Here are the featured articles and editorial content in the June 2008 issue of Restaurant Startup & Growth magazine.

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

FEATURES

In the Buying Mode
Smart Shopping Tips for Kitchen Gear Purchases
by Stephani Robson
Buying foodservice equipment is kind of like buying a car; it doesn’t take a lot of experience or skill to make a good purchase as long as you are clear about what you are looking for and savvy about how to find it. While a detailed purchasing guide to all types of foodservice equipment could fill a book, this article gives you a starting point for evaluating your needs and making informed decisions when it comes to putting your restaurant kitchen together.

Building Your Business on the Run
Guiding Principles of a Successful Takeout Program
by Dave Pavesic, Ph.D.
Time-impoverished Americans are cooking fewer hot meals midweek and buying prepared foods from restaurants, markets, delis, convenience stores and even from their contract feeder in their office building. More and more Americans are ordering takeout meals from table-service restaurants than ever before. In this article, the author discusses how to tap into and prosper from this trend.

Tragic Consequences
Avoiding Food Allergen Crises and Liability in Your Restaurant
by David T. Denney, Esq.
If a diner has a severe allergic reaction in your restaurant and you get sued, legal costs, settlement or judgment payments and lost business due to bad publicity could be enough to ruin your restaurant. Here we will look at examples of lawsuits based on restaurants’ failed responses to their guests’ allergy concerns, what actions they might have taken to minimize the risk of a crisis, suggestions on policies that may reduce allergy liability, and what to do should such a crisis occur in your establishment.

DEPARTMENTS

Opening Remarks
by Barry K. Shuster
Show Me Where It Says I Can’t – The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. There is no dearth of doomsayers and naysayers in this economic downturn. Be a fighter and never give up, even if you have to limp through the year.

Insights
by Patricia Luebke
Industry notes, management 101, menu trends and other interesting tidbits in our monthly appetizer of useful information.

First Impressions
by Patricia Luebke
Many Happy (Customer) Returns – A birthday club is a marketing promotion in which the restaurant keeps track of customer birthdays and, in advance of the birthday date (typically monthly), presents the customer with an inducement to come to the restaurant, by offering either a discount, a complimentary drink or dessert, or a small gift. Just like with any promotion, one size does not fit all. In this article, the author discusses the nuances and how to tweak your program for maximum results.

Equipment Notes
by Patricia Luebke
The Writing is on the Wall – Despite fancy direct mail pieces, testimonials from happy guests and whatever marketing program the restaurant owner devises, the menu is your best sales tool. But if you’re running a quick-serve restaurant, your guests are going to order from a menu board hung overhead with little creative descriptions of each menu offering. Here is a primer on how to make menu boards work for you.

MenuMakeover
by Mark Laux
Good Design Doesn’t Always Mean Good Engineering – Our resident menu engineer visits Mellow Yellow Restaurant, Hyde Park, Illinois, to show that beauty is skin-deep when it comes to effective menus.

RecipeMapping
by Joe Erickson
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 Extra-Cut Pork Rack Chop and Endive and Heirloom Apple Salad without losing your way or  your shirt.

What Our Readers are Building, Buying and Remodeling
by Diane Lambdin Meyer
This month we visit Pale Bistro in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Jill Bassett has established fine dining nich in a football-crazed city.

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 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 E. Mark Young
Service: So Elusive, So Difficult to Define, So ... Simple – In this economy, the key to your success may be your service. Even if you can’t define service, you better understand it.

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