Yahoo! launches new video travel site
September 27, 2006
Yahoo has partnered with Current TV, the viewer-generated TV network founded in part by former Vice President Al Gore, to launch several ad-supported video channels on Yahoo Video.
The Yahoo Current Network launched Wednesday with four channels: Yahoo Current Buzz, Yahoo Current Action, Yahoo Current Driver and Yahoo Current Traveler. Current Buzz showcases the most popular videos rated by users, along with editorially selected and professionally produced clips.
Madeleine Smithberg, co-creator of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” has been tapped as executive producer of Current Buzz.
Current Action covers action sports news and videos, like skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX and motocross. Current Driver showcases automotive content, and Current Traveler features video postcards and travel tips from destinations around the world. Several other channels are planned, with eight expected by the end of next year. Current TV will also air the most popular submissions from the Yahoo Current Network on its TV broadcast each week
For advertisers, the Yahoo Current channels grant access to a large audience of media-savvy young adults, and provide a rich environment to communicate with that audience, Jason Zajac, VP and general manager of social media at Yahoo, told ClickZ.
Related Link: Yahoo! Current Traveler http://video.yahoo.com/currenttv/traveler
Article location: http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/060927_yahoo_launches_new_video_travel_site/
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Proposed Visitor Rebate Cut to Cost Feds Millions
Proposed Visitor Rebate Cut to Cost Feds Millions
September 27, 2006 – Ottawa – The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) today called for the withdrawal of the decision to cut the GST Visitor Rebate Program as announced by the Federal Government on Monday, September 25.
“The proposed cut will in fact cost the government of Canada up to $218 million just in lost hotel tax revenue as opposed to the $78.8 million in proposed savings,” said HAC President Tony Pollard. The HAC’s greatest concern with this proposed elimination of the GST Rebate Program involves the group and convention business. The total value of this business in Canada in 2005 from outside the country is in excess of $1.28 billion. This proposed program cut puts this at very serious risk by increasing the cost to do business in Canada by six per cent.
“The government is shooting itself in the foot by jeopardizing federal, provincial and municipal tax revenues of $496 million, $218.5 million of which goes directly to the federal level,” stated Pollard.
The HAC is dismayed by the government’s apparent lack of concern and support for the Canadian lodging, travel and tourism sector. The decision to eliminate the GST Rebate Program simply does not add up and the HAC has contacted Minister of Finance, the Honourable James Flaherty, to request that this regressive motion be immediately withdrawn.
The Hotel Association of Canada is the national organization representing the lodging industry in Canada. Our membership encompasses the provincial and territorial hotel associations, corporate hotel chains, independent hotels, motels and resorts and the many industry suppliers. Our objective is to assist both our national and international members as they endeavor to enhance their competitiveness and achieve their bottom line.
September 27, 2006 – Ottawa – The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) today called for the withdrawal of the decision to cut the GST Visitor Rebate Program as announced by the Federal Government on Monday, September 25.
“The proposed cut will in fact cost the government of Canada up to $218 million just in lost hotel tax revenue as opposed to the $78.8 million in proposed savings,” said HAC President Tony Pollard. The HAC’s greatest concern with this proposed elimination of the GST Rebate Program involves the group and convention business. The total value of this business in Canada in 2005 from outside the country is in excess of $1.28 billion. This proposed program cut puts this at very serious risk by increasing the cost to do business in Canada by six per cent.
“The government is shooting itself in the foot by jeopardizing federal, provincial and municipal tax revenues of $496 million, $218.5 million of which goes directly to the federal level,” stated Pollard.
The HAC is dismayed by the government’s apparent lack of concern and support for the Canadian lodging, travel and tourism sector. The decision to eliminate the GST Rebate Program simply does not add up and the HAC has contacted Minister of Finance, the Honourable James Flaherty, to request that this regressive motion be immediately withdrawn.
The Hotel Association of Canada is the national organization representing the lodging industry in Canada. Our membership encompasses the provincial and territorial hotel associations, corporate hotel chains, independent hotels, motels and resorts and the many industry suppliers. Our objective is to assist both our national and international members as they endeavor to enhance their competitiveness and achieve their bottom line.
A Crisis So Immediate and Obvious, You May Have Already Missed it.
By John R. Hendrie & Brecca LohWednesday, 27th September 2006
About the authors:Brecca Loh is an advocate of promoting "Human Capital" as one of the strongest assets of any organization. Please learn more on www.cobaltsp.com
John R. Hendrie believes that Remarkable Hospitality is the portal to the Memorable Experience. Review the resources on: www.hospitalityperformance.com
This article found at: http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=1636
Please visit this site and sign up for their Free enews
Is there a bigger challenge than designing the Guest Room of the Future - building the most extraordinary mixed-use resort facility - identifying the dining trends of the rich and famous or creating the next terrifying yet exhilarating theme park ride? Might we posit, there is.
Who, in five years will deliver on your Brand promises, for Hospitality, in particular, and all businesses will be facing a most severe shortage of labor and certainly talent. In large part due to the aging of the workforce, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a shortfall of 10 million workers in the US in 2010. Western Europe will experience a more dramatic deficit. We are already relying on skilled labor from developing countries, such as India and China.
The Hospitality Industry does not have the option to move operations offshore or to outsource service. We, just like our colleagues in Health Care and others in the semi and non-skilled arenas, are stuck here, all competing for that rare commodity – reliable labor.
We have not paid close attention or merely accepted long ago a bogus management imperative. We in Hospitality live with a turnover rate of 100%; we spend a mere pittance on training and development. We fight for minimum wage status and minimal benefits, if any. In short, we will be short, and that does not even indulge that spectre of Immigration, which globally has already created massive concerns, social and economic.
So, expect significant restrictions and constriction within the labor force. To be candid, enforcement of current Immigration laws would close the doors of many light manufacturers, agriculture, and, you know it, some of your colleagues.
Also, keep in mind the general profile of our employees: primarily female, immigrant, not highly educated, and pronounced disenfranchised by many, certainly prime prospects for Organized Labor, whose presence shall become more prominent, because we have not been doing our job. We have effectively neglected the greatest threat to our competitiveness – the dwindling Labor Pool, and we have been averse to take a leadership role as an industry, even as a business. The acquiescence is a shame!
The numbers usually get some attention, spurring some to action, or at least discussion:
And, the "Boomers" are walking out that door, hurriedly, representing a huge "Brain/Brawn Drain"And, these are only figures based upon age. Think of the full panoply: sex, race, education, etc. Do we have your attention, or will you return to the “warm body” philosophy, which will not exist in the very near future. We are alarmed. Let’s talk Strategic Manpower Planning! What are your plans?There will be “Wars for Talent”, and you must adapt your philosophies to retain older workers and attract new talent. Those who win the battles will be those wrested in progressive workforce development strategies. You do not have to be a huge corporation to make ready, but you will need to target your workforce and maximize your human capital. We know this argument is unpleasant for many in a labor intensive business, but this is the reality. Choose or close!
Our Template for this mandated change in direction, philosophy and operation is the following, at minimum:
1. Be more competitive in attracting and retaining new employees, especially those with critical skills. Drive your communications to all parties, constructively and honestly.
2. Create performance incentives and training programs which motivate and empower. Invest in your people.
3. Build management-employee relationships, based upon common interests and trust. Become participative.
The above is not new, but the application will be for many, as Hospitality is very slow to change and is not progressive. We are not fortune tellers. Your means to deliver product, service and business processes will change, so you have a small “window of time” to manage that, rather than lose control. Your Human Resources professionals will help chart this journey for you. Bring them to the table, seek their expertise as a Strategic Partner.
So, what will the Workplace of the Future look like? As we know from above, the term Future is relative.
This is not the usual Hospitality Culture we all know, so some work will need to take place. But, we encourage urgency, for you are at risk. Manpower Planning (sourcing, recruiting, selection, retention) should be an agenda item for your Executive sessions, certainly for your association and professional business meetings.
About the authors:Brecca Loh is an advocate of promoting "Human Capital" as one of the strongest assets of any organization. Please learn more on www.cobaltsp.com
John R. Hendrie believes that Remarkable Hospitality is the portal to the Memorable Experience. Review the resources on: www.hospitalityperformance.com
This article found at: http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=1636
Please visit this site and sign up for their Free enews
Is there a bigger challenge than designing the Guest Room of the Future - building the most extraordinary mixed-use resort facility - identifying the dining trends of the rich and famous or creating the next terrifying yet exhilarating theme park ride? Might we posit, there is.
Who, in five years will deliver on your Brand promises, for Hospitality, in particular, and all businesses will be facing a most severe shortage of labor and certainly talent. In large part due to the aging of the workforce, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a shortfall of 10 million workers in the US in 2010. Western Europe will experience a more dramatic deficit. We are already relying on skilled labor from developing countries, such as India and China.
The Hospitality Industry does not have the option to move operations offshore or to outsource service. We, just like our colleagues in Health Care and others in the semi and non-skilled arenas, are stuck here, all competing for that rare commodity – reliable labor.
We have not paid close attention or merely accepted long ago a bogus management imperative. We in Hospitality live with a turnover rate of 100%; we spend a mere pittance on training and development. We fight for minimum wage status and minimal benefits, if any. In short, we will be short, and that does not even indulge that spectre of Immigration, which globally has already created massive concerns, social and economic.
So, expect significant restrictions and constriction within the labor force. To be candid, enforcement of current Immigration laws would close the doors of many light manufacturers, agriculture, and, you know it, some of your colleagues.
Also, keep in mind the general profile of our employees: primarily female, immigrant, not highly educated, and pronounced disenfranchised by many, certainly prime prospects for Organized Labor, whose presence shall become more prominent, because we have not been doing our job. We have effectively neglected the greatest threat to our competitiveness – the dwindling Labor Pool, and we have been averse to take a leadership role as an industry, even as a business. The acquiescence is a shame!
The numbers usually get some attention, spurring some to action, or at least discussion:
- The general population is aging; the available Labor Pool is aging; the birth rate is at historic lows.
- Ages 16-24 are growing at a rate of 15%; ages 25-34 are growing at half that rate; ages 35-44 are declining.
- In the next 15 years, 80% of the North American workforce is going to be over 50 years of age.
And, the "Boomers" are walking out that door, hurriedly, representing a huge "Brain/Brawn Drain"And, these are only figures based upon age. Think of the full panoply: sex, race, education, etc. Do we have your attention, or will you return to the “warm body” philosophy, which will not exist in the very near future. We are alarmed. Let’s talk Strategic Manpower Planning! What are your plans?There will be “Wars for Talent”, and you must adapt your philosophies to retain older workers and attract new talent. Those who win the battles will be those wrested in progressive workforce development strategies. You do not have to be a huge corporation to make ready, but you will need to target your workforce and maximize your human capital. We know this argument is unpleasant for many in a labor intensive business, but this is the reality. Choose or close!
Our Template for this mandated change in direction, philosophy and operation is the following, at minimum:
1. Be more competitive in attracting and retaining new employees, especially those with critical skills. Drive your communications to all parties, constructively and honestly.
2. Create performance incentives and training programs which motivate and empower. Invest in your people.
3. Build management-employee relationships, based upon common interests and trust. Become participative.
The above is not new, but the application will be for many, as Hospitality is very slow to change and is not progressive. We are not fortune tellers. Your means to deliver product, service and business processes will change, so you have a small “window of time” to manage that, rather than lose control. Your Human Resources professionals will help chart this journey for you. Bring them to the table, seek their expertise as a Strategic Partner.
So, what will the Workplace of the Future look like? As we know from above, the term Future is relative.
- It will be team oriented and collaborative.
- Emotional Intelligence and innovation will be emphasized.
- Positive attributes will be amplified: loyalty, resilience, adaptability, trust, humility and compassion.
