Rock My Restaurant

On the last episode, we introduced the TotalView Best Practices Audit and why you should use it in your business. But what exactly is this audit? Essentially, the TotalView is a survey used to determine how well your business is running. Separated into seven core competencies, the TotalView touches on every facet of your operation from team members, to design, to management of finances. Normally conducted by a consultant, the Rockers want to share this auditing process with operators like you to help you get started self-auditing.

On this episode of "Rock My Restaurant", Rockers Bill and Eric introduce us to the TotalView Best Practices Audit™. What does that mean? Why should you use it? The TotalView Audit looks at different aspects of a business to see if operations meet a minimum level of operating standards. What are these standards? Let's look at, for example, the Uniform System of Accounts for Restaurants (USAR). Bill says "One thing we both implore [you use], and many other consultants or leaders in the industry know about it; it's the USAR." This document, which was republished a few years ago, is the standard for financial reporting within the industry. But there is more to a businesses success than just financial management.  

This season on "Rock My Restaurant," Foodable Network is bringing you a premium content package of nine in-depth episodes that can be paired with our Rock My Restaurant PRO Workbooks, expert guides, and reports– all available for purchase. Each episode, co-hosted by veteran foodservice industry consultants Bill Bender and Eric Norman, helps take your operation to the top. That's right — you get access to two highly-acclaimed foodservice consultants, all from the viewing pleasure of your own home, office, or classroom. "Rock My Restaurant" is the show that helps industry professionals build their restaurant from the ground up.

This season on "Rock My Restaurant" Foodable Network is bringing you a premium content package of nine in-depth episodes that can be paired with our Rock My Restaurant PRO Workbooks, expert guides, and reports– all available for purchase. Each episode, co-hosted by veteran foodservice industry consultants Bill Bender and Eric Norman, will help take your operation to the top. That's right — you'll get access to two highly-acclaimed foodservice consultants, all from the viewing pleasure of your own home, office, or classroom. "Rock My Restaurant" is the show that helps industry professionals build their restaurant from the ground up. https://soundcloud.com/foodabletv/rock-my-restaurant-property-line-to-the-consumer

This episode of Rock My Restaurant, with veteran foodservice industry consultants Bill Bender and Eric Norman, serves as a continuation of last week's Basic Design Tips For A New Brand episode, where our Restaurant Rockers will give you a breakdown of each phase of design. Learn more here:https://soundcloud.com/foodabletv/rock-my-restaurant-team-members

This season on "Rock My Restaurant," Foodable Network is bringing you a premium content package of nine in-depth episodes that can be paired with our Rock My Restaurant PRO Workbooks, expert guides, and reports — all available for purchase. Each episode, co-hosted by veteran foodservice industry consultants Bill Bender and Eric Norman, will help take your operation to the top. That's right! You'll get access to two highly-acclaimed foodservice consultants, all from the viewing pleasure of your own home, office, or classroom. When beginning a new venture, it is important to get your team involved early. Ideally, you want to have your CEO, CFO, accountant, lawyer, management team, and culinary leaders in place and involved at the early stages to get a broader idea of how the design decisions will impact each department.  

This season on "Rock My Restaurant" Foodable Network is bringing you a premium content package of nine in-depth episodes that can be paired with our Rock My Restaurant PRO Workbooks, expert guides, and reports– all available for purchase. Each episode, co-hosted by veteran foodservice industry consultants Bill Bender and Eric Norman, will help take your operation to the top. That's right — you'll get access to two highly-acclaimed foodservice consultants, all from the viewing pleasure of your own home, office, or classroom.    

