News/Articles

Table of Contents:
Service: The real product of your restaurant
Delicious by Design: Creating an Unforgettable Dining Experience
Smart Kitchens: Science Fiction or High- Tech Reality?
What's Hot, What's Not Chef Survey

SERVICE: The Real Product of Your Restaurant - You Know It, So Do Your Customers
by E. Mark Young, Restaurant Startup & Growth Magazine

No one makes you feel good about spending your money better than the Walt Disney® Company does. Bring a family of four into one of its parks and even if you exit with an empty wallet and an exhausted credit card, you'll still be smiling. It's not magic; it's a calculated result of the Disney service culture.

Disney employees are trained to be "cast members" in a grand production, designed for your enjoyment and convenience. Even if one of the "cast" is busy sweeping a walkway, he'll not only be able to answer your question, "Where are Mickey and Goofy," he'll tell you in a way that makes you glad you asked, as if you did him a favor. Ask where the restroom is, where you might get a snow cone or some film for your camera. You can't stump the street sweeper because Disney is a service operation, and he knows that his job is to serve you. You and your family walk away from the experience gushing about the "service."

You might not be able to define service, but like true love, you know it when you find it. Pity the management consultants who try to reduce the concept into a neat, measurable, and tangible package. Countless business seminars and books have been written on the subject of service. Nearly every company touts service as its goal. Even Webster's College Dictionary has a hard time pinning down an exact definition of the word. Hospitality industry scholars, such as Melvin N. Barrington of the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration at the University of South Carolina, acknowledge that "service is an elusive concept, which is extremely difficult to measure and evaluate."

We can teach the technical skills, but it's much tougher to teach people skills... We have had servers that maybe are less technically superior... but they are so genuinely caring and personable at the table that it more than compensates for their technical imperfections.
-- Legendary Chef & Owner, Charlie Trotter

Melvin N. Barrington of the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration at the University of South Carolina, acknowledge that "service is an elusive concept, which is extremely difficult to measure and evaluate." The irony of "service" is that while it seems "elusive and intangible," it is the lifeblood of the restaurant industry and is going to be the guts of your new restaurant operation. It will form the relationship with the people who bring the money to your door, the customers. While it defies definition, hospitality "black belts" like Disney can deliver it on a silver tray day after day, year after year. To succeed in any new restaurant, you need to do more than say the word, you need to embrace and understand it. You also need to figure out ways to measure it

The Most Overused Word in the World
Clearly, that's a cynical view of government agencies but it's insightful because our experience shows us that service is promised far more often than delivered. That's why we are all delighted, and surprised, when we find genuine service. Acclaimed Chicago restaurateur Charlie Trotter says "We can teach the technical skills, but it's much tougher to teach people skills... We have had servers that maybe are less technically superior... but they are so genuinely caring and personable at the table that it more than compensates for their technical imperfections." (From "Lessons in Service" by Edmund Lawler, Ten Speed Press, 2001.)

The genuine and personable touch starts the moment a guest walks in the front door. Which approach do you want your people using?

Envision this scenario: You and an associate walk into a restaurant for dinner, after a downtown meeting. It's raining, and you are seeking a decent meal and a convenient place to discuss business and unwind after a long day. The young hostess is flipping though a magazine and talking to her boyfriend on the telephone. You want to see a menu to decide if you want to eat there. You attempt to get her attention. She raises a finger to indicate that she will attend to you shortly, and after cooing to her sweetheart for another minute, she ends the call. You and your associate stand in the entrance, look at your watches and wonder if you will have time for a meal before your associate has to be at the airport.

Politely, you look at the hostess, who waits for you to approach her. It's raining and your umbrella is dripping on the floor; you look for a place to stow it during your meal. The hostess seems to be oblivious to your concern. Finally, she acknowledges you, seats you, and races off. You scan the floor to locate your server, and look at the antiques and pictures on the walls, until someone comes to your table. The tone for the rest of the experience has been set. At best, you'll receive some nourishment and a warm, dry place to chat. The dining experience will be unremarkable and forgettable. Today you have more important things on your mind than to critique the restaurant and its service. You hesitate as you calculate your customary 15% tip, but do it anyway.

You've accepted the poor service. It's unlikely that you will complain to management. Next week, when your brother invites you to lunch downtown, and asks you to pick a local eatery, it's a safe bet you won't choose this restaurant. It's unlikely you'll recommend it to anyone else either.

