Angry Birds Baked in a Pie

How Many Angry Birds Baked in a Pie

Angry Birds - Not quite baked in a pie but on top of cupcakes.  How's this for mixing brains with batter.  This article extracted from On Food magazine. 

Melbourne bakery chain Ferguson Plarre has been awarded the exclusive Australian rights to the much-hyped Angry Birds empire. 

The smartphone game, which has been downloaded over half a billion times so far, is expected to do particularly well in the children's category.

"We anticipate this range to be especially popular for children’s parties and with 100 per cent edible images, they are perfect for children," says Chris Ferguson, retail manager of Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses.

The chain became interested in the Rovio phenomenon - which recently opened its first retail store in China - several months ago after observing the global phenomenon.

"We went straight to the source, [game developer] Rovio in Finland, to ask permission to use the imagery on our products and in November we were granted the license," says Chris.

In the first week of availability the stores received orders for more than 3,500 units of cupcakes with the imagery.

It now hopes to roll out Angry Birds birthday cakes shortly.

Ferguson Plarre is a family owned and operated business that is now in its fifth generation, with it's first site opening in 1901 on Melbourne's Lygon St.

It now has over 50 stores across the Victorian state and is celebrating its 110th birthday this year.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Food Strategy's director Robert Green has been appointed to the FCSI (Foodservice Consultant's Society International) www.fcsi.org international board of trustees 2012 for the Australia and New Zealand chapters.  This is a humbling appointment - to be acknowledged by the global FCSI board in Canada as a professional foodservice consultant of international status and to represent the board in their professional capacity.


Robert is already an accredited Professional member of FCSI #5381190 and has now accepted the extra responsibility associated with the board of trustees.  Robert intends to continue to demonstrate the ethics, integrity and high standards of foodservice consultants world wide.  
Food Strategy has access to a world wide group of fellow foodservice professionals that can meet all your needs from HACCP compliance, menu analysis to design.
Just another reason to rest easy with www.foodstrategy.com.au for all your commercial kitchen design needs.

Outsourcing your designs- does it work?

"Outsourcing" is a buzz word on everyone's lips. It usually conjours up the process of using resources external to the organisation whether that be locally or overseas. 
It usually means saving money.This can be a controversial topic.  www.FoodStrategy.com.au discusses how it can help your franchise.

Controversy aside; there is a real need for businesses of all sizes to grow and develop in new areas as the times change. It can be cumbersome and costly to bolt on a permanent staff member or team to enable this growth.

Imagine you are a food franchise group (new or established):
You are in a position to roll out new stores or restaurants for keen franchisees.
The outlook is positive but you know that future markets and economies can be fickle so you exercise caution.
As the owner or franchisor, you have a great idea of how your concept should look when it's open but don't know how to make it happen.

You could recruit a construction manager to oversee the projects, a few computer drafters and an admin assistant to shuffle the paperwork. Then invest in printers, computers, software and peripherals so they function.  This group of people become a fixed cost to your franchise overheads and require a constant stream of work to be viable on a weekly basis.

There are the hastles with; getting the designs to work functionally in a tight space; ensuring the brand is reflected in the end result; travelling to project locations; insurances; council approvals; catering equipment selection and construction price variations; conflicting advice; builders and shopfitters queries and disagreements; council signoff and franchisee satisfaction.

Or - you could outsource.
Franchise groups can cut massive overheads by outsourcing the complete service on a store by store basis. You only pay as you need the work.  You could maintain control or pass the costs to your franchisees.
Food Strategy (www.foodstrategy.com.au) is already set up and has perfected your design and construction management department.  Food Strategy functions independently as a design and contract management facility specialising in foodservice with industry trained staff. 
Here's how it can work for your franchise:


You get:

• Fixed quotes - Know how much the design and contract management will cost for each project before you start. Pay as you go. No ongoing contracts.
• Fully detailed and accurate documented designs - ready for the builders, shopfitters and catering equipment suppliers to work with.  They will give you their best prices with less variations and risk. View the designs in accurate 3D so your franchisees can understand them as well.
• Tender documents - Be able to transparently compare your suppliers construction and equipment costs 'apples for apples'.  Flush out how they are pricing your project and detect any oversights or cutting of corners.  Reduce the nasty $$ surprises at the end of the project.
• Council approvals - no hassles. We sort out the red tape.
• Advice and answers to your shopfitters and supplier's curly questions before, during and after construction.
• Project sign off and handover of all documents for your records.
• Open communication channels and trust between you and your franchisee.  Anyone is welcome in our office to see the work in progress. We've done it all before so we understand that communication and information is vital to your franchise success.
• Peace of mind

Tip: Don't Use Cookie Cutters
To save money - never treat your franchise designs like a 'cookie cutter'. Every site is unique.
 No two projects are identical in size, dimensions and existing infrastructure. 
Shopfitters and suppliers can't give your their 'best' prices and best work based on 'loose', 'conceptual' or 'cookie cutter' designs. 
If you give your shopfitters and suppliers fully detailed FACTS in a plan with full construction documentation - they can rest easy and give you their 'best price'.

Now everyone's on the same page!
Call us to see how 'outsourcing' can get you ahead by saving time and money and overheads.

P: +61 7 3354 2055 E: news@foodstrategy.com.au

Food Strategy In Italy | The Itinerary

For those who will be following www.FoodStrategy.com.au as we study and research world leading cooking and foodservice solutions in Italy at the Zanussi & Electrolux Professional factory and head office - you can find our itinerary here. Look out for daily blog posts.

