5 Reasons to use the MML Image Gallery!

1) It was newly updated with even MORE photos!
2) It's easier than taking a photo of your food or beverage before it melts.
3) It's so easy, just click on "Image Gallery" adjacent to the spot you want to add the photo....choose your food category, and pick an image to upload!
4) Food photos are guaranteed to be high resolution and properly sized.
5) Profitablity...customers eat with their eyes before reading the description...if you want to push a high profit item, popbox it with a great photo from the Image Gallery. Watch that item sell like crazy!

MyMenuLab is here to provide you with tools to make the best looking menu possible. Why not make it even easier on yourself?

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How long is the wait?

We all want our customers to be happy, from the moment they walk in the door to the ride home and beyond. So, what do we do to make sure that happens in the busy season...you know what I mean, right? We've possibly been in this situation ourselves....You have your whole family on vacation. The kids are crabby, hungry and tired. You're Mother-in-law is WAY past her dinner hour and tired. And you. You are just tired. Everyone is hungry. The only problem is that the wait time at the restaurant of choice is approaching an hour. What would you like to see that restaurant do to help accommodate your party of 8? And what, as a restaurant owner, can you do to make sure everyone is taken care of?
Your first order of business: keep the kids occupied. If the kids are whining, the adults will be....well...whining. If the kids come in and appear rambunctious, have a plan. Have some games, paper, pens, crayons and possibly a snack basket to hand them. When the table of 2 adults and 6 kids DOES get seated, have your waitstaff trained to order the kids meals first (usually a quicker cook-time), separate from the adult meals (takes a little longer to prepare). The kids get fed while the adult meals are cooking and Mom and Dad can actually enjoy their meals while the kids have a scoop if ice cream.

Next, be sure you are calculating your wait times appropriately for your place of business. There is no magic formula. It all depends on the speed and efficiency of your kitchen and waitstaff. If you are unsure, try tracking if for a couple of nights (have an extra door person help you). Calculate the average meal time and go from there. This may help avoid the inevitable "You told me 30 minutes and it's been 45!" (If wait times are typically long, invest in the buzzers that customers can take with them to alert them when their table is ready.) We can't be 100% accurate, but the closer the better.

Lastly, a warm welcome doesn't hurt. The old adage "Killing them with kindness" still works...usually. It's easy to look and sound snappy and stressed out when you have an hour and a half wait, it's hot and chaotic and you are already "over it" for the night. Try not to let 'em get to you...remember, a cold adult beverage is a few short hours away!
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Cherry's Café, Jackson, MI

This poster and table tent series is from Cherry's Café in Jackson, MI and Elva Gyorke, SYSCO Detroit advertising their Economy Buster Specials and Family Stimulus for free kids meals and reduced price senior meals. What a great way to draw entire families to their place (while incurring minimal cost) and increase dinner traffic. Nice looking products!
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Hotel Grill, Trenton, MI

Check out this slugger from Hotel Grill and Julie Mastin of Sysco Detroit, offering two-person meal deals for 22 bucks...this is a great idea! Restaurants that offer a value like this are bound to make money and have repeat business. You don't have to offer your largest portions either, if you include the starch, vegetable, appetizer and dessert. Remember, it's all about the perceived value. This is a perfect example of how following a trend CAN be a profitable idea! Good thinkin'!
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Summer Drink Recipes!

Woo-hoo! Time for some summer cocktails!

The Mosquito

An interesting variation on the traditional mojito.
6-7 fresh Thai basil leaves, torn up
Juice from half a lime (about 1/2 ounce)
3/4 ounce simple syrup
crushed ice
1 1/2 ounces of light rum
Club soda

Step 1: Place torn basil leaves into bottom of hi-ball glass. Add lime juice and simple syrup.
Step 2: Muddle together with muddler or back a large spoon to bruise leaves and release flavor.
Step 3: Fill the remainder of the glass with ice shards and add rum. Top off with club soda. Serve.
What it tastes like: A smattering of sweetness, but mostly crisp with a perfect hint of basil.

Pomegranate Mojito

6-7 fresh mint leaves, torn up.
¾ ounce pomegranate juice
Juice from half a lime (about 1/2 ounce)
1/4 ounce simple syrup
crushed ice
1 1/2 ounces of light rum
Club soda
Follow same directions as above, adding pomegranate juice at the end. A nice alternative to regular mint mojitos.

Rock Runner

Get your blender out! This is my variation of the rum runner…one is plenty! Two is great…if you are walking!