What would it have taken to make that same experience remarkable and unforgettable? What if you walked into the same restaurant and the hostess quickly terminated her telephone call. With a smile and unwavering attention, she greets you. At that moment, she makes you and your associate feel as if you are the two most important people in the world. She sees that you have a wet umbrella, and offers to store it for you. She takes you to your seat and introduces you to your server. During the meal, she visits the table to see if you need anything and are satisfied with your experience.

Consider the effect one person can have on the entire experience. Now multiply that by a dozen or more employees. You leave the table satisfied with your choice, happy to leave a tip, and refreshed, and even if the quality of the food, the decor and the atmosphere were only average you'll probably recommend the restaurant. Everyone wins.

While most successful restaurateurs know how to convey the meaning of the service relationship to their customers, many times startups are so busy with opening details they forget the effect one person can have on a customer's entire dining experience. For a new restaurant or new location, the attitude and behavior demonstrated by that one hostess could make or break the success of an opening and prospects for long-term business. As the old saying goes, "first impressions last."

What this means is that the first rule of service is simply to find people with the right attitude and perspective to help you open your new location. There's nothing more important — nothing! Some people simply care more than others do about the happiness and comfort of customers. Those are the people you want — period. Serving techniques can be taught, sophistication acquired, but a service mentality is a personal trait. Your customers recognize it, and down deep you recognize it, too. In the rush of a startup, you can't rush the process of finding and hiring the people who can demonstrate that care. In fact, a good question to ask any potential restaurant employee is "Can you define what you believe the word service means?" The answer can tell you a lot about the attitude of the person you're considering.

Your Customer Defines Service
As we home in on a definition, there are some basic truths about service. First, it's always defined from a customer's perspective, never from ours. That's why it is so important to spend the time necessary searching for service people who understand that customers have different needs and demands. For example, some customers like it when you ask frequently if there is anything else they need, and some don't want to be interrupted during their conversations. Consider the difference between a young man who's on a first date, and who wants his lady friend to have everything she needs to enjoy the dining experience, versus the employer who is conducting an interview over a meal. The tuned-in staff is perceptive, astute, empathetic, and pays attention, while they serve and anticipate what to do.

We all know successful service is not a one-time event. You're only as good as the last encounter. It's unfair, but a customer perception of your service can be great one day and ruined on another day. Your restaurant's ambience can be enthralling, your food sumptuous, but poor service casts a shadow over the experience. When service suffers, the dining experience will be mediocre, at best. It's a harsh awakening for some restaurateurs, who invest a great deal of money and creativity in creating the best concept and the best fare, and learn that their service doesn't live up to their customers' standards. Ultimately, it is the delivery of your promise of service that sells all aspects of your restaurant.

Measure Your Service Just as You Measure Your Drinks
Because service is such an important restaurant ingredient, it's critical to try to measure it. Setting up systems to do that doesn't need to be elaborate, complex or unduly time-consuming. Many successful methods are informal and simple.

Creating a customer feedback system gives you the opportunity to discover potential problems early and do something about them. But to be effective, your methods of gathering and measuring customer feedback must be consistent, and you and your staff must review and study the results frequently.

Because service is an elusive and intangible concept, the more customer feedback you can acquire the better (as long as the process doesn't annoy the customer). The first line of feedback is your staff's observations. If you ask them for their opinions and show that you are open to candid responses, your staff can provide a wealth of information on what's working and what's not. Moreover, they'll appreciate your interest, and respect that you care about what is happening on the floor. Periodically managers need to ask: "How's service going?" If there is a problem, the servers will generally be the first to know (right after the customer) and steps can be initiated to correct problems.

Because many service problems require immediate attention, you do not have the luxury to wait until the last guest leaves to fix problems. You need to create a policy that requires and encourages servers to bring service problems to a manager's attention as they arise, even if the server created the problem. Staff should never feel that it is necessary to hide a problem, and should understand that honest mistakes can be fixed, if caught soon enough. If you can cultivate this attitude in your staff, your reward is a steady stream of real-time information, the ability to correct problems when they occur, and many saved customer relationships. We observed the value of this system recently at Pappadeaux® Seafood Kitchen restaurant in Houston. The server had missed part of an order for one of the six people at our table. When the mistake was brought to the server's attention, he not only took steps to complete the order, but he also notified the floor manager, who promptly came to the table to see if we needed further assistance. We tipped the server well, and we know we'll be back.

Managers should also use their powers of observation, and take frequent mental notes on the quality of service during their shift. Unlike a server, who is focused on his or her customers, a good manager can get a sense of the overall level of service in the house. There are always signs when problems are developing, such as a customer looking around to get the attention of a server, or a diner reaching over to an empty table for silverware, salt or sweetener. A good manager notices these signs and symptoms and moves quickly to solve the underlying causes.

