The restaurant business is a unique field. Almost every job that is done there is something we all do at home on a daily basis. For that reason, many people in the food service industry—even managers—mistakenly assume that there is no need for in-depth training for their personnel. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. To begin with, there are regulatory reasons for getting personnel trained. One misstep in an area such as alcohol service could lead to massive fines and potentially the loss of the license to sell liquor. Given the profitability and drawing power of serving...

NATIONAL REPORT—Chefs become farmers, eggs are more edible than ever, the drinks of the ‘20s roar again, onions appear in jams and desserts, while the demand for sustainable fish is rising like the tide. It’s largely driven by Millennials with adventurous tastes, disposable income and a good bit of nostalgia for the foods they may have missed growing up. “Chefs from Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and the Gemstone Collection are not just tracking culinary trends; they are setting them with a commitment to sustainability, quality and creativity,” according to Todd Parmelee, Vice President Food & Beverage at BENCHMARK, a global hospitality company, which includes both...

BENTON HARBOR, MICH.—Whirlpool Corp. has been awarded a prestigious LEED Certification for two of its recent building projects, both located in Benton Harbor, Mich. Riverview Campus, the North American Region Headquarters, is now LEED Gold certified for Phase 3 of its development, and the Global Headquarters is LEED Silver certified for the South and East wings of the building. LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a globally-recognized symbol of excellence in green building. These are the 14th and 15th LEED-certified projects for Whirlpool since 2009, with all projects now totaling more than 9.4 million sq. ft. “Being...

CHESTNUT RIDGE, N.Y.—BioHiTech Global, Inc., a green technology company that develops and deploys innovative and disruptive waste management technologies, announced the launch of BHTG Smart Mode, a new technology for its Eco-Safe Digester and Revolution Series Digester lines of on-site food waste disposal equipment. Smart Mode leverages cloud computing, machine learning, and the on-board internet-connected computer in the digester to intelligently drive the equipment in order to optimize performance and reduce servicing downtime. “Smart Mode essentially makes our equipment much smarter,” said Bill Kratzer, Chief Technology Officer of BioHiTech Global. “By harnessing the computing power and data in our cloud,...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, has added SolaBev to its Green Product & Service Directory in the “Coffees/Teas/Single Serve” category. SolaBev enables you to offer your guests distinctive tasting cups of coffee, tea, and cocoa in private label capsules promoting the identity of your property and enhancing your brand. The SolaCap is the largest single serve capsule available and the patented capsule design delivers a terrific tasting cup of coffee in a recyclable plastic container for your guests. SolaBev capsules and Mini Brewers are only available to commercial customers, eliminating pilferage and reducing...

HONG KONG—Swire Hotels announce recent measures dedicated to developing sustainable and environmentally friendly hotels at EAST Hong Kong, Beijing and Miami. Swire Hotels is committed to making a positive impact on the environment through implementing new and innovative programs to strengthen the priority given to the sustainable operation of its hotels. These measures form part of the new sustainable development strategy launched by Swire Properties, Swire Hotels’ parent company. Swire Properties developed this new strategy with vision of becoming the leading sustainable development performer in its industry globally by 2030. Under this new strategy, Swire Properties identifies and manages the...

NATIONAL REPORT—The foodservice sector is putting sustainability on the menu, serving up innovative solutions to help cut waste, use resources more efficiently and change ingrained habits. For a sector that is often portrayed as wasteful it’s not an easy, nor a straightforward task yet as the stats show, change is very much needed. According to a study by the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, for example, almost 85 percent of unused food from U.S. restaurants is thrown away annually. In the United Kingdom, around 920,000 tons of food is wasted at outlets each year, the equivalent of 1.3 billion meals. And this comes with big consequences....

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Alliance to Save Energy released the following statement from President Kateri Callahan regarding a House Appropriations bill report that was to be taken up yesterday that would slash the budget for the Energy Star program by approximately 40 percent: “We appreciate that the committee has rejected the administration’s proposal to eliminate Energy Star, but a 40 percent cut would be crippling as well. I have to wonder where this is coming from. Energy Star is one of the most popular government programs in U.S. history and has enjoyed broad bipartisan support since it was created under President George...

NATIONAL REPORT—When a new Residence Inn by Marriott opened in Denver last month, it did so with fully-equipped guestroom kitchens that each include a radiant electric ceramic cooktop. According to Suzanne Owens, VP, Sales, Kenyon International, Inc.—the company that supplied the cooktops—the hotel’s owners made a wise, green choice because of the energy efficiency of the ceramic cooktops. Compared with gas cooking with average efficiencies of 50 percent, cooking with smooth top ceramic cooktops is 75 to 80 percent efficient. Coil cooktops, still found in many extended-stay hotels, are about 65 percent efficient. While requiring more investment, cool induction...

ST. JOSEPH, MICH.—Maytag Commercial Laundry recently honored Best Wash, Inc., Humble, Texas, with the prestigious Fred Maytag Award at the brand’s 58th Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. As the longest-running award in the commercial laundry industry, this prized accolade recognizes the most deserving commercial laundry provider each year. “Best Wash boasts vast accomplishments throughout 2016; most notably, committing to being an exclusive Maytag Commercial Laundry distributor,” said Trey Northrup, General Manager of Maytag Commercial Laundry. “In addition to this, they pushed their company’s sales record to new heights. They advanced their reach in a competitive market by investing in new...