SIRCANADA'S WORLD

Class 2
Reason for Recall: Health Hazard – salmonella
Product(s): Seasoned, Cooked Chicken Breast Strips
Recalling Firm: Desco Services Alimentaires Inc.
Distribution: Quebec and Ontario. May have been distributed in other provinces and territories

Product details are available at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/eng/1366929916545/1366929945725

CHD Expert breaks down the 2012 Canadian foodservice market landscape, providing data on different restaurant segments and menu types, with comparisons to the United States.

(Chicago, Ill – December 18, 2012) – Chicago-based food service database, marketing, and analytics firm, CHD Expert provides a unique 2012 overview of the Canadian food service market landscape, specifically focusing on full service and limited service restaurants.

The economic environment is stabilizing in the U.S. and in Canada, which brings confidence for 2013. The foodservice industry is expected to steadily grow throughout the year in North America.

The Canadian restaurant industry roughly represents a tenth of the size of the U.S. industry and the market landscape looks increasingly similar across the border. The number of U.S. restaurant chains entering the Canadian market has been significantly growing during 2012.

The first noticeable difference between the U.S. and Canada is the number of limited service restaurants compared to full service restaurants. LSRs represent 40.8 percent of the restaurant industry in Canada, whereas LSRs account for 48.5 percent of the U.S. industry. Consumers tend to look for quicker and cheaper eating options, which explains why the LSR segment has been performing better than FSRs for the past few years. The LSR segment in Canada is expected to gain market share over FSR in the years to come.

When evaluating full and limited service restaurants by menu type, the following types of establishments hold the largest amount of market share in Canada and US:

While the Canadian food service market is substantially smaller than the U.S. market, the top three types of eating establishments are the same in both countries. However there is one noticeable difference between the two countries operator counts by simplified menu type, and it occurs between the fourth most popular menu types. In Canada Beverages rank at the fourth position, as opposed to Mexican in the U.S.

As Mexican food continues to increase in popularity in the U.S. this could become a trend that will soon reach Canada. Therefore it might behoove Canadian establishments to consider this growing menu type as they forecast into the future and attempt to project what consumers will be eating.

The other Asians menu type ranks at the fifth position in Canada, whereas in the U.S. hamburgers occupy that position. One of the explanations is that the Thai menu type has emerged as a favored ethnic cuisine in Canada during 2012. It is not surprising to see hamburgers ranked at the fifth position in the U.S. since it is America’s quintessential comfort food.

“Establishments with varied menus hold the most market share,” stated Catherine Kearns, General Manager of CHD Expert. “This data shows that food service establishments who offer diverse menus attract more consumers as they appeal to wider populations and meet consumer preferences. For instance, TGI Fridays has seen an opportunity arise in Canada and entered the market during 2012. As we move into the New Year, existing and aspiring food service operators throughout Canada can consider adding new and varied dishes to their menus in order to meet diverse consumer preferences.”

Class 1
Reason for Recall: Health Hazard – Clostridium botulinum
Product(s): smoked fish products
Distribution: sold from Hooked stores in Toronto, Ontario

Product details are available at http://inspection.gc.ca/eng/1365834487367/1365834555877

A recall has been added to the CFIA’s Food Recall Report
Reason for Recall: Health Hazard – salmonella
Product(s): Trophy brand Hazelnuts In Shell
Recalling Firm: Trophy Foods Inc.
Distribution: This product has been distributed in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and may have been distributed to other provinces.

Product details are available at http://inspection.gc.ca/eng/1365137076361/1365137114743

LOS ANGELES — When 20 percent of your dinner reservations don’t show, what’s a restaurant owner to do? Usually nothing; it’s an unsavory fact of restaurant life that not everyone who says they’ll be there, will.

But one Beverly Hills restaurant owner decided enough was enough, taking to Twitter to publicly call out those who skipped out on their reservations on a recent busy Saturday.

“I hope you enjoyed your GF’s B-day and the flowers that you didn’t bring when you no-showed for your 8:15 res.,” read one tweet.