Fill blender with two heaping cups of ice.
Pour on top:

¼ oz. light rum
¼ oz. dark rum
¼ oz. coconut rum
¼ oz. blackberry brandy
½ oz. banana schnapps
Dash (about ¼ cup) pineapple juice.
Strawberry Daquiri mix to the top of the ice …there should NOT be much room☺ but you know how to make it work!
Blend and serve with tiny umbrellas! Yum!

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Happy 4th of July from MyMenuLab!

Stay tuned for the results from the Labby Awards!
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Restaurant Trends in 2009

Check out this link to some interesting trends for the year.

http://www.healthline.com/blogs/diet_nutrition/2008/12/restaurant-food-trends-for-2009.html

I like these because they aren't too "out-there". Good basic trends that don't offend and also make sense.


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It's all about the kids...

I can recite a standard kids menu without much trouble: Grilled Cheese, Hamburgers, Mini Corn Dogs, Mac & Cheese, Spaghetti, Chicken Tenders and fries, fries, fries....and yes, it's true that these are kid friendly meals to keep your young patrons happy when dining with Mom & Dad. However, according to Stephen Goldman of The Culinary Edge (a San Francisco culinary development firm), getting an edge on the kids market is just as important as getting a leg up with your regular menu. (Restaurant Hospitality, May 2009, p.36) Here are some strategies to help your kids menus stand up to the competition.
1) Give kids some credit. Adult tastes are trickling down to kids menus. How about adding a kids portion of your signature dish on the kiddie menu?
2) Healthy Options: It doesn't have to be spinach or broccoli to be good for them. Try grilling or roasting meats and adding Mandarin oranges or applesauce cups as sides. More kids are going vegetarian these days as well.
3) Make it an adventure. Add ethnic food items or more adventurous choices. Beyond spaghetti and tacos, here are some thoughts....stir-fry, spring rolls (kids love to dip), lo-mein noodle bowls, black bean and rice burritos, chicken quesadillas or chicken satay.
4) Offer a great looking kids menu. Kids love games and puzzles. MyMenuLab has tons of options for Kids Placemats and also a new product: the Bi-Fold Kids menu, a booklet style menu full of games, puzzles, mazes and activites.
Remember, parents will appreciate when the kids are catered to as well as themselves...and they might even be able to enjoy their own dinners!
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What's your greatest asset?

I was inspired by an article in the Nation's Restaurant News interviewing Chip Roman, chef/owner of Blackfish in Conshohocken (try saying that out loud!), PA. When asked the question "What is your greatest asset?", he responded "The staff". Roman goes on to say "We have extra-great service. A lot of places are cutting back and using managers to do things like bartend and serve. My response is to do the opposite. I hire more staff and take a little less for myself. A lot of people are still going out to eat. With restaurants cutting corners, people with start to notice. People are extra vigilant and will say something about it. I just want to make sure people know we're still trying to give them a great product." (Gise, p.38, Nation's Restaurant News, May 11, 2009)
After noticing the trend in corner-cutting at few of my previously favorite restaurants, I agree....

Value perception goes even deeper than menu prices and selections. If patrons are well attended to, they are more likely to spread the news to others and/or make a return visit. Swift service means your tables turn over faster. If your restaurant isn't fully staffed or if servers are not trained well, your customers (and ultimately you) are the ones who suffer.

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It's a tie! Sysco Cleveland ROCKS!

We couldn't decide which one was best....Dockside, Kelleys Island, OH (created by Jim Howell) or Bruno's Pizzeria, Marblehead and Willard locations, OH (created by Jeff Dantonio). So, we stopped trying! Both menus are well laid out and incorporate the use of popboxes, icons and photos. Kudos to these guys at Sysco Cleveland!
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Photo Opportunities

Menus with great pictures always catch my attention. I am not embarrassed to admit that I have made many decisions at restaurants based on food pictures alone...juicy burgers, fresh looking salads, flame broiled chicken and steaks, cheesy nachos....why not make that work as part of your menu engineering scheme? Check out this menu page from High Tides in Colonial Beach, CA. (Great looking steak page, guys!). This is also a great opportunity to upsell add-on's, as they have with their mushrooms & onions OR to highlight high profit items. Great items deserve a great picture.
The MyMenuLab Image Gallery is full of photos available for upload on your menus, or insert pictures from your library (making sure they are up to lab specs of course!). Reap the benefits of increased sales on your highlighted items!
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Let us build your menu in the lab!

Help! You have inventory to do, a liquor order to complete, servers to train and your chef just handed you the new summer menu items....you don't have time to type it all in? Let us help you! At MyMenuLab we can build your menu into your existing user account. It's fast and affordable....then you get to take the reigns and put your special touches on it! You also get to finish your in-house work and the chef is happy too. Contact us for more info. 866.MYLAB01.
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