Friday, November 19, 2010

From Ocean to Table: Sustainable seafood programs growing at QSRs (QSR, March 2010)

*2010 Eddie & Ozzie Award Winner*

When Robert Klein opened Fish Grill in 1986, sourcing of his seafood products stood as a top priority—even if the “sustainable seafood” term had yet to wiggle into the quick-serve industry’s lexicon.

“To me, it was all about quality,” says Klein, who now directs four Fish Grill locations in Los Angeles.

A decade ago, Klein heightened his attention to sourcing and began an aggressive investigation into ways he could further enhance his restaurant’s sustainability efforts, just as the movement gained traction.

Klein first sought education, traveling more than 300 miles north to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the California-based aquarium among the first advocacy groups trumpeting the sustainable seafood message. He later dug into research from credible organizations, such as the Marine Stewardship Council, and began asking more direct questions of his buyers and sourcers. As a result, he outlawed serving blue fin tuna and Chilean sea bass, two dishes littered with sustainability warnings. Today, 80 percent of Fish Grill’s menu meets sustainable criteria.
The move toward sustainable seafood, Klein says, made sense on a variety of levels.

“In the short term, I saw customers becoming more knowledgeable and seeking higher quality and health benefits on the table; I had to match those expectations,” he says. “Then, knowing that I’m in this for the long haul, I knew that if fish stocks were to decline, prices would only rise and put stress on the business.”

Klein’s fast-casual eateries are characteristic of a sweeping industry trend. Sustainable seafood is here to stay and, many experts and operators agree, it’s a positive endeavor for restaurant operators seeking to balance consumer expectations, environmental concerns, and sound business principles.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sustainable seafood is “when the population of that species of fish is managed in a way that provides for today’s needs without damaging the ability of the species to reproduce and be available for future generations.”

No longer mired in obscurity, sustainable seafood emerged as a discussion point among scientists, government agencies, and restaurant industry insiders alike. Most telling of its validity is that the dialogue has morphed into action.

A widely cited 2006 study in the journal Science suggested that the loss of biodiversity was obstructing the ocean’s ability to produce healthy seafood, leading to projections that seafood could be absent from dinner tables by 2048. Though many charged the report with sparking unreasonable alarm, the study succeeded in highlighting the emerging environmental concern and, most importantly for quick service, its potential impact to business.

The following year, the NOAA told the United States Congress that 25 percent of U.S. marine fish are overfished or depleted. Similar estimates have prompted scientific concern about ocean health, particularly in the face of rising dinner table demand and record-level U.S. seafood imports. After all, Americans enjoy their seafood, consuming about 15 pounds of seafood annually, according to the National Fisheries Institute.

As seafood demand increases, so does the importance of sustainable practices. For restaurant operators focused on long-term business objectives, the use of certified products remains the best way to ensure a stable and consistent seafood supply.

“Many restaurant operators are realizing how important a healthy seafood population is to their business model,” says Megan Westmeyer, the sustainable seafood coordinator at the South Carolina Aquarium.

In recent years, industry reports have consistently named sustainable seafood a top trend, a movement chiefly driven by influential chefs and fine-dining trendsetters. Likewise, industry trade shows, workshops, and forums have all addressed the topic in rising numbers.
“As a key talking point, sustainable seafood is beginning to sink in, especially on the heels of other food movements, such as organic, fair trade, and cage free,” says Sheila Bowman of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium developed its Seafood Watch program in 1997, among the nation’s first widespread efforts to broadcast the sustainable seafood message. From Chicago’s famed Shedd Aquarium to Good Catch, a London-based collaborative that promotes seafood sustainability in foodservice, several conservation groups and prominent aquariums in the U.S. and abroad have accelerated the discussion with their own education efforts and media coverage.
In recent years, the movement has accelerated both in and out of restaurant industry circles.

Over the last decade, McDonald’s solidified its sustainable reputation with its Filet-O-Fish sandwich, primarily made from Alaskan Pollock, a species certified by the Marine Stewardship Council’s sustainability standards. In December 2008, Yum! Brands and Long John Silver’s, the industry’s largest quick-serve seafood establishment, released its first corporate responsibility report, highlighting the brand’s longstanding commitment to sustainable seafood.

In 2005, Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, required all of its shrimp suppliers to adhere to “best aquaculture practices.” The message also rushed into the collegiate ranks. Since 2006, the dining program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst has only served sustainable seafood, such as wild salmon, Pacific cod, scallops, and halibut, at its campus outlets.

Just how far has the sustainable seafood message come in the last decade? The 2006 animated movie Happy Feet discussed the issue of overfishing and protecting the world’s oceans. The movie’s DVD also included a copy of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafood watch guide.

“Sustainable seafood is on people’s radar,” Bowman says. “Companies want to have the right green initiatives to appease shareholders and customers. Restaurants might have already looked at waste, packaging, and energy; sustainable seafood arises as another business decision they can make to show environmental concern and improve their business model.”

The pervasive and diverse attention heaped upon the issue underscores the point that sustainability challenges freshness and quality as a vital priority. In the quick-serve arena, where fish sandwiches and platters account for a noteworthy chunk of sales, sustainable seafood cannot be ignored.

“Quick serves might have largely happened upon this movement by happenstance, but they’re increasingly looking at this commitment as something they cannot ignore,” Bowman says.

Around nine Gilligan’s Seafood Restaurant locations in South Carolina, a simple slogan reminds customers, ever so comically, of the precise origin of the restaurant’s celebrated dish: “Friends don’t let friends eat imported shrimp.”

The casual-dining establishment heightened its sustainability efforts in 2008 after partnering with the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative.

“Using sustainable products ensures we’re getting the best product available, which helps guarantee fresh food and promote a positive guest experience,” Gilligan’s marketing director, Sarah Beckner, says. “That quality and consistency benefits our reputation.”

Two questions, crucial for operators to ask, drive the sustainable seafood issue:

1.) Where does the fish come from?

2.) What was the capture or harvest method?

Traceability is central to any sustainable seafood practice. Restaurants often assume fish comes from one standard location, only to be surprised that the origin of a specific species can vary throughout the year. On invoices from his suppliers, Fish Grill’s Klein reviews the origin of products and demands suppliers notify him of any changes.

“It takes some monitoring, but everything has to hit the mark,” he says, adding that Fish Grill’s status as a kosher restaurant adds another layer of scrutiny to his efforts.

Once restaurants confirm the seafood’s origin, operators can then ask about stock status, fishery management, or the ecosystem’s impact on harvest.

“Restaurants must be diligent about the fish they’re serving and maintain consistent guidelines,” Bowman says.

Westmeyer points to fish from Alaska, a state with a long history and credible record of sustainable fishing practices, as one particularly positive—and easy—option for operators.

“Everything that comes from Alaska is sustainable,” Westmeyer says, “so there’s one quick way to know if you’re getting sustainable seafood.”

Operators can then dig even further. Gilligan’s leadership team, headed by owner Randy Marvin, routinely visits the boats of its local suppliers to get a firsthand look at operations. The staff also conducts regular in-house testing of its seafood, weighing, cooking, and assessing the freshness of items.

“We’re not just taking suppliers at their word; we’re seeing and learning about this with our own eyes. We don’t want them buying product from elsewhere and selling it to us,” Beckner says, alluding to a familiar practice in the seafood industry.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium reports that 67 percent of seafood by dollar value is sold through restaurants, an estimate that suggests quick serves hold valuable leverage to demand that seafood is caught or farmed in an environmentally responsible way.

Many restaurant operators looking to understand sustainability and its applications to their business first turn to a trustworthy advocacy group. Many of the nation’s aquariums host a sustainable seafood program that provides a shortcut for operators seeking helpful resources and personal attention.

“A lot of restaurants simply don’t have the time to get so involved in this issue, so partnering with the right agency will be a big help,” Monterey Bay’s Bowman says. “I would tell any operator to use the available resources and don’t make this issue any harder than it has to be. Identify who’s telling the straight story and work within those guidelines.”

The South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative, for instance, has a distinct restaurateur focus, sparked by the recognition of just how much influence restaurants peddle over the nation’s $70 billion desire to enjoy seafood. Since 2002, the aquarium has worked directly with restaurants to help them improve their seafood sourcing. Operators determine their level of involvement and take small steps alongside the aquarium’s staff to produce a sustainability program that works.

“Restaurants are a control point in that they pick and choose what people will be eating,” Westmeyer says. “Our partnership program with restaurants helps arm operators with credible information, so that they can make the decisions best for their establishment and their customers.”

Gilligan’s Beckner says the experience the South Carolina Aquarium staff brought to the table was remarkable.

“They’re the pros at it, and they bring an amazing background to the relationship,” Beckner says of Westmeyer and her staff. “They helped us with the educational part, they reinforced why we should be doing this, and they helped us identify new options for our menu with sustainability in mind.”

