Volume 11 - Number 7 September 2011

Disability Awareness Seminar

Frank Fitch - Micros

John Spasiano - Lombardo’s RistoranteDouble Eagle Sponsor

Andrew WatersEnergyMark

Jon McKissock, Owner Encore Rest, David Boyd ,VP sales Curtze, Peter Longo, Jr., Curtze & Joe Gugino , Owner Encore Rest.

“When You Out...Gordy’s Inn”Rhiannon Lee & Fred Halt

Gordy’s Inn

Joe Salvatore, Salvatore’s Italian Gar-dens & Dennis DiPaolo, Ilio DiPaolo’s

Diamond Hawk

Good Friends - Good Golf - Great Time! June 21st.

2011 ScholarShip WinnerSAwarded at “Family Fun Night” - Coca Cola Field The WNY Chapter NYSRA was proud to award these deserving students that were picked by their respec-tive schools a $1,000 scholarship at “Family Fun Night “ at Coca Cola Field. Shown here are Kevin Gaiser, getting ready to throw out the first pitch, after accepting his award & the remaining winners.

“Chip” & “Buster” with Mr. Gaiser - Niagara Univ.

Prez. Rob Free presents award to Claire Mierzwa NCC.

Mark Wright, Dept. Chair ECC North presents awards to Laugarah Hue, ECC - City and the Marge White Scholarship to Tonya Lewis, ECC - North.

RestauRateuROfficial Publication of the Western New York Chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association

Serving • AllegAny, CAttArAuguS, ChAutAuquA, erie, geneSee, niAgArA, OrleAnS And WyOming COuntieS

new York State restaurant association

Western new York chapterBoard of Directors

Please note that this information is provided to you for general informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal or financial decisions. You should consult an appropriate and qualified professional for specific advice tailored to your particular situation.

Melissa A. Fleischut - Director of Government Affairs - New York State Restaurant Association

Robert FreePresident

L

Scott BeahenNiagara UniversityDon Spasiano

Erie Community CollegeMark Thomasson

Emerson School of Hospitality

ExEcutivE Board of dirEctors

PrEsidEnt

robert FreeDirector Foodservice Operations

Buffalo Bison Baseball

immEdiatE Past PrEsidEntpeter longo CA Curtze Co Bill Deluca

Mr. Bill’sDan Garvey The Roycroft

George Schaeffer Director of Communications

robert SyracusePizza Plant

activE dirEctors

GEorGE schaEffEr Editor

schaeffergeorge69@gmail.com716.839.6078

RestauRateuRServing • AllegAny, CAttArAuguS, ChAutAuquA, erie, geneSee, niAgArA, OrleAnS And WyOming COuntieS

published 10 times per year, e-mailed and mailed first class

www.nysra.org/associations/2487/chapters.cfm

chaPtEr BusinEss manaGErKerri l. riedel

NYSRA-WNY

ellie GrenauerGlen Park Tavern

andrew harveyCharlie the Butcher

richard Joseph Joseph’s CateringSean reganPettibones GrilleDonald Seth

Aramark: New Era CapMichael White

Delaware Northalicia Woodworth

Pizza Plant

associatE dirEctors

Dennis ayerUS Foodservice

Michael BorgisiFrederick Wildman & Sons

Derek hortmanCrown Energy

Joseph Savattieri American Express

EducationaL dirEctors

FoR MeMbeRship inFoRMationanthony Terrell

WnY Sales representative1-800-442-5959 x 215

2

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*Programs managed byNew YORk StAte ReStAuRANt

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continued page 6

ast year at this time, when The Restaurateur returned from ‘summer vaca-tion’, my thoughts in this column were about what a great summer we had just had and about the trepidation that was prevalent in regards to the economy. This year our summer started slowly, to say the least. For the myriad of establishments in WNY that are weather driven, April and May were awful. Though June through August have been fairly nice from a weather standpoint, it’s difficult to prosper when the summer window of opportunity opens two months late. And, what seems to be a

disturbing recurring trend is that once again this year in September I’m making mention in this column of the volatility of the economy. No doubt that people are growing wary of hearing about the economy, and whether or not they acknowledge it, consciously or subconsciously the message is coming across: ‘Be prudent in your discretionary spend-ing!’ Just as I mentioned at this time last year, it’s a good time for res-taurants to take stock of what they do, how they do it, and why they do it. It is vitally important to utilize everything in your power to retain present customers as well to reach out to new ones. Menu options, service standards, and pricing are the basics to start with when analyz-

