Features

Brimstone Woodfire Grill, No Auto Pilot / Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Broward
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Pembroke Pines, Florida’s Brimstone Woodfired Grill is offering comfort food at its best. Featuring dishes from Asian specialties all the way to Baby Back Ribs, Flat Iron Steak and Grilled Salmon with hoisin glaze, Blackened Mahi Mahi with linguine, Crispy Parmesan Chicken and Wonton Noodle Stir Fry. Read more...

Campers

Front of House
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You know the scenario. A busy night in your restaurant, tables turning as they should, everything going according to the book, but some guests just have to stay a little too long. They just sit and sit and sit seemingly forever! It’s the dreaded customers called Campers! Read more...

Great Service = Big Tips!

Front of House
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As a hospitality employee working for gratuities, the endless search for that elusive BIG TIPPER continues. Could you be the server or bartender who gets the BIG ONE tonight (get your mind out of the gutter)? Try these “tricks of the trade” to make more money than ever before. Read more...

A Server’s Perfect Little World

Front of House
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In my perfect little server world, every guest would be interested in what I had to say. They would actually listen to my table greeting, laugh at my tableside humor, and feel happy that they are sitting in my section. Read more...

Tip Making Tips for Tip Makers

Back of House
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This short piece is a simple pep talk to remind all you servers, bartenders, managers, hostesses, musicians and aspiring chefs to keep trudging along towards your life goals. They are much closer than you think. Don’t stop now…you’re almost there! Read more...

What’s the Culinary Difference?

Food for Thought
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As a food critic, I dine at a variety of restaurants. At each stop, I cannot help but notice just how different each establishment is from another, and I’m always amazed. Some are still stuck in the early 80′s, some restaurants think they are on the cutting edge. Read more...

The Chef-fields and the Mc-Servers

Back of House
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The age-old feud continues in a revealing look at the relationship between front-of-the house, and back-of-the-house restaurant employees. I have been meaning to write this story for years now, as this situation is one that just doesn’t go away. Read more...

Ken Frank’s La Toque, Napa Valley CA

Main Course
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Our first 5 Star Review in well over one year! Located in mid Valley, La Toque moved to downtown Napa, California in 2009 and is now a leader in what is a miraculous transformation of that sleepy village into a wine and food lover’s delight. Read more...

誠 Makoto: Where Food is Art / Bal Harbour, Fla.

Channel 7 News Feature Stories
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Makoto Restaurant & Sushi Bar in Bal Harbour, Florida not only showcases “art in food”, but also infuses Japanese culture into a modern American tasting experience everyone can enjoy. This restaurant is named after Executive Chef and Owner Makoto Okuwa. Read more...

Suggestive Up Selling

Front of House
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You and your guests are sitting down for dinner, looking through nicely worded menu selections, only to have the server rave on and on about how great the most expensive dish on the menu is. Okay, we get it! Up selling is a necessary “evil” of this business. Read more...