The National Restaurant Association (NRA) recently released employment projections for summer 2009, and the information is positive: It’s expected that eating and drinking places across the country will add over 381,000 jobs during summer. This is a 4.1 percent increase from the employment level in March of ‘09.

Many are interpreting this good news as an indication that the restaurant industry is recovering from the economic downturn. Jobs in the restaurant industry play a large role in America, as there are 13 million employees working at about one million restaurants in America — which makes the restaurant industry one of the biggest employers in the country. In the next decade, it’s expected that there will be 15 million employees in the restaurant industry.

An article in QSR Magazine talked about the NRA’s projections, noting that the industry added jobs in May for the first time in 10 months, though U.S. employment growth remains negative. Because of travel and tourism in the summer months, restaurants typically beef up their staff to be prepared for an increase in traffic. Only the construction industry beats the restaurant industry when it comes to America’s largest creators for seasonal jobs during summer.

So which states will add the most jobs at eating and drinking places for summer 2009? New York tops the list with 32,900 jobs; Calfornia comes in a close second with 30,900 jobs; and Texas is third with 26,400 jobs. On the other end, because summer isn’t their peak season for travel and tourism, the states of Arizona and Florida will see a decline in employment.

Keep Up with Summer Restaurant Traffic

Does your restaurant typically see an increase in traffic during the summer months? Be sure you’ll be able to handle more customers by getting quality, reliable restaurant equipment. From Vulcan ranges to Vita-Mix Blenders, ShortOrder.com has the lowest prices on restaurant equipment.

We all know times are tight right now. Some experts are pointing towards signs of a slow recovery, the keyword there being slow. How do you keep customers coming into your restaurant, and more importantly spending money?

Get the customers in the door!

You might consider lowering the prices on your offerings, or offering free desserts to entice clients. In order to make up for lower tickets, you’ll need to turn more tables. Avoid rushing the customer experience, but the more tables you turn, the more money you’ll make.

In house marketing

It’s usually pretty affordable to get some table tents and run contests to encourage servers to up-sell. Sometimes it’s as easy as a server walking through the restaurant with a fresh loaf of garlic bread or some sizzling onions, both known to stir hunger in customers.

Broaden your appeal

Do you donate to charity? Perhaps you could consider it now. Have charity nights on your slower nights. Encourage customers to bring in canned goods for a local charity and offer $5 off a ticket of $30 with 3 canned goods. Or host a job fair and let local businesses set up tables for short interviews — have a “job fair” special for those attending.

Customer service

Customer service will be of utmost importance for your business now. Gone are the days of snooty servers; guests will want to be treated as such and want to feel welcome and appreciated.

Though the economic recovery is sure to be a slow one, it is not time to cut marketing budgets, no matter how tempting that may be. Encourage locals to choose your business over the others by teaming up with other local businesses for a co-marketing theme coupon (think dinner and a movie, or family night out).

Flexible restaurateurs are sure to succeed in any economy, so think outside of the box and have some fun with it!

Some restaurants may soon be required to disclose nutrition information on their menu. It’s all a part of a campaign recently launched by The Coalition for Responsible Nutrition Information. They are hoping to pass national legislation that would result in chain restaurants and other restaurants using a uniform standard to present nutrition information to patrons.

Since healthy eating habits and weight loss are quickly becoming a concern for many consumers, restaurants that provide consistent nutrition information will be giving people more control over what they’re eating. Basically, the thought is that the more consumers know about what they’re eating at restaurants, the better able they’ll be to make healthy choices at restaurants.

This proposal is known as the LEAN Act, and if passed, it’d give restaurant patrons a great amount of information that they can use to make better choices when they dine out. Some information that would be included: trans fats, cholesterol, carbohydrates, protein, calories and sodium.

So of course comes the question of where this information will be located in restaurants. It must be given in writing in a convenient way that fits in with the restaurant. For example, sit-down restaurants may put the nutrition information on their menu, while fast-food restaurants may display nutrition information on a poster or electronic kiosk.

Restaurant Equipment and Healthy Eating

Restaurant equipment and healthy eating go hand-in-hand. If you’re a restaurant owner who is selling healthy food options, you’ll need quality restaurant equipment to get the job done. Whether you’re a salad restaurant in need of Hobart food cutters or walk-in refrigerators, or a sandwich and smoothie shop in need of a commercial work table or commercial blender, ShortOrder.com has you covered. Start shopping now to get everything you need for your restaurant.

