Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show continued
service ranging from pizza dough, sauces, cheeses, and toppings to ovens, cookware, beverage equipment, and apparel. The Orlando Pizza Show will host the annual U.S. Pizza Team Trials competition where dough spinning pizza acrobats compete for a spot on the U.S. Pizza Team. The U.S. Pizza Team represents the nation’s pizza industry in the World Pizza Championships in Salsomaggiore, Italy.
Also returning to the show floor is The Ultimate Barista Challenge® USA showcasing coffee creativity flaring, as barista prepare their own inspired espresso beverages for a panel of discerning judges. This event delights audience members in a showdown of three flights of espresso frappe, espresso cocktails, beautiful café latte art and finding the definitive Ultimate Barista! The Ultimate Barista Challenge is organized by Whole Cup Coffee Consulting.
This year’s Culinary Competitions, managed and organized by the American Culinary Federation (ACF)/Central Florida Chapter (CFC) will offer a wide variety of competitions. They include the Team Skills Competition, where up to 15 teams composed of culinary students will represent their colleges in practical and contemporary cooking skills; the Hot Food Competition, where up to 20 chefs will have 1 hour and 50 minutes to create four portions of a signature entrée using Florida Alligator; The Signature Recipe Competition, where competing chefs will creatively prepare and feature fresh pork on their menu; The Super Challenge Team Competition, where teams will have up to 5 hours to prepare a four-course meal with strict guidelines to be served to the daily Chef’s Table Luncheon (tickets available to lunch $35); and the Pastry Challenge, which invites student and professional pastry chefs to compete.
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association will host The 2008 FRLA Show Gala and Southern Wine and Spirits Party, where they will honor the Supplier of the Year on Friday September 5, 2008. Starting at 7:30 pm, step into the island tropics of the Margaritaville Casino at the world renowned Hard Rock Live in Universal CityWalk! Join leading hospitality VIP’s for a night of networking, dancing and fun as FRLA embarks on the laid-back Margarita-ville lifestyle. For information, contact Shelly Siceloff, ssiceloff@frla.org or call 407-478-4555.
This year’s Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show is an event not to be missed! Registration is now available online at www.flrestaurantandlodgingshow.com. Admission is $30 until August 3rd and will become $50 there after.
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Firehouse Subs continued
several independent restaurants in Atlanta.
Firehouse Subs, founded in Jacksonville, Fla. by former firefighting brothers Robin and Chris Sorensen, is a 318-unit fast-casual restaurant chain that specializes in hot subs. Firehouse Subs serves large portions of premium meats and cheeses, “steamed” hot and placed atop fresh produce on a toasted sub roll. Each restaurant offers a family-oriented dining atmosphere, complete with an authentic firefighter theme that celebrates local firefighting history, as well as the founding family’s 200 years of firefighting service. Firehouse Subs is the “National Chain” winner of the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) Restaurant Neighbor Award for community service. Plans for expansion in 2008 are focused on the Northeast, Central, and Southwest regions of the country.
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Submarina continued
over the last 30 years,” said Submarina Chairman and CEO Jeff Warfield. “When we sat down and analyzed what we’ve achieved in that significant milestone, we decided it’s time for us to grow and take our concept outside of California.”
“In 2007 alone, the number of stores we’ve opened has pushed us to a 17.6 percent growth,” said Mimi Zeller, president and chief operating officer of Submarina.“Since we announced our national expansion plans last November, we have commitments for a total of 985 stores to be sold over the next 10 years through area developers and area franchisees. This, coupled with our own growth of more than 600 new stores, brings us to more than 1,500 stores sold over the next 10 years.That translates to a 30 percent to over 100 percent growth, year to year, over the next five years.”
Asked how the company achieved such growth that quickly, Zeller states “It was a strategic plan to grow Submarina through a combination of finding superb area developers, never losing sight as a company and the need to continually make an effort to sell franchises ourselves.”
Zeller’s franchise background with industry giants such as Domino’s Pizza and Mail Boxes Etc., coupled with Submarina chairman and chief executive officer Jeffrey Warfield, are a perfect match to position the company for expansion. Warfield took over after his father, Les Warfield, and his business partner, Ron Vickers, retired. The company has remained in the family and a local restaurant chain for almost 30 years and Warfield knew its potential to grow outside Southern California.
In addition to the new location in Florida, Submarina, Inc. operates stores in Southern California, Arizona, Michigan and Tennessee, with expansion plans into Texas, Oregon, Washington, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia.
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