- Change will be embraced
This is not the usual Hospitality Culture we all know, so some work will need to take place. But, we encourage urgency, for you are at risk. Manpower Planning (sourcing, recruiting, selection, retention) should be an agenda item for your Executive sessions, certainly for your association and professional business meetings.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
America's Top 50 Restaurants 2006
This list is published by Gourmet Magazine. TO find out more or subscribe to the magazine go to: http://www.condenast.com/
To see a slideshow on the top restaurants go to ( Some incredidble food shots here)
http://www.epicurious.com/gourmet/features/50_best_restaurants
This list is proof that American food as served in all 50 of our top restaurants has never been so exciting. Or so new: More than half of these restaurants are making their debut on the list — you'll recognize them by the star.Below, the top 50, in order:
1. Alinea – Chicago, IL* http://www.alinea-restaurant.com/
2. Chez Panisse – Berkeley, CAhttp://www.chezpanisse.com/
3. The French Laundry/Per Se – Yountville, CA; New York, NY http://www.sterba.net/yountville/frenchlaundry/
4. Spago – Beverly Hills, CA http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/rest/fine/spago/bh/index.php
5. Joël Robuchon at the Mansion – Las Vegas, NV*http://www.robuchon.com/
6. La Rêve – San Antonio, TX http://restaurantlereve.com/
7. Masa – New York, NY*http://www.masanyc.com/home.swf
8. Alan Wong's Restaurant – Honolulu, HI http://www.alanwongs.com/
9. Daniel – New York, NY
10. Le Bernardin – New York, NY
11. Magnolia Grill – Durham, NC http://www.le-bernardin.com/
12. Michel Richard Citronelle – Washington, D.C.
13. Charlie Trotter's – Chicago, IL
14. Arrows – Ogunquit, ME http://www.arrowsrestaurant.com/
15. Cyrus – Healdsburg, CA*
16. Striped Bass – Philadelphia, PA*
17. Babbo – New York, NY
18. Locke-Ober – Boston, MA* http://www.locke-ober.com/
19. Canlis – Seattle, WA
20. L'Auberge Carmel – Carmel, CA*
21. Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare – Las Vegas, NV*
22. Restaurant August – New Orleans, LA*
23. The Inn at Little Washington – Washington, VA
24. The Dining Room in the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead – Atlanta, GA*
25. Vetri – Philadelphia, PA*
26. Fore Street – Portland, ME http://www.forestreet.biz/
27. Jean Georges – New York, NY
28. Higgins – Portland, OR*
29. Da Marco – Houston, TX*
30. La Belle Vie – Minneapolis, MN*
31. Parker's New American Bistro – Cleveland, OH
32. Michy's – Miami, FL*
33. Frasca – Boulder, CO*
34. Gramercy Tavern – New York, NY
35. Providence – Los Angeles, CA*
36. Restaurant Guy Savoy – Las Vegas, NV*
37. Zuni Café – San Francisco, CA
38. Urasawa – Beverly Hills, CA*
39. Bacchanalia – Atlata, GA*
40. Sanford – Milwaukee, WI
41. York Street – Dallas, TX*
42. Manresa – Los Gatos, CA*
43. No. 9 Park – Boston, MA* http://www.no9park.com/
44. Trattoria Nostrani – Santa Fe, NM*
45. Cafe Juanita – Kirkland, WA*
46. Paley's Place – Portland, OR*
47. Lantern Restaurant – Chapel Hill, CA*
48. L'Etoile – Madison, WI
49. Herbsaint – New Orleans, LA*
50. Nana – Dallas, TX*
— Gourmet, October 2006
To see a slideshow on the top restaurants go to ( Some incredidble food shots here)
http://www.epicurious.com/gourmet/features/50_best_restaurants
This list is proof that American food as served in all 50 of our top restaurants has never been so exciting. Or so new: More than half of these restaurants are making their debut on the list — you'll recognize them by the star.Below, the top 50, in order:
1. Alinea – Chicago, IL* http://www.alinea-restaurant.com/
2. Chez Panisse – Berkeley, CAhttp://www.chezpanisse.com/
3. The French Laundry/Per Se – Yountville, CA; New York, NY http://www.sterba.net/yountville/frenchlaundry/
4. Spago – Beverly Hills, CA http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/rest/fine/spago/bh/index.php
5. Joël Robuchon at the Mansion – Las Vegas, NV*http://www.robuchon.com/
6. La Rêve – San Antonio, TX http://restaurantlereve.com/
7. Masa – New York, NY*http://www.masanyc.com/home.swf
8. Alan Wong's Restaurant – Honolulu, HI http://www.alanwongs.com/
9. Daniel – New York, NY
10. Le Bernardin – New York, NY
11. Magnolia Grill – Durham, NC http://www.le-bernardin.com/
12. Michel Richard Citronelle – Washington, D.C.
13. Charlie Trotter's – Chicago, IL
14. Arrows – Ogunquit, ME http://www.arrowsrestaurant.com/
15. Cyrus – Healdsburg, CA*
16. Striped Bass – Philadelphia, PA*
17. Babbo – New York, NY
18. Locke-Ober – Boston, MA* http://www.locke-ober.com/
19. Canlis – Seattle, WA
20. L'Auberge Carmel – Carmel, CA*
21. Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare – Las Vegas, NV*
22. Restaurant August – New Orleans, LA*
23. The Inn at Little Washington – Washington, VA
24. The Dining Room in the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead – Atlanta, GA*
25. Vetri – Philadelphia, PA*
26. Fore Street – Portland, ME http://www.forestreet.biz/
27. Jean Georges – New York, NY
28. Higgins – Portland, OR*
29. Da Marco – Houston, TX*
30. La Belle Vie – Minneapolis, MN*
31. Parker's New American Bistro – Cleveland, OH
32. Michy's – Miami, FL*
33. Frasca – Boulder, CO*
34. Gramercy Tavern – New York, NY
35. Providence – Los Angeles, CA*
36. Restaurant Guy Savoy – Las Vegas, NV*
37. Zuni Café – San Francisco, CA
38. Urasawa – Beverly Hills, CA*
39. Bacchanalia – Atlata, GA*
40. Sanford – Milwaukee, WI
41. York Street – Dallas, TX*
42. Manresa – Los Gatos, CA*
43. No. 9 Park – Boston, MA* http://www.no9park.com/
44. Trattoria Nostrani – Santa Fe, NM*
45. Cafe Juanita – Kirkland, WA*
46. Paley's Place – Portland, OR*
47. Lantern Restaurant – Chapel Hill, CA*
48. L'Etoile – Madison, WI
49. Herbsaint – New Orleans, LA*
50. Nana – Dallas, TX*
— Gourmet, October 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
Small operators define lifestyle hotel segment
This article found at :
http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/060915_small_operators_define_lifestyle_hotel_segment/
Please go to http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php where you can suign up for their daily e-mail newsletter
Lifestyle hotels are continuing to raise the bar for the industry through differentiation, innovation and value-for-money, according to research released today by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
The fourth ‘European Lifestyle Hotel Survey’ reports that this niche sector continues to have widespread consumer appeal and, although there have been new developments throughout the lifestyle segment, the budget end saw the most action in terms of new names and new ideas.
Liz Hall, head of hospitality research PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and editor of ‘Hospitality Directions Europe’ commented:
“While many larger hotel chains continue to try to emulate lifestyle hotels’ distinctive offer, we found that the real action in terms of innovation and value for money is still being driven by the smaller operators, particularly in the new, up-and-coming branded budget lifestyle segment.
The top 25 hotels in our European survey saw a 5.9 per cent increase in room capacity compared to a year ago and now account for 11,386 rooms.
We also analysed the performance of 60 UK lifestyle hotels that total over 4,000 rooms. This analysis showed that the UK lifestyle sector is still more volatile than the rest of the hotel industry but should experience good RevPAR growth of 7 per cent this year, 4.1 per cent in 2007 and 4.8 per cent in 2008.”
There is some evidence that the sector is now becoming more attractive to investors particularly venture capitalists and private equity firms. In the past, lack of scale has tended to make returns insufficient to attract investment groups, but this may be changing.
Liz Hall, head of hospitality research PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and editor of ‘Hospitality Directions Europe’ commented:
“Its always going to remain a niche sector but we found some evidence that new, quality products with the potential to be rolled-out as small branded groups are attracting growing interest from venture capitalists and private investment groups. Investors are seeking replicable concepts that could build critical mass in new and emerging markets.”
Drawing on PricewaterhouseCoopers parallel research into lifestyle media, the burgeoning lifestyle hotel sector will increasingly be required to really know the customer in this vibrant, ever changing environment. As technology is driving consumer behaviour more and more, businesses need to pay increasing attention to the growing demands of their customers.
Sharon Stotts, director performance improvement consulting PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP commented:
“What we are seeing is a revolution where the consumers will soon overtake businesses in demanding what they want, when they want it, in a way they want it. The challenge for hoteliers is to develop business models that are flexible enough to deal with the technologically-driven consumer while also focusing on new revenue-streams. A customer’s pre-trip experience is even more important in developing hotel experience; and technology is being used to track customers’ preferences before, during and after a visit.
Just as we are seeing in the media sector, delivering the content that customers are looking for is increasingly the key to success. But consumers are fickle and fashions change ever more quickly. For hoteliers with a highly perishable product, this presents some real challenges in keeping up with and staying ahead of the game.”
Dowload PWC’s “European Lifestyle Hotel Survey 2006” (PDF 756KB)
http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/060915_small_operators_define_lifestyle_hotel_segment/
Please go to http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php where you can suign up for their daily e-mail newsletter
Lifestyle hotels are continuing to raise the bar for the industry through differentiation, innovation and value-for-money, according to research released today by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
The fourth ‘European Lifestyle Hotel Survey’ reports that this niche sector continues to have widespread consumer appeal and, although there have been new developments throughout the lifestyle segment, the budget end saw the most action in terms of new names and new ideas.
Liz Hall, head of hospitality research PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and editor of ‘Hospitality Directions Europe’ commented:
“While many larger hotel chains continue to try to emulate lifestyle hotels’ distinctive offer, we found that the real action in terms of innovation and value for money is still being driven by the smaller operators, particularly in the new, up-and-coming branded budget lifestyle segment.
The top 25 hotels in our European survey saw a 5.9 per cent increase in room capacity compared to a year ago and now account for 11,386 rooms.
We also analysed the performance of 60 UK lifestyle hotels that total over 4,000 rooms. This analysis showed that the UK lifestyle sector is still more volatile than the rest of the hotel industry but should experience good RevPAR growth of 7 per cent this year, 4.1 per cent in 2007 and 4.8 per cent in 2008.”
There is some evidence that the sector is now becoming more attractive to investors particularly venture capitalists and private equity firms. In the past, lack of scale has tended to make returns insufficient to attract investment groups, but this may be changing.
Liz Hall, head of hospitality research PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and editor of ‘Hospitality Directions Europe’ commented:
“Its always going to remain a niche sector but we found some evidence that new, quality products with the potential to be rolled-out as small branded groups are attracting growing interest from venture capitalists and private investment groups. Investors are seeking replicable concepts that could build critical mass in new and emerging markets.”
Drawing on PricewaterhouseCoopers parallel research into lifestyle media, the burgeoning lifestyle hotel sector will increasingly be required to really know the customer in this vibrant, ever changing environment. As technology is driving consumer behaviour more and more, businesses need to pay increasing attention to the growing demands of their customers.
Sharon Stotts, director performance improvement consulting PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP commented:
“What we are seeing is a revolution where the consumers will soon overtake businesses in demanding what they want, when they want it, in a way they want it. The challenge for hoteliers is to develop business models that are flexible enough to deal with the technologically-driven consumer while also focusing on new revenue-streams. A customer’s pre-trip experience is even more important in developing hotel experience; and technology is being used to track customers’ preferences before, during and after a visit.
Just as we are seeing in the media sector, delivering the content that customers are looking for is increasingly the key to success. But consumers are fickle and fashions change ever more quickly. For hoteliers with a highly perishable product, this presents some real challenges in keeping up with and staying ahead of the game.”
Dowload PWC’s “European Lifestyle Hotel Survey 2006” (PDF 756KB)
Friday, September 22, 2006
Gordon Ramsay is the most powerful figure in British hospitality
This article was found at:
http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2006/09/21/308958/Gordon+Ramsay+is+the+most+powerful+figure+in+British.htm
Gordon Ramsay is the most powerful figure in British hospitality
Chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay has been named 2006's most powerful and influential person in UK hospitality.
Ramsay has leapfrogged fellow celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in the second CatererSearch 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in hospitality.
The CatererSearch 100 recognises key players whose actions are having the greatest impact, and ranks candidates on criteria ranging from direct power, success, innovation, future potential, and their wider influence across the industry.