Customer Comment Cards & Secret Shopper Services
In addition to informal methods of measuring customer satisfaction, some restaurants use "customer comment cards" that are presented with the bill. These can be very useful in gauging service from the customer's point of view. (See example on this page.) Not all customers will take the time to complete them, but you will be surprised how many will, particularly if the forms are short and simple. People generally like to be asked their opinions. You can increase response by printing comment cards with postage-paid return addresses, to be completed and dropped in the mail when they return home.

When designing customer comment cards, ask questions that are specific and easy to understand. Elicit the customer's level of satisfaction with various aspects of the dining experience, on a scale of one to 10. Providing 10 degrees of response reveals "gray" areas of satisfaction, unlike simple "yes/no" or "one to five" formats, which might overlook slight but important service problems. In addition to using these cards to solicit feedback on the quality of service and food during the meal, you can use them to gauge interest in services or products you might offer in the future. For example, questions that ask if the customer would be interested in patronizing your restaurant for Sunday brunch or if she would ever hire a catering service offered by you, could be a valuable source of marketing research.

The cards can also illuminate problems that you would not easily discover on your own, such as how well telephone reservations are being handled, or if your restaurant is too loud. In the latter case, you might not know the answer, since you're accustomed to the noise level, and rarely would your customers mention the problem, since there is little that can be done about it during the meal.

In addition to asking customers to rate various aspects of your restaurant on a scale, you might allow room to jot down responses to general "open-ended" questions, such as "Do you have any other comments?"
Over time, comment cards can help you determine both the quality of your service and food, and where you need to improve. Desktop computer software packages include simple-to-use database and spreadsheet programs that allow you to compile and analyze feedback, and then create graphs that can visually communicate trends to staff and managers.

The cards are inexpensive, yet offer valuable information that can help with all kinds of management decisions. To be effective, however, they need to be used. It is amazing how these cards are diligently presented with the bill when they arrive from the printer, but, as time passes, the remaining cards collect dust in the closet. The managers and staff must be constantly reminded that each and every check needs to be accompanied by a card.
Another approach to help measure your service is a "secret shopper" service. Nearly every town has a business in which an independent service will come to your restaurant to check it out and report back to you what they've found. Certainly more expensive than the previous methods, this kind of service offers in-depth and comprehensive reports on its findings.

Look on the Web or in the telephone book for listings under "secret shoppers." Check out www.measurex.com and www.coylehospitality.com, which tout these services.

Attitude is Everything
The nice thing about adopting strong service as the product of your restaurant is that where some parts of business are easier talked about than accomplished, this one isn't. Service is simply an attitude borne from the desire to help, truthfulness, kindness, knowledge, professionalism, and empathy.

Improving the quality of service at your restaurant can be an overnight transformation, as long as you get the "religion." It requires you to become a service "evangelist" and to inspire your staff through meetings, training exercises (e.g. answering phones, greeting people, handling complaints, product knowledge) and monitoring performance. Every manager needs to follow the adage: If your business is experiencing trouble, the first place to look for the problem is in the mirror.

Service: So Elusive, So Difficult to Define, So ... Simple
What if you set out to create the most successful customer service organization in the world, and one that would delight people of all ages? How would you do it? Here's one suggestion:
"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends." -- Walt Disney
Copyright © 2007-2008 E. Mark Young, Restaurant Startup & Growth Magazine    
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Delicious by Design: Creating an Unforgettable Dining Experience
By Sarah Smith Hamaker, National Restaurant Association

Indoor waterfalls, warm earth tones, whimsical tableware, oversized furniture, eclectic art objects-today's restaurants often look like modern-art museums rather than dining facilities, a fact that sometimes generates more comments about their decor than their menus. Consumers now expect an entertaining atmosphere to enhance the entire dining experience, and more restaurateurs are catering to that desire with innovative and exciting designs. According to the National Restaurant Association's 2001 Restaurant Industry Forecast, restaurant operators are investing more than ever before in restaurant design and decor as they strive to create a setting that will set them apart from the competition.

"With the restaurant industry growing and the emphasis being put on total entertainment, restaurant design is becoming even more exciting with new approaches to dining," says David Schultz, who — with his wife, Susan Davidson — runs DAS Architects, Inc., in Philadelphia. For a dozen years, the pair has been designing restaurants on the East Coast, such as Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia.