What’s the Price of Price Fixing?

Price fixing – that is, when a manufacturer sets a minimum retail price for their products – may be secretly taking a bite out of your bottom line.

In our free market economy, supply and demand usually determine where prices are set. If a product is popular, the price rises; if it doesn’t sell well, the price falls. However, every now and then, a manufacturer tells its retailers that they can’t sell a product as cheaply as they’d like to. Price fixing like this makes it hard for those retailers to bring you the best, most competitive deals.

Price Fixing and the Economy

Price fixing has a chilling effect on the restaurant industry and business in general. Both at work and at home, you may find that the products you want or need are out of your budgetary range – even though the manufacturer could sell those products at an affordable price if they wanted. If hundreds or thousands of people aren’t buying the products they desire, that means less money moving through the economy, and more demand for business credit in an economy that’s already strapped.

Thirty-five of the 50 state attorneys general wrote Congress in May 2008, asking that they pass a law to make price fixing illegal. They believe that “resale price maintenance” or price fixing will feed inflation and add $300 billion to annual consumer costs.

What You Can Do About Price Fixing

We at Short Order are committed to bringing you the best possible value for your restaurant equipment needs. We believe we deliver a compelling combination of service, support, and yes, competitive prices. Price fixing affects our business, and it probably affects yours too.

If you want to take a stand against price fixing, sign the petition at StopPriceFixing.org. The site has plenty of stories and information about price fixing and how it affects your wallet.

Restaurant equipment dealers are starting to get a little busier this month, and that could be attributed to the restaurant industry seeing an overall improvement to business compared to the past few months.

Restaurant Equipment Dealers Enjoy Business Increase

According to an article that appeared last week on Forbes.com and on the Associated Press wire, privately-held restaurant chains, single locations and locations that have been open at least one year were down in August in 42 percent of the respondent restaurants.  However, these same restaurants are starting to see an increase in their sales this month, possibly due to the easing up of gas prices. This means that restaurant equipment dealers are seeing a business increase as well.

Restaurant Equipment Dealers See the Light

The article also stated that publicly-held restaurant companies are starting to see nice improvements in their stocks, with some stocks increasing by almost two dollars a share.  This light at the end of the business slump tunnel is great for everyone in the restaurant industry, including restaurant equipment dealers, as each section of the industry depends on the sales in the restaurants.  Though this means people in the restaurant industry are busy, it’s safe to say they’re probably not complaining.

Restaurant Equipment Dealers Have What You Need

With an increase in business in September and with the busy holiday season fast approaching, this might be a great time to check out all of your restaurant equipment and make sure that it is all up to snuff.  ShortOrder has the widest selection of commercial kitchen equipment at great prices.  We carry commercial ranges, ice machines, refrigerators and so much more from companies like Manitowoc, Vulcan, Hobart, Beverage-Air and Frymaster.

If you are finding that some of your equipment is in need of replacing, make sure to contact one of ShortOrder’s restaurant equipment specialists.

Jon Bon Jovi is getting into the restaurant business. Rumor has it the rocker is set to open a restaurant in East Hampton, New York called Blue Parrot.

An actor and musician, Bon Jovi is also known for his charitable work. Bon Jovi has helped such organizations as the Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity and the Red Cross. By opening a restaurant, Bon Jovi will join the list of other celebrities-turned-restaurateurs like Michael Jordan, Robert de Niro, Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez.

Bon Jovi’s restaurant will open in summer 2009 according to the New York Post, though not many other details are known about the endeavor since Bon Jovi’s spokespeople are keeping things hush-hush.  What is known is that Bon Jovi is teaming up with investor Ron Perelman to open the Blue Parrot restaurant. Blue Parrot is a Tex-Mex restaurant that’s been closed for about two years, but when it was open, it was known for its karaoke nights. No word on whether Bon Jovi will reinstate karaoke nights and sing for patrons at Blue Parrot, but it’s safe to say fans are hoping they’ll be treated to a rockin’ rendition of “Blaze of Glory” as they eat fajitas and enchiladas.