Ramsay clinched the top spot because of his high-octane year, which has seen him garner more column inches than any other personality in the industry. He has also successfully opened La Noisette in London and has new sites launching in New York and Florida this autumn.
With his global reach increasing and a second series of the F Word under his belt, Ramsay has overtaken Oliver to become the most influential player in the industry.
"I am delighted with this award. I've tried never to take anything for granted and any success along the way has always been very much a credit to the team," Ramsay told Caterer.
Oliver's media profile still has plenty of impact, as shown by his latest TV programme on school meals, which helped win another Government concession with three extra years' funding, worth £240m for the sector.
In at three on the list is the highest-ranked hotelier, Grant Hearn, from budget hotel company Travelodge.
Hearn's dynamic leadership of Travelodge saw him jump from number 31 in last year's list to number three. In 2006, he has led the industry's fight against a bed tax, stepped up Travelodge's hard-hitting marketing campaign and brokered an effective sale of the business.
Tim Clarke, boss of Mitchells & Butlers, the pub, restaurant and budget hotel business, is ranked fourth. Andrew Cosslett, chief executive of the InterContinental Hotel Group, comes in at number five.
The CatererSearch 100 is compiled by senior journalists from Caterer and Hotelkeeper.
CatererSearch 100 - key facts
30 restaurateurs
24 hoteliers
22 chefs
17 contract caterers
7 pub executives
31 new entrants
View full CatererSearch 100 list here >>
Source: CatererSearch
http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2006/09/21/308958/Gordon+Ramsay+is+the+most+powerful+figure+in+British.htm
Gordon Ramsay is the most powerful figure in British hospitality
Chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay has been named 2006's most powerful and influential person in UK hospitality.
Ramsay has leapfrogged fellow celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in the second CatererSearch 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in hospitality.
The CatererSearch 100 recognises key players whose actions are having the greatest impact, and ranks candidates on criteria ranging from direct power, success, innovation, future potential, and their wider influence across the industry.
Ramsay clinched the top spot because of his high-octane year, which has seen him garner more column inches than any other personality in the industry. He has also successfully opened La Noisette in London and has new sites launching in New York and Florida this autumn.
With his global reach increasing and a second series of the F Word under his belt, Ramsay has overtaken Oliver to become the most influential player in the industry.
"I am delighted with this award. I've tried never to take anything for granted and any success along the way has always been very much a credit to the team," Ramsay told Caterer.
Oliver's media profile still has plenty of impact, as shown by his latest TV programme on school meals, which helped win another Government concession with three extra years' funding, worth £240m for the sector.
In at three on the list is the highest-ranked hotelier, Grant Hearn, from budget hotel company Travelodge.
Hearn's dynamic leadership of Travelodge saw him jump from number 31 in last year's list to number three. In 2006, he has led the industry's fight against a bed tax, stepped up Travelodge's hard-hitting marketing campaign and brokered an effective sale of the business.
Tim Clarke, boss of Mitchells & Butlers, the pub, restaurant and budget hotel business, is ranked fourth. Andrew Cosslett, chief executive of the InterContinental Hotel Group, comes in at number five.
The CatererSearch 100 is compiled by senior journalists from Caterer and Hotelkeeper.
CatererSearch 100 - key facts
30 restaurateurs
24 hoteliers
22 chefs
17 contract caterers
7 pub executives
31 new entrants
View full CatererSearch 100 list here >>
Source: CatererSearch
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Increase Your Power: Give It Away
This article was found at:
http://www.wbsllc.com/articles.shtml
Weber Business Services offers a monthly Leadership e-zine which we encourage you to sign up for.
The old adage, You're only as strong as the people around you is true. Yet so many of us in management tend to forget it, and in doing so we weaken our own management and leadership power bases.
Many of us fall into the trap of hoarding power, even when we don't think we are. We hoard our power by limiting the information we share. We hoard our power by not delegating the authority, as well as the responsibility, for projects. We hoard our power by interacting with only a select group of key employees.
The problem with hoarding power is that one person can effectively control just so much power. There's a point at which one person can focus and manage effectively. This point, once reached, will then limit how much and how effectively the organization will grow and operate. This point, once reached, also marks the limit of our management and leadership power.
To ensure your ability and your limits for management effectiveness and power continue to grow - give some of your power away. What! Give away a limited resource! Are you nuts? Maybe. But give power to those around you and you'll see your organization surpass its former limitations.
Share the appropriate information with the appropriate personnel so they can learn and take on additional responsibilities. Delegate the authority as well as the responsibility for projects to give others opportunities to learn and to experience the true highs and lows of project management. Give power to those outside your normal select group to identify prospective new key players. Give others the opportunities to become powerful in their own rights. The stronger they become; the stronger you become.
Empower your people. Leverage your power. Grow a powerful organization.
Copyright 2004 - Liz Weber of Weber Business Services, LLC. Liz speaks, consults, and trains on Leadership Development, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change. Additional articles can be found at http://www.wbsllc.com/leadership.shtmlLiz can be reached at liz@wbsllc.com or(717)597-8890
http://www.wbsllc.com/articles.shtml
Weber Business Services offers a monthly Leadership e-zine which we encourage you to sign up for.
The old adage, You're only as strong as the people around you is true. Yet so many of us in management tend to forget it, and in doing so we weaken our own management and leadership power bases.
Many of us fall into the trap of hoarding power, even when we don't think we are. We hoard our power by limiting the information we share. We hoard our power by not delegating the authority, as well as the responsibility, for projects. We hoard our power by interacting with only a select group of key employees.
The problem with hoarding power is that one person can effectively control just so much power. There's a point at which one person can focus and manage effectively. This point, once reached, will then limit how much and how effectively the organization will grow and operate. This point, once reached, also marks the limit of our management and leadership power.
To ensure your ability and your limits for management effectiveness and power continue to grow - give some of your power away. What! Give away a limited resource! Are you nuts? Maybe. But give power to those around you and you'll see your organization surpass its former limitations.
Share the appropriate information with the appropriate personnel so they can learn and take on additional responsibilities. Delegate the authority as well as the responsibility for projects to give others opportunities to learn and to experience the true highs and lows of project management. Give power to those outside your normal select group to identify prospective new key players. Give others the opportunities to become powerful in their own rights. The stronger they become; the stronger you become.
Empower your people. Leverage your power. Grow a powerful organization.
Copyright 2004 - Liz Weber of Weber Business Services, LLC. Liz speaks, consults, and trains on Leadership Development, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change. Additional articles can be found at http://www.wbsllc.com/leadership.shtmlLiz can be reached at liz@wbsllc.com or(717)597-8890
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Serve a Cup of Marketing
This article found at Club Management "The Resource forClub Operations" We encourage you to go to this site. It has some excellent resources and you may sign uo for their electronic newsletter or subscribe to their publications
Please go to : http://www.club-mgmt.com/
by Tom Finan
Jim Cleaves has a marketing concept for your club's restaurants that he believes will help to improve member satisfaction and your bottom line: Cleaves thinks that you should emulate Dunkin' Donuts.
Before you start ordering pink Formica counters and stocking custard filling for Bavarian creme doughnuts, it should be noted that Cleaves is referring to the COFFEE at Dunkin' Donuts. Now your eyebrows are really starting to rise: "My club should serve coffee like that at Dunkin' Donuts?"
You should be so fortunate. Actually, what Cleaves, roastmaster for Sara Lee Coffee, is saying is that the coffee you serve, and the manner in which you serve and promote it, can help define your club's dining experience, provide great word of mouth marketing, and generate low-cost revenues. Looked at from those perspectives, Cleaves said, Dunkin' Donuts has got it down cold.
If you watch any amount of television, you've seen the commercials with Dunkin' Donuts customers using stir straws to sip up the ring that their cup left on the desk. But the doughnut chain has been touting the "World's Finest Coffee" since Nixon was running for president.
"The most successful retailer for coffee is Dunkin' Donuts," stated Cleaves. He said that the coffees and brewing methods used in the chain's coffee are of the same high qualities and quantities used to produce the designer chains' specialty coffees. "But their message is absolutely not 'This is specialty coffee,'" Cleves said. "They just make a really good cup of coffee."
What constitutes a "really good" cup of coffee will vary for every foodservice operation, Cleaves explained. "I can safely say that coffee in many foodservice venues suffers from being viewed as a commodity by the decision makers," he said. "What has to happen before a club can get a meaningful application of the concept behind specialty coffee is that they have to look at in the same way as the other items they serve. What's the right coffee? The answer is going to be different with burgers than with fancy desserts.
"We can help to define what's the right coffee program. Everyone tends to focus on what's the blend, what's the roast color. It needs to be a reflection of the marketing concept. In clubs it's pretty safe to say that the members are affluent, educated, well-traveled, and appreciative of the finer things. There is an opportunity for clubs to have a more noticeable coffee program. Sometimes you have good coffee and nobody notices."
That doesn't mean producing a coffee menu that reads like a wine list, Cleaves explained. In fact, the snobby aspects of the whole specialty coffee milieu may be a turnoff for some of your members. It might be something as simple as using the phrase "100 percent Arabica" or "100 percent Columbian" in front of the word "coffee" on your menu, he said.
The basics of selecting a good coffee are pretty straightforward, the roastmaster explained. The two species of coffee are Arabica and Robusta. "Robusta is useful because it provides a lot of flavor and doesn't cost much money." Any specialty or gourmet blend will be 100 percent Arabica. Whether your club goes with 100 percent Arabica, or maybe to a darker roast, is a function of the marketing concept that you're trying to achieve.
The next issue is how strong the coffee is brewed and how it is served. When Cleaves worked in cafes, customers would tell him that they couldn't brew coffee as well as the restaurants'. Cleaves would tell them to use more coffee. Depending upon whether the concept is to save money or to deliver flavor, there are a wide variety of bag sizes available, he said. While the old standard was 1.5 ounces for half a gallon of coffee, a robust brew will require a 2.5-ounce bag.
Standard small brewers, particularly older ones, are not equipped to handle that much coffee, Cleaves stated. But recent years have seen the emergence of manufacturers whose products have bigger brew baskets and beefed-up filtration systems. "Good coffee is a simple story, with honest delivery," he said. "Instead of 1.5-ounce Robusta bag that's left on the burner for an hour-and-a-half, you clean the coffee maker and brew 2.5 ounces of Arabica that's stored in a thermal container."
What's all of this going to cost? By way of explanation Cleaves recounted an early experience from his career in the coffee business. Originally from New England, Cleaves started out as a representative there for a high-quality specialty roaster that, oddly enough, did a lot of business with quick stop stores.
While his customers were generally satisfied with his product and would acknowledge that the upgrades he was suggesting tasted even better, he couldn't get them to look further into providing a better coffee experience for their customers. Cleaves learned to let the numbers point his customers in the right direction.
"If you asked them, they could tell you what they paid for a pound of coffee, but they couldn't tell you how much they made on that pound,"he said. So Cleaves would stand in the store with his clipboard, keeping track of all the details -- amount brewed, sales, consumption, and throwaway. The stats would show that they made in excess of $40 per pound.
Next question: How many more cups would they need to sell a day to upgrade to the higher quality brand Cleaves was suggesting? Answer: Five. This information, Cleaves said, was highly liberating. "It gave them the ability to start thinking about 'What's the right blend for me?'"
That kind of relationship is the final component of a good coffee program for your club. Ideally, he said, you'll find a coffee rep for your club who -- long before any discussion takes place about what goes into your brewers -- is interested in your club's restaurant operation as a business.
"They need to help the manager look at concept, at throwaway, at all the components. There needs be a relationship where the manager sees us as trustworthy partners who will help the club arrive at a coffee solution."
Please go to : http://www.club-mgmt.com/
by Tom Finan
Jim Cleaves has a marketing concept for your club's restaurants that he believes will help to improve member satisfaction and your bottom line: Cleaves thinks that you should emulate Dunkin' Donuts.
Before you start ordering pink Formica counters and stocking custard filling for Bavarian creme doughnuts, it should be noted that Cleaves is referring to the COFFEE at Dunkin' Donuts. Now your eyebrows are really starting to rise: "My club should serve coffee like that at Dunkin' Donuts?"