Foodable Network is kicking off Season 5 of "Rock My Restaurant" with a brand new formula. We're bringing you a premium content package of nine in-depth episodes that you can follow along with our Rock My Restaurant PRO Workbooks, expert guides, and reports available for purchase. Each episode, co-hosted by veteran foodservice industry consultants Bill Bender and Eric Norman, will help take your operation to the top. That's right — you'll get access to two highly-acclaimed foodservice consultants, all from the viewing pleasure of your own home, office, or classroom. "Rock My Restaurant" is the show that helps industry professionals build their restaurant from the ground up. About the Rockers: William (Bill) Bender is the founder and principal of W.H. Bender & Associates. He is also a California Restaurant Association Member and a board member of the CRA Educational Foundation, a restaurant service analyst, a 20-year MAS/Design consultant, and an active FCSI member. His expertise has helped notable clients, including The Loop Pizza Grill, Cheers Boston, and Erik's DeliCafe. Eric Norman serves as Vice President for MVP Services Group. He is an active FCSI member, a consumer experience analyst, a 10-year design consultant, and was awarded the "Foodservice Equipment and Reports - Young Lion Award for Foodservice Consultants" in 2013. His clientel includes Brazen Open Kitchen + Bar, Kendall College, and Indian Hills College. Episode 1: The Core of Your Brand Pt.1 The term "brand" or "branding" is often misconstrued by business owners. Oftentimes, the word is attached to the idea of just a logo, but it's so much more than that. Branding should be present in every aspect of a restaurant concept. In this season premiere of Rock My Restaurant, foodservice industry consultants and rocker co-hosts Eric Norman and Bill Bender dive deeper into how to brand your restaurant. What sets you apart from your competition? Want to purchase the Rock My Restaurant PRO Workbooks for a richer experience? You'll get the following asset: The Proactive Management Guide, Top 8 Digital Musts for Your Restaurant, and more!

There's more to restaurant success than the perfect operation, service staff, chefs, or menu items. It all begins with the right ingredients, which is exactly where suppliers come in. How does having a strong operator-to-supplier relationship lead to success? Find out in this episode of "Rock My Restaurant," hosted by William Bender and Eric Norman. And the two special guests joining them? The first is Katy A. Jones, who serves as vice president of marketing at FoodLogiQ, a supply chain management software company whose products aim to improve food safety, traceability, and sustainability. Jamie Davis, the director of supply chain of 400-unit brand Tropical Smoothie Cafe, also shares her insights on how to improve communications between restaurants and food sources. What kinds of questions should operators expect to answer while evaluating their supply chain? Watch the full episode now to learn more!

The path to sustainability and energy saving doesn't mean you have to start running off the grid — it can be with a simple step in the right direction. In this episode of "Rock My Restaurant," join show hosts William Bender and Eric Norman as they sit down with Kirsten Hesla, product manager at ENERGY STAR, and Carly Burke, energy efficiency consultant at ICF International, to chat about how ENERGY STAR can take your brand to the next level. The EPA's ENERGY STAR program is the largest, most successful voluntary energy conservation movement. Anyone familiar with the blue label knows to a certain extent that it means a product was stamped with efficiency approval, but what exactly does that entail? Every year, ENERGY STAR products go through series of testing and are certified by third parties, signaling that those tools meet the highest standards in quality, performance, and efficiency — everything an operator should be looking for. Watch the full episode now!

At the NRA Show, the industry's biggest and most dynamic trade show and event, it is an endless sea of exhibitions, educational sessions, products, and new ideas across the 2.6-million-square-foot-space of Chicago's McCormick Place convention center. Needless to say, while every inch is filled with discoveries, it can get a little overwhelming. In this episode of "Rock My Restaurant," show hosts William Bender and Eric Norman do the leg work for you. After walking the floor, they sit down and product review some of the best innovations they spotted at NRA Show 2016. Trying to figure out the latest software and technology to take your restaurant to the next level? Check out these finds and get ready to rock your restaurant. Watch the full episode now!

The only thing that stands between success and failure is a great team. And as the saying goes, the strength of each team is in each individual member — the strength of each member? In the team. So, how do you build a better team? In this episode of "Rock My Restaurant," show hosts William Bender and Eric Norman lay down the best practices for management and staffing. New uniforms, new training techniques, new table manners, new approach — where does a brand begin when reinvigorating its service? The first step is to remember that the hospitality industry is one of people serving people. The human aspect is one that cannot be lost.   Watch the full episode to learn how to turn your restaurant staff into your team.

