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CONTENTS
Business
Insights Technology
4_ Apps and Appetite
28 Why Digital Menus Could Work For You
Features
87 Would You Make a Good Restaurateur?
10 Upgrading Your Skills
26 Menu Psychology
22 Restaurant Cost-cutting 101
79 Staffing Your Restaurant
11 Sommeliers and Your Restaurant
12 Using Locally Grown Foods
20 Dishing Inspiration
24 Unwrapping Red Tape

tastingsuccessmagazine.com
Tasting Success Magazine
@Tasting_Success
Marketing
5 Positioning Your brand
6 Internet Coupons
3
Winter 2011
Crafting
Culture
14
His journey to success
16
Mark McEwan:
FEATURE
F
or the last six months our editorial team has been out hunting for issues that matter to
Torontos restaurateurs. We have sat down with many of you, heard your thoughts and we
know your concerns.
Toronto is a very diverse place with over 3,000 restaurants. We understand the pressure involved
in building your own distinct brand. Tats why in our premiere issue, we bring you innovative
and exciting new ideas in areas ranging from stafng matters to digital technology and red tape.
We have tips on how to improve your menus with eye-catching designs, how to use social media
to market your business and how locally grown foods give your business an advantage.
Tis is only the frst of many issues of cutting-edge ideas that will not only inform you, but also
inspire your thoughts as to how to expand your bottom line.
Tasting Success aims to help your business grow by becoming your go-to guide and forum on the
ins and outs of running a restaurant. We want to hear about the concerns you have in your indus-
try or ideas you want to share with others.
Cheers,
EDITORIAL
CONNECT WITH US: Twitter: @Tasting_Success Facebook: Tasting Success Magazine
we invite you
To the premiere edition of Tasting Success
4 Winter 2011
Tasting Success
Editorial Team
From top right (clockwise): Yeamrot Taddese, Kaitlynn Ford, Jessica Lee, Nadia Persaud and Hina Jasim
Social and Digtal Marketing
Blog.TO
TECHNOLOGY
Hospitality social media expert Jill Clark begins her work by
looking for keywords related to the venue she is representing.
When she is on Fish Bars Twitter account, she searches for
words like oysters in Toronto, dinner in Toronto or Ossington
Avenue, where the restaurant is located.
I look for real time conversations about any of the keywords Im
looking for, she said.
If she fnds that a person likes wine, she suggests they try the
special for $5.99 at Fish Bar. Marketing through social media is
much more targeted.
Qunice Bistro owner co-owner Jennifer Gittins uses Facebook for
information that needs a larger platform, like new a new menu
and pictures. While time restricts her venture into other outlets
like YouTube, Gittins fnds that social media advertising is a
winner compared to print.
Ads do nothing. They cost you a lot of money and do nothing,
Gittens said blatantly. She added that a small ad in Toronto Life
costs her about $1,000.
It brings me about... Ill go really high - 25 people, she said.
One thing is for sure when restaurant owners take their
brands online, customers will take their complaints to the same
venue.
People complain and now they do it online, Clark said. She
added that the key is to apologize quickly and sincerely.
Ninety-nine per cent of the time, it works, she said. All
[commentators] want is for the business to know theyre pissed.
Dine T.O. Now Magazine
Were actually the only
restaurant guide in the
world that integrated
restaurant menus on our
app as opposed to just
linking them to [restaurants]
website, Pantelley Damou-
lianos, vice-president of the
company, said.
Thousands of people also
use Foursquares app on
their phones to locate the
nearest restaurants in their
vicinity. 35,000 new users
join foursquare everyday.
Restaurants can add special
offers users can see when
theyre in the area. Best of
all, its free to use!
Blog.TOs iPad and iPhone
app has a lot of the web-
sites content, which allows
users to access and share
restaurant information,
inluding photos, reviews,
location and phone number.
Users can also look up Dine-
Safe info if it is available.
Now Magazines food critic
Steven Davey goes out to
Toronto restaurants and
reviews them based on their
food, ambience and service.
The review, which appears
in both print and online, is
automatically uploaded on
their restaurant app.
Apps and Appetite
Tweeting: Social Media and your Restaurant
Foursquare
Creating an online presence beyond websites
5
Winter 2011
BY: YEAMROT TADDESE
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MARKETING
M
arketing is the best way a
restaurateur can distinguish
their eatery from its com-
petitors. At the very least, they should
know their target demographic, the
image they want to project and the
avenues and types of media they plan to
use for advertising.
Pantelly Damoulianos, the vice-presi-
dent of Dine.TO says online presence is
increasingly becoming important.
Tere are so many other websites
out there and if [restaurants] brand is
not portrayed in the right way, it could
harm their business, he said.
Restaurateurs can diferentiate them-
selves from the competition by appeal-
ing to quality and price, functionality or
design, sales promotion and advertis-
ing, availability, and location.
Restaurateurs should also consider
Facebook, Twitter, email blasts, restau-
rant directories or marketing online as
part of their advertising strategies.
An independent [restaurant] will set
up a Facebook page or Twitter page and
then they kind of forget about it and it
does more harm than anything else,
Stratos Papachristopoulos, president of
Dine.TO, said.
If restaurateurs choose to include
themselves in online restaurant-specifc
directories, they need to make sure
they work together with the site hosts
to portray their brand the way they
want. If they leave their profle for the
host or the consumer to update, the
information presented may be wrong
or outdated,
missing links,
photos and
other informa-
tion.
Many
times with
these websites
you can have
a disgruntled
employee putting up a negative review,
or you can have a competitor putting
up a negative review, Papachristopou-
los said.
But it is also important to consider
what the reviewers are saying, especially
if two or more people are posting their
concerns.
If they keep on seeing the same
review over and over again then they
should look into that and do something
about it, Papachristopoulos said. A
smart restaurant owner would look at
that and look at it as constructive criti-
cism from the users.
Te owners of the Crepe Kitchen in
Oakville make sure to never miss an
opportunity for customer-suggested
growth when the situation arises.
Within their frst two years of business,
they have already altered their hours
of operation, added
items to their menu,
and started bottling
and selling their own
homemade dressing,
all based on customers
suggestions.
You have to take
the opportunities when
they come, Anns Siles,
co-owner of the restaurant, said. Da-
moulianos agrees.
As a marketing company we can
only fll up so many seats at the restau-
rant, but whether or not the customer
is going to come back depends on the
restaurant, he said.
While marketing your brand is great,
Damoulianos added the restaurant will
always speak for itslef.
Branding is always great ... but
always stick to the basics which is ser-
vice and great food, Papachristopoulos
said.
....If [restaurants] brand
is not portrayed in the right
way, it could harm their
business.
- Damoulianos
BY: KAITlYNN FoRd
Crepe Kitchen sells their own brand of salad
dressing to meet customer demands.
brand
How to
your restaurant
6
Winter 2011
C
ouponing websites are the newest
marketing tool available for restau-
rants, which allows them to advertise
to a much larger audience than the tradi-
tional form of marketing: newspapers.
A lot of restaurants do traditional market-
ing in magazines and newspapers like Now
Magazine but that has blind spots. You dont
know how many people will come into your
restaurant from that ad in Now Magazine
unless it is an ofer of some sort, Jef Herm-
sen, President of LivingDeal.com, said.
Couponing websites display local deals
for users who sign up using their email ad-
dress and enter their location. Tey then get
deals from salons, dental ofces, restaurants
and services in their neighbourhood. It also
shows how many people bought certain
deals and how much time a user has lef to
purchase a deal.
Hermsen points out that the website is
a good way for restaurants to fnd out how
many people have bought their coupon as
well as how many people use it, because they
would have to print out the coupon and take
it with them to the restaurant.
But JJ Sytsylt, supervisor at Lai Wah
Heen, an upscale restaurant, said couponing
websites might not beneft all restaurants in
the same way. According to Sytsylt, a sister
restaurant, Lai Toh Heen, used a couponing
website to market themselves when business
was slow.
For an upscale restaurant you are going
to need customers who can aford it, ex-
plained Sytsylt.
But with these couponing websites you
get people who go to try it out because
theyve heard of it before and just want to try
it out.
She said the restaurant did get business
from the coupon but it slowed down again
afer the ofer expired.
Hermsen said that could be a problem
because the coupons are ofered to prospec-
tive patrons at the restaurants cost.
While he agrees this could defer restau-
rants from participating, it is also an impor-
tant way to build and market a restaurant.
I had one [restaurant] owner tell me that
he wasnt concerned with the cost, said
Hermsen. He just wanted his restaurant to
be busy because if theres people inside the
restuarant that would make people from out-
side the restaurant come in and hell make
money to ofset the coupons.
Sytsylt, an ocassional user of couponing
