Mama Lucias

In the fast food industry one of the most commonly used and proven methods of advertising methods are menu printed and distribution. It's no secret that having menus professionally designed and printed, with the right distribution method can really lead to an increase in business. Sometimes the effects can be seen almost instantly, with many business owners enjoying a sudden increase in customers. It is always a good idea to plan your menu before hand, in order to avoid simply throwing together a publication which will look confusing and not have any of the desired effects. You should consider what you want to convey to the public about your establishment. As well as this, be careful what fonts are...

Today I wanted to talk to your about your menu and more specifically about engineering it for profit. Menu engineering is the analysis of your menu which look at the sales price, sales history and the cost of each item of the menu. From the collected data engineering refers to the calculation of the profit or contribution margin of each item in relation to all the other items on the menu for a period of time. Menu engineering is an integral part of hospitality management in todays robust and competitive market. Each of the items once calculated will be classed into one of four categories: 1. Stars (popular and profitable) 2. Plow Horses (popular but not as profitable) 3...

When someone mentions going to an Italian restaurant for dinner, most likely, you think of the old stand by's such as spaghetti or lasagna, maybe bread and some wine. While those are great, everyone knows the best part of the meal is dessert. Italian desserts are no different; they offer a tasty treat to end a meal with. Perhaps one of the most well known Italian desserts in the United States is Biscotti. This is a hard, dry cookie (of sorts) that is traditionally slightly bitter, however, Americans tend to like their biscotti sweeter than their Italian counter parts. Traditionally, biscotti is dipped in a red wine for dessert, to soften it up. In America, it is often dipped in coffee as a...

Hong Kong's numerous eating places are catering for every taste and budget: From uber-swanky gourmet restaurants, where the world's rich and famous have their luxurious dinners of fois gras and truffles, to authentic "Dai pai dong" stalls and simple "Cha Chaan Teng" eateries where delicious Cantonese fare can be enjoyed... In this article, I will introduce you to what I believe are Hong Kong's top 10 restaurants. The VIP room - Yung Kee This seventy years old "culinary institution" has made an international name for itself thanks to its legendary Roast goose, which some say is the best in Hong Kong, if not in the whole world... However, the restaurant itself is not what I want to tell you about...

After completing graduate school in the late 80s, I spent a year studying Law at a University in America. The school cafeteria served many things that one would never encounter in the states (natto spaghetti for example), but one thing they did serve that I couldn't get enough of was seared ahi tuna, prepared fresh to order. It was usually served with white rice, a little shoyu, some radish sprouts, a few slivers of nori, and some toasted sesame seeds. As I am a great food lover so I got really tired of eating chicken and plain tuna everyday. One great day I visit Arnie's Italian Restaurant with some of my friends.They Ordered Ahi Tuna Tacos with some others dishes. Atfirst I didn't want to eat that...

Vacations are meant to be leisurely and that means you don't have to get up early. Rather, you can get some rest and then enjoy a nice brunch. If you are vacationing in Orlando then you will be happy to know that there are varied and wonderful restaurants where you can enjoy your brunch. Below you will find reviews of some of the best ones around, but this is by no means a complete list. There are lots more out there. The House of Blues is known for its music but it has a fantastic all-you-can-eat Gospel Sunday Brunch. You eat in an atmosphere that features live gospel music in the huge music hall. Cajun food like spicy shrimp and jambalaya are served along with more common breakfast fare including...

Are you finding yourself ordering pizza more often than you used to but finding it a bit too demanding of your resources? You do not have to miss out on your favorite food or break your budget. Before you dial the number of your pizzeria, prepare some pizza coupons so you can get the discounts you deserve for being one of their good customers. Pizza places would usually tell you about their latest promotions such as package deals that come with free soda or even pizza. You will definitely hear about it when you place an order. The will explain the mechanics of how these coupons work. There is no such thing as free stuff, really, but what you will get is a better deal because you will not have to pay...

