Tabletopjournal

This week, we are joined by wine expert Madeline Triffon. Starting as a wine steward for Westin Hotels, Madeline used her wine skills and knowledge to go on to lead the wine programs at a variety of restaurants and restaurant groups, including Detroit’s prestigious London Chop House and the Rattlesnake Club Restaurant. In 1987, she was only the second woman ever to earn the title of Master Sommelier. Most recently, in 2011, Madeline joined and in her current role she develops and executes wine and wine-related events for this growing upscale chain of gourmet grocery stores. Madeline Triffon’s experience in both the hospitality and the consumer food industry, combined with her vast knowledge of wines and her down-to-earth approach, made us particularly excited to have her join us on this week’s podcast.

This week’s opening, in the 1st year anniversary episode, our Gang of 3 discuss events of the past year and a few of each of their favorite moments.   Then, the team turns their attention to Greg’s recent culinary sojourn to the Southeastern states of America and the food & beverage surprises he found along the way. And, you’ll be interested to learn what tabletop items he found unexpectedly widespread in use that he hadn’t seen in a while.   And then, with lockdowns back on the increase, the group discusses the Chicago area and what the lockdowns on indoor dining and the arrival of cooler temperatures will mean to the overall foodservice business.

Food has always been a part of David Kramer's life since he was 12 and working in a family grocery business – all the way up to his current position as Chairman and Professor of the Culinary Arts Program at College of DuPage where he is training the great restaurateurs and chefs of tomorrow. From early on, David turned his interest turned into a passion, which he now shares with his students in the Culinary and Hospitality Management program. And throughout his career, David Kramer has always valued the experience. He himself is a graduate of COD's Foodservice Administration program, as well as of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and of Northwood University. David worked his way up from a dishwasher/prep cook to executive chef. Lovers of the Chicago dining scene will recognize the many restaurants where Kramer has worked, including Lawry's The Prime Rib, The 95th, Hyatt Hotels, the Art Institute of Chicago and Marriott Hotels. We were fortunate to have David join us for a few moments

In a “hot off the presses” edition of Every Other Thursday, our Gang of 3 discuss the implications of the just announced Steelite International acquisition of the foodservice businesses of The Homer Laughlin China Company and Hall China. An industry insiders’ look at this landscape-changing event within the hospitality tabletop sector. The Gang of 3 discuss marketing opportunities despite the world being turned upside down by COVID-19.

In today’s episode, we are extremely excited to have well-known foodservice trend and research expert Nancy Kruse join us. Nancy is a nationally recognized authority and widely quoted expert on food and menu trends. As founder and president of , which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, she tracks trends and reports on hot-button issues in both the restaurant and supermarket industries.   Writer, speaker, and frequent lecturer, Nancy Kruse is the expert when it comes to what Americans like to eat – and where they like to eat it. Nancy gives us her take on what the growth in bologna sales might mean, where fine dining is heading and the menu items that will be changing the scene in 2021, along with their impact on tabletop products used to serve them. You’ll even hear why she calls today’s restaurants “America’s Test Kitchens”.   In addition to being a genuinely nice person, Nancy is a prolific food writer and a contributing editor and author of The Kruse Report, a popular column that appears in Nation’s R

In this week’s episode Greg offers up his take on what operators of all types can do with their cutlery & flatware to differentiate their guests’ overall dining experience. Then, in our Roundtable discussion, we catch up with Jay on his most recent road trip. This time its to the city that Travel & Leisure magazine in 2016 named as “the best city in the world”. Also, the Gang of 3 adds their updates on the current COVID-19/coronavirus situation and how its impacting the hospitality tabletop sector. All this, in approximately 30 minutes, and brought to you by TabletopJournal.

Passionate cocktail connoisseur Chris Kiertz joins us in this week’s episode and he comes at the whole cocktail landscape in quite a different way. A Boston-area tech marketer, Kiertz is not only all about the cocktails, but also about the data from the people who enjoy them. Combining another of his loves, Chris starts off with some great tips on how to take incredible cocktail photos without breaking the bank. As founder of with its 40K Instagram followers, Chris knows more than a thing or two about marketing and cocktail imagery. In Segment 2, we get into Chris’ newest passion called SideCar App, which is already in beta and about to go live. Designed to help people track their cocktail preferences, you’ll hear Chris describe how his new app will help both consumers, bartenders and even spirits companies. Finally, as a high-energy entrepreneur with lots of irons in the fire Chris also takes us through several of his other cocktail-centric adventures. We loved listening to Chris and his passionate, creativ

This week we welcome Bob Goldin from to Every Other Thursday in first of a series of conversations about our industry and where its heading. Bob Goldin one of the Founders of Pentallect and is a veteran foodservice & hospitality industry market expert, having spent many years as one of the top people at Technomic. Bob was recently featured on in a story on the status of the restaurant industry in America. In our conversation, we discuss with Bob the recovery “journey” for the hospitality industry and, specifically, where the permanent tabletop category may be headed. And, finally, we ask Pentallect's Bob Goldin the tough question “Are buffets and salad bars dead forever?”. You may be surprised at his answer.

This week, our Gang of 3 continues the discussion of many of the great points made by Bob Goldin in our previous episode. No surprise that Bob would be on-point on just about every issue, but there were a few points where our Gang took a bit of an issue with the well-known consultant.   Again, big props to Bob Goldin for stopping by last episode. We look forward to him returning to discuss the whole area of bars and cocktail lounges as we continue our recovery journey in the world of hospitality.