websites agrees, I used to go to this other res-
taurant on the Danforth and afer they ofered
coupons the place just got so much people. Its
kind of nice when a restaurant you enjoy is
suddenly enjoyed by everyone else.
Internet Coupons:
MARKETING
BY: NADIA PERSAUD
A simple offer brings thousands of customers
Switching it up:
Casa Barcelona, a
Spanish restaurant,
hosts famenco dancers,
mariachis and belly dancers
every weekend. But when
the Bollywood awards were
in Toronto this summer, they
offered Indian-style dancing.
Different music
appeal to different
audiences:
Miranda Ramrop, manager
of Peoples Chicken, says, If
its jazz on Saturday, we get
a typically older crowd, but
during the week when we
have more top 40s kind of
bands then you see more of a
younger crowd.
You dont have to
look far:
A lot of entertainers
will typically approach
restaurants looking for places
to play. We get emails and
phone calls all the time from
artists looking for a place
to play. What we do now is
ask someone to send us a link
for a website that goes to a
video or something that we
can listen to a band perform
and judge on that, Ramrop
said.
You dont always
have to charge a
cover:
If you charge a cover, it
might deter patrons. Ramrop
suggests increasing the drink
during entertainment hours
and encouraging patrons to
spend a certain amount of
money.
Entertaining
Your Guests
7
Winter 2011
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INSIGHTS
S
o youve decided you want to try running a restaurant.
Maybe you have a great idea or youre a fantastic cook. But
hold on for a moment. Being a good chef or having a great
concept doesnt mean your restaurant will succeed.
According to Heather and Andy Dismore, authors of Running
a Restaurant for Dummies, there are key traits a person must have
to be suited for the food business. In their book, they list pas-
sion, presence, creativity, tolerance, flexibility, positivity, leader-
ship, business sense and schmoozability - most of which can be
learned on the job.
Out of all the traits, the Dismores believe that business sense
and schmoozability are the most important traits needed to suc-
ceed.
Business sense is essential and sadly, often overlooked, says
Heather. So many people get into the restaurant business for the
apparent fun and excitement, without realizing that it is, first and
foremost, a business. Heather added that a restaurant is run much
like any other business, with the same challenges like managing
people, retaining customers, and marketing your business and
metrics for success such as controlling costs and turning a profit.
If youre not running your business by the numbers, you wont
be running it for long, she says.
The Dismores define schmoozability as the ability to make
the diner feel welcome, at home, and important in a room full of
other people that youre also trying to make feel important.
Its often the reason that a diner chooses your restaurant over
another, adds Heather.
Further down the list of important traits are creativity, leader-
ship skills and passion.
I think that passion and creativity are innate, says Heather.
These two traits give you the drive to develop the other key
traits, in a sense.
In a real life example of creativity at work, Andy witnessed a
Chicago restaurant requiring servers to wear double-sided tape
to the bottoms of their shoes to pick up loose pieces of debris
on their carpeted floors. At the same restaurant, the menus were
changed daily to use the freshest ingredients available. Special
menus were also created at a moments notice to accomodate
Why Personality
Matters
Your attitude could make
or break your business
BY: JESSICA LEE
Pangaea restaurant
manager Peter
Geary says
restaurateurs should
lead their staff by
example.
8
Winter 2011
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guests with specific allergies or food preferences.
Heather says once a restaurateur has passion for the
business and a curious, creative mind, they can use them
to develop leadership skills, become increasingly flexible
and hone their business skills.
Without passion or creativity, she added, a restaurateur
cannot sustain the positive energy needed for their busi-
ness.
Ali Gaeeni, a manager at Scaccia Italian restaurant, says
that restaurant managers should like their jobs.
You have to try to stay positive. You have to enjoy what
you do, he says.
If a restaurateur doesnt have passion, they will ul-
timately fail to keep up with the stresses of the business.
Your passion will also ensure your staff understands the vi-
sion you have for the business. It affects their performance
and the way they treat customers.
Mark McEwan, a Canadian restaurateur and owner of
several restaurants, two catering businesses and a grocery
store, says that restaurateurs should know what they are
getting into.
[Its] very very important that you dont fall into a posi-
tion for the wrong reason, he says. You have to have an
ego, but you also have to let other people have an ego. You
have to be fair. You have to be demanding of people but
realistically demanding of people.
Peter Geary, owner and manager at Pangaea restaurant
believes that a good restaurateur should lead by example.
You [have to] roll up your sleeves [sometimes], he says.
Though he usually works behind the bar, Geary says that
if servers are busy with other customers, he will help out
with their other tables.
When it comes to hiring staff, McEwan believes in being
a good judge of charac-
ter. He uses his instinct to
decide whether an employee
should be fired based on
their actions.
You [have to] listen
intently and you [have to]
observe people. I mean,
you ask a person a question
and theyll usually tell you what you want to hear. But you
watch them in action, you see them actually executing.
They cant really hide it then. So its very very important
that you observe people and watch them in their daily
operation and then you get a realistic portrayal of who that
person is.
Communication skills are also essential to any trade
where customer service is involved. Both Gaeeni and
Geary stress the importance of handing people well. On a
daily basis, restaurant managers must ensure customers are
happy and their employees feel appreciated.
You need good people skills, good conflict resolution
skills, Geary says.
At the same time, managers should be flexible and toler-
ant to the many different types of personalities they en-
counter in their restaurant. To maintain a steady cash flow,
they need to be accepting of all the preferences of their
customers, and work hard to accommodate their needs.
Whatever we need to do, we need to do to make sure
the customer experience is as good as we can make it,
Geary says.
Restaurant managers also need to be persistent in their
goals. McEwan believes his success in the food industry is
the result of hard work.
You have to be very determined to see it through, he
says. You have to be very dedicated to the aspect of ser-
vice and quality and product and the relationship you have
with the client.
Its a tough business in one way. But once you get the
formula moving and going, if you have a good sort of think
tank of people working with you, then you can keep a good
culture going in the kitchen and the front of the house.
Though McEwan has never taken a business course;
he learned how to run his restaurants and grocery store
through experience.
Heather agrees that you learn a lot of what you need to
know on the job.
In this business, time on the floor and in the trenches is
the ultimate teacher.
Geary adds that your colleagues could also school you
just by doing, or not doing, their jobs.
First guy I worked with in London was just brilliant on
the front door, so I learned a lot of those skills by watching
him and seeing how he handed it, he says. Being around
bad restaurant managers is also a learning experience as
well because it shows how not to manage a
restaurant.
Also critical to success is a sense that good
enough isnt, Andy says. What was cutting
edge and new yesterday is pass and tired
tomorrow.
Having a presence in the restaurant counts
too. Even if a restaurant can function on its
own without a manager to supervise the staff,
the Dismores encourage restaurateurs to visit their estab-
lishments frequently so staff know they are there and will
not be tempted to slack off.
Making your presence known to diners also ties in with
schmoozability - customers like to interact with owners
and managers.
Andy encourages restaurateurs to do their research and
know the market. If there is a restaurant that packs in
guests night after night, he says to talk to the guests and
the owner to find out why. Often, the owners pride will
loosen their lips and cause them to spill their secrets to
success, which is highly useful information.
INSIGHTS
You have to try to stay
positive. You have to enjoy
what you do.
-Ali Gaeeni
9
Winter 2011
Staffng:
Choosing the best employees for your business
BY: KAITLYNN FORD
BUSINESS
F
inding qualifed staf and keep-
ing them too is a leading con-
cern in the restaurant industry.
According to a 2009 survey of 20
national and regional foodservice
chains by the Canadian Restaurant
and Food Association, the average an-
nual turnover rate for an hourly paid
employee is 104.8 per cent at a quick-
service restaurant and 62.5 per cent at
a casual or family dining restaurant.
Bliss Associates say that the cost
and impact of employee turn-
over can be grouped into four ma-
jor categories: costs due to a per-
son leaving, hiring costs, training
costs and lost productivity costs.
In their article Connecting Mission
and Talent, experts at ExecSearches.
com suggests the best way to ensure hir-
ing a qualifed chef or cook is to know
what you want, how much you are will-
ing to pay, use your networks to iden-
tify talent, reference all fnalists, and
let common sense be your fnal judge.