The restaurant business is one of the toughest businesses to break into and most restaurants face closure in their first year of operation. Inappropriate locations or insufficient understanding of targeted clientele demographics are some of the reasons restaurants close. Others have suffered from poor service or a mismatch between their menu and local tastes. Whether you want to sell pizza, open a franchise, or open a trendy restaurant, the best method for ensuring that you do not repeat other people’s mistakes is to seek the advice of a professional restaurant or hotel consulting firm. Professional consultants are more cost-effective as compared to the risks of trial-and-error methods of...

Your menu is your number one selling tool for influencing what you want your guest to order. With proper menu design you can actually influence sales mix on a daily basis and improve profits. Don't just leave it up to chance. Learn these tips and apply them to your menu. 1) Never Handcuff your Menu If you are unable to change or update any menu panel in a short amount of time, then you are handcuffed. You need to be sure you can make a change or update anytime to your menu as needed. With the rapidly changing markets today, this flexibility is very important to staying ahead of rising costs. 2) Review your menu and update 3-4 times per year Stick to small adjustments throughout the year instead of...

When you are running a restaurant, the menu is one of the most important things that you should worry about. Try and fix a menu with utmost care ensuring that in no way does it disappoint the customers. Here are a set of things that should go into the construction of your menu: The Design of the Menu: This is once again very important. Your menu has to be soothing to look at. Position the pictures featured on the menu carefully. It should also be easy to flip through. The paper quality has to be good. Spelling and grammatical mistakes are a strict no. Your professionalism should shine through your menu. Graphics that you choose also have to look professionally done and not shabby. The staff has to...

The following are some of the best restaurants in the city of Portland. Wildwood is a restaurant owned by celebrity author and chef Cory Schreiber. He and his team serve up great cuisine in this popular restaurant. Heathman has a mix of Pacific Northwest and French cuisine. The head chef is Philippe Boulot, a winner of the highly regarded James Beard award for excellence in 2001. He and his staff are renowned for serving cuisine that is believed to be among the country's finest. At Higgins, Chef Higgins serves food based on his principle that food is community. Mushrooms and wild salmon, along with some of the country's finest wines, adorn the menu. At Higgins, one gets to eat food that typifies...

Italy is home to some of the most wonderful food and restaurants on the planet. Here, we take a look at how to avoid being daunted by the complexities of a traditional Italian menu. One of my favourite parts of Italy is the area to the north of venice and Verona. The region, encompassing the famous lakes of Garda and Como, also has some of the finest restaurants in Europe. I remember visiting Italy for the first time and looking forward to a meal in one of the region's famous restaurants. On sitting down in a typical trattoria (a slightly less formal Italian restaurant), I found myself somewhat overwhelmed when presented with the menu. For those of you who have not travelled in Italy, let me...

Cookeville, Tennessee may be a small town, but services that are offered rival many in much larger cities and are definitely unrivaled in the Upper Cumberland area. One of the issues that would be on the mind of someone considering moving to Cookeville, Tennessee is the availability of choices when it comes to dining. Cookeville is a town of 30,000, but when it comes to dining choices in Cookeville Tennessee, they are definitely not limited by the small size of the city. When I first moved to Putnam county, there was not a lot of chain restaurants available in Cookeville. This changed within the past few years with a large number of such restaurants emerging along a strip parallel to the I-40...

Top 3 Restaurants in Nottingham Living in the City Centre, I have visited a fair few restaurants in Nottingham. Here is my personal list of the top 3 restaurants in Nottingham, regardless of price, based purely on food and service. Pizza Savai – There are very few pizza restaurants in Nottingham, even fewer that are not chains (e.g Pizza Hut, Pizza Express), but Pizza Savai, a place hidden in the City Centre is a fantastic place to dine, whether it be lunch or dinner. Like many Pizza restaurants, Savai does not serve solely Pizza dishes, yet serves a number of dishes, mainly based around Italian cuisine, including Pasta and Spaghetti, plus other dishes including Steak and Chicken. All food is...

Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world. In the United States alone, according to some researchers, over three hundred and fifty slices of Pizza are consumed every second! The world loves Pizza, and as a result there are dozens of Pizzerias spread all over the city, wherever you may choose to go. But not all Pizzerias offer the best Pizzas that you are looking for. Seattle Pizza restaurants, for instance, are among the best Pizzerias in the United States. On the surface, it seems very simple to make a Pizza. All it needs is some dough, tomatoes, cheese, a few spices, and an oven to bake it into a great Pizza. But pizza making is an art, and not a science. Therefore, only a select few...

Soul food recipes continue to grow more popular as it crosses more cultural, social and even economic lines. As one of the most popular cuisines created exclusively in America, the popular African American cuisine continues to grow in many European hot spots. Now you can find it in places such as England, France, Holland and many other countries. Ironically, the growing popularity in many foreign countries continues to fuel the demand in America. One of the primary reasons soul food kitchen recipes grow more popular is in its ability to adapt to changes over the years in peoples taste. Now with more health conscious consumers you can find this southern cuisines adapting to healthier ingredients than...

The rehearsal dinner which follows the wedding rehearsal is an important part of wedding tradition, but that does not mean that it must be a traditional formal party. In fact, the rehearsal dinner can be as laid back as you like, which also means that you can throw a great party without a huge budget. These are some fun and affordable rehearsal dinner ideas. Cookout on the beach. A top pick for summer rehearsal dinners, find a beach that allows you to grill, and host a relaxed cookout. Beach food is at its best when it is simple, so think hot dogs and hamburgers, that sort of thing. Best of all, if your party runs into the evening hours, you can have a bonfire and make s'mores. Way more fun than...

According to the latest U.S Government census the city of Pasadena, California has a population of just under 140,000, however the city boasts in excess of 500 dining establishments. Pasadena has a wealth of shopping centers, stores, boutiques, movie theaters, art galleries, museums and of course it is the host of the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl and because it is situated on the edge of the San Fernando Valley, at the start of the San Gabriel Valley and just nine miles north of downtown Los Angeles it draws on a large area population. According to the Pasadena Visitors Bureau the city employes in excess of 100,000 people. Due to the foregoing the city hosts an inordinantly large number of...

Let's start with a few definitions. Social Media is any site online where you interact with other people such as your blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, forums, Nings, etc. A Social Media Marketing campaign is a marketing plan using Social Media. The goal is to interact with and develop relationships with as many people as possible online so they will feel comfortable about doing business with you. Your prospects must know, like and trust you before they will feel comfortable about spending money with you. Keywords are the terms or phrases people put in the search box of Google when you are looking for something online. Or in simpler terms they are the words associated with your niche. You obviously...

What do the words Provolone, Parmesan and Ricotta bring to mind? For many people, they immediately conjure up images of Italian food. All of these cheeses are popular in a number of Italian dishes, everything from spaghetti to lasagna, chicken Parmesan to pizza. What do you look for when purchasing these cheeses on your own? Provolone is a semi-hard cheese that is made of whole cows milk. It is generally aged for 4 months (for a mild taste) before it is ready to eat and comes in a variety of shapes, from watermelon to sausage and pear forms. This is a multi-use, generally mild cheese (much like mozzarella) that is good in a wide variety of dishes where the cheese is meant to compliment and not to...

u have what it takes to start a restaurant? You may be surprised what all it entails in order to be successful. Too many people start this prospect thinking if they have a building with tables and chairs along with great food their business will thrive. Unfortunately it is such beliefs that often result in people struggling to keep the doors of their business open. The overall experience that you offer is important so make it a priority for your restaurant. In our area we don't have any Italian food restaurants so it was exciting when one opened up in the area. It didn't stay open long though as the service was slow and the restaurant wasn't well organized. People did enjoy the food but quickly got...

You may have been told for years by family and friends to open up your own restaurant. The idea may have crossed your mind a couple of times as well but you haven't pursued it. Maybe you are finally at the point of deciding to move forward with the idea and make it a reality. Not everyone is cut out for the restaurant business though so find out before you invest your time or money on it. What type of foods are you looking to serve? What type of atmosphere do you want to offer to customers? Some types of restaurants are very inexpensive while others offer entrees that are quite costly. It all depends on what type of guests you want to be readily available to serve. It is possible to own a successful...