Beverage-Air Refrigerator Resource Launched

Beverage-Air refrigerator buyers will now be able to learn more about their refrigerators – and get some great information – just by stopping by ShortOrder.com. Beverage-Air products now have their own informative blog on the restaurant equipment website that will inform restaurant equipment buyers how to enjoy their Beverage-Air refrigerator and get the most out of it for years and years to come. The Beverage-Air refrigerator blog is at beverageair.shortorder.com.

Beverage-Air and ShortOrder Keep Cool Together

Beverage-Air and ShortOrder.com have had a long and wonderful relationship and the blog is a sign of ShortOrder’s commitment to this top restaurant refrigerator manufacturer. ShortOrder.com has been carrying the refrigerator manufacturer’s products for years and considers Beverage-Air to be one of the restaurant equipment buyer’s first choices for efficient, low-maintenance cold food storage.

Beverage-Air Means Quality

Beverage-Air, the largest supplier of commercial refrigeration, was founded in 1944 by Herman Buffington in the small town of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The headquarters still exists in Spartanburg and is where all the state-of-the-art designs created by Beverage-Air are researched and designed.

Beverage-Air is best known for its reach-in merchandiser coolers, freezers, refrigerators and self-contained beer dispensing units. However, Beverage-Air is quickly becoming the leader in pizza and food preparation units, school milk coolers, and deli and floral display units.

Beverage-Air’s vision is “to be the global preferred supplier of quality equipment to the foodservice, beverage and related industries by being pro-active and innovative employees who are measured by our customers’ satisfaction, our company’s reputation and profitability.”

Beverage-Air Refrigerator Blog Just Tip of Iceberg

ShortOrder is very excited to be adding the Beverage-Air refrigerator blog to the information that ShortOrder already provides to restaurant owners and their equipment buyers. From the Buyer’s Guides on everything from steamers to ice machines to the “What’s Cookin’?” newsletter and restaurant equipment blog that keeps you up-to-date on the restaurant industry, ShortOrder.com has got all your bases covered.

Restaurant industry change is necessary

The restaurant industry is a combination of old and new. Preparing delicious food is a practice as old as humanity — even though the restaurant equipment used varies from a cave campfire to a stainless steel Vulcan range with 32,000 BTU burners. At the same time, diners are a discriminating bunch, and successful entrepreneurs know that today’s trendy restaurant can quickly become passe and bankrupt.

The restaurant industry must adapt to stay viable

Although the restaurant industry is cyclical, responding to the seasons of the economy, it also must evolve to prosper. And it’s apparent that the restaurant industry has often struggled with the retention of key employees. Many smart, talented individuals work in the restaurant industry — and then quickly leave it for other industry that is considered more “career-friendly.” The restaurant industry struggles from the stigma of this popular perception, and it’s not without cause. Although they can be immensely rewarding, creatively, financially, and emotionally, restaurant industry jobs can be hard and the pace is fast. This situation costs the restaurant industry dearly in high turnover rates, training costs, lower productivity, and of course, the loss of talent.

The National Restaurant Association, as part of their Cornerstone Initiative, has taken positive steps to address this situation. Their Retirement Benefit Program allows Association member restaurants can offer retirement benefits to owners and employees. The program is administered by the American Buying Retirement Services, Inc.

Restaurant industry businesses should investigate retirement benefits

If you’re interested in retaining your best restaurant employees — and who isn’t? — you should take a look at setting up retirement benefits. In this era of do-it-yourself retirement plans, you might be surprised at how little it might cost. For some no-nonsense restaurant retirement plan advice, refer to these restaurant industry tips at the NRA website.

The employees at your restaurant or kitchen won’t be expecting a full-blown pension. If you can construct a sensible 401(k), SIMPLE-IRA, or SIMPLE 401(k), though, many of them will be more apt to visualize a long-term career with your restaurant — and that’s a future you should be encouraging.

Restaurant equipment purchases and capital expenditure are on the rise, according to the National Restaurant Association. Fifty-nine percent of restaurant operators reported planning to make a capital expenditure such as purchasing new restaurant equipment, expanding or remodeling in the coming months. Also, Fifty-three percent reported purchasing restaurant equipment or making other capital expenditures in the month of May.

This news comes as the National Restaurant Association reports increased restaurant performance for the third straight month, with increases in same store sales and traffic.