Pinkberry has gained more momentum in the frozen yogurt race with funding from Maveron, a venture capital owned by Starbuck’s founder Howard Schultz. For full article, read Starbucks founder bites into Pinkberry by Boyle. The $27.5 million will help Pinkberry scale (grow) their business including possible franchising programs.

As a former marketing manager, I helped convert a mom ‘n pop Hawaiian restaurant into a franchise program. Franchises have helped restaurant chains to grow such as Subway. On the other hand, Starbucks have been able to grow without a franchise model.

Franchising

Pro’s. OPM (other people’s money) Most franchise charge franchisee’s a fee to buy into the franchise and also receive monthly royalty, a percentage of the monthly gross sales. This cash flow will help the company grow and support the franchisees with resources such as marketing.

Con’s.It cost a bundle to set up the franchise program. Hiring a franchise lawyer is a must. In a franchise program, the founders need to manage more people, the franchisees. Imagine a family adopting more children. When McDonald’s implemented the dollar menu, some franchisees feared that this would decrease their business. Franchises in general are great for people who want a turn key solution. The franchisor will provide training manuals and marketing resources to name a few. I advise interested restaurateurs to visit franchise expos.

Warning: I was interested in a franchise and was hounded by the sales agents, many that work on full commission. So I would advise not giving your phone number unless you are serious and done enough research on the company.

Best advice: Interview current franchisees. Skip the bias information from the franchise agents. Take franchise owners out for a great meal and ask them the pro’s and con’s about owning that certain franchise.

Franchise links
*Franchise Expo
*Franchise Gator

Like any great food detective, snooping around leads to great new finds. After dining at Yank Sing, a high end dim sum restaurant in Rincon Center, I discovered yet another frozen yogurt. Similar to Pinkberry, the minimalist decor is refreshing. Readers who have not eaten frozen yogurt, read Lets Play Copycat: How to Build A Pinkberry.

Food. In the past few months, I have tried various frozen yogurt places around the Bay Area and the main key is to taste a full bodied texture, and Yo Cup delivers this. The service is also amazingly friendly. I was welcomed with samples. Wayne, the owner of Yogurtouille (frozen yogurt self serve) also delivers a great creamy texture. While Tuttimelon, owned by Roy, has a more icey taste.

Consultant hat.
I got a chance to met the President of YoCup, young and ambituous Meinoh Kim. With his black cap to the side, he shared with me the thrill and fear involved in owning a business. Formerly a mortgage lender, Meinoh has an obvious entrepreneurial spirit-in this case a swagger. We also touch upon burn rate.

Burn rate = how long can you operation survive with the money you have

Meinoh also expressed concern about the frozen yogurt craze creating so many competition around town. Competition benefits consumers with increased food quality and a price war.
My guess. Frozen yogurt is a craze and many will try to capture this market. Those who differentiate themselves will stay in this competitive game. Eventually, new products such as serving a sandwich or salad on the menu may come into play to increase the total bill.

As I have open stated, serving quality food is a must. But great food only accounts for about 20% of a restaurants success.

Other parts that lead to success
* service (great service generate word of mouth advertising)
* maintaining food cost (make sure you keep a healthy margin)
* technology (maintaining website and gathering data)
* finance (managing cost, creating a performa: anticipated forecast numbers)
* insurance (workers compensation,business insurance)
* purchasing (sealing deals with vendors)

Yesterday, my friend Cindy asked what I do on a daily basis. I told her I play all the hats she sees at her corporate job.

YoCup
101 Spear St
Ste A10
(between Howard St & Mission St)
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 777-1545
www.yocupyogurt.com

(pix: escargot, French onion soup,duck confit,mussel, tart)

With great anticipation, I hopped over to Chou Chou for their Dine About Town menu. After all, I had such a great experience choosing French for my birthday in January dining at Bistro LeZinc.

Ambiance. The yellow and red walls created a festive ambiance. The best view is window side for a sight of the neighborhood. Greeted by a waitress from France, the service was attentive.

Food. Served with pastry puffs and a light sauce, the escargot had great presentation but did not make up for the over use of lemon in the sauce. Stealing the show, the French onion soup was great. A full bodied broth married well with the nutty taste from the burnt cheese crust. Sweet onions rounded out the dish.

For entrees, the pork tenderloin was tender accompanied by a sauce that needed a dash of kosher salt. Greeted with a big bowl of mussels, my appetite increased immediately. The sea sweet mussels bathed in a sultry wine sauce. Crusty bread dipped in the sauce made a good side dish itself. Acting as the comfort food agent, the fries could have been a perfect side dish if it had a crispy texture. The duck confit (shredded duck with a layer of mash potatoes) was a disappointment. With a crispy crust, the potatoes lacked any flavor and the shredded duck had no character and flavor.