Here is a brief snapshot:

• Friday 4th November:  Farewell Brisbane via Dubai to arrive in Venice 5th November. 
• Shake off the jet lag in Venice until Sunday night 6/11.

Then we begin a solid week of training and development with world class executive chefs, design and technology experts, business and quality management specialists at the Zanussi and Electrolux Professional headquarters.

• Monday 7/11:  Product overviews of ovens and equipment; product training and live demos; horizontal cooking concepts; factory tour
• Tuesday 8/11: Dishwashing factory tour; refrigeration factory tour; product insights; refrigeration insights and future research and development
• Wednesday 9/11: Oven factory tour; Cook-Chill product training, interactive and live demonstrations; 
• Thursday 10/11 to Saturday 12/11: Tour of Rome and local foodservice establishments.

QUESTIONS?  If you have any questions, email them to news@foodstrategy.com.au and we will ask the experts while we are there.
With all these chefs around I don't think we will only be eating pizza.
It's a tough job but someone has to do it. We are only doing this for the benefit of our clients - honest!

Follow and learn with us via this blog or - 

www.foodstrategy.com.au

www.facebook.com/foodstrategy

www.twitter.com/foodstrategy 

Off to Italy with Zanussi

Next week; Chris Green and Katrina Robinson of www.FoodStrategy.com.au will be joining Curtis Eastwell of www.JLLennard.com.au on the ultimate training and business development trip to Zanussi Professional's massive headquarters in Vallenoncello - Pordenone Italy. For those less travelled, Pordenone is situated a short drive from Venice.
For our clients; we will be researching European food service and catering equipment solutions to bring you the latest wold leading ideas and sustainable practices to incorporate into our commercial kitchen designs.
We invite you to follow our journey via this blog (sign up below) or subscribe to our newsletter (send email to news@foodstrategy.com.au), Facebook or Twitter.

About Zanussi
Zanussi Professional aims to give a better and more creative working environment to millions of chefs worldwide. The brand offers a range of over 3000 dedicated products for food preparation, cooking, ventilation refrigeration and dishwashing. The complete Zanussi Professional range is designed to make life easier, food tastier and cleaning up quicker, whilst also helping to protect the environment. Zanussi Professional is a unique reference point to help the customer create his/her perfect kitchen, enabling Italian gastronomic culture to be interpreted at its best around the world.

Keep in touch!
www.FoodStrategy.com.au
www.Facebook.com/FoodStrategy
www.Twitter.com/FoodStrategy

Pop Up Restaurants | Part 4 - Catering Equipment & Fitout

Pop Up Restaurants | Part 5 - Catering Equipment & Fitout

www.FoodStrategy.com.au continues our discussion with invited industry professionals on the topic of Pop Up restaurants.

Catering Equipment & Fitting out the Kitchen with Curtis Eastwell (Chef & Representative at JL Lennard Food Equipment)

Curtis Eastwell loves the concept of a pop up restaurant, but has concerns about logistics and business profitability. While it’s a great way for chefs to showcase it may be difficult to be financially viable says Eastwell, chef at JL Lennard Food Equipment.

Dining tables, chairs and a bar could be set up relatively easily, just about anywhere. But the biggest challenge in setting up a pop-up restaurant would definitely have to be the kitchen. The Zanussi accessory of an integrated exhaust canopy which sits directly on top of the 6 and 10 tray combi ovens by JL Lennard is a good consideration. This hood collects the fumes from the exhaust valve on the top of the oven as well as heat and steam which escapes when the front door is opened. The hood is equipped with a fan which can expel the exhaust through ducting to the outside.

A temporary grease trap can be set up through a cleverly designed fat separator stand for a combi oven. The liquid waste from the combi drops into a collection pan full of water, which is integrated into the combi stand. The fat and grease rises to the top of the water, which then gets trapped in a separate chamber allowing clean water to run out the back into a drain or bucket. All grease is then emptied out of the fat separator at the end of the day and thrown in the bin (not down the sink).


Controlling the heat in a pop-up restaurant is a major factor to consider. Zanussi induction cook tops are a very efficient cooking method which do not expel much heat into the cooking environment, unlike gas cooking appliances. The heat is generated only on contact with the base of the pan or pot. The 2-plate induction top with a total 7kW power which should be acceptable without an exhaust canopy.

Another great cooking option, which is most underutilized in kitchens, is XLT conveyer ovens. While traditionally used in the pizza industry, conveyor cooking can be utilised for so much more, as it is just a fan forced convection oven with a conveyer running through it. Steaks, seafood, breads, grilled oysters, desserts etc. Due to the way in which these ovens heat and re -circulate the hot air they do not expel excessive heat from the chamber. These are generally run on gas, so could happily be hooked up to a nearby LPG bottle

The Henny Penny humidified holding cabinets are a very efficient method of holding hot food while maintaining optimal food quality. In a scenario where chefs have limited cooking equipment and have to juggle many items through minimal cooking appliances, a heated holding cabinet would be a necessity.

For the prepping side of this style of restaurant, a HFE vacuum packing machine would give significantly longer shelf life, cut down on prep time and provide a hygienic sealed method of storing foods either fresh, cooked or frozen.