Noah Ellis, co-owner of Red Medicine, sent that and another tweet naming several other people. He took the unusual step after turning away walk-up customers because he thought his 50-something-seat restaurant was booked solid during the popular 6:30-9 p.m. window, and forcing loyal customers to book earlier or later times.

“We lost 20 percent of our total reservations on Saturday and a huge chunk of our prime-time bookings,” he said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. “Most diners don’t realize the impact no-shows make on a restaurant.”

Ellis’ move prompted a torrent of mixed reactions, with some saying the customers’ thoughtless behavior warranted public embarrassment and others saying the owner stepped over the line and his business will suffer. Within hours of Ellis’ tweets on the Red Medicine Twitter account, several one-star reviews of the popular restaurant went up on Yelp.

“Not showing is rude, though I get the feeling that this guy has a screw loose,” offered one critic.

Another person tweeted back to Red Medicine, saying the restaurant would feel badly if the two dozen or so no-shows were in an accident on the way there.

Ellis was having none of that. “All of them?” he asked in response.

Fellow restaurateurs defended him for his boldness, although many quickly added it’s not something they would do.

“You can pretty much guarantee that those people will not be coming back into your restaurant,” said Carrie Welch of Little Green Pickle, which handles publicity and promotions for some two dozen restaurants in Portland, Ore.

Red Medicine generally won praise, however, for pointing out a problem that has long vexed the restaurant industry. The problem has only grown with the ease of online and email reservations.

“I take a lot of reservations, and I’d say at least 10 percent don’t show and don’t call,” said Lenny Rosenberg, who runs a West Los Angeles eatery called Lenny’s Deli. He chalks it up as a cost of doing business.

Some restaurants, like the popular small Cajun seafood chain Boiling Crab, won’t take reservations or even seat people until everyone in their party is at the front door. Other places have tried taking a credit card deposit with the reservation.

Still others overbook and hope they won’t rue the day when everyone who made a reservation actually shows up.

Ellis said he’s looked into all those options, but for now he’ll stick with taking reservations and expecting people will honor them.

It’s not the first public controversy for Ellis. Two years ago he was so unhappy with Los Angeles Times food critic S. Irene Virbila’s reviews that he posted her picture on Twitter so other restaurateurs would be able to see her coming.

Outing a critic who normally works undercover prompted a similarly disparate response, with some praising Ellis and others condemning him.

It’s unclear whether Ellis will continue outing those who don’t honor reservations.

All the attention has driven him underground. He declined an in-person interview request, issuing his statement and responding to questions through a public relations firm, which is now handling media inquiries.

The seemingly intractable problem he and every other owner is up against is that it’s common knowledge that for a big-deal date like a birthday or anniversary a person will book reservations at three or four places and then let the individual being feted make the final choice at the last minute, said Angie Pappas of the California Restaurant Association.

Boyfriends are the main culprit, she said, because they want to ensure their dates are happy with the evening.

“I don’t think it’s a malicious act,” Pappas added. “I think it’s mostly a case of indecisive boyfriends.”

When people are thinking of taking their first steps into kitchens, many around them are quick to give advice. They will warn of the toil involved, the strength of character and the stamina that are needed, the long hours… But however much warning is given, one is always quick to disregard it and shrug one’s shoulders because really, how hard can it be?

Every year, cooks come and cooks go; eager at the start but quickly disenchanted and just as eager to get out. Only a small percentage of people who walk into the world of gastronomy stay there once faced with this harsh environment.

What you can expect from making a living in a professional kitchen:

1       You’ll almost always have open wounds on your hands and arms.

2       You’ll never meet new people because your social life deteriorates into non-existence.

3       You’ll find it hard to start relationships because alone time will become a precious thing.

4       You’ll lose your social skills.

5       Your sense of humor will degrade into the politically incorrect and socially unacceptable.

6       You’ll eventually start swearing like a sailor and you won’t even notice yourself doing it.

7       You’ll turn into an anorak/monomaniac and always turn all conversations back to food.

8       You’ll earn a pittance for years/decades.

9       You’ll either lose a vast amount of weight or gain a vast amount of weight.

10    You’ll never ever have a tan ever again.

11    You won’t become famous.

12    You’ll develop a habit, whether it is coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, gambling, cannabis, cocaine, or even red bull.

