Groups from the restaurant industry are suing the U.S. Labor Department over new rules governing the way restaurants pay their employees. The National Restaurant Association, the Council of State Restaurant Associations and the National Federation of Independent Business filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., claiming that the Labor Department instituted the final rules without allowing a public comment period.

The issue with the rules centers on the fact that most restaurants take tip credits that allow them to count employees’ tips as part of their wages. In the past, employers only had to inform workers that their tips would be used as a credit toward the minimum wage. Two months ago the Labor Department changed the regulations in the Fair Labor Standards Act to require restaurant owners to explain to each employee the exact amount of tips that will be credited toward the minimum wage their would earn.

The new rules mean that the tip credit won’t apply to any employees who haven’t received the proper notifications from their employers. If a restaurant does not notify an employee of the tip credit amount, the restaurant would have to pay the employee any wage difference in cash to ensure the worker receives the $7.25 federal minimum hourly wage. The new rules also mean that restaurants will face civil penalties of up to $1,100 for each violation and other criminal penalties could apply depending on the situation.

The National Restaurant Association says the Labor Department refused requests to withdraw the tip-credit notice regulations or delay implementation of the rule by 90 days to allow the restaurant industry to submit their own comments.

There was a public-comment period back in 2008 when the Labor Department first proposed making changes to the regulations, but the National Restaurant Association says the proposed amendments regarding the tip credit did not say anything specific about restaurants having to explain the details of the tip credit to their employees at that time. The National Restaurant Association complaint maintains that the new regulations mean that restaurant owners in the United States now must face increased and unnecessary regulatory burdens and expenses in complying with the new tip credit notice requirements.

According to an annual survey of chefs by the National Restaurant Association, locally sourced ingredients and sustainability will be the top trends for restaurants in the coming year. When the National Restaurant Association surveyed 1,527 members of the American Culinary Federation as to what they thought the next big trends for restaurants would be in 2011, the top responses were locally sourced meats and seafood along with locally grown produce. Sustainability came in as the third most cited trend as American diners are becoming more interested in what’s on their plate and sustainability and nutrition are fast becoming the most important issues for the nation’s nearly one million restaurants operating today.

The American Culinary Federation chefs also were surveyed on what they thought about operational trends, recession strategies, nutrition and the use social media to promote restaurants. It quickly became apparent that simplifying menus to save on labor and food costs, offering value specials and increasing marketing efforts were the most common strategies employed last year. Nearly a third of the respondent chefs said they thought

mobile food trucks and would be a hot trend in 2011 and 18% said would be restaurants with gardens would be getting hotter too. Just 17 % said they thought social media marketing would be the biggest new trend as over half of the chefs surveyed said they were already using social media and another 16% said they planned to use it later this year. One fifth of the respondents said creating diet-conscious menu items would be big factors and suggested adding far more fresh produce options to their menus.

Other highlights from the National Restaurant Association Top Trends for 2011 survey included:

Smaller portions at lower prices
Nutritionally balanced children’s dishes
Sustainable seafood
Locally produced wine and beer
Gluten-free menus
Simple back to basics menus
Farm or estate-branded items
Fruit and vegetable side items
Organic produce
Ethnic-inspired menus

The new and improved set of Dietary Guidelines for Americans released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services emphasizes three major goals for Americans who want to eat healthy and stay fit. The Department’s main three caveats are listed on its website as:

• Balance calories with physical activity to manage weight.
• Consume more of certain foods and nutrients such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and seafood.
• Consume fewer foods with sodium (salt), saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and refined grains.

The Department says the Guidelines are being released at a time of rising concern about the health of the American population. The Department literature states that “Poor diet and physical inactivity are the most important factors contributing to an epidemic of overweight and obesity affecting men, women, and children in all segments of our society. Even in the absence of overweight, poor diet and physical inactivity are associated with major causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States.”

The Dietary Guideline recommendations are marked by two main concepts with the first being to maintain calorie balance over time to achieve and sustain a healthy weight. To curb the obesity epidemic and improve their health, many Americans must decrease the calories they consume and increase the calories they expend through physical activity. The second point the Guidelines make is that Americans currently consume too much sodium and too many calories from solid fats, added sugars, and refined grains. Instead, a healthy eating pattern emphasizes nutrient-dense foods and beverages along with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.

