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by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

We Ask ChatGPT to Write Marketing Plans

We Ask ChatGPT to Write Marketing Plans

by David Klemt

3D render of ChatGPT logo

The hype surrounding artificial intelligence and chatbots in general, and ChatGPT in particular, is still going strong and likely won’t slow any time soon.

Of course, the hype focuses on the capabilities of various AI platforms. So far, the promise is that chatbots and other forms of AI will make our lives easier. They’ll perform “mundane” tasks that bog down humans so that we can center our attention on higher-level functions.

Unfortunately, many companies enamored already with the current capabilities aren’t giving all their employees more complex or creative tasks. Instead, they’re automating what they can—putting their faith in nascent technology—and firing humans.

We’ve played around with ChatGPT before. We’ve also spoken with Bing and Bard. And so far the results have always been…less than impressive, shall I say.

What they’ve produced for us as far as food and drink menus is mediocre, at best. Other interactions have resulted in our request being denied.

So, that got me thinking. Maybe these chatbots can’t secure potential guests reservations or waitlist spots (at least not without significant manipulation). And perhaps the menus it writes are far too basic. Are they able to replace the human element and give us not just advice but an entire marketing plan?

Well, you’ll find out below.

Can you create a marketing plan for an upscale restaurant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada?

Marketing Plan for an Upscale Restaurant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  1. Define Your Target Market: Identify your target audience for the upscale restaurant. Consider factors such as demographics (age, income level, occupation), psychographics (lifestyle, interests), and dining preferences. For example, your target market could be affluent professionals, food enthusiasts, or tourists seeking a high-end dining experience.
  2. Develop a Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Determine what sets your upscale restaurant apart from the competition. It could be a unique menu concept, exceptional service, a specific cuisine, or a breathtaking ambiance. Your USP should be compelling and communicate the value customers will receive by choosing your restaurant.
  3. Branding and Positioning: Create a strong brand identity that resonates with your target market. Develop a logo, color palette, and visual elements that convey the upscale and sophisticated nature of your restaurant. Craft a positioning statement that highlights your USP and appeals to the desires and aspirations of your target audience.
  4. Online Presence: Build a professional website that showcases your restaurant’s ambiance, menu offerings, and reservation options. Optimize the website for search engines to increase online visibility. Leverage social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to share captivating visuals, engage with customers, and promote special offers or events.
  5. Local Search Optimization: Ensure your restaurant appears in local search results by optimizing your Google My Business profile and other online directories. Encourage customers to leave positive reviews to enhance your restaurant’s reputation and credibility.
  6. Content Marketing: Create valuable content related to the restaurant industry, culinary trends, and fine dining experiences. Develop a blog or share articles on your website to establish your restaurant as a thought leader. Utilize email marketing campaigns to stay connected with customers, share updates, and offer exclusive promotions.
  7. Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with local influencers, food bloggers, and social media personalities who align with your restaurant’s brand. Invite them for exclusive tastings or events to generate buzz and increase exposure. Encourage them to share their experiences and recommendations with their followers.
  8. Strategic Partnerships: Forge partnerships with complementary businesses in the area, such as luxury hotels, theaters, or art galleries. Explore cross-promotion opportunities, joint events, or special packages to attract their clientele and expand your reach.
  9. Event Marketing: Host unique events, such as wine tastings, chef collaborations, or themed evenings, to attract new customers and provide memorable experiences. Promote these events through your website, social media channels, and local event listings to generate excitement and drive reservations.
  10. Customer Loyalty Program: Implement a customer loyalty program to incentivize repeat visits and referrals. Offer exclusive perks, personalized offers, or a points-based system to reward loyal patrons and encourage them to bring friends and family.
  11. Community Involvement: Engage with the local community by participating in charity events, sponsoring local initiatives, or collaborating with neighboring businesses. This involvement fosters goodwill, enhances brand reputation, and builds a loyal customer base.
  12. Monitor and Measure: Continuously monitor the performance of your marketing efforts using key metrics such as website traffic, reservation rates, customer feedback, and social media engagement. Use this data to refine your strategies and optimize your marketing campaigns.

Remember, an effective marketing plan is adaptable and should evolve based on market trends, customer feedback, and business goals. Regularly assess and adjust your strategies to ensure your upscale restaurant maintains a competitive edge and remains top-of-mind among discerning diners in Toronto.

Can you write a social media marketing plan for a neighborhood bar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada?

Social Media Marketing Plan for a Neighborhood Bar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

  1. Define Your Social Media Goals: Identify the specific goals you want to achieve through social media, such as increasing brand awareness, driving foot traffic, promoting events or specials, and fostering customer engagement and loyalty.
  2. Identify Target Audience: Determine the demographics and interests of your target audience. For a neighborhood bar, this may include locals, young professionals, college students, and individuals interested in nightlife and community gatherings.
  3. Choose Social Media Platforms: Select social media platforms that align with your target audience and business objectives. Consider platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, based on their popularity and relevance to your target market.
  4. Content Strategy: Develop a content strategy that showcases the unique aspects of your neighborhood bar. Mix promotional content, such as happy hour deals or event announcements, with engaging and shareable content, such as behind-the-scenes glimpses, customer spotlights, or cocktail recipes. Encourage user-generated content by running contests or featuring customer photos and experiences.
  5. Visual Branding: Create a consistent visual identity across your social media profiles. Use high-quality, eye-catching images and videos that reflect the ambiance, drinks, and overall vibe of your bar. Incorporate your logo and brand colors to enhance recognition and reinforce brand identity.
  6. Engage with Followers: Regularly monitor and respond to comments, messages, and reviews on your social media platforms. Engage with followers by asking questions, running polls, and sparking conversations. Show appreciation for positive feedback and address any concerns promptly and professionally.
  7. Local Influencers and Collaborations: Partner with local influencers, bloggers, or popular accounts to promote your bar. Invite them for tastings or to host events at your venue. Their endorsement can help increase visibility, attract new patrons, and create buzz among the local community.
  8. Promote Special Events and Offers: Leverage social media to promote special events, live music performances, themed nights, and limited-time offers. Create event pages, share event details, and encourage followers to RSVP and share with their friends. Consider partnering with local artists, musicians, or charities to enhance community engagement.
  9. User-Generated Content and Reviews: Encourage customers to share their experiences at your bar by creating branded hashtags, running photo contests, or offering incentives for leaving reviews. Repost and share user-generated content to showcase the lively and welcoming atmosphere of your neighborhood bar.
  10. Social Media Advertising: Consider allocating a portion of your marketing budget to targeted social media advertising. Utilize the platforms’ advertising tools to reach a wider audience, promote specific events or offerings, and drive traffic to your bar. Experiment with different ad formats, such as carousel ads or video ads, to maximize engagement.
  11. Social Media Management Tools: Utilize social media management tools, such as Hootsuite or Buffer, to schedule posts, monitor analytics, and streamline your social media efforts. These tools can help you maintain a consistent posting schedule and track the effectiveness of your social media campaigns.
  12. Measure and Adjust: Regularly monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as follower growth, engagement rate, reach, and conversions. Analyze the data to assess the effectiveness of your social media efforts and make informed decisions on adjustments to your strategy. Experiment with different content types, posting times, and promotional strategies based on the insights gained.