13    Your feet will get destroyed.

14    Your back will get destroyed.

15    Your hands will get destroyed.

16    You’ll live in a constant state of sleep deprivation, indefinitely.

17    You’ll have to ask your friends to plan everything around your schedule, which is in complete opposition with their availability, because you never know your days off in advance and you probably won’t be able to change it.

18    You’ll become of a very highly strung nature

19    You’ll become more prone to temper flare ups

20    Your awareness of other people’s lack of efficiency and common sense will increase and your tolerance of it will decrease.

21    You’ll spend the largest part of your life cooped up in a small, undecorated room with poor ventilation, high temperatures, a lot of noise, humidity, no natural light and no windows, with a small group of people who will become your only social interactions.

22    You will work longer hours than you ever imagined possible or thought legal.

23    You will spend all your waking hours on your feet, never getting a chance to sit down even for 5 minutes.

24    Your shortest work days will be longer than most people’s longest, and your longer work days, which make up about half of your working week, will be longer than the average person is awake in a day.

25    You will not cook gourmet dinners at home. You’ll be too tired, and too fed up of cooking.

26    You will probably start eating mostly fast food and cheap instant noodles.

27    You will be the subject of abuse, whether physical or emotional. Officially, it will be as a test of character. In reality, it will be as a form of entertainment.

28    You will end up spending so much time at work that your colleagues will know you better than your partner/family/friends do.

29    You will meet and form strong bonds with types of people whom you’d previously never even have imagined sharing conversations with.

30    You will be in a constant state of stress.

31    You will never be irreplaceable and will be expected to constantly give 110%.

32    You will always be exhausted.

33    You will not be allowed to call in sick for a hangover.

34    You will be expected to place your work before any other part of your life in your list of priorities.

35    You will never be congratulated on your work.

36    You will be expected to treat your superiors as absolute masters and never answer back, try to explain yourself, start a conversation, or show any other type of insubordination, even if you know that they are in the wrong or feel as if their behavior towards you is unacceptable.

37    It will become very difficult to watch friends cook.

38    Your mum will stop cooking for you because she feels embarrassed.

39    You will be expected to cook for family gatherings such as Christmas EVERY SINGLE YEAR. Luckily, at least one year out of two, you will be working on Christmas.

40    At least one year out of two, and maybe every year, you will work Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Easter, Valentine’s day, Mother’s day, Father’s day, bank holidays, Halloween, your birthday, and pretty much every other day of celebration on the calendar.

41    You will have to work many years in menial positions before attaining any level of authority in the workplace.

42    The better the restaurant is, the longer the work hours become, the more pressure you end up under, the more unhealthy your lifestyle will  become, the more likely you will be to develop a habit, the more competitive the people around you will become, the less sleep you’ll get, the less you’ll eat etc.

43    You will constantly make mistakes, and every time you do make a mistake, someone will notice it and make you understand that you are clearly a subhuman because only a subhuman could make such a mistake.

44    If you are a woman, you will constantly be the subject of misogynist remarks and jokes, sexual harassment, belittlement and remarks about your menstrual cycle.

45    None of your friends or family will understand what is involved in your work and you will never be able to make them understand.

46    You will spend vast amounts of money on equipment, books, eating in good restaurants etc., which will leave you with not much money for other things.

47    You will develop a creepy obsession with knives.

48    If you are a pastry chef, you will develop a creepy obsession with spoons.

49    You will get a rash in your are crack from the mixture of heat, sweat and friction that will not heal well, sometimes get infected, will mostly always be slimy and itchy and will be there most of the time.

50    If you are the right type of person, you will thank your lucky star every single day for the rest of your life for making you take the best decision you ever did and become a chef. And you will fall in love with your job and never look back.

Have you heard “Bar Bites”?

You should. Bar Bites are to American Cuisine the same as Tapas are to Spanish Cuisine. Hey it’s not rocket science…give the customer more of what they are looking for and you will increase revenues. Some restaurant owners are worried that Bar Bites might cut into full size entree sales and truthfully, yes they might. However, they also might come back more often and spend more money on wine and cocktails.

