YouTube Video of Projects

What is Food Strategy.  We are a team of professional designers who study and perfect design for foodservice, hospitality and retail.
Everyone from the butcher, baker, pub, club, restaurants, food production, institutions, hospitals, aged care, franchises, cafes, grocery, take-aways. Foodservice designs that are more than a concept. Get specialised construction ready plans that incorporate the complex needs of a commercial kitchen environment. Detailed and accurate plans will enable you to get accurate quotes from your builder or shopfitter.
You need to know that your design will enable your work flows, equipment and staff to function efficiently at peak demands. Foodservice design is all we do!

Internationally accredited by FCSI (Foodservice Consultant's Society International)See this You Tube video to get 'the idea'.
 

Australia After the Floods, NZ Quake, Japan's Tsunami

This week Food Strategy attended an informative seminar by Mr Spiros Papadopolous (Senior Economist, Global Markets Research for National Australia Bank).
Spiros produced a crystal ball to give an economic outlook for Australia in the aftermath of the devastating floods and more recent New Zealand and Japanese earthquakes and tsunami.



Flooded home Brisbane. See Youtube video of inside click here

 He compared previous global trends to hilight the extremely good position Australia is in compared to the rest of the world. After the roll on of the GFC into the floods, the east coast of Australia is starting to feel a bit tired. While the next few months will be a bumpy ride the economic outlook for 2012 is quite good.

Australia's growth has been affected by the floods in the short-term, but the medium term outlook looks strong.  Wages and prices will likely trend higher.
CPI inflation for March to Jun is expected to be high but will flatten after then.  Consumers have been cautious with spending by paying down debt or investing their cash in the bank.  This has also been reflected in retail sectors.
The RBA cash rate has been on hold since November however Spiros tips it will rise a few points in the coming months.
Key issues for Australia after the Japanese quake: Japan is 15% of Australia's trade (China 22.5%) 19% of exports and 9% of imports. Main exports are coal, iron ore, beef, aluminium, LNG, nickel, sugar.  In the short term commodity demand will fall as large manufacturing plants close.  However in the medium term, demand from reconstruction projects, coal and gas fired electricity will exert upward pressure on commodities.
There is $A133bn of resource projects currently committed or under construction which is 10% GDP.
Spiros predicts that the Aussie dollar will peak strong against the USD to $1.05 in June 2011 and beging to decline as the US economy slowly claws back.
In Summary:

• The global economy is improving and Chinese growth remains strong
• Commodity demand will see strong resource investment in Australia
• Household caution is keeping RBA interest rates on hold
• Labour market is strong and umemployment is falling
• RBA cash rate to rise further to contain wage and price pressures

Rebuilding after the floods coupled with strong business investment looks positive for a healthy 2012.
For the full story, graphs and stats: Download seminar slides here. (PDF file titled "After The Floods")

What's Hot part 2 - Back Out In Front

Back Out In Front

In the past. kitchen budgets were often cut in favour of dining spaces. But with the trend toward front-of-house ‘show’ kitchens increasing, the aesthetics of items such as refrigeration and food service equipment are as important as the design of table and chairs. What were once considered ‘storage’ fridges are now becoming display cabinets.

SKOPE Refrigeration (www.skope.co.nz), in Christchurch New Zealand, has seen a shift in the types of cabinets being ordered such as glass doors over solid doors and glass viewing panels designed to showcase fresh produce. A good example of this is a custom refrigeration cabinet recently built for a circular bar at Queenstown International Airport in New Zealand. The architect’s brief was to design a premium bar that provides customers with maximum views out over the airport. The result of a challenging design is striking and it is one of the first things visitors to Queenstown see, and the last when they leave.

Brisbane Roar wins ALeague 13/3/2011 - Video below

This post isn't foodservice design related, however Food Strategy supports Australian Football (soccer). If you love football you will enjoy this championship video (see below).
We experienced the electric atmosphere when Brisbane Roar clawed their way to a nail biting win of the A League premiership/championship double against Central Coast Mariners.
The match was nil all at full time. During extra time the game equalised in the gripping final minutes to 2 all. Then to penalty shoot outs.  The players had to earn this win - and they did.

