One of life’s many blessings is that with the dawn of every new day we have the ability to start fresh — to erase the mistakes of yesterday and begin anew.
With an entire year now ahead of us, we can look forward to a clean slate. As an industry, there are varied challenges to overcome and new opportunities to seize. One of the most pressing challenges is the imminent increases to the minimum wage in many parts of the country. In Ontario, the legislation takes effect later this month, with the minimum wage expected to increase to $14 per hour, and then to $15 per hour next year. Not surprisingly, most foodservice operators are concerned it will negatively impact their businesses. But, it might also force operators to reexamine their business model and recalibrate.
With regard to menus, January is an opportune moment to look at the slate of new food trends that promise to take shape throughout the year (see story on p. 14) and to then apply them to your business. Not every trend can be incorporated onto your restaurant’s menu and some may not even work as part of your food philosophy; but keeping current will allow your business to keep its offerings fresh and vibrant — all the while targeting potential new customers, and hopefully gaining new converts in the process. Similarly, as technology becomes more entrenched, it’s crucial to understand the benefits of various equipment pieces and how they can make your operation more efficient (see story on p. 73). Finally, as we move full force into 2018, we’re thrilled to celebrate a special milestone at KML — the 50th anniversary of Foodservice and Hospitality magazine. When the magazine launched as CRA Magazine in 1968, the foodservice landscape was vastly different. Tim’s and McDonalds were but fledgling concepts, Starbucks was nowhere on the radar and restaurants consisted of fine-dining and fast-food options, with few alternatives in between.
As we celebrate half a century of covering the dynamic foodservice and hospitality industry, we look forward to celebrating this notable achievement in various ways. First off, this month we debut a new column called Looking Back, which will highlight the people, places and stories that made the news from the past (see p. 9). In April, we will unveil the F&H Hall of Fame, which will appear in our retrospective issue and then reside on our website. The Hall of Fame pays homage to the builders in this industry — the men and women who transformed the foodservice landscape and paved the way for its future success. And, along the way, we will also be introducing a fun contest that will allow readers to win a variety of special prizes throughout the year.
Welcome to 2018 – it promises to be an eventful year.