By implementing this social media marketing plan, you can effectively engage with your local audience, increase brand awareness, and foster a sense of community around your neighborhood bar in Vancouver.

Takeaway

Perhaps programmers and engineers can squeeze more in-depth results out of AI-powered chatbots. That tells me that these platforms aren’t quite ready for the average person.

Speaking plainly, the ChatGPT results above are underwhelming. In part, this is because any operator who attends an industry trade show and sits in on a marketing session will walk away with similar information. More importantly, they’ll take home at least a nugget or two of higher-level advice they can implement immediately.

The same can be said for anyone following a marketing account on Instagram: they’re sharing high-level tips at this point.

When we look at what ChatGPT suggests, it’s surface-level at best. Crucially, it’s too general to really be effective. The what may be there, but not the how to achieve consistent results. Moreover, would you, as a client, want to pay a consulting or marketing agency for an AI-generated marketing plan? Wouldn’t you expect an effective, impactful plan created specifically for your concept?

Artificial intelligence can be impressive. The technology has the capability to wow. But creating at a level equal to or above the human element? It’s just not there, in my opinion.

Automating the scheduling of human-generated social media and email marketing posts? Effective. Asking chatbots to generate those assets? Proceed with caution.

Image: ilgmyzin on Unsplash

KRG Hospitality tech stack consulting. Tech. Technology. CRM. POS. Restaurant. Bar. Cafe. Lounge. Hotel. Resort.

by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Program for Unique Holidays: July 2023

Program for Unique Holidays: July 2023

by David Klemt

"Think about things differently" neon sign

Do you want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Change how you think about your July holiday promotions.

Several holidays are set against every date on the calendar, and this month is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to esoteric.

Pay attention to the “weird” or unique holidays to raise eyebrows, carve out a niche for your restaurant or bar, and attract more guests. Why do what everyone else is already doing? Why program only around the same holidays as everyone else?

Of course, you shouldn’t try to celebrate every holiday, strange or otherwise. Focus on the days that are authentic to your brand; resonate with your guests; and help you grab attention on social media.

You’ll find suggestions for promotions below. However, the idea behind our monthly holiday promotions roundup is to inspire you and your team to get creative and come up with unique programming ideas.

For our June 2023 holidays list, click here.

July 5: Workaholics Day

Great bars and restaurants offer escapes from the drudgery and negativity of the rest of the world. On this day, encourage those who can step away from work to actually do so.

Barring getting workaholics to play hooky, come up with an LTO menu that’ll inspire them to at least pop by to unwind after a hard day’s work.

July 6: World Kissing Day

There are quite a few cocktails with “kiss” in the title, and these are the drinks you should use to program for this holiday.

The Kiss cocktail, for example, is a gin cocktail with Dubonnet, sweet vermouth, and Luxardo maraschino liqueur. The Widow’s Kiss consists of apple brandy, Yellow Chartreuse, Bénédictine, and Angostura bitters. In other words, it’s not difficult to celebrate this holiday through your drink menu.

July 7: Dive Bar Day

It’s difficult to beat a dive or neighborhood bar when you’re looking for a great time with friends. If you’re a dive or neighborhood bar operator, this is your day.

July 11: National Cheer Up the Lonely Day

Look, the past few years have isolated far too many of us. People are lonely, and this isolation isn’t doing anyone’s mental health any favors.

Bars and restaurants are cornerstones of their communities, so this is an excellent day to encourage people to come in, grab a bite and a drink, and try to make some new friends.

July 13: National French Fry Day

When a French fry is done right, when it’s hot with a crunchy exterior and creamy interior, it’s a perfect food. If you think your team makes amazing French fries, brag about it on social and prove it to your guests.

Better yet, this is a great day to show off your French fry skills with signature loaded versions.

July 14: National Nude Day

Unless you’re running an incredibly niche concept with excellent community and guest support, please don’t celebrate National Nude Day with nudity.

Instead, draw guests in through an enticing LTO menu. You can, for example, highlight your bar team’s prowess for creating the Naked & Famous cocktail, a mezcal cocktail made with Aperol and Yellow Chartreuse. Of course, there’s also the Porn Star Martini, along with other cocktails with names that imply nudity.

July 20: National Moon Day

It may seem like this holiday is related to the previous one, but please behave. You and your guests can celebrate Earth’s sole natural satellite via cocktails.

Not only are there drinks like the Moon cocktail (made with gin and sherry), you can also offer blue, purple, and black cocktails served with large ice cubes.

July 25: Culinarians Day

Are you proud of your kitchen team? Proud of the culinarians that are working hard to make your restaurant a success? This is the day to highlight the mastery of their craft and your signature menu items.

Alternatively, if you can afford to do so, you can also go dark on this day to give your culinary team a break.

July 28: National Get Gnarly Day

If you have some “out there” menu items, this is the day to highlight them. Do you have a food challenge? Promote it! Have some “interesting” bottles in your inventory? Promote them!

Image: Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels

KRG Hospitality menu development. Restaurant. Bar. Cafe. Lounge. Hotel. Resort. Food. Drinks.

by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Kitchen Parlance, Part One

Kitchen Parlance, Part One

by Nathen Dubé

Chef handling flaming pan in commercial kitchen

Entering a professional kitchen might seem like a whole different realm with its own governing rules, and certainly its very own language.

“Clopen?” “All day?” “Behind?” “Covers?” “Deuce,” “dying on the pass”… If these terms sound foreign and made up to you, you’re not alone!

A busy kitchen can be a hot, intense, and stressful environment. Having a full-on conversation takes up valuable time when minutes and even seconds are the difference between a perfectly cooked plate of food and trash.

When actions need to be conveyed quickly and efficiently between two parties or a full team in a loud and fast-paced environment, slang develops out of necessity. Kitchens are no different, with their use of a creative and interesting lexicon.

New owners and operators opening their own concept may find many words and phrases they hear from the kitchen and servers strange at first. This is particularly true of owners and operators who may have little to no back-of-house or serving experience.

To lend a hand to hopeful operators or those opening their doors for the first time, let’s take a look at some of the more popular kitchen terms.

Operational & Equipment Terms

First, let’s take a look at the structural element of a restaurant and how they’re referred to.

Floor

The dining room (or whatever is deemed as guest seating in your establishment) is referred to as “the floor.” When someone asks, “who is on the floor tonight?”, they’re referring to the staff—usually servers—working the floor. Managers will walk the floor to check on guests and aid in service.

Note: The bar area, although it may have counter seating and its own tables, is referred to separately from the floor.

Low Boy

An under-counter refrigerator is called a “low boy” for its below-the-waist positioning, requiring cooks to bend down low to gather ingredients. This can include freezers as well. There are a variety of door configurations, including swinging, and drawer-style. Some even have salad tops where ingredients are kept in the top, under a lid.

