Food Processing Commons^™

A Comparative Study Of Customer Perceptions Regarding Green Restaurant Practices: Fast Food Vs. Upscale Casual, Robin B. Dipietro, Susan Gregory

Hospitality Review

The current exploratory study was designed to determine the impact that green restaurant practices may have on intention to visit a restaurant and willingness to pay more because of those green practices. The study analyzed a convenience sample of 260 surveys from customers in fast food restaurants and 501 surveys from customers in upscale casual restaurants in the Midwestern United States (U.S.) in order to determine if there were differences in the perception of guests regarding these types of restaurants and their green practices. The findings showed that upscale casual restaurant customers believed they are knowledgeable at a higher level …

Vegetarians: A Typology For Foodservice Menu Development, Amir Shani, Robin B. Dipietro

Hospitality Review

There is currently a lack of research about the needs of vegetarians, from a practitioner or academic perspective. This paper contributes to filling this research gap, by discussing the needs of vegetarians who dine out and their current difficulties in participating in the dining experience, in the present context. Specifically, it is argued that the typology of vegetarians presented in this paper, based on their motivations to adopt the chosen diet, might prove useful for restaurants in order to understand the vegetarian guest and develop menu items and services that will better cater to their needs. Recommendations for practitioners and …

Menu Analysis: A Review Of Techniques And Approaches, James J. Taylor, Denise M. Brown

Hospitality Review

This review discusses menu analysis models in depth to identify the models strengths and weaknesses in attempt to discover opportunities to enhance existing models and evolve menu analysis toward a comprehensive analytical model.

Would A Restaurant Menu Item By Any Other Name Taste As Sweet?, Tim Lockyer

Hospitality Review

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of words on a restaurant menu, and to evaluate the impact that they have on the selection of menu items. The research comprised two distinct parts. First, four focus groups were held examining responses to five menus, each with the same menu items but using different wording. The results from the focus group analysis were used to develop a survey which was more widely distributed. From the focus group it was revealed that the occasion and participants in the dining experience influence the wording for menu item selection. Respondents discussed …

Labor And Menu Category: Effects On Analysis, Brett W. Horton

Hospitality Review

Menu analysis is the gathering and processing of key pieces of information to make it more manageable and understandable. Ultimately, menu analysis allows managers to make more informed decisions about prices, costs, and items to be included on a menu. The author discusses If labor as well as food casts need to be included in menu analysis and if managers need to categorize menu items differently when doing menu analysis based on customer eating patterns.

Overcoming Barriers To Restaurant Food Safety, David Walczak

Hospitality Review

Food safety is critical to the success of restaurants. Yet current methods of controling foodborne illness are inadequate, including time and temperature control, safe food handling procedures, good employee hygiene, cleaning and sanitizing techniques, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan. Several barriers to food safety in restaurants are identified and recommendations for management are suggested.

Menu Engineering: A Model Including Labor, Stephen M. Lebruto, William J. Quain, Robert A. Ashley

Hospitality Review

Menu engineering is a methodology to classify menu items by their contribution margin and popularity. The process discounts the importance of food cost percentage, recognizing that operators deposit cash, not percentages. The authors raise the issue that strict application of the principles of menu engineering may result in an erroneous evaluation of a menu item, and also may be of little use without considering the variable portion of labor. They describe an enhancement to the process by considering labor.

Placement For Profit: Menu Item Arrangement On Customer-Activated Computer Screens, Ken Smith, Susan Gregory, Susan Gould

Hospitality Review

Can profitable menu items be placed on a computer screen where they will be selected more readily than other items? The author examines whether printed menu theories and techniques can be applied, with the same results, to a computer menu screen

Solid Waste Disposal: Independent Food Service Practices, William F. Jaffe, Barbara A. Almanza, Chen-Hua Jennifer Min

Hospitality Review

Solid waste disposal is a major concern today. This study seeks to identify the current practices and attitudes of managers of independent food services toward solid waste management and the characteristics of food services which were most likely to be involved with a solid waste management program

Restaurant Dining Strategies: Attracting Nutrition-Conscious Future Seniors, Elizabeth B. Pederson, Frederick J. Demicco

Hospitality Review

Senior Customers pose some unique challenges to operators due to some of the physiological changes associated with aging. In an effort to make food and beverage managers more cognizant of these changes, the authors examine these areas and also discuss strategies to attract and enhance the dining experience of the viable senior market segment.