Many operators with a sustainable mindset then pair the information of advocacy groups with information from other sources, including suppliers and government agencies. Noting the rise of sustainability as an important issue to restaurant operators, suppliers have increasingly made their sourcing information available and sought partnerships with advocacy groups.

“I don’t know of a supplier that’s gone as far as only serving sustainable seafood, but in most cases they’re making sales sheets and categorizing what they sell,” Bowman says. “Most realize that effective sustainable seafood practices are a win-win all around.”

Though discussion of sustainable seafood has multiplied, consumers have only sparingly heard the message. In the 1990s, McDonald’s developed a sustainable program for its Filet-O-Fish sandwich while Long John Silver’s pledged similar efforts. Although both industry giants initiated the programs—in part—to strengthen their supply chain, neither constructed a broad marketing campaign around the issue.

Experts suggest operators make customers aware, educate staff, and think outside of the tackle box.

“Restaurants are in the unique position to encourage new options and spread out consumption to different species and that’s something they can take advantage of,” Westmeyer says.

Restaurants can prepare different seafood in a delicious way and introduce fresh species to customers’ palettes. Common alternatives include tilapia, catfish, and striped bass, while more obscure options, such as sheepshead or amberjack, can draw consumer interest.

By preparing a new seafood dish with flair, Westmeyer says, restaurants can gain a following for their unusual menu options and build a special around the item. Additionally, operators can enjoy cost savings since underutilized species often have a lower wholesale cost given supply overruns.

“In the short term and long term, there’s much benefit to adopting a sustainable seafood program,” Westmeyer says.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Trading Up: Cash-strapped shop owners nab services--and new customers--through bartering (Fresh Cup, October 2010)

When Mark Baryla purchased J Bean Coffee and Café, a six-year-old neighborhood coffee house on the outskirts of Chicago, he inherited a business active in bartering. Yet for Baryla, a CPA by day, the concept of bartering was as foreign as it was funny.

“I’ll admit some real hesitancy toward wanting to continue the store’s bartering ways,” says Baryla, who purchased the café in 2007. “I had a difficult time with the concept and thought it was funny money.”

J Bean’s previous owner participated in two barter exchanges — the International Monetary System (IMS), a publicly traded, Wisconsin-based barter company spanning 50 U.S. markets, and Art of Barter, a Chicago area exchange serving approximately 1,400 small business clients in and around the Windy City. When Baryla assumed ownership of the café, he investigated barter fully before determining J Bean’s continued participation.

“I thought it could be frustrating to work within this barter marketplace and also wondered if some of the other businesses would even be open down the road,” he says.

As his barter exploration unraveled, however, Baryla liked what he saw and continued J Bean’s bartering relationships. To date, he’s used barter for restaurant supplies, storage, and employee incentive gifts as well as personal trips to resort towns in Illinois and Wisconsin.

“Barter was not only worth keeping but expanding,” Baryla says.

For many of the nation’s café owners like Baryla, barter has emerged a compelling piece of the business environment. Given the U.S. economy’s tumult and a related decrease in consumer spending, barter has gained notoriety and favor among small business owners seeking to keep cash on hand, generate business, move inventory, and secure new customers.

“If you have a business, you can barter and reap the benefits of trade,” IMS president Don Mardak says.

Independent Bartering
From the Romans to the Greeks to the American farmer and the modern-day coffee shop owner, bartering spans generations and geography. Historically, barter took the form of direct trade — two people having a mutual need at a common time for products and services of related value.

Though direct trade can be difficult to accomplish in today’s fast-paced world, many small businesses retain the practice, foregoing any membership in a third-party barter exchange to find their own trade partners.

Amy Comerchero runs Amy’s Bakery Arts Café in Brattleboro, Vermont and has bartered with a number of local businesses over her café’s 10-year existence, including an electrician, a nearby clothing boutique, and her acupuncturist, a lunchtime regular.

“I’ve found only good things through barter and enjoy doing exchange,” Comerchero says. “It’s about everyone sharing their gifts — I can do for you and you can do for me, which is so uplifting.”

The direct trade challenge of finding a matching partner, she says, has been minimized by Brattleboro’s neighborly ways, the community’s barter openness, and a pinch of good fortune.

“I’ve been lucky to have found services and goods that I want and that we have enough food here to meet [the trading partner’s] needs. For us, we’ve been blessed that it’s a workable system,” says Comerchero.

The same direct trade spirit resonates at ChocoLate Coffee, an eight-year-old shop in Atlanta.

Owner Vera Bettin met Nick Villaume, a local Web site developer, when Villaume coached her son’s soccer team. The two soon learned they had professional experiences and services to offer one another. In return for Villaume performing regular Web site updates, ChocoLate provides space for Villaume to conduct business meetings, while offering free Internet time and drinks, a barter arrangement managed by the store’s POS-controlled loyalty card.

Bettin has fashioned similar barter relationships with a range of businesses, including plumbing, signage, graphic design, and artists, whose personal work lines ChocoLate’s walls. When hiring a contractor, she’ll often ask if they’re open to barter.

“I enjoy bartering because I don’t have cash leaving my account, which is so important as a small business owner, and because it fosters a collegial relationship with fellow business owners and service providers,” Bettin says.

Bartering with a Third-Party Exchange
Yet for many small businesses, cafes included, direct trade fails to deliver on barter’s optimal benefits — never mind the concerns over drawing the ire of the IRS, navigating testy disputes when one side fails to deliver, and record keeping blunders that could allow product to walk out the door.

For many, a third-party barter exchange is the only way to go in the barter game.

Functioning on a model much like eBay, barter exchanges serve as a forum to sell goods and services, while also functioning as a clearinghouse for trades, processing transactions and maintaining records for each business. At year’s end, most exchanges distribute Form 1099-B, which lists a café’s total trades for the year and appeases the IRS’s desire for accountability.

The U.S. hosts approximately 200 trade exchanges, many confined to a local area. Services on the exchange can range from restaurants, often the most popular target of trade dollars, to printing and advertising, car washes and window washers, landscapers and tradesmen, HVAC and hotels.

“This secondary economy has almost all of the services the yellow pages has,” says Mardak, whose IMS claims 16,000 individual businesses across the nation.
Pete Berres of Berres Brothers Coffee, a Watertown, Wisconsin-based café shop and regional coffee roaster, joined IMS in the mid-1990s to introduce his product to new clientele. In subsequent years, he’s become a major barter proponent and user, utilizing his barter dollars for travel, promotional items, employee incentives, catering, and store supplies, including a cash register.

“Our product is an easy one to barter — it’s in high demand and easy to ship — so we’re able to build up a strong account,” Berres says.

For their part in providing barter partners and clearinghouse functions, exchanges amass some mix of a membership fee, monthly charge, and a percentage of the transaction’s value. The IMS, for instance, collects a one-time $695 membership fee, a monthly service fee that varies by market ($19.50 in the Chicago area, for example), and a 6 percent transaction fee. Berres estimates that he spends $200-1,000 each month on barter transactions.

“You have to realize there’s an expense here and that you’re giving away product that could be sold for cash,” he says. “The key is in finding the right balance for your business between trade and real dollars and not letting those barter dollars grow indefinitely.”

Before entering an exchange, Baryla urges his coffee shop colleagues to do their own investigation. Speak with participating businesses to assess their experience, make sure the exchange is legit with the Better Business Bureau, peruse its client list to ensure it has worthwhile trade partners, and request a trial period, an inquiry many exchanges will accommodate.

“If you don’t like it,” Baryla says, “you always have the opportunity to spend your trade dollars and bow out.”

Barter Benefits
At J Bean, Baryla collects about $12,000 in barter dollars annually, a fraction of his café’s $360,000 income, but a viable and important slice of business. Many share Baryla’s sentiment, as barter allows an operation to keep cash on hand, differentiate itself from the competition, move excess product, fill down times, and gain valuable buying power.

Third-party exchanges, in particular, become marketing vehicles to publicize businesses. Individuals seeking to cash their barter dollars will often peruse available barter partners before utilizing cash.

“If I’m going to purchase something myself, I’m checking barter first,” Baryla confirms, a common response from barter participants that drives business at barter-practicing establishments throughout the country.

Yet, J Bean benefits on the reverse end as well.

“We get sales — transactions we never would have had — solely because we are involved with barter and the customer chooses to come to us instead of a place where he’d have to use cash,” Baryla says.

Barter participants also keep cash in house, an especially important feature as the business checkbook tightens. Rather than spending money to have the furnace cleaned or sale fliers printed, barter dollars can do the trick.

“When cash flow gets tight, you can still use barter to act on something you need or want,” Berres says, noting that profitability rises with barter.

In addition, cafes can take existing assets — inventory or space — and turn them into usable revenue on the barter system.

“With barter, commodities don’t have to be wasted,” Mardak says.

Perhaps most interesting and beneficial stands the concept of barter leverage, which affords a business owner remarkable buying power. If a café owner uses his barter dollars for a $500 landscaping project, for instance, barter leverage holds that he has not spent $500 cash, but rather a fraction of that amount equal to $500 of the café’s product. As a result, operators are trading products at retail cost for their wholesale investment.