After desserts are eaten - it’s time for an espresso. Consider a coffee cart which has a built in water pump and drain collection integrated below. The Brasilia espresso machine from JL Lennard requires power supply to extract a perfect espresso every time. It would also run quite happily on a generator to become a self contained, lean, mean , bean machine!

Our conclusion to the Pop Up Restaurant series on this blog:

It’s all very do-able, and there is only ONE rule – it must comply with the health codes. Everything else comes second. Now what’s your purpose? Where’s your venue? Let’s talk popping-up.

Article by www.foodstrategy.com.au. Extract published in Eat Drink magazine

Pop Up Restaurants | Part 3 - Catering Equipment & Safety

Pop Up Restaurants | Part 3 - Catering Equipment & Safety.
www.FoodStrategy.com.au continues our discussion with invited industry professionals on the topic of Pop Up restaurants.

Catering Equipment & Safety with Doug Scully (CFSP & Chef & National Accounts Sales Manager www.moffat.com.au) 

As an experienced chef, Doug agrees with Food Strategy, equipment choice and power demands are a big factor. Gas is preferred due to its portability, consideration to hiring equipment, the durability of heavy duty gear that can be moved around and flexibility of multiple uses.
With the selection of fryers you should consider Stainless Steel pans rather than mild steel. Stainless fryers are better suited as they are less prone to expansion and contraction of the pan and will last longer and hold up better to being moved around.
Electrical equipment can be considered but look for pieces that can be moved easily and do not require large generators to run. There are even mini combi ovens available these days that have their own water draw and waste draw built in so they do not need to be hard plumbed and can run on single phase power. Small electric convection ovens are also a good option.
Don't forget your dishwasher either. This is an essential part of the kitchen, Look for units that are electro mechanical rather than digital and have low water consumption advises Scully.

Article by www.FoodStrategy.com.au.  Extract published in Eat Drink magazine.

Pop Up Restaurants | Part 2 - Food Safety

FOOD SAFETY IN A POP UP RESTAURANT

Temporary restaurants are all the rage these days. But what (and how much money) does it take to operate one?  Contributor Robert Green, MD of Australia’s leading food design company, Food Strategy, continues his exploration of pop-up restaurants by discussing the aspects of food safety and equipment with invited industry professionals.

The first step in planning a pop-up is the location. 75% of restaurant decisions are made based upon location, and for pop-ups, the location is everything. The right spot can bring you customers and eliminate thousands of dollars in costs. Get it wrong, it could cost you a lot more than just money. Internationally, it seems that pop-up restaurants are also turning indoors temporarily. By taking advantage of under-used kitchens, pop-ups allow young chefs, to experiment without fear of financial loss.

Food Handling - Brian Anderson http://www.hospitalityconsult.com.au

Brian is a food safety and compliance professional – it’s all about food safety.

All food businesses are required to ensure that the premises, fixtures, fittings and equipment are designed and constructed to be easily cleaned and sanitised, and that all personnel undertaking food handling activities within the facility, have demonstrated knowledge and skills in food safety and food hygiene. This may be achieved by having an active and accredited Food Safety Program in place, which sets out and identifies potential food safety hazards, presents recognised monitoring practices and controls to minimise any such identified potential risk, and offers corrective actions to prevent similar risks in the future. It is recommended that for all food businesses, food preparation and production be overseen by a qualified Food Safety Supervisor. A food business must also be able to demonstrate that it takes all practicable measures to ensure that the products being produced are protected from all potential contamination through the complete food production process, from receival of ingredients to sale or service of finished product. This includes the storage, preparation, cooking, processing, packaging, display and service of meals and all refrigerated foodstuffs.

Article written by www.FoodStrategy.com.au .  Extract published in Eat Drink magazine.
to be continued.

Pop Up Restaurants | Part 1 - What Are They

Image source: BBC

POP UP RESTAURANTS | WHAT ARE THEY?

Pop up restaurants are big in Europe. They pop up for one week to many months using anything from shipping containers to recyclable materials.

Europeans usually eat indoors but they do love to enjoy the alfresco dining experience when the sun eventually shines. 

But this is Australia.

We have different climatic conditions and compliance standards.
Can the concept work in Australia?
To design any restaurant the purpose must be defined. Why is it there? Is it to showcase the talents and skills of chefs, a marketing exercise for a key sponsor or restaurant in a separate fixed location, to fundraise for a charity or supply the community with an appreciation of food and hospitality. And then there’s the money; is it expected to be a viable return on investment, loss or break even. Who will be paying the bill? These are all factors that will influence the design, materials and catering equipment used.

Our friends at Electrolux Professional have been enjoying the promotion of the pop up “Electrolux Cube Pavilion” around Europe as a marketing exercise to high acclaim. The concept is not new, however the regulations are always evolving.

Australian regulations are stringent however they vary from city to city. Any pop up restaurant concept must still comply with the basics. That’s the law.

Among others, external (environmental) conditions have to be considered. A pop us restaurant may be ok in winter in Melbourne but not in the summer of Queensland. We grow our critters big in Australia (think vermin and flies) and must give thought to how we control them and keep food temperatures controlled in a foodservice environment. Compliance with health codes and occupational safety is at the fore of any foodservice set up.

Does size really matter
The pop up process draws similarities to satellite kitchens which operate from a main establishment.

Torbay Retirement Village main kitchen serves satellites

Torbay Retirement Village is serviced by The Village Caterer which uses their 700sqm foodservice kitchen in Hervey Bay . This central food production kitchen prepares thousands of meals per day using HACCP compliant cook – chill processes. It then transports the food cold (to maintain the safety and food integrity) to the satellite pop up facilities for regeneration and service.

