There are certainly no shortage of jobs that might be labeled as “thankless,” but in today’s business environment, the position of restaurant manager could certainly qualify for such an unflattering designation.
The hours are long, the stress level is high, and the pay usually isn’t that great. The restaurant work environment is notoriously chaotic, with an endless series of operational problems arising to fill a manager’s every working hour. It’s no surprise, then, that recruiting and retaining good managers is becoming somewhat of an existential threat to the industry.
Moreover, the post-COVID business environment has created new challenges for those in charge of restaurants. Digital ordering channels and third party delivery services have expanded the scope of business activity beyond the four walls of a restaurant, and chronic help shortages can make staffing an operation a day-in, day-out nightmare.
Add to those pressures corporate initiatives to update menus or expand into new dayparts, and the result can be a perfect storm of operational headaches at the unit level.
Contributing to the management talent problem is a supply-side issue – fewer young people are choosing to train for hospitality careers. Faced with enrollment declines, one local community college has suspended offering hospitality management courses, and nationally-ranked four-year programs in restaurant and hotel administration, which not long ago were turning away students, now no longer finds themselves needing to do so.
In order to survive and prosper in the years ahead, the restaurant industry needs to address the problems its managers face – by offering more support, better training, and, as a few of the more enlightened chains already do, giving managers a meaningful equity stake in the restaurants they run.
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Side Dishes
On Friday, April 26, BrickRoad Productions of Monson, with the assistance of the 1761 Old Mill Restaurant in Westminster, will be presenting a dinner-theater whodunit.
Written by Brent Northup, “The Mountain Moonshine Mystery” involves death by “white lightning.” The production’s cast will be enlisting the help of those in attendance to help solve the mystery.
A buffet dinner at 7 p.m. will precede the show, with a cash bar available. Tickets, which are $50 per person, can be purchased by calling 978-874-5941.
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The Table 3 Restaurant Group in Sturbridge will be presenting its monthly “Cooking with Rico” session on Wednesday, April 17, starting at 6:30 p.m.,
Held at Avellino Restaurant in Sturbridge, the evening will feature Table 3′s Executive Chef, Enrico Giovanello, sharing tips and techniques for making brick-oven-style pizza.
In addition to discussing the lore surrounding Italy’s iconic pie, Giovanello will also demonstrate how to make fresh pasta, providing samples of his handiwork as he does so.
The event is $48 per person, tax and gratuity additional. Wine, beer and cocktails will be available from the restaurant’s bar for separate purchase.
Reservations for “Cooking with Rico,” which require a prepaid deposit, can be ordered online.
Avellino answers at 508-347-2321.
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Figaro Ristorante in Enfield will be holding “A Taste of Italy” Italian Night on Wednesday, April 10. Seating and cocktails get underway at 6 p.m., with dinner service scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m.
The menu for this family-style Italian feast includes an array of starters – Eggplant Rollatini, Escarole & Beans, and Zuppa di Mussels. Homemade Pasta Fagiole will follow, with Veal Rollatini, Scrod Francese, and Fresh Pasta Bolognese as main dish selections.
Dessert is included and a cash bar will be available.
The cost for the dinner is $39.95 plus tax and gratuity.
On Friday, April 12, Figaro will be hosting a comedy-dinner event. Staring Andy Casale, the evening will begin with a 6 p.m. seating, with the show to follow at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the show alone are $27.
An Italian American buffet will be served before Casale’s set, with a cash bar available. As is customary for entertainment events at Figaro, there will be a food and beverage minimum purchase.
Call 860-745-2444 to make reservations for either of the above evenings.
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The bartending staff at the Shortstop Bar & Grill in Westfield has introduced their spring cocktail menu.
Featured on this spring potables lineup are the likes of a “Pineapple Upside-Down Martini” made with pineapple rum, Amaretto, and pineapple juice; “The Cuke,” made with cucumber & mint-infused vodka and fresh lime; and the “Mint Strawberry Smash,” a tequila-based drink flavored with muddled mint, strawberries, and lime juice.
Zero-proof versions of these special spring cocktails are also available.
The Shortstop Bar & Grill can be reached at 413-642-6370.
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Penthouse 650 Weddings & Events of Springfield is partnering with Carlo Bonavita, the owner of the Springfield Wine Exchange, to present a five-course wine dinner on Thursday, April 18, starting at 5:30 p.m.
The dinner is designed to showcase the newly-opened Penthouse 650 event venue at Tower Square. Penthouse 650 has taken over and extensively renovated the former Colony Club space on Tower Square’s rooftop garden.
Menu for the evening begins with a Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail “Shooter,” which is followed by an Arugula Salad garnished with Fiji apple, chevre, and a fig balsamic dressing. The third course is slated to be a French Onion Pasta, with Porcini-Rubbed Beef Tenderloin featured as the dinner’s main course.
The meal will conclude with a Dessert Trio – apple tartlet, bread pudding shooter, and a chocolate ganache bite.
Tickets for the dinner, which are $75 plus a convenience fee, can be ordered online.
Penthouse 650 Weddings & Events answers at 413-264-4220.
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Popeyes Louisiana Chicken, which first introduced chicken wings to its menu last year, has recently expanded its portfolio of flavors by adding a honey-lemon-pepper option, with black pepper being the source of spicy kick. The new wings flavor will be a limited-time-only menu addition.
There are Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen locations at 489 State St. and 665 Boston Road in Springfield, on Memorial Drive in Chicopee, and on Route 9 in Hadley.
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The Notch 8 Grille in Northampton has introduced a “Prime Rib Wednesdays” special.
Available every Wednesday evening, the three-course prix fixe menu features Prime Rib Au Jus and a baked potato as the special’s headliner, with a selected appetizer – the options include Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus, Oysters Rockefeller, Lobster Bisque, a Portabella Stack, and more – as part of the deal as well.
For dessert, which is also included in the $32 price, Notch 8 offers a choice of a Flourless Chocolate Torte, Creme Brulee, or Raspberry Sorbet.
Notch 8 Grille, which is located in Northampton’s historic Union Station complex, answers at 413-326-4151.
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Radio Mix 93.1 and the Munich Haus German Restaurant in Chicopee are co-hosting a Stand-up Comedy Night on Saturday, April 13. The show will feature Mark Riccodonna as its headliner with special guests Gary Marino, Maya Manion, and Kindra Lansburg also contributing to the merriment.
Preceding the laugh session the Munich Haus will be serving a dinner buffet at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are priced at $55 for dinner and the show; the show alone is $25. Tax, tip, and convenience fee are not included.
Go to Eventbrite.com to purchase tickets.
The Munich Haus German Restaurant answers at 413-594-8788.
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Subway, the sandwich shop brand, is making a move onto grocery store shelves by packaging some of its sandwich sauces for supermarket distribution.
Working with the T. Marzetti Company, which produces refrigerated salad dressings, Subway’s new retail pack sauces will be offered in four flavors – Sweet Onion Teriyaki, Baja Chipotle, Roasted Garlic Aioli, and Creamy Italian MVP.
Three of the flavors are already used in Subway’s sandwich lineup; the fourth, Creamy Italian MVP, is a stand-in for the Parmesan Vinaigrette currently used in the chain’s shops.
Sales of the sauces will help support Subway’s Fresh Start Scholarship Fund, a program that provides tuition assistance to Subway employees.
The sauces will be available at supermarket chains and mass merchandise retailers, including Walmart.
Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 50 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.