Walk-In

A (very) large fridge or freezer, often constructed on site. It has a big swinging door that can be opened from both sides for safety reasons. The majority of raw ingredients—plus some prep and leftovers—are stored here. If you’re wondering where the word comes from, the clue is in the name: it’s so large, you can walk into it.

The walk-in is also notorious for being where restaurant staff go to scream some stress away, as the excellent insulation creates a nice sound barrier from guests.

Mise

The word “mise,” pronounced “meez,” is a slang term for “mise en place.” Mise en place is the French term for “having everything in its place” prior to service. Cooks use “mise” to refer to their own specific set of prepared ingredients, whether in terms of having it ready or not, or even worse, missing.

On the Line

The line, and the term “on the line,” refers to the area in the kitchen where the cooking equipment is located. Of course, this where chefs do most of the cooking during service. A typical line includes a walkway where the cooks work, and a flat table space—usually at the “window” or “pass” (see below)—where they plate, on the opposite side. Not surprisingly, that opposite side is referred to as the “plating area.”

If a concept requires it, there are separate “hot” lines where the hot cooking is done, and “cold” lines, where dishes that don’t require cooking are prepared. Deep fryers, ovens, and ranges are located in the former, and salad stations are located in the latter area. In classic French terms, the garde manger cook usually prepares most dishes on a cold line.

Pass / Window

The pass or window is the area opposite the cooking line where completed orders are placed for server pick-up. Think of passing dishes from the kitchen and you’ll understand this term immediately. Sometimes it will be referred to as a “window” in restaurants that have actual windows into the kitchen line from which food is passed to servers. The pass area is typically where the heat lamps are located, meant to keep dishes warm during a busy service.

The Rail / Board

The term “rail” or “board” refers to a strip of metal mounted to the food window that holds the food tickets (orders) from the kitchen printer in place. This keeps the flow organized and is normally overseen by the chef or line supervisor.

“Calling the board” means the person in charge reads out tickets as they come in, and directs cooking traffic to the other line cooks. Doing so helps to avoid disagreements and chaos in the kitchen. This position is reserved for the highest-ranking or most-talented cook, as it requires excellent cooking and communication skills. “Clear the board or rail” means completing all orders that have come in for the time being.

Chit / Ticket

When a server enters an order into the POS system, a chit or ticket, or even “dupe” (meaning “duplicate,” from the fact that some systems use three-color paper that prints a kitchen copy, a server copy, and an expo, bar, cold line, or pasty section copy), is printed to the kitchen. That ticket is then read aloud to the cooks before being placed in queue on the rail or board. When the food on the order is complete, the copy is marked in some fashion (stamp, marker, pen) and placed under the plate in the window. The server then picks up the food and the chit is “stabbed” on to a spike.

Don’t let spiked tickets fall out of the rail or all hell can break loose and derail a service!

Two-Top / Three-Top

Dining room tables are referred to as “tops” and are identified by how many guests they can accommodate (seats). A table with two chairs is a “two-top” or “deuce.” Tables with four or six chairs are “four-tops” and “six-tops,” respectively.

Covers

Each person who enters the restaurant is a cover: they “cover” one seat. The more covers, the busier a service will be, and vice versa. These numbers are used to project future numbers, staffing requirements, and inventory required. Covers are also a point of pride for kitchen staff. The more covers, the busier the service, and if you can navigate it with few mistakes, the adrenaline rush can directly convince yourself of your own talents.

Dead Plate

A dead plate is a dish of food that’s no longer worthy of the dining room. Sitting in the window too long, incorrect preparation, or even worse, being sent back by a guest results in a dead plate. Untouched dead plates are usually given to dish washing staff or porters; those sent back by guests are tossed in the bin.

Section

A section is how the floor is divided amongst serving staff. Typically, the more talented or senior staff get a bigger section. Designating sections, with all their tables in one close area, helps servers move efficiently during busy periods and keep close tabs on guests. Managers and floor captains will oversee a few or all sections and offer help to the individual servers during busy times or for large parties.

Server Alley

The front-of-house equivalent of the kitchen hot line. This is where everything servers need to do their jobs is located. Extra napkins, spare side plates, cutlery rolls, and cleaning supplies for clearing tables can all be found here. There are usually a few POS terminals here for entering orders.

Team & Guest Terms

These next few slang words are used to talk about certain people.

Expo

“Expo” is the shortened term for “expediter,” or the position of organizing, plating, and (in some cases) garnishing food at the pass. The main responsibility is to makes sure each dish is correct before the food runner or server brings it to the table. This role can be the liaison between front of house and back of house, allowing both teams to do their jobs without having to stop and coordinate.

Busser

Part of the porter team, the busser is the person who clears dishes from a table when guests leave, and drops them in the dish-washing area. The term refers to the bus bin or large plastic tub into which the bussers put all the dishes, flatware, glasses, and debris. They might also be tasked with wiping down tables and resetting them for new guests. Sometimes, the busser will pull double duty and also wash the dishes they bring back to the kitchen.

Trail / Stage

Note: In the foodservice world, “stage” is pronounced “staahj.”

A trail is essentially a training shift during which new team member will “trail” behind a cook or server. This provides the new hire the ability to learn, get comfortable with SOPs, and mitigates any potential mistakes. However, not all establishments have the staffing to offer this scenario and will train a new hire during live action.

A stage is a longer-term trail for a designated period of time. This can be a couple of weeks, a month or two, or an entire season at destination-style dining places, like Michelin-starred restaurants and hotels. The expectation is that this is a learning experience for the cook, who is exposed to new ingredients, recipes, and techniques. An agreed upon time frame is set and the cook trades labor for education.

A Personal Note on Stage

The short-term stage commitment includes the understanding that the restaurant won’t reward you monetarily. We all know the costs of training staff. Imagine investing all that effort and having that person leave after just a month or two.

Now, I despise the term “free labor” for the kitchen or benefiting restaurant. There’s a new argument that has been surfacing over the last few years that stages should be paid internships. I have two problems with this thought process.

One, these are often highly touted restaurants that operate at an elite level, and they’re extremely busy. Having a new body takes up valuable focus and resources from somebody in that kitchen. They are willing to work with you and share all their knowledge and experience.

Often times, there isn’t a chance in hell in getting a job there, and this can be the only way to get a chance at learning from these masters of the craft. Having gained valuable career experience from stages myself, they can be a great alternative if you can’t gain employment with the venues.

Two, those who raise these arguments have no experience in doing them; think they have learned nothing from the stages they may have done; had a bad experience overall; or really have no other alternatives to the points I just mentioned.

Hot tip: If you don’t like working for free, don’t! If you the value in stage, go for it!

Campers

This is a term for people who linger at their table well after they’ve finished and paid. While all guests are welcome to make themselves at home, the problem with campers is that they can take up valuable real estate during busy periods. This is the reason for table time caps at operations that run on the reservation system. They also prevent servers from “turning” tables to serve more guests and increase their tips.

Action Terms

These are some random terms that indicate actions and requests.