“If your markups are high enough, you can buy things at wholesale cost, which leads to cash savings and showcases the inherent advantage with barter,” Mardak says.

Wanjiru’s Final Blow Floors Kebede (Competitor, October 10, 2010)

And then there were two.

With the $500,000 World Marathon Majors prize on the line, in addition to the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon title, a pair of 23-year-olds, Kenyan Sammy Wanjiru and Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede, engaged in one of the most dramatic duels in marathon history on the streets of Chicago on Sunday morning.

The tandem traded the lead throughout the final two miles, Kebede frequently trying to break the resilient Wanjiru with steady and consistent surges. With 600 meters to go, it was Wanjiru, whose own accelerations had repeatedly been matched by Kebede, who attempted one final push, reverting to his track-running roots with an arm-pumping, ground-eating assault that Kebede’s slight frame and tired body couldn’t match.

“I don’t know where the power came from [for that final surge],” Wanjiru said, grateful that his ultimate attempt to break Kebede succeeded.

Wanjiru’s finishing time of 2:06:24 bested Kebede by 19 seconds, a gap showcasing the definitive and powerful finishing kick Wanjiru displayed. Ethiopian youngster Feyisa Lilesa captured third in 2:08:10 with Kenyan Wesley Korir in fourth at 2:08:44.

Wanjiru’s victory earned him the $75,000 championship prize and virtually assured him of the $500,000 World Marathon Majors title for 2009-2010. Kebede could run the New York City Marathon on November 7, the final event in the World Marathon Major series, to chase the 10-point gap created by Wanjiru’s Chicago victory, though such a feat would be unlikely given the punishing Chicago race and the four-week turnaround.

“Today was a big day. If I lost here, I was finished for the year,” said Wanjiru, who has battled back and knee problems throughout 2010.

Billed as the top field in the race’s 33-year history, the men’s elite field featured the reigning Chicago, London, and Boston champions in Wanjiru, Kebede, and Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, respectively–the first time that trio of reigning champions had assembled at a marathon starting line.

“This was an excellent opportunity to put [a number of] champions together on the same course, all of them at the front end of their careers,” Chicago Marathon executive race director Carey Pinkowski said. “I felt that if we got these guys early, got them training and with their mindset on Chicago, then we’d have a shot at a magnificent race.”

And Pinkowski’s hopes were realized.

The $500,000 World Marathon Majors carrot most certainly impacted race tactics, as Wanjiru and Kebede maintained tabs on one another throughout the race, content to let the pace linger in the 4:50s from the halfway point to mile 19.

Though a pack of nine was in place as the group approached mile 20, Kebede surged with Wanjiru and Lilesa in tow as the pace dropped into the 4:40s and the trio established a 30-second lead on its pursuers by the 35K mark. While Lilesa would drop back over the next 5K, Wanjiru and Kebede’s duel would continue over the final 2K.

“I tried and tried to push several times and my feeling was to win,” Kebede said of his assertive tactics to break the defending Chicago champion. “[But Wanjiru] got recovery and he would come again.”

Former University of Oregon standout Jason Hartmann was the top American, grabbing an eighth-place finish with his 2:11:06 personal best. Though 16th at the halfway point, Hartmann’s steady and conservative race plan, which included an even pace and regular hydration as the heat pushed into the upper 70s, fostered his 63-second improvement.

“I stayed within myself, I never pressed, and I let the race unfold in front of me,” Hartmann said. “This was another opportunity and a good step forward.”

38,132 runners crossed the Chicago Marathon starting line, the largest field in the race’s 33-year history.

'Spelling Bee' D-E-L-I-V-E-R-S at Metropolis (Patch.com, October 17, 2010)

Few of us wish to relive adolescence. And yet, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee places adolescent turmoil at the center of its world, forging a relationship with the audience that sparks empathy and enjoyment at a uniquely adolescent setting—a spelling bee.

Playing at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights, Spelling Bee features six spellers—and four quickly eliminated audience members—competing for a spot in the national spelling bee finals. High on energy and substance, the musical comedy's spelling bee environment--set in a middle school gym complete with Putnam Panther banners and basketball hoop--serves as the ideal meeting ground for the endearing sextet, each of whom possesses eccentricities that challenge even the most flexible of social norms.

With the spelling bee allure heightened by ESPN and ABC broadcasts of the actual annual national competition as well as movies such as Akeelah and the Bee and Spellbound, Spelling Bee's basic premise—middle school students battling in this intellectual challenge—resonates with audiences increasingly seeking quirky, offbeat and hearty looks at the present-day world.
Yet, in a contrast to recent popular productions like Glee and High School Musical, flashy song-and-dance, teen-centric creations that suit today's audio-visual pulse, Spelling Bee's charm resides in its lovable characters.

There is the guarded and stern William Barfee (James Nedrud), an intense, bespectacled lad whose mother tells him he'll be good looking someday and who uses his magic foot to spell words, as well as the lisp-troubled Logainne Schwartzandgrubiennaire (Justine Klein), whose two dads stress winning at all costs and have inspired the youngster to run her elementary school's gay-straight alliance.

There is Marcy Park (Amy Malouf), whose intentional misspelling of camouflage showcases the fragility and sincerity of the bee's competitors, and Chip Tolentino (Ryan Hunt), the Boy Scout whose elimination coincides with the untimely arrival of a puberty-spurred condition.
Each speller comes to the bee with a back story and baggage as compelling and unique as the next, giving the show heart and depth beyond the methods each contestant employs to spell words.

To the show's credit, director Robin Hughes' ensemble cast resists any shallow, stereotypical characterization of these quirky spellers, all of whom might politely be termed outcasts. Rather, each individual cast member creates a well-rounded, robust character grounded in sincerity and optimism, displayed in individual opening numbers that provide necessary background insight.

Patrick Tierney could reduce Leaf Coneybear to an outlandish character plagued by hyperactivity and hypnotic trances, but there's a depth and lovingness to Tierney's portrayal that delivers spunk and makes Coneybear a favorite. Likewise, Kristine Burdi could sink into Olive Ostrovsky's role as a forgotten child, rejecting the optimism, hope and candor that turns the character from depressed to delightful. She does not, however, and Ostrovsky's character becomes heartfelt and honorable for Burdi's effort.

The childish antics of the six spellers are complemented by three well-rounded adult characters: Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Michael Herschberg), the bee's judge, whose improvisational skills bring added laughter; moderator Rona Lisa Peretti (Stephanie Souza), a spelling bee winner turned realtor, who brings a soft voice and calming presence to an environment that risks falling into simple-minded slapstick; and criminal-turned-consoler, Mitch Mahoney (Bear Bellinger), whose community service duties have him handing out juice boxes to eliminated contestants.

Yet, the spirited Spelling Bee experience travels beyond the characters. Celebrated songwriter William Finn's tunes, executed by energetic voices, provide added dimension to the two-hour show, offering balance to the fast-paced dialogue. Audience interaction and pop culture references ground the story in the present. And the Metropolis' cozy theater grants intimacy to a performance that relies on an involved, responsive audience.

The collection of lovable characters, devoted performances, song and dance elevates Spelling Bee to the must-see level with a comedic yet still heartfelt production that makes one's two-hour return to adolescence well worth the investment.

At 30 years, Theology on Tap still going strong (Catholic New World, July 4, 2010)

At a Champaign pizzeria in the spring of 1981, a youthful Tim Leeming pulled Father Jack Wall into a private conversation and offered an impromptu confession.

“Father, I’m doing well here at school academically and socially, but I don’t know why I’m doing the things I’m doing and it seems to me that my faith should be a resource,” the University of Illinois student told the priest.

That modest, innocent conversation set in motion a whirlwind of events that would spark a young adult ministry revolution — first in the Chicago area, then the nation and now the world.

When Wall and his colleagues from St. James returned to the Arlington Heights parish from their campus visit, the group sat down to establish a forum for the deeprooted questions young adults like Leeming held. Wall’s team proposed a summer program — five evenings on five spiritual themes — hoping the series would help young adults draw closer to God.

Someone casually tossed out the title “Theology on Tap,” a name that survives today as the program enters its 30th year in the Archdiocese of Chicago and introduces itself to the worldwide stage.

Immediate results
When Theology on Tap hosted its first event at St. James Parish in June 1981, 200 college-aged guests attended. Immediately, the organizers noted the series’ promise and, even more, the introspective, spiritual elements it inspired.

“We could see right away that this was touching a need. The room was filled with an amazing balance of social energy and theological input,” Wall said.

Early momentum established, Theology on Tap surged forward in the summer of 1981. On the program’s second night, more than 400 attended.

The question then became: Now what?

In the summer of 1982, Wall and his colleagues asked the series’ original five speakers to present at five new archdiocesan locations, thereby sending Theology on Tap’s first ripple in the young adult stream. St. James, meanwhile, hosted five new speakers in its second run. The following summer, Theology on Tap expanded to a dozen Chicago- area sites.