For those fellow football freaks amongst us we thought you might enjoy seeing the 4 rocketing penalty shots that won the game.
Sit back, turn up the volume and relive the moment.
Yours in sport and foodservice design:
Food Strategy design team

The Courier Mail has a great report here

Give Queenslanders a job Qld Floods 2011

Dear Friends,
You all know Qld flooded. We cleaned mud and stench from homes at an upmarket leafy suburb of Brisbane and The Wesley Mission production kitchen which feeds thousands of aged care folk every day.
We hosed mud from ceilings, slipped in slime, demolished walls and floors and dumped catering equipment. The smell was incredible, putrid.

Food Strategy isn't special. This is what tens of thousands of volunteers have done and are still doing as you read this. Volunteers have showed up from other states and countries as well as around Queensland.
Walk beside us for a few minutes - Let us take you to 'ground zero' in the war zone of the Qld Floods 2011.
These videos below tell 2 stories:
1) What's going on in the homes of flood victims
2) What restaurant and foodservices businesses are trying to recover from.
It will be the most grounding few minutes you will spend on You Tube.
We don't want your sympathy.  We want jobs. Use a Queensland Business.
Please watch - then forward to as many people as you can. Help get our economy moving again.
VIDEO ONE - INSIDE FLOODED RESTAURANT



VIDEO TWO - INSIDE FLOODED HOMES

We Failed At Advertising But We Don't Care

Food Strategy failed at good advertising.  Watch this video to see how we failed time and time again.  We don't care!  Why? Because we are the best foodservice design professionals in the country.  That's all we care about.....and of course you!
Tell us what you think about our video so we can do better next time.  Leave a comment below or on our website http://www.foodstrategy.com.au/ (contact us)

What's Hot In The Asia Pacific Rim

Love them or hate them, the ‘iPad’ has been an extension of the ‘iPhone’ revolution. The applications and networking opportunities are mind boggling. Way above the head of this little writer. Adam Penberthy from Think Fresh Advertising Communications (www.thinkfresh.net.au) in Brisbane has passionately devoted his international career to developing innovative communications that inspire, excite and engage the youth of today.

Penberthy argues that social media such at Twitter, Meet Up and LinkedIn hasn’t killed ‘the real world’ as we thought. It has encouraged real life relationships to flourish at a personal and professional level with like-minded users. Twitter boasts over 100 million users, Facebook over 500 million active users. How are you using this network to promote your restaurant or network with your business associates?

Take it one step further with the smart phone explosion in Oz and Asia and you have the leverage for inventors to create inspiring applications or ‘apps’ to lead and engage ‘punters’ to your foodservice establishment. These ‘apps’ can identify the location of your customers and lead them to your door. Beware; they can also be used to rate and report on their experiences at a global level.

Then came the ‘iPad’. It hit the ground running with instant multinational sales and passionate ‘iPhone’ followers. Now the ‘iPad’ has put all the tools together as an endless work horse for business. Penberthy and his team at Think Fresh has found restaurants, for example in France, Italy, Melbourne and Sydney have replaced traditional printed menus with “iMenus” on the ‘iPad’, each putting their own spin on the possibilities of the new technology.
In Melbourne, Pearl Restaurant has created an ‘app’ for patrons to view as much – or as little – information about the food and wine served at their restaurant.

Diners can explore the origins of their meals and details about the ingredients. Sydney restaurant Mundo Tapas has replaced the waiter’s role by introducing an interactive menu for ordering their meals. Patrons can view glossy pics of the food accompanied by the chef’s own notes before placing their order via the ‘app’.


Penberthy has found that both restaurants consider the ‘iMenu’ a good business move despite the software development costing upwards of $40,000. Aside from the patron’s novelty of the whole experience, benefits include instant updated menus (daily if required) and spending less time training and educating quality wait staff on the finer details of the meals being served, whilst providing a quicker, superior and interactive dining experience. Diners definitely want to be served faster and faster – this is one way to do it. The control is in the customer’s hands – literally!

