PITCH n DRINK
Categories: Food App

Tips That Will Make Enjoying Wine Easy!

Special occasions are often complemented by a good bottle of wine. Learning to purchase the best wines and how to properly serve them will turn a boring evening into an unforgettable event. This article will help you discover some top wine trade secrets and give you information about enhancing every wine experience.

To choose the best wine to compliment any meal you must know what type of wine goes with the different types of meat. One of the easiest ways to remember which wine to choose is to match the color wine with the color of meat. For example, most red wines pair beautifully with red meat such as beef; while white wines work well with white meats like fish or chicken.

When you drink a bottle of wine, make sure that you do not throw it out, even if you have a small amount left. Wine can stay good for a long period of time and you never know when you may have a craving for that type of wine in the future.

When serving wine at a dinner party, try to have at least one variety of red wine and one variety of white wine on hand. While many individuals are not particular to a specific region or winery, most will prefer a red or white. By having both on hand you are sure to please all of your guests with ease.

Understand the types of fruits that are used in your wine and the ones that you like. This can go a long way in determining your favorite types of wines, as you can look at the content before you purchase. This will allow you to filter out the wines that do not have the ingredients you prefer.

A good tip when trying to research wines is to find a critic or expert that has a similar palate to you. Everyone’s tastes are different and that includes critics. Try to find a critic that likes similar wines and you’ll be amazed with all the new wines you’ll be introduced to.

Do not be a wine snob when it comes to new wines. You may turn up your nose to white wine when it is offered to you, only because you had one or two bad glasses the first time around. Not all wines are created equal. You will find wines to suit your taste throughout the wine rainbow.

If you are planning to cook with wine, examine your recipe closely. If it calls for dry white wine, this means that the recipe will not work well with a wine that is sweet. Look for a wine that states that it is dry, and you will avoid ruining a potentially fantastic dish.

You should now know more about wine than when you first started. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. You might have not known about many of the things mentioned in this article. Apply the tips you just read the next time you go shopping for wine or serve a good bottle to your friends.…

Categories: Restaurant, USA Restaurant

3 Valuable Lessons We Can Learn from Perkins

Fans of the troubled Perkins Restaurant and Bakery chain got another round of bad news recently when it was announced that its parent company was filing for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy is just the latest in a string of bankruptcies that have plagued the restaurant chain since it merged with The Restaurant Company (TRC) in 2000.

Whether you are a single restaurant owner striving to sell the best Mexican food in in Salt Lake City or regional manager in charge of dozens of chain restaurants in the Midwest, there are three valuable lessons we can all learn from Perkins. They are lessons that a faltering restaurant sector should take to heart.

1. Corporatism Doesn’t Guarantee Success

Perkins started out as a family restaurant in the late 1950s. The first few restaurants were actually Perkins Pancake House’s in Cincinnati, Ohio. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the Perkins family decided to begin franchising. Through aggressive development into the 1970s, what started out as a family business became a nationally recognized chain.

Perkins went fully corporate after being acquired by Holiday Inns, Inc., in the ’80s. One would think that taking the restaurant corporate would seal its future as a restaurant chain to be reckoned with for decades to come. Indeed, it did very well for the next 15 to 20 years – until the turn of the 21st century. Then the company went through a series of acquisitions, bankruptcies, and restaurant closings.

The point of this brief history is to say that corporatism is no guarantee of success. Indeed, some of the hardest hit restaurants in the recent industry downturn have been corporate chains. Meanwhile, family-run operations like Salt Lake City’s Taqueria27 Mexican restaurant seem to be doing just fine, and haven’t given up their goal of serving the best tacos in Utah.

2. Names Can Be Good or Bad

The second lesson to be learned here is that restaurant names can be good or bad. By this, we mean they can be associated with good or bad things in the minds of customers. Back in the 1970s and 80s, the Perkins name was the gold standard in family restaurants. If there was a Perkins in your town, that was the place to be when you were looking for a nice, family-friendly atmosphere and good food at a decent price.