"Our design makes it more exciting for people to come in," says Dan Toland, general manager of Atlantic Restaurant in Baltimore. "When they walk into a restaurant, they should find it unique — their experience starts immediately." Housed in an old cannery on the waterfront, Atlantic has a spacious interior with panoramic curved walls and sailcloth sculptures hanging from the ceiling. Wooden tables, Italian rope chairs and simple tableware complete the setting, which also includes an indoor waterfall. Atlantic serves fresh seafood dishes such as "Atlantic Crab Cake" and "Mussels in Riesling" and also has a raw bar.
"Even restaurants with low budgets are paying more attention to color palettes and furnishings, recognizing that design is a major component in a restaurant," says Paul Lukez, principal of Paul Lukez Architecture in Somerville, Massachusetts. Lukez recently designed the Monsoon Restaurant in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and Cecelia's in Somerville.

Aesthetics have become an integral part of dining out, and more operators are placing as much importance on the setting in which they serve their food as they are on the food itself. According to the 2001 Restaurant Industry Forecast, a majority of restaurateurs report that they have remodeled their dining areas since 1996. This increased interest in interior design has both fullservice and quickservice operators looking for additional ways to provide a feast for the eyes.

Millennium style
Restaurateurs and designers agree that design trends for the 21st century include a more natural look and exhibition kitchens. "Everybody is struggling to reinvent the wheel, so to speak," says Schultz.
"Restaurants are using very sophisticated design elements, like natural tones and an overall sleek look," says Lukez.

"People are veering away from metals and glass, and [using] fabrics and colors to create warmer and more intimate environments," says Brian Stubstad, director of design and architecture for P.F. Chang's China Bistro, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. P.F. Chang's, an upscale restaurant with more than 50 locations, serves traditional Chinese cuisine such as "Chang's Chicken in Soothing Lettuce Wraps," "Mongolian Beef" and "Orange Peel Shrimp." The contemporary design — which is different at every location — features slate, stone and wood with warm, rich tones of gold, amber and red. Chinese sculptures and custom hand-painted murals depicting ancient Chinese stories complement the Oriental motif.

Olives in Washington DC also capitalizes on the trend toward earthy hues. The restaurant's interior is accented by dark woods, antique objects and rich fabrics in warm tones. Owned by chef Todd English, the restaurant's main floor features an exhibition kitchen with a countertop chef's table. "We love having [an exhibition kitchen] here, and people love to see their meals prepared," says General Manager David Pressley. Olives' downstairs level boasts a martini bar, subdued lighting and jazz music for a quieter atmosphere, and the mezzanine level has a glass-enclosed private dining room with a bird's-eye view of the main floor. Olives serves food with a Mediterranean influence, such as "Ginger Barbecued Tuscan Meatloaf on Cheesy Israeli Coucous With Thick-Cut Buttermilk Battered Onion Rings."

Creating the right look
"You need to have a vision of what you want to create and not get off the path you've set for yourself," says Ken Wooten, general manager of Metropolitain, a fine-dining restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia. At Metropolitain, guests dine in a large, open room with high vaulted ceilings and watch dishes such as "Shoestring Sweet Potatoes" being prepared in the open kitchen. "The idea behind the Metropolitain is a sleek, elegant environment without extravagance," he says, adding that most of the decor is beech and black wood with vibrant accent colors like reds, yellows and greens in abstract paintings by local artists Graham Sykes and Laura Edwards.

Lukez first asks his restaurant clients what story they want their patrons to experience. "Restaurateurs should consider the flow of the space, lighting, materials, tables so that everything works together as part of a larger narrative. . . . Think of it as creating a theater experience."

For example, at Pan-Asian restaurant, Monsoon, Lukez oriented the dining room around an open kitchen to create a theater-type atmosphere and used reds and browns to imbue the space with an Oriental feel.
"Keep in mind what kind of restaurant you are when you think about decor," adds Joy Bellington, owner of Cafe Periwinkle in Lone Jack, Missouri. Housed in a two-story colonial, Cafe Periwinkle consists of six separate dining rooms, each with its own theme and decor. For example, the Library Room has dark-wood furniture and old books scattered about, and the Garden Room is decorated with floral-print materials, a lattice ceiling and a floral border. "People come to dine and relax, and they want things around them that are pleasant," she says.

"Your restaurant should have a happy atmosphere," advises Sirio Maccioni, owner of Le Cirque 2000 in New York City.

Le Cirque 2000 redesigned its interior three years ago to adopt a more futuristic — and circus-like — decor. Stainless steel and neon lights add a high-tech touch to a row of clownish barstools in the cocktail lounge, while oversized, multicolored buttons adorn the chair backs in the stately Madison Room. Designed by Adam Tihany, Le Cirque 2000 serves dishes such as "Pied de Porc Farci aux Truffes Noires." "We're housed in a historic, 19th-century landmark hotel, so we have very old, stately marble next to very modern fixtures," says Maccioni. "It's a big contrast — the first time you see the decor, you're shocked; the second time, you try to understand it; and the third time, you don't want to leave."