Kitchens on Show

With space at a premium in cities across the globe, the way restaurant kitchens are designed is changing, with more establishments having their kitchens on show to diners.
The theatre of cooking is amplified by television shows such as Masterchef and chef celebrities such as George Calombaris, Jamie Oliver, Luke Nguyen... and Cheong Liew.
We had the privilege of meeting George Calombaris and enjoyed the theatrical dining experience at his restaurant, The Press Club, in Melbourne. Calombaris’ kitchen has a seamless presentation that holds your attention.

George Calombaris (MASTERCHEF) @ The Press Club Melbourne 2010

While not new, it is definitely a strong trend. Diners are fascinated by the back of house antics of chefs and how a dish is created. They want to feel a part of the live ‘television’ style performance.
Chefs are expected to get in and get sexy! Trade show Fine Foods Melbourne 2010 amplified this trend with chef celebrities spruiking (promoting) for companies on their stands both in person and in print. Television celebrity icons such as Calombaris, Alvin Quah and Dominique Rizzo were extremely popular.
Expect to see more of this profile building for their own career betterment. Go to link for more photos of George Calombaris and Dominic Rizzo http://www.foodstrategy.com.au/pages/photos.aspx?id=12 

Dominic Rizzo (READY STEADY COOK @ Fine Foods Melbourne 2010)

Get the Green Light

GET THE GREEN LIGHT......
LED LIGHTING & ENERGY EFFICIENCY
CHANGES FOR SUPERMARKET & GROCERY

Get the green light for refrigerated displays. Changes are coming to Australia & New Zealand.

MEPS - Mimimum Energy Performance Standards! This acronym represents a program made mandatory by state government legislation and regulations which give force to the relevant Australian Standards. To compare the MEPS ratings of registered refrigeration products go to
www.energyrating.gov.au/appsearch/comrefrig_srch.asp

The ANZ governments are jointly working on a strategic plan titled 'In From The Cold'. Recommendations from this plan include:

1. All new low temperature display cases to be horizontal 'coffin' style with sliding lids by 2012
2. No vertical up-right freezers that spill cold air into supermarket aisles when doors are opened
3. All existing low temperature display cases to have doors retro-fitted by 2015
4. New medium temp refrigerators to be closed style by 2015 (using solid, high performance glass doors and efficient air curtains to create zero air spillage).
5. Existing medium temp refrigerators to have night blinds by 2015 or be replaced.

Replacing an open faced cooler with a similar sized (storage volume) glass door cabinet can result in energy savings of 65-75%.

U.K. grocery store 'Tesco' are among the early adopters to embrace the changes. They are using 'green consumerism' attitudes as an opportunity to re-educate the market and change bad habits. They use simple tactics such as attaching signs to the refrigerator doors.....

 "Enough to fill 3 hot air balloons. That's how much energy these doors save per year".

"Enough to run over 17,000 dishwasher cycles. That's how much energy these doors save per year".

Is your grocery store one of the early adopters to reduce our carbon footprint?

Food Strategy will be monitoring these changes for incorporation of leading edge refrigeration into our designs.

If you would like more information sent to you on this subject please contact us via:

http://www.foodstrategy.com.au/Pages/contact.aspx

Sources:
Craig Eustace, Technical Development Manager, (Australia New Zealand) Skope Industries Ltd;
Australian Government website: http://www.engergyrating.gov.au/ 


LIGHTING FOR REFRIGERATION and; GLASS DOOR INSERTS

Food Strategy visited the Maslen Australia factory to research award winning design in led lighting and glass door inserts.