Key recommendations intended to help the general population choose an overall healthy diet contained within the Dietary Guidelines for Americans include:

• Prevent and reduce overweight and obesity through improved eating and physical activity behaviors.
• Control total calorie intake to manage body weight. For people who are overweight or obese, this will mean consuming fewer calories from foods and beverages.
• Increase physical activity and reduce time spent in sedentary behaviors.
• Maintain appropriate calorie balance during each stage of life—childhood, adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and older age.
• Reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) and further reduce intake to 1,500 mg among persons who are 51 and older and those of any age who are African American or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. The 1,500 mg recommendation applies to about half of the U.S. population, including children, and the majority of adults.
• Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids by replacing them with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
• Consume less than 300 mg per day of dietary cholesterol.
• Keep trans fat acid consumption as low as possible by limiting foods that contain synthetic sources of trans fats, such as partially hydrogenated oils, and by limiting other solid fats.
• Reduce the intake of calories from solid fats and added sugars.
• Limit the consumption of foods that contain refined grains, especially refined grain foods that contain solid fats, added sugars, and sodium.
• If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation—up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men—and only by adults of legal drinking age.

Because of these new Dietary Guidelines and recent laws mandating caloric information in restaurants, eating out at your favorite restaurant in the coming year will likely be a different type of experience that will emphasize healthy eating more than it has in the past. One thing that is likely change quickly is the shift to more locally sourced ingredients. Today’s savvy consumers want to know where the food they eat is coming from and closer is better when it comes to fresh herbs and produce.

You are also likely to see the portion shrinking a bit as more people opt for smaller portions and shared entrees. Fixed price meals and other smaller, cost-saving meal deals are gaining in favor and will continue to be on the menu in the coming year. However, as the portions shrink the flavor is likely to increase, as more ethnic and artisan foods continue to please consumers. Even the White House has gotten involved in dietary recommendations for children lately, and childhood nutrition is moving to the top of the must-do list today as kids across the nation are being taught to choose healthier food combinations at home and when eating out. However, one thing that probably will not change at your favorite local restaurant in the coming year is the emphasis on cleanliness. Smart restaurateurs know that clean kitchens and safe food handling practices are essential to maintaining clientele and gaining new patrons too.

The high rate of unemployment across the U.S drove down overall restaurant traffic at the rate of minus 1% in the third calendar quarter of 2010, but one leading market research company is now forecasting good news that traffic will grow by 1% in the final quarter of 2010 and first quarter of 2011.

According to the NDP Group, visits to quick service restaurants, which represent the largest traffic share in the industry, were up by 1% in the third quarter. Casual dining visits were down 2% and traffic to midscale restaurants was off by 3%. Some of the areas most affected by the recession seem to have stopped declining and there are positive signs that the industry is beginning to return to normal, but high unemployment and the loss of benefits for the long-term unemployed mean a full recovery will remain elusive.

Young adults between the ages of 18 to 34 have historically been the most frequent restaurant customers and are also the group with the highest unemployment numbers in the nation. Per capita restaurant visits for young adults dropped from 236 to 215 since late 2008, while visits for adults aged 25 to 34, declined from 256 to 235 visits. Consumers over age 50 appeared to maintain their normal restaurant usage numbers.

Despite the weakened economy, U.S. consumers still made 67 billion visits to restaurants last year. In the coming year, the surviving establishments will be those with the most innovative offerings that draw consumers out of their homes and away from their competitors.

Here at Resturant.com we like to keep up on the latest trends in the industry, especially those that concern consumer spending trends. A new research article published in an American Express Market Brief about restaurant trends contains some surprising facts about consumer’s online habits as relates to eating out. One thing that was readily evident was that although many people are using the Internet to interact with restaurants on the Web, far fewer of them have gotten used to the practice of actually making restaurant reservations online.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of consumers surveyed indicated they used social media on the Internet within the previous 30 days, and of those users, about a third (30%) used the net to find or follow a restaurant. The report also stated that about half (51%) of the consumers following restaurants online did so to find out about deals and coupons. Over a third said they went online to read restaurant reviews. Despite all the online activity available to connect restaurants with their customers these days, only 14% of respondents said they had actually used the Internet to make restaurant reservations online.

That only 14% of consumers have made online reservations is a pretty low figure considering the technical revolution has been in place for a few decades now. In an era of ubiquitous “intelligent” hand-held devices that are a cross between cell phones and laptops, one would think online restaurant reservations would be de rigueur by now.

The only logical conclusion is to assume that only a few people have gotten used to online restaurant reservation services so far because the technology is so very new and might be intimidating at first. The few consumers who do currently utilize online restaurant reservations services seem to be taking advantage of the convenience it offers as well as the at-any-hour services, instead of being restricted to calling only when the restaurant is open for business.

In this light it is easy to see that online restaurant reservation systems are likely to continue to grow in popularity and consumer usage due to the convenience and time-savings they offer. If your favorite restaurant is not yet open to online ordering, you might mention to them the next time you’re in. Any new way to bring in new customers and added revenue is always a great idea.