When you design a restaurant, where do you start? In this episode of "Rock My Restaurant," join show hosts William Bender and Eric Norman at the FCSI The Americas Symposium, where they sit down with Amad Ebrahimi, president of Merchant Maverick, and Chris Tripoli, president of A'La Carte Foodservice Consulting Group, to find out. It's one thing to perfect the back of house and cook line, but when it comes to the end of the restaurant experience and it's time to pay the bill, what goes behind choosing the perfect point-of-sale system to streamline service? The process is complex and in-depth. FCSI member and A'La Carte President, Chris Tripoli, works deep in the trenches when it comes to opening a restaurant.  From management development and staff training to menu development and modification, Tripoli is an expert on operational improvement for emerging brands. His expertise has even been featured in an episode of "BUILT.," which showcased his involvement with putting life back into small, old, downtown park Market Square in Houston, Texas. Why is management development so important prior to design? Watch the full episode to get a bigger bite out of these experts' food for thought!

From fast casual to casual dining to quick-service, restaurant models are all different — but one thing stays the same: every restaurant needs the proper equipment to keep the lights on. How do you set up a model correctly? In this episode of "Rock My Restaurant," filmed at the FCSI The Americas Biennial Conference, where best in foodservice management and consulting share ideas and innovative products, we are joined by Owen Slaughter, regional sales manager for Franke, and Corrinne Ward, regional sales manager for Perlick, who dive deep into the game-changing products their brands offer. Want more? They are other products waiting to be discovered. Watch the full episode now! 

Calling all operators, executives, designers, and foodservice junkies — Are you ready to rock your restaurant? Time to toss on those aprons, fire up those grills, and lay out those menus, because Foodable Network is proud to bring back dynamic duo and show hosts William Bender and Eric Norman for Season 4 of "Rock My Restaurant"! In this first episode of Season 4, Bill and Eric are at the FCSI The Americas Biennial Conference in Nashville, where the best of the best in foodservice management and design consulting gather. The last three seasons of "Rock My Restaurant" have brought viewers the best of concept planning, kitchen design, equipment, guest flow, real estate, culinary expertise, and more. And why is this industry so pivotal? Without food, nothing else exists. Stay tuned! More "Rock My Restaurant" is coming your way.  

On this episode of Rock My Restaurant, brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, restaurant consultant co-hosts Eric Norman and Bill Bender review a Continental Refrigerator product. The last of the RMR product review series within Season 3, this new model from Continental Refrigerator is slim, providing a smaller footprint BOH. Watch the full episode as the rockers discuss the many benefits of this piece of equipment and its additional on-the-line flexibility!

On this episode of Rock My Restaurant, brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, we are on Product Review #3! Straight from the NAFEM Conference, our rockstar co-hosts Eric Norman and Bill Bender review an innovative product, Olfactory, from Halton Company. Olfactory is a trainable, technologically advanced nose that can sense things like methane and CO2. Check out the full episode as the RMR hosts dive into this new revolutionary system that could have a huge impact on foodservice!

On this episode of Rock My Restaurant, brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, we continue our Product Review Series with Vollrath’s induction Downdraft Vent Module, a cooking station that is fully customizable with a lot of equipment benefits. Watch the full episode as RMR co-hosts Eric Norman and Bill Bender explore how this product provides value to a restaurant and its customers, as well as the benefits of its customization.Reminder: This season of RMR will follow a different model than in seasons past. There will be four product review episodes (free) before we unleash Season 3’s premiere content episodes, which will focus on consultant topics for restaurant success from our expert co-hosts. These episodes, which will be longer and pack in more content than anything you’ve seen on RMR before, will be accompanied by interactive elements for our viewers, including workbooks, checklists and diagrams. (For a full explanation, see here.) Stay tuned for more details!

Eric & Bill are back for another season of “Rock My Restaurant!” Kicking off Season 3, the two foodservice consultant experts are at the 2015 NAFEM Show (North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers) kicking off the first of four episodes in a product review series. Watch the full episode as the two co-hosts dive into Alto-Shaam’s Xcelerate Oven, an oven used for high-speed cooking that includes hi-tech features like a catalytic converter, a USB port to upload recipes, and more.As speed of service becomes increasingly important to consumers, this piece of technology is a huge step in the right direction for flexibility for operators.