   Mario Batali is a famous and renowned Italian chef. He is also an Iron Chef on the Food Network channel. He is the author of many Italian cookbooks featuring his signature dishes. He studied at the Le Cordon Bleu and Rutgers University. He is of Italian, French, and English ancestry. Mario Batali lives in New York City with his wife and two sons.      He opened the Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca in New York to showcase fine Italian food.  Babbo is located at 110 Waverly Place at the Northwest corner of Washington Square Park in New York’s Greenwich Village. The Gourmet magazine stated that this restaurant is forging the future of Italian cuisine. The Babbo Restaurant has 3 star dining and...

There is no end to ways in which you can enjoy yourself in Orlando during the day, due to the presence of the world's greatest theme parks and amusement attractions. But the fun doesn't stop when the sun sets; in the evening you can also treat yourself to a good time by visiting one of the popular dinner shows of this area. Let's take a look at three of the most entertaining dinner shows awaiting you in the Orlando vicinity. Not all the dinner shows are for the whole family, but there is one that will enthrall both adults and kids alike. I am talking about the Pirates Dinner Adventure Show which is set in the 1700s and has an elaborate stage. When I say "elaborate" I am not exaggerating. The show...

If you are looking for an appetizer to go along with your favorite Italian dinner, why not try bruschetta? These tasty appetizers made from fresh tomatoes, crunch bread, and a dab of olive oil are a great start to any meal and so easy to prepare. Garden Goodness If you have a garden, tomatoes are relatively easy to grow. This fresh summer vegetable is a staple in Italian food, and is so versatile it can be used in many recipes. So it is a great idea to grow some if you do a lot of Italian cooking. If not, you can always try your local farmers market. You can use tomatoes in everything from your own sauces and soups to delicious appetizers like bruschetta. Bruschetta can also use other fresh goodies...

When searching for the best Italian food, it may be as simple as looking around the corner to a local Italian restaurant. However for true Italian gourmet foods, its best to always head to Italy and search and explore the regions where some of the finest pastas, breads, and cheeses are made. While much of Italian cooking was indeed inspired by the discovery of the "New World" bringing in such items as potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, and maize, this cooking has centered around pasta products, as well as fine breads, and most definitely fine cheeses. The regions where these products are produced are directly influenced by the conditions in which the livestock are raised as well as soil. From the...

Branson, Missouri is often called the "Live Music Capital of the World," but the city offers much more than just musical entertainment. With exciting new attractions opening in the area all the time, Branson is attracting more and more visitors each year. Branson is growing in amazing leaps and bounds with plenty to see and do for everyone. With a Branson vacation package, you can visit this fun-packed city without paying a fortune and enjoy everything from a great hotel to adventurous tours. Branson Music and Shows The musical entertainment in Branson, MO includes music ranging from Broadway to gospel or country music. There are big band performances and even easy listening music shows. There are...

p>The small electric kitchen appliances you buy will be a direct reflection of the types of cuisines you like to cook. Whether you are professionally trained or completely self taught, the small electric kitchen appliances you purchase will be based not only on the type(s) of cuisine you prepare, but also on your personal preferences and comfort. Although all chefs (professional and amateur alike) will have certain basic tools in common, such as knives, pots, and pans, your preference, and passion, in the kitchen will to a large extent dictate the specialty equipment you purchase. This is because many small electric kitchen appliances are made to perform very specialized tasks. For example, if you...

In recent years, an increasing number of studies have emerged offering evidence that some pizza may actually provide a number of health benefits. Between the cheese, crust, toppings, and oils, pizza fulfills servings in each of the recommended six categories that make up the food pyramid, created by the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. These studies may come as a pleasant surprise for many, as pizza is not only an economical food, but the American Dairy Association also reports that the pies are America's fourth most craved food behind cheese, chocolate and ice cream. Pizza and Health According to a Men's Health article in 2005, scientists contributing to the European Journal of...