Fire

The process of finishing a dish. When an order is printed out, it may have courses such as appetizer, main, and dessert. All courses might be started and cooked to 80 percent completion and then held. The main wouldn’t be fired until after the appetizer. When the person in charge of the line says, “Fire table six mains,” that means finish cooking, plate the dishes, and send them to the pass.

All Day

A very quick way for a cook to request a tally of all the dishes ordered from their section. The line lead will provide totals of each dish, instead of reading out each table’s order. For example, a cook will ask for an all-day on fryers, and the lead will call back, “Six large fry, three medium fry, two poutine, and one chicken nugget.” The cook can quickly add up what they have cooking or need to prepare to fire.

Behind

As you can imagine, in a busy, happening kitchen, there are people racing in all directions in tight spaces. One quick way to avoid collisions around hot equipment and sharp objects is to yell “behind” when passing someone or a station of people. It gives them time to either move out of the way or stay in place to avoid catastrophe.

Other variations include “hot” to indicate hot pots or pans, or the potential of getting burnt. “Sharp” means a knife, and “corner” means coming around the corner. “Behind hot” and “hot, corner” are combinations which mean exactly what you think they mean.

Flash

To reheat a dish, or an item on a plate that sat under the heat lamp too long, or if a guest has requested something cooked further. Usually under a salamander, a convection oven, or a deep fryer for fried food. I’m sure for some establishments (I started out in places where this was the norm), “flashing” means “cooking” an item to well done via microwave.

Heard / Heard That

The acknowledgement that an order has been read by the person running the pass or the line and understood by all in the kitchen. Also works for a direct order to an individual.

In the Weeds

When one station is receiving the majority of the orders at any given time, or the dining room has filled up all at once and all the orders are coming in together, this can create a downward spiral between starting to cook and plating or finishing existing dishes. This is known as being “in the weeds.” The only way to survive is to put your head down and cook your way out. I’ve experienced surviving the weeds and having it ruin an entire service. It all depends on the resilience and talent of the cooks, servers, and leaders involved.

On the Fly

The request for something that is needed quickly. Perhaps the item was missed, dropped, or incorrect, and the rest of the dishes are at the table. Whatever is needed “on the fly” takes precedence over everything else or, worst-case scenario, gets shoehorned into orders coming up.

Stretch It

Kitchen lingo for getting as many portions out of something nearing its end as possible. For example, a saucepan only has enough for four steaks but five are needed. The sauce has completed cooking and the plates are waiting. So, the kitchen needs to “stretch it” and make it work or be down five plates of food.

Waxing a Table

This means giving a table special treatment. This person or these people could be VIPs, return guests, the owner’s family and friends, or an influential food writer. Whoever the are, they’ve been identified and are given a little extra attention by staff.

86

When a menu item has completely run out, the kitchen manager will say the item has been “86ed.” It’s important for the kitchen staff to communicate this to servers as soon as possible so that no more orders are placed for the item.

Family Meal

The pre-service meal enjoyed by all staff on premises. Usually made by the staff from leftovers as a way to showcase creativity and skill.

Comp

Referring to items removed from the bill for an error or because the guest didn’t like it. A comp also comes from waxing a table, of course. It’s important to track comped items for accounting purposes. Comps can be a great way to make guests happy in a pinch. However, owners, operators, executive chefs, and lead bartenders need to be aware of how often comps are being handed out; they can be indicative of quality-control problems or employee theft.

Clopen

This is a portmanteau of “close” and “open.” The dreaded weekend brunch shift comes to mind. Working a busy late Friday or Saturday service and having to come back in the following morning to sling eggs to hungover patrons is a difficult and thankless task. In short, a team member who works back-to-back closing and opening shifts is working a clopen.

FIFO

This stands for “first in, first out,” and references inventory organization, crucial for perishable items. The new items go behind the older ones so that the items that were there first get used first, ensuring freshness and quality. I once had a chef who decided that “FIFO” stood for “fit in, or f*ck off.”

These are just some of the slang terms in the culinary lexicon used to convey quick understanding when under fire. You might also hear differences in dialect between cultures and regions. I’ve worked in both Toronto and Montréal, and there are similarities and differences between terms used in Ontario and Québec, French and English, and English and South American Spanish.

So, next time you’re out dining and you hear one of these words or phrases, you might be able to figure out what’s going on behind the scenes. Tip well, be polite, and try something new!

Image: lasse bergqvist on Unsplash

KRG Hospitality menu development. Restaurant. Bar. Cafe. Lounge. Hotel. Resort. Food. Drinks.

by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

’23 World’s 50 Best Restaurants: 51 to 100

2023 World’s 50 Best Restaurants: 51 to 100

by David Klemt

The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2023 Awards group shot

Last week we checked out the top 50 restaurants around the world, and today we’re taking a look at those ranked 51 to 100.

Narrowing down the 50 best restaurants in the world is a harrowing task. So it makes sense that the World’s 50 Best Restaurants expanded the list to the best 100. Even that, however, must be daunting.

France performed particularly well on the 100 to 51 list this year, clinching six spots. Four of those, unsurprisingly, are located in Paris.

The US, Bangkok, and Spain each have four restaurants on the list. For the US, two restaurants make the rankings in both California and New York.

Operators in Japan earn three spots, with two restaurants in Tokyo and one in Osaka. London also achieves three places on this list.

A number of countries, regions, and cities have two restaurants on the 2023 100 to 51 list: Cape Town, Denmark, Hong Kong, Istanbul, and Mexico.

Again, like to 50 to 1, Canada and Australia don’t have restaurants ranked anywhere on the 51 through 100 list.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023: 100 to 51

  1. Maito (Panama City, Panama)
  2. Fu He Hui (Shanghai, China)
  3. Saison (San Francisco, California, United States of America)
  4. Labyrinth (Singapore)
  5. Ricard Camarena Restaurant (Valencia, Spain)
  6. Ceto (Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France)
  7. La Colombe (Cape Town, South Africa)
  8. Kei (Paris, France)
  9. Neighborhood (Hong Kong)
  10. Kadeau (Copenhagen, Denmark)
  11. Wing (Hong Kong)
  12. Mingles (Seoul, South Korea)
  13. Potong (Bangkok, Thailand)
  14. Ossiano (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
  15. Lyle’s (London, England, United Kingdom)
  16. Enrico Bartolini (Milan, Italy)
  17. Meta (Singapore)
  18. Sazenka (Tokyo, Japan)
  19. Enigma (Barcelona, Spain)
  20. Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Bizkaia, Spain)
  21. Flocons de Sel (Megève, France)
  22. Nuema (Quito, Ecuador)
  23. Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen (Paris, France)
  24. Tantris (Munich, Germany)
  25. Oteque (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
  26. Fyn (Cape Town, South Africa)
  27. Nusara (Bangkok, Thailand)
  28. Cosme (New York City, New York, United States of America)
  29. Sühring (Bangkok, Thailand)
  30. Core by Clare Smyth (London, England, United Kingdom)
  31. Sud 777 (Mexico City, Mexico)
  32. Zén (Singapore)
  33. SingleThread (Healdsburg, California, United States of America)
  34. Le Clarence (Paris, France)
  35. Turk Fatih Tutak (Istanbul, Türkiye)
  36. Burnt Ends (Singapore)
  37. Aponiente (El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz, Spain)
  38. Neolokal (Istanbul, Türkiye)
  39. Arpège (Paris, France)
  40. Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare (New York City, New York, United States of America)
  41. La Cime (Osaka, Japan)
  42. Mérito (Lima, Perú)
  43. Lasai (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
  44. Jordnær (Copenhagen, Denmark)
  45. Sorn (Bangkok, Thailand)
  46. Ernst (Berlin, Germany)
  47. Alcalde (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico)
  48. Brat (London, England, United Kingdom)
  49. Hof van Cleve (Kruishoutem, Belgium)
  50. Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan)

Last Year’s 100 to 51 List

A number of restaurants from the 2022 World’s Best Restaurants, 100 to 51 are also on this year’s list.

