retail

Operations

The cookie connection

The appeal of the cookie is timeless. Derived from the German for "little cake," these hand-held delights come in a variety of shapes and styles and always aim to please.

Operations

Slicer savvy

Try it yourself. Tell someone in the industry you're shopping for a slicer, and ask for his advice. Dollars to doughnuts, the first words out of his mouth will have to do with—and may even include the word itself—safety.

Diversified product abounds on the fortified beverage landscape, so how's a person to choose what to stock in the finite space of a reach-in refrigerator or vending slot?

Shellfish is a broad term that includes any type of aquatic animal that has a shell of some kind. A few popular names that make their way onto our menus include: crabs, lobster, shrimp and clams.

Standing up to be counted, Paradise Tomato Kitchens, supplier of tomato-based sauces for several of the country's leading restaurant chains including six of the top 15 pizza chains, is reportedly the first in its field to employ an x-ray system that detects harmful particles that may have entered products during the manufacturing process.

Check out the top 10 beverages, starting with hot chocolate at number 10.

"We were losing customers on payday so a couple of years ago we started a pasta bar on Fridays. Now I don't dare remove it," says Mary Kimbrough, dir. of nutrition services at St. Paul and Zale Lipshy Univ. Hospitals in Dallas.

At Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, manager/executive chef Alan DelRosso utilizes a variety of prepared products for patient meals, the cafeteria and catering. And he's not alone: Operators continue to turn to food manufacturers for such products as vacuum-packed, ready-to-cook marinated salmon filets or pre-cooked meat for burritos and tacos.

Move over, soda. Water and other beverages are looking to knock you off your throne as king of the vending machine.

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