Known for their pastry skills, the tart lived up to its reputation. Light fluffy crust joins fresh fruit to make up the fruit tart. Lacking a caramelized crust, the crème brulee was nothing spectacular.

Conclusion. I wish I had gone to Bistro Lezinc.

Restaurant Consultant.
Dine About Town serves two main purpose.

1) Sampling. Dine About Town lures patrons to try restaurant they would otherwise not try with a three course menu for $31.95. Patrons get a taste of the food, service, and ambiance.
2) Marketing. With the advent of the internet, innovation plays a major role in viral advertising. Diners try the food and may create a viral effect by a) telling their friends b) blogging c) posting their experience on food sites such as Yelp.

With over 5,000 restaurants in San Francisco, restaurateurs need to provide a Wow factor to separate themselves from the pack.

www.chouchousf.com
400 Dewey Blvd
(between Laguna Honda Blvd & Pacheco St)
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 242-0960

Last week, I went Martin Yan’s (“Yan Can Cook”) office. My job was to consult his staff about innovation for his new culinary school in China. As a food addict in middle school, I still remember opt not watching cartoons and tune to PBS. I still remember watching Yan magically perform his knife skills.

Words to describe Yan: energetic, funny, and engaging. He needs to translate these emotions to his blog. With a limited budget, I advised them to start a blog which is a cost effective marketing tool.

3 Must Do’s for blogging

*Keep things short. Don’t use long paragraphs, many people skip them. Also, usability experts claim that we read 30%slower on the screen versus the paper.
*Write in fragments. This creates a fast tempo. Justin, a strong Campusfork fan, sent me a great article Lazy Bastard by Agger:How We Read Online.
* Design matters, a lot. Ipod’s dominant the music player market because of its cool design and easy to use. So before you design your blog, do us all a favor and read Don’t Make Me Think.This books talks about how to make your website easy to use.

Closing:When I consult people about building a blog, I tell them to think about their recent visit to the local supermarket. It’s 5:30pm and you have to grab the golden potluck dish for the dinner party at 6pm. Skidding down the isles, you hunt for the frozen enchilada but end up in the ice cream isle.

Point:Make things,
EASY to Read
EASY to Find
EASY to Use

Nick, my blog developer told me, “Content is King and marketing is queen.” So write for your audience, not yourself.

Time magazine wrote a good article on menu design titled I’ll Have That Typeface on the Menu by Caplan.

Some restaurants are describing dishes with sophisticated words to achieve two goals.
1) Paint the dish as an upscale dish
2) Charge more since the description of the dish appear to take more time

In reality, simplicity is key. Patrons focus on the taste and texture as oppose to the description of a dish. Entering a foreign upscale French restaurant may be intimidating enough, so the menu should be friendly and simple. The best place to put your most popular dish is either in the middle of the menu or the top left/right corners. Few weeks ago, I dined at Chou Chou and ordered the duck confit. The description did not match the dish and I ended up ordering a dish I did not like. Duck marinated with mash potatoes on top and a crispy crust would have been a more simple description. A patron who orders a great dish will rave about it and tell her friends about trying the restaurant. With around 5,000 restaurants in San Francisco, most restaurants get only one chance at pleasing a customer so start with the basics, a menu that is easy to read and understand.

(pictures:chocolate bars, hot chocolate, nibs, cocoa butter)

Last week, I had a hint what it felt to be Charlie from the Chocalate Factory. After a delightful tour of the Takara sake factor, my buddies and I skipped over to Scharffenberger, a premium chocolate maker. One step into the factory, I can smell the nutty flavors floating in the air. The one hour tour is free and is followed by chocolate samples. After traveling to Belgium a few years ago, I can differentiate great chocolate from the bad. Most commercial chocolate found at the local convenient stores has a cocoa level around 10%. The lowest Scharffenberger chocolate starts at 40% so the quality is high. Our energetic blonde tour guide talks more in details about the history of chocolate. A must try is the chocolate with nibs, with are shattered bits of cocoa. Instead of using Rice Krispies as crunch enhancers, the nibs provide a bitter crunch.

Restaurant consultant.
Scharffenberger is now owned by giant Hershey company. Now, Scharffenberger has financial resources to produce more chocolate. Often times, the important key when an artisan label such as Scharffenberger gets bought out by a commercial Goliath is to make sure that public relations conveys an authentic message. Scharffenberger offers tours so that the public can rest assure that the Hershey takeover has not changed any elements and have retained its appeal.