Here at Resturant.com we are always interested in anything that makes life and eating easier for busy people. Urbanspoon is an iPhone / iTouch application aimed at enhancing the dining-out experience for people (like most of us) who are overworked and short on time. It can help you find the right place to eat in your own hometown or somewhere unfamiliar out on the road. Urbanspoon can also help you select the restaurant that’s right for your mood at the time, or it can select one for you. The Urbanspoon iPhone program is derived from Urbanspoon the Web site, where a compilation of restaurant reviews from newspapers, Blogs, and individual diner’s experiences are published to help users select good places to eat.

The Urban Spoon app is free at all Apple App Stores, and once installed it asks only that you first register as a user in order to enable the nifty features it contains. One of the more entertaining features is called the “Shake” screen. The Shake screen looks sort of like a slot machine display. Three vertical rows containing your locations and locations near you are displayed on the left, the center row is filled with different types of cuisine, and the far right is occupied by different price categories. Simply “shaking” the phone in your hand will activate the “reels” and start them spinning, and when they stop a restaurant has been chosen for you. You can preview the selection the app has chosen by pressing on the restaurant name on the display. If you want another random selection, shake your phone again, that’s all there is to it.

Of course, the Urbanspoon app is not just about random choices, the program also allows you to lock in any or all of the parameters displayed onscreen and more narrowly define your search options. Selecting and locking-in “Mexican” on the center reel will cause the app to select a nearby Mexican restaurant for you. If you lock-in your location and a price range, Urbanspoon will select a restaurant in from the random cuisine list, but in the location and price range you specified. Any combination of the three parameters can be utilized or disregarded, and makes the app totally customizable for each user.

Urbanspoon knows your location through the iPhone’s built-in GPS function and allows you to go restaurant-exploring in other states and cities when traveling too. It is a handy and entertaining little app that lets you search restaurants and recommendations online while you’re on the go. Urbanspoon is compatible with any iPhone or iPod running iPhone 2.0 software.

Ketchup is a different kind of fun place to eat on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Southern California. Located at 8590 Sunset Boulevard, Ketchup is a second story eatery located right on top of “the Sunset” complex. The glass-encased space is bathed in red neon light and decked out in clean white décor accented with red (ketchup colored). The entrance and elevator are located on the ground floor where a hostess station and patron’s waiting area are located. When your table is ready, you’ll take the elevator up to the second-floor dining area. Inside, rows of white floors, booths and chairs are set off by many ketchup-colored accessories and lend a trendy look to this newest restaurant venture created by the Los Angeles-based, Dolce Group of investors.

The mood created is that of an uber-modern family diner, huge windows yield great Hollywood views from floor to ceiling and the walls are decorated with red-themed paintings of ketchup bottles and tomatoes. More glass doors lead to an adjoining bar area, again in red with red candles all around. The atmosphere is undeniably romantic, if a bit ultra-modern. An extensive wine list is always available and the bar will make you any drink you like, but specializes in creative martinis using Kool-Aid to add exotic colors and flavors.

The menu at Ketchup features everything you’d expect to find at an American-style diner, but with a bit of an urban, upscale French-fried twist. You’ll find a variety of all the usual diner-style selections, but one thing remains a constant, everything comes with fries. You can order corndogs, hamburgers and chili. You can order seafood items like Mahi-Mahi, scallops and lobster wraps, or you can choose from a variety of salads like the Waldorf salad, Cobb salad and BBQ Chicken salad. If you order a steak or a chicken dinner you’ll need to sample the lobster mashed potatoes too. And if you tire of “regular” fries, Ketchup also serves great sweet potato fries with your choice of cayenne or garlic seasoning. Of course, all those French fries will need ketchup on them and Ketchup lives up to its name with a selection of five different types to choose from. Ranch, maple, mango, chipotle and “regular” flavored ketchups are all made from scratch on the premises daily.

The prices at Ketchup range from $10 to a lot more. Dinner and drinks for two is usually only about $100 though, which isn’t bad for a Hollywood restaurant these days. Ketchup is open for lunch and dinner, but reservations are recommended for both as the crowd often gathers early. See you there.

Online commerce is a fact of life for most retailers in the U.S. these days and nearly every business has a website of its’ own to allow the ordering of their products and services online. If numbers are proof, industry analysts predict revenues from online retail businesses will exceed a whopping $250 billion by the end of 2011. Among Internet retailers, restaurants have been some of the slowest businesses to adopt online practices. Pizzerias, however, are a different matter.

The business of online ordering has been a proven success in for the pizzerias that have tried it. The big pizza chain restaurants like Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s have already embraced online ordering and now many independent pizzeria operators across the country are jumping on the bandwagon too. They are quickly learning that online ordering can help improve overall sales and increase the number and area of customers reached with their advertising. A strong online presence with ads, menus and ordering can give a smaller operator the same marketing power that the big guys enjoy.

