FOOD FOR THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

The next step in the ORA’s brand transformation is right before your eyes. Just log into our new website at ohiorestaurant.org and scroll through the resources and content designed for restaurant professionals.

The ORA site represents the future of our industry – it’s visually stunning, highlights culinary and food images, and is responsive and mobile-friendly. It showcases the diversity of the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality business. It features our logos and color palette of blueberry, watermelon and quinoa – for those of you who love design as much as our Managing Director of Marketing and Communications, Maureen O’Rourke.

Maureen is the orchestrator o...

Innovation in Foodservice Keeps Coming, Are You Ready for Ghosts?

The pace of change is accelerating in most industries:

• Have you been in an emergency room lately? – Technological breakthroughs are enabling doctors, physician assistants and nurses to better care for patients.

• Been on the floor of an auto manufacturing plant? – Filled with robotics.

• Taken a ride in a driver-less vehicle? – Soon you will be able to in central Ohio thanks to the Smart Columbus initiative.

• The computer/network server in our office at the ORA fits in a small closet. A decade ago servers filled entire floors in climate-controlled offices.

In foodservice, innovation is racing forward. Have you eaten a f...

Volatile weather, cold and snow can negatively impact restaurant sales and this winter is no exception.

According to industry tracking firm TDn2K, U.S. restaurant same-store sales fell 0.3% in January. New England restaurant sales suffering the biggest decline at -2.3%.

The worrisome part of this report is that restaurant traffic, the most important component of sales, fell across the U.S. by -3.0% during January and followed three months where sales were either positive or flat.

Let’s hope tax cuts will boost consumer confidence and offset fears about the rocky stock market. We need a boost to restaurant traffic to regain momentum in February.

The TDn2K report comes right after we heard t...

It’s already been a week since the Mid-America Restaurant Expo in Columbus. I sure hope you attended, but if you didn’t, here’s a quick recap.

Feedback from the thousands of restaurateurs throughout Ohio and the Midwest who attended the Expo was extremely positive. They loved it and can’t wait for next year.

Attendees appreciated all of the excellent exhibitors, new contacts and business opportunities. They learned from elite speakers and experienced several brand new elements, including the Flavors of the Midwest and Burger Battle. Our Industry Award winners were inspiring, especially lifetime achievement winner Dan Young of Young’s Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs...

Ohio restaurateurs are hoping the cold, snowy and icy weather over the first three weeks of the year begins to ease. I’ve spoken with many restaurant operators recently and business has been good in January – when they're open and roads are passable.

Those of us who've been in the industry for years know that weather can negatively impact sales as customers stay home rather than eating out. Unlike many other industries and businesses that catch up on sales as weather improves – such as automobiles, appliances, services, clothing, etc. – once a restaurant loses a meal occasion, the revenue goes with it. Customers end up replacing a potential restaurant meal by eating at...

Every coach and leader knows you win with great people. That’s why we’re re-organizing our team to address the evolution of the restaurant industry, and improve our products and services for members. It’s why we’re building our board of directors with an array of talent.

Over the past year, the ORA added top-notch directors, and we’ve frequently shared updates with you about them. See your current board here.

These directors bring an array of restaurant and foodservice industry backgrounds, diversity and management expertise to the ORA, plus impressive skills in management, foodservice operations, culinary, franchising, catering, equipment, distribution, finance, ...

Sales at restaurants across the U.S. and Ohio are reportedly improving. This is confirmed by multiple sources and my conversations with owners, operators and general managers.

According to Larry Miller, a long-time restaurant analyst I worked with for years when I led Wall Street responsibilities for The Wendy’s Co. and Tim Hortons, same-store sales increased 1.4 percent at restaurants in October. It was the best performance he has tracked since February of last year, according his “MillerPulse” index.

That’s the good news as sales turned positive for the first time since June. More good news was that casual dining was the bright spot. Its same-store sales performance i...

Wal Ozello

My first job at Wendy’s was in their Communications Department as a video editor. When Dave Thomas passed away, I was tasked with creating a video montage of all the great things he said at our Annual Franchisee Convention over the years. I remember popping in the tape from 1984 and listening to Dave talk about excelling at customer service, having clean restaurants and above all, making sure Wendy’s made the best tasting food. There was also some of his signature catch phrases (we called them Davisms): “quality is our recipe,” “treat people with respect,” “give something back,” and “take care of your business and your business ...

The ORA is remaking itself on a daily basis. After nearly 100 years of serving the foodservice industry in Ohio, the accelerating pace of change in business today requires new and smarter thinking to help our members thrive.

What are the facts? Our members who operate restaurants and serve customers face a growing list of topics to master. No longer can a restaurant survive on just a great menu and a commitment to service. Restaurant owners and operators are SUPER busy with a range of priorities:

• establishing a top-notch culture that attracts good people

• solving hiring, training and retention issues in an era where it’s hard to find qualified employees

• managing the strangling healthcare ch...

Most organizations invest considerable time assessing their people. The best employees are recognized for leadership and accomplishments. MVPs lift their organizations to new heights. They drive vision and mission. They champion excellent values. They achieve big goals. They elevate their teams to succeed. They work hard and smart. They grow revenue. They make money.

Just this week, at the annual MUFSO conference for the foodservice industry, Jack Butorac of Marco’s Pizza was named 2017 Operator of the Year. Jack took a small, regional pizza-delivery concept and turned it into one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the country. Click here to read more about it.

White Castle C...