Side note: Scharffenberger also has an adjacent café that serves great food and drinks. Their IPA beer has great spice and nutty flavor. Also, try their free hot chocolate in their gift store, it is rich and sweet.

Sharffenberger Tour Link

Often times, things are free require obligation or just don’t present much value. Takara, a sake manufacturer in Berkeley, is a rare exception offering the community a free take tour and tasting. I visited the factory on a weekend with a group of buddies. The tour includes a small showcase of the equipment used to make sake in the old days before the automated assembly lines followed by a video that made me fall asleep. The highlight of the tour is the free sake tasting. An attractive female Japanese host serves sake and educates us in a cute voice. I tasted around six different sake ranging from dry to sweet, filtered to unfiltered. My favorite is the lychee sake, a great dessert sake that I think would pair well with a fruit tart. Some of my friends bought some sake at wholesale prices. The tasting room can also be rented out for parties and special occasions. Definitely, a must try tour.

Website: www.takarasake.com
Address:708 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
Telephone:(510) 540-8250

Chinese Deli’s are often misunderstood. At first glance, the ducks hanging upside don’t seem very appealing. Looking past the window display, Win’s restaurant serve delicious bbq spare ribs. Tender meat marries perfectly with the tangy sauce. Their poached chicken lacks flavor. I would suggest them to first brine (soak meat in water and salt) over night. For a great side dish, the orange octopus has great chewy texture. For thrill seekers, their duck tongue has great texture, similar to tendon. Stealing the show, the roasted pork features meat with a pungent spice. The skin crackles with one bite. Another good dish to try are the chicken wings in soy sauce, a great snack especially during a great NBA finals game. I have found that different deli’s around the city highlight a certain dish and at Win’s, the spare ribs are a must try.

Restaurant hat.
Chinese deli’s have yet to meet mainstream. If they did, most of them can increase their revenue by 40%. Unfriendly service, language barriers, and a menu that does not cater to foreign customers are just a few reasons why you see deli’s filled mainly with Chinese people. Innovation such as deli owners using a blog or just having a website is far fetched. Many deli owners are immigrants from China and just operating the business is enough for them to handle.

Chinese restaurants that have innovated have reaped financial rewards. Ding Tai Fung, a popular dumpling restaurant in Southern California, has been able to reach a mainstream audience. When I visited Andrew Cherng, the founder of Panda Express, his office in Pasadena was like the size of Costco. His orange chicken has continued to be his “bread and butter” dish. His welcoming flavors has resulted in a fast food empire. This week, I went to the office of Martin Yan “Yan Can Cook” and consulted his staff about how to recruit students for his new culinary school in China. As for Yan, he taught Chinese food to his viewers in a friendly and entertaining way.

Win’s Restaurant
3040 Taraval Street
(between 40th Ave & 41st Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 759-1818

Although many travelers associate Hong Kong with shopping adventures and international business, it is also the birth place of Hong Kong cuisine. Hong Kong’s past as a British colony and long history of being an international city of commerce has resulted in the creation of a fusion cuisine influenced by many different cultures. It is the place where fusion cuisine started even before the term “fusion cuisine” was coined. No other Asian cuisine tastes quite like it. Located in the foggy Sunset district, Café Bakery and restaurant serves a great rendition of Hong Kong style cafe food at neighborhood prices.

Hong Kong cuisine is the only regional Chinese cuisine that uses fork and knife as utensils. Similar to French cooking, sauces play a major role in most dishes. Notables such as Portuguese chicken originated from neighbor Macau, once ruled by the Portuguese. A signature classic is OX sauce, spicy seafood sauce made from chopped dried seafood such as dried shrimp and infused oil and aromatic flavors from chili, onion, and garlic stimulate the appetite.

Ambiance: The décor has been carefully crafted with miniature spotlights seen at interior showrooms and romantic portraits surround the restaurant. Wearing black vests, servers, often with faceless expression, can also be spotted patrolling tables and refilling drinks. The restaurant is noticeably clean and well kept.

Drinks: The measure of a great Hong Kong diner is often by the taste of Hong Kong Style Tea (brewed black tea mixed with sweet condensed milk-$1.90). The diner does it well with a full bodied taste and velvety smoothness. For a citrus refresher, the lemon tea ($1.85) is a perennial favorite. Served in a milkshake glass, the red bean ice drink ($2.85) combines chunks of red beans and sweet condensed milk layered with cubes of ice. It could also be a dessert in its own right.

