FESmag

Joseph Carbonara

Everybody’s Working for the Weekend
July 25, 2008

With no apologies to Canadian ‘80’s band Loverboy, which gained considerable notoriety with a song that shared the same title as this post, welcome to a pre-weekend edition of E&S Extra.

Usually by the end of the week, my attention span’s dwindled to that of my two-year-old daughter. Thinking that some of you might be in the same boat, I filled this post with shorter, more easy-to-digest pieces of information, some of which pertain to foodservice and others that are, shall we say, more whimsical in nature. With that in mind, here are a few thought nuggets for you to chew on as we head into the weekend.

NRA Energy Efficiency Webcast Follow-Up and Link
Yesterday, the National Restaurant Association hosted its webinar entitled “5 Things Operators Need to Know about Energy Efficiency.”

If you did not catch the webcast yesterday, you can do so by clicking here.

I quite enjoyed the presentation, specifically the part from self-proclaimed engineering nerd Richard Young of the Foodservice Technology Center in San Ramon, Calif. What struck me about his presentation was that it went beyond the usually “buy Energy Star-certified equipment” rhetoric that seems to dominate so many of these seminars. In cutting right to the chase, Young did a good job of outlining some basic opportunities for foodservice operators to reduce energy and water consumption without having to purchase truckloads of new equipment.

Don’t confuse my comments as being anti-Energy Star or anything of the sort. It’s a fine program and a great step for the industry. But I have grown weary of hearing foodservice operators say that their main approach to energy efficiency is specifying Energy Star products. There’s more to most any foodservice operation than the six product categories that program comprises at the moment.

The long-winded point here? Specifying Energy Star-certified products should be only one component of a more comprehensive plan to make an existing or future foodservice facility energy efficient.

McDonald’s Menu Evolution
Here’s some light weekend reading for you courtesy of FE&S’ friend Jerry Stiegler who e-mailed me an article from Ad Age: McDonald’s Aims to “Evolve” Dollar Menu.

It’s an interesting piece in that this article highlights the ironic position McDonald’s is in today. The Dollar Menu helped spark a comeback of sorts for the burger giant and has done an excellent job of driving traffic to the golden arches. But with food prices rising as fast as my blood pressure during the Cubs’ recent road trip to Houston and Phoenix, McDonald’s franchisees are starting to feel the pain when it comes to profitability.

More than likely, most fast-food chains will face similar circumstances with their value menus.

What I Am Listening to at the Moment
Blame it on Gravity is the seventh studio album produced by the Texas-based Old97s. It’s a little different from some of their previous works but definitely worth a listen. I know I am enjoying it as was the case with their previous works.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

Posted by Joseph Carbonara on July 25, 2008 | Comments (0)