WHERE TO GO
Consider avenues that attract a large
number of job seekers with varied qual-
ifcations and skills, such as Torontos
National Job Fair and Training Expo.
It is important to bear in mind the
reach of the internet and employ-
ment-based websites like Monster.
ca and Workopolis.com. LinkedIn is
the Facebook of business network-
ing websites. Tese websites serve
nearly the same purpose as job fairs
and training expos with regard to
the volume of applicants and skills,
training, and qualifcation diversity.
For back of the house positions, col-
leges and universities are a great place
to fnd up-and-coming new talent.
Ofen colleges will have their students
complete internship programs as part
of the learning experience and a way
to gain practical, real-world exposure.
Tyler Cardy has been a hiring
manager for Timothys World Cofee
in three diferent locations since 2006.
While there are some things you can
do prior to hiring an employee to en-
sure that you dont make an oversight,
Cardy says that you can never be 100
per cent sure about the type of person
youve decided to take a chance on
until they start.
You may see a resume that looks
really great but until you meet the
person, you dont really know.
10
Winter 2011
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T
here is one product in a restau-
rant that guarantees a high reward
on investment: wine. A bottle of
wine in a restaurant can be marked up
as high as three times its retail price. Te
labour cost associated with uncorking
and serving a glass of wine is signifcantly
less than any other restaurant service.
But in order to reach this level of high
return, restaurants cant rely on amateurs,
they instead have to hire sommeliers.
Armando Mano, owner and certi-
fed sommelier at Centro Restaurant &
Lounge says sommeliers enhance the ex-
perience of the guest without making the
guest feel they lack knowledge. All the
servers at Centro are certifed sommeliers.
A sommeliers job could be as sim-
ple as telling the guest a short his-
tory of the wine the guest has se-
lected or the region the wine is from.
Marinno Goazanez, a certifed som-
melier and manager at Ciao Wine Bar,
says he introduces himself to patrons and
recommends wines based on the patrons
price range, the foods they have ordered
and the type of wine they are looking for.
Ciao Wine Bar carries between 300-
350 labels, which are available by the
bottle, but only a few of the options are
available to buy by the glass. Meanwhile,
Centro has over 600 labels in house
and about 30 wines to buy by the glass.
A lot of people [at Ciao Wine Bar] like
to get bottles, Goazanez says. But not a
lot of people do get to enjoy a full bottle
because they dont have enough time, they
have to drive or not enough people at the
table want to enjoy the same type of wine.
However, Ciao Wine Bar re-corks the re-
maining wine for patrons to take home.
Goazanez helps patrons select wines by
recommending certain wines based on
the seasons. In
winter I choose
more full bod-
ied wines es-
pecially for the
by glass pro-
gram, which is
the strongest
point on my
wine menu.
In summer, I bring more lighter wines
like Pinot Noire or a Burgundy.
Tis changing wine list also starts to
build regular clienteles because its like a
starting place where you are learning and
drinking at the same time, Goazanez says.
Mano agrees that many patrons go
to his restaurant to learn more about
wines but another reason is because
they trust the sommeliers selection.
Just because a guest says my budget is
$100, doesnt mean you should choose a
wine thats $100. I would pick one thats
$75, because if you can blow them out
of the water with a cheaper priced wine,
you build a better rapport with the cus-
tomer and this builds good customer
relations so they come back, he says.
Te two restaurants do not participate
in Torontos Bring Your Own Wine Pro-
gram but for diferent reasons. Ciao Wine
Bar does not allow
patrons to bring
their own bottles
of wine to the
restaurant while
Centro Restaurant
charges a $35 cork-
age fee to defer
people from bring-
ing in cheaper
bottles of wine from the nearby LCBO.
I can tell you that if you come here
for $35 you can get a much better bottle
of wine, Mano says I want to discour-
age people from bringing things that are
not special, if you want to bring a bottle of
wine from home that is an older vintage
or a gif and you dont really cook at home
then by all means the $35 is justifed.
Wine: What a sommelier can do for you
BY: NADIA PERSAUD
BUSINESS
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Just because a guest says
my budget is $100, doesnt
mean you should choose a
wine thats $100.
-Armando Mano
11 Winter 2011
C
hefs in Toronto are gearing
their menus to a sustainable
trend: locally grown foods.
Bonita Magee, project manager of
Get Local, a program from British
Columbia brings restaurants and
farmers together.
Teres an odd disconnect with
what people are eating and their lack of
knowledge of where its coming from,
Magee said.
Te program has an innovative way
of not only encouraging local foods
but also showcasing what Canadian
restaurants are using.
People need to know the reasons
behind what theyre eating and chefs
are now becoming more interested
in local foods. Were actually not
producing as much local as what
people are asking for, a disappointed
Magee said.
According to the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency, local food is
defned as being grown 50 km of where
the item is sold.
Local farms are
also less likely to
use hormones in
their foods.
By choosing
locally grown
food, restaurants
can serve fresh
food, support the local economy and
reduce pollution since the food travels
less distance. Its better than just
taking out frozen items, defrosting and
just serving it, Magee said. People
want local foods!
Deb Mackay, the farm manager
of Cooks Town Green, located in
Tornton, Ontario, has been in
business since 1988 and has farm land
of nearly 100
acres with only
70 per cent being
used. She was in
the restaurant
industry for 25
years before
joining the farm
10 years ago.
She says she knows the needs of
restaurateurs and tries to deliver only
the best products. I have to make
sure the products are cleaned and
Giving You An Edge:
FEATURE
I think chefs have more
fun with local ingredients
and menus.
- Andrika Dias
locally grown foods
BY: HINA JASIM
Toronto restaurants are embracing locally grown foods to add a unique edge to their
establishments and support Ontario farmers.
12
Winter 2011
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sanitized before being delivered, Mackay
explained.
Te farm is well-known for their
salads, seedlings used for garnishing, and
root vegetables like carrots, beets and
potatoes.
Local food has been happening for
nearly 20 years now and we were actually
one of the frst farms to be involved in
the now well-known trend, Mackay said
with a smile.
Cooks
Town
caters
out to
restaurants
like Booca,
Pangaea,
Canoe
and Harbor 60. Tey also provide service
to major hotels like Four Seasons, Ritz
Carlton and Sheraton.
Teres more availability with local
foods now than there was 10 years ago
and chefs prefer it, Mackay said.
According to Restaurant Central, a
survey done by Ispos Reid showed 86 per
cent of Canadians believe food produced
in Canada is safe. Eight out of 10 agree
its important to know where your food
comes from. Another survey done by the
Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice
Association this year found that choosing
locally grown foods is the leading trend
in the business. Te CRFAs also claims
that Torontonians spend 20 per cent
of their food expenditures on local
products.
Adam Dolly, the head chef at Hanks
Wine and Bar, located at 9 Church St.,
only cooks with local products. Te
owner, Bryan Burke, took over the
restaurant from Chef Jamie Kennedy
two years ago and carried on Kennedys
commitment to local farmers.
We have a wide variety of items
available. For example, our
asparagus is unbeatable and
strawberries, which come fresh
from the farmers market,
Dolly said. Us using local
foods is a way of supporting
our local farmers and the
money is being spent in our
economy and city.
Ninety per cent of our menu is
local foods.
Te restaurant gets all their cattle beef
from Cumbraes Farm in Ontario and
their seafood comes from Lake Erie and
Huron.
We make sure we get our produce
from a long-time supplier, one the owner
has known for years. Our produce comes
in daily, seafood is maybe twice a week,
Dolly added.
Toronto resident Andrika Dias is a
restaurant enthusiast and enjoys the local
food trend but fnds that it doesnt suit
her student
budget.
Its kind
of sad that
you have to
pay more
for food just
because the
food is coming from a certain amount
of kilometers [away], Dias said in
disappointment.
Mackay says customers are getting
what they are paying for.
Our products are more expensive than
a retailer but its because everythings
done by hand, by all of us here she
explained.
For Dolly, locally grown foods also
make for a unique dining.
Using local foods will make us stand
out from other restaurants, its a better-
tasting product and I believe it will cost
less to use local items and its fresher, he
said.
Whats the diference
between a local
food item
versus an
imported
ne?