Jinja Restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico saw this trend as they took an in-depth look at their sales and what people were buying as well as where they were requesting to be seated at. Turned out the bar was hot property. They’re in the process of remodeling one of their existing restaurants to include another highly visible bar area with sliding panels that can increase or decrease the size of the room depending on the flow of business. From my viewpoint, this is one smart operator who doesn’t act like they know it all but instead has their finger on the pulse of what their customers are buying and makes adjustments to give them more of that. Is it risky? Oh hell yes! However, looking at recent restaurant trends the team at Jinja is right where they need to be to dominate their local market.

So why would you just what people to graze at the bar instead?

“I would much rather have someone come in twice a week — once for dinner and once for bar noshes — than only have them come in one time,” says Rick Tramonto, executive chef/partner at Restaurant R’evolution in New Orleans. “Little plates are a huge draw. You just have to reinvent them a bit, like lobster nachos versus traditional, for instance.”

Like most elements of culinary, if executed well and marketed well, people will follow. “Bar bites may drop check average that may result in loss of revenue,” says John Critchley, executive chef of Urbana Restaurant and Wine Bar in Washington, D.C. “Or you can look at them differently and understand that they are very popular and people will buy a lot of them.”

Bar Bites give customers an opportunity to guide their own culinary adventures. No commitment. No strings attached. Just one bite. They are the bachelors of the foodservice world. That free-loving, easy breezy vibe matches perfectly with today’s revved up cocktail culture. A $3 two-bite Korean taco? No risk, no problem. Let’s try it with a muddled mojito.

“With the continuing popularity of featured cocktail menus, it is only natural for restaurateurs to provide accompanying food,” says Steven Goldstein, a partner at The Culinary Edge. “This only works in their favor as booze and salty/savory foods work as a veritable echo chamber of purchasing, making it an easy business strategy to grow ticket totals.”

But can high-volume operations succeed here? If they boast a full-service bar, the answer is yes, says Technomic’s Darren Tristano. “You have to step out just a little bit. Try some items that are on the bar menu only,” he says. “Increase check average or get those starters on the check before they get into the dining room. Drive bar business with happy hour menus, late-night menus and well-executed bar-bites menus.” He points to The Cheesecake Factory as a success story here. “They have done extremely well with their bar bites. And we’re talking about the home of the gargantuan entrée.” Indeed, the chain’s “Small Plates and Snacks” menu is impressive, featuring diverse items such as edamame, sweet corn fritters and Vietnamese tacos.

Red Robin is currently road testing a bar bites menu. “Casual chains are looking for incremental sales at the bar,” says Dave Woolley, executive chef at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. “We’re looking to give our customers options. Cost does come into play, so we’re putting less expensive items at the bar.” He also points out that adding bar bites increases reach with customers. “As is, we’re a great burger joint and we don’t want to move from there,” says Woolley. “But giving them another reason to come in has nothing but upside for us.”

Bar Bites should be craveable, memorable and delicious. “Don’t muddy your bar menu with generic additions,” says The Culinary Edge’s Goldstein. “And keep it simple. Offer an edited, concise selection with a point of view. A curated menu is always better than a kitchen-sink menu.”

Randy Zweiban, chef/owner of Province, approaches his Bar Bites menu with careful consideration. “Bar Bites should represent the cuisine of your restaurant, but be a little different than your regular menu,” he says. “As a chef, you should have fun with what you’re putting on your bar menu.” At its Chicago and Phoenix locations, Province features a separate Bar Bites menu with most items running at $6 ($4 from 4 to 7 p.m.). Recent dishes include a beef slider with aïoli, housemade pickle, Wisconsin cheddar and poached egg, and a barbecued lamb taco with pickled cabbage. “Entice people with well-crafted cocktails, craft beers, good wines by the glass. It’s the whole package that will make them come back often.”