The color of money
Color can enhance or detract from the dining experience. It can entreat customers to linger over dinner or bolt out the door. "Color is one of the most significant things in design," says Stubstad. "Colors can make or break a restaurant." P.F. Chang's uses colors to create a "warm and comfortable feeling," he says
"The psychology of colors has proven that warm earth tones — ranging from pale yellows to deep-tone reds, browns, russets and purples — are more appealing in a dining establishment, and they also enhance the physical environment, hence making [customers] feel more comfortable and attractive," says Davidson. "Cool tones such as blues, greens and steely earth tones, when used in great quantities, can make a space feel cold and uninviting. These colors should be used sparingly as relief tones."
Bold, vibrant colors convey high energy and invite interaction; flesh tones like browns, reds and ambers are appetizing colors, because they harmonize well with food colors, as opposed to purples and colder colors. "Remember that colors vary across the country based on climate. For example, in hot climates, colors tend to be lighter because of the overall heat aspect; in the North and colder climates, deeper tones can be used," says Schultz.

When Burger King Corp. rolled out a major redesign of its units in 2000, the colors included crisp reds, yellows, blues and greens. "We wanted to stay within the more timeless colors like reds and blues," says Ceres Wood, director of architecture and engineering for Burger King Corp., headquartered in Miami. Currently, the hamburger chain has remodeled a few hundred of its 8,400 U.S. locations, with plans underway to redo the rest during the next few years. The new decor style features bright colors, rounded countertops and tables, and pendant lighting. "We chose bright colors, because those help to enhance your mood and make you a happier person," she says.

The icing on the cake
In the quest to impress guests, restaurateurs are turning their restrooms into works of art. "Bathrooms are becoming beautiful, kind of like dessert, an extra," says Tom Sietsema, Washington Post food critic. "Usually, when people are designing restaurants, they cut corners in the bathrooms, but not anymore."
Stubstad agrees. "Bathrooms generally are the first areas to receive budget cuts in a restaurant or retail environment, but restrooms are significant-design does not have to stop at the threshold of the restroom door."

For example, P.F. Chang's ladies' room has custom-colored concrete sinks with exclusive hardware, a full-length mirror, millwork and wood finishes, stone tile, and incandescent lighting. "I believe restroom design plays a role in our guests' overall experience," says Stubstad.

"Restrooms reflect the restaurant," says Toland. The key to the distinctive design of Atlantic's ladies' room is comfort, he says, from the custom-made mirrors and unique sink fixtures to the natural lighting. In the gentlemen's room, an aquarium with tropical fish adds a whimsical and unexpected touch. "People have really complimented our restrooms," he says. "It's another big part of the restaurant — it's someplace a guest is perhaps going to be, and you want them to see something great."

Other restaurants that haven't skimped on bathroom design include House of Blues in Chicago, which boasts a bathroom attendant and amenities such as hairspray, gum and perfume, and Red Light, also in Chicago, which has an Alice in Wonderland feel with oversized fixtures and skewed mirrors.

Makeover missteps
These designers and operators concur that a restaurant's design and decor should tie together to create effectively communicate the operation's concept to customers while avoiding design missteps that can turn guests away.

For example, experts recommend keeping a restaurant's design simple and focused. "Try not to incorporate too many ideas into the restaurant," says Wooten. "Your eye is constantly distracted and it detracts from the overall dining experience."

Schultz and Davidson have identified several common design mistakes restaurants fall prey to: inconsistent ambience, too many designers, not identifying the target audience, inappropriate table spacing, inefficient traffic patterns, poor lighting, unrealistic budgets and offensive colors. "Successful design is not an immutable destination, but rather a continuous process of fine-tuning," says Schultz.

A setting with good taste
Creating a restaurant setting that reinforces and enriches the overall dining experience can translate into more satisfied customers and thus more business. "People are saying that they like a place, and sometimes the last thing they praise is the food," says Sietsema.

"There are a lot of choices today for people who want to dine out," says Schultz. "Restaurateurs need to be thinking all the time about how to create a fantastic restaurant experience — making a restaurant visit more than just a good meal."

Copyright © 2007-2008 by Sarah Smith Hamaker, National Restaurant Association
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Smart Kitchens: Science Fiction or High-Tech Reality?
By Beth Panitz, National Restaurant Association

The one-armed yellow robot carefully dispenses pancake batter onto a griddle — forming uniform circles. Appropriately tagged "Flipper," the robot proceeds to attach a spatula to its mechanical arm and flip hamburgers sizzling on another griddle. It twists back to the pancakes and using a separate spatula, flips each pancake and then removes each as it turns golden-brown.