You should be so fortunate. Actually, what Cleaves, roastmaster for Sara Lee Coffee, is saying is that the coffee you serve, and the manner in which you serve and promote it, can help define your club's dining experience, provide great word of mouth marketing, and generate low-cost revenues. Looked at from those perspectives, Cleaves said, Dunkin' Donuts has got it down cold.
If you watch any amount of television, you've seen the commercials with Dunkin' Donuts customers using stir straws to sip up the ring that their cup left on the desk. But the doughnut chain has been touting the "World's Finest Coffee" since Nixon was running for president.
"The most successful retailer for coffee is Dunkin' Donuts," stated Cleaves. He said that the coffees and brewing methods used in the chain's coffee are of the same high qualities and quantities used to produce the designer chains' specialty coffees. "But their message is absolutely not 'This is specialty coffee,'" Cleves said. "They just make a really good cup of coffee."
What constitutes a "really good" cup of coffee will vary for every foodservice operation, Cleaves explained. "I can safely say that coffee in many foodservice venues suffers from being viewed as a commodity by the decision makers," he said. "What has to happen before a club can get a meaningful application of the concept behind specialty coffee is that they have to look at in the same way as the other items they serve. What's the right coffee? The answer is going to be different with burgers than with fancy desserts.
"We can help to define what's the right coffee program. Everyone tends to focus on what's the blend, what's the roast color. It needs to be a reflection of the marketing concept. In clubs it's pretty safe to say that the members are affluent, educated, well-traveled, and appreciative of the finer things. There is an opportunity for clubs to have a more noticeable coffee program. Sometimes you have good coffee and nobody notices."
That doesn't mean producing a coffee menu that reads like a wine list, Cleaves explained. In fact, the snobby aspects of the whole specialty coffee milieu may be a turnoff for some of your members. It might be something as simple as using the phrase "100 percent Arabica" or "100 percent Columbian" in front of the word "coffee" on your menu, he said.
The basics of selecting a good coffee are pretty straightforward, the roastmaster explained. The two species of coffee are Arabica and Robusta. "Robusta is useful because it provides a lot of flavor and doesn't cost much money." Any specialty or gourmet blend will be 100 percent Arabica. Whether your club goes with 100 percent Arabica, or maybe to a darker roast, is a function of the marketing concept that you're trying to achieve.
The next issue is how strong the coffee is brewed and how it is served. When Cleaves worked in cafes, customers would tell him that they couldn't brew coffee as well as the restaurants'. Cleaves would tell them to use more coffee. Depending upon whether the concept is to save money or to deliver flavor, there are a wide variety of bag sizes available, he said. While the old standard was 1.5 ounces for half a gallon of coffee, a robust brew will require a 2.5-ounce bag.
Standard small brewers, particularly older ones, are not equipped to handle that much coffee, Cleaves stated. But recent years have seen the emergence of manufacturers whose products have bigger brew baskets and beefed-up filtration systems. "Good coffee is a simple story, with honest delivery," he said. "Instead of 1.5-ounce Robusta bag that's left on the burner for an hour-and-a-half, you clean the coffee maker and brew 2.5 ounces of Arabica that's stored in a thermal container."
What's all of this going to cost? By way of explanation Cleaves recounted an early experience from his career in the coffee business. Originally from New England, Cleaves started out as a representative there for a high-quality specialty roaster that, oddly enough, did a lot of business with quick stop stores.
While his customers were generally satisfied with his product and would acknowledge that the upgrades he was suggesting tasted even better, he couldn't get them to look further into providing a better coffee experience for their customers. Cleaves learned to let the numbers point his customers in the right direction.
"If you asked them, they could tell you what they paid for a pound of coffee, but they couldn't tell you how much they made on that pound,"he said. So Cleaves would stand in the store with his clipboard, keeping track of all the details -- amount brewed, sales, consumption, and throwaway. The stats would show that they made in excess of $40 per pound.
Next question: How many more cups would they need to sell a day to upgrade to the higher quality brand Cleaves was suggesting? Answer: Five. This information, Cleaves said, was highly liberating. "It gave them the ability to start thinking about 'What's the right blend for me?'"
That kind of relationship is the final component of a good coffee program for your club. Ideally, he said, you'll find a coffee rep for your club who -- long before any discussion takes place about what goes into your brewers -- is interested in your club's restaurant operation as a business.
"They need to help the manager look at concept, at throwaway, at all the components. There needs be a relationship where the manager sees us as trustworthy partners who will help the club arrive at a coffee solution."
Thursday, September 14, 2006
History Of Salt.
This article found at:
http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=1596
We encourage you to visit this site and sign up for their e-mail newsletter
For more info and related link, please go here: www.saltinstitute.org/38.html
Most people probably think of salt as simply that white granular food seasoning found in a salt shaker on virtually every dining table.
It is that, surely, but it is far more. It is an essential element in the diet of not only humans but of animals, and even of many plants. It is one of the most effective and most widely used of all food preservatives (and used to preserve Egyptian mummies as well). Pre-civilization "salt men" represent a significant contemporary archeological research source. And the oldest as well. Its industrial and other uses are almost without number. In fact, salt has great current as well as historical interest, and is even the subject of humorous cartoons, music, "art" and poetry.
Sometimes, however, we need to separate the salt to get the history. And there's a lot of history to get. There's even a 2002 book by Mark Kurlansky, Salt: A World History.
The fact is that throughout history, salt--called sodium chloride by chemists--has been such an important element of life that it has been the subject of many stories, fables and folktales (such as "Salt on a Magpie's Tail" from Sweden) and is frequently referenced in fairy tales. Some cultures ascribe magical powers to salt. Charles Dickens penned a Victorian era Ghost Story "To Be Taken With A Grain of Salt." Forty years later, author George Gissing's last book was "The Salt of the Earth." Salt so infuses our culture that there are innumerable quotes drawing on salt. There is even a current "Words of Salt" literary competition, keeping alive the link between salt and culture.
Salt served as money at various times and places, and it has been the cause of bitter warfare. Offering bread and salt to visitors, in many cultures, is traditional etiquette. It is used in making pottery. While we have records of the importance of salt in commerce in Medieval times and earlier, in some places like the Sahara and Nepal, salt trading today gives a glimpse of what life may have been like centuries ago. Alchemists use the square symbol to represent salt. "Salt," is common in the jargon of other professions.
Unsurprisingly, evidence shows salt was important as long ago as when mastadons roamed the earth. Salt was in general use long before history, as we know it, began to be recorded. Some 2,700 years B.C.-about 4,700 years ago-there was published in China the Peng-Tzao-Kan-Mu, probably the earliest known treatise on pharmacology. A major portion of this writing was devoted to a discussion of more than 40 kinds of salt, including descriptions of two methods of extracting salt and putting it in usable form that are amazingly similar to processes used today. Chinese folklore recounts the discovery of salt. Salt production has been important in China for two millenia or more. Nomads spreading westward were known to carry salt. Ancient saltmaking in Europe and North America is well-documented
Egyptian art from as long ago as 1450 B.C. records salt-making. More recent examples are drawings of a 15th century French salt evaporation plant, a 16th century Persian picture of a Kurdish salt merchant and a 17th century Italian print offering instructions in distilling salt.
Salt was of crucial importance economically. A far-flung trade in ancient Greece involving exchange of salt for slaves gave rise to the expression, "not worth his salt." The Romans were prodigious builders of saltworks as well as other vital infrastructure (for example, in Poland and England). Special salt rations given early Roman soldiers were known as "salarium argentum," the forerunner of the English word "salary." References to salt abound in languages around the globe, particularly regarding salt used for food. From the Latin "sal," for example, comes such other derived words as "sauce" and "sausage." Salt was an important trading commodity carried by explorers. Countries like Japan without salt deposits feel disadvantaged.
Salt has played a vital part in religious ritual in many cultures, symbolizing immutable, incorruptible purity. There are more than 30 references to salt in the Bible and both the Bible and the Talmud contain insights into salt's cultural significance in Jewish society. Salt has earned a reference in the Catholic Encyclopedia, using expressions like "salt of the earth". And there are many other literary and religious references to salt, including use of salt on altars representing purity, and use of "holy salt" by the Unification Church. Using salt as an indicator, some claim some of the Lost Tribes of Israel went to Japan. (Visitors: feel free to click on the "e-mail Salt Institute" icon at the bottom of the page and share additional such references).
Saltmaking encompasses much of the history of Europe since Roman times. In the United Kingdom, particularly in the Cheshire area salt reigns supreme. Consider visiting the Salt Museum or Lion Salt Works both in Cheshire. Salt was important to Victorian England's chemical industry. Medieval European records document saltmaking technologies and concessions. On the Continent, Venice rose to economic greatness through its salt monopoly. Further north, Halle is Germany's "Salt City" and an "old salt route" connected German salt mines to shipping ports on the Baltic; modern tourists also track ancient German salt history. And World War II historians record how the Nazis plundered European artworks and secreted them in salt mines. Near Hitler's retreat at Berchtesgaden, saltmaking has been important for centuries. Saltmaking was important in the Adriatic/Balkans region as well (the present border between Slovenia and Croatia) where Tuzla in Bosnia-Herzegovina is actually named for "tuz," the Turkish word for salt. So is Salzburg, Austria, which has made its four salt mines major tourist attractions.
The grand designs of Philip II of Spain came undone through the Dutch Revolt at the end of the 16th Century; one of the keys, according to Montesquieu, was the successful Dutch blockade of Iberian saltworks which led directly to Spanish bankruptcy. France has always been a major producer of salt, both on its Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. France, in fact, has a "salt road" along its Mediterranean coast. In the flowering of French neo-classicism in the 18th century, "The Ideal City of Chaux" was centered on the royal saltworks. Any discussion of saltmaking and distribution in France includes discussion of the gabelle (see below), the salt tax which was a significant cause of the French Revolution. In Spain, while Basques' salt involvement is usually thought of as their being intrepid cod-fisherman on the Grand Banks, salting their catch for European markets, Basque country also has its own salt route. Many Americans evoke an image from the phrase "Siberian salt mines," but saltmaking takes place in many places in Russia. Generations of salt miners in Poland have carved a national treasure in the Wieliczka take a tour, #17 of this salt mine near Kracow, long an object of travelers' interest and even the venue for unforgettable weddings today. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is assisting in protecting this treasure. In the Middle East, the Jordanian town of As-Salt, located on the road between Amman and Jerusalem, was known as Saltus in Byzantine times and was the seat of a bishopric. Later destroyed by the Mongols it was rebuilt by the Mamluke sultan Baybars I in the 13th century; the ruins of his fortress remain today. Indian history recalls the prominent role of salt. There was even a caste of salt-diggers. During British colonial days, salt motivated the Great Hedge and its role in the British salt starvation policy, and Mahatma Ghandi's resistance to British colonial rule (see below). Salt played a key role in the history of West Africa particularly during the great trading empire of Mali (13th - 16th Centuries) -- and it still does, even being used as a fund-raising idea!-- and in East Africa.
Salt has played a prominent role in the European exploration of the Americas and subsequent American history, Canadian history and Mexican history as well. The first Native Americans "discovered" by Europeans in the Caribbean were harvesting sea salt as on St. Maarten, typical of other Caribbean islands like Anguilla. The Hopi in the US Southwest had ceremonial salt mines. When the major European fishing fleets discovered the Grand Banks of Newfoundland at the end of the 15th Century, the Portuguese and Spanish fleets used the "wet" method of salting their fish onboard, while the French and English fleets used the "dry" or "shore" salting method of drying their catch on racks onshore; thus, the French and British fishermen became the first European inhabitants of northern North America since the Vikings a half-century earlier. Had it not been for the practice of salting fish, Europeans might have confined their fishing to the coasts of Europe and delayed "discovery" of the "New World." In South America, Columbian salt miners have protected a unique resource at Zipaquira. The history of salt-making in the Netherlands Antilles reflects the often-harsh period of colonial conquest. Bolivia's salt producing region is a tourist attraction with one hotel constructed entirely of salt. And tourists today visit ancient Incan salt mines and the unique beauty of Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni.