Sides: For a twist of a French classic, the escargots ($5.95) are served in a French pastry puff. Served over a mound of French fries, the fried chicken wings ($5.15) are crispy and seasoned just right. The fried calamari displays great crispy texture but the thick batter masked the sea-sweet taste from the ring ($5.15). Sweetened from broiled tomatoes and cabbage, the Russian borsch ($3.45) is a great soup choice. With out any culinary touch, the green salad ($3.95) is merely a few pieces of lettuce and slices of tomatoes tossed in Thousand Island dressing.

Main courses: Mostly every night, the restaurant is packed.with diners who order the daily specials ($8.75) The special includes entrée, soup of the day, bread, hot coffee or milk tea, and Jell-O as dessert. Diners are greeted with a basket of buns freshly made from their counterpart bakery next door. With a caramelized crust, the buns start off a great meal. The signature diner dish is the baked pork chop ($8.75) arrives piping hot. Tender meat served over a mound of egg fried rice and the tangy tomato sauce rounds out the dish. A great choice for diners who relish in spicy flavors is the seafood spaghetti in XO sauce ($13.35). In the cutlet pork chop ($9.05), a thin patty is battered in Japanese bread crumb and fried. The crust is not greasy and shattered with one bite. Skip the curry brisket (served as the Wednesday special), it is comprised of tough meat pieces bathing in a curry sauce that lacks any aromatic spices. With a slight jab from the fork, the tender meat fall off the bone in the ox-tail stewed ($8.95). For those who enjoy a white cream sauce, the baked spaghetti with ham and cheese displays the marriage with savory and nutty notes. With a ladle of dark creamy gravy, the onion chicken steak ($9.05) is further amplified with crunchy caramelized onions. Stealing the show is the house special prime rib ($15.95). The medium rare features blushing beef in a savory au jus sauce.

For three people, the total was $30 with plenty of food left over. We ordered three daily specials and fried chicken wings on that visit.

Consultant hat. Very few restaurants have survived beyond the three year period. Cafe Bakery & Restaurant has done very well for a few main reasons. It is rumored that the owners of the cafe also own the land. This means that they do not have to worry about the landlord raising rent and other issues. It is obvious that they serve good food and provide ample portions but the key of their success is to put together a great daily special menu.

3 Reasons to Create Daily Specials
1) Patrons like value. Daily specials provide an entire package so the customer don’t have to think about choices.
2) Better for bottom line. Daily specials will increase the closing cost (total amount of bill). Instead of just ordering an entrée, patrons will add beverage and sides.
3) Lower food cost. Lets say that the Sunday special is pork cutlet. The purchaser is able to buy in bulk the chicken and other ingredients.

Cafe Bakery & Restaurant
1365 Noriega Street
(between 20th Ave & 21st Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Open 7 days a week
Cash Only
(415) 661- 661-6136
Open Daily
11am-10pm
(Prices: $10 and up)

Visit Campusfork.com for more food reviews.
1365 Noriega Street
(between 20th Ave & 21st Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Open 7 days a week
Cash Only
(415) 661- 661-6136
Open Daily
11am-10pm
(Prices: $10 and up)

(In-N-Out Burger and fries)

Quality food control is paramount to any quick service restaurant. McDonald’s announced that it stopped serving sliced tomatoes in restaurants in the United States over concerns about salmonella food poisoning linked to some uncooked varieties. When I was in college, I studied Environmental Economics and Policy and learned about farming. Food safety is hard to monitor and contamination can be cause by many reasons including improper food handling from humans to simply having “waste” in the field. McDonald’s purchases tomatoes from vendors and controling outbreaks can be challenging. First, McDonald’s operate in a franchise model so all franchisees will be notified of changes. Secondly, decisions can not be made as quickly in a large corporations since different department heads my sign off on a decision. Here are just some of the departments that McDonald’s probably must deal with.

Legal (compliance): What claims can be made to the public legally about the outbreak?
Public Relations: What is the message we want to send to the public so that they don’t fear the recall?
Human Resource: How fast can we hire consultant to evaluate how we can deal with the situation from past tomato recall from other restaurants?
Purchaser: How can we ensure in the future to purchase tomatoes that are safe for eating?
Logistics: How do we retract all the shipments of tomatoes that have been delivered to the restaurants?

On the other hand, privately owned In-N-Out can better handle this situation and respond more rapidly. They don’t need to report to shareholders and can make decisions more quickly with a smaller line of decision makers. As I have told many aspiring restaurant owners, serving great food is only 20% of the operation. Just to list a few others: Purchasing, legal, marketing, human resource, sales, logistics, merchandising, technology, accounting all come in play in an operation.