This week, our Gang of 3 is a Gang of 2 as our colleague Jay is on assignment. But, not to worry Greg and Dave come with a great discussion on the future of dining. And, included are some great, specific ideas that operators can do to improve their takeaway and meal delivery experience for their guests. In addition, we review some of the great commentary and points made by our recent guests here on the podcast, along with a peek at the next episode’s guest and the interesting points of view that he will be bringing to the group.

Our Gang of 3 talks about the restaurant re-opening happening around the and how they are going in the first real week of action. No conversation about hospitality and restaurants these days can not include discussion on the protests and the impact that the vandalism and looting in cities across America. The Gang gives their thoughts and opinions as only they can do.   And, finally… this week’s episode includes Greg with reminding us of a few of his “Small Ideas” for the tabletop that can have “BIG Impact” on the guest experience as we all get used to going back to dining-in. Good ideas for discussion when operators and dealer salespeople get together.

As we head to the end of what can only be described as “incredible” or “once-in-a-lifetime” our Gang of 3 look forward to a new start for our industry in the new year of 2021. And, in looking forward at what the trends might be, what better place to start than the recently-released 2021 Annual Hottest Food & Beverage Trends in Restaurants & Hotels report from industry expert Michael Whiteman of    Our never-shy hosts offer their thoughts and opinions on everything from A (ajvar) to Z (zones for pickup of online ordering) in this top-rated, #mustread trend report.

It’s a brand new year and the Gang of 3 is back and ready to kick the year off with another exciting episode of Every Other Thursday, the bi-weekly podcast for the hospitality industry. In his “Next Big Thing” segment, Greg states his case on why he thinks there’s a better way to improve upon the idea of a single, all-purpose wine glass and help the operator improve their overall sales of wine. In our Roundtable discussion segment, the debate continues as the gang gives their thoughts on the best array of wine glasses that will help operators promote wine sales in their restaurants with our resident go-to glassware expert Jay leading the discussion. If you’re interested in improving your wine experience while keeping you’re operational costs in mind, this episode of Every Other Thursday is for you! All this, in approximately 30 minutes, and brought to you by .

This week, we are joined by global culinary and F&B expert Rainer Zinngrebe. Rainer has spent over 40 years in the food and beverage industry and has published two cookbooks, along with numerous other food and beverage training and guidance publications. Rainer has gathered his expertise from working with the some of the finest independent restaurants and luxury hotels all around the globe. Rainer Zinngrebe has recently started his own company – – to assist operators and owners with their own restaurants and culinary operations – from concept development all the way through to startup and beyond. Our session with Rainer was one of our most interesting podcast conversations to date and will leave you wanting to hear more from this talented, articulate food and beverage professional.

In this mid-winter episode of Every Other Thursday, Greg brings for a tabletop space-saving idea for tapas and small-plates restaurants. As always, it is an idea that is intended to spur dialogue between suppliers and operators. Our Roundtable discussion this week has the Gang of 3 hearing Jay recap a recent sommelier event he attended. Discussion centers around champagne serving trends and how operators might make serving bubbles more than just a celebratory affair. If you are interested at all in the distribution of non-food products in the foodservice and hospitality sector, you’ll want to listen in on the Roundtable discussion in this episode of Every Other Thursday. All this, in approximately 30 minutes, and brought to you by

This mid-January episode of Every Other Thursday has the Greg and the Gang of 3 talking tajines – both big and small. With many different uses and reasons for being, Greg explains how versatile tajines can be and how they help create the all important dialogue between the salesperson and the operator. And, let’s not forget the impact on the guest experience! In our Roundtable discussion segment, the conversation turns to distribution – where it’s at and, more importantly, where it’s going. With an emphasis on small-medium size suppliers, the Gang of 3 take on the subject of how manufacturers should think about going to market and how these decisions can make or break a brand or product line. If you are interested at all in the distribution of non-food products in the foodservice and hospitality sector, you’ll want to listen in on the Roundtable discussion in this episode of All this, in approximately 30 minutes, and brought to you by .

This week, with Jay on assignment, Greg and Dave sit down with well known culinary innovator Philip Preston. As President of PolyScience Culinary, Preston and his company have invented a wide range of back-of-the-house and tabletop tools for controlling cooking and chilling temperatures and making sure that both the foods we eat and the beverages we drink are more tastier – and more interesting - time after time. Chefs and restaurateurs from 3-star Michelin to the local, neighborhood bistro on the corner have embraced PolyScience Culinary’s tools to produce their menu items more efficiently, more interestingly and more.

This week, our Gang of 3 discuss the notion that perhaps the comeback of the foodservice & hospitality industry may already be underway, but just not easily visible to everyone just yet. And, to nobody’s surprise, the group has a variety of takes on just where we are along the comeback trail and just where the comeback might be visible first. Also, the group revisits our conversation with noted marketer with each of the Group of 3 offering up their favorite takeaway from Larry’s comments on building brands for companies both big and small.

In this issue of our Every Other Thursday podcast for the foodservice and hospitality industry, Greg shows how operators can very quickly and easily dress up how they serve their BBQ and even their kabobs. In our Roundtable, Jay and Dave take on the relationship that commissioned salespeople have with the brands they rep – straightforward and unvarnished. Also, are today’s consumers on the lookout for more “professional” tabletop products? All this, in 30 minutes, and brought to you by .

With the impending re-opening of restaurants across America, what will it look like as we head back into the world of dining out? Our Gang of 3 offers their thoughts and opinions on our initial optics. And, in our second segment, the discussion turns to what the world might look like in 60-90 days as we progress through the warmer months and dining outside gets into full swing.