Lets use asparagus as an example,
Dolly said.
Its sweet and juicy from Ontario
but if you get it from Mexico, its duller
in taste and color. Our strawberries are
much richer in taste and bigger in size,
compared to ones from California, he
said.
You as a customer know where the
foods coming from, or you should know.
Youre not just supporting local foods
but also the local wineries we have. I
think chefs have more fun with local
ingredients and menus, Magee laughed.
Local items like burgundy radish,
baby pea tendrils and purple basil are
all examples of items used to decorate
and garnish dishes and the names sound
exotic and fun.
Local food is something you can trust,
its not being handled by someone from
God knows where. I think local food
tends to be fancier and in my opinion, it
has an expensive menu, Dias said.
Restaurants and small local farms
have a mutually benefcial relationship,
Mackay said.
According to Cooks Town, Canadian
produce gets the premium price in the
U.S. market because it has more favours
and Canada has the cheapest food in the
world.
Chef Dolly explained one setback with
using local foods.
Sometimes the items do get limiting,
its a really hard season for produce.
You have to go out of the box, go
somewhere else to get specifc
foods, he said.
But one thing is for sure,
Dolly said. You as a
customer need to know
whats in your food, I feel
its necessary to spread
local food in the economy.
FEATURE
13 Winter 2011
Local food is something you can
trust, its not being handled by someone
from God knows where.
- Andrika Dias
A
server at Rendezvous
Ethiopian restaurant
walks out of a busy
kitchen with a fresh, furiously
smoky pan of roasted coffee
beans.
Guests enjoying injera and wot
dinner at throw out their arms to
wave the aromatic smell to their
tables.
Owner Banchi Kinde knows
what it takes to get even the
most unadventurous Torotonians
hooked on Ethiopian food.
Walking into an Ethiopian
restaurant is a challenge for many
people, she said. She looked
at guests tearing injera, a thin
pita-like bread, with their fingers
from a shared platter. They use
the piece to scoop some wot or
stew and gobble up the bite-size
roll.
When you eat with your
hands, it creates an attachment
with yourself, said a soft-spoken
but firm Kinde. Thats why
Ethiopian food makes you fall in
love with yourself.
Its a bold statement, but one
Kinde strongly believes in. The
key to getting customers to come
back for more, she said, is to
explain the Ethiopian culture of
eating, like gursha putting a piece of injera and wot into a
friends mouth.
Its an intimate thing, she said. Once they [customers]
find out [about gursha] next time they want to bring their
wives or someone else.
Kinde mentioned a recent episode of The Simpsons
in which Marge becomes adventurous and orders the
craziest thing on the menu for her and her children in
an Ethiopian restaurant.
After finding out about
gursha, the kids could not
stop stuffing food into each
others mouths even after
they went home.
Breaking the barrier
utensils create and
introducing Ethiopian food
as bonding experience
makes people want to come
back for more, Kinde said.
The commercial
is already made. [The
customers] are all yours.
Although hospitality is a
generic rule for restaurants,
Kinde says its one of the
qualities of Ethiopian
culture her restaurant takes
advantage of.
When people go to
Ethiopia and come back, the
first thing they talk about
is about our hospitality, not
really the food, she said.
When they come back
here, they expect the same
treatment.
In a growingly diet-
conscious society, the large
selection of vegetarian
dishes in the Ethiopian
palette also drives business
to Rendezvous, Kinde added. But despite the spice-
intolerance nature of many non-Ethiopians, Kinde believes
its important to retain the original ingredients.
The way Ethiopians eat it is the way its served, she
said, adding that Ethiopian food has many
dishes that are not spicy. Watering down the spicy
dishes compromises authenticity, she stated.
Authenticity is something Jay Yoo, the operations
Yeamrot Taddese looks into how you can use culture to
entice even the most picky eaters
Rendezvous Ethiopian restaurant owner Banchi Kinde
pours Ethiopian coffee.
Crafting culture
FEATURE
14
Winter 2011
P
h
o
t
o

b
y
:

Y
e
a
m
r
o
t

T
a
d
d
e
s
e
manager at Nami
Japanese restaurant,
also values.
From the food
to dcor and
staff uniform,
Japanese culture is
imbedded in the
whole restaurant,
he said.
A lot of Japanese
restaurants are
actually Korean- or
Chinese-owned.
At Nami, 99 per
cent of staff speak
Japaneseour head
chef is from Japan.
Authenticity at
Nami is also seen
in how the staff do
their job, Yoo added.
Theres a strong
sense of team work
[among the staff ], which is very Japanese, he said.
Most of these staff, he stated, have worked at Nami for a
very long time and keep the 25-year-old restaurants food
and service consistent.
We havent been in business this long because of a one-
hit wonder thing, he affirmed. We try to make the dining
experience consistent. Every time people come, they know
what theyre getting.
The wait staff at Nami are dressed in traditional Japanese
kimono, something Adam Waxman, a food writer at DINE
Magazine who has eaten around the world, believes adds to
the dining experience.
If you go to a Japanese
restaurant where the waiters
are wearing kimono and
another one where they are
wearing black pants and shirts,
how you relate to your waiter is
different, he said.
But authenticity in clothing, and especially food, is
something only those who know about the culture in
question can recognize, he said. Authentic food, Waxman
added, can make one restaurant better than another
but that its not something people think of when theyre
hungry.
The motivation for going out for dinner is often
determined by hunger, he said. Youre eating for fuel.
If you want to have a quick lunch, who cares about
authenticity?
He added that people often settle for authentic enough
but rarely accept bad service or little value for money.
Many ethnic restaurants in Toronto, Waxman noted,
alter original recipes either because the ingredients are not
available or because they want to cater to what they believe
Canadians find delicious.
Berber Moroccan restaurant assistant manager Medhat
Lotify agrees. Owned by Italians who love Moroccan
culture, a first glimpse at the downtown restaurant
prepares its patrons for a true Mediterranean experience as
far as ambiance and entertainment are concerned.
The tent ceilings, dim lighting and red cushions on
bench sofa seats give a feel of a different world. Belly
dancers move around the restaurant ringing shimmy
sounds of North Africa. But when it comes to the food,
Lotify said local touches are a must.
You cant do everything Moroccan,
he said shaking his head. You have to
add North American elements to suit
[Canadian tastes].
Moroccan food can be very sweet
and buttery, Lotify said, adding that
it could be hard to savour for those who dont have the
acquired taste.
The same goes for drinks. While Berber sells Moroccan
wine, it also has wines from other parts of the world
because guests have their preferences.
Even when changes are made to accommodate local
needs, there are problems. After eating braised lamb with
prune sauce for dinner, customers call to complain about
stomach problems.
Its not a problem with the food, Lotify chuckled,
adding that prunes are simply natural laxatives.
Nami Japanese restaurant prides itself in serving authentic food. All staff at Nami speak Japanese.
...Ethiopian food makes you
fall in love with yourself.
- Banchi Kinde
FEATURE
15 Winter 2011
P
h
o
t
o

b
y
:

j
e
s
s
i
c
a

L
e
e
Mark McEwan moves like a fsh in water at his high-end grocery store in North York. He is the boss
afer all. He laughs with his staf, adjusts products and greets customers with a sincere smile.
Dressed in a pressed navy blue suit with a pale blue dress shirt underneath, he looks every bit the
part of a proud owner.
Afer over 35 years in the food industry, McEwan has opened four restaurants, a grocery store and
two catering companies. He has also published two books, stars in two television shows and launched an
eco-friendly pots and pans line.
Te road to this point, however, has not been easy.
He frst decided to become a chef in 1976, afer fnishing high school.
Actually, a lot of people thought I was sort of crazy to be going into the business, he
says. Tey had no understanding of food. You tell people that youre going to be a chef today
and they go oh thats great. Back in my day, they looked at you like youd bumped your head.
Back then, the Food Channel did not exist, nor did the media blitz revolving food and
restaurants.
It was a very diferent playing feld, McEwan says.
He took an apprenticeship in the kitchen at Sutton Place, an upscale hotel in downtown
Toronto, and eventually became the executive hotel chef as his career progressed.
Mark
McEwan
Story and photos by: Jessica Lee
shares his secrets to success
I sold my car, I took our
wedding money I didnt
tell my wife this I took all
the money for the wedding
and bought a share for the
restaurant.
FEATURE
16
Winter 2011
Tat was my frst big job. And then from there, I seg-
wayed into restaurants, he says.
In 1985 he bought Pronto restaurant with two other busi-
ness partners.
Afer doing the hotel for two years, I was bored already,
he says. I looked around and thought, I dont want to be here
my whole life. I dont want to be at a food and beverage meeting
every Tursday and listening to the same people talk about why
they cant things done.
McEwan was passionate about his new restaurant venture
and did what he had to do to make ends meet.
I sold my car, I took our wedding money I didnt tell my
wife this I took all the money for the wedding and bought a
share for the restaurant.
I went from [earning] $65,000 a year [at the hotel] to a
$32,000 salary.
At the time, Pronto was already a successful restaurant.
McEwan and his team kept the pot bubbling and in 1990,
opened a new restaurant, North 44. It was not easy.
When you go to the bank and you want to open up a
business, you sort of sell your soul, McEwan says.
McEwan and his partners split shortly afer opening North
44. His partners ended up with Pronto and McEwan got
North 44.
Enter the recession.
With $2 million in debt and a restaurant to run, McEwan
FEATURE
17
Winter 2011
continued to work in North 44 and managed to establish a regu-
lar clientele. Finally, in 2002, he was ready to embrace another
challenge. He opened his second restaurant, Bymark, in the f-
nancial district, which has gone
on to become just as successful
as North 44.
Success is a curvy road.
You have to work it, work it,
work it all the time. You have
to fnd an idea and if it doesnt
work, you have to fgure it out
and be tenacious about it,
McEwan says.
Tough he has never taken
any business courses, he has a natural talent for it. As a young
entrepreneur, the changing of weather meant McEwan mowed
lawns, raked leaves and shovelled driveways.
Te moment I was old enough to get a job, I got a job. I
think its natural that people sort of fall into [business], McEwan
says.
McEwan knows that guests at his restaurant like to feel
special and makes time to chat and meet with them. He
knows what he wants and expects his employees to deliver
it. He tries to visit all of his restaurants every day to oversee
the staf and keep a watch for new needs that may present
themselves.
Tim Salmon, general manager at One Restaurant in
Yorkville, one of McEwans eateries, describes him as very
on the ball.
McEwan is up-to-date on the latest trends but also uses
good old-fashioned logic to make his decisions. Deciding to
go with the more costly paper bags to be eco-friendly at his
grocery store despite
plastic bags being
cheaper shows how at-
tuned he is to the green
progression that is oc-
curring in the industry.
Hes a very astute
businessman, says
Salmon, who has been
an employee of McE-
wans for 17 years. Hes
very smart. He knows
exactly what fgures
need to go he knows
the numbers.
Salmons boss
also knows that quality control in a restaurant is extremely
important.
You dont ever get that moment to open again, McEwan
says of restaurants.
McEwans expectations are ex-
emplifed in his TV series, Te Heat
with Mark McEwan. In one episode
where the company was catering
a large event, despite doubts from
his staf, McEwan outlined exactly
what they could do in the time-
frame and made it clear in a stern
manner what he expected them to
accomplish.
Hes a perfectionist, frst and foremost, and hes very simple
and fair but at the same time he demands a lot, Sash Simpson,
executive chef at North 44 and a long-time employee of McE-
wans, says.
When working with new employees, McEwan relies on his
instinct, which he says are generally right. Employees, he says,
are essentially the most difcult equation of the business to
control.
I dont even believe in the three strikes youre out rule,
McEwan remarks, I believe certain things, one strike and
youre two thirds out the door. Even a hint of it again, youre
gone. Because I know [the character] resides in you and I
dont want to have to deal with people like that.
He says that the failure rate of new employees in a new
business is relatively high. When he was opening one of his
restaurants, the general manager was fred within two weeks
I think [being a middle
child] is a beneft. I think when
youre young and you get too
much atenton for the wrong
reasons, I dont think its good for
character.
McEwans ONE Restaurant, located in the glitzy Yorkville district, is a prime spot
for socialites and celebrities.
FEATURE
HIRING AND FIRING
18
Winter 2011
for failing to meet standards.
You never know until boots are on the ground and you
start adding pressure to the bottle what happens to a person.
Ten you see the true character of a person come out. And
until theyre tested, you dont know, McEwan says. His
employees agree.
He expects his team to work as hard as he does. If he
thinks youre not working hard and not doing what you
should be doing, hes got no time for you, Salmon says.
Simpson is grateful for the position McEwan gave him
and for everything he taught him in the kitchen.
For me to take over and run [North 44] for him was a
blessing, Simpson says. What he showed me is being really
good at what you do, and that is what he is.
Pretty much everything he touches turns to gold,
Salmon adds.
Not one for superfcial talk or time wasting, McEwan
established an empire at age 54 simply due to focus and hard
work. Where other people like to talk endlessly over plans
but never set their plans to action, McEwan is the kind of
person who gets things done. He sets his mind to his goals,
makes plans, assigns projects to the staf best suited for the
job and waits for it all to come to fruition.
I dont have a lot of patience for unnecessary meetings
and endless structure and paperwork. I like to be hands-on.
I like to see things come about and I think by me control-
ling it, I can be very spontaneous in that way - create a lot of
change and a lot of action in a short period of time.
Hes very strong-minded, Salmon says. Hes not
wishy-washy at all.
McEwans strong vision of what he wants and extensive
expertise in the feld such as knowing what diners want,
what would look good in his grocery store have so far
brought success. Every detail, down to the employees uni-
forms, were meticulously planned and thought over.
McEwan believes his unrelenting personality comes
from being a middle child in a large family. He emphasizes
that everything he has - he had to work hard for.
I think [being a middle child] is a beneft. I think when
youre young and you get too much attention for the wrong
reasons, I dont think its good for character.
Out of all his projects, McEwan felt that the most difcult one
was opening the grocery store.
I think it was probably the most satisfying [to complete]
because it was probably the biggest thing Ive ever done. Id talked
about a store for 10 years. Probably a good 10 years, says McEwan.
To sit across the street on the park bench and actually see the
store operating was quite a thrill, he remarks.
Having just released a new cookbook on Italian food last
month and opened an Italian restaurant (Fabbrica) last year, there
is no telling what he is up to next. Tere are book signings to be
done, foods to be taste-tested, events to cater and decisions to be
made.
I like what Im doing at 54 and I think thats a good place to
be, so Im a happy guy, he says.
McEwan begins his day by working out at 7:30 a.m., then immediately hits the offce to start his work.
FEATURE
WORKING HIS WAY TO THE TOP
LOOKING BACK
19
Winter 2011
Pie Crust Dinnerware
Bowl: $16.00
Tea cup: $12.00
Small plate: $16.00
Large plate: $24.00
Cutlery (set of five): $28.00
PHOTO
Antique
Playful
Cambria Dinnerware
Dinner plate (set of four): $51.80
Salad plate (set of four): $41.44
Cereal Bowl (set of four): $41.44
Mug (set of four): $41.44
Classic cutlery (20 piece set): $207.22
20
wixsn zo!!