More on this in our next newsletter. To see photos of our factory tour go to:
www.foodstrategy.com.au/pages/photos.aspx

Avoid A Tragedy

This blog has also been published by Food Week magazine view at http://www.foodweek.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=53&ID=6391

You have an idea!
So you want to own a restaurant? You have lots of ideas. You have a clear vision of how you will look in your successful restaurant. But be aware there are processes and time frames to achieve that vision.
Where will you be situated?
How do you want your restaurant to look and function?
How much will it cost?
Where can you get commercial catering equipment?
Who will know how to build it?
Do you need a design?
How will you communicate your idea to everyone?
There are questions to be asked that you haven’t even thought of yet. Avoid a tragedy.

Let's go back a step.
You have chosen the site and realise you need to build your restaurant but you haven’t got a lease yet. There are some steps you can take to get to a ‘happy’ lease for all 3 parties.
1. The landlord: wants to see you pay rent
2. The leasing agent: wants to see a signed lease agreement and happy customers.
3. The tenant (that’s you): wants an affordable lease that gives you security.
Everyone wants to sleep well at night.
One of my professional contacts from a renowned commercial leasing group says that agents work very hard to be the glue that brings the tenant and landlord together for a successful long term relationship.
“We want to see the tenants succeed so that the landlords are also successful. We endeavour to find a good fit on both sides”.

Before you sign on the dotted line get a qualified foodservice designer to check out the site.
Look for a designer who is qualified and has the knowledge and expertise of

• Health department regulations
• Building and plumbing standards and codes.
• Council regulations and approval requirements
• How a project is constructed from the ground up
• Above and underground construction requirements
• Catering equipment usages, demands and outputs
• Installation specifications
• Work flows, OH&S, food safety / HACCP.

 Find someone who is independent and not subsidised by another business or swayed by brands or marketing.

Here are some things a qualified foodservice designer will consider as part of the site appraisal process.

1. Check in the basement to see if there is somewhere to put a grease trap which is required in most food establishments.

 2. Check the ceiling and roof line to see if the mechanical exhaust ventilation ducting can penetrate out of the roof.

 3. Check the existing local council approved use of the site and make sure there are no conditions or restrictions in relation to the use of property.

 4. Check the electrical supply of the site to ensure your catering equipment runs at full capacity during your busy times.

 5. Check the line of property boundaries to ascertain the necessary information to make sure that your designs will comply with many local and Australian standards.

This list is just an example of the information your designer needs to provide you with effective designs to assist you to manage costs and mitigate risks during the project.

Mr Ujwal Singh owns multi Nando’s franchises. His latest is at Kelvin Grove. The property is a corner block landlocked with other tenancies to each side, residential units above and council footpaths directly in front. The design of the overall building allowed for an exhaust duct riser which would have suited most potential tenants. However in a Nando’s store, their specific exhaust canopy size quantities and capacities meant that the building duct was undersized for this franchise. It just wouldn’t work.

This site needed a unique solution: A high velocity canopy was selected. Then the shop front was designed with air intake vents to take make-up air to the face of the canopy. These simple solutions have meant that the Nando’s system was able to be designed and built within the constraints of the tenancy without cost surprises popping up during construction. Nando’s is operating successfully.

Now back to the lease.....

Now that you are more informed I suggest you have another chat to the landlord.

Landlords may factor these costs into your lease. Use your new found knowledge of the site as leverage for a cheaper rent, more space, written guarantees, landlord cash contributions.... the list of leasing opportunities goes on and on. Get a conversation going.

A good landlord should be helping you to set up for success not failure. After all it's the long term rent that he's after.

Now go ahead; sign the lease and get moving on your designs.

Finding solutions to these design issues before you start can save you thousands of dollars....even tens of thousands. I'll bet you didn't have this in your budget.

 Your 'plan' or 'design' is the communication tool you use to keep everyone on track and to understand your restaurant design IDEA as you move forward.

If you are a foodservice business that draws a crowd, the landlord will love you - it's now easier for him to lease the other surrounding sites. Your business just became the star attraction.
 
Remember: there are many facets to a successful food operation. Starting with a lease is just one of them.

Happy lease signing and designing!

Chris Green http://www.foodstrategy.com.au/
http://www.foodstrategy.com.au/

 emails welcome via link