Urbana is in D.C., which hosts a lively happy hour scene. “Happy hour is a must for us,” says Critchley. From 4 to 7 p.m., he serves $1 oysters, $8 wood-fired pizzas and $4 Peroni beer. One of his most enticing bar bites is the American Lamb Short Rib — sumac rub, molasses glaze, served over whipped carrot lardo. “The lamb flavor is wonderful and earthy. Sumac has raspberry notes and is also earthy. It’s a really nice match,” he says.

At Restaurant R’evolution in New Orleans, Crabmeat Beignets and Andouille Black Salt Potato Chips punctuate an extensive bar menu. “I love the one-bite nugget; the flavor explosion,” says Tramonto. “Bar bites should do that — just knock them back with flavor.” Around the corner, SoBou (the latest venture from the Brennan family) serves “Snacky Things” ranging in price from $1 to $8 and including such snack-friendly nibblers as Creole Beer Nuts (sweet and spicy roasted pecans) and Cracked Olives marinated in cayenne and charred chiles. In addition, its “Small Bites” category ups the nosh element to items like a Sticky Pork Belly and a 1/4-lb. SoBou Burger. Both menu categories are featured on the restaurant’s lunch and dinner menus, giving diners plenty of options in terms of appetite and cost.

“The majority of people today are really busy; they’re on the move,” says Gerard Craft, chef/owner of St. Louis’ Niche, Pastaria and Taste by Niche. “We don’t sit down to eat big meals anymore. We snack. We socialize and graze. Bar bites present a huge opportunity with this new restaurant dynamic.”

Bar Bites are also how the millennial generation likes to eat.

“They snack at twice the rate of the balance of the population, and that usually takes place later on in the day, from 4 p.m. on,” she said. “So, if I’m a restaurant that’s open late night, I’d be promoting more snack-related foods. A lot of them are in school and don’t have a lot of money, so price promotions are important and frequency diner cards appeal to them.” If you want more of the millennial generation to dine at your restaurant, then adding Bar Bites is a smart move if done creatively.

I have been playing around with duck bacon lately in my test kitchen and whipped up a batch of Duck Bacon & Sweet Potato Beignets with a Foie Gras Dipping Sauce…pure heaven. Let me know what creative items you have for Bar Bites.

[Photo: ya7oby/Tumblr]

Because ordering obscene amounts of french fries at McDonald’s and sharing them among friends is apparently a thing kids are doing in Japan and Korea these days, a group of kids recently got kicked out of a McDonald’s in Korea for ordering $250 worth of fries. According to RocketNews24, McDonald’s has recently unleashed a promotion in Japan and Korea offering a large-size order of fries on the cheap, which naturally means that teenagers going in and order as many as possible.

This particular group supposedly dropped 270,000 won ($250) on McDonald’s fries, spreading them out across a large table on their trays. This, of course, caused a lot of delays at the restaurant and a whole lot of anger until “a McDonald’s worker decided he had had enough of these shenanigans and told the kids, ‘Stop causing trouble, you brats! Get out of here!’” But no, these french fry hounding teens are not been treated as the heroes they are. As it so happens, the Internet has apparently sided with the Man on this one, which some commenters writing that the kids should be reported to McDonald’s headquarters and others writing, “I’d cry if this happened in my local store.”

· Kids in Korea Order $250 in French Fries, Piss Off Everyone [RocketNews24 via Gawker]

Even more upheaval to report in the Gordon Ramsay empire that is currently relaunching its three-Michelin-starred flagship: After 12 years, Ramsay is calling it quits with luxe London hotel Claridge’s. According to the Evening Standard, the shouty chef is closing Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s on June 30 due to “a series of delays in renewing his deal at the five-star hotel.” The staff was notified this morning and a spokesperson for Ramsay explains, “We’d like to thank all our guests for the amazing support they have given for over a decade but felt the time was right to move on to new opportunities and investments.”

Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s was a big deal in its early days in London, but “is widely seen as having lost its way in recent years.” As the Evening Standard notes: “It lost its Michelin star in 2010 and was rated second in London for ‘most disappointing cooking’ and fourth for ‘most overpriced restaurant’ in the latest Harden’s guide.”

· Ramsay off the menu at Claridge’s as 12-years’ service ends [Evening Standard]

Sodium levels in many foods served at Canadian restaurant chains exceed the amount an adult should take in during a day, a new study finds.