“The best ideas have a simplicity to them and Theology on Tap is like that. It was adaptable and readily replicable and people jumped on board,” Wall said.

Broad vision
Father John Cusick, one of Theology on Tap’s original five speakers, noted the program’s energetic response and impact with an oft-overlooked group. Heading the archdiocese’s young-adult ministry office, Cusick envisioned dioceses across the country holding similar programs and began planting seeds for that transformation. Cusick and his staff, including longtime associate Kate DeVries, began crafting a more formal program and inviting other dioceses to replicate the series.

In 1994, the Diocese of Joliet ran Theology on Tap. Later, the dioceses of Rockford, Gary (Ind.), Milwaukee and Madison (Wis.) adopted the program. Cusick’s office, meanwhile, assembled a manual detailing best practices and presented a program to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002. Regularly, the Chicago office was answering calls from other dioceses eager to establish Theology on Tap.

“When something is good, its momentum grows,” DeVries said. “The young adults responded, the parishes and dioceses responded, and Theology on Tap took off well beyond Chicago.”

By late 2003, Theology on Tap had outgrown its modest Chicago office and its even more ambitious vision. Cusick met with RENEW International, an established faithformation organization based in New Jersey, to discuss folding Theology on Tap into their expansive outreach efforts, a partnership realized on Jan. 1, 2007.

Despite the program’s expansion into 48 states and seven countries, however, Theology on Tap remains a staple of Chicago’s young-adult office. Heading into its 30th year, 215 area sites have hosted nearly 4,200 programs. “We love it and want it to go on forever,” DeVries said.

Answering a need
While Theology on Tap has adopted a post-collegiate focus, it has not veered from its focus on young-adult concerns, chiefly vocational and relational issues. Using faith as the tool, the annual four-week summertime program offers an experience that invites individual introspection in an atmosphere of others exploring the same personal issues of career, love and a meaningful life. It’s offered in a casual environment with promises of food, drinks and socializing.

“The program keeps growing precisely because there is a spiritual hunger in our young adults and an absence of places to feed that hunger in today’s world. Theology on Tap is the answer to this,” DeVries said.

Involved in ministry work during her high school and college years, Cynthia Kogol felt a faith void when she graduated from Loyola University. Struggling to find any spiritually rooted program that addressed her concerns as she entered a new phase in life, her parish priest directed her to Theology on Tap in 2009.

“It’s rewarding to be able to share my faith with others and gain a different perspective on issues, such as Mass and prayer,” the 27-year-old LaGrange resident said.

Now entering its 30th year, Theology on Tap celebrates three decades of fostering personal friendships as well as individual bonds with the church and one’s faith, something that astonishes Wall. “I’m touched that it continues to speak to peoples’ hunger for a spiritual life and reminds us all just how informative faith can be,” Wall said.

The Ultimate Food Fight (October 2010)

Matt Loney isn’t taking anything for granted or ignoring any competitor. He insists he knows better, a product of an early professional education on the restaurant industry’s ebbs and flows.

The youthful president of Stevi B’s, an Atlanta-based pizza-buffet franchise that has earned acclaim for its specialty pizzas, Loney has witnessed grocery stores gain a larger slice of the restaurant pizzeria world’s business.

“Our data shows that people eat pizza six times a month and, on average, they’re getting that pizza from a grocery store well over two of those times, a full point rise from just three years ago,” Loney says. “The grocery store is now almost accounting for half of all pizza consumption.”

Such a reality compelled Loney and his Stevi B’s team to fashion a response that includes highlighting the brand’s specialty pizzas and rethinking the restaurant’s to-go business. At pizzeria offices throughout the nation, similar conversations are occurring as operators seek to regain fleeing business.

“In the last two years, we’ve seen an entire night of pizza consumption shift to the grocery store category,” Loney says. “That alone is reason to be aware and cognizant of the retail sector.”
Yet, this is not pizza’s battle alone.

In grocery stores across America, prepared and ready-to-eat meals are gobbling up share—not at a breakneck pace, but at enough of a clip to spark trepidation. From chicken to Chinese egg rolls, macaroni and cheese to meat loaf, pasta to pot roast, America’s grocery stores are expanding their culinary horizons, directly pursuing the foodservice dollar while touting the convenience of retail for other personal purchases.

A recent report from market research firm Packaged Facts titled “Prepared Foods and Ready-to-Eat Foods at Retail: The New Competition to Foodservice” noted grocery’s gain amid the restaurant industry’s recessionary struggles. As consumers shifted from spending at restaurants to saving dollars and dining at home, supermarkets pounced with more diverse ready-to-eat offerings, competitive prices, and one-stop-shop positioning.

Half of the report’s nearly 1,900 U.S. respondents said they were more likely to eat dinner at home today than three months ago—with nearly one-third doing so “a lot more.” Meanwhile, 64 percent said they purchased a prepared meal from a grocery store within the last month.

“Prepared foods are a retail offering that’s come into its own,” says David Morris, the report’s chief analyst. “It’s definitely entered the mainstream from the foodservice perspective and achieved great strides in terms of quality, breadth of offerings, and major players to make it more competitive.”

The study’s findings highlight the grocery channel’s direct assault on quick service, an onslaught that’s gaining momentum. Projections are that prepared meal sales will reach $14 billion in 2011, a 7 percent jump over 2010.

“I don’t think there’s reason to panic, because to some extent we’ve always competed with grocery for a share of the stomach,” Loney says. “At the same time, we can’t deny that the grocery stores are competition and the quick-service segment has to be willing to evolve. If quick-service leaders aren’t aware of grocery stores’ efforts, they certainly should be.”

The intensifying competition has inspired confidence in grocery channels, many of whom tout the segment’s vast potential and continue to experiment in the relatively young field. Although not a new battle, it’s surely an escalating one.

“Retail should definitely be on the radar of any restaurant operator,” Morris says. “It’s a competitor that can, will, and is stealing share, as consumers use prepared food as a substitute for the restaurant meal.”

Competition Heats Up
Although grocery stores began flirting with prepared meals as early as the 1970s, the last decade witnessed the most intense and rapid growth. Well before the recent economic shift, grocers activated more robust and attractive prepared meal programs to lure in consumers craving convenience, value, variety, and healthier choices. In many cases, grocers altered their deli service models and renovated stores to reflect their new focus on consumers claiming neither the time nor interest to cook.

“The grocers saw restaurants taking more market share and people turning away from their retail stores, so they made an aggressive play to get back in the game by championing convenience, which is what these prepared meals are all about,” says Suzanne Long, a retail practice leader with New York–based SSA & Company.

Publix, a grocery chain based in the South, is one such player. Focusing on two-career families and time-starved customers, the supermarket upped its investment in ready-to-eat meals a decade ago, creating a variety of prepared food offerings, such as steaks, seafood, chicken, and sandwiches.

“Over time, we grew the category based on trends and diversified our offerings to meet consumer desires,” Publix spokeswoman Dwaine Stevens says.

With positive consumer response, the movement accelerated at grocery stores—big and small, private and public—across the country. Even amid recessionary pressures, the play has been a positive one for the grocery segment. From February 2009 to February 2010, grocery stores, long mired in decline, welcomed 4 percent sales growth.

“Today, the grocery channel embraces the prepared meals idea precisely because it has driven sales in a positive direction,” says Steve Johnson, the head of Foodservice Solutions in Tacoma, Washington. “Even more, they’ve realized that they can build consumer loyalty by serving fresh food.”

Johnson, who blogs about the so-called “grocerant” segment and serves as an industry consultant, says grocery stores have done a strong job of positioning their ready-to-eat products as healthier alternatives to restaurant fare.

“Many options are fresh, sustainable, and local, all of which creates a perception of healthy,” he says.

Indeed, prepared grocery store offerings have evolved from their primitive roots with rotisserie chicken and potato salad. Today’s leading grocery stores, and even a few local players, have created a litany of ready-to-eat options well beyond the norm.

Market District offers a line of smoothies. Buehler’s Fresh Food features crab cakes and beef burgundy on its rotating “Dinner for 2” menu. Dean & DeLuca provides a salmon chowder, while Metropolitan Market sells homemade comfort foods like turkey pot pie. Safeway’s Lifestyle stores host sandwich and sushi stations. Publix offers ready-to-eat kids meals and, in one newer Florida location, a 4,500-square-foot culinary-prepared food experience with more than 80 entrées, including kung pao scallops and cedar-plank salmon.

“There are more choices than ever and that’s real empowerment,” Johnson says. “Overall, the restaurants overlooked the reality of this momentum and how it allowed households to bundle. The grocery channel can offer something compelling and powerful to consumers.”

Perhaps no chain, however, has better characterized the grocerant growth than Whole Foods, the world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods. Whole Foods positions meal stations throughout its stores, many of which capitalize on the company’s fresh image by offering regional fare.