In recent years, the Perkins name has been associated with poor quality. It is no longer the gold standard family restaurants. That is a shame, especially for the original Perkins family that started it all.

3. Branding Has Limited Effectiveness

The third and final lesson is a harsh one in a modern business environment that leans too heavily on image: branding has limited effectiveness. Unfortunately, Perkins attempted to re-brand itself multiple times since the late 1980s as a means of trying to keep up with the times. They were re-branding in an attempt to remain relevant and keep foot traffic coming in.

What management failed to realize is that the beginning of Perkins troubles had nothing to do with the brand. It was about the product and service. Fall down on those two areas and no restaurant will succeed. In the end, re-branding was a marketing gimmick. It was no substitute for good food, excellent service, and reasonable prices.

If you want your restaurant to be known as the best place to find Mexican food in Salt Lake City, focus solely on that. Let it be your passion. If you want your restaurant to be the best family restaurant, focus on becoming the best family restaurant humanly possible. Recent Perkins owners never learned that lesson. So they are in bankruptcy once again.…

Categories: Europe Restaurant, Restaurant

How Outdoor Seating at Your Bar or Restaurant Can Increase Your Revenue

When you have a bar or restaurant it can be hard to think of ideas to increase your revenue. One of the best ways to boost your revenue is to add outdoor seating to your establishment.

Companies like Dawnvale can help you come up with an outdoor seating design that best complements the interior of your bar or restaurant. The design to the outdoor space can either have the effect of either reducing or increasing your revenue so it helps to have the right people do the job.

Some of the ways that outdoor seating at your establishment can increase your revenue includes:

Increased Sitting Space

It is a simple conclusion that if you can increase the number of people at your establishment, you can increase your revenue. An outdoor seating space at a bar or restaurant will certainly do that.

The design of the outdoor seating area will determine how many people can use it but the aim should be fit as many as possible. However, the space should still allow for good and quick service as well as movement by staff and customers.

Outdoor seating should also be done in a way that lets customers enjoy the outdoors while still enjoying their meals or drinks. The increased traffic to your establishment will increase the amount of revenue you make.

More Decorative Opportunities

Outdoor seating does not have to be only about getting more numbers to your bar or restaurant. It also offers you an opportunity to experiment with outdoor décor.

It goes without saying that the interior décor of a bar or restaurant should be different from its exterior décor. However, you they should complement each other.

You can use some outdoor furniture to add color and style to the exterior of your establishment. They will not only brighten up the venue but it will also increase the overall appearance of the bar or restaurant.

Turning Traffic into Customers

You can also use an outdoor seating to attract more customers and encourage consumption at your establishment. When you put up an outdoor seating area, those who pass by your restaurant can easily get an idea of the venue’s atmosphere. A bar or restaurant’s outdoor area is a good indication of the rest of the establishment.

You can also use the outdoor space to advertise to potential customers passing by your restaurant and attract more traffic into your establishment. Increased traffic means increased revenue and more profits.

More Relaxing Atmosphere

Adding an outdoor seating area to your establishment can create a more relaxed ambience which can attract more people. It may also attract customers who may have wanted to enjoy your bar or restaurant but did would prefer to enjoy your products outside a cramped space.

With plants outside the venue, the wind and the sunshine create a very relaxed ambience. It has been shown by several studies that customers say food tastes better when consumed outdoors.

A more relaxed atmosphere means more people will come to your establishment to enjoy it which in turn means more revenue.

Categories: Europe Restaurant

Impress Your Friends With These Top Wine Tips

When you know exactly what to look for in a bottle of wine, you can make pairing decisions that are sure to wow your fellow sippers. This delicate beverage does take some simple training to care for properly, however. Keep reading for more information on everything about wine.

Have a plan prior to picking your wine. Be sure you know which wine you’re looking before to avoid getting overwhelmed by brands, varieties, and prices. Certain wines fit dinners and others better fit large parties. Knowing which wine suits your needs can help you choose a better wine than browsing and choosing something on a whim.