Salt motivated the American pioneers. The American Revolution had heroes who were saltmakers (see Andrew Donnally, Sr. - and his photo) and part of the British strategy was to deny the American rebels access to salt. And salt was on the mind of William Clark in the pathbreaking Lewis & Clark Expedition to the Pacific Northwest; their Pacific saltworks, Fort Clatsop, is now a national memorial. The first patent issued by the British crown to an American settler gave Samuel Winslow of the Massachusetts Bay Colony the exclusive right for ten years to make salt by his particular method, and Massachusetts continued to make salt through colonial times into the 19th century. The Land Act of 1795 included a provision for salt reservations (to prevent monopolies) as did an earlier (1778) treaty between the Iroquois' Onondaga tribe and the state of New York. New York has always been important in salt production. The famed Erie Canal, opened in 1825, was known as "the ditch that salt built" because salt, a bulky product presenting major transportation difficulties, originally was its principal cargo. Syracuse, NY, is to this day proud of its salt history and its nickname: "Salt City." Similarly, salt played a vital role in the industrialization of West Virginia as recorded in the 2004 video "Red Salt and Reynolds" (1.3 MB excerpt courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). Salt production has been important in Michigan, Texas, West Virginia and Kansas for more than a century. Salt played an important role on the U.S. frontier, including areas like Hannibal, Missouri, Illinois, Utah, California and Nebraska (search on "salt") which no longer have commercial salt production. Saltmaking in San Francisco Bay has been important for more than a century.
Salt also had military significance. For instance, it is recorded that thousands of Napoleon's troops died during his retreat from Moscow because their wounds would not heal as a result of a lack of salt. In 1777, the British Lord Howe was jubilant when he succeeded in capturing General Washington's salt supply. And, in the aftermath of war, restoring a war-ravaged nation's salt production is a priority in reconstruction as illustrated in post-W.W. II Japan. Similarly, throughout history the essentiality of salt has subjected it to governmental monopoly and special taxes. The Chinese, like many other governments over time, realizing that everyone needed to consume salt, created a government salt monopoly, and made salt taxes a major revenue source, and manipulated salt tax rates to encourage certain activities. Salt taxes were one of the complaints leading to toppling China's Imperial government in the early 20th Century and remain important in China today (as well as an inducement to salt smuggling). Salt taxes long supported British monarchs and thousands of Britishers were imprisoned for smuggling salt; British salt regulations were often in controversy. American revolutionary publicist Thomas Paine complained of English salt taxes. French kings developed a salt monopoly by selling exclusive rights to produce it to a favored few who exploited that right to the point where the scarcity of salt, and the gabelle, the salt tax, was a major contributing cause of the French Revolution. The magnitude of the gabelle is mind-boggling. From 1630 to 1710, the tax increased tenfold from 14 times the cost of production to 140 times the cost of production, according to Pierre Laszlo in his book Salt: Grain of Life (Columbia Univ. Press). Similarly, the Russian Czars' salt taxes were an important revenue source. In modern times, Mahatma Ghandi defied British salt laws as a means of mobilizing popular support for self-rule in India. Even today, salt taxes in India are politically controversial. Ghandi's resistance on salt has been the model for other non-violent efforts to change policy.In short, the innocuous looking, white granular substance we know today as "salt" historically has been so essential to all life as to be of the utmost value.
Several salt companies post interesting company histories on their websites, including Cargill Salt, Morton Salt, United Salt, Exportadora de Sal, British Salt, Cheetham Salt, Refinaria Nacional de Sal, United Swiss Saltworks, Italkali and Mines de Sel.Other websites have information about the history of salt production and use in various countries, including.
Mexico
Austria
Germany
British Virgin Islands (Salt Island)
Iran
Sri Lanka
http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=1596
We encourage you to visit this site and sign up for their e-mail newsletter
For more info and related link, please go here: www.saltinstitute.org/38.html
Most people probably think of salt as simply that white granular food seasoning found in a salt shaker on virtually every dining table.
It is that, surely, but it is far more. It is an essential element in the diet of not only humans but of animals, and even of many plants. It is one of the most effective and most widely used of all food preservatives (and used to preserve Egyptian mummies as well). Pre-civilization "salt men" represent a significant contemporary archeological research source. And the oldest as well. Its industrial and other uses are almost without number. In fact, salt has great current as well as historical interest, and is even the subject of humorous cartoons, music, "art" and poetry.
Sometimes, however, we need to separate the salt to get the history. And there's a lot of history to get. There's even a 2002 book by Mark Kurlansky, Salt: A World History.
The fact is that throughout history, salt--called sodium chloride by chemists--has been such an important element of life that it has been the subject of many stories, fables and folktales (such as "Salt on a Magpie's Tail" from Sweden) and is frequently referenced in fairy tales. Some cultures ascribe magical powers to salt. Charles Dickens penned a Victorian era Ghost Story "To Be Taken With A Grain of Salt." Forty years later, author George Gissing's last book was "The Salt of the Earth." Salt so infuses our culture that there are innumerable quotes drawing on salt. There is even a current "Words of Salt" literary competition, keeping alive the link between salt and culture.
Salt served as money at various times and places, and it has been the cause of bitter warfare. Offering bread and salt to visitors, in many cultures, is traditional etiquette. It is used in making pottery. While we have records of the importance of salt in commerce in Medieval times and earlier, in some places like the Sahara and Nepal, salt trading today gives a glimpse of what life may have been like centuries ago. Alchemists use the square symbol to represent salt. "Salt," is common in the jargon of other professions.
Unsurprisingly, evidence shows salt was important as long ago as when mastadons roamed the earth. Salt was in general use long before history, as we know it, began to be recorded. Some 2,700 years B.C.-about 4,700 years ago-there was published in China the Peng-Tzao-Kan-Mu, probably the earliest known treatise on pharmacology. A major portion of this writing was devoted to a discussion of more than 40 kinds of salt, including descriptions of two methods of extracting salt and putting it in usable form that are amazingly similar to processes used today. Chinese folklore recounts the discovery of salt. Salt production has been important in China for two millenia or more. Nomads spreading westward were known to carry salt. Ancient saltmaking in Europe and North America is well-documented
Egyptian art from as long ago as 1450 B.C. records salt-making. More recent examples are drawings of a 15th century French salt evaporation plant, a 16th century Persian picture of a Kurdish salt merchant and a 17th century Italian print offering instructions in distilling salt.
Salt was of crucial importance economically. A far-flung trade in ancient Greece involving exchange of salt for slaves gave rise to the expression, "not worth his salt." The Romans were prodigious builders of saltworks as well as other vital infrastructure (for example, in Poland and England). Special salt rations given early Roman soldiers were known as "salarium argentum," the forerunner of the English word "salary." References to salt abound in languages around the globe, particularly regarding salt used for food. From the Latin "sal," for example, comes such other derived words as "sauce" and "sausage." Salt was an important trading commodity carried by explorers. Countries like Japan without salt deposits feel disadvantaged.
Salt has played a vital part in religious ritual in many cultures, symbolizing immutable, incorruptible purity. There are more than 30 references to salt in the Bible and both the Bible and the Talmud contain insights into salt's cultural significance in Jewish society. Salt has earned a reference in the Catholic Encyclopedia, using expressions like "salt of the earth". And there are many other literary and religious references to salt, including use of salt on altars representing purity, and use of "holy salt" by the Unification Church. Using salt as an indicator, some claim some of the Lost Tribes of Israel went to Japan. (Visitors: feel free to click on the "e-mail Salt Institute" icon at the bottom of the page and share additional such references).
Saltmaking encompasses much of the history of Europe since Roman times. In the United Kingdom, particularly in the Cheshire area salt reigns supreme. Consider visiting the Salt Museum or Lion Salt Works both in Cheshire. Salt was important to Victorian England's chemical industry. Medieval European records document saltmaking technologies and concessions. On the Continent, Venice rose to economic greatness through its salt monopoly. Further north, Halle is Germany's "Salt City" and an "old salt route" connected German salt mines to shipping ports on the Baltic; modern tourists also track ancient German salt history. And World War II historians record how the Nazis plundered European artworks and secreted them in salt mines. Near Hitler's retreat at Berchtesgaden, saltmaking has been important for centuries. Saltmaking was important in the Adriatic/Balkans region as well (the present border between Slovenia and Croatia) where Tuzla in Bosnia-Herzegovina is actually named for "tuz," the Turkish word for salt. So is Salzburg, Austria, which has made its four salt mines major tourist attractions.
The grand designs of Philip II of Spain came undone through the Dutch Revolt at the end of the 16th Century; one of the keys, according to Montesquieu, was the successful Dutch blockade of Iberian saltworks which led directly to Spanish bankruptcy. France has always been a major producer of salt, both on its Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. France, in fact, has a "salt road" along its Mediterranean coast. In the flowering of French neo-classicism in the 18th century, "The Ideal City of Chaux" was centered on the royal saltworks. Any discussion of saltmaking and distribution in France includes discussion of the gabelle (see below), the salt tax which was a significant cause of the French Revolution. In Spain, while Basques' salt involvement is usually thought of as their being intrepid cod-fisherman on the Grand Banks, salting their catch for European markets, Basque country also has its own salt route. Many Americans evoke an image from the phrase "Siberian salt mines," but saltmaking takes place in many places in Russia. Generations of salt miners in Poland have carved a national treasure in the Wieliczka take a tour, #17 of this salt mine near Kracow, long an object of travelers' interest and even the venue for unforgettable weddings today. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is assisting in protecting this treasure. In the Middle East, the Jordanian town of As-Salt, located on the road between Amman and Jerusalem, was known as Saltus in Byzantine times and was the seat of a bishopric. Later destroyed by the Mongols it was rebuilt by the Mamluke sultan Baybars I in the 13th century; the ruins of his fortress remain today. Indian history recalls the prominent role of salt. There was even a caste of salt-diggers. During British colonial days, salt motivated the Great Hedge and its role in the British salt starvation policy, and Mahatma Ghandi's resistance to British colonial rule (see below). Salt played a key role in the history of West Africa particularly during the great trading empire of Mali (13th - 16th Centuries) -- and it still does, even being used as a fund-raising idea!-- and in East Africa.
Salt has played a prominent role in the European exploration of the Americas and subsequent American history, Canadian history and Mexican history as well. The first Native Americans "discovered" by Europeans in the Caribbean were harvesting sea salt as on St. Maarten, typical of other Caribbean islands like Anguilla. The Hopi in the US Southwest had ceremonial salt mines. When the major European fishing fleets discovered the Grand Banks of Newfoundland at the end of the 15th Century, the Portuguese and Spanish fleets used the "wet" method of salting their fish onboard, while the French and English fleets used the "dry" or "shore" salting method of drying their catch on racks onshore; thus, the French and British fishermen became the first European inhabitants of northern North America since the Vikings a half-century earlier. Had it not been for the practice of salting fish, Europeans might have confined their fishing to the coasts of Europe and delayed "discovery" of the "New World." In South America, Columbian salt miners have protected a unique resource at Zipaquira. The history of salt-making in the Netherlands Antilles reflects the often-harsh period of colonial conquest. Bolivia's salt producing region is a tourist attraction with one hotel constructed entirely of salt. And tourists today visit ancient Incan salt mines and the unique beauty of Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni.
Salt motivated the American pioneers. The American Revolution had heroes who were saltmakers (see Andrew Donnally, Sr. - and his photo) and part of the British strategy was to deny the American rebels access to salt. And salt was on the mind of William Clark in the pathbreaking Lewis & Clark Expedition to the Pacific Northwest; their Pacific saltworks, Fort Clatsop, is now a national memorial. The first patent issued by the British crown to an American settler gave Samuel Winslow of the Massachusetts Bay Colony the exclusive right for ten years to make salt by his particular method, and Massachusetts continued to make salt through colonial times into the 19th century. The Land Act of 1795 included a provision for salt reservations (to prevent monopolies) as did an earlier (1778) treaty between the Iroquois' Onondaga tribe and the state of New York. New York has always been important in salt production. The famed Erie Canal, opened in 1825, was known as "the ditch that salt built" because salt, a bulky product presenting major transportation difficulties, originally was its principal cargo. Syracuse, NY, is to this day proud of its salt history and its nickname: "Salt City." Similarly, salt played a vital role in the industrialization of West Virginia as recorded in the 2004 video "Red Salt and Reynolds" (1.3 MB excerpt courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). Salt production has been important in Michigan, Texas, West Virginia and Kansas for more than a century. Salt played an important role on the U.S. frontier, including areas like Hannibal, Missouri, Illinois, Utah, California and Nebraska (search on "salt") which no longer have commercial salt production. Saltmaking in San Francisco Bay has been important for more than a century.