Mobile Cafe

At the small end of the scale; there’s the portable restaurant called ‘Double Deckerdence’ which has converted a London double decker bus to a fun day out with food and drink. Council allows food hygiene standards to be relaxed but they apply additional standards for food transportation businesses.

It’s a case of designing portable systems to work within the confines of the local council code. To comply, the bus required potable water and a means of disposing of waste water. Like any foodservice it needed hot water, hand washing, refrigeration, food preparation space and dishwashing to suit the particular application. It’s a case of designing portable systems that work within the confines of the local council code.

For the bus; gas hot water and an on board generator were integral along with the ability to remotely plug into a mains power supply when available. Portable water storage tanks were installed onboard with pumps powered by the onboard generator. To comply, the waste-water tanks must exceed the capacity of the water tanks. Space is at a premium so creativity is key.
Everything is customised to suit the footprint; from the water tanks stored in refrigeration cavities to stainless steel benches to suit the footprint.
Equipment technology choices are aimed at minimising power consumption, eg, portable induction cooktops and keeping power supply and usage to a minimum. Water and energy efficient catering equipment is the only option. The whole process requires sustainable thinking from consumption to waste. The only rule – it must comply with the health codes. Everything else comes second.

Everyone knows the Saturday sausage sizzle – is that a pop up restaurant? How does it rate?

You decide.

This article written by www.FoodStrategy.com.au and also published in Eat Drink magazine

Coffee Club Charity Ball 2011

www.FoodStrategy.com.au joined the team from Moffat at the Coffee Club Charity Ball 2011.
This bi-annual event now holds a warm place on the Brisbane social calendar. Held at Hall 2 of the Brisbane Convention Centre the theme was "Arabian Nights - Secrets of the Desert". Nearly 2000 guests feasted and danced to raise funds for the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation Brisbane. The final fundraising tally exceeding the target of $250,000.

Hosted by Channel 9's Catriona Rowntree (Getaway), Radio B105's Labby, Camilla and Stav and the Coffee Club's own celebrity John Lazarou, the soiree included an exquisite four course meal, with snake dancers, henna tattooing and an Arabian Market Bazaar for atmosphere.

Food Strategy has attended many trade shows in the exhibition halls but never have we seen it look so exotic with chandeliers, sashes and cushions topped off with formally set tables and decorations.

Raffles and auctions included big ticket items; business class flights to anywhere in the Emirates network, gold jewellery, cash, Douwe Egberts coffee machine, accomodation, smartphones, laptops, LCD tv. Bidding was wild on fabulous items including custom made jewellery, a dinner with The Coffee Club entrepreneur John Lazarou and his Executive Chef, holidays to Fiji and Thailand,a $5000 Flight Centre voucher, signed memorabilia by Pele, Socceroos, Johnny Depp, Katy Perry, Darren Lockyer, Lance Armstrong, Michael Schumacher, Robert Pattinson, Donald Bradman, Nelson Mandela and more.


Sponsors included among others; Bidvest, Channel 9, Emirates, Simplot, National Foods Douwe Egberts, Fosters, Fonterra, B105, CocaCola and our client Helen's European Cuisine.

On the night, (part owner) Emmanuel Drivas was quietly telling us how The Coffee Club charity balls started. His own child was haunted by cancer so he knows how vital the work of the Royal Children's Hospital Ocology unit is in ground breaking research.

Katrina Clunies-Ross, the mother of a young Royal Children's Hospital patient, gave a moving speech about her own daughter Carys.

Litte Carys was only 6 months old when she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer that forms on nerve tissue. As the tumour was very close to her spine, doctors could not operate to remove it. She underwend 5 months of chemo and contracted norovirus. Carys was isolated, given a blood transfusion and placed on a saline drip. Cary's latest MRI scan showed there is a small amount of tumour left in her body but her doctors are confident that she's now in remission.

Carys went into remission in August last year and doctors told Ms Clunies-Ross the same result would hardly have been possible ten years ago. An unsettling thought for a mother who also has two teenage children.
"She is a miracle, she beat cancer in her first year of life, even though it is so tough for her little body to be pumped full of toxins," Ms Clunies-Ross said. "I would tell people to give with your heart and know that if you save a child from cancer, you are not just saving their life, but next generations."

For those foodies keen to know the menu - here it is:
Sultan's Starters: Antipasto platter - calabrese sausage, semi dried tomato, char grilled eggplant, olives, dips, cheese and turkish bread.
Emirate Entrees: Chicken cannelloni, pistachio crumbs, tarragon cream sauce alternating with twice cooked salmon fillet, potato, avocado salad, dill and lime dressing.
Mirage of Mains: double lamb cutlet, potato and leek pie, gingered carrots, pea and mint puree anternating with baby barrumundi, vegetable tagine, citrus couscous, saffron butter sauce.
Aladdin's Delectable Desserts: Chocolate mille fueille, white chocolate mousse, toasted raspberry meringue alternating with Bhapa doi - velvet passionfruit yoghurt, berry compote, honey pillow puff.

www.FoodStrategy.com.au Local people, global vision.

Fine Food Australia - Sydney 2011 were you there?

