~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News from el Restaurante Mexicano
The
monthly online newsletter from el Restaurante Mexicano
magazine
March 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
|
Spring is almost here, bringing with it new
business-building opportunities. We hope our March edition of eMex provides
information that will help you create new promotions and menus to carry
you
through the season.
eMex,
as well as the print edition of el
Restaurante Mexicano, is available to anyone in the food &
beverage
industry. Make sure you let your employees, and foodservice or retail
industry
peers, know they can subscribe to the e-newsletter and magazine for the
most comprehensive
information about the Mexican/Latin foodservice industry available
today!
Sign up now at elrestaurantemexicano.com.
|
|
Industry
News: UNICEF
seeks
restaurants' help for 2010 Tap Project
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In
2007, the UNICEF Tap Project was born in New York City based on a
simple
concept: restaurants would ask their patrons to donate $1 or more for
the tap
water they usually enjoy for free, and all funds raised would support
UNICEF's
efforts to bring clean and accessible water to millions of children
around the
world.
During World Water Week, March 21-27, the UNICEF Tap Project will
raise awareness of the world water crisis and vital funds to help the
millions
of children it impacts daily. Restaurants will ask patrons to donate $1
to support UNICEF's water,
sanitation and hygiene programs, and the effort to bring clean and
accessible
water to millions of children around the world. www.tapproject.org
|
Industry
News: A Taste
of Tequila & Tamales by the Bay
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tamale
and tequila vendors are getting ready for the 4th annual A
Taste of
Tequila & Tamales by the Bay, scheduled for April 18 at San
Francisco's Historic
Fort Mason Conference Center.
Vendors include Cocina Poblana, Delicias
Salvadorenas, Evelia, La Espiga de Oro, Sabores del Sur, The Tamal
Factory, The
Whole Tortilla, Jose Cuervo, Tequila Don Julio and Tequila el Relingo.
The
event is a fund-raising event for the Benchmark Institute, a training
and
performance development organization dedicated to increasing the
quality and
quantity of legal services
to low-income communities. www.tamalesbythebay.org
|
Independent
Restaurant Watch: Reata debuts new
cookbook
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The "Legendary Texas Cuisine" for
which Reata restaurant in Fort Worth is
known is featured in the new cookbook Reata: Legendary Texas Cuisine.
You'll find 150 recipes including Venison Chili, Fish Tacos
with
Chipotle Cream and Roasted Corn Relish, Blackened Buffalo Rib Eye with
Raspberry-Chipotle Butter, Barbecue Shriimp Enchiladas and Chipotle
Brownie. www.reata.net/southwest-cookbook.html
|
Chain
News: Del
Taco
grows fan base with Facebook, TV promos
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mexican
QSR chain Del Taco grew its Facebook fan base from 20,000+ to 43,000+
in just
five weeks after launching its Facebook-based entertainment Webisodes
platform,
"The Del Taco Super Special Show," according to John
Cappasola, vice president of marketing. Moreover, the fan count has
risen by another 15 percent since the second
humorous Webisode in the series (which is geared to appeal primarily to
the
chain's core audience of men 18-39) was posted. Fan
sign-ups and engagement are being driven via multiple channels.
www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123082
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
 |
Cinco De Mayo T-shirts delivered for as low
as $2.99? WE SAY YES!
We are
CincoDeMayoTshirts.com. We have 8 bright, colorful designs screen
printed with your restaurant's information. A custom front print, logo
or designer text, is included along with...FREE SHIPPING! Visit CincoDeMayoTshirts.com or call
888.214.4433 for details.
|
| Retail
Report: El
Pollo Loco flies into retail
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After
years of avoiding entry into the supermarket arena, where profit
margins are
razor thin, El Pollo Loco is spreading its wings into retail. The
Costa Mesa, Calif.-based chicken chain has created a frozen version of
its Pollo Bowl,
which is now being sold in roughly 100 Costco warehouses in Southern
California.
Pollo Bowl is also
stocked in 600 supermarkets, including Ralphs, Food 4
Less and Smart & Final. "We see a real opportunity because there's
no real
high quality Mexican brand" in the frozen food sector, said Joe Stein,
El Pollo
Loco's senior vice president of strategy and innovation.fastfood.freedomblogging.com/2010/01/21/el-pollo-loco-cuts-frozen-food-deal-with-costco-other-supermarkets/49151/
|
Vendor
News: Plug
& play
POS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aldelo POS restaurant systems offer dine-in,
bar, delivery and time clock functions, all at economical prices. One-
and
two-station systems available to meet the needs of all restaurants, big
and
small. Software, hardware and network setup included.
One-station system starts at $1,899. www.pluginpos.com
|
From the Archives: Fire it up!
Add spice with salsa and hot sauce
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt reprinted from the March-April 2005
issue of
el Restaurante Mexicano
The
days of offering just one simple, tomato-jalapeņo-onion salsa are gone.
It's
not that those chunky, red, tomato-based sauces served alongside crisp
tortilla
chips have vanished. (Those sauces, in fact, are the reason salsas now
out-rank
catsup as American's #1 condiment.) It's just that they've been joined
by
salsas colored earthy-red from smoky chipotles; verdant green with
fresh
tomatillos; and bright yellow and orange with succulent bits of
pineapple and
mango.
To
read the full story: www.restmex.com/recipes/0502.shtml
See
accompanying recipes for:
______________________________________________________________________
|
Trade
Show Watch: Trade
show season heats up
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
Northwest Foodservice Show. April
18-19, Washington State
Convention & Trade Center,
Seattle, Wash. FREE REGISTRATION FOR EL RESTAURANTE MEXICANO READERS!
Use promo code ERM. www.nwfoodserviceshow.com
-
National
Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show. May
22-25, McCormick Place, Chicago. show.restaurant.org/NRA10/public/enter.aspx
-
Southwest
Foodservice Expo. June 27-29, George R. Brown Convention Center,
Houston. www.restaurantville.com/6756066_65221.htm
-
Hispanic
Retail 360 Summit. August 8-10,
2010. Hyatt Regency Scottsdale
Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch. www.hispanicretail360.com/hispanic360/index.jsp
- Expo Comida
Latina (co-located with the Western
Foodservice Expo). August 14-16, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los
Angeles,
Calif. www.expocomidalatina.com/ca/09/public/enter.aspx
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