Salt also had military significance. For instance, it is recorded that thousands of Napoleon's troops died during his retreat from Moscow because their wounds would not heal as a result of a lack of salt. In 1777, the British Lord Howe was jubilant when he succeeded in capturing General Washington's salt supply. And, in the aftermath of war, restoring a war-ravaged nation's salt production is a priority in reconstruction as illustrated in post-W.W. II Japan. Similarly, throughout history the essentiality of salt has subjected it to governmental monopoly and special taxes. The Chinese, like many other governments over time, realizing that everyone needed to consume salt, created a government salt monopoly, and made salt taxes a major revenue source, and manipulated salt tax rates to encourage certain activities. Salt taxes were one of the complaints leading to toppling China's Imperial government in the early 20th Century and remain important in China today (as well as an inducement to salt smuggling). Salt taxes long supported British monarchs and thousands of Britishers were imprisoned for smuggling salt; British salt regulations were often in controversy. American revolutionary publicist Thomas Paine complained of English salt taxes. French kings developed a salt monopoly by selling exclusive rights to produce it to a favored few who exploited that right to the point where the scarcity of salt, and the gabelle, the salt tax, was a major contributing cause of the French Revolution. The magnitude of the gabelle is mind-boggling. From 1630 to 1710, the tax increased tenfold from 14 times the cost of production to 140 times the cost of production, according to Pierre Laszlo in his book Salt: Grain of Life (Columbia Univ. Press). Similarly, the Russian Czars' salt taxes were an important revenue source. In modern times, Mahatma Ghandi defied British salt laws as a means of mobilizing popular support for self-rule in India. Even today, salt taxes in India are politically controversial. Ghandi's resistance on salt has been the model for other non-violent efforts to change policy.In short, the innocuous looking, white granular substance we know today as "salt" historically has been so essential to all life as to be of the utmost value.
Several salt companies post interesting company histories on their websites, including Cargill Salt, Morton Salt, United Salt, Exportadora de Sal, British Salt, Cheetham Salt, Refinaria Nacional de Sal, United Swiss Saltworks, Italkali and Mines de Sel.Other websites have information about the history of salt production and use in various countries, including.
Mexico
Austria
Germany
British Virgin Islands (Salt Island)
Iran
Sri Lanka
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
WINNERS OF INTERPRETATION CANADA'S AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE ANNOUNCED
Author: David Plouffe
Organization: Interpretation Canada
Contact: david.plouffe@calgary.ca
Presentation of Interpretation Canada's 2005 Awards of Excellence will take place October 21st, 2006 at beautiful White Point, Nova Scotia.
Educators from across the country will be converging at White Point Beach Resort for the 2006 Salt of the Earth Conference, hosted by Interpretation Canada (IC), the Canadian Network for Environmental Communication and Education (EECOM) and the Nova Scotia Environmental Network (NSEN).
For over twenty years, IC has been recognising quality interpretation with these awards. Judged by a group of seasoned interpreters, each entry is carefully considered. Not only is this an opportunity for recognition, it can also be a valuable professional development tool as each entrant will be provided with copies of the judges' critiques of their submitted work.
Congratulations to everyone and special accolades to the following winners:
Non-personal Interpretation
Gold Heartbeats of Denali McCloskey Productions Inc.
Silver North-West Mounted Police: A Tradition in Scarlet Robertson-Weir Ltd.
Personal Interpretation
Gold Room to Roam Third Eye Mind Ltd.
Silver Invasion of the Aliens Waterton Lakes National Park
Bronze Beetle-mania Spruce Woods Provincial Park
Honourable Mention Mission to the Alpine Manning Provincial Park
For further information on the conference go to :
http://www.saltoftheearth.ca/index_e.php
Organization: Interpretation Canada
Contact: david.plouffe@calgary.ca
Presentation of Interpretation Canada's 2005 Awards of Excellence will take place October 21st, 2006 at beautiful White Point, Nova Scotia.
Educators from across the country will be converging at White Point Beach Resort for the 2006 Salt of the Earth Conference, hosted by Interpretation Canada (IC), the Canadian Network for Environmental Communication and Education (EECOM) and the Nova Scotia Environmental Network (NSEN).
For over twenty years, IC has been recognising quality interpretation with these awards. Judged by a group of seasoned interpreters, each entry is carefully considered. Not only is this an opportunity for recognition, it can also be a valuable professional development tool as each entrant will be provided with copies of the judges' critiques of their submitted work.
Congratulations to everyone and special accolades to the following winners:
Non-personal Interpretation
Gold Heartbeats of Denali McCloskey Productions Inc.
Silver North-West Mounted Police: A Tradition in Scarlet Robertson-Weir Ltd.
Personal Interpretation
Gold Room to Roam Third Eye Mind Ltd.
Silver Invasion of the Aliens Waterton Lakes National Park
Bronze Beetle-mania Spruce Woods Provincial Park
Honourable Mention Mission to the Alpine Manning Provincial Park
For further information on the conference go to :
http://www.saltoftheearth.ca/index_e.php
HALIFAX GEARING UP FOR 2007 NAUTICAL CELEBRATION
Author: Ian Stalker
Organization: Baxter Travel Group
Contact: istalker@baxter.net
Halifax will be reinforcing its nautical roots in 2007, with the ocean-facing city's Tall Ships 2007 celebration being the largest gathering of tall ships in North America next year.
The July 13-16 celebration will see more than 35 of the "world's most unique and historic sailing vessels" gathering with a fleet of traditional Maritimes schooners to celebrate Nova Scotia's sea-going heritage.
Those in Halifax during the event will be able to board the vessels, meeting their crews, and shore-side entertainment is planned as well.
"It's always a big deal," Destination Halifax's Deanna Wilmshurst says of gatherings of the distinctive-looking vessels.
A tall ships Halifax visit in 2004 drew more than 500,000 visitors and injected $18.2 million into the local economy.
Wilmshurst likes to note that Halifax has revitalized its downtown area, with the waterfront being a lively tourist centre, having a casino that also draws entertainers; Pier 21, a one-time terminal that was the first contact with Canada that thousands who immigrated to this country during the 20th century by ship had and now serves as a museum telling of how it and those who arrived in it helped shape this country; museums; restaurants; and companies that offer different tours, including summertime whale-watching expeditions.
Among waterfront museums is the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which includes an exhibit about the Titanic, with Halifax being a focal point of Titanic rescue efforts. Those viewing the exhibit can see artifacts from the doomed ship and learn of the likes of radio dispatches from the vessel as it was sinking.
As well, people can also visit Fairlawn Cemetery, where many Titanic passengers whose bodies were retrieved from the ocean are now buried, with many of the gravesites marked by identical tombstones. Those tombstones include one for a J. Dawson, reportedly the inspiration for the name of the title character Jack Dawson in the movie Titanic.
Wilmshurst says the area around Halifax - and more distant parts of Nova Scotia - have plenty of interesting areas as well. "You can have a lively urban experience (in Halifax), yet in half an hour you can be in Peggy's Cove sea-kayaking or whale-watching," she says. "You can be based in Halifax and go to wineries or visit Lunenburg (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). To me, that's the beauty of Nova Scotia."
Visiting Nova Scotia's Louisbourg Fortress is "like stepping back in the late 17th century," she says, while the province's eastern shore is "really pristine" and has white-sand beaches.
Cape Breton Island's scenery is always appreciated by tourists, Wilmshurst adds.
Organization: Baxter Travel Group
Contact: istalker@baxter.net
Halifax will be reinforcing its nautical roots in 2007, with the ocean-facing city's Tall Ships 2007 celebration being the largest gathering of tall ships in North America next year.
The July 13-16 celebration will see more than 35 of the "world's most unique and historic sailing vessels" gathering with a fleet of traditional Maritimes schooners to celebrate Nova Scotia's sea-going heritage.
Those in Halifax during the event will be able to board the vessels, meeting their crews, and shore-side entertainment is planned as well.
"It's always a big deal," Destination Halifax's Deanna Wilmshurst says of gatherings of the distinctive-looking vessels.
A tall ships Halifax visit in 2004 drew more than 500,000 visitors and injected $18.2 million into the local economy.
Wilmshurst likes to note that Halifax has revitalized its downtown area, with the waterfront being a lively tourist centre, having a casino that also draws entertainers; Pier 21, a one-time terminal that was the first contact with Canada that thousands who immigrated to this country during the 20th century by ship had and now serves as a museum telling of how it and those who arrived in it helped shape this country; museums; restaurants; and companies that offer different tours, including summertime whale-watching expeditions.
Among waterfront museums is the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which includes an exhibit about the Titanic, with Halifax being a focal point of Titanic rescue efforts. Those viewing the exhibit can see artifacts from the doomed ship and learn of the likes of radio dispatches from the vessel as it was sinking.
As well, people can also visit Fairlawn Cemetery, where many Titanic passengers whose bodies were retrieved from the ocean are now buried, with many of the gravesites marked by identical tombstones. Those tombstones include one for a J. Dawson, reportedly the inspiration for the name of the title character Jack Dawson in the movie Titanic.
Wilmshurst says the area around Halifax - and more distant parts of Nova Scotia - have plenty of interesting areas as well. "You can have a lively urban experience (in Halifax), yet in half an hour you can be in Peggy's Cove sea-kayaking or whale-watching," she says. "You can be based in Halifax and go to wineries or visit Lunenburg (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). To me, that's the beauty of Nova Scotia."
Visiting Nova Scotia's Louisbourg Fortress is "like stepping back in the late 17th century," she says, while the province's eastern shore is "really pristine" and has white-sand beaches.
Cape Breton Island's scenery is always appreciated by tourists, Wilmshurst adds.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
The Recipes Are Wrong!
This article is from Joe. Dunbar's Food Cost Control Blog. To find out more tor to subscribe to his site please got to the following link
http://foodcostcontrol.blogspot.com/
Variance reports frequently identify huge differences between actual item usage and the calculated ideal usage. There are many reasons for these major red flags.
To eliminate the obvious, you need to review the fundamental calculation of actual usage. Recheck your counts from the two inventories. Go over the invoices for the period. Check for very small and very large quantities. Make sure you did not miss an entire invoice. Pay strict attention to invoices near a cutoff date. Anything received after the ending inventory should be excluded.
Once you have adjusted your actual usage to reflect changes, take a second look at the variance. You need to switch your focus to the recipe model. If an item is butchered, trimmed, cleaned, processed or if the item increases in volume when cooked (e.g. rice, pasta, etc.), you need to check your standard yields. Make sure you haven't entered the reciprocal figure in a subrecipe yield.
The final check is in plate recipes and portion sizes. These quantities should be exact and at this phase allowances for tiny variation should be avoided. Your plate recipe model should not be soft. You need exact portion sizes to tie to POS counts.Whenever possible, line cooks should use pre-portioned items in the final production.
If you finish your review and find the inventories were accurate, purchases were all in order and the recipe model is accurate, you have an operational problem. There are certain problems which persist in our industry.
Employee consumption of food and beverage items has a bigger impact in slow periods. During the off-season or slow days of the week, employee meal cost will be higher as a percentage of sales. Adjust your expectations to this reality and move on to much greater concerns.
Collusion with vendor delivery staff is the first possible problem. You need to only pay for food actually received. Make sure receiving controls are rock solid. Limit your testing to invoices with large variance items. Problems may occur on certain shifts or on a specific day of the week. Check each invoice for the delivery person and your receiving person. Look for patterns.
Chronic, unintentional food overuse needs to be identified and halted. Training will correct future overuse. Portions of salads, starches (including french fries), garnishes, soups, sauces and all other discretionary prep items need to be clear. If the operation uses forecasts to prepare for a busy period and perishable items need to be discarded, fill out waste sheets and record the reason as bad forecast.
Your storage areas should be easy to count and high cost items should be difficult to steal. Small portions of tenderloin, shrimp, lobster tails and crab may require additional controls. Pull sheets are helpful. Sheets should be completed with initials and checked by the manager each shift change.
Late night and early morning are the times of greatest probability of theft. Delivery times are just as bad as the close. If you have surveillance systems in place, these periods should be highly scrutinized. We have found brazen thieves taking full cases of food to the dumpsters, trunks of their car, etc. It's best to terminate these people at once.