No, this isn't a scene from the "Jetsons" or "Star Trek." Flipper, produced by AccuTemp in New Haven, Indiana, is a reality. The robotic worker proved to be a show-stopper at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show held in Chicago this May.

Along with the spatula-savvy robots, today's kitchen-equipment manufacturers have developed refrigerators that keep track of how much milk is in stock and automatically order more through the Internet; preprogrammed ovens that know the appropriate cooking time and cycles for a restaurant's specialties; and ovens that respond to voice commands. Some of these items — such as the preprogrammed ovens — are already gaining popularity in restaurant kitchens, while others are still in the prototype stage. Visionaries foresee a kitchen network that links all these pieces of equipment together. The "smart kitchen" of the future has the potential to revolutionize the industry by making production more efficient, streamlining labor-and-training demands, enhancing food safety and simplifying equipment repair. But questions still exist about what is realistic and affordable and some skeptics wonder which of these high-tech items restaurant operators will really want or need.

Cooking at light speed
Want to cook pizza in 70 seconds or a lobster in 3 minutes? That's no problem for today's high-tech kitchen equipment, which is faster than ever. In fact the Accellis C70 Oven by Maytag — created by Maytab Commercial Solutions and featuring a rapid-cook technology developed by strategic partner TurboChef Technologies — promises to beat those times. "It has rapid-cook technology that allows it to cook seven times faster than a conventional oven," says Pete Ashcraft, director of brand management. The oven uses a combination of hot forced air and microwave energy to achieve its rapid cooking. In contrast to a traditional microwave, the combination effect seals the moisture in food, he says.

The speedy technology allows fast-paced operations to cook to order, explains Ashcraft. "You get away from having to 'cook to hold.' " There are several disadvantages to cooking items ahead of time and then holding them at the appropriate temperature, he says. "It's tough to predict usage. If you can avoid having to hold items, you reduce the chance of items being sold past their shelf life or having waste from producing too much."

Another rapid-cooking machine, the FlashBake Oven promises to cook food at light speed — with light waves. "We use halogen lamps on the top and bottom of the oven, which allow you to energize the food very, very quickly," explains Chris Stern, director of business development-cooking-for FlashBake manufacturer Vulcan-Hart, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. The result: food cooks up to two-thirds faster, he says.

For even quicker results, one Vulcan-Hart FlashBake model combines both light and microwave energy. "It's about the same speed as a microwave, but has better results," says Stern. The oven cooks food more thoroughly than a traditional microwave and can brown items. "Everybody wants it fast," but they don't want to give up quality, he says. Electromagnetic energy provides another method for quick cooking. Induction ranges and burners have a smooth surface that covers a hidden magnetic coil. When the cooktop is turned on, the coil produces an alternating magnetic field. Magnetic cookware — as well as its contents — heat up quickly when placed on the surface. In fact, a gallon of water boils in 5 minutes.

Induction ranges also are reported to be safer and faster than traditional gas ranges. "There's no flame, no fire," says Amy Naccarato, marketing manager for Chicago-based CookTek, which manufactures induction ranges. The cooking surface heats up quickly, while the area around it remains cool to the touch.

Rob Brown, a principal with Savoy/Brown Foodservice Consultants in Jessup, Maryland, notes that many of his restaurant clients have expressed interest in induction cooking. "I know bar operators who envision doing cooking in front of their customers, and having their customers being able to lay a glass on the same surface. Operators love having the ability to do rapid cooking while working on a surface that's cool to the touch. From a liability standpoint, there's less cases of someone being burnt."

Technology also can be used to cool food in a hurry. To deter bacterial growth, the Food and Drug Administration's Food Code requires that hot foods be cooled from 140 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees Fahrenheit within two hours and then to 41 degrees Fahrenheit in another four hours. Blast chillers do the trick. "As the price tag on these items come down, operators will be able to afford induction," says Brown. Manufacturers are also building smaller blast chillers — about the size of an under-the-counter refrigerator — that don't take much of a restaurant's precious space. "I really believe you're going to see a blast chiller in every kitchen," says Brown.

Intelligent appliances
Manufacturers are developing kitchen equipment that not only uses new technology — such as induction ranges and FlashBake ovens — but also equipment that is "smarter." Such equipment has microprocessors and complex circuitry that allow it to "remember" how to perform certain operations, to track cooking and holding temperatures, and to "know" when servicing is needed to prevent a breakdown.
Flipper — the spatula-wielding robot — can operate four fryers and two griddles at the same time, doing the work of two people, says AccuTemp President Gene Tippman. With the industry facing a labor shortage that's projected to get worse, some operators are looking for automated equipment that can relieve their labor pangs.