Pizza Hut can handle Pizza Hut’s orders and Pizza Inn will handle their own orders too. The independent pizzerias that have online presence will probably be able to take care of the business that comes from their own sites as well. But what if you didn’t want to go to 13 different sites to order a pizza? What if you wanted to simply go to one Website and order your pizza from any restaurant of your choice, without restrictions on the store, price or location? Could you do it?

Now you can order just about any pizza, just about anywhere from just one Website, thanks to Pizza.com. The owner of the Website with the generic-sounding name has big plans for it, “It’s probably the best generic domain name in existence,’’ said Sean Moriarty, CEO of Pizza.com. Moriarty plans to develop Pizza.com into the most comprehensive pizza resource on the planet and online ordering is a big part of the plan.

Moriarty recognized that the big chains account for about 30% of all pizza sales in the U.S. That left 70% of the business to independent stores who each averaged about $500K in annual sales last year. Pizza’s popularity with younger customers and families, along with the delivery side of the business, indicated that online pizza ordering would probably be one of the first commercially successful applications of the new technology to enjoy widespread acceptance.

Pizza’s popularity has made it America’s favorite food and the delivery side of the business is a huge part of the success story. It is estimated 90% of the people ordering food online are ordering it for delivery. It was only natural that the technologically-savvy, younger pizza consumers would be the first to utilize online ordering, and that the rest of the pizza-consuming public would soon follow suit. The Website with the strongest direct, type-in name for Pizza on the Internet, Pizza.com, hopes to become your first stop online when you order your next pizza.

Everyone loves being treated to their favorite restaurant. That’s why a restaurant gift certificate is a great idea. A good meal is sure to be enjoyed, unlike a questionable sweater or a certificate to a store where they never shop. Gift certificates are often sold in restaurants, but they can also be found online. When you’re in search of restaurant gift certificates at lower cost to you, buying them online may be your best option.

Businesses commonly post their best deals on the internet. When word spreads about these deals, it encourages traffic to their websites which in turn increases traffic to their businesses. Clothing retailers and airlines do it, and restaurants do it as well. So while it’s not a bad deal to buy a restaurant certificate at it’s redeemable price, restaurants are willing to offer you better deals.

By doing a simple online search, you can find discounted restaurant gift certificates. These may be bought at a lower price that what they’ll eventually be redeemed for, sometimes significantly less. For example, it may be possible to pay $2 for a restaurant gift certificate that buys a $25 meal for a friend. There are often restrictions on these deals, such as that the certificate may only be used on weekdays and may not be used to purchase alcohol. When you’re getting a deal like this, though, such restrictions hardly matter.

A number of websites offer discount gift certificates – you have to search to decide which site offers the best deal. It may be the restaurant’s own site or it may be a site which offers coupon codes. In the case of coupon codes, you’ll likely need to copy to code they offer and enter it on the restaurant’s website when buying the gift certificate.

The discount will then be applied to your purchase as you proceed to the online checkout. Beware that coupon codes offered on websites don’t always work as they may be outdated. If the gift certificate is sold on the restaurant’s website, a code may be shown plainly on the website and it’s up to you as the buyer to enter it upon purchase. Even without coupon codes, it is common for discounts to be offered simply for purchasing restaurant gift certificates online.

When trying to find the perfect gift for your favorite graduate, newlyweds – whomever – start your search online to find the best discounts on restaurant gift certificates. You may even want to purchase one for yourself.

Who doesn’t love good food? Food can provide comfort when we need it. Food can transform an evening. Food can bring people together. It is essential for life. Since everyone has got to eat, it is crucial to know where to go. Some places receive a lot of hype, but are they really worth the craze?

There is no better way to determine which restaurants are best than trying them out for yourself. Unfortunately, its virtually impossible to hit every restaurant and you would inevitably run across some less than appetizing dished. Well, the next best way to find the best restaurants in town is to let other people try their food and tell you all about it. With a little research you can find the best burger in town in no time.

The web is such a useful tool. You can pull up a listing of every restaurant in your city, county or even state. Once you find a restaurant that seems appealing, then search for the reviews. An easy keyword search using the name of the place and location should provide you with plenty of opinions from people who have actually eaten there.

You can find out about the quality of service, the prices, wait times and even the overall atmosphere of the restaurant. People enjoy spreading the word when a place has really great food. They want others to enjoy it as much as them. The same goes for a place that has terrible food or incredibly lousy service. In order for a person to take the time to write a review, something needs to stand out to them. If a restaurant is mediocre, then there probably won’t be much information on them. Don’t fully dismiss them yet. The place may be new or might not generate the business it takes to accumulate plenty of reviews. They could very well be the best kept secret in town.

While restaurant reviews can be great and very informative, everyone has different taste, literally. One may find a paste sauce too bland but the person at the next table may think it needs less garlic. You may say it is the best sauce you’ve ever tasted! If you really want to know how wonderful a place is, take a gamble and try it out for yourself. Then write your own reviews and help some fellow food lovers out.