“You might walk into a Whole Foods at dinner time and the aisles might be empty, but there will be a crowd at those meal stations,” Johnson says.

This is not a passing trend, Johnson says, but rather a swelling competitive reality. He points to a number of supermarket brands creating private-label items to jolt their prepared-meal offerings, as well as convenience stores, which are joining the prepared meals game as well. Later this year, Walgreens will trial individual prepared meals, such as wraps and soups, at many of its outlets.

For Publix and many of its supermarket brethren, the year-over-year growth has spurred continued investment and experimentation.

“There’s customer demand and popularity here,” Stevens says. “Consumers are flocking to these venues to take care of their household’s needs, and we want to fulfill their expectations.”

All of this attention to foodservice comes at a fortuitous time for grocery stores.

“Grocery stores provide supplementary food products and that can keep the customer in-house even as the recession wanes,” Morris says. “That’s an important consideration here as we move forward.”

Defense to Offense
In late July, the NPD Group, which has been tracking in-home eating habits and foodservice trends over the last 30 years, projected that the need for prepared meals would continue to grow over the next decade. Driven largely by convenience, the report surmised, restaurants and supermarkets both have opportunity to claim the consumer’s dollar.

Generating restaurant business, however, will not happen by accident.

Morris says restaurants must enhance their value proposition with price and quality messaging, customer-service initiatives, and convenience to maintain their relevance with consumers. Fundamentally, quick serves must ensure that their menus can compete on value and quality, the two most prevalent factors in consumer eating decisions. For $10 at a grocery store, a customer can purchase a rotisserie chicken, two side dishes, bread, and a drink. Quick serves will need to match that value proposition to ward off this challenge.

“As an operator, you have to recognize that people can and will go elsewhere,” Morris says.

To defend their quick-service brands, operators will have to migrate with a customer that is dynamic, not static. Stevi B’s Loney and his team have investigated building a separate to-go window, simplifying online ordering, and launching aggressive marketing initiatives, such as bounce-back offers to spur to-go sales, all efforts to counter grocery’s competitive momentum.
Additional quick-service solutions include selling at various distribution points, creating smaller units, and licensing. Take-and-bake options, which allow consumers to enjoy a restaurant-quality meal in minutes at home, also offer opportunity.

“In today’s crazy world, dinner doesn’t happen when everyone expects it to,” Long says. “The question becomes: What can restaurants do to appease consumer lifestyles?”

An additional key, Morris says, resides in restaurants offering items that consumers are drawn to and which cannot be easily replicated. That’s why Loney feels confident that Stevi B’s can withstand the supermarket assault in the short and long term.

“We have pizzas you can’t get anywhere else, so that’s a real advantage,” he says, pointing to his specialty offerings like the Macaroni and Cheese Pizza and Loaded Baked Potato Pizza as prime examples. “By better informing our customers, we can make a dent in the business we’re losing to grocery stores.”

One unusual solution Long sees is the opportunity for collaboration, specifically to make restaurant-branded products available in supermarkets. Publix recently opened a Carrabba’s Italian Market in its Sarasota, Florida, outlet—a relationship filled with optimism for both the grocer and the casual-dining chain.

“This is an underutilized spot with plenty of opportunity,” Long says. “Why can’t there be the Taco Bell taco bar, KFC-branded chicken and cole slaw, or branded barbecue ribs in the service delis? There’s an opportunity here to leverage the restaurant brand in the grocery store to draw more customers in.”

Such partnerships are something Stevi B’s pursued, but ultimately rejected. Loney cited the supermarkets’ cash-for-product-placement initiatives and fears about cannibalizing the product and sparking tension with franchisees as pressing concerns he could not overcome.

“You weigh all of this out and you see that it’s just not a viable option, and our energy is better placed elsewhere to grow the top line,” Loney says.

Amid the intensifying competition, quick-service restaurants can take solace in one reality: This is no slam dunk for the grocery stores. The customer coming in solely for a prepared meal is far from the norm, as supermarket visits are still driven by the need to shop for a variety of items.
More importantly, supermarkets have struggled with supply chain issues, portion size, and shelf life, trailing well behind restaurants in operational efficiency and the ability to collectively leverage convenience, location, quality, and value. Many supermarkets are looking at brand advantage and are often unwilling to pursue the operational advantages that could propel them to new heights, Long says.

“And ultimately, this could be their downfall and lead to many struggles,” she says.
But for Loney, and many other quick-service operators, the battle rages on. Solutions are sought, new avenues pursued, and counterattacks launched. Nothing can be taken for granted.

Sidebar: Now even Walgreens is competition?
In August, Walgreens unveiled its new expanded food selection in 10 Chicago communities identified as food deserts, or areas that lack access to basic foods necessary to maintain a healthy diet. The company redesigned the stores, located on Chicago’s South and West Sides, to include more than 750 new food items, including fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meats and fish, pasta, rice, beans, eggs, whole grain cereals, and other meal components.

“We immediately made a commitment to seek solutions for offering these communities more fresh and healthy food options,” says Mark Wagner, Walgreens executive vice president of operations and community management.

Walgreens is also reviewing opportunities to bring its expanded food selection to other food deserts across the country.

“We know this issue is not exclusive to Chicago,” Wagner says. “We have more locations in America’s underserved communities than any other retailer. That makes us well positioned to play a role in addressing this important need beyond Chicago.”

From the grounds up: The future of fair trade (U.S. Catholic, November 2010)

Sunday Mass has ended at St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church in Fairfax, Virginia, and parishioners are filing out. Deb Caskey stands in waiting, a smile on her face, a mission in her soul, and a table filled with coffee and chocolate at her side.

It's "Fair Trade Sunday" at St. Mary's, and Caskey is in overdrive.

There's a ripple effect to the day's purchases, Caskey explains. The coffee comes from farmer cooperatives in Africa and Latin America, while the chocolate comes from Ghana. The purchase of a fair trade product today, Caskey reminds her fellow parishioners, helps create life-changing opportunities for poor producers and their communities in these nations. Fair trade allows front-line workers to earn a "fair" wage by cutting out the usual mechanisms of trade that divert income from the producers.

"The Holy Spirit churned in me to get more connected," Caskey says of the fair trade sales she runs at St. Mary's at least six times each year. "You feel your work helps build better lives."
Caskey's journey into the fair trade world has been one of reflection and purpose.

In November 2008 she and her husband traveled to Costa Rica, one of Central America's purported "wealthier" nations. "But I only saw extreme poverty over and over," she says. "That trip opened my eyes and made me even more committed to fair trade."

Seeing poverty firsthand, she says, opened her eyes to ways in which she could be a more responsible consumer at home. She soon began evangelizing as a Catholic Relief Services fair trade ambassador for the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia as well.

"Catholic social teaching tells us the life and dignity of the human being is foremost. We are all called to serve and help, and fair trade is one way to make that happen," Caskey says.

Though few question the goal of fair trade--lifting people out of poverty--the movement's long-term viability stands on wobbly legs even amidst year-over-year growth. As the fair trade movement seeks mainstream acceptance and broader social and economic justice, many wonder if it can become anything more than a niche market.

Economics with altruism
Thanks to fair trade, Fredis Paez, a worker on the El Antojo banana farm in Colombia, and his wife were able to open a local store. This once-unimaginable act for the laborer was made possible by an 80 percent rise in income along with a microloan. Paez's story is typical of fair trade programs, which traditionally have involved agricultural products.

Fair trade organizations approach development as a holistic process, not just a pricing mechanism. They cultivate direct relationships with workers in developing countries, shortening a product's journey from the producer's hands to the store shelf--or church sale--and eliminating the various "middlemen" found in conventional trading. More of a product's purchase price reaches front-line workers, allowing people like Paez to see their incomes rise.

Often, but not always, fair trade products carry an above-market price. Consumers are willing to pay more for the knowledge that proceeds are channeled back into the farmers' hands and communities, creating broader social change.

As core principles of fair trade, worker cooperatives receive a guaranteed floor price for their products, enjoy safe working conditions and living wages, and negotiate direct, long-term contracts with international buyers.

Cooperatives also democratically decide how to invest the trade premiums--a sum of money paid on top of the agreed-upon fair trade price to fund academic, social, or health development projects. At El Antojo banana farm, for instance, the premiums funded the microloan program that helped Paez start his own store. Increased income allows families to meet basic needs, keep children in school, and remain on their land, thereby improving quality of life and allowing them to take greater control of their futures.

The fair trade movement was largely driven by the Mennonite Central Committee in the United States after World War II, but 15 years ago Catholic Relief Services (CRS), noting fair trade's alignment with Catholic social teaching, created an office dedicated to the issue. "Fair trade [is] one avenue to help Catholics live their lives in solidarity and continue the drive for the common good and human dignity," says Jackie DeCarlo, CRS's senior program advisor for economic justice.

