Our expert checks in with more tips on building a profitable beer list

As a bar manager or restaurateur, you should know your numbers. In fact, you should know your targets, margins and profits — perhaps better than you know your children’s birthdays. Almost all established, busy dining room managers are tuned into how to make money from the wines they stock, thanks to an extensive, creative and well-thought-out wine list. The profitable brands are listed at the top, the bestsellers get highlighted and the interesting/unique brands are complemented by suggested food pairings.

OK, so you’ve done a great job on your wine menu, and you’re proud of it. Now look at your beer menu (draught and bottle). Does it have the respect it deserves? If not, here are a few easy suggestions to help drive beer sales.*

Food, farms and fine wine await in Prince Edward County

Looking to take a break from the daily grind and reignite your passion? Chefs, restaurateurs and anyone else embedded in Toronto’s foodservice milieu take note: departing the hectic environs of the G.T.A. for a culinary tour in Prince Edward County (P.E.C.) provides a welcome respite from reality.

Yes, the drive out of downtown is grating, bordering on horrific — depending on how many pileups jam the 401 East — but trust that the strip malls, big box stores, condominiums and commercial office space that clots together into a sprawling, bleak vista do eventually give way. And when the slow procession and industrious scenery begins to break — right around the time you’re speeding past Oshawa — the rolling landscapes of rural Ontario will sooth your city-shocked soul.

Industry expert, Armin Schroecker, reveals his golden rules for restaurant success

It’s a question that’s confounded us since the food business began, and it’s still the subject of many a spirited cocktail party discourse today: what differentiates a great restaurant from a good restaurant?

Even the novice understands that the answer is ever elusive, since tastes are subjective and highly individualistic. Could the problem be linked to restaurateurs who try to please everyone, while failing to wow anyone?

We are all, consumers and professionals alike, conditioned by critics who judge restaurant experiences through the trinity of food quality, service and ambience — mostly in that order (to these, I would add: value for money).

Hospitality student goes undercover to get to the bottom of polarizing dining event

A birthday, anniversary or promotion — they’re all celebrations where people decide to break away from the everyday routine of a homemade casserole and experience something special.

Most people have a “choice set” of around five restaurants they dine at when celebrating such occasions. Choice-set restaurants are in good standing because diners already have a good perception of the restaurant based on previous experiences. A small mistake here and little mishap there is often overlooked because the guests are relaxed, feel good about their decision and are simply looking to eat, drink and be merry.

This is not the case when it comes to customers dining at a restaurant during a Winter or Summerlicious event. For them, the experience is the celebration.