Flocons de Sel, located in Megève, France, likely made the greatest gains. In 2022, the restaurant was ranked number 99. This year, Flocons de Sel earned the number 80 spot.

A few restaurants made humble but notable steps in the right direction. As an example, New York’s Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare climbed from 63 to 61. And Ernst, located in Berlin, went from number 62 in 2022 to 55 this year.

Unfortunately, Sud 777 in Mexico City tumbled in 2023. Last year, the venue reached the number 52 spot. This year, however, it’s number 70. That said, it’s the number 70 restaurant in the world. Nothing to be ashamed of, and I won’t be surprised to see the Sud 777 team drive the restaurant back toward the 50s or better in 2024.

To review the 100 to 51 list from 2022, please click here.

Cheers to these 50 top-performing restaurants!

Image: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants

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AI Guesses 2023 Spirited Award Winners

AI Guesses 2023 Spirited Award Winners

by David Klemt

The Matrix-style green, vertical characters on computer screen

Ahead of the 17th annual Spirited Awards ceremony I asked a chatbot called Chat AI to guess the winner in each award category.

Before we get into the chatbot’s guesses, this is solely for entertainment. I’m not a programmer or engineer. I don’t pretend to know how to work with and get the most out of artificial intelligence. I thought this would be a bit of good fun.

In fact, I asked a very simple question, followed by the awards and nominees of each main category: “Can you guess the winner of each category below?”

That’s it—very simple. But, hey, if any of the guesses turn out to be accurate, that’s pretty cool. It will mean that Canada, New York, San Francisco, and Singapore are going to do well this year.

Another note: I couldn’t use ChatGPT, Bing AI, or Google Bard for this little project. It took some doing to find a chatbot that would tackle making award predictions.

Ultimately, it was AI Chat from DeepAI that made the guesses. It did so quickly and without hesitation.

Now, I can’t say that I know what criteria DeepAI AI Chat used to make its guesses. I have no idea if it crawled reviews and articles in a split second. Nor can I say that Chat AI did anything but apply random selection generation (that sounded techy, didn’t it?).

Again, this is really just for fun, so I’m not overly bothered by AI Chat’s methodology. The platform is not, to the best of my knowledge, affiliated in any way with Tales of the Cocktail or their judges. In fact, I didn’t even mention Tales of the Cocktail Foundation or the Spirited Awards when “conversing” with Chat AI.

US Categories

US Bartender of the Year presented by Pernod Ricard USA

Masahiro Urushido, Katana Kitten (New York, New York)

Best US Bar Mentor presented BarSmarts

Nectaly Mendoza

Best US Brand Ambassador presented Libbey

Vance Henderson (Hendrick’s Gin)

Best US Bar Team presented by William Grant & Sons

Pacific Cocktail Haven (San Francisco, California)

Best US Cocktail Bar presented by Absolut Vodka

Service Bar (Washington, DC)

Best US Hotel Bar presented by Grey Goose

Dear Irving on Hudson at the Aliz Hotel (New York, New York)

Best US Restaurant Bar presented by Amaro Montenegro and Select Aperitivo

Kumiko (Chicago, IL)

Best New US Cocktail Bar presented by Diageo Bar Academy

Pacific Standard at the KEX Portland (Portland, Oregon)

International Categories

International Bartender of the Year presented by The Busker

Giorgio Bargiani, Connaught Bar (London, England, United Kingdom)

Best International Bar Mentor presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Agostino Perrone

Best International Brand Ambassador presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Daniyel Jones (House of Angostura)

Best International Bar Team presented by Angostura Caribbean Rum

Paradiso (Barcelona, Spain)

Best International Cocktail Bar presented by Patr​​ón Tequila

Atwater Cocktail Club (Montréal, Québec, Canada)

Best International Hotel Bar presented by Perrier

Botanist at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Best International Restaurant Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Analogue Initiative (Singapore)

Best New International Cocktail Bar presented by Diageo Bar Academy

Night Hawk (Singapore)

Global Categories

Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient presented by Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic

PATRÓN El Alto Tequila

World’s Best Cocktail Menu presented by Diageo Bar Academy

Panda & Sons (Edinburgh, Scotland)

World’s Best Spirits Selection presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Baba Au Rum (Athens, Greece)

Writing & Media Categories

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Difford’s Guide

Best Broadcast, Podcast, or Online Video Series presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

The Speakeasy Podcast

Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

“The Great Mezcal Heist” by Emma Janzen, for Eater

Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Modern Classic Cocktails by Robert Simonson

Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History, or Spirits presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

A SENSE OF PLACE: A Journey Around Scotland’s Whisky by Dave Broom

Image: Markus Spiske on Unsplash

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Tales Reveals Top 4 Awards Finalists

Tales Reveals Top 4 2023 Spirited Awards Finalists

by David Klemt

Cocktail with orange peel garnish resting on glossy white bar top

We’re one month away from the 17th annual Spirited Awards ceremony and the top four nominees in each category have been revealed.

Over the course of the past few months, the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation have been hard at work to narrow the field. They first announced this year’s honorees. Not long ago, they announced the top ten nominees.

Now, we know the top four nominees in the running for each of the Spirited Awards. You can check them out below, with each award organized into one of four main categories: US, International, Global, and Writing & Media.

Congrats to the finalists! We’ll know the winners in just a month.

Cheers!

