Even though we are still in the middle of October, it's not too early to remind readers that the deadline for The Goldies will be upon us before you realize it. We had an amazing response in our first year, with more than 65 entries, but we’d love to double that this year, and make our judges really work.
We made one slight change to the categories for this award program, which will be presented at MenuDirections 2012, Feb. 26-28 in Charleston, S.C. In addition to Going Green, Health & Wellness, Food Democracy and Focusing on the Guest, Production Efficiency has been added. This will replace Financial Wizardry, which the committee decided was a tough category to demonstrate via a video.
Production Efficiency asks entrants to take a look at the back of the house for the gold standard of service. What are the things your staffs are doing to make the front of the house run smoothly? Is it efficient design? Is it a type or types of equipment you’ve brought into the kitchen? Is it a redesign of the kitchen’s flow that has made staff more productive? These are just some of the questions to ask as you decide what about your back of the house represents a best practice in production.
Our deadline is Dec. 1. We look forward to your submissions, and although you don’t need to attend MenuDirections to be eligible for The Goldies, we hope you'll consider coming to Charleston in February for our series of presentations and workshops on “Creating Flavor, Selling Health.” It's two and a half days your customers will really appreciate. For more information on The Goldies, visit here.