Researchers examined the salt levels in more than 9,000 foods sold at 65 fast-food restaurants and 20 sit-down restaurant chains with at least 20 locations across the country.

Considering how common it is to dine out, along with the pervasiveness of hypertension and its health risks, the study authors said it was important to take a systematic look at sodium levels to assess progress towards the federal, provincial and territorial target of lowering sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams per person per day by 2016.

It is recommended that people eat up to 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, which is called the daily adequate intake (AI)level, or the minimum amount the body needs. People aged 14 and older should not eat more than 2,300 mg sodium per day, the daily tolerable upper intake level or UL, as that level is likely to pose a health risk.

Sandwiches, wraps, stir fry entrees and ribs topped the sodium levels at sit-down restaurants. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)

More than 22 per cent of sandwiches or wraps, ribs and pasta entrees with meat or seafood exceeded the UL for sodium at sit-down restaurants. On average, meal items not including side dishes contained 1,455 milligrams of sodium per serving or 97 per cent of an adult’s daily AI. Seafood, beef and salad entrees were the categories with the lowest sodium levels per serving.

At fast food restaurants, the highest categories were stir fry entrees, poutine or fries with toppings, tacos and burritos, sandwiches or wraps and salads with meat or seafood.

Study authors Mary L’Abbé, chair of the nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, and graduate student Mary Scourboutakos took the systematic look at sodium levels provided by industry in 2010 and early 2011.

Since Canada has not yet established targets or implemented a reduction strategy for the restaurant sector, L’Abbé and Scourboutakos used the U.S. targets.

Searching out healthier options

“Because of the prevalence of eating out, as well as the high rates of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, addressing the exceedingly high sodium levels in restaurant foods is essential in order to decrease the burden of chronic disease,” they concluded in Wednesday’s issue of the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

The majority of establishments exceeded targets for sodium density in baked goods such as bagels, croissants and cookies, fried potatoes, other sandwiches, fries, sandwiches with luncheon meat and pizza.

Because of the high sodium density, reducing portion sizes alone won’t work to meet the targets, the researchers said.

Fries with toppings from fast food chains had more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium. (Peter Dejong/Associated Press)

L’Abbé had a few suggestions for consumers looking for lower sodium options when eating in restaurants.

“First, they can ask restaurants if they have lower sodium offerings, because if you go out and eat out and consumers start asking for lower sodium offerings, I think they will hear us. When you actually taste something and it tastes too salty, tell them.”

Asking for sauces and dressings on the side also helps, she said. Items that may seem healthier, like salads, aren’t necessarily the best option. Diners also need to consider other nutritional aspects like saturated fat and sugar.

At the Nota Bene restaurant in Toronto, executive chef David Lee offers lunch menu items that cut back on salt, such as grilled organic salmon on salad.

“It’s a healthier option,” Lee said. “For me, that would involve, in terms of the sodium, maybe cut back just a little bit and implement maybe some more herbs or a little bit more olive oil.”

For children’s items, on average the items contained 32 per cent of the daily recommended amount of sodium, which L’Abbé said shows the need to establish targets specifically for children. Previous research suggests teens who often eat fast food may alter their taste perception, promoting a preference for salt but that introducing small to moderate reductions slowly aren’t easily detected.

The researchers acknowledged that they relied on food establishments to provide accurate data and that sodium levels could vary. They called for more research to see how much market share influences the results.

At a Jack Astor’s Bar & Grill, one of the chains in the study, Myles Sam said the restaurant is trying to use less salt.

“We leave it to the guest,” said Sam, the assistant kitchen manager. “There’s salt on the table if you want to add more.”

The Centre for Science in the Public Interest estimated that three-quarters of the excess sodium in the Canadian food supply is added by food manufacturers and restaurants.

Next month, a vote is expected on federal NDP health critic Libby Davies’ private member’s bill, which requires food manufacturers to meet sodium reduction targets.

The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association is opposed to the bill, saying that restaurants are already working closely with suppliers to reduce sodium levels in menu items.

The research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Stroke Network and the University of Toronto.