US Categories

US Bartender of the Year presented by Pernod Ricard USA

  • Caer Maiko Ferguson, DrinkWell / Daijoubu (Austin, Texas)
  • Kapri Robinson, Allegory at the Eaton Hotel (Washington, DC)
  • Masahiro Urushido, Katana Kitten (New York, New York)
  • Christine Wiseman, Marygold’s Brasserie / Broken Shaker (Miami, Florida)

Best US Bar Mentor presented BarSmarts

  • Anu Apte
  • Colin Asare-Appiah
  • Nectaly Mendoza
  • Chris Patino

Best US Brand Ambassador presented Libbey

  • Kiowa Bryan (Spiribam)
  • Chris Cabrera (Bacardi USA)
  • Cameron George (Ardbeg Single Malts)
  • Vance Henderson (Hendrick’s Gin)

Best US Bar Team presented by William Grant & Sons

  • Happy Accidents (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
  • Nickel City (Austin, Texas)
  • Pacific Cocktail Haven (San Francisco, California)
  • Yacht Club (Denver, Colorado)

Best US Cocktail Bar presented by Absolut Vodka

  • Century Grand (Phoenix, Arizona)
  • Double Chicken Please (New York, New York)
  • Overstory (New York, New York)
  • Service Bar (Washington, DC)

Best US Hotel Bar presented by Grey Goose

  • Allegory at the Eaton Hotel (Washington, DC)
  • Dear Irving on Hudson at the Aliz Hotel (New York, New York)
  • Hey Love at The Jupiter (Portland, Oregon)
  • Little Rituals at the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott (Phoenix, Arizona)

Best US Restaurant Bar presented by Amaro Montenegro and Select Aperitivo

  • Café La Trova (Miami, Florida)
  • Cleaver Butchered Meats & Seafood (Las Vegas, Nevada)
  • Kumiko (Chicago, Illinois)
  • Palomar (Portland, Oregon)

Best New US Cocktail Bar presented by Diageo Bar Academy

  • Chez Zou (New York, New York)
  • Martiny’s (New York, New York)
  • Milady’s (New York, New York)
  • Pacific Standard at the KEX Portland (Portland, Oregon)

International Categories

International Bartender of the Year presented by The Busker

  • Gina Barbachano, Hanky Panky (Mexico City, Mexico)
  • Giorgio Bargiani, Connaught Bar (London, England, United Kingdom)
  • Daniel Schofield, SCHOFIELD’S BAR (Manchester, England, United Kingdom)
  • Luke Whearty, BYRDI (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

Best International Bar Mentor presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

  • Simone Caporale
  • Danil Nevsky
  • Agostino Perrone
  • Christina Veira

Best International Brand Ambassador presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

  • Caitlin Hill (Rémy Cointreau)
  • Daniyel Jones (House of Angostura)
  • Dave Mitton (Lot 40 / J.P. Wiser’s)
  • Nicola Riske (The Macallan)

Best International Bar Team presented by Angostura Caribbean Rum

  • ALQUÍMICO (Cartagena, Colombia)
  • Atwater Cocktail Club (Montréal, Québec, Canada)
  • Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel (Singapore)
  • Paradiso (Barcelona, Spain)

Best International Cocktail Bar presented by Patr​​ón Tequila

  • 🔶🟥🔵 (London, UK)
  • ALQUÍMICO (Cartagena, Colombia)
  • Atwater Cocktail Club (Montréal, Québec, Canada)
  • SIPS (Barcelona, Spain)

Best International Hotel Bar presented by Perrier

  • ARGO at the Four Seasons (Hong Kong)
  • BKK Social Club at Four Seasons Bangkok (Bangkok, Thailand)
  • Botanist at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
  • Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel (Singapore)

Best International Restaurant Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

  • Analogue Initiative (Singapore)
  • ARCA Restaurant & Bar (Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico)
  • Bar Kismet (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)
  • Danico (Paris, France)

Best New International Cocktail Bar presented by Diageo Bar Academy

  • Last Word (Singapore)
  • Line Athens (Athens, Greece)
  • Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar (Bangkok, Thailand)
  • Night Hawk (Singapore)

Global Categories

Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient presented by Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic

  • Martini & Rossi Floreale Non Alcoholic Aperitivo
  • PATRÓN El Alto Tequila
  • Saint Benevolence Aged Rum Clairin
  • The Fords Gin Co. Sloe Gin

World’s Best Cocktail Menu presented by Diageo Bar Academy

  • ALQUÍMICO (Cartagena, Colombia)
  • Double Chicken Please (New York, New York)
  • Handshake Speakeasy (Mexico City, Mexico)
  • Panda & Sons (Edinburgh, Scotland)

World’s Best Spirits Selection presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

  • Baba Au Rum (Athens, Greece)
  • In Situ Mezcalería (Oaxaca, Mexico)
  • Raised by Wolves (San Diego, California)
  • Swift Soho (London, England, United Kingdom)

Writing & Media Categories

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

  • CLASS Magazine
  • Difford’s Guide
  • Punch
  • The Cocktail Lovers Magazine

Best Broadcast, Podcast, or Online Video Series presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

  • Black and Brown Podcast
  • Radio Imbibe
  • Shōshin Art Club
  • The Speakeasy Podcast

Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

  • “The Drinks Industry Has an Ageism Problem” by Betsy Andrews, for SevenFifty Daily
  • “The Great Mezcal Heist” by Emma Janzen, for Eater
  • “The Secrets to the Best Dry Martini You’ll Ever Have” by David Wondrich, for The Daily Beast
  • “This Is What Decolonizing a Spirit Looks Like” by Adaorah Oduah, for Punch

Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

  • Mindful Mixology: A Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails with 60 Recipes by Derek Brown
  • Modern Classic Cocktails by Robert Simonson
  • The Bartender’s Manifesto by Toby Maloney with Emma Janzen
  • The New York Times Essential Book of Cocktails – Elevated and Expanded, edited by Steven Reddicliffe

Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History, or Spirits presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

  • A SENSE OF PLACE: A Journey Around Scotland’s Whisky by Dave Broom
  • Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails by Camper English
  • Modern Caribbean Rum: A Contemporary Reference to the Region’s Essential Spirit by Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith
  • Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

Image: cottonbro studio on Pexels

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2023 World’s 50 Best Restaurants Revealed

2023 World’s 50 Best Restaurants: 1 to 50

by David Klemt

Central in Lima, Peru, the winner of the 2023 World's 50 Best Restaurants

The team behind Central in Lima, Peru, the number one restaurant in the world.

We finally know which venues from around the globe claim one of the top 50 spots on the 2023 World’s Best Restaurants list.

As you’ll see below, a few countries and cities perform very well on this year’s list.

For example, five of this year’s restaurants are in Italy, one of which is in the top ten. However, restaurants throughout Spain grab six spots on this year’s list. Three of these are among the top ten restaurants.

France claims four spots. Three of those are in Paris, and one is in the top ten.

London takes three spots, as do Mexico City, and Tokyo. One restaurant in the top ten is in Mexico City.

America has just two restaurants on the 2023 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Both are in New York City, one is in the top ten. Bangkok, Bogotá, Dubai, and German also each have two restaurants on the list.

Peru, like France, also boasts four spots on the list. Each of these four are located in Lima, and two restaurants are among the top ten. Most importantly, one of those restaurants is the number-one restaurant in the world.