Not just church sales
Church folks aren't the only ones in the fair trade marketplace these days. In recent years, fair trade momentum has accelerated. Fair trade-certified coffee constituted little more than 2 million pounds of U.S. imports in 1999; a decade later the United States imported nearly 110 million pounds.

Fair trade has expanded from its coffee origins to include other goods as well: fruit, tea, cocoa, sugar, cotton, jewelry, sports balls, wine, and flowers. In late 2010, TransFair USA, the nation's leading independent, third-party certifier of fair trade products, welcomed fair trade apparel. The garments, made with Indian and Peruvian cotton, extend fair trade's agricultural objectives into the manufacturing world, a significant milestone for the movement.

Thanks to emerging relationships with leading retailers such as Whole Foods, Costco, Walmart, and a host of socially responsible small businesses, U.S. consumers today can choose from more than 6,000 products sourced from 58 nations. In 2009 alone, TransFair USA-certified goods generated $1.2 billion in U.S. sales, a 7 percent rise over 2008, distributing more than $14 million to 865 worker organizations to fund various community development projects, including schools and hospitals.

"When people know the back story, fair trade becomes far more intriguing," TransFair USA spokesperson Stacy Wagner says.

The movement's momentum shows no signs of slowing, particularly as socially conscious consumers surface as a growing and vocal contingent and businesses jump on board.

In 2009 Starbucks purchased 39 million pounds of fair trade coffee, doubled from 2008. Dunkin' Donuts, which had long been using fair trade espresso beans but not marketing its alliance, began sharing its fair trade story on cups, igniting consumer awareness. Ice cream giant Ben and Jerry's, an enthusiastic fair trade advocate, recently announced that 100 percent of its products, from its Cherry Garcia dark chocolate to its Chunky Monkey walnuts, would be certified fair trade by 2013, a decision that will drive conversions with its producers and suppliers.

Despite positive growth, fair trade products still only represent a fraction of available offerings to U.S. consumers. Experts say that fair trade must maintain its push into the mainstream market, collecting ethical consumers and working with brands to educate consumers. "But this all takes time, innovative brands, and retailers," Wagner says. The certification of fair trade coffee has only been aound for 11 years, tea for seven years. "The longer these categories are in existence, the better."

Small is beautiful
In south Florida Jorge Malo runs Fasanis, an upstart Internet business selling handmade soaps. In early 2009 Malo began seeking a way to further distinguish his products and landed upon a fair trade cooperative in Zimbabwe that created handmade paper. Their products, Malo thought, could serve as the packaging for Fasanis' soaps, sharing both the story of his company and fair trade, a movement in which Malo saw virtuous, worthy components.

"My wife and I went on our honeymoon to Zimbabwe, so we've seen the struggles of these people," Malo says. "We thought this partnership could be a win-win for everyone."
The entrepreneurial Malo quickly learned that fair trade had its limits. First, a lack of financing in fair trade communities limited their growth in an independent, sustainable manner. Second, the communities had little practical knowledge of the Western marketing and business process.
And finally, communities struggled to increase their productivity to a level at which greater volume could create a more competitive price.

"The community on one side and the buyers on the other don't necessarily work together," Malo says. "It's difficult for us to continue paying for this premium product and then expect the end consumers to absorb the costs as well. We'll keep trying, but I'm seeing some real limitations."

Furthermore, Malo and many others contend, a compelling story alone is not enough in the American "bang-for-the-buck" marketplace, which resists the higher cost for an unseen benefit half a world away.

Then, of course, there is the argument from free trade proponents that fair trade disrupts the very economies it vies to assist. Some critics forecast that fair trade's ignorance of market rates could ratchet up the price of the world's food supply, thereby demanding a larger portion of household income from the workers the movement aims to support. Detractors say free, open trade will better translate into increased national welfare, along with better prices for consumers.

"The fair trade movement has hung its marketing plan on the stories of the people that fair trade helps, but price and quality concerns generally win out in the end," says Christopher Kent, a futurist with Foresight Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm specializing in global consumer issues.

In the midst of a recession, economic pressures threaten to further thwart fair trade's growth, particularly among lower and middle-class consumers, who are unlikely to embrace fair trade's premium prices. TransFair USA acknowledges that ethical buying rises in proportion to discretionary income. As a result, fair trade's momentum relies on those with the means to be premium buyers, a minority of the American population.

"As a culture, we're very interested in getting the best deal, and that's a hurdle for fair trade to climb in any economic climate," DeCarlo says. Still, DeCarlo sees an opportunity with the recession for reflection to prompt solidarity, spurring individuals and families to assess their budgets. "Consumers can consider consumption and how they can be more conscious," she says. "How can we use our income well and form the right relationships so that our dollar has more impact?"

Brand confusion
Working with TransFair USA, San Francisco-based marketer Mortar Agency took a group of self-identified ethical consumers to Whole Foods and asked the shoppers to pull fair trade products. The result: confusion.

"There's been a lot of time devoted to talking about the farmers who are thousands of miles away, but there was really no push to connect directly with the consumer, and that's been a limiting factor," Mortar's Mark Williams says. If fair trade is to accomplish its ambitious objectives, Williams argues, the fair trade community at large needs to concentrate on the consumer experience.

"These are the people who will spread the word about fair trade, but even they were a bit in the dark. This has to change, allowing the consumer to discern what's real and what's marketing jargon," Williams says.

Recognition of the fair trade label in the United States hovers near 30 percent. Even fair trade ambassador Caskey, however, worries that fair trade might become more slogan than substance as it goes mainstream."The more I learn the more I want to question: Are the farmers getting the money? Are they being treated fairly?" Caskey says. "Hopefully we're helping farmers stay afloat and providing the dignity of work that is so central to the human existence. That's the root of fair trade and, hopefully where it will remain."

While aggressive efforts from TransFair USA and other credible organizations are being made to unify fair trade messaging, the term's adoption by corporate marketing mavens threatens to derail the progress. "In trying to enter the mainstream," DeCarlo contends, "companies that have embraced the certification might not always embrace fair trade standards, while consumers have likewise struggled to understand the standards reflected through the label."

With ethical consumerism on the rise, fair trade can be seen as a corporate ploy into one's wallet. In 2009 a study commissioned by TransFair USA found that 93 percent of so-called ethical consumers reported a positive perception of the host brand when the fair trade-certified label was present. Such a high number offers fuel to corporations seeking inroads to a growing demographic willing to pay above-market prices for the promises-albeit unseen, in the vast majority of cases-of fair trade.

As an example, Wagner of TransFair USA cites Starbucks, which only reluctantly entered the fair trade movement in 2000. Though the Seattle-based coffee giant now purchases more fair trade coffee than anyone, fair trade-certified blends represent a fraction of the company's total volume. Most of its coffee--81 percent in 2009--is certified by another process called C.A.F.E. (Coffee and Farmer Equity) Practices. Even so, Starbucks enjoys the benefit from aligning itself with the fair trade movement.

"In this way, perception becomes reality," DeCarlo says. She believes the large-scale corporate outlook runs counter to fair trade's small-scale production model.

Insincerity from retailers, if even in perception alone, could sidetrack the movement.

Fast forwarding fair trade
With room to grow in both market penetration and products, the fair trade system can benefit from consistent scrutiny and a holistic outlook.

"Catholic Relief Services is clear that fair trade is but one part of people leading more fair and full lives, but we shouldn't overstate it," DeCarlo says. "Sound governance and infrastructure are of central importance."

In a decade, fair trade skeptic Kent believes, fair trade will have increased its market share a few points but will flatline thereafter.

"In spite of the evangelicalism of the fair trade movement, there's nothing to indicate it will ever be more than a niche market," Kent says. "It's not for lack of effort, but simply that the entire Western mercantile system works against it."

Fair trade products, as Malo's story shows, are limited to a specific scale simply by the way cooperatives produce their goods. "There's only so much these workers can produce in a year," Kent says.

Ultimately, fair trade's mainstream success resides in a balance between capitalist business objectives and activist outreach tied to the ethical concerns that inspired its creation. Such is the only way, its loudest proponents argue, that fair trade can ensure a better, more ethical, and human future.

Design for the Big Time: Latest Stadiums Mix History, Technology and Intimate Fan Experience (Recreation Management, July 2010)

Watching the game is no longer enough.

Today's homes for professional sports and big-time college teams have dropped cookie-cutter expectations and reached for sharp, innovative features that bring fans closer to the game, embrace history and tradition, and inject 21st-century marvels into the design. From field suites and interactive spaces to skyline views, party decks and team museums, recent stadiums increasingly have moved the needle from a place to merely watch a game to a cozy space delivering an experience.

These are not your grandfather's—or even your father's—stadiums. The latest sports and entertainment venues to grace the American landscape are packed with flair and punch, style and substance.

TCF Bank Stadium
Location: Minneapolis
Home Team: University of Minnesota football
Opened: August 2009
Seating: 50,000, including 36 suites, 55 to 60 loge boxes, 1,150 outdoor club seats and 300 indoor club seats

Football returned to the University of Minnesota campus after a nearly 30-year hiatus when TCF Bank Stadium debuted last season. Upon opening, the stadium was registered to become the nation's first LEED Certified collegiate football stadium.