Fine Food Sydney 2011 - What we saw.  By www.Foodstrategy.com.au
As most foodies will know, Fine Food 2011 was held at the Sydney Convention Centre. It's the largest international food and hospitality event on the Australian calendar.  This is the business end of things for the industry and closed to general public.
Thousand of products were displayed over 6 massive exhibition halls. Everything from juicy little blood oranges to production size combi ovens.  Every imaginable country was represented in their own pavilions; Greece, Italy, Thailand, China, USA, Pacific Islands, Cyprus and beyond.
Robert, Chris and Katrina represented the Food Strategy team this year.
We had intense training on the latest concepts, foodservice designs and solutions at an international forum by FCSI (Foodservice Consultants Society International), we met with existing clients, new clients, sampled and tested food and catering equipment from around the globe, developed media relationships and met up with new contacts made on Twitter and Facebook.

This Youtube video captures Fine Food 2011 as we saw it. See who you know.  Everyone was there' from Goldstein Eswood, JL Lennard, Skope, Stoddart, Electrolux, Zanussi and Lambaarginies to Breast Pops.  See if you can name the stars in the music track (clues at the end of the vid).

The annual Fine Food Best New Product Awards:

The awards are given in four categories - Best New Hospitality Equipment, Best New Foodservice Product, Best New Australian Retail Product and Best New Bakery Product.

In the Best New Hospitality Equipment category there were two winners -

1. Winterhalter Australia for its just released RoMatik XS reverse osmosis water treatment unit. The compact filter is designed to fit in smaller areas at the front of the house and offers a number of great advantages to customers; minerals are removed from the wash water, giving glasses and cutlery a perfect finish without the need for polishing.
2. Stoddart also winners for the Adande VCR2 refrigerated drawers (a brilliant unit!) Provides bulk chilled storage at the point of use in hot and busy kitchens. Simply pull out the drawer under the food prep bench - at your fingertips. Space saving format.

Adande Refrigerated Drawers by Stoddart

Winterhalter Reverse Osmosis Water filter

Apromo Trading grabbed the Best New Foodservice Product award with its Caviaroli product while W&P Reedy were victorious in the Best New Bakery Product award with its Asto Portion Cutter. (see the above Youtube vid)

Wagyu Oil by York Foods

The winner of the Best New Retail Product was York Foods for its new Wagyu Oil product. (A gourmet deli delight).


Another innovative product worth mentioning is the "Magic Carpet" Sushi Conveyor by Joseph Lee & Co. Sushi glides magically over a glass top conveyor that has no joins, seams or obvious moving parts. It truly appears to be a magic carpet. See our above Youtube vid.



2011 demonstrated a foodservice and hospitality industry that was focused on eco friendly concepts. Less energy, less water, less waste and less space.  Whether it be for saving money, time or the planet it's a sign of the times we live in.
Food Strategy is committed to ongoing training and research in foodservice and its application in design at an international level.

Read this little story if you have a moment:
It all began at the Brisbane airport awaiting our 7:30am flight (BNE to SYD). Hospitality professionals were buzzing. Industry friends from the catering equipment sector were coming over to say hello and compare notes. As we lined up for boarding we curiously watched a mature couple carefully carrying 6 little blue eskys. All of them were neatly taped and kept close at hand.
We pondered what might be inside that's so valuable; live animals, dead animals, heart, liver, eyes, or other life saving body bits perhaps. We dare not ask. More on that shortly.

During the flight, it was fascinating to eaves drop on others who were discussing in detail people in the industry that we know. I'm pretty sure they didn't realise that they were easy to hear.... interesting!  I sat next to a lovely couple who dozed for most of the trip until we were approaching Sydney airport. A conversation sprang up between us. They were from Beefy's Pies on the Sunshine Coast; previous Great Aussie Meat Pie gold medal winners at the Melbourne 2010 comp.  This year they had risen at 3am to catch our flight to Sydney to enter 6 beauties in the 2011 Great Aussie Meat Pie comp.  With anticipation I delighted in hearing how they lovingly packed their precious pies into the mysterious, little blue eskies - so that's what precious cargo was being hauled in the eskies!  Do you think our guessing of the contents was close?

www.FoodStrategy.com.au  Local People - Global Vision

CAFE MONDIAL Brisbane sneak peak

Take a sneak peek into the upcoming renovations of Brisbane icon "Cafe Mondial" by www.FoodStrategy.com.au .

Watch the fun Youtube video here.  If it doesn't display, click this Youtube link

Cafe Mondial bar and cafe is located at 167 Albert St Brisbane in a heritage listed building. It's owned by the fabulous Mr Sam Stilianos. Sam entrusted Food Strategy to comply with heritage listing laws and building restrictions to update this delightful Cafe and bar with beer reticulation. 

Sam is a seventies boy at heart and chose the music for the video. See if you can guess the artist before the credits.

This iconic Brisbane restaurant, cafe, bar is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu has built it's style from flavours around the world; Greek, Italian, French, American, Australian. Shopfitting renovations due for completion late September 2011. www.cafemondial.com.au. 

Restaurant and bar designs for front of house renovations by www.FoodStrategy.com.au.

Intelligent foodservice design by www.foodstrategy.com.au 

Local people with global vision.

Managing the Peaks & Troughs

On Wednesday 31st August 2011, Food Strategy invites you to join us at the BIG BREAKFAST 2011.  Includes breakfast and business speakers.

With businesses just starting to come out of the GFC (many still are feeling the after-effects), the topic of how to manage the peaks and troughs of business is an important one.

