Saval Foodservice’s Golf Tournament tees off on June 10, 2008 at the Whiskey Creek Golf Club to benefit The Children’s Cancer Foundation. The Children’s Cancer Foundation is a charity committed to raising funds for the research and treatment of cancers that affect children and for building facilities. The Foundation has helped organizations such as Johns Hopkins Hospital, National Cancer Institute at NIH, and the Children’s National Medical Center.

To learn more about the Children’s Cancer Foundation visit their website at www.childrenscancerfoundation.org or to become a sponsor for our charity golf Tournament contact Saval Foodservice today!

Family-owned-and operated, Coakley’s Pub was established in 1997 as a casual family style pub serving lunch and dinner 7 days a week.  Great food and service at everyday affordable prices.  Everyone loves coming to Coakley’s Pub whether it be for appetizers, lunch or a full course dinner.  They have it all on their huge menu.

Coakley’s features fresh seafood, appetizers, salads, pizza, lots and lots of sandwiches, and a large dinner menu with great crabcakes, steaks, and pastas.  Their seating compacity is 200+ for dinning; three bars with entertainment nightly, dance floor and live music on Saturday nights.

SPECIALS:
Every Monday:  WING NITE!  $.35/cent for awesome wings.
Every Tuesday:  RIB NITE! Their ribs fall off the bone and served with ranch fries and corned bread.  ½ Rack - $6.95 Full Rack $11.95 
Every Wednesday:  STEAK NITE!  N.Y. strips are $10.95.  Add 1/2lb steamed shrimp or ½lb snow crab or oysters and clams for a great combo - $6.00 more. 
Every Thursday:  SEAFOOD NITE!  Great deals on all steamed seafood from their bar. 
Every Friday:  GET HAPPY @ COAKLEY’ PUB!  $.35/wings, ½ lb. Shrimp $4.95, Jr. Seafood Nachos $4.95 and Jr. Nachos $3.95.
Every Saturday:  Entertainment and great dinner specials!

As you can see, this is a family place with great food and lots of fun! Be sure to check out Coakley’s the next time you’re near 95 North & Harve de Grace, MD.

Located conveniently off of 95 North at exit 88 Route 155.  Right at Juniata; Left on Otsego; and Right on Union Avenue; bare left at statue and they’re the first business on the right. 

ENJOY YOUR VISIT!

SOUP & SALAD. . .

The Perfect Seasonal Pair

With the transition from winter to spring, when the days are still plenty wet and chilly, nothing tastes better then a bowl of hot soup.  Soup for dinner is a complete meal when you add a delicious salad.

Try pairing soups with interesting salad combinations, warm, crusty bread and butter.

Spring soups generally are full of seasonal ingredients like asparagus, peas, garlic and young root vegetables; whereas summer soups rely on tomatoes, cucumbers, corn and sweet peppers, and cold weather soups include meats, root vegetables, greens, dried beans and grains.

When adding a salad to the meal, keep in mind the characteristics of early spring vegetables.  Focus on hearty greens like escarole, frisee and radicchio rather than tomatoes and stone fruits of summer.

Homemade soups are very easy to make.  They often require little more than beef, chicken, or vegetable broth, plus fresh or frozen vegetables, spices, a little meat for seasoning or pasta.

Be creative with y our soups, adding to the broth left over chicken, rice or pasta.  Top your soup with buttered breadcrumbs, homemade croutons, sour cream, crumbled bacon or fresh green herbs. 

Salads can be as plain or as complex as you want.  Generally, if you have a very hearty soup, then a lighter salad, using only greens and maybe one other ingredient, like cheese or nuts would be the perfect complement.  And if you have a hearty salad, such as escarole with bacon and fried potatoes, then keep your soup to a smaller portion or a light clear broth soup. 

With a well-stocked pantry and a few weekly purchases should keep you in soups and salads throughout the various seasons, and with so many variations, you never have to repeat the same one twice.  

Source:  The Chronicle, March 12, 2008

Keeping your menu fresh and current can be a challenge.  Your regular customers always like their tried-and-true favorites, but you want to keep fresh and current items on your menu.

By doing a little research you will be able to tell trends from fads.  A fad comes and goes fairly quickly, while a trend tends to stay around and become mainstream.  Read trade publications, consumer magazines and promotions at large chain establishments.