Minimalist
Dishing Out
Inspiration
Besides taste, food is often judged on presentation. The food is the
show and the dinnerware is the stage. Both are important to setting the
taste of the meal, which is why we have picked out a few themes to
give you ideas for your winning dish.
Photos: Jessica Lee
Bowl: $4.39
Plate: $6.99
Cup and saucer: $2.99
Eclipse spoon: $2.39
Eclipse fork: $2.39
Eclipse knife: $2.99
Available at Tap Phong
Trading Co.
21
PHOTO
l wixsn zo!!
Restaurant
Cost-cutting 101
How to save on expenses you dont need
I
t is a common practice for people to cut the fat of of their
meat before cooking it. Similarly, when running a restau-
rant, it is essential to cut the fat of of whatever is holding
your business back from making higher profts. In other words,
slashing the costs of what is not necessary is important to the
fnancial health of your establishment.
Typically, the expenses are split up with a third of spending
going into hiring labour, a third going into food, and the rest
towards everything else, including rent.
In a Canada-wide survey of 2,000 restaurants, Te Bot-
tom Line, a guide that has statistics of Canadas food business
budgets reports that the average Canadian restaurant spent 31.4
per cent on food and beverages, 26.1 per cent on salaries, wages
and benefts and 12.2 per cent on rent in 2010. Te rest was
spent on entertainment, utilities and other expenses.
Richard Wade, a hospitality management profes-
sor at Ryerson University and restaurant consultant,
suggests that no more than 10 per cent of the costs
should go into rent.
Since the cost of rent is ofen not fexible, variable
costs in running a restaurant are usually limited to just
labour and food.
To save on labour costs, Mike Wilson, a restaurant consul-
tant based in Toronto, advises having the management team
work longer hours to cover some of the hourly paid employees,
since managers are paid by salary. However, Wilson warns that
this method should not be casually employed as it puts more
stress, sometimes too much, on managers, which can lead to
further problems like mismanagement of the staf.
Wilson, who has 35 years of experience in the restaurant
business, began his career in culinary school as a chef. He has
worked in a hotel, various restaurants, and also for the largest
food manufacturer in the world, Nestle.
While he does not openly recommend buying cheaper
ingredients to save on costs, he says, If its a small part of the
ingredient, it doesnt necessarily afect the quality.
He advises chefs to make the same dish using diferent
brands of four or sugar. If there isnt a diference in the quality
of the food, and one brand costs less than the other, it makes
economic sense to switch brands. For example, if a baker mak-
ing bread saves 10 cents a loaf by using less expensive four, he
ends up saving $100 per 1,000 loaves sold.
Te best quality [foods] taste better in the end, Wilson says.
But if its a small ingredient like coriander seed or something
like that, it doesnt make a big diference.
If youre talking about something like safron that makes
a big diference, if its something delicate.
Vegetables should be as fresh as possible, he adds.
Many restaurants will also try to work out a deal with food
suppliers.
In Canoe Restaurants case, since the restaurant belongs to a
larger chain, Oliver & Bonacini, the company has saved money
by buying in bulk for all of its restaurants, according to general
manager Paul Martin.
Besides being known for its view (the restaurant is situated
on the 54th foor of the TD building on Wellington Street in
Toronto), the restaurant has a reputation for high-quality din-
ing.
BY: JESSICA LEE
FEATURE
22
Winter 2011
Once the food is bought and prepared,
many restaurant experts recommend mak-
ing sure that the right portion is on the
plate.
I have stood in the kitchen looking
at all the food that is coming back on the
plates, and seeing what keeps coming back
on the plates. Maybe you see a lot of French
fries that are coming back or mashed pota-
toes, Wade says.
At Canoe, food is weighed before be-
ing served on the plate. Martin says any
serious restaurant would weigh its food
before serving. Even drinks are measured
at Canoe.
For glasses of wine, for example, we use
a cortino, which is a little craf which has
a lined edge on it so we know how much
to pour into [the glasses]. For everything
else, we use shot glasses and make sure
that everything is proper. We wont do free
pouring as some places might do, he says.
While measuring may seem like a hassle,
it will save you dollars in the long run.
Monitoring inventory levels and keeping
an inventory that matches your needs is
also another way to reduce costs. Keeping
inventory low reduces the waste in unsold
food. It also keeps track of what is sup-
posed to be in stock.
If theres a fuctuation in [our inventory
numbers], well know that something is not
alright, Martin says.
Dishonest employees could also mean
losses. Wilson recom-
mends setting up
security cameras and
making sure the back
door is not close to
the kitchen in case of
internal thef. When
the restaurant is busy,
and managers are focused on the custom-
ers, things can walk out the back door, he
says.
Some restaurants will go as far as not let-
ting the employees take out trash without
the managers approval. Dishonest employ-
ees may throw out expensive items such as
wine and rescue them later when disposing
of the trash.
Wilson also recommends using clear
garbage bags to see what is being thrown
out. If there is a lack of training, some
cooks may throw out usable product with-
out knowing it.
Teres very little waste in the kitchen
[at Canoe], Martin says. Every-
thing that we butcher that isnt used
in a specifc dish can be used in a
sauce of some kind.
Removing the garbage cans from
the cooking area, and giving employees
clear plastic bins to throw their scraps in,
also helps monitor waste. Managers can
then make comments to the cooks and re-
train them if good, usable product is being
thrown out.
Training chefs to learn new skills such as
butchering also saves money paid to meat
processing centres.
When you train your chefs, also include
your managers.
Professor Wade, who has had over 50
years of restaurant experience, says that
managers should be able to do everything
that their staf members can do.
One of the problems restaurants get
into, he says, [is that] they dont know
much about food preparation and they
leave that with the chef. Well if the chef
then says, Well Im going to leave, then
where are you at?
None of your staf should feel indispens-
able, he adds. Its much better if they
know you can do their job.
Wade stresses that conducting research,
knowing various skills and being prepared
is essential to keep the business running.
For new restaurants, he encourages plot-
ting out all the expenses they will need, and
to really do their
homework.
All too ofen
what restaurants
will do is underes-
timate their cost of
opening a restau-
rant and so what
happens is they become under-fnanced, so
when they actually open their restaurant,
theyre already sort of tapped-out fnan-
cially, he says.
He adds that new restaurants should op-
erate under the assumption that they wont
be making any profts for three months, or
even a year. He also does not recommend
trying to cut costs or cutting down staf
when frst opening.
You dont want to be displeasing your
customers simply by cutting back on staf
or cutting down on portion sizes or simply
taking shortcuts with the food prepara-
tion.
None of your staf should
feel indispensable.
-Professor Richard Wade
Leasing: Pros
Good when youre just start-
ing out with a new restaurant
and dont have a lot of money
to spend.
Youre not stuck with equip-
ment, can return it anytime if it
breaks or just stops working.
Some vendors might waive
the monthly fee, if you have a
new restaurant.
Cons
Extremely high interest rates
Dealing with credit checks
Having to return item once
lease is up
Buying: Pros
It works for owners
who have knowledge
of taking care of
restaurant and equip-
ment.
You have complete
power over item, its
yours.
Cons
Up-front cost is higher
It takes away from your bud-
get, proft.
You have to deal with the
maintenance/ repair yourself.
Depending on your fnancial
standing and number of
years in the business, leas-
ing equipment, instead of
buying it, might leave extra
bucks in your pocket.
Leasing might save
you money
- By Hina Jasim
23 Winter 2011
L
iquor licence, check. No smoking signs, check.
Elevator safety requirement, check. Alarm system,
check. Correct kitchen sink positioning, check.
If your regulatory compliance checklist looks like
this, youre probably less than a quarter of the way to
completing your requirement before you could open a full-
service restaurant.
In addition to hiring, fring, serving and purchasing,
many restaurateurs have to deal with painstaking
paperwork and scattered administration to stay in line
with regulatory laws imposed by municipal and provincial
governments.
[Restaurant owners] should be focusing on growing
their businesses but they are stuck in their ofces flling out
forms, Brandy Giannetta, a spokesperson for the Ontario
Restaurant, Hotel & Motel Association, said.
Regulatory burden is a huge restraint fnancially and on
time.
A survey conducted last year by the Canadian
Restaurant and Foodservices Association found that nine
out of 10 restaurateurs feel red tape is huge problem for
their businesses.
Restaurateurs also have to deal with diferent
departments to fulfll each requirements. Giannetta said
a one-stop shop for all hospitality licensing will make the
process more streamlined. She added that a simpler way
of communicating requirements will also be useful since
restaurateurs are ofen unsure of what is expected of them.
Were not opposed to the regulations; safety is a number
one priority for us, she afrmed. But each individual
Municipal and federal governments are taking
steps to reduce bureaucracy for restaurateurs
BY: YEAMROT TADDESE
UNWRAPPING RED TAPE
FEATURE
24
Winter 2011
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requirement should be made clear. It
shouldnt be a guessing game.
Grilled Pit restaurant owner
Victor Alvarez is thankful for having
had experience in the hospitality
business prior to opening his
restaurant because for someone
who is new, it can be a bit of a
guessing game.
Looking back, he thinks the
process of opening a restaurant
could have been easier.
[Te procedures] are very
cumbersome; you have to be very
organized and detailed, he said,
frowning in discontent. But whats
most frustrating is the wait [for
permits].
Walking
around his
restaurant,
Alvarez is
proud to
show of
his sticker
from the
Electrical
Safety
Authority.
Tree years ago, he had to get a
green light from ofcials before he
could close of his restaurants roof
lest he break everything down if he
didnt meet the electrical standards.
Like Giannetta, Alvarez said
the regulations themselves arent a
problem.
If you follow all the regulations,
youre safe, he said. You have to
comply for the safety of yourself and
your customers.
If there could be one department
that can handle these procedures, it
would be great.
Giannetta said organizations like
the Ministry of Health, Ministry of
Labour, Workers Safety Insurance
Board and Alcohol and Gaming
Commission of Ontario could work
together to make the process easier
for restaurateurs.
She highlighted that each newly
imposed regulation doesnt take into
account how other regulations are
afecting business owners.
[Regulators] fail to take a look of
the total regulatory burden placed on
business owners, she said.
Anabel Lindblad, spokesperson
for the Ottawa-based Red Tape
Reduction Commission, said partly
because of the commissions work,
some of Giannettes concerns are
listed in this years federal budget.
Federal regulators, she said, will
use a small business checklist to
ensure that new regulations take into
account the particular circumstances
of small business owners.
Te commission, created by the
federal government last year, is also
working to increase transparency and
predictability,
Lindblad
added.
Te
government
has made a
commitment
to post all
regulatory
consultations
on the Consulting with Canadians
web portal as well as in Canada
Gazette.
Lindblad added that the sharing of
information allows business owners
to not only foresee new regulations
but also provide their inputs when
regulations are designed.
Regulatory obligations vary
from one municipality to another,
requiring restaurateurs to start
the process of obtaining a licence
from scratch when they open a new
restaurant in a diferent city.
Bruce Hawkins, a spokesperson
for the City of Torontos Municipal
Licensing and Standards, said the city
is taking steps to make the licensing
process more streamlined. He said
most resources are now available
online to help self-employed business
owners save time.
Licensees can now pay most
invoices, including licence renewals,
online, saving them a trip to the
licensing ofce, he said.
But for those like Alvarez, who
would appreciate some kind of
manual on what the requirements
are and how to fulfll them, the city is
still falling short.
Why doesnt someone write a
book about how to do this? Alvarez
said jokingly.
Unlike Alvarez, who had to start
his business from scratch, Abyssinia
restaurant owner Sirak Ayele bought
an establishment that was previously
a small eatery near Bloor Street and
Ossington Avenue.
In addition to having patrons walk
in his restaurant since the day he
opened, buying an existing operation
also meant the previous owner
could transfer most of his inspection
approval stamps to Ayele.
For me, it was like buying a car
without tires and then putting on the
tires myself, Ayele said.
But now, Ayele wants to build a
patio for his Bloor Street restaurant
and his construction application
has been in city hall for nearly three
months.
Every step youre making, the city
has to know, he said. If you want to
knock down a wall, you have to go
through a process.
However, Ayele is thankful for
online application forms the city
has made available, which he said
helped save him a lot of time when
he opened his establishment.
Handling all the deskwork
becomes so time-consuming that
restaurateurs ofen hire other people
to do it.
Before deciding to take on the
initial paperwork all by himself,
Ayele had contacted an accountant
who could do the job for him.
He [the accountant] asked me
for $2,000, Ayele exclaimed. I said,
No!
I had the luxury of time, so I did
it on my own.
FEATURE
[Restaurant owners] should
be focusing on growing their
businesses but they are stuck in
their ofces flling out forms.
-Brandy Giannetta
25 Winter 2011
Menu
Psychology
Arranging your spread to sell certain dishes or sell more of them
BY: JESSICA LEE
THE SCIENCE BEHIND BUYING
W
hats the difference between writing 9 and $9 on your menu? Making or not making $9.
Its all about menu psychology: using research and psychological tactics to influence the cus-
tomer to buy a particular item, or buy more of the same item.
So where do you start?
The first thing youve got to do is write a mission statement, says former restauranteur and current George
Brown hospitality professor Andy Hickl-Szabo. Then from there flows the menu, from that really flows everything
else.
In an article by the New York Times, writer Sarah Kershaw used restaurateur Danny Meyers new Indian restau-
rant, Tabla, as an example of how to successfully brand a dish. The name of one of the dishes, Boodies Chicken
Liver Masala, draws from the observation that people like to buy products associated with persons. This is because
the name gives a sense of tradition attached to the product. For Meyers restaurant, Boodie is the name of the head
chef s mother. Consumers are more likely to buy Grandmas Oples apple pie, burgers freshly ground at Uncle Jakes,
or Aunt Jeminas pancakes.
INSIGHTS
26
Winter 2011
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If the food is from a special place,
when describing it in the menu,
you want to mention it as well, says
Hickl-Szabo. For example writing
Berkshire pork or Kenyan coffee
is better than simply offering pork
and coffee.