Lindsay Adams is one of the most passionate, thought provoking and dynamic speakers in Australia. At the breakfast hear Lindsay explore how to thrive and survive during tough times, as well as interview three very different business owners for their perspectives:

• Simon Rawstron, Financial Planner & Representative of Bendigo Financial Planning
  
• Christine Green, Food Strategy
  when other businesses were tightening their belts, Food Strategy moved into a new building and expanded their business to take their place as a market leader
  
• Ingrid Cliff, Chief Word Wizard, Heart Harmony
  Ingrid has helped many businesses double their business during the GFC leveraging the power of words.

For Bookings:

Charmaine Renaud, Banksia Healing Centre Phone 3351 4691

Date:

Wednesday 31 August @ 6.45 am

Cost:

$35 per ticket or $30 (early bird rate) if purchased prior to 15 August Why not sponsor a table of 8!

To Purchase Tickets:

Cheques made payable to The Hills & Districts Chamber of Commerce &Posted to PO Box 243, Ferny Hills Q 4055 EFTBSB - 034 083 Account - 239716 Reference - BB 'Business Name' Email payment advice to: clinic@banksiahealing.com.au

Full details here

FOOD Q from paddock to plate

Food Strategy is now an active member of FOODQ.
As expert designers in the field of foodservice it's vital that we connect with foodies of all types of design needs and understand their visions.  From commercial food production facilities, large commercial kitchens to the unique restaurants and food retailers that make Queensland great.

FoodQ is backed by the Queensland Government department DEEDI (Dept of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation).
As head of the "Food & Wine Unit, Agriculture, Food and Tourism", David Jordan is an inspirational and key member working alongside FoodQ Chairman, Martin Duncan of "Freestyle Tout" fame. Read the committee brief here.

Members of  this diverse group include; farmers, coffee merchants, food stylists, business consultants, wholesalers, manufacturers,  restaurants. All sizes!

FoodQ provides Queensland food and beverage producers with valuable support, education, networking and other opportunities to sustainably grow and develop their businesses.
Here is a summary by FoodQ:
We provide members with valuable opportunities to:
Showcase their products to new retailers, food media, customers and distributors at exclusive trade events and through our hampers  Build strategic alliances to grow and support their businesses
Discover new funding, technology and other business support ideas and opportunities
Maximise their return on investment in terms of focussing on working on their businesses
Work with experienced business support professionals who specialise in food and beverage business development, packaging, PR and marketing

Most importantly we’re focussed on delivering benefits to members to help them grow their business acumen and their businesses.

Every month we run a networking meeting where you can meet like-minded owners of food and beverage businesses, business support professionals, distributors and others associated with the food service industry.

Our members include household names as well as businesses just starting out. The value we add comes from the varied experience of our members, regular expert guest speakers and business support members. Our aim is to be a valued food and beverage industry business advisory and support service.

We run exclusive invitation only trade nights in April and October for members to showcase their wares direct to retailers, distributors and the food media and provide opportunities to attend major food industry shows such as Fine Food Queensland and The Courier-Mail Good Food and Wine Show through a shared FoodQ stand, subject to sufficient demand.

FoodQ is an organisation run by people just like you, working extremely hard in their businesses, passionate about the products they’ve developed, but equally keen to access opportunities for growth and development through networking.

We’re growing our profile and relations with the media and that’s also a benefit to individual members’ brands and reputations.

If nothing else, your investment in FoodQ forces you to focus on working on your business for at least a few hours per month and provides you with the support you’ve been seeking, even if you’re just starting out.
Interested to know more or just follow closely then go to www.foodq.com.au - www.facebook.com/foodq or www.twitter.com/foodq

Food Strategy hopes to see you at the next meeting on 1st September at the Indooroopilly Bowls Club. Full details to be confirmed by websites and social media.

www.foodstrategy.com.au  www.facebook.com/foodstrategy  www.twitter.com/foodstrategy  www.youtube.com/foodstrategy
Local people, global vision

 

FINE FOOD AUSTRALIA SYDNEY 2011

Fine Food Australia - the largest gathering of international food, drink and equipment for the retail, foodservice and hospitality industries.
Sydney Convention Exhibition Centre 5 - 8 September 2011
3 days packed with Australian and International exhibitors of world class standard. This event is a professional foodies delight. Source catering equipment, food, wine, drinks, new products and cooking events that define the best in the country.  Here are just a few:

Official Great Aussie Meat Pie Competition: Now in it's 22nd Year, Fine Food Australia is proud to be a part of the highest profile event in the Australian Baking Industry; where the winner of the Best Pie Maker in Australia will be announced. This year, the Official Great Aussie Meat Pie Competition stand will feature a working bakery with qualified pastrycooks demonstrating how pies are made from making the dough to the final baked product.
 
Bake Skills Australia (National Teams Competition): Australia’s premier baking industry teams’ competition – “the Bake Skills Australia National Teams Competition” - returns to Sydney this September alongside the Great Aussie Pie competition in the Bakery World section of Fine Food Australia.  Australia’s finest young apprentices & newly qualified baker pastry chefs have been competing for the honour of representing their states at The Bake Skills Nationals.