TCF Bank Stadium's brick facade perimeter wall with arched portals reflects the team's former home—the on-campus Memorial Stadium. The horseshoe-shaped bowl is oriented to the west, allowing fans to enjoy scenic views of the campus and downtown Minneapolis, while information about both the university and the state is showcased throughout the facility.

Year-round functionality drove the design. The open end zone features the "Tribal Nations Plaza," a gathering place to celebrate the state of Minnesota and the Golden Gophers' program throughout the year. A 25,000-square-foot stadium club, meanwhile, also is available for year-round use as is the walkway created by a 360-degree colonnade.

"Collegiate football is game day; it's the traditions and the band, the cheerleaders and the school colors and the pride," said Scott Radecic, senior principal with Populous, a global design practice. "Our task was to collect all that emotion and design a building that could hold it all."

Target Field
Location: Minneapolis
Home Team: Minnesota Twins
Opened: April 2010
Seating: 40,000, including 60 suites

After 28 years in the sterile Metrodome, Target Field, spotted just north of downtown Minneapolis, represents the Twins first modern baseball home. Reflecting Minnesota's dynamic blend of urban sophistication and rugged outdoor vitality, the new $550 million ballpark's design uses materials drawn from the state's granite and limestone cliffs, incorporates Minnesota fir trees, and uses regional workers and resources.

Covering 1 million square feet, Target Field affords views of the Minneapolis skyline throughout the entire main grandstand. "Knotholes" along the side of the ballpark allow fans to peek in on the game's action from outside the park. A 101-foot-by-57-foot HD screen, among the largest in Major League Baseball, offers an undeniable 21st-century vibe.

While some have derided the decision to build an outdoor stadium in Minneapolis without a retractable roof to handle the area's volatile weather, many others have praised the stadium's embrace of baseball's natural setting. Though the city's northern cold will likely infiltrate some games, the design includes heated concessions, restrooms and lounge areas on each level, as well as an upper-deck canopy that provides added protection from the elements.

"Target Field is baseball's most urban ballpark, and we had to create the ballpark to make the city," said Earl Santee, senior principal and board member for Populous. "Target Field was the bridge builder—bridges that connect the ballpark to downtown and to the west side, and that's the only way we could make the site work…. It's that seamless connection between ballpark and city that made this project a success."

Yankee Stadium
Location: New York
Home Team: New York Yankees
Opened: April 2009
Seating: 52,325, including 56 luxury suites and 410 party suites

In replacing the original Yankee Stadium, a shrine to baseball lore, the pressure was on Kansas City-based Populous to create a facility that mixed the club's storied history with modern amenities.

To duplicate and even extend the charm of "The House That Ruth Built," the design of the new Yankee Stadium included trademark elements from the original 1923 ballpark, such as the limestone exterior, the manually operated auxiliary scoreboard, and the signature frieze that crowned the upper deck.

The stadium also integrates high-tech features, including: a distributed antenna system, which provides increased wireless reception; 1,400 video monitors placed throughout the stadium with the Yankees able to deliver exclusive content; a 59-foot-by-100-foot HD video board in center field; and luxury suites equipped with touch screens allowing fans to order anything from a hot dog to a Derek Jeter jersey.

After its opening in April 2009, the $1.5 billion stadium, which covers more than 1.4 million square feet, was commended for its spirited combination of old-world charm and modern-day flair.

"Yankee Stadium is a ballpark for the future with a soul of the past," Santee said. "Monument Park, the outfield bleachers, a new Great Hall—these are all special places where fans can gather and share the experience of what it means to be a Yankee fan."

Citi Field
Location: New York
Home Team: New York Mets
Opened: April 2009
Seating: 42,000, including 54 suites

With the opening of Citi Field for the 2009 baseball season, the Mets, long the second team in a two-team town, once again battled the Yankees for headlines. Citi Field, however, earned plenty of its own acclaim.

A blend of modern-day comforts and historic charm, including the Mets' legendary Home Run Apple, the Queens-based Citi Field mixes brick, limestone, granite and cast stone to create a dramatic design. The stadium's main entry is highlighted by the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, a space reminiscent of historic Ebbets Field, the beloved former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Most notably, the stadium brings new life to game day for fans and players alike. Contoured seating brings spectators closer to the action with nearly half of the stadium's 42,000 seats (15,000 less than the Mets' former Shea Stadium home) in the lower concourse. The Fan Fest family entertainment area, an outfield picnic area, multiple party decks and an interactive Mets museum all invite family-friendly entertainment. Citi Field also hosts five clubs and restaurants.

"Citi Field is a direct reflection of Mets fans," said Ben Barnert, senior principal with Populous. "It's a warm ballpark, an intimate ballpark full of references to what makes New York such a grand city that creates an energy that will draw Mets fans back time and again."

Cowboys Stadium
Location: Arlington, Texas
Home Team: Dallas Cowboys
Opened: June 2009
Seating: 80,000 for football with potential to hold more than 100,000; includes 300 suites, 48 at field level

For the design of the new Cowboys Stadium, arguably the most anticipated and hyped stadium in years, Dallas-based HKS Inc. combined modern, progressive architecture alongside elements of the old Texas Stadium's heritage, such as the shape of the roof's opening and the Ring of Honor.

The $1.1 billion Cowboys Stadium hosts a range of innovative design features, including: a 660,800-square-foot retractable roof supported by two monumental metallic arches; the world's largest retractable end zone doors; an 86-foot-high canted glass exterior wall; a pair of end zone plazas that serve as year-round gathering spaces; and sideline field suites. The highlight of Cowboys Stadium, however, is the much-discussed center-hung, four-sided HD video board, which covers 160 feet and extends between the two 20-yard lines.

Covering 73 acres and 3 million square feet, the expansiveness of the stadium is countered by a fan-friendly viewing environment. From the HD video board and open end zone viewing platforms to suites that are closer to the field than any other NFL venue, the new Cowboys Stadium was designed with the fan in mind.

"The Cowboys are one of the most recognized sports brands in the world, and the challenge was to replicate that popularity," said Mark Williams, principal with HKS. "We worked to understand the DNA of the Cowboys and to create a unique venue that replicated the Cowboys spirit, which has been an innovative team of firsts."

New Meadowlands Stadium
Location: East Rutherford, N.J.
Home Teams: New York Giants, New York Jets
Opening: April 2010
Seating: 82,500

When plans for a new football stadium in Manhattan for the Jets faltered, the franchise and its architect, Kansas City-based 360 Architecture, paired with its New York competitor, the Giants and Philadelphia's EwingCole, to build a modern stadium for the city's two NFL teams—a challenging venture in that the design had to appease two distinct ownership groups and fan bases.

The New Meadowlands Stadium claims a "neutral" design that can easily adapt to each team's needs and identity. The stadium pioneers the "cornerstone" concept, in which the four corners of the stadium have been sold to sponsors who have been given the leeway to create environments and experiences aligned with their own image and business objectives.

Above all, however, the design focused on creating a fan-centric facility, a reality accomplished with clear and direct sightlines, a tight seating bowl to foster an intense and intimate connection with the on-field action, and an array of premium seating options. The stadium also features state-of-the-art technology highlighted by four 128-foot-by-30-foot LED corner scoreboards.

"Above all, this stadium had to be about football—the Giants and the Jets and the creation of an intimidating venue," said George Heinlein, senior principal with 360 Architecture. "Hosting two NFL teams, the building had to have a neutral color scheme and exterior design so that the teams could customize the stadium on game days."

Louisville Arena
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Home Team: University of Louisville basketball
Opening: November 2010
Seating: 22,000 (basketball) and 16,000 (hockey), including 72 suites and four party suites

The Louisville Arena Authority sought a flexible, dynamic and contemporary facility to serve as the home court of the University of Louisville's basketball team as well as to preserve the ability to host to a plethora of other athletic and entertainment events. The development of the 7.5-acre downtown site characterizes Louisville's continued urban renaissance.

The Louisville Arena stands as an ode to sturdy design and contemporary flair. Limestone panels clad the lower portion of the exterior walls, a tactile connection to the carved bridge pylons flanking the entry to the Clark Memorial Bridge, while a more contemporary materiality of glass curtainwall and taut aluminum skin lightens the appearance. A dramatic wing-like roof caps the composition, contributing to Louisville's emerging skyline.

The waterfront project also features a number of sustainable elements, including: preservation of green space; use of existing infrastructure, utilities and roads; high-efficiency mechanical systems; and the use of low-emitting and renewable materials.

"Louisville Arena was designed as a centerpiece of downtown Louisville's renaissance," said Brad Clark, senior designer with Populous. "Its exterior represents movement and motion, much like a Cardinal in flight. The arena's roof is a sweeping form, and an expansive glass feature symbolizes the falls of Ohio. Inside, the building honors the Kentucky heritage of bluegrass, bourbon and basketball."