There is no need to revamp your whole menu.  By using “Specials” menu inserts, blackboard specials and weekly promotions there will be no need to revamp your entire menu.  Once you see a trend you like, look around your local area for inspiration.  If you want to add an ethnic flavor to a menu item, then find that ethnic eatery in your area and sample a few items to get a some ideas.  It’s very easy to add an ethnic “inspired” item to your menu to give a sense of that type of cuisine.  And always remember, you’re not an authentic ethnic restaurant, so there’s no need to try to be too authentic.

Use commercially-available products – such as marinades, prepared sauces and dressing – these can easily provide a very specific flavor profile.  For example, it’s very simple to offer your current chicken wings as “Spicy Teriyaki Wing” and add a side of teriyaki dipping sauce to the plate.

Take advantage of the hamburger “extraordinaire”.  Add creative twists to your burger menu by using a variety of breads such as focaccia or ciabatta, cheeses and flavored mayonnaise or dressings.  Burgers are a very popular and profitable item on your menu.  It just takes a little imagination.  Why not try a different burger each day of the week as a “special”.  Once again, no need to redo your menu and add additional cost to your overhead.  Simply add it to your chalkboard each day.

Tweaking current menu items to take advantage of trends is an easy way to add a little creativity.  One way is by offering diners a few new salad dressings.  Maybe add fresh strawberries and blueberries to your salads.  These fresh fruits are very healthy and add a great flair to any basic salad.  Add fresh herbs to commercial vinaigrette dressings or olive oil and you have a new exotic item on your menu.  Be creative, you’ll be surprised by the possibilities.

As a last note, remember to gain valuable insight into what works by asking both customers and peers for feedback.  Future decisions will be much easier and your menu will remain very exciting!

Here are a few helpful tips in shopping for different types of saute pans, their positives and drawbacks.

CAST IRON:
Uses:  This cast-iron pan is at home on a stovetop and above a campfire.  Use it for Cajun-style blackening and other high-heat methods, pan-roasting, baking corn bread.
Pluses:  Durable, great heat retention, no hotspots, decent nonstick properties when well-seasoned.  Available in most areas.
Drawbacks:  Very heavy, heats and cools slowly, must hand wash.

STAINLESS STEEL:
Uses:  Anything but blackening.
Pluses:  Durable, heats up and cools faster than cast iron; Available in nonstick, light weight, and dishwasher-safe.
Drawbacks:  Eggs and similar foods may stick, the interior will scratch and the exterior will dull over time, some models are expensive; Cheaper models tend to get hotspots and warping.

STAINLESS-LINED COPPER:
Uses:  Anything but blackening.
Pluses:  Durable, fastest heat responsiveness, available in nonstick, even heating/no hotspots, beautiful!
Drawbacks:  Eggs and similar foods may stick, requires extra care, interior will scratch and the exterior will dull overtime; some models are heavy, expensive, and you have to hand wash.

SUPERMARKET NONSTICK:
Uses:  Good for eggs, reheating sticky leftovers, and low-fat sauteing.
Pluses:  Inexpensive, effort-free cleanup.
Drawbacks:  Prone to hotspots, nonstick coating may scratch and will wear out; Should not use in a very hot oven or beneath a broiler.

What is the restaurant industry showing? 
    Sometimes knowing who wants appetizers, can be the key to making the most of the left side of your menu.  The following suggestions may give insight to your serving strategy. 

    - Most appetizers are ordered during the dinner time.
    - Adult-only tables order twice the appetizers as tables with kids.
    - 35% of appetizer sales are on weekends.
    - 18-49 year olds order about 60% of all appetizers sold.
    - Older diners prefer shrimp. 
    - Younger diners go for fried cheeses, chicken strips, wings, and nachos.

Now that you know the front-of-the-house desires, how about some ideas to spice up your appetizer menu.
    - Samplers are unique - they`re a low-risk way to experience a new taste, and also a good opportunity for you to try new ideas before placing them on the main menu.
    - Pizzas, bread and bruschetta are on most menus, and non-Italian styles of these appetizers are exploding with diverse toppings, from Asian flavors to dried fruit and nuts.
    - The fried cheese favorite can be made even more appealing by adding some exoctic dressings and dips or frying treatments.
    - Our old friend the nacho platter still seems to be a strong favorite.  Some platters are now served with a little more exotic flair, for example an additional of wasabi cream.  You might want to try substituting fried wontons for the tortilla chips.

Even with the appetizer arena changing so fast, your menu can keep up with the best - and with a touch of your special creativity and inspiration, your appetizers could be the talk of the town! 

Source:  kraftfoodservice.com

Our new 65,000 square foot addition allows Saval Foodservice to maintain its position as the area’s largest independent foodservice distributor.  Our new warehouse expansion was completed in October, 2006 and features additions to all temperature zones - freezer, dry and refrigerated.  The expansion, along with new technologies will give Saval Foodservice the capacity and capability to enhance its service offerings to its customers.  