For our Canadian and Australian readers, I’m sorry to report that there are no restaurants on the list below that are in your respective countries.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023: 50 to 1

  1. The Chairman (Hong Kong)
  2. Rosetta (Mexico City, Mexico)
  3. La Grenouillère (La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil, France)
  4. Mayta (Lima, Perú)
  5. Orfali Bros Bistro (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
  6. Nobelhart & Schmutzig (Berlin, Germany)
  7. Le Bernardin (New York City, New York, United States of America)
  8. Leo (Bogotá, Colombia)
  9. Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy)
  10. Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)
  11. Restaurant Tim Raue (Berlin, Germany)
  12. The Jane (Antwerp, Belgium)
  13. The Clove Club (London, England, United Kingdom)
  14. Sezánne (Tokyo, Japan)
  15. Plénitude (Paris, France)
  16. Ikoyi (London, England, United Kingdom)
  17. Uliassi (Senigallia, Ancona, Italy)
  18. El Chato (Bogotá, Colombia)
  19. Hiša Franko (Kobarid, Slovenia)
  20. Mugaritz (San Sebastian, Guipúzcoa, Spain)
  21. Frantzén(Stockholm, Sweden)
  22. Boragó (Santiago, Chile)
  23. Kjolle (Lima, Perú)
  24. Florilège (Tokyo, Japan)
  25. Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland)
  26. Belcanto (Lisbon, Portugal)
  27. Septime (Paris, France)
  28. Kol (London, England, United Kingdom)
  29. Elkano (Getaria, Gipuzkoa, Spain)
  30. Den (Tokyo, Japan)
  31. Quique Dacosta (Dénia, Alicante, Spain)
  32. Don Julio (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
  33. Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)
  34. Gaggan Anand (Bangkok, Thailand)
  35. Reale (Castel di Sangro, L’Aquila, Italy)
  36. Le Du (Bangkok, Thailand)
  37. Odette (Singapore)
  38. Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)
  39. A Casa do Porco (São Paulo, Brazil)
  40. Trèsind Studio (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
  41. Table by Bruno Verjus (Paris, France)
  42. Quintonil (Mexico City, Mexico)
  43. Atomix (New York City, New York, United States of America)
  44. Lido 84 (Gardone Riviera, Brescia, Italy)
  45. Maido (Lima, Perú)
  46. Alchemist (Copenhagen, Denmark)
  47. Asador Etxebarri (Axtondo, Bizkaia, Spain)
  48. Diverxo (Madrid, Spain)
  49. Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain)
  50. Central (Lima, Perú)

Last Year’s List

Some of the restaurants above also earned spots on the 2022 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

For example, Ikoyi in London, England, was number 49 last year. The restaurant climbs to number 35 this year.

Bogotá’s Leo was number 48 in 2022 but rises to 43 in 2023.

Central fought to climb one place. Last year, Central was number two. Now, they’re the best restaurant in the world.

For the full list of the top 50 restaurants last year, please click here.

Cheers to this year’s top 50!

Image: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants

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Fire and Ice: Bring Your Teams Together

Fire and Ice: Bring Your Teams Together

by Jared Boller

Ice on fire inside of a Martini glass

If you want to elevate your concept you need to ensure the front- and back-of-house teams are working with each other, not against one another.

There’s nothing wrong with a healthy rivalry and competition, of course. But the key word there is “healthy.” Both teams are crucial to your success, even if they seem like polar opposites.

Analogies are one of the singular greatest educational selling points when you have a group of people in front of you. Not only do they help you get your point across, they also help you to make a topic relatable to the listening novice.

In hospitality there are numerous ways to use analogies as teaching tools. When it comes to mixology or bartending, I like to use fire and ice to represent the kitchen and the bar.

I take this approach because the bar (ice) is the friendly counterpart to the fast and furious kitchen (fire). If you follow my train of thought, you’ll see why I preferthis approach: ultimately, we’re speaking about temperature and its importance in both spaces.

Consider the art of crafting cocktails. You and your bar team should understand dilution and melting rates the same way you know how important temperatures are to steaks. Nine times out of ten, individuals at the table have a personal preference regarding the temperature of their steak.

Guests don’t hesitate to relay this information to the server. Next, the chef and their brigade uses fire and cooking times to ensure each state is cooked properly. Not only that, the mastery of their craft leads to each steak coming out at the same time, cooked to each guest’s preference.

This process is the same for the bar. Stirred, shaken, egg-white cocktails… Bartenders must master their craft to ensure they understand the different types and uses of ice (or no ice) when building drinks. Moreover, they need to use that knowledge to ensure each drink for a table or group comes out at the same time, with the appropriate level of coldness.

In the end, when drinks hit the pass or server’s station, we want drink orders to be delivered as quickly as possible because they’re on the clock. The ice in the drinks start to melt. Hot food begins to get cold. We’re fighting time.

Understanding temperatures and times relates directly to the guest experience. We can tell how well-oiled and skillful front- and back-of-house teams are by watching drinks and dishes hit tables.

Fire

According to Anthropologist Richard Wrangham, who wrote the book Catching fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, people started cooking over open fire more than two million years ago.

Wrangham states that cooking was first seen as “simply chunking a raw hunk of something into flames and watching it sizzle.” Modern chefs may not agree with this style but we are able to see that early human “cooks” came to a few realizations regarding their use of fire. Their food was healthier, tastier, and they may have had more revitalized immune systems.

Obviously, the evolution of modern cooking techniques have advanced through tools, techniques, and vessels over the years. However, regardless of how much innovation we introduce to our kitchens, we’re still using fire and heat to cook our food.

Unless they’re expecting a salad, sushi, or another amazing raw or cold food, guests anticipate their food will be hot or warm upon arriving in front of them. Great chefs take control of their kitchens, techniques, and tools. Their masters of temperature. They have a nearly supernatural understanding of timing.

It’s always a site to behold when someone is masterful in the kitchen. A seemingly endless number of pots and pans raging on burners. Infinite elements of dishes flowing in and out of ovens. Chaos to the novice’s eyes but in reality, flawlessly composed dishes arriving at perfect temperatures.

Ice

We can trace the use of ice in drinks as far back as ancient Egypt. Icy drinks are also well documented by first-century Roman society; emperors, it’s claimed, enjoyed “chilled” cocktails via glacier runoff extracted from the mountains.

Emperors, according to some historians, would store giant blocks of ice in cool cellars, garnishing their tipples with shards of ice. This was both a decadent display of their elite status, and evidence that humans have long appreciated a cold, refreshing drink.

It wasn’t until early 1800s Boston that humankind really began to master ice. A young entrepreneur, Frederic “The Ice King” Tudor, pursued an idea with his brother and launched the ice or frozen water trade. Over the course of just a few decades, the New England-based trade was able to ship ice worldwide.

The Wenham Lake Ice Company, established in the 1840s, harvested giant blocks from the eponymous lake and stored them in a network of ice houses, accessed by a small railroad system. Once a luxury, ice was on its way to going mainstream. Everyone was coming to the realization that drinks tasted better with a bit of dilution and colder temperatures.

Eventually, ice production led to ice harvesting innovations. For example, Clinebell machines that use cold plates to 300-pound, crystal-clear blocks. Along with being clear, the ice blocks are super dense to reduce dilution rates significantly. From glaciers to “harvesting” ice from lakes to full-on factory production, our obsession with ice has led to technological innovation.

