The holiday season has always wooed me. Glitz, glamour, gifts, giddiness—December has it all. Just check out the scene at a Miracle pop-up bar, decked out to the nines with the most holiday spirit you’ve ever seen. But the best part for your business is that the holiday cheer comes with an opportunity to drive traffic to your restaurant.
Meanwhile, as a true me-me-me millennial, it’s this time of year that I get the worst case of the gimmes. I can easily fall prey to the shiniest-ever advertisements of the next must-have thing. I’m notoriously guilty for always finding gifts for myself when shopping for someone else. As you look through the December issue of FSR, it may happen to you, too. New aprons for the kitchen squad? Or a new apron for me? Or both …
Editor’s Pick: Gimme ChocolateI really got the gimmes for these TCHO Milk Chocolate Baking Discs when we were reviewing products for the Buyer’s Guide—I may have eaten two bags during the production of this issue of the magazine. The chocolate is silky and the perfect balance of bitter cocoa and milky sweetness. Let your pastry chefs know, TCHO is a go! www.tcho.com
This year’s annual Buyer’s Guide is dedicated to outfitting your squad and your space with the best, most stylish, and trendiest must-haves. Associate Editor Laura Kirk and I, affectionately known around here (and to you, I hope) as the Lauras, had a great time seeking out those tried-and-true products from our cast of trendsetters throughout the country.
I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing two of our industry’s top creatives in what may be the biggest change to the Buyer’s Guide this year: stories. These folks are on the front lines of what restaurateurs want in terms of outfitting their employees and their spaces.
These interviews reinforce exactly what this year’s guide is all about—being authentically you, being of authentic quality, and still providing the customer with an experience that they want.
As my first year with FSR wraps up, I am excited to launch one final new piece for the year with a series that puts to use all the one-off chats I have with various industry folks about what’s trending. Look online for my column called Yours Truly, where I’ll further spin this thread of tried-and-true trends. Meanwhile, I’m truly excited about all the holiday cheer we’ve packed into this issue and I hope you are, too. Happy holidays from everyone here at FSR. May they be merry, bright, and very busy for your business.