THE PRICE IS NOT ALWAYS
RIGHT

At Meyers restaurant, the price
of Boodies chicken livers is $9, but
its written simply as 9. According
Kershaw, 9 is a friendly and manage-
able number.
Stuff at $9.99 sells much more
than stuff at $10, says Hickl-Szabo
And if you dont put the dollar sign
in front of 9.99, it sells [even] better.
However, some researchers say
that the extra .99 makes the price
seem tacky
and cheap.
Depending on
the brand of
your restau-
rant, the way
you word
your pricing
is critical to
how many
items you sell.
Hickl-
Szabo, who
has more than
25 years of
experience in
the restaurant
business, says
that a good
menu does
not empha-
size the price.
Dont
draw dots
from the
menu item to
the price. Dont put the price all in a
straight line. You dont want to hide
the price, but you dont want to draw
attention to it because there are a cer-
tain number of guests who just look
down the price column and shop that
way, he says.
Another tool restaurateurs can use
is a simple comparison strategy when
pricing their items. In the heart of
the trendy SoHo district in New York,
a restaurant named Balthazar has a
seafood dish for two priced at $80.
It wasnt selling because it was a
ridiculous price, so they made the
box wider and beside it, they put a
similar thing, but for [$125], says
Hickl-Szabo.
So what happens now is that
people by default look at that, and the
one they wanted to sell, which was
the cheap one at $80 now sells incred-
ibly well because its positioned next
to one thats stupidly priced.
WRITING LYRICS FOR YOUR
DISHES

No matter how good the design
of your menu is, if the food does not
sound attractive,
no one will eat at
your restaurant.
The chefs
write the music
and the menu be-
comes the lyrics,
and sometimes
the music is gor-
geous and its got
the wrong lyrics
and the lyrics
can torpedo the
music, Meyers
told the New York
Times.
Describing the
ingredients in the
food stimulates
guests appetites,
which encourag-
es them to order
the dish.
Clich words
and phrases can
ruin the game.
Hickl-Szabo advises to steer clear
from grilled to perfection or sen-
suous. He also says to use simpler
words when describing food.
Youre not fooling anybody, he
says. Youve got to tell the truth,
youve got to sort of dress it up, but
its got to be clever and discreet.
MAKE USE OF BOXES, LINES AND
HOT SPOTS

Georgia State University hospital-
ity professor Dave Pavesic says that
too often, menus look like they are put
together last minute.
In a carefully designed menu, res-
taurateurs can take advantage of prime
menu space and strategically place
items they want to sell in those areas.
Much of the menu design is also
adapted from retail merchandis-
ing principles that set up displays in
department and other retail stores to
catch the eye of the shopper, says Pave-
sic, adding that no one ever purchased
something that never caught their
attention.
Boxes, dotted outlines, or even extra
white space can make items stand out.
For efficiency reasons, Pavesic advises
not to put items in key spaces if they
take more than 10-12 minutes to pre-
pare and need to be moved to two or
more stations in the kitchen.
Another way to push sales is to put
little icons beside the dish. But not too
much, advises Hickl-Szabo, because
if everything is special, nothing is
special.

