Editor's Perspective: Knowledge is Power

Relationships and trust are key in the foodservice industry, but establishing that trust through strong product knowledge and good business practices might just be more important.

By Joseph Carbonara, Editor-in-Chief -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 9/1/2006

Joseph Carbonara

If I got a nickel every time someone says that the foodservice industry is a relationship business, I would be retired from having collected so much money. That is because not a day goes by where someone does not remind me of the importance of relationships, and how they are what makes the industry turn and turn and turn.

Most likely, the main reason foodservice professionals are wont to repeat themselves is because this notion is true. Well, actually, it’s only half-true.

I can sense it now. Many of you are reaching for your computers ready to send an e-mail to me or someone else claiming I have committed some form of foodservice heresy. Before you do so, though, please step away from the keyboard or put down the phone and take a deep breath. And before you cry “balderdash,” just take a moment to hear me out.

If you ask 100 people, they will all say that they want to buy from and do business with individuals they know, trust, respect and so forth. We know this. But what allows someone to establish that level of trust and respect with their business partners? Their business acumen, of course.

By that I mean you have to exhibit a fundamental knowledge of the countless products on the market and ways they can make an operation function more efficiently. If you are a successful member of the distribution channel, you have exhibited this trait time and again to your end-user customers. And if you are a successful operator, you have mastered the intricacies of applying E&S to make your menus come to life, much to the delight of your customers.

That’s why every two years the editors of FE&S scour the industry to produce the magazine’s “Product Knowledge Guide.” In doing so, we divide our content into six product categories: cooking equipment; tabletop & smallwares; preparation equipment; serving equipment; storage & handling equipment; and sanitation & safety equipment. In each entry we outline the various types of that product on the market today, the available sizes and capacities, standard features, some newer options, key kitchen applications, guidelines for purchasing and food safety essentials.

Each entry offers a little something for every member of the foodservice industry, regardless of your experience level. For the novice, this issue provides an overview of more than 30 products essential to most any foodservice operation. And even if you have been part of the industry for more years than you care to admit, well, I am sure that you will find a little something on our pages to help make your job a little easier. After all, you have to check in with old friends and business associates from time to time, right? So, why not take a few minutes to help fortify your product knowledge base.

While FE&S’ biennial “Product Knowledge Guide” remains one of the industry’s most comprehensive resources, it is virtually impossible to cover each and every product on our pages. That’s why we invite you to visit our web site (www.fesmag.com) where you will similar information about other important products. And if we’ve not included a product category that you feel would add value to our “Product Knowledge Guide,” I strongly encourage you to drop me a note so we can add this information to our web site and have it ready for the next edition of the “Product Knowledge Guide.”

Joseph M. Carbonara, Editor in Chief