Consol Energy Center
Location: Pittsburgh
Home Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Opening: August 2010
Seating: 18,374 for hockey, including 65 suites, four party suites and 1,962 club seats

The new Pittsburgh Penguins arena uses exterior materials distinct to the Pennsylvania region yet consciously different from those of the adjacent Epiphany Church, an iconic piece of the Steel City's landscape.

Dramatic architecture is central to the design. A glazed circulation spine creates a striking architectural element that celebrates movement while simultaneously injecting a vivid marker into the night skyline. From inside, the spine affords guests dramatic views of the adjacent church and downtown skyline.

The Consol Energy Center, which will open as the first LEED-Certified NHL arena, claims a flexible seating bowl that will allow it to accommodate a wide range of sports and entertainment events. In addition, the arena will include two restaurants and a 3,400-square-foot team store.
Of additional note, plans remain in the works for the new arena's outdoor plaza to continue the team's tradition of showing playoff and other special games on a big screen outdoors, yet another opportunity for the stadium to boost the economic viability of the local area and respect the Penguins' history.

"Consol Energy Center is shaped by its site," said Rick Martin, managing senior principal for Populous. "We worked with the significant grade change of the site to create a remarkable glazed circulation spine that gives the building movement from the outside and offers spectacular views to downtown from within."

Amway Center
Location: Orlando, Fla.
Home Team: Orlando Magic
Opening: October 2010
Seating: 18,000, including 1,400 club seats, 58 suites, 60 loge boxes and four bunker suites

Looking to bring a counterpoint to the "Disney-fication" of Orlando, the Amway Center sits on an 8-acre site adjacent to the downtown Orlando Business District and looks to spark the city's revitalization.

A mix of metal and glass exterior materials will provide a distinctly modern look, while a 120-foot glass tower, which will host a Tower Club and observation deck, will welcome guests to Orlando's downtown with a wide range of colors. The Amway Center also will capitalize on Florida's moderate climate, boasting a variety of indoor-outdoor spaces. Upon entering the main lobby, for instance, guests will be able to venture outside and overlook the downtown area via a spacious balcony.

At 800,000 square feet, the multipurpose arena, which is also slated to host arena football, lacrosse, ice skating, hockey and concerts, features an array of premium and general seating options, a restaurant, a sports bar with outdoor terrace, a courtside club, a fan zone and an interactive kids area. The Amway Center seeks to be the first NBA arena to gain LEED certification.

"We took a hard and long look at the essence of Orlando before coming up with a design that we believe reflects the best and most distinctive aspects of this community," Clark said. "And just as importantly, the building will set a new standard in sustainable design as one of the greenest professional sports facilities in the country."

TD Ameritrade Park
Location: Omaha, Neb.
Home Team: NCAA Men's College World Series
Opening: April 2011
Seating: 24,000, including 26 luxury suites and 1,000 club seats

The new home of the College World Series, TD Ameritrade Park sits in the heart of downtown Omaha. The ballpark blends the traditions of college baseball and Omaha alongside more modern features.

Offering a more intimate fan experience, with fans sitting closer to the playing field than they did at the former Rosenblatt Stadium, TD Ameritrade Park will claim an open, 360-degree walkaround concourse, an expansive Fanfest area, and a retail area with views into the bullpen and onto the field.

The park, which also will play home to Creighton University's baseball team, is slated to host the NCAA Men's College World Series through 2035.

"Getting to Omaha is such a thrill for collegiate baseball players and fans, and that drove us to create an image of success," said designer Martin DiNitto. "The ballpark's modern expression, coupled with a ballpark experience bar none, will continue to make Omaha a memorable destination."

All About the iPad (QSR, August 2010)

When the iPad was introduced in late January, the tech world buzzed about the gadget’s possibilities and visionary applications. Two of Apple’s other signature products, the iPod and iPhone, sparked such revolutionary momentum that creative minds swirled with ideas on how the iPad, a larger, more comprehensive touch-screen device, might function in a world increasingly clamoring for portable and wireless.

Restaurant-industry types are beginning to let their imaginations wander as well. Many are eager to investigate how the iPad, one of the most anticipated devices in years and leader of the impending tablet rush, could improve restaurant systems, operations, margins, or efficiencies in the back or front of the house.

“The iPad is incredibly new, but there’s no question it’s going to help,” says Patrick Eldon, CEO of orderTalk Inc., a Texas-based provider of online ordering for quick-service chains like Jason’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s. “The technology is present and consumers are increasingly expecting these types of opportunities.”

Certainly, the iPad possesses some restaurant-friendly features. The touch-screen device runs more than 140,000 apps and has a washable screen, stand-up dock, and built-in WiFi connection. In addition, the iPad’s $499 starting price is competitive with many handheld POS units, and it boasts strong ease of use; a 9.7-inch, LED-backlit display; up to 10 hours of battery life; and the immeasurable yet unquestionable “It” factor. Launched in the U.S. on April 3, the iPad sold 300,000 units on its first day and more than 2 million in its first 60 days.

Cupertino, California–based Apple leans heavily on app developers across the country to enhance its device with an inventive energy that thrusts the product down new paths and into a vast array of industries, including the restaurant sector. In only a matter of years, the iPhone integrated a host of ordering and marketing capabilities and credit card payment apps. Many hold out similar—if not even more ambitious—hope for the iPad.

Most see the iPad’s greatest potential as a portable POS device. One national quick-service chain is testing the iPad as an order-taking device, thereby offering the possibility of tableside ordering and payment service to the quick-serve arena, a rare but customer-friendly feature. A smaller concept, 4food, included iPads as an order-taking device when it opened its first of 11 locations in New York in August.

“Customers and even staff are no longer limited to having to walk to a mounted system to get things done,” says Steven Wei of ChompStack, a Los Angeles company that builds software for restaurants. “Having the freedom to move around opens up a range of opportunities.”

Servers can walk around the dining room, input orders, and collect payment from individual customers. The food can be delivered directly to the table much as it is in many fast-casual establishments already.

“If you want to take this mobile solution and maximize its effectiveness, then you may need to change the way you do business,” says Sly Glass, director of sales for POS provider Hospitality Solutions International, which showcased its iPad POS system at May’s National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago.

“But at the minimum,” Glass says, “restaurants can easily use the iPad as a line-busting tool to create efficiencies between ordering and payment during high traffic.”

Others see promise in the iPad as an interactive, paperless menu. Though the up-front menuboard style of quick service makes many question the industry’s ability to integrate the iPad as a menu, fine-dining establishments are already beginning to incorporate it.

Mundo Global Tapas, a posh eatery in Sydney, Australia, introduced its iPad menu to customers in June. A custom-made app allows diners to browse the virtual pages of the restaurant’s menu, peruse dish images, read tasting notes, and then send their order into the kitchen. The iPad menu also suggests wine pairings for dishes and maintains stock levels, eliminating sold-out items from the on-screen menu.

“It is unlikely the iPad will gain traction as a menu ordering system in [quick service],” says restaurant consultant Aaron Allen, who says the concept of iPad kiosks for quick serves is more reasonable. “Kiosks are great tools for providing menu information, such as nutrition, serving as a portal for submitting applications electronically at the unit level, and also a wide range of other creative in-store marketing uses.”

Indeed, many tout the iPad’s potential as a marketing tool, specifically in tandem with mobile ordering. Customers placing an order become registered users, giving operators a valuable data-mining tool. By gathering personal info on customers, restaurants can produce more targeted marketing messages. The same device can then offer guest surveys as well.

“At the moment, restaurants largely operate in the dark,” orderTalk’s Eldon says. “As you get to know customers, you’ll not only understand your own business better, but be able to better produce products to their liking.”

Others see promise for the iPad as a portable inventory device. Instead of restaurant staffers having to manually record product levels or scan bar codes, the iPad’s portability allows team members to directly record inventory data into a restaurant’s tracking system.

One South Carolina–based company is even testing an iPad hiring system for employees. The new PeopleMatter technology allows potential crew members to input their employment history, available work schedule, and even past military experience so chains can take advantage of the Worker’s Opportunity Tax Credit. All the information is securely stored, saving companies the headache of keeping track of archived I-9 forms.

But the question remains whether or not the iPad is realistic for the quick-service industry.

Unlike many retail-hardened POS terminals, an over-the-counter consumer device such as the iPad has not been tested to withstand a restaurant’s frenzied atmosphere, which will most certainly include drops and spills.

Furthermore, the iPad’s wireless signal can easily get tossed off track given the range of frequency waves that can infiltrate an establishment. Dropped connectivity can delay order taking and credit-card processing, two issues that tend to irk customers.

“I don’t know if the iPad specifically is the solution, but I do think the device opens the door for all different types of tablets that might better integrate into the restaurant setting,” ChompStack’s Wei says. “Even if the iPad won’t be used, others will.”