ing your operation, but it is important to continue educating yourself on other options that are available to increase your business. Use your food and beverage vendors to help with staff training. From edu-cating a server on the nuances of wine selections to helping the line cooks understand the proper portioning and cooking techniques for your dishes, restaurant industry vendors are a vast untapped resource for you. Contact your vendor rep for more information; I know you won’t be disappointed. Or, if you’d like, I could help you with the process. In that sense, know that the WNY Chapter of NYSRA can be another resource for you to use for cost savings on service, or as your liaison to vendors, organizations, and governmental agencies. All of this relates to one thing – growing your customer base. Another way to do that (as I have mentioned in the past, as well) is to reach out and cater to those groups and organizations that are willing to spend money in your establishment. The WNY Gluten Free Diet Support Group is one of these groups. They will be offering a Gluten Freedom Day Expo at the Hearthstone Manor on Sept. 10. One of the guest speakers will be Bob Syracuse of Pizza Plant Rests. (and ex-president of this Chapter). See page 4 for more detailed information. As always, please feel free to contact me for more information at rfree@bisons.com or 716-846-2081. Fill those seats! Rob

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3

Glenn a. ButlerVice president Sales and Marketing

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Document: 528315.pdf;Date: Oct 30, 2009 09:17:32

More than 17 million children in America struggle with hunger. That’s almost one in four. America’s teachers tell us that hunger in their classrooms is a worse prob-lem today than it was a year ago: 63 percent of K-8 grade teachers surveyed for “Hunger in Our Schools: Share Our Strength’s Teachers Report” said the problem of children coming to school too hungry to learn has increased in the past year. The restaurant in-dustry can make a difference. Share Our Strength’s Dine Out for No Kid HungryTM, formerly known as Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out®, is a national fundraising event that brings together thousands of restaurants and millions of consumers to help make sure no child in America goes hungry. From September 18-24, 2011, participating restaurants raise funds in a variety of engaging ways to support Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry,® a national campaign to end childhood hunger in America by 2015. Share Our Strength’s Dine Out for No Kid Hungry is nationally sponsored by Sysco, American Express, Eco-lab, USA Today and the National Restaurant Association. The New York State Restau-rant Association is proud to support this program as a promotional partner. This program is unique and was created specifically with the restaurant industry in mind. Tools that will that will help you promote your participation locally, train your staff and communicate to your loyal customer base are all included in the online resource center at http://www.dineoutfornokidhungry.org/. September 18-24, 2011 is the official promotional period, even though you can launch your promotion anytime in the month of September. There are many creative ways to participate. The restaurant industry has a long history of supporting important issues that af-fect our communities and our nation. I’m writing to invite you to take action along with the New York State Restaurant Association. Please take a moment and register today at www.dineoutfornokidhungry.org/. If you have any questions, please contact Molly Burke, Share Our Strength’s Dine Out for No Kid Hungry coordinator at 202.478.6538 or mburke@strength.org.

Sincerely,Rick SampsonPresident & CEONew York State Restaurant Association

The ROYCROFT Innat East Aurora, NY

Opened to friends

in 1905

Restoredin

1995

4

Foundation

Thank you for your support!

716.851.1990

2500 North America Drive West Seneca - NY - 14224

Phone: 716-827-1133Fax: 716-827-0179

Proud Supporter of the NYSRA – WNY Chapter

GLUTENFREEDOM

DAY

S p o n s o r e d b y W e s t e r n N e w Yo r k G l u t e n F r e e D i e t S u p p o r t G r o u p , I n c .I n c e l e b r a t i o n o f i t s 2 5 t h A n n i v e r s a r y — “ C e l i a c s H e l p i n g C e l i a c s ”

W N Y G F D S G , I n c . • P. O . B o x 1 8 3 5 • W i l l i a m s v i l l e , N Y 1 4 2 3 1 - 1 8 3 5 • 7 1 6 - 6 3 6 - 6 0 2 1

Dr. Alessio Fasano

Celiac Sprue Association

SEPTEMBER 10, 2011 • HEARTHSTONE MANOR • 333 DICK ROAD, DEPEW, NY 14043

Gluten Free Vendor Expo — 11AM to 4:30 PM

Exhibits by purveyors of gluten free products(Admission is $5.00. Waived for attendees at one of the program segments below)

“Serving the Gluten Free Customer” — 11 AM to NoonSpeaker: Bob Syracuse, Owner/Manager — Pizza Plant RestaurantFor local restaurant managers/chefs and food service managers (Pre-registration is required)