Interestingly, however, early 19th century methods of ice extraction are once again in vogue. A cadre of passionate bartenders who view ice as a premium ingredient in and of itself are hand carving ice cubes, spheres, and spears for perfectly curated Negronis or Old-fashioneds.

Takeaway

The bottom line is, temperature is important to anyone working in hospitality. Kitchen and bar teams need to work together to create the best possible products.

Some people think of food or drinks when asked to consider the best restaurants and bars in the world. However, those are products. What sets the best concepts apart is the teams they’ve each built and nurtured.

It’s the passion of each team member and their consideration of the fine details that makes a restaurant or bar notable. So, when we think about fire and ice, we can consider this idea the ultimate geekery in regard to our profession.

Take it from me: When the front of the house and back of the house collaborate, then they’re in sync with one another and nail the small details, they transform first-time guests to repeat brand evangelists.

They may not understand why their experience was so incredible but they’ll become outspoken ambassadors.

Image: Alexander Startsev on Unsplash

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People Aren’t Done ‘Improving’ the Negroni

People Aren’t Done ‘Improving’ the Negroni

by David Klemt

Negroni on edge of white countertop with reflection

It’s possible the infamous Sbagliato Negroni is just the opening salvo from bartenders hell-bent on taking on the traditional specs and build techniques.

Two “new” versions appear to be getting attention now. One is essentially a reverse cocktail. Additionally, it’s likely only really a “new” drink to North Americans.

The other, well, it’s something else entirely. Let’s take a look.

The Mariano, a.k.a the Marianito

This is the Negroni cocktail that’s probably new only in the sense that many North American drinkers are just now hearing about it. In Northern Spain, this is a go-to summer cocktail.

It’s also, like many reverse cocktails, low-ABV and therefore rather sessionable. Further, the Marianito is an excellent ambassador for aperitivo culture.

To be fair, we probably shouldn’t be so reductive and refer to this cocktail as a Negroni riff. So far, I’m unable to uncover the story of its genesis, so I don’t know if the Negroni even inspired the Marianito.

After doing some digging, though, the Marianito apparently first appears in print in 1989. However, some people believe the drink likely traces its origins back to the 1950s. There are also two prevailing origin stories that focus on the name because…of course. This is how so much of cocktail history goes, and I love it.

One story is that “Mariano” is a portmanteau that combines the names of the most popular vermouths in Spain: Martini and Cinzano.

The other story? A waiter who drank little glasses of vermouth (often with a splash of gin or Campari) fell in love with the daughter of someone named Mariano. She didn’t feel the same way, locals in the area found, and they referred to his little drinks as “Marianitos,” after his father-in-law who never was. Not very nice, but alright.

At any rate, the Marianito is a popular summer cocktail. It’s also a year-round drink for many in Northern Spain. Particularly, apparently, in the port city of Bilbao. It’s also a cocktail that is often riffed on, so it lends itself to experimentation.

A Marianito Recipe

Notice this says “a” recipe, not “the” recipe. I’ve come across a few different builds claiming to be the “right” specs.

Some people add 50ml of sweet vermouth, some add 75ml. There are builds that call for vermouth rosso, and those that call for sweet vermouth.

That tells me one thing: bars in Northern Spain like to try and make the Marianito their own. So, experimentation is encouraged.

However, try the specs below before playing around with your Marianito:

  • 75ml Sweet vermouth
  • 15ml Campari
  • 15ml Gin
  • 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
  • (Optional) 15ml Pomelo juice
  • Orange twist and an olive to garnish

The Sushi Rice Negroni

This…is exactly what it sounds like. When building a classic Negroni, you add sushi rice when mixing it.

The theory is simple enough to understand: sushi rice “softens” the flavors of other ingredients. So, adding sushi rice to your build should soften or “round out” the flavors of your Negroni.

Before we get too far, no—the rice doesn’t end up in the glass.

For this technique the bartender adds anywhere from a few grains to two tablespoons of cooked sushi rice to a mixing glass. After that, the build is the same as the standard cocktail, including the final step: straining into a glass over large ice cube.

Interestingly, bartenders can play with using uncooked or cooked sushi rice. Theoretically, this would adjust how much “softer” the drink turns out. And, of course, proponents of this technique say it can be beneficial to cocktails beyond the Negroni.

However, at the moment, it appears that the Negroni once again finds itself as the subject of experimentation. I can only imagine what else bartenders will subject it to before the year’s end.

So, will you and your bar team try the sushi rice technique?

Image: Tim Durand on Pexels

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Credit Card Competition Act, Take Three

Credit Card Competition Act, Take Three

by David Klemt

Hand holding several credit cards

Here we go again: Bipartisan lawmakers in the House and Senate are taking another shot at the Credit Card Competition Act.

After the incredibly underwhelming progress of the Credit Card Competition Act of 2022, lawmakers are making another move. Now, a bipartisan effort is coalescing around the Credit Card Competition Act of…2023.

The “new” bill was introduced on June 7. On the Senate side, Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) are trying to push the bill forward. In the House, Representatives Lance Gooden (R-TX) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) are driving the effort.

Roughly eight months ago it was revealed that 1,802 merchants drafted, signed, and sent a letter to the House and Senate. To summarize quickly, the merchants were pushing for the bill to become law. Another supporter of the CCCA? The National Restaurant Association, claiming that the bill could save merchants $11 billion a year in fees.

Of course, a lot is going on since the introduction of the CCCA of 2022. For one, it’s being widely reported that House Republicans are “revolting,” blocking bills and effectively paralyzing the chamber. There’s also the matter of the second indictment of a former president.

However, reporters who know far more than I about the inner workings of Congress seem optimistic. While there’s drama in the lower chamber, there are articles circulating that seem to think the CCCA of 2023 has enough bipartisan support to pass.

What’s the CCCA Again?

The Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 addresses what the bipartisan lawmakers pushing the bill forward refer to as “the Visa-Mastercard duopoly.”

As I and other journalists have reported previously, Visa and MasterCard in the crosshairs of this bill because of their control over credit card markets. The Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC) said last year that Visa and MasterCard control about 576 million credit cards. That equates to nearly 90 percent of credit and debit cards.

Looking at just the US a couple of years back, people lit up their credit and debit cards for $3.49 trillion in transactions in 2021. In the US, in 2021, the $3.49 trillion in transactions meant Visa and MasterCard collected $77.48 billion in swipe fees.

To combat what some lawmakers are calling a duopoly, the CCCA of 2023:

  • requires credit cards issued by banks with more than $100 billion in assets to be routed through at least two unaffiliated networks;
  • requires that the above banks create competition and allow smaller companies to compete in credit-card processing by offering a non-dominant network choice, also known as “dual routing”;
  • and block networks that are “owned, operated, or sponsored by a foreign state entity” to strengthen national security.

A press release with a link to a one-pager can be found on Rep. Lofgren’s website here.

If you support the CCCA, you can let your lawmakers know by clicking this link.

Image: Avery Evans on Unsplash

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