Here is the complete text of the article:

http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2006/02/20/smallb2.html

Simple Tips to Garnish Diners’ Satisfaction.  The old saying, "You only get one chance to make a first impression," certainly is applicable to the restaurant business.  When it comes to a customer’s initial visit to your establishment, it’s important that you make that experience a positive and lasting one from the welcome to the walk out the door.  There’s no better recipe for success than securing a diner’s tasty review and promise to come back again.

It costs five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to keep an existing one.  Yet how do you boost business without breaking the bank?

Whether you own a small sandwich shop or manage a large restaurant, you can apply simple and cost-efficient "garnishes" to more than just the plate to keep you customers satisfied.  Here are a few tips for getting it right from the start:

1.  Always greet your customers with a smile and finish with a pleasant "Thank You" to show your appreciation for their business.
2.  Make sure that your menus are free of dirt, fingerprints and fraying.  Cleanliness remains a top priority for today’s diners.
3.  Personalize your menu with house specialties from salad dressing to signature spreads and desserts.  This can be easy and cost-efficient by combining a few standard ingredients such as adding salsa to ranch dressing or mixing up your own honey barbeque sauce.  Set your restaurant apart from the competition.
4.  Spice up your menu with "romantic" names.  Customers will be more attracted to entrees or side dishes that use descriptives like "grilled," "hand cut," "imported," and "certified."
5.  Sweeten up the tab by leaving the check with a piece of chocolate, hard candy or mint.  You’ll be sure to enhance the customer’s mood (and often the tip!) and leave them with a good feeling.  Much the same as a warm smile, encourage waiters to personalize the check with a handwritten "thank you" on the back.
6.  Always offer something new.  Be sure to vary the menu regularly to denote freshness and creativeness at your restaurant.  Something as simple as changing to hearty soups and side dishes for the winter months and light salads and desserts for the summer season. 
7.  Don’t skimp on quality!  A restaurateur’s primary focus needs to be on the quality of the food served.

Overall, remember to always deliver the expected (friendly service, quality food, clean restaurant) AND take the initiative to "WOW" your diners with the unexpected.  Once you’re on this path, you’ll see how easy it is to increase your patron satisfaction.

Source:  Kraft Foodservice.com/Business Solutions

10 Ways to Sell More Appetizers

1. Have appetizers listed separately on a table tent and place them on every table and at the bar.
   
   
2. Have host staff always recommend at least two of your appetizers, by name, to every guest they seat.
   
   
3. Combine appetizers with glasses of wine at a lower price than if you bought each separately. Highlight the pairing by “boxing” them on your menu.
   
   
4. Offer bite-sized “samples” of your appetizers to guests waiting for lunch or dinner during busy periods.
   
   
5. Train your servers to suggest appetizers immediately after taking their guest’s first drink order.
   
   
6. Have an appetizer list in front of every other seat at the bar. Train bartenders to consistently suggest appetizers with every drink order.
   
   
7. Offer a sampler platter of your most popular appetizers on your menu at a special price so guests can graze on each.
   
   
8. Offer “samples” of your appetizers to people seated at the bar. They’ll soon request a full order.
   
   
9. If bar patrons decline the bartender’s appetizer suggestion, teach your bartenders to ask again after the second or third drink.
   
   
10. “Box” your best dollar-margin appetizers on your menu to draw more attention to them as your guests’ eyes scan the menu.
    
    Source: Service That Sells! The Art of Profitable Hospitality

Updating Menu Descriptions

Often times the hopes of changing your menu can get pushed to the back burner. Your menu is a key ingredient to your business and is a marketing tool that your customers are constantly in contact with when dining in your establishment. It is important to not only update your menu pricing, but to have enticing item descriptions that your customers will not be able to pass up. When creating item descriptions it is essential to use words and phrases that truly defines what the item is, how it is prepared, served, etc. When revamping your descriptions remember to ask yourself these five simple questions:

·         What is it?

·         How is it prepared?

·         How is it served?

·         What are the unusual qualities? (taste, texture, seasoning)

·         What are the ingredients?

Also, keep in mind what your descriptions should do for you. They should merchandise the item, enhance the perception of the value, justify the price, explain the method of preparation, describe the quality of the food, and include essential garnishes. By using words that draw attention and emphasize key items you will be able to communicate your intended message more effectively and efficiently to your customer, which will ultimately generate you more business.   

Source: Unipro