Kitchen exhaust hood and ductwork systems are designed to catch cooking vapors and carry them out of the building. But what happens if these kitchen exhaust systems are heavily laden with highly flammable particulate matter and grease residue? You got it. Fire. Everything can go up in flames. Grease is the Primary Culprit How can airborne grease become a commercial kitchen’s number one enemy? The act of cooking creates a number of effluents such as grease, moisture, and smoke. When the ventilation fan is turned…Continue Reading “Getting the Grease Out – Preventing Kitchen Exhaust Fires”
Some restaurants have taken social responsibility to a whole new level. Driven By Purpose Driven by a social purpose to make the world a better place, these conscious eateries are demonstrating that you can combine social value with delicious food and end up with happy, satisfied customers as well as an enriched community. Social Activism Whether it’s mentoring Aboriginal youth, supporting environmental conservation projects, offering training programs to refugees, or bringing awareness to pay inequality, many restaurants around the country are dishing up social activism…Continue Reading “6 Mission-Driven Restaurants that Serve More than Food”
Suprise! Food Inspection Surprise food inspections are the epitome of a restaurant manager’s worst nightmare. This is usually make-it or break-it time. If you aren’t adequately prepared then it is usually the latter. Imagine the consequences. Failing grades about your restaurant’s food safety program posted at the entrance for all customers to see when they visit. Fines Or Violations Major fines or violations costing you tens of thousands of dollars. Or even worse, the shutdown of your restaurant. Of course, there is the well-being of…Continue Reading “Four Practices Restaurant Managers Can Do to Prepare for Surprise Food Inspections”
Rise Of Tea The rise of tea houses around the world has seen a dramatic growth over the past few years. With the global availability of specialty teas and the demand for healthier hot beverages, tea rooms have been popping up all around the world. Australia is no different. After taking a back seat to coffee for quite some time, tea is rising in popularity once again. Fashionable tea rooms are coming onto the scene and offering specialty and artisanal teas to the curious and…Continue Reading “Favorite Tea Houses in Australia”
If a customer sees, hears, or smells a pest in your restaurant their is no-turning-back for that customer or for your restaurant. So…what can you do to prevent this?
Are you opening up a new restaurant and looking for ways to lighten your load financially? Then consider the possibility of leasing your commercial kitchen equipment. If you are working within a limited budget, outfitting your kitchen with leased equipment may make the most sense and can save you loads of money during the initial start-up phase. It may also be the best decision for your restaurant’s future. The Upside of Leasing Initial cost savings Buying new kitchen equipment can be a very expensive endeavour….Continue Reading “Why Leasing Restaurant Equipment May Be a Wiser Choice”
Indigenous Ingredients Indigenous ingredients are going mainstream in Australia. Lemon myrtle, quandong, muntries, saltbush, and warrigal are just some of the native foods that are being embraced by the country’s leading chefs and transformed into culinary creations. Bush tucker, or wild food, is definitely on the menu. Aboriginal people were the first to subsist on native foods and thrived on over 5,000 local food species for thousands of years before the European settlers arrived in Australia. The revival of indigenous ingredients is due in part…Continue Reading “Is Bush Food on the Menu?”
Is the air at your hotel hazardous to your guest’s health? According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the air you breathe indoors can be up to 100 times more polluted than the air you breathe outside. In a confined hotel room, this level of pollution can even be higher. Contaminants In The Air Air-borne contaminants such as mold, mildew, dust, smoke, and other contaminants are physically trapped within your guest rooms and pose a real threat to your customers, especially ones with allergies or…Continue Reading “Five Reasons You Need To Clean Up Air Quality In Your Hotel”
Espresso has been firmly entrenched in the Australian coffee culture since World War II. As a café owner wishing to capitalize on this growing global trend, choosing the right espresso machine for your business may be the most daunting task of all. Types of Espresso Machines Based on your business preferences and customer needs, there are two general types of espresso machines to choose from. Super-Automatic This is the “do it all for you” machine and boasts the advantage of having the espresso machine do…Continue Reading “What Espresso Machine Is Right For Your Café”
“Every year an estimated 100,000 tonnes of commercial food waste is generated in South Australia by the hospitality sector and other businesses – and only 6000 tonnes is recycled or composted. Food that ends up in landfill creates methane – a greenhouse gas 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.” (Zero Waste SA, 2012) It is no secret that the food service industry is notorious for creating massive amounts of waste that ends up in the landfill. Alarming Amounts Of Food Wastage From alarming amounts…Continue Reading “Are Zero Waste Restaurants Really Possible?”