Indirect Cost Factors In Menu Pricing, David V. Pavesic

Hospitality Review

In the discussion - Indirect Cost Factors in Menu Pricing – by David V. Pavesic, Associate Professor, Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration at Georgia State University, Associate Professor Pavesic initially states: “Rational pricing methodologies have traditionally employed quantitative factors to mark up food and beverage or food and labor because these costs can be isolated and allocated to specific menu items. There are, however, a number of indirect costs that can influence the price charged because they provide added value to the customer or are affected by supply/demand factors. The author discusses these costs and factors that must be taken …

Menu Analysis: Review And Evaluation, Lendal H. Kotschevar

Hospitality Review

In the article - Menu Analysis: Review and Evaluation - by Lendal H. Kotschevar, Distinguished Professor School of Hospitality Management, Florida International University, Kotschevar’s initial statement reads: “Various methods are used to evaluate menus. Some have quite different approaches and give different information. Even those using quite similar methods vary in the information they give. The author attempts to describe the most frequently used methods and to indicate their value. A correlation calculation is made to see how well certain of these methods agree in the information they give.”

There is more than one way to look at the word …

Fast-Food Franchises: An Alternative Menu For Hotel/Casinos, Larry D. Strate, Francis X. Brown

Hospitality Review

In their discussion - Fast-Food Franchises: An Alternative Menu for Hotel/Casinos - by Skip Swerdlow, Assistant Professor of Finance, Larry Strate, Assistant Professor of Business Law, and Francis X. Brown, Assistant Professor of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, their preview reads: Hotel/casino food service operations are adding some non-traditional fare to their daily offerings in the form of fast-food franchises. The authors review aspects of franchising and cite some new Las Vegas food ideas.”

The authors offer that the statewide food and beverage figures, according to the Nevada Gaming Abstract of 1985, exceeded $1.24 billion. Most …

"Unfair'' Restaurant Reviews:To Sue Or Not To Sue, John Schroeder, John Lazarus

Hospitality Review

In their discussion entitled - “Unfair” Restaurant Reviews: To Sue Or Not To Sue - by John Schroeder and Bruce Lazarus, Assistant Professors, Department of Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management at Purdue University, the authors initially state: “Both advantages and disadvantages exist on bringing lawsuits against restaurant critics who write “unfair” reviews. The authors, both of whom have experience with restaurant criticism, offer practical advice on what realistically can be done by the restaurateur outside of the courtroom to combat unfair criticism.”

Well, this is going to be a sticky wicket no matter how you try to defend it, reviews …

Past, Present, And Future: The Food Service Industry And Its Changes, Herman E. Zaccarelli Brother

Hospitality Review

In the article - Past, Present, and Future: The Food Service Industry and Its Changes - by Brother Herman E. Zaccarelli, International Director, Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management Institute at Purdue University, Brother Zaccarelli initially states: “Educators play an important role in the evolution of the food service industry. The author discusses that evolution and suggests how educators can be change agents along with management in that evolutionary progression.”

The author goes on to wax philosophically, as well as speak generically about the food service industry; to why it offers fascinating and rewarding careers. Additionally, he writes about the influence …

Larceny By Menu, Anthony G. Marshall, Elio C. Bellucci

Hospitality Review

Consumers are being ripped off by the food service industry when menus in establishments serving food misrepresent, substitute, and manipulate portions and the status of foods being served. A billion dollars a year in fraud is involved when menus offer the consumer one thing and deliver another.