Australian Culinary Challenge: The Australia Culinary Federation NSW presents at Fine Food Australia this year 4 days of static presentations & numerous individual kitchens fitted out by Moffat & Robot Coupe. These kitchens will host and showcase live classes surrounding meat, poultry, seafood & desserts. The Meat & Livestock Australia Live Team Kitchen competition will be held daily, teams of 1 chef and 1 apprentice will prepare a 3 course meal for 4 people in 90minutes, competing for the chance to win $2,000 in prize money. The highlight of the event will be the Fonterra Kitchens Restaurant Challenge where $13,000 in prize money is up for grabs, this competition see's what team's of 2 chefs & 1 apprentice can prepare in only 3 1/2 hours to serve 30 guests! Featured within this competition we will see teams of 3 from NSW TAFES compete in the Fonterra 'Front Of House' Competition for $1,000 in prize money.

Equal Barista Cup: The Australian Culinary Federation NSW will be hosting the Equal Barista Cup as part of this year's Australian Culinary Challenge at Fine Food Australia. The Equal Barista Cup will invite entrants from cafés and restaraunts to compete over four days at the event. A panel of judges will evaluate flavour, texture and service as well as Latté art.

Food Strategy's team will be visiting Fine Foods to continue our ongoing training of foodservice and catering equipment and the specialised fit into the designs of your projects.

This is a commercial event (closed to the public) REGISTER HERE
Posted by www.foodstrategy.com.au  Local People, Global Vision

COAST RESTAURANT

Coast Restaurant is situated in the pristine Fraser Coast and Wide Bay region of Queensland. It's become a jewel in the crown as a restaurant, bar and function centre overlooking the waters to Fraser Island.
See inside the 3D model of our designer's PC.... Turn up the volume and enjoy the moment!
Click here or paste this link in your browser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2OtgzKKViQ

FOOD STRATEGY - Professional design for foodservice hospitality retail. www.FoodStrategy.com.au

Local people Global vision

Nightowl Convenience Stores

Nightowl Convenience Stores
This popular Queensland franchise is expanding nationally.  Franchise opportunities are available at Nightowl Head Office in Brisbane.  www.nightowl.com.au
Food Strategy has been working closely with Nightowl for nearly 2 years on various store designs to incorporate their new concept and fresh image.
Nightowl needs designs that reflect the company branding in detailed plans that enable their shopfitters to give accurate quotes and bring the projects together effortlessly.  On time and on budget.
Have a look inside our designer's computer screen to see how the 3D design looks.
Watch this Youtube design video by Food Strategy www.foodstrategy.com.au 
See your vision come to life in 3D at www.foodstrategy.com.au
Double click on the video for a larger view via Youtube.
Or paste this link in your web browser: http://youtu.be/NqMk9GIsMu8

 

Coffee Shop Design-Does It Matter?

Coffee shop design - does it matter?
I spent the day at Caboolture Historical Village on a school excursion.  CHV is located north of Brisbane and is a step back in time to Aussie pioneering days with museum, displays and shows.
After a 45 minute noisy bus trip, the parents and teachers were desperate for a caffeine recharge.
At the entrance to the CHV visitors centre there's a slick, new coffee shop offering all the coffee choices and a daily menu.

'Billy Tea Room' at Caboolture Historical Village

The coffee was great and gave us the energy burst to keep up with the kids during the next 2 hours of exploring the pioneering village.
As we meandered around the beautiful grounds and buildings of yesteryear we stumbled across a 'Billy Tea House' with old fashioned tea, coffee and home made biscuits.

Mis-matched chairs and lace tablecloths

As we tripped up the verandah steps we could smell the home cooking and hear the clinking of the mis-matched tea cups being washed by the 'mature' and smiling volunteers. On a cool winter's day the inner warmth of the small cottage embraced us like a warm hug.  The tables and chairs were from various ages of 1950s to 70s and painted a matching green.  Each table lovingly covered with a homely table cloth. 

Was this ambience by design or just pot luck?

A steaming cuppa and 3 home made biscuits (choc chip, anzac and jam drop) cost a frugle $3.00.  Less than a coffee at the new coffee shop out the front.

Doting service and hand washing dishes

Both establishments were immaculately clean and had lovely attendants doting on their customers.  Yet somehow the old fashioned tea house in a wooden cottage just 'felt right'.
Now don't get me wrong; compliance with health and building codes must come before any concept or theme.  The tea house is a volunteer run, non-profit establishment and runs with a different motive to the coffee shop. 




Ultimately the design of your coffee shop:
= Must be based on your unique concept and menu
= Emphasize employee efficiency and logical customer flow
= Display your key products to increase sales
= Must meet your construction budget
= Must include a kitchen that can function at peak performance during your busy times.

 Ambience by design or pot luck?

= Include construction standard details and accuracy to ensure your project comes together smoothly.

Visit www.foodstrategy.com.au for more information.

Follow Friday on Twitter

Further to our earlier Food Strategy blog "How to promote your restaurant for free" I encourage you to use the Twitter hash tag #FF.  "Follow Friday" is a hashtag used in a tweet with a user's name to recommend that person to all your followers.  It's a bit like a recommendation and referral for Tweeters.
Food Strategy occasionally recommends people who have enjoyable interaction, interesting content or industry news.
Today, Food Strategy was ranked #62 in Australia as a Twitterer you should follow.  To put that in perspective, Russell Crow is number 1 and the Melbourne Herald newspaper is number 63.  Estimates show there are currently nearly 3 million Twitter accounts in Australia alone.