But at its heart, the restaurant industry is a service industry, so it will always need to balance technological advances with personal service — something a robotic cook could never provide. That is why it is important for restaurateurs to update employee training to keep pace with technological side of the operation. According to the National Restaurant Association report Restaurant Industry 2010, the challenge for the industry will be to remain high-touch and high-tech at the same time.

Whether robots per se will become common in restaurant kitchens is questionable. But computerized equipment that "knows" how to cook food is already becoming popular. "Microchips allow operators who do repetitive tasks to push a button and get the same results every time," says Mitchell Schechter, editor-in-chief for Foodservice Equipment & Supplies. "Instead of training people, we're training equipment so that it knows what to do."

For example, combi-steamers — which use a combination of convection and steam — "know" how to cook specific items. A model by manufacturer Henny Penny, based in Eaton, Ohio, is programmable for up to 99 nine-step cooking programs. The user merely presses a button — the oven knows the appropriate cooking cycles and the amount of heat and steam to apply. "It's the best employee I have," says Henny Penny Corporate Chef Tom Douglas, who was on hand to exhibit the oven at the National Restaurant Association Show.

Restaurant consultant Brown refers to the combi-oven as "an idiot-proof piece of equipment" that can be preprogrammed for each operation's particular menu needs. Many models are multilingual, making it easy for today's multicultural staff to use.

The new smart equipment combines speed with intelligence. For example, both the Accellis C70 Oven and the Vulcan-Hart FlashBake Ovens can be preprogrammed to cook items. "We work with restaurants to program it for desired items," says Ashcraft about the Accellis C70. The oven has a keyboard that Blodgett programs for food items, such as pizza. The user hits the "pizza" key and then inputs how many pies are to be cooked.

"The biggest difficulty a lot of restaurants have is finding talent for their kitchen," says Ashcraft. Smart equipment decreases the need for experienced staff, and is ideal for large multiunit companies, because it reduces employee-training time and allows for consistent results across the units, he says.

However, smart equipment will never replace highly trained chefs, says Ashcraft, a former chef himself. "When you have people who know how to cook, the last thing they want to do is push a button and have something do it for them." Rather, trained chefs can harness the power and preciseness of high-tech, smart equipment to achieve better results.

In the future, smart equipment might even respond to voice commands. A kitchen staffer could simply tell an oven to "cook five pizzas," instead of using a keyboard to go through menu options. The General Electric Company (GE), based in Louisville, Kentucky, has already produced a prototype of a voice-activated oven for consumer use. Users tell the oven what they are preparing and it activates a stored menu consisting of the proper cooking time and temperature. It's programmed to recognize more than 200 regional accents. The question remains whether restaurant operators want this feature — and would be willing to pay for it.

Another possibility is that smart equipment would be able to detect what food is to be cooked and then cook it appropriately — eliminating any possibility of user error. GE has already developed a prototype microwave with a bar-code scanner. The consumer simply waves a package of food in front of the scanner and the microwave automatically sets the cooking time and power. "The possibilities of what these appliances could eventually do is mind-boggling," says Kevin Caponecchi, GE Appliances concept product manager.

Smart equipment also has the potential to improve food safety. For example, some blast chillers have an interface that allows Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) reports to be printed. "We are also seeing a lot of cooking and holding equipment that is able to log information about cook time and holding temperature, and that can be used for HACCP monitoring," says Greg Richards, vice president of education for the Chicago-based North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM).
Intelligent appliances could also self-diagnose service problems and identify when preventive maintenance is needed. The latest and most sophisticated equipment already have some of these capabilities, but they are just a preview of what's to come. "We're actively working on the next generation of equipment that would communicate large amounts of information," says Alan Keogh, director of new product development for equipment manufacturer Welbilt, headquartered in New Port Richey, Florida.

The brains behind the kitchen
The smart kitchen of the future will be more than a collection of intelligent equipment, say visionaries. The truly smart kitchen will interconnect equipment to a central network. "What we're seeing is that the individual equipment is all great," says Schechter, "but the truly networked kitchen will be wonderful." The networked kitchen will have a central "dashboard" computer that can send — and receive — information to all equipment, predicts NAFEM's Richards. For example, HACCP information from each piece of equipment would channel into the central dashboard for easy access. Intelligent software would be able to analyze the information and direct restaurant operators to areas of concern. "When you have 30 or 40 pieces of equipment, there's a disadvantage to having to go around and check each piece," he says. "Today people have to wander around the kitchen with a clipboard and look at each piece."

