Here in the Chicago area, where FoodService Director is based, we’re particular about a lot of things—deep-dish pizza, Italian beef and Chicago-style hot dogs, to name a few. Oddly, one food we’re not very territorial about is barbecue. Despite the proximity to St. Louis and Kansas City, Chicago-style barbecue is not a thing. And yet barbecue concepts do just fine here. That’s no surprise, because barbecue is doing better than fine nearly everywhere in foodservice these days.
Stadiums, parks and other operations are no exception, as we found while reporting this month’s cover story about the menu trends dominating recreational foodservice. “Barbecue from scratch has been wildly popular,” Brad Robertson, executive chef at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, told our writer. While the drought in California prevents him from smoking meat on-site, he did so at his previous post at the Cincinnati Zoo. And Robertson singles out his counterparts at the Denver Zoo and Nashville Zoo—where staff smokes meat in whiskey barrels—for their barbecue success. Another operator featured in the article, Joshua Shea, food and beverage director at the ballpark home of the Charleston RiverDogs minor-league baseball team in South Carolina, smokes brisket in house three to four times a week for a number of menu items.
Indeed, the low and slow preparation is growing at a fast and furious pace. National restaurant chains, popular on and near college campuses, also are releasing their own renditions, including Burger King, Corner Bakery Cafe, Arby’s and Potbelly Sandwich Shop. And with the general trend toward global flavors, Korean barbecue and other ethnic riffs signal a wave that only is gaining in momentum. Whether showcasing hometown barbecue traditions or (as is the case with Chicago operators) adopting one or several as your own, menuing barbecue is proving today to be a strategy that can turn customers into fans.
Speaking of fans, I’d like to thank you for sending us your feedback on the redesign of FoodService Director. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and we appreciate it! The hard work you see on these pages is a team effort, and I’m pleased to introduce you to a player we’ve added to our roster. Dana Moran is FSD’s new deputy editor. You’ve already seen her work; Dana was instrumental in helping us get the redesign off the ground. Now I’m happy to say she’s a permanent member of the editorial team, helping to run the day-to-day operations of the magazine and working closely with me and the other editors and writers to deliver information to help you run your facilities better. Also, she lives in Chicago, so any barbecue care packages are welcome.