From the March/April 2008 issue of
Wisconsin Restaurateur Magazine

Bright Ideas
Restaurateurs share solutions they found at the Expo

by Sonya Bice

Restaurateurs who attended the Wisconsin Restaurant Expo walked away with new ideas, new products and new solutions to problems they are facing in a competitive business environment and a weakening economy. We asked people to tell us what solutions they had found at this year’s show, and we gathered some of the tips provided in the many presentations. The answers ranged from ravioli to regulatory information, from electronic LED signs to Internet marketing ideas to connect them to new customers. They left the show, they said, recharged, ready to head back and apply their new solutions in their operations. Many commented on the changing demands of customers and the changing realities of the business and said they found help in meeting the demands they face every day in their work.

Technology presentations: “In a competitive market, keeping up with technology has to be at the top of our list of things to do”
Sherry Boushele, who handles marketing for Lara’s Tortilla Flats, Oshkosh, went to the Tech Solutions Center sessions on E-marketing and Internet advertising. “It seemed like many of us there knew we should be using the Internet more than we are as the main way of communicating with our patrons,” she said.  “The speakers offered some ‘get started’ ways of helping us.” 

The sessions discussed topics such as blogging, social networking, interactive advertising online, search engine marketing and email marketing.

“Keeping up with technology is not always at the top of our list of things to do,” she said, “but it should be and has to be in this competitive market.” 

“Because we are a small business, we have always wanted to maintain a more personal relationship with our customers and the Internet offers one way of doing that on a regular basis,” she said.  “I also liked the idea of tracking and controlling our advertising dollars by advertising through more venues online.” 

Access to state regulators: Getting answers to nuts and bolts questions
Mike Dorman, CFSP, an architect with Boldt Technical Services whose work involves restaurant construction and renovation projects, visited with James R. Udelhoven from the State of Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services at the WRA booth. “Jim was very helpful with answering my question and he had copies of the Code for Restaurants, Chapter HFS 196, that I could take with me,” he said. “I also have an email that I can use to ask questions, for when I need an interpretation or direction in finding an intent of the Code.”

Dorman also attended the free seminar on “Green Restaurants” that focused on controlling energy costs in food service operations and found it “very insightful.” “I didn’t realize there was that much room for improvement,” he said.

Food presentation ideas: “In the banquet hall, presentation is everything”
Denny Marino runs a catering business with three large banquet halls in New Munster. In the past, when he ran a restaurant, he frequently shopped for equipment at the show. What he looked for at this year’s show was products and ideas.

“I’m looking for all the new products – all the brand new hors d’oeuvres, the meats, and the desserts. I find the variety of cheesecakes amazing,” he said. The presentation ideas he sees on the show floor and in the demonstrations are valuable, he says, because “in the banquet hall, presentation is everything.”

He said the addition in recent years of bar dispensers and products has been especially helpful.

“I’m there at the show to learn,” he said. “It presents a lot of information that’s usable in my business. The show in Milwaukee has what I need. It is well worth it to go.”

Seeing new products: “If I don’t know about it, I can’t ask my distributor for it”
Veteran restaurateur Joe Lopipero, owner of That’s Amore, Hales Corners, went to the show looking for a few specific items: awnings and canopies for a patio area, a warmer from Cambro, a vending machine, an espresso machine, an ATM, and possibly a bread vendor.

In the days after the show, he was still following up with the contacts he made, making arrangements to get samples delivered from Labriola Bakery, for example.
But the most valuable aspect of the show to his business is the chance to see the full lines of products from manufacturers. “I’m always open and looking for new ideas,” he said. “At the WRA show, I see products that I normally would not see.

I get to see their full line of products – not just what one distributor carries,” he said. Joseph’s Pasta, for example, carries a full line of ravioli products, and Lopipero is interested in one of the company’s very high end ravioli products. “I talked to Joseph’s at the show. We do so much business with our supplier that if we asked, they would bring a product in for us, even if it is one they did not previously carry,” he said. “But if I don’t know about it, I can’t ask for it.”

Kitchen equipment and food products: looking for “equipment that will make our lives easier”
Bonnie Munao runs a seasonal restaurant, Sailor’s Pub, connected to the marina she and her family runs on Washington Island. Each year, the small business sends four employees to the Wisconsin Restaurant Expo. This year, her husband was looking for kitchen equipment from Rational. “He looks at kitchen equipment that will make his life easier,” she said. “I asked him if he saw what he needed at the show this year and he said, “Oh, yeah, I was very pleased with it.’”

For her part, Munao wants to see food products. “There are some suppliers who supply our vendors, but we never have a chance to see all their products. Our distributors handle some of their products but not the whole line. So then we can go back to our distributor and put in a word about specific items we would like them to carry.”

The distance and the trouble the Munaos go to in order to take in the show illustrates how important they think it is to their business. “For us to spend the time and the money to bring four people from Washington Island to Milwaukee for this, you have to know it’s worth it to us. On the drive home we talk about what we found and how we are going to use it in the restaurant this year.”

Practical information on maintaining an Internet presence
Ron Meinholz’s restaurant in Eagle River, Riverstone Restaurant, has set itself apart with its reputation for outstanding wines (it’s been recognized in Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast) and its hearth-baked breads. When he headed home from the Wisconsin Restaurant Expo this year, he had succeeded in getting information he needed for upgrading his web site, contacts for a selection of artisan cheeses he wants to add to the menu, and a vendor that supplies electronic LED signs.

“We are constantly looking for new products,” Meinholz said. “We’ve been looking for an electronic sign that we could change to let people know if we are having a benefit or a special event. We found what we were looking for and saw a nice demonstration at the show. Now we’re waiting for an o.k. from our local city council.”

Meinholz also finds practical information at the show, such as helpful tips for adding useful features to his web site. He said that customers are doing research ahead of visits via the Internet, and that has made it more important than ever to have a web site that is kept up to date. He attended a presentation on that topic at the Tech Solutions Center at this year’s show, where he learned how to make a web site easy to navigate, easy to revise, and attractive. “People research online because they want to know what is out there, especially if they are coming to a vacation area like ours. I think people’s time is their most precious commodity, and they want to make the most of their vacation by planning it ahead.”

Networking with fellow operators: “an inspirational experience”
Jeff Wimmer, owner of The Del-Bar, Wisconsin Dells, says there are two reasons he came to this year’s show, as he has for many years. First, the opportunity to meet face to face with a large number of suppliers in a short time in a convenient setting:
“Meeting with purveyors’ and manufacturers’ reps on our restaurant site is an important way we communicate and educate ourselves; however this can become quite hectic with all the events that transpire during the daily operation of running a restaurant. The WRA show floor offers a unique neutral ground on which we can interact with the old and the new, in person, with the reps of purveyors and manufacturers at their booths.” 

The other reason is less tangible but equally important, he said. “The show gives us the opportunity to mingle with fellow restaurateurs to share ideas and socialize – that makes it an inspirational experience.”

Inspiration can also come from speakers. Ken Dunlavy, Zig’s Hideaway, Marion, said, “The most specific thing I took away from this show was how to think outside the box in ensuring my guests will come back.  Seminar presenter Steve Tyink did an excellent presentation on being memorable to our guests.” WR

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This article is reprinted with permission from Wisconsin Restaurateur magazine. Wisconsin Restaurateur is a bimonthly publication of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association and is sent to all WRA Members as a member benefit. The magazine keeps members up to date on the latest industry trends.

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