird's-eye view of new restaurant activity in the United States.

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
The Second Sunday of May – Some thoughts on how to survive the “mother of all days” in the restaurant business with your sanity and support of your staff.

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