As customers enjoy the additional sunshine of spring, chefs across the country welcome a range of springtime ingredients and colors that will spice up their menus. Restaurants prepare for Easter and Mother’s Day as the popular spring ingredients breathe fresh life into the menu. With popular brunch occasions around the corner, we have created a short list of some favorite spring ingredients that will elevate your brunch menu and delight patrons.

As chefs prepare meals for their guests, there is the always present concern of food allergies. Preparing a meal that will not sacrifice the guest’s health is essential in the restaurant industry. To better serve consumers and reach an additional marketplace, food service professionals must continue to pay attention to food allergy concerns as offering gluten-free products is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry.

Exhibitors and attendees have returned to work with numerous ideas and equipment needs since The NAFEM Show in Orlando, Florida. Optimism has returned to the food service industry as attendee and exhibitor numbers increased from 2009. The show floor was also 20-30% larger and technology played an important role in booth displays. Manufacturers are hopeful that 2011 will return higher sales as the economy continues to recover and grow.

The North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) Show is quickly approaching. On February 10-12, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, food service professionals will be learning about trends in the industry, while seeing the latest innovative and high-design products. This highly regarded trade show features more than 500 exhibitors displaying products for preparation, cooking, storage, and table service. The show attracts nearly 20,000 food service professionals to the event, eager to improve their daily operations and dining atmospheres.

As we enter the New Year, new food and dining trends are emerging. From dining atmospheres to menu options to an increased use in technology, 2011 trends reach every aspect of dining. Restaurants and chefs must stay in tune in order to drive business and offer their customers an exceptional experience.

 Geneva Designs was recently featured in the equipment solutions section of Chef Magazine. The focus of the article Serving Up Elegance (by James J. Hodl) is enhancing the dining experience and boosting dessert sales with serving carts. Geneva’s dessert/cheese, flambé and induction carts are all mentioned in this article.

In the Mixology field, hand-crafted ice cubes are a work of both art and science. They are designed to keep the cocktail cold without watering it down and diluting the flavor. And the look of the sculpture can also add the “wow” factor that guests crave. 

Things are always changing for the restaurant industry. The last few years have been about finding new ways to do things and attract new foodies. That being said, there are a few unique dining experiences that stand out for restaurants this year:

Have you heard of the Roger Smith hotel in New York? Being an independent boutique lodging property in the land of hotel giants can leave you a little bit off the beaten path, with no global marketing or recognizable brand name. But the Roger Smith hotel is not standing back and hoping for conventional word-of-mouth to drive business. They are taking advantage of the real power of social media to create buzz about their unique lodging experience.