Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/261574
R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s S u n d a y, M a r c h 4 , 2 0 1 2 4 With the price of oil again over $100 per barrel, a thought on everyone's mind is what to do with all the price increases for transportation costs, building energy costs and material costs for petroleum based plastics, amongst others. Well, there is a bright spot for the savvy food service operator who is using or thinking of transitioning to single-use compostable serviceware. In the 2008 run-up in oil costs, with restaurant opera- tors seeing price increases every few weeks on items with plastic contents (even recycled, such as RPET), com- postable products made from all-natural, plant-based raw materials remained rela- tively constant in price. At one point, for the first time ever, they were less expen- sive overall. Right now, the same situation seems to be occurring, with various petro and natural gas-based plastic suppliers rais- ing prices almost quarterly. Once again, sustainable products, including fiber and bioresins, remain relatively constant in their pricing with nominal increases based mainly on transportation and fuel surcharges. This is a welcome relief to RISING OIL COSTS MAKE COMPOSTABLE PRODUCTS PRICE COMPETITIVE any operator facing the onslaught of ris- ing food, labor and energy costs on an almost daily basis. What is also surprising is that this time, even the recycled plastics products (such as RPET) are also making a north- ward march in pricing, since their own raw materials (virgin petro resins) are increas- ing and, hence, the market for products to be sent to the recyclers is rising also. Now, more then ever, food service operators should be making the move other smart operators have already made and start the transition into certified com- postable takeout ware. It will make one's business not only a more sustainable one in customers' eyes, but also in the bottom line―and that is a part of being "green" everyone can understand. Visit Asean online at www.stalkmar- ketproducts.com. AMERICOLD CONTINUES TO GROW AND EXPANDS ITS FLEET OF TRUCKS From Manhattan to Montauk and beyond, Americold is a company dedicat- ed to food preservation and finding ways to continually provide excellent service in commercial refrigeration. "Experienced―Reliable―Responsive" is the company tagline and it is readily apparent that under the guidance of its president, Bob Levine, it lives by these words. In looking at the business, every Americold service technician is a refrig- eration specialist and is factory-trained on all leading brands, receiving ongoing support and training on the latest code requirements, equipment and repair tech- niques to ensure that they bring the best solutions to clients in need. With regard to their reliability and responsiveness, Americold has built its reputation on stel- lar customer service and a support struc- ture including an impressive fleet of vehicles that enables them to provide service and response times that are unsur- passed in the industry. To provide this high level of atten- Continued on Page 5 AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT & FOODSERVICE SHOW OF NEW YORK Lee M. Oser CEO and Editor-in-Chief Lyle Sapp Senior Associate Publisher Director of Sales Steve Cox Kate Seymour Senior Associate Publishers Kim Forrester Associate Publisher Lorrie Baumann Editorial Director Naima Simi Dirk Deppey Associate Editors Valerie Wilson Art Director Ruth Haltiwanger Selene Pinuelas Traffic Managers Rhonda Baker Angela Bosso Paul Harris Devon Holden Conrad Mendoza Deborah Yarbrough Account Managers Enrico Cecchi European Sales Restaurant Daily News is published by Oser Communications Group ©2012. All rights reserved. Executive and editorial offices at: 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715 520-721-1300/Fax: 520-721-6300/www.oser.com European offices located at Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini, 11, 50125 Florence, Italy.