If you are new to the world of wine, consider attending a wine festival. Festivals are a wonderful way to meet other people with an interest in wines and try several varieties without breaking the bank. You can also get some great ideas about pairing wines with foods. The fun and festive atmosphere also provides for a great date night out.

A good tip if you’d like to get more into wine is to come to your own conclusions. Everyone’s a critic these days and wine is no exception. If you’re just blindly following a so-called expert’s advice, you’d be doing yourself a disservice. Instead, try to figure out what you like on your own.

The longer you keep the white wine in the fridge, the more the coldness will affect both its smell and taste. Therefore, it is best to only chill wine for several hours prior to serving. This will maximize the taste and enjoyment that you will receive from each bottle you drink.

If you are a wine newbie and you are looking for a wine to try, why not go to a wine tasting? At these events, you can taste many different wines until you find one the best suits your taste. Also, if you find one you like, you can usually purchase a bottle at the same time.

A nice Pinot Noir is a wonderful wine to use when having a dinner party. This wine pairs very easily with a variety of foods and side dishes, and it is not too bold or sweet. This is also a type of wine that many people are familiar with, meaning your guests are more likely to enjoy it.

Don’t worry about trying to identify all the flavors in a wine that you are tasting. Some people have a natural affinity for this while others do not. Try to focus instead on how much alcohol is in the product, as well as what type of fruit may be included. Over time, you will probably be able to get a good feel for these elements.

If you are venturing into trying new wines, it is better to get an experimental bottle over a whole case. Given the wide variety of wines and styles out there, single educational bottles are a great idea whenever drinking something new for the first time. If you like the taste, move up to a half-case.

There are a variety of variables that go into the presentation of wine. Your next gathering may not go so well if you ignore all of this information. Why not enhance your enjoyment of wine by abiding by a few basic rules of thumb?…

Categories: Food Menu

Tips To Make Your Coffee More Savory

Many people have to have a good cup of coffee if they want to stay sharp and energized during the day. However, these same people often do not stop to think about what they are drinking. With the right information, you can get more from your next cup of coffee.

Do not leave your coffee open any longer than necessary. While preparing your coffee, don’t open the can or bag until you are ready to scoop. Immediately after scooping, close the coffee container. This will keep your coffee fresher longer. It also keeps the flavor and aroma from evaporating in the air.

If you prefer iced coffees, try brewing some strong coffee at night and placing it in your refrigerator. Your coffee will already be chilled and will not be diluted by the ice cubes. Add the milk and sugar before you chill it. You will have a great cup of iced coffee when you wake up in the morning.

There are some options available for still enjoying the taste of sugar in coffee drinks if you need to cut down on the sugar added. One thing to try is the nectar of agave, which does have sugar but does not affect you in the same way. Other sweeteners such as Splenda can also be used in hot beverages because they tend to remain stable.

If regular coffee no longer provides you enough caffeine, consider brewing espresso. This does mean you will need a different piece of equipment, as your regular coffee maker likely cannot do it. Espresso machines are typically expensive though, and the intensity of the caffeine levels is too much for some. Try espresso a few times somewhere else before making this commitment for your home.

Avoid purchasing beans that come in cans or in vacuum-sealed bags. Coffee beans need to be protected by valve-sealed bags to remain fresh. Besides, valve-sealed bags allow the carbon dioxide that emanates from the beans to escape, which means the beans will retain all their flavor and stay fresh longer.

If you really want to try your hand at making a great cup of fresh roasted coffee, try roasting the beans yourself. There are a variety of ways to roast your own beans if you have access to green coffee. You can even put them on a cookie sheet in your oven to roast them yourself.

You should never reheat coffee, as it will just burn the beverage and taste far worse than being cold. Instead, know when you will have your coffee for more than 20 minutes. Have an insulated mug or a thermal carafe handy for these occasions to retain the original heat and warmth.

Now that you are finished with this article, you should have a new appreciation of coffee and all that it can offer you. There is more to coffee than just a way to get some caffeine into your system. With the information you have just read, you can really get the most from your next cup of coffee.…