THE NEWS LEADER OF THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY
FINANCE:
Pizza Hut
franchisee urges
Yum to strengthen
brand, add value
pg. 9
Swine flu sows seeds for paid sick leave bills
BY ELISSA ELAN
CONSUMER
TRENDS:
NPD: Demand
for meal deals
in casual dining
continues to rise
pg. 14
As the H1N1 flu sweeps
across the country, the number of paid sick leave bills being considered in city, state
and federal legislatures is
mounting as lawmakers try
to ensure ill workers take
time off to recuperate.
The bills — three of
which are pending at the fed-
eral level — are intended to
slow the virus’ spread, but
restaurant operators,
already hamstrung by the
economic downturn, are
fighting the measures, which
they claim would hurt their
businesses further by forcing
them to pay for sick leaves of
between five and nine days
per employee, depending on
the measure.
“We are taking a close
look at the legislation and
have concerns about how it
will affect restaurateurs in
these tough economic times,”
SEE INDUSTRY, PAGE 31
NRN
EDITORIAL:
Change is
in the air as NRN
readies enhanced,
innovative
coverage both
in print and online
pg. 17
BY BRET THORN
Chefs explore ingredients
of Eastern Mediterranean Tap gastropub in Atlanta serves each of its craft and imported beers in its own uniquely styled, branded glass.
When Americans think of
Mediterranean cuisine, what
most often comes to mind is
not-so-authentic Italian food,
maybe with a bit of influence
from Spain, Southern France
or Greece. But more and
more these days restaurateurs are looking a bit farther east for inspiration.
“The Eastern Mediterranean I think holds such
a new experience for so
many diners,” says Dallas
chef-restaurateur Stephan
Pyles, whose newest restaurant, Samar, devotes a
whole section of its menu to
the region.
Samar, like many new
restaurants, focuses on small
plates. Pyles originally
planned on making it a Spanish tapas place, but decided
that had been done. So
Spanish food ended up being
only one section of the menu.
The other two are Indian and
Eastern Mediterranean.
Pyles says the Eastern
Mediterranean made for a
good bridge between Spain
and India.
More importantly, he
says, “It’s food I love, and
food we’ve always considered
very healthy.”
Hummus was probably
the breakthrough menu
item that brought Eastern
Mediterranean food to
the mainstream American
consciousness. From there,
SEE MEDITERRANEAN, PAGE 21
Liquid assets: Restaurant owners
tap craft beer’s profitable power
END QUOTES:
Having Words With:
Bob Campbell,
Tappan Street
Restaurant Group
pg. 34
BY JAMES SCARPA Guests clamor for the quality, affordability of upscale brews
At Ali Baba’s Terrace in New York, basterma is fried in phyllo.
When President Obama
hosted a “beer summit” on
race relations over a few cold
ones this summer, wags
likened the White House
Rose Garden to a beer garden. But for a growing num-
ber of restaurant operators
and their customers, it’s no
joke at all to see the once-plebeian drink hoisted in the
highest circles.
The beers quaffed in increasing numbers everywhere
from gourmet-hamburger
spots to casual-dining eater-
ies, trendy gastropubs and
white-tablecloth restaurants
are far from the same old
suds. They tend to be “craft”
beers made by small breweries using traditional methods and flavorful ingredients,
drawn from lists surprising
SEE BREWING, PAGE 23