Luncheon — 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

Speaker: Alessio Fasano, MD — “16 Years of Discovery”University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research(Adults: $20.00/Children under 10: $14.00)

“Diet is the Prescription” — 2:45 PM to 3:45 PM

Speaker: Shelly Asplin, MA, RD, LMNTNutrition Coordinator, Celiac Sprue Association/USAFor dietitians and the newly diagnosed(Pre-registration is required)

P R I N C I PA L S P O N S O R S:

past president Bob Syracuse

to address Group

Gluten Freedom Day -“Celiac’s Helping Celiacs” is the theme for the 25th anniversary of the Western New York Gluten Free Support Group convo-cation, Sept 10th.

Past chapter Presi-dent, Bob Syracuse of Pizza Plant will lead a special session on “Serving the Gluten Free Customer.” Bob initiated gluten free Wednesday’s some years ago at Pizza Plant.

The program is de-signed for local restaurant managers/chefs and food service managers.

To register for these sessions please go to: www.buffaloglutenfree.org

5

716.883.08723800 Seneca StreetWest Seneca, NY 14224

716-675-3800

1.800.366.5620

nostaGLia - a wistFul oR excessively sentiMental yeaRning FoR RetuRn to oR oF soMe past peRiod oR iRRecoveRable condition- MiRiaM - websteR

George Schaeffer

Western New York’s Premier Insurance Agency for RestaurantsWe insure over 200 establishments in the food service business!

Coverage’s for:• Property • Liability • Liquor Liability • Liquor Bonds •

• Workers’ Compensation • NY State Disability • • Group Health Insurance •

rund’s West Henrietta Road was home to a bunch of sales folks staying in the

Rochester area. The Quality Court Motel was the place to stay. It was cheap and clean. There were several places to eat and be entertained. Our favorite was Rund’s Restaurant, a two minute drive up Route 15 from the Quality Court. Jim and Dick Rund, along with Dick’s son “Duffer” ran the show at Rund’s. Then there was the bookkeeper Albie, who they kept locked up in the cellar counting the bags of greenbacks. This guy would squeeze a nickel so hard that the buffalo would…..(put your own word in here)

Rund’s was run like a tight ship. Dick Rund was a fastidious person and everything in the restaurant had to be perfect. Every table, every chair, every place setting had to be in com-plete order. The place was so popular that he had a dry cleaners revolving rack for a coat check system. When Dick was not there, his son “Duffer” followed in his father’s footsteps. Jim Rund ran the beverage and entertainment department. Rund’s was one of the first restaurants to install a computerized liquor dispenser. People complained that the quality of their drink would suffer. Jim Rund disagreed and the $40,000 investment paid off handsomely. Jim would argue that when you put gas in your car, it was metered. Well booze costs more than gas, so why should it not be metered? Anyway,the cocktails were still as good as ever and Tommy the bartender had a harder time pouring “freebies” for his friends.

Starting on Wednesday nights, Jim Rund booked Joe Cady and his 7 piece orchestra. Cady would play all the old time favorites of the 1940’s and probably earlier. The place would be jammed and while the traveling salesmen enjoyed the music, the real enjoyment was the game of liars poker. Jim Rund frequently joined in and was probably one of the best at bluffing, only to be outdone by Jack Olin of Maines or Walter Baird of Houk and Co. When you get 6 guys calling 13 Aces (a number 1 on your dollar bill) and your on the spot with 5 in your hand, do you call or raise the bar to 14 Aces? Of course you confidentally raise the bet to 14. So I call 14 and everyone checks! Then we count the number of “ones” in each persons hand. Walt who called 13, says none! WHAT!! There were a total of 7 Aces, as the two biggest bluffers had a total of zero. I’m done like a Christmas goose, and a few bucks lighter. OK round two, as Cady is now playing Sentimental Journey.

Rund’s was also the spot for the annual Traveling Salesmen’s Christmas party. This epic affair was organized by my salesman Don Marquardt. I think Don took the month of November off to organize all the details. Salesmen and customers came from all over. It was visited by Santa Claus (Carl Chudzinski) sometime in the evening, who handed out candy canes. The highlight of the evening, besides the delicious roast beef dinner, was Jack Olin performing with the Cady Orchestra his version of Bill Bailey. Jack thought he could sing. We all told him not to give up the day job! The stories went on and on, as we would make the last call at Jay’s Diner, before heading back to the Quality Court.

Gone are those days, but those memories are cherished forever.