SIZE MATTERS
Many consultants lean towards
having smaller menus. According to
research from Gallup, a news database
from the U.S., the more time a cus-
tomer spends looking at the menu, the
longer the table turnover time is, which
means less tables can be served, and
less profit is made.
I would rather not see a humongous
menu, says Hickel-Szabo, If I see a
menu thats many many pages, the first
thing I think is none of its fresh. Id
rather see a smaller menu that changes
more often. At the very least, you
should change three times a year.
He also adds that people will get tired
of the same selections, and that chefs
always want to be using ingredients
that are in season.
Another reason to keep menus short-
er, Hickl-Szabo says, is because too
much choice will confuse patrons.
27 Winter 2011
Celebrity chef Jamie Kennedys Gilead Bistro
doesnt use dollar signs in its menu,
keeping the focus on the food.
INSIGHTS
W
ill you miss the waiter?
E-menus are eliminat-
ing the server from
the ordering process
altogether. Diners use
a touch-screen computer located at their
table to place their order which goes
directly from the computer to the chef,
who is ready and waiting in the kitchen.
Te servers are converted to runners who
bring food for the guests. When the patron
has fnished their meal, they simply pay
using the E-menu computer.
Te computer used for E-menu isnt
confned to the ordering process it adds
another level to the dining experience by
providing the guest with information and
entertainment at the tips of their fngers.
Israeli-based company Conceptic, one of
the few providers of electronic menus,
allows their users to use their product in
a number of diferent ways. Users are also
able to play a bevy of diferent games, fnd
locations for other entertainment venues
like movies or clubs or even order a taxi.
Digital menu boards are fat screen
televisions that display user-specifc infor-
mation. Restaurants are able to upload the
items of their choosing, like their menu
and promotions, before setting up the
slideshow. Tese are most ofen seen in fast
food chains.
Digital MenuBox is an outdoor electron-
ic menu display that allows passers-by to
take a look at the menu without having to
be seated, or even enter the restaurant. But
Derek Valleau, a partner at Amaya Express,
told Leanne DeLap of the Toronto Star that
even though people dont have to enter the
restaurant to see if theyll like the food of-
fered on the menu, the Digital MenuBox is
still capable of attracting more business.
Touch-screen menus mostly come in the
form of iPads, but one of their competitors
is E La Carte, developed by MIT drop-out
Rajat Suri. E La Carte, unlike iPad, also
allows the customer to pay using the ma-
chine itself in a fashion similar to E-menu.
E-menu and touch-screen menus are best
suited for fne or casual dining establish-
ments rather than fast food companies.
Ease of updating was one of the main
reasons [we substituted hardcopy menus
with touch-screen menus] theyre really
easy to switch on the fy, Vito Marrinuzzi,
owner of 7even Numbers, said. And saving
all the paper we burned through tons of
paper printing a new wine list every night.
But starting at $519.00 for each iPad 2
and $90.00 for the top-of-the-line OtterBox
protective cases, the start-up costs cant be
spent on a whim. Marinuzzi suggests using
sponsors to help defect the costs if the op-
tion is available.
Marinuzzi says the iPads are low-main-
tenance. With batteries that last 10 to 11
hours with constant use, the only upkeep
they require is charging the battery every
couple of days.
I love the idea [of iPads as menus],
Cory Cook, a server at 7even Numbers,
said. I think that theyve made the servers
job much, much easier.
We thought people over 50 wouldnt
take the iPad, but quite the opposite,
Marinuzzi said. Teyre the ones who love
it because its bright they can read the
menu.
TECHNOLOGY
Electronic Trends:
BY: KAITLYNN FORD
Digital Menus
28
Winter 2011
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To remain competitive and successful in their industry, restaurateurs could always update their skills.
Seneca College offers a number of one-day business
skills seminars, such as body language for leaders,
creativity, innovation and continuous improvement,
customer service excellence and smarter goal setting.
George Brown College offers a two year food and
beverage management program. Courses include
food and beverage cost control, fnance and busi-
ness communications, bartending, dining room opera-
tions, menu management, food safety, and wine and
beverage management.
Centennial College
Books from Toronto Public Library
George Brown College
Seneca College
Centennial College offers a two-year restaurant
management program followed by an internship.
Courses offered include fnance, human resources,
marketing and revenue, labor relations, customer
service and event management.
Public libraries house thousand of books on business
that can help expand your knowledge at your own
time and pace.
Colleges and universities offer a number of
educational opportunities in addition to their
undergraduate programs: continuing education
or studies, graduate & postdoctoral programs,
seminars, workshops and events.
Courses you can take to stay in the loop
Seminars at Toronto Public Library
Sharpening Your Skills:
Many of the seminars the Toronto Public Library offer
are based on fnancial information, specifcally taxes.
The library also offers recurring seminars for entre-
preneurs. The seminars are not too long and are also
offered in the evening for those who are too busy
during the day. Some of these include: Small Business
Information Seminar, Taxation Workshop, Saving on
Your Taxes, Financial Services, Income Tax Clinic, Busi-
ness Communication Circle, 2011 Top Ten Tax Saving
Strategies, and Financial Literacy: Lessons for Life.
If youre not up for spending money, there are
still ways to brush up your knowledge on your
craft.
BRIEFS
29 Winter 2011
Paid Options Free Options
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Gee, Thats Funny
The restaurant business is exciting and all, but sometimes it can be too much. Jessica Lee compiled a
bunch of funny and bizarre restaurant stories to keep things light-hearted because working in a res-
taurant can be entertaining sometimes.
LAST WORDS
Other uses for oil
Free falling
A high-end restaurant in a glamour-
ous downtown area was having a
cocaine problem in their bathrooms.
The manager ordered the staff to
spray cooking oil on the toilet seat
lids so that cocaine would clump to-
gether if it were lined up on it. The
problem went away after a week.
It was a sunny morning at a downtown
restaurant patio when suddenly, a
loud commotion was heard from the
hotel above. A nude man was climb-
ing out the window when he acciden-
tally fell onto a brunch table. Not a
word was said and he ran down the
street. It was later discovered that
he was a high-profle businessman.
He was fred because of the incident.
Kissing catastrophe
A couple was kissing passionate-
ly all night at a bar. After dinner,
the man pays for the meal and the
couple leaves. The bartender dis-
covers that the man left his credit
card behind due to his drunkenness
and decides to track him down by
searching for his name in the phone
book. Luckily, the man had a unique
last name. The bartender calls the
number and the wife picks up. Your
husband left his credit card at our
bar last night when you were here,
but you dont have cancel the card,
you can come pick it up. The wife
says, Thats funny, my husband said
he was on a business trip this week.
Penny pinching
After a meal of wings at a bar,
two men decided to split the bill.
One man paid with a debit card.
The other? In fourteen rolls of pen-
nies, forgetting to leave a tip for the
waiter and also shorting him $0.86.
If the shoe fits
A woman found her husband hav-
ing a meal with another woman
at a downtown restaurant. In an
angry ft, she took off her shoe
and started hitting him with it.
Lottery loser
A restaurants staff decided to con-
tribute to a lottery pool where the
pay off was $4 million. One em-
ployee was about to contribute, but
decided last minute that he wanted
to snack on a hot dog after work in-
stead of chipping in. One of the tick-
ets ended up winning, and the lottery
was split between all the contributing
staff. It was the most expensive hot
dog the employee had ever eaten.
Bad call
At an upscale dining room, a high-
strung lady was yelling and swear-
ing at a restaurant manager, caus-
ing a big commotion because there
were no tables to seat her. She said
she had made a reservation a week
ago and this morning, the restaurant
called back with the confrmation.
The manager looked at the reser-
vations list, where her name was
nowhere to be seen. He asked the
staff whether they remembered the
name of the lady but no one could
recall her name. He then asked
to see the call history on her cell
phone for the supposed reserva-
tion. Sure enough, she had made
reservations at another restaurant.
30
Winter 2011
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