Whether you’re a budding restaurateur or a multi-unit veteran, every operator is faced with the same complex elements that are required in building and maintaining a restaurant, and a successful one at that. Operators must realize solid, trusted resources to ensure everything is done right the first time. Otherwise, building a restaurant can become a money pit. Rock My Restaurant, a WebTV channel brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, has become that trusted resource for many loyal viewers. Each week, restaurant consultant co-hosts and professional restaurant rockstars Bill Bender and Eric Norman bring an in-depth view on everything you need to know — from water quality and the importance of ice cubes to menu planning, kitchen design, tabletop marketing, and much more — about starting a restaurant and how to take it to the next level. While the show is educational, Bill and Eric’s dynamic brings an element of entertainment to the show — and we’ve got the footage to prove it!

In this episode of Rock My Restaurant, brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, our rockstar co-hosts and restaurant consultants Eric Norman and Bill Bender are taking it back to the equipment side of things! Joined by Kevin Fink of Ice-O-Matic and Nate Jackson of Scotsman Ice, the men discuss the different variables of ice that are often overlooked, like the importance of size, shape and water usage. As Fink says, ice has transformed from “there’s something in my glass making my drink cold” to more care and attention on size, shape and presentation. Watch the full episode to learn more about how modern-day mixology has affected the ice business and critical tips operators must keep in mind.

Welcome back to another episode of Rock My Restaurant, brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network. Hosts Eric and Bill kicked off Rock My Restaurant at last year's National Restaurant Show, and now they're at it again! The two have advice for new restaurant operators on how to navigate the massive trade show. Whether you have a fully branded concept or are still in the initial stages of your operation, the RMR hosts will show you where to start and which booths will be most beneficial for your restaurant concept.

In this episode of Rock My Restaurant, brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, Bill and Eric are talking energy saving with Fisher Nickel, the leaders in developing performance standards for commercial foodservice equipment. Joined by Fisher Nickel’s Sr. Engineer David Zabrowski and Richard Young, Sr. Engineer and Director of Education, the group discusses Fisher Nickel’s research lab, the Energy Star program, and equipment performance based on design efficiency and cost.

In this very special episode of Rock My Restaurant, brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, hosts Eric and Bill are at the 2014 National Restaurant Show with the winner of the Kitchens Innovations 2014 Award, Vulcan. Vulcan is taking kitchen fryers to the next level with the PowerFry5™ with FivePass™ Heat Transfer. Unlike other fryers, the PowerFry5™ with FivePass™ Heat Transfer boasts shorter cook times, quick temperature recovery, better taste, reduced oil top-off and most importantly consistent results. Watch the full episode to see why the Vulcan PowerFry5™ with FivePass™ Heat Transfer is a necessity for any kitchen. 

In this episode of Rock My Restaurant, brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, we are on-location with Eric and Bill at the FCSI Conference in Phoenix, AZ. The two hosts explore three new innovations in the foodservice realm, including an updated oven — which boasts built-in features to save chefs time and money, and boost consistency — digital screens, and a facilities optimizations & resource management system. Watch the full episode for a full exploration of each product, and how they’re being used to cut costs and manage operation efficiency. Tweet us! 

In this episode of Rock My Restaurant, brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, Bill and Eric talk Take Out Packaging. In today's changing marketplace even the smallest opportunities can help increase sales and reputation. Today's customers want more opportunities and increased convenience. That being said, operators have only one chance to get it right. Watch the full episode for tips and tricks on how to provide your guests with the best Take Out experience.

In this episode of Rock My Restaurant, brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, our expert hosts are breaking down HVAC systems — more specifically, commercial kitchen ventilation. Watch the full episode as Eric and Bill discuss factors to control with the HVAC system, environmental changes to be aware of, what you need to know about exhaust hoods, fans, and ducting, and more.

Are you an emerging chef with an idea and passion, an operator seeking to "up" your game, or a new restaurateur looking to break into the business? If so, this show is for you. Each week, our hosts, industry veterans William Bender and Eric Norman, will share their expertise on everything that goes into conceptualizing a restaurant - from kitchen design and real estate, to guest flow and culinary expertise. Bring your concept to the next level and get your restaurant rocked!