When I first started my consulting practice, there were two excellent articles on theft. The Wall Street Journal had a survey conducted by F.W. Dodge in which they interviewed food service employees. Of the respondents, 44% admitted to theft. I went to see if there was any other sources on employee theft. I found a general psychology article (source unknown) which stated about 20% of workers are very honest and 20% of workers are very dishonest. The middle 60% tend to follow the herd. If they are working with a completely honest person, theft is minimal. However, when they work with thieves, they will often steal to the same extent as their dishonest co-worker.
Over the years, I have seen major mistakes made by honest workers. One person left spare ribs unattended on a grill to check a delivery and they were inedible. Another person decided to pre-cook a huge number of rotisserie chickens for a special promotion on a low traffic day. In both cases, the employees made mistakes which were one time events. Both of my clients said nothing to the employees. They both realized their mistakes and brought them to management's attention in the first place. Keeping records on simple waste sheets encourages this honest loss activity to be quantified and archived for future period comparisons.
It's difficult for me to leave the theft issue hanging and management often can't see how major theft is possible. However, over the years we have found managers with relatives in the pizza business filling a van with flour, cheese and canned tomatoes. A multi-unit chain in New York tracked a vendor delivery person who visited five of their stores trying to sell cases of shrimp as a "cash only" special. Someone lost the shrimp due to poor receiving controls. My first consulting client ever couldn't believe the long time chef was a thief until the employee admitted he stole two blocks of 16-20 shrimp a week.
If you believe you have reviewed and corrected all the items mentioned above and your variances still don't make sense. Review the POS setup for all menu items which call for the variance item. Look for specials, the OPEN FOOD key and buffets. You may even find the item is wrong in the system. Some companies allow managers to overwrite the menu item names on the POS. I'm not a fan of this method. The entire history is ruined with one small change.
If the operation has no issues at all, check the recipe. Maybe it really isn't correct. Sometimes the wizards make mistakes.
http://foodcostcontrol.blogspot.com/
Variance reports frequently identify huge differences between actual item usage and the calculated ideal usage. There are many reasons for these major red flags.
To eliminate the obvious, you need to review the fundamental calculation of actual usage. Recheck your counts from the two inventories. Go over the invoices for the period. Check for very small and very large quantities. Make sure you did not miss an entire invoice. Pay strict attention to invoices near a cutoff date. Anything received after the ending inventory should be excluded.
Once you have adjusted your actual usage to reflect changes, take a second look at the variance. You need to switch your focus to the recipe model. If an item is butchered, trimmed, cleaned, processed or if the item increases in volume when cooked (e.g. rice, pasta, etc.), you need to check your standard yields. Make sure you haven't entered the reciprocal figure in a subrecipe yield.
The final check is in plate recipes and portion sizes. These quantities should be exact and at this phase allowances for tiny variation should be avoided. Your plate recipe model should not be soft. You need exact portion sizes to tie to POS counts.Whenever possible, line cooks should use pre-portioned items in the final production.
If you finish your review and find the inventories were accurate, purchases were all in order and the recipe model is accurate, you have an operational problem. There are certain problems which persist in our industry.
Employee consumption of food and beverage items has a bigger impact in slow periods. During the off-season or slow days of the week, employee meal cost will be higher as a percentage of sales. Adjust your expectations to this reality and move on to much greater concerns.
Collusion with vendor delivery staff is the first possible problem. You need to only pay for food actually received. Make sure receiving controls are rock solid. Limit your testing to invoices with large variance items. Problems may occur on certain shifts or on a specific day of the week. Check each invoice for the delivery person and your receiving person. Look for patterns.
Chronic, unintentional food overuse needs to be identified and halted. Training will correct future overuse. Portions of salads, starches (including french fries), garnishes, soups, sauces and all other discretionary prep items need to be clear. If the operation uses forecasts to prepare for a busy period and perishable items need to be discarded, fill out waste sheets and record the reason as bad forecast.
Your storage areas should be easy to count and high cost items should be difficult to steal. Small portions of tenderloin, shrimp, lobster tails and crab may require additional controls. Pull sheets are helpful. Sheets should be completed with initials and checked by the manager each shift change.
Late night and early morning are the times of greatest probability of theft. Delivery times are just as bad as the close. If you have surveillance systems in place, these periods should be highly scrutinized. We have found brazen thieves taking full cases of food to the dumpsters, trunks of their car, etc. It's best to terminate these people at once.
When I first started my consulting practice, there were two excellent articles on theft. The Wall Street Journal had a survey conducted by F.W. Dodge in which they interviewed food service employees. Of the respondents, 44% admitted to theft. I went to see if there was any other sources on employee theft. I found a general psychology article (source unknown) which stated about 20% of workers are very honest and 20% of workers are very dishonest. The middle 60% tend to follow the herd. If they are working with a completely honest person, theft is minimal. However, when they work with thieves, they will often steal to the same extent as their dishonest co-worker.
Over the years, I have seen major mistakes made by honest workers. One person left spare ribs unattended on a grill to check a delivery and they were inedible. Another person decided to pre-cook a huge number of rotisserie chickens for a special promotion on a low traffic day. In both cases, the employees made mistakes which were one time events. Both of my clients said nothing to the employees. They both realized their mistakes and brought them to management's attention in the first place. Keeping records on simple waste sheets encourages this honest loss activity to be quantified and archived for future period comparisons.
It's difficult for me to leave the theft issue hanging and management often can't see how major theft is possible. However, over the years we have found managers with relatives in the pizza business filling a van with flour, cheese and canned tomatoes. A multi-unit chain in New York tracked a vendor delivery person who visited five of their stores trying to sell cases of shrimp as a "cash only" special. Someone lost the shrimp due to poor receiving controls. My first consulting client ever couldn't believe the long time chef was a thief until the employee admitted he stole two blocks of 16-20 shrimp a week.
If you believe you have reviewed and corrected all the items mentioned above and your variances still don't make sense. Review the POS setup for all menu items which call for the variance item. Look for specials, the OPEN FOOD key and buffets. You may even find the item is wrong in the system. Some companies allow managers to overwrite the menu item names on the POS. I'm not a fan of this method. The entire history is ruined with one small change.
If the operation has no issues at all, check the recipe. Maybe it really isn't correct. Sometimes the wizards make mistakes.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Do you have what it takes to MOVE your career to the next level?
About Jitendra Jain Jitendra Jain is the creator of The Talent Jungle, an informal hotel, hospitality and tourism school alumni network started in 2003. He is a Business Graduate (specialized in Tourism & Hospitality) from HTW Switzerland and also holds Swiss Higher, Indian and American Diplomas in Hotel Management, with specializations in Rooms Division Management, Food & Beverage Management and Human Resources Management. He is currently engaged with a Global Hotel company as an E-Commerce Manager.
CONTACTJitendra JainEmail: jj@thetalentjungle.com
ORGANIZATIONThe Talent Junglewww.thetalentjungle.com
This article found at:http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000392/4028738.html
Please check this site out for this article and many others of interest for the Tourism industry.
Do you have what it takes to MOVE your career to the next level?
Jitendra Jain
Work – a word much used and abused, like the very act itself. A definition of the word “Work” offered by the dictionary – “Physical or mental effort or activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something.” The thesaurus offers other alternatives…labor, employment, job, vocation, occupation, effort, labor, toil, drudgery…the list goes on…and so does the meaning of the word and the work we do.
Even the most passing scrutiny of the workplace will reveal a variety of workers and attitudes towards the work they do. What makes certain employees and workers stand out from the herd? What keeps them climbing the career ladder? What does it take to MOVE your career to the next level? From discussions with professionals and elementary observations, one will find these techniques common to most successful workers:
Market yourself
Open yourself up to change
Variety, variety, variety – Dare to be different
Extend your network
Market yourself – This is crucial to your career. Too often good workers get overlooked because they just didn’t market their abilities and achievements well enough, be it due to modesty, personality or cultural reasons. In today’s cutthroat and fast-paced business environment, it pays to make an impression, even if you have to facilitate the process yourself…gently, of course. Marketing yourself does not mean you have to turn into the office “strutter” or “the guy/gal with the big mouth” who everyone loves to hate…gentle observations to the right people about great results and accomplishments should do well enough.
Open yourself up to change – Another important factor to give you that edge you need. With the rapidly changing marketplace, business models, processes and technology, it is vital that you develop a can-do attitude and are open to change and learning. If you’re looking for that comfort zone in today’s business world, you simply won’t find it...not if you want to move ahead…and in the long run, even keep the same job. A short, mid and long-term plan for your personal development works superbly to complement your professional ambitions and growth as well as generating the required level of confidence to compete effectively.
Variety, variety, variety – Dare to be different - Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” This doesn’t apply to products and services alone…but to you as well. Lack of confidence, knowledge or even fear tends to paralyze workers (even great ones) from being creative and standing out from the crowd. These creative and innovative differences can be as simple as the way you handle routine operations and make them more effective…to coming up with radical ideas and approaches to handle new and existing problems. It may not always be possible to be as ‘different’ as you’d like or do things you want to do differently, due to policies, management or just because the approach or time is not right…but having tried and being persistent in a positive manner will definitely turn some heads. If your vocation is something you love to do and you constantly build on your knowledge and skills, standing out and coming up with creative, different approaches and ideas becomes second-nature.
Extend your network – Technology may have made invaded the world and the boardroom, but the world is still run on decisions humans make. Therefore relationships and social networking warrant an appropriate amount of attention and care, to give you that added helping hand in moving your career forward. Building on healthy workplace relations and keeping in touch with your contacts and acquaintances goes a long way in cultivating that valuable network. Don’t commit the faux pas of only getting in touch with the people you know when you need something… and do be open to helping others when they need it. Online professional networking sites (e.g. LinkedIN, Ryze, Tribe.net, OpenBC, etc), e-tools and even your Outlook contacts database can keep you up-to-date on important dates and contact information you need to nurture your network. “Six degrees of separation” (anyone on Earth can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances with no more than five intermediaries) may be just a hypothesis, but it’s a useful and plausible one, especially if it helps you improve the quality of your social and professional life.
Hope you enjoyed these observations and find some of them useful. Wishing you lots of luck and enjoyment taking control of your career and putting into effect the next MOVE that’ll see you where you want to be professionally!
CONTACTJitendra JainEmail: jj@thetalentjungle.com
ORGANIZATIONThe Talent Junglewww.thetalentjungle.com
This article found at:http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000392/4028738.html
Please check this site out for this article and many others of interest for the Tourism industry.
Do you have what it takes to MOVE your career to the next level?
Jitendra Jain
Work – a word much used and abused, like the very act itself. A definition of the word “Work” offered by the dictionary – “Physical or mental effort or activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something.” The thesaurus offers other alternatives…labor, employment, job, vocation, occupation, effort, labor, toil, drudgery…the list goes on…and so does the meaning of the word and the work we do.
Even the most passing scrutiny of the workplace will reveal a variety of workers and attitudes towards the work they do. What makes certain employees and workers stand out from the herd? What keeps them climbing the career ladder? What does it take to MOVE your career to the next level? From discussions with professionals and elementary observations, one will find these techniques common to most successful workers:
Market yourself
Open yourself up to change
Variety, variety, variety – Dare to be different
Extend your network
Market yourself – This is crucial to your career. Too often good workers get overlooked because they just didn’t market their abilities and achievements well enough, be it due to modesty, personality or cultural reasons. In today’s cutthroat and fast-paced business environment, it pays to make an impression, even if you have to facilitate the process yourself…gently, of course. Marketing yourself does not mean you have to turn into the office “strutter” or “the guy/gal with the big mouth” who everyone loves to hate…gentle observations to the right people about great results and accomplishments should do well enough.
Open yourself up to change – Another important factor to give you that edge you need. With the rapidly changing marketplace, business models, processes and technology, it is vital that you develop a can-do attitude and are open to change and learning. If you’re looking for that comfort zone in today’s business world, you simply won’t find it...not if you want to move ahead…and in the long run, even keep the same job. A short, mid and long-term plan for your personal development works superbly to complement your professional ambitions and growth as well as generating the required level of confidence to compete effectively.