How do you rank? For more stats go to the Follow Friday website

View our stats below:

Can't view this pic then click here

FOODSERVICE EXPO WIDE BAY / FRASER COAST

Calling all restaurant owners, foodies, foodservice operators, chefs, grocery, aged care and production kitchens.  Get all the information you need in design, foodservice and catering equipment at the "Wide Bay & Fraser Coast Foodservice Expo".  At the Bundaberg Civic Centre over 2 days.

Tuesday 5th July and Wednesday 6th July.

www.foodstrategy.com.au will be there

Click here Brochure and sponsors

Click here for free entry ticket

• Restaurants • Cafes • Bakeries • Hospitals • Nursing Homes • Schools/Universities/Day Care • Pubs • Hotels • Supermarkets • Workplace Canteens • Clubs • Fast Food Independents • Food Manufacturers

• Prisons

HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR RESTAURANT FOR FREE

Are your promoting your restaurant? Did you know you can reach millions of people for free with just a little investment in time?

Chris from Food Strategy attended a seminar on social media. Here is what she discovered.
You can buy attention (advertising)
You can beg for attention from the media (PR)
You can bug people one at a time to get attention (Sales)
OR: you can earn attention by creating something interesting and valuable and then publishng it online for free. (David Meerman Scott)

Social media conjours up mixed feelings. Whatever way you look at it Facebook, Twitter and blogs are here to stay. You no longer have control over what people are saying about you or your business.  So you might as well jump in and voice your own opinions.
Restaurants (and any business) can be a part of the social media phenomenon. In the previous week, Chris was at the National Sales Conference of the Stoddart group and got talking about social media.  As a result Stoddart and their brands (stainless steel and catering equipment) are now online with Facebook and Twitter.
Be warned, you must have a purpose and you must be willing to engage in active conversation that isn't sanitised. 
Food Strategy has a purpose: to hear what the food industry is talking about. Food Strategy wants to fine tune it's services to suit the customer needs. The needs of NOW.  Food Strategy wants to raise it's profile in the industry by talking about design solutions and asking questions.
Did you know:

• The Australian Taxation Office is on Twitter.
• The Queensland Police Service is on Facebook and You Tube.
• Telstra is on Twitter.

Some businesses are using Facebook as their web page and sole internet strategy. Remember you have to be interactive with social media.  This is a communication tool and your customers want to be heard and answered.
Facebook - Some Facts:

• 7.7 million users in Australia; 44% male, 56% female
• Facebook accounts for 29% of all time spent online by Australians
• Oct 09: Australian users spent 27.2 hours online - 7.55 of which were spent on Facebook
• Oct 09: Australian users uploaded 80 million pictures, wrote 32 million ‘wall posts’ + 45 million ‘status updates’.
• Australia leads the world in time spent on social media sites. 

These stats are growing. So how do you market your restaurant? It's simple - just get started.

Log into http://www.facebook.com/ and create your personal profile eg: Joe Blogs.  You can't create a business profile unless you have a personal profile to link it to.  You can use your exisitng Facebook personal profile or create another dummy one to protect your privacy a little more.

Now create your business page profile  Eg: "Food Strategy".

Make sure you go to http://www.facebook.com/username   to claim your User Name.  This means we can now use the short link www.Facebook.com/FoodStrategy in all our marketing.  We don't have to use those long link URLs that make no sense.

Make sure you create your business as a 'business' page or Facebook may delete you.  It would be ashame to alienate your followers with a deleted page just when you are starting to get traffic.

Now get started creating your business profile and inviting people to 'like' your page.   Add photos and specials.

Claim your location in Facebook as an official geographical place.  Everytime a customer walks into your restaurant, ask them to 'check in' at your place to raise the activity of your Facebook page. These 'check ins' can be a great tool for promotion.  Eg: if a customer 'checks in' 5 times they get a coffee free.  Use your imagination.

All of this can push feeds and links to Twitter, blogs and your website to increase traffic and sales.

Use the Facebook analytics to monitor the stats. See how much activity you are really getting.

Read the help files - they are really easy.

Remember that more people are switching to smart phones which enables them to have a computer in their pocket. Many phone companies are also offering free unlimited download deals to social media sites.  It's a great incentive for you to really talk to your customers to hear what they want and what they think.

You can now find Food Strategy at these locations:

Download our brochure here with all the links: BROCHURE

Or find each link here:

http://www.foodstrategy.com.au/ - full web site.

www.Facebook.com/FoodStrategy - interactive profile, chat and pics. Go to our page and 'like'. Then have a look at who we follow to get examples.

www.Twitter.com/FoodStrategy  - real time chat

www.YouTube.com/FoodStrategy - videos of interest to our team or industry

www.Flickr.com/FoodStrategy - latest upload of pics 

http://www.foodservicedesign.blogspot.com/ - follow our blog stories

news@foodstrategy.com.au  send an email to request our newsletter.

Choose the format that suits you. 
If you like to write a lot then keep a blog.  If you like to chat often - use Twitter.  If you want to communicate and have a visual profile then play with Facebook.

Now, if you want to talk about working in 'The Cloud' - that's a whole different blog!!

If you want to learn more; contact the experts below or download their seminar information. 

Mel Kettle http://www.melkettle.com.au/  Slides at: http://www.slideshare.net/melkettle
Simon Dell http://www.twocentsgroup.com.au/  Slides at http://www.slideshare.net/simondell
Cat Matson www.twitter.com/catmatson  http://www.alito.com.au/