Here are some tips & tricks to help get those down. Hint: It’s not all its fryed up to be.
“One single electric fryer can use significantly more electricity this year than the average U.S. home, but with some simple steps, you can save significant money and resources.”
Click here to find out ways to cut your costs
Avoiding food waste is a critical component to cutting your overall cost.
“Tracking and efficiently using the food you purchase for your restaurant is key to running a successful, efficient business.”
The National Restaurant Association has both back and front-of-house recommendations for keeping your costs low.
Check out their video below for tracking inventory and your food waste.
Larger kills are expected to increase beef production in the coming weeks as packers move aggressively to fill robust export commitments and solid forward sales obligations. However, recent weather challenges in the Midwest may equal lighter cattle weights, which could limit gains in beef output this winter. This is expected to support beef prices in the near term.
As previously stated, tough weather conditions in Australia, lambs will reach harvesting weights much slower than regular time frames, resulting in more expensive lambs at lighter weights. It is expected to be the case until at least the beginning of 2019.
Dairy veal stew meat is expected to increase in price shortly due to increased demand for the braising season. The other veal markets remain steady.
The butter markets have been steady though typically the prices start to rise over the next several weeks.
CME cheese prices have been range-bound but increased demand for the holiday season usually supports the prices in the near term.
Retail egg demand is good and supplies are sufficient to cover. The market is steady.
The milk market is steady with supply meeting demand.
The U.S. winter wheat crop for flour was reportedly 78% complete by October 28th. While acreage planted to winter wheat had fallen for the past several years, plantings are expected to expand this year. This fall’s extended harvest season has kept producers from focusing on moving wheat even if they were willing to sell at current levels. Cash wheat and flour prices could begin to see more instability than we have in previous months.
Heavy precipitation and snow in some parts of the Midwest have delayed the corn and soybean harvest. Corn harvest is still on schedule while the soybean harvest is behind. Improving weather should cause the harvest to improve for both, if the weather doesn’t improve it could weigh on the oil markets into November.
Tariffs on China goods will effect tuna, peaches, pears, mandarins and mushroom pricing moving forward.
The Chinese mandarin orange 2017/2018 crop saw raw material tonnage decline by over 30%. No relief in sight until the new season begins at the end of the year.
The peach harvest in China was affected by frost conditions back in April and new crop pricing has opened a few percentages higher than last year.
China’s pear raw material production is expected to decline due to heavy rainfall and flooding in specific harvesting locations.
Thai’s pineapple winter crop is projected to fall behind last year’s crop. Weak global demand and significant carry-over have softened worldwide pricing.
Around the world, tomatoes for processing are starting to wind down. At the end of last month 11.6 million tons had been harvested in California which is the second smallest since 2013. Canned tomato prices could remain fairly inflated into/through the winter,
Skipjack tuna costs appear to be leveling off. While yellowfin costs usually follow skipjack, a low catch ratio has translated to a widening in yellowfin premium.
Record setting hog slaughter is anticipated in the coming weeks and should put downward pressure on the pork markets moving forward. The belly markets are moving slightly lower and a gradual decline is expected through December.
The annual chicken output expansion could be below expectations for this winter, which may be supportive of chicken breast prices in the coming weeks. Chicken wing prices are the cheapest for this time of year since 2013. Historically we have reached the peak prices on wings and they are expected to trend further downward in the next few weeks.
All red and green grape sizes are available and quality is being reported as excellent. The market prices remain flat.
A full range of navel orange sizes are available as we move into the navel season and supplies have ramped up significantly. The markets have moved lower.
Good pineapple volumes and high quality are predicted for November as we continue to see a steady volume from all growing regions. The market is steady.
Seedless watermelons are available from the Sonora growing area and the prices remain steady.
The bell pepper market is high due to light supplies coming out of Georgia and Florida after Hurricane Michael. Less supply is expected for the remainder of the season.
The cauliflower market is steady as supplies have been consistent. No change is expected for the next few weeks.
Georgia is still producing a decent supply of cucumbers though there are some issues with scarring due to windy conditions. The market is steady.
The onion market continues to be steady on all sizes and colors. Quality is good.
We are seeing approximately a 10% increase on all products being processed in China due to the new tariffs being imposed. This includes catfish, cod, haddock, squid and tilapia, both fresh and frozen product.
The Canadian clam season is expected to be done by the end of November but we will still have farm-raised Virginia clams available.
The lobster market is increasing as supplies decrease.
Mahi Mahi supplies are good and prices are trending lower.
Prices are still increasing on domestic U-8, U-10 and 10/20 dry scallops as supplies tighten.
Cod supplies continue to be tight and the market is firm.
Haddock supplies continue to be tight and the market is firm.
King crab market is high. Supplies are tight on all sizes due to the quota being cut.
P&D Shrimp prices are expected to remain stable as the availability of the product increases.
Cascades – 3% brown towels, 7% kitchen roll towels, 5% on everything else effective12/1/18
Dart – 8% all paper containers and cups effective 12/1/18
Nestle – 3-5% increase on all items effective 1/14/19
Facebook in early 2018 announced a major shift in the way it will display content in user News Feeds that could have a profound impact on any company or organization trying to attract users to its Facebook page.
In a blog post on the company’s website in early January, Facebook said that it would show more posts from friends and family and “show less public content, including videos and other posts from publishers or businesses.”
Soon after the announcement, much of the media coverage centered on what that would mean for content publishers that rely on Facebook’s News Feed to drive traffic to their websites. But small companies will also likely take a significant hit.
By focusing more on content from friends and family, it will be harder for companies to grab the attention of Facebook users. That could mean less engagement with company pages and fewer opportunities to effectively promote businesses to local users.
Facebook has said that it will still surface content that drives engagement among its users. But if a company’s content isn’t engaging, the chances of having someone else see it will drop significantly.
So, what can companies do to address this problem? Here’s a brief look at some ideas:
If you’ve been putting off a discussion about your social media strategy, now’s the time to have it.
Facebook is a major driver to company websites and company patronage. Think seriously about the kind of content you want to deliver and how people interact with it. Consult your Facebook Insights information to get a sense of what people liked, commented on, and engaged with most. That’s the kind of content you’ll want to deliver more often.
Now’s as good a time as any to take a hard look at the content you put out in the world. Is it compelling? Do people care? Is it resonating with your intended audience?
Facebook’s News Feed change is about more than Facebook—it’s a reflection on what people are looking for wherever they go. Your content needs to be better and more appealing than your competitors. And it needs to be more compelling not only on Facebook but anywhere you deliver it.
Messaging today is critical.
Facebook owns Instagram. But at least so far, it’s not placing the same restrictions on that service. Moreover, many companies are seeing increased engagement on Instagram.
If you’re not already on Instagram, get there now. If you are, evaluate your strategy and develop a gameplan that dramatically enhances your engagement on the social platform.
In a subsequent News Feed change in January, Facebook announced that it would start to surface more local news content in News Feeds. The decision was roundly celebrated by local media outlets, but it could also been a boon for your business.
If you see your engagement dropping on Facebook, attracting media outlets to interesting stories or announcements you’re making can fix that. Stories written about you in local media will take up more space in local News Feeds, driving more people to your page and your website.
If you don’t have a public relations strategy, now’s the time to develop one. It could be critical to improving engagement with your company across social media and other platforms.
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