Variety, variety, variety – Dare to be different - Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” This doesn’t apply to products and services alone…but to you as well. Lack of confidence, knowledge or even fear tends to paralyze workers (even great ones) from being creative and standing out from the crowd. These creative and innovative differences can be as simple as the way you handle routine operations and make them more effective…to coming up with radical ideas and approaches to handle new and existing problems. It may not always be possible to be as ‘different’ as you’d like or do things you want to do differently, due to policies, management or just because the approach or time is not right…but having tried and being persistent in a positive manner will definitely turn some heads. If your vocation is something you love to do and you constantly build on your knowledge and skills, standing out and coming up with creative, different approaches and ideas becomes second-nature.
Extend your network – Technology may have made invaded the world and the boardroom, but the world is still run on decisions humans make. Therefore relationships and social networking warrant an appropriate amount of attention and care, to give you that added helping hand in moving your career forward. Building on healthy workplace relations and keeping in touch with your contacts and acquaintances goes a long way in cultivating that valuable network. Don’t commit the faux pas of only getting in touch with the people you know when you need something… and do be open to helping others when they need it. Online professional networking sites (e.g. LinkedIN, Ryze, Tribe.net, OpenBC, etc), e-tools and even your Outlook contacts database can keep you up-to-date on important dates and contact information you need to nurture your network. “Six degrees of separation” (anyone on Earth can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances with no more than five intermediaries) may be just a hypothesis, but it’s a useful and plausible one, especially if it helps you improve the quality of your social and professional life.
Hope you enjoyed these observations and find some of them useful. Wishing you lots of luck and enjoyment taking control of your career and putting into effect the next MOVE that’ll see you where you want to be professionally!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Travelocity looks to make voluntourism mainstream
With growing optimism among people that they can have a positive impact through travel, Travelocity employees have created a multifaceted initiative called Travel For Good. Last week, the company launched its Go Zero program to help customers reverse climate change and enhance forests and wetlands through forestation programs. Now, under the Travel For Good initiative, Travelocity is kicking off a program called Change Ambassadors to help bring the idea of “voluntourism” to a broader, mainstream audience. As part of the program, Travelocity is promoting National Public Lands Day on September 30, and is urging consumers to join its employees in volunteer events across the country.
Because one of the greatest barriers to getting involved is knowing where to begin, Travelocity’s Change Ambassadors program is making it easy for volunteers to find opportunities to give a few hours of service at public lands near home or to spend part of their next vacation volunteering. Travelocity has teamed up with some of the top volunteer organizations in the country, including Cross-Cultural Solutions, Earthwatch, and Globe Aware, all of which can all be accessed through the Travelocity website.
In a 2006 Travel Forecast poll conducted by Travelocity, 15 percent of respondents said they planned on taking a volunteer, education or religious trip this year. Whether building homes, working in schools and orphanages, teaching language skills, installing computers or helping endangered species, people are simply looking for ways to give back and get more involved in important causes.
“More and more people are realizing that some of the most rewarding trips involve volunteering here in the U.S. or abroad, either to give back to the places they visit or help to people in need,” said Jeff Glueck, Chief Marketing Officer of Travelocity. “In fact, this program came from passionate employees who believe we can help our customers take their travel experience to a new level by getting involved in something that will have a lasting impact on them.”
Change Ambassadors Grants
A key component of the Change Ambassadors program are grants that will be awarded to people who have demonstrated long-term contributions through volunteering, but do not have the financial means to take a volunteer vacation. A similar grant will be made available to employees.
National Public Lands Day
A voluntourism trip may be as exotic as someone applying their skills in places as far flung as China, Thailand or Africa or it could involve traveling stateside to an area in need of rebuilding, such as the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It could even be as simple as a family spending a day of their vacation clearing paths in a national park.
To support and encourage volunteer efforts close to home, Travelocity is promoting participation in National Public Lands Day (NPLD), the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands that Americans enjoy. On Saturday, September 30, Travelocity employees will be volunteering at parks in the following locations: Dallas; Las Vegas; New York; Plains, PA; San Francisco and West Palm Beach, FL. Travelocity will send invitations to customers encouraging them to join in select locations, or any of the National Public Lands day efforts.
Because one of the greatest barriers to getting involved is knowing where to begin, Travelocity’s Change Ambassadors program is making it easy for volunteers to find opportunities to give a few hours of service at public lands near home or to spend part of their next vacation volunteering. Travelocity has teamed up with some of the top volunteer organizations in the country, including Cross-Cultural Solutions, Earthwatch, and Globe Aware, all of which can all be accessed through the Travelocity website.
In a 2006 Travel Forecast poll conducted by Travelocity, 15 percent of respondents said they planned on taking a volunteer, education or religious trip this year. Whether building homes, working in schools and orphanages, teaching language skills, installing computers or helping endangered species, people are simply looking for ways to give back and get more involved in important causes.
“More and more people are realizing that some of the most rewarding trips involve volunteering here in the U.S. or abroad, either to give back to the places they visit or help to people in need,” said Jeff Glueck, Chief Marketing Officer of Travelocity. “In fact, this program came from passionate employees who believe we can help our customers take their travel experience to a new level by getting involved in something that will have a lasting impact on them.”
Change Ambassadors Grants
A key component of the Change Ambassadors program are grants that will be awarded to people who have demonstrated long-term contributions through volunteering, but do not have the financial means to take a volunteer vacation. A similar grant will be made available to employees.
National Public Lands Day
A voluntourism trip may be as exotic as someone applying their skills in places as far flung as China, Thailand or Africa or it could involve traveling stateside to an area in need of rebuilding, such as the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It could even be as simple as a family spending a day of their vacation clearing paths in a national park.
To support and encourage volunteer efforts close to home, Travelocity is promoting participation in National Public Lands Day (NPLD), the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands that Americans enjoy. On Saturday, September 30, Travelocity employees will be volunteering at parks in the following locations: Dallas; Las Vegas; New York; Plains, PA; San Francisco and West Palm Beach, FL. Travelocity will send invitations to customers encouraging them to join in select locations, or any of the National Public Lands day efforts.
Friday, September 01, 2006
New booking fee may force travelers to fly the spendy skies
By SARAH COLWELL - THE GAZETTE
The Colorado Springs Gazette
This article found at: http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1321041&secid=1
Starting Friday, five major U.S. airlines will start charging travel agents — both online and traditional agents — additional fees to book flights, which many travel agents say they will pass along to customers.
It’s bad news for air travelers — particularly in Colorado Springs — but even worse for travel agents who have seen customers drift away to the Internet to book their tickets directly.
Continental, U.S. Airways, Northwest, United and American airlines will charge travel agents an additional $3.50 for each segment of each ticket booked through the commonly used global distribution system.
The computerized system stores and retrieves information and processes travel bookings. Local travel agents and online travel Web sites use the system to find plane tickets. A nonstop flight has two segments and will cost an additional $7 with the new fee. A roundtrip ticket with one connection will cost an extra $14. Colorado Springs Airport travelers will be especially hard-hit because there are few direct flights out of the Springs. Only domestic flights are affected. The fee is just another blow to travel agents.
The number of Americans using the Internet to book travel increased from 12 million to 64 million between 1998 and 2003, according to the American Society of Travel Agents. The number of retail travel agencies dropped more than 30 percent between 2000 and 2004, according to The New York Times. Independent agencies, those with single locations, suffered the most, with 6,400 going out of business in those four years.
The airlines say the fee will offset higher distribution and administrative expenses. They hope the fee will entice more people to purchase tickets from airline Web sites. “We’re trying to keep our costs low, we have methods that can do that,” said Valerie Wunder of U.S. Airways. “It’s a way to keep costs down, and we are able to pass that savings to the customers. If they go through our distribution method, it saves them money.”
Bob Harrell, airfare specialist with New York-based Harrell Associates, thinks airlines won’t be able to handle the extra Web site traffic. “If the airlines start to get the traffic they are looking for . . . they are going to get buried,” Harrell said. “The reason travel agencies had the business in the first place was because the airlines couldn’t handle offering that service.” Many local travel agents are irate about the new charges, saying it will hurt their business. “It just stinks. The traveling public is going to get hit with the fees because we can’t absorb it because we don’t get paid by them (the airlines),” said Gillian Rosenthal, owner of Travel, Travel in Colorado Springs. “And it’s going to seem like the travel agents are increasing their prices.”
Airlines once paid travel agents a 10 percent commission for every ticket they booked. With the new fee, airlines will now charge them for every ticket issued. “They are looking for any way to add to their bottom line without increasing the price that is published,” said Linda Robison, president of Academy Travel & Tours. “Airlines are getting more money without actually increasing the published price of the fare. In any other business this would be rolled into cost of doing business to sell product. The airlines have found ways to hide extra costs.”
Industry experts agree the surcharge will further hurt travel agents. “Is it (the fee) going to be the demise of travel agencies? No. It’s just another change we have to adapt to,” Robison said. “Most of the traveling public that uses a travel agency in today’s environment is using them for expertise and traveling skills. The bulk of a travel agency business any more is truly consultants now.” “If you go to an airline’s Web site, their objective is not to sell you the lowest fare, and it’s certainly not their objective to direct you to their competitor’s Web site that may have a lower price,” Harrell said. “The honest broker always has a role in this process.”
CONTACT THE WRITER: 476-4893 or sarah.colwell@gazette.com
The Colorado Springs Gazette
This article found at: http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1321041&secid=1
Starting Friday, five major U.S. airlines will start charging travel agents — both online and traditional agents — additional fees to book flights, which many travel agents say they will pass along to customers.
It’s bad news for air travelers — particularly in Colorado Springs — but even worse for travel agents who have seen customers drift away to the Internet to book their tickets directly.
Continental, U.S. Airways, Northwest, United and American airlines will charge travel agents an additional $3.50 for each segment of each ticket booked through the commonly used global distribution system.
The computerized system stores and retrieves information and processes travel bookings. Local travel agents and online travel Web sites use the system to find plane tickets. A nonstop flight has two segments and will cost an additional $7 with the new fee. A roundtrip ticket with one connection will cost an extra $14. Colorado Springs Airport travelers will be especially hard-hit because there are few direct flights out of the Springs. Only domestic flights are affected. The fee is just another blow to travel agents.
The number of Americans using the Internet to book travel increased from 12 million to 64 million between 1998 and 2003, according to the American Society of Travel Agents. The number of retail travel agencies dropped more than 30 percent between 2000 and 2004, according to The New York Times. Independent agencies, those with single locations, suffered the most, with 6,400 going out of business in those four years.
The airlines say the fee will offset higher distribution and administrative expenses. They hope the fee will entice more people to purchase tickets from airline Web sites. “We’re trying to keep our costs low, we have methods that can do that,” said Valerie Wunder of U.S. Airways. “It’s a way to keep costs down, and we are able to pass that savings to the customers. If they go through our distribution method, it saves them money.”
Bob Harrell, airfare specialist with New York-based Harrell Associates, thinks airlines won’t be able to handle the extra Web site traffic. “If the airlines start to get the traffic they are looking for . . . they are going to get buried,” Harrell said. “The reason travel agencies had the business in the first place was because the airlines couldn’t handle offering that service.” Many local travel agents are irate about the new charges, saying it will hurt their business. “It just stinks. The traveling public is going to get hit with the fees because we can’t absorb it because we don’t get paid by them (the airlines),” said Gillian Rosenthal, owner of Travel, Travel in Colorado Springs. “And it’s going to seem like the travel agents are increasing their prices.”
Airlines once paid travel agents a 10 percent commission for every ticket they booked. With the new fee, airlines will now charge them for every ticket issued. “They are looking for any way to add to their bottom line without increasing the price that is published,” said Linda Robison, president of Academy Travel & Tours. “Airlines are getting more money without actually increasing the published price of the fare. In any other business this would be rolled into cost of doing business to sell product. The airlines have found ways to hide extra costs.”
Industry experts agree the surcharge will further hurt travel agents. “Is it (the fee) going to be the demise of travel agencies? No. It’s just another change we have to adapt to,” Robison said. “Most of the traveling public that uses a travel agency in today’s environment is using them for expertise and traveling skills. The bulk of a travel agency business any more is truly consultants now.” “If you go to an airline’s Web site, their objective is not to sell you the lowest fare, and it’s certainly not their objective to direct you to their competitor’s Web site that may have a lower price,” Harrell said. “The honest broker always has a role in this process.”
CONTACT THE WRITER: 476-4893 or sarah.colwell@gazette.com
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