Happy Anniversary to these August & SeptemberMembers

Phil -N- Cindy’s Lunch August 17, 1970The Gin Mill August 12, 1985La Hacienda of New York August 29, 1986Blasdell Pizza Inc. August 4, 1992Uncle Joe’s Restaurant August 5, 1992Marotto’s Restaurant August 31, 1993Chris’ N.Y. Sandwich Company August 29, 1994Claudette’s, Inc. August 28, 1995Magruders Restaurant and Pub Inc. August 15, 1996Grasso’s Pizza August 23, 2000Rita’s Spring Brook Hotel August 19, 2003Water Street Landing August 3, 2004T.L. Cannon Management Corp. August 1, 2006Christe’s Restaurant August 21, 2006One Eyed Jacks August 6, 2009The Hood Guys Inc. August 9, 2010Lawley Insurance Agency August 12, 2010

Castaways Waterfront Bar & Grill September 6, 1989Casa Di Pizza, Inc. September 22, 1989Oliver’s Restaurant September 28, 1989Jack’s Place Restaurant September 9, 1993Systems Technology Group Inc. September 10, 1997Galassi’s Sub Shop September 23, 1997Carmen’s Catering Inc. September 3, 1998Poppyseed Restaurant, Inc. September 15, 2000Kentucky Greg’s Hickory Pit, Inc. September 25, 2000Lena’s Pizza & Sub Shop September 4, 2002Union Family Restaurant, Inc. September 1, 2006Joe’s NY Deli, LLC. September 1, 2006Putnam Record Insurance September 26, 2008

6

T ry-It Distributing Co., Inc. is an Ameri-can success story. It begins with a young man’s enterprising idea and his willingness to work long hours to create his own opportu-nities. The late Stephen L. Vukelic started bottling soft drinks in his native Lackawanna, New York in 1928, at age 27, to meet the demand of thirsty Western New Yorkers during prohibition. In 1933, he began distributing beer, with Phoenix as the major

brand. When Try-It added Budweiser and Michelob to its product list in 1946, Stephen, fondly known as “The Chief”, had charted the course for the Compa-ny’s successful future. In 1949, Try-It Distributing began its relationship with Labatt, and since the sale of the soda business in 1958, Try-It has steadily soared to reach its current prominence as one of the most respected beverage distributors in Buffalo, NY as well as the nation. In 1996 the Company moved. Try-It had grown from 15 employees to 250, from 4 trucks to 55, and from a 20,000 sq ft. location to a 150,000 sq ft. sales and service center in Lancaster, New York. The state-of-the-art facility was planned and constructed with technical precision, to ensure that the products are warehoused in an ideal climate and delivered with accurate efficiency. Always looking for growth opportunities, the Balkan Beverage subsidiary was formed in 2004 to distribute non-alcoholic beverages. Balkan Beverage distributes such name brands as Red Bull Energy drinks and Arizona teas. In 2005, the acquisition of another Anheuser-Busch, Inc. distributorship, Saratoga Eagle Sales and Service in Glens Falls, NY was recently completed in September of 2005. Community Service is fundamental to the Vukelic Family. Try-It advances education about responsible consumption of alcohol. For many years the Company has spearheaded awareness programs in area schools, and participated in media campaigns that carry the message of moderation. A major supporter of organizations and charities, Try-It’s management and staff serve on numerous community boards and committees. Try-It is committed to its role of a good corporate citizen. Events that add to the enjoyment of life in the Buffalo Niagara region, such as the Taste of Buffalo and Thursday in the Square are among those sponsored by Try-It. Its corporate motto: Trust, Team and Tradition is put into action every day. Canisius College has chosen the Company for a “Family Business of the Year Award”, and Try-It has won many national awards for sales achievements and business milestones.

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7

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Encore is a two story 3000 square foot restaurant, conveniently located in the Theatre District, in downtown Buffalo. The spacious outside patio is perfect for Buffa-lo’s spring, summer and fall months. On the 1st floor customers can enjoy pub fare and cocktails at the bar in a casual and modern atmosphere. Furthermore customers can en-joy intimate dining in a custom private booth room. Upstairs is the main dining room. Guests can enjoy spacious semi formal dining surrounded by many architectural attractions such as multiple fire places, high ceilings etc. This is where their custom sushi station is lo-cated, where you can order from anywhere in or outside the building. The spacious patio can accommodate over a 150 people. Jon McKis-sock & Joe Gugino are the owners of Encore Restaurants and have been members of the WNY Chapter since 2008.

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