A networked kitchen could also improve energy management, says Richards. The central computer could monitor and control energy usage of each piece of equipment, scheduling high-energy tasks for off-peak times. It could scatter peak-usage intervals — such as when a refrigerator's compressor runs — to avoid a system overload.

In Europe, kitchen-equipment manufacturer Merloni recently introduced smart home appliances that interconnect to a central computer called Leon@ardo. The computer monitors energy usage and prevents overloads-an ongoing problem in Europe. "Merloni has developed technology that allows appliances to communicate," says Sergio Vitale, a Boston-based consultant for Merloni. "The Merloni case shows that these products are for real."

Establishing interconnected kitchens will be challenging, says Richards. For starters, the industry needs to develop a common "language" to allow each piece of equipment — no matter who manufactured it — to be able to "speak" to another, he says. NAFEM unveiled a draft of a standard communications protocol this summer. "Individual manufacturers won't need to develop their own standards, which would really muddy the waters and create problems for decades to come."

Without a single protocol, manufacturers would be forced to work overtime to get equipment to communicate in several different "languages." Richards likens the situation to the early days of VCRs — when both VHS and Beta were available, and videotape manufacturers had to prepare tapes in both formats.

Major equipment manufacturers and quickservice chains are working with NAFEM to create a communications protocol. "People realize that equipment that can talk to each other and equipment that can self-diagnose are going to be here, especially in the quickservice market," says John Carver, marketing director for Henny Penny. "We know it's going to happen and we're going to be part of it," he says, noting that Henny Penny plans to comply with the NAFEM protocol.

Whisks and the Web
Visionaries also predict that the kitchen network will have two-way communication — through the Internet or a local area network — with food suppliers, corporate headquarters, equipment manufacturers and more. The online kitchen could contact suppliers to order needed foods, receive new cooking parameters from headquarters and notify the manufacturer when a repair is needed.

GE already has a prototype of a Web-enabled and networked home refrigerator that allows consumers to access the Internet. Japan's Sharp Corporation sells an Internet-ready convection microwave oven — developed for residential use in Japan — that enables users to download more than 400 recipes from the Web into an optional cooking databox that transfers the information into the microwave oven's memory.
High-tech ovens like the Accellis C70 oven by Maytag might eventually be connected to the Internet, says Ashcraft. "The next generation would be to have online capability to the stores from a central location," he says. In other words, manufacturers could remotely program each oven in a multiunit company for new menu items, saving a serviceperson from manually updating each machine.

Using an Internet hookup, manufacturers could potentially diagnose service problems remotely. The result: The repairperson would pinpoint the exact problem before trudging out to the restaurant and would bring the needed part on the first service call, says Richards. "What we're talking about is 'first-time fix' — fixing it on the first visit. That's the Holy Grail in this industry."

High tech or high jinks
Which of these smart features will actually become common in restaurant kitchens remains to be seen. "Accessing recipes [via the Internet] seems like a lot of marketing pizazz that might not be useful [to operators]," says Vulcan-Hart's Stern, adding that it might be more helpful for home chefs. He's also skeptical about the value of being able to program ovens remotely. "You could easily put a modem in these machines and you could download from the Internet, but I really question how many people would do that" when it only takes five minutes for a serviceperson to install a new computer chip with the revised menu programs.

"If I drop a modem into a computer, I raise the price by $250, and that would cause a riot. This industry is very price-sensitive," says Stern. A modem itself is fairly inexpensive, but the necessary infrastructure would be costly. That's not to say such ideas won't gain popularity eventually, says Stern, noting that the microwave was invented in the 1940s, but didn't become mainstream until the late '70s. "This is a slow-to change and low-tech industry."

In contrast, ENODIS' Keogh expects smart, interconnected kitchens — that communicate with outside sources — to soon become a reality. The company is working closely with NAFEM to develop a communications protocol and plans to have test kitchens operating soon. When a large chain restaurant needs to adjust its microprocessor-controlled equipment, it now means each piece must be individually programmed, or sending a memo about the new parameter to each store and requesting each operator to adjust the equipment. "Either way there's plenty of room for error," he says, as well as an inconsistency as to when each unit completes the task. "This way we could download the system in one chunk" and reduce the chance of error.

Does that mean the entire kitchen will be high-tech and interconnected? No, Keogh says — only when it's useful. "I don't think you're going to need to hook up an old-fashioned pop-up toaster to the Internet."
Copyright © 2007-2008 by Beth Panitz, National Restaurant Association
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