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R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s 9 1 S a t u r d a y, M a y 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 raw pizza toppings," explained Joanne Fontanini, President of Fontanini Italian Meats. The company also offers an exten- sive selection of breakfast sausages, includ- ing links and patties made in their signature breakfast flavors as well as new ethnic inspired recipes. As a company, Fontanini is constant- ly looking for ways to create and add value to its customers' current operations. Its large selection of breakfast sausages opens doors to different cultures, flavors and menu concepts before you can say "Good Morning." From Fontanini's orig- inal breakfast sausage recipe – made with a salt/sugar base and mild pepper and sage flavors – to its full flavored Country Sage recipe, the possibilities for innova- tive breakfast menu offerings are endless! Visit booth #3201 during the 2015 National Restaurant Show to sample a vari- ety of these innovative breakfast offerings, including: Hickory Smoked Country Sausage, GarLucky™ Irish Banger Sausages and a mild peppered Chorizo Sausage. In addition, Fontanini will be fea- turing a customer favorite: its center-of-the- plate Cranberry Breakfast Sausage Link. This jumbo link is packed with whole cran- berries and made from its Country Sage recipe – three types of pepper and three types of sage – creating a perfectly subtle sweet and salty flavor. It's truly a show- stopper in both flavor and appearance! Fontanini (Cont'd. from p. 1) Not only will Fontanini be sampling these unique ethnic inspired breakfast products, but it will also be showcasing a large selection of signature items, includ- ing meatballs, Italian beef, Italian sausage, pot roast and a variety of pizza toppings. "The sights and sounds of Fontanini will be alive at our booth dur- ing the four day show and we'd love for you to be a part of it," added Gene Fontanini, Chief Executive Officer. Not only have Fontanini's customers come to expect exceptional flavors, but they also trust that Fontanini will offer only the highest quality products. This is a challenge Fontanini is glad to meet and exceed every day as it continues to main- tain its annual SQF Level III Certification. With its direct national sales force and a large network of distribution, Fontanini continues to expand, both locally and abroad in the global market – now serving Canada, Mexico, South America and vari- ous Asian nations. Fontanini is also a proud supplier for the United States Armed Forces. "We are honored to supply our products to the men and women serving this country," continued Gene Fontanini. To find out more about the company his- tory, explore the full product line, or get inspired with innovative menu ideas, visit the company's website at www.fontanini .com or call 800.331.MEAT. There, read- ers can also learn how to purchase Fontanini products for home use. Stop by Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show. At the 1997 NRA show, my father, company founder Richard Krohn, introduced his newly created Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix, and as they say, the rest is history. RDN: So Richard was a beverage indus- try executive? JK: No. Actually, this company was start- ed after his other successful careers in finance and real estate, at an age when most people would be thinking about retirement. RDN: Tell us how he grew the company to where it is today. JK: Assisted by restaurant and bar indus- try veterans Steve Mattison and T.M. Ashcraft, Richard began a systematic marketing effort to fulfill his dream of building Zing Zang into a national brand. At that time, Mattison and Ashcraft were extremely active members of the Mississippi Restaurant Association, and the professional relationships that they had built in the southeast enabled them to get a strong foothold on-premise, in a part of the country famous for being pas- sionate about food and beverage quality. From there, a steady progression was made to other areas of the country, and the product began to develop a loyal fol- lowing as consumers began requesting it as their preferred Bloody Mary mix. RDN: With your father's creation and your involvement, is this a family business? JK: Oh, yes. My mother has been Zing Zang (Cont'd. from p. 1) active since the company's inception, and my sister and I became involved in the daily operation of the company five years ago. RDN: With so many Bloody Mary mixes in the marketplace, why would a con- sumer make Zing Zang their preferred Bloody Mary mix? JK: Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix is made with a mixture of the highest quality ingredients and the distinctive, bold taste reflects Richard Krohn's ded- ication to producing a mix that needed no additions. As he so aptly put it, Zing Zang was 'not just another Bloody Mary mix.' Now 19 years later, the many thousands of dedicated Zing Zang customers have propelled the brand into a national award winning Bloody Mary Mix. It is served in fine drinking and dining establishments around the coun- try, and stocked on the shelves of retail- ers nationwide. RDN: Do you have other products? JK: Yes, we produce eight other mixes that we will be showing in our booth at the show. RDN: Will there be any additions to the line this year? JK: Currently the number of products will remain the same, but we are working on some packaging and size innovations that will be introduced when ready. For more information, call 888.891.7489 or visit booth #5406. trusted research organization, recently surveyed more than 1,000 service-industry employers for its fourth- annual "How Hourly Workforces Work" study – the industry's most current, com- prehensive look at restaurant trends, challenges and workforce management. What did those findings find? The food- service industry is falling behind. Compared to other service-industry segments, such as retail, hospitality and convenience stores, restaurants report the lowest technology adoption rates and the highest for managerial turnover. Forty- three percent of restaurants still primarily use paper and manual processes to man- age employee hiring, training, schedul- ing, performance management and com- munication – more than double the num- ber of convenience stores. Not surpris- ingly, lower technology adoption seems to correlate to higher inefficiency; com- paratively, restaurants have the hardest time controlling costs, recruiting high- quality applicants and ensuring compa- nywide consistency/compliance. Moreover, while workforce manage- ment system adoption rose industry wide – seeing a 45 percent year-over-year increase – restaurants are still among the slowest to invest in these software sys- tems; 71 percent do not currently have workforce management software in place, despite their proven and significant return on investment. These all-in-one platforms allow organizations to manage hiring, HR, training, scheduling, communication and/or performance management within PeopleMatter (Cont'd. from p. 1) one integrated, cloud-based system. According to PMI's research, switching to a workforce management system can increase a restaurant's day-to- day operational efficiency by 70 percent and high customer satisfaction 39 per- cent. Additionally, companies using workforce management software report 1.4 times higher applicant quality, 3.8 times greater recruiting efficiency and 50 percent lower turnover. With rising food costs, minimum wage increases and healthcare costs/compliance ranked as their top concerns over the next 12 months, restaurants can do a lot to offset these costs and drive profitability by invest- ing in an industry-specific workforce man- agement system. Luckily, a lot of employ- ers are getting the message. Workforce management system adoption is expected to be highest among foodservice operators, with more than one in seven restaurants planning to invest in one by 2016. See how PeopleMatter's restaurant- specific, cloud-based workforce manage- ment platform can help your restaurant reduce costs, increase efficiency and drive profitability and the results top brands like Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Palm, Dunkin Donuts, Noodles & Company and more have seen with it – visit booth #6672 and www.peoplematter.com/results. View more results from The PeopleMatter Institute's 2014-2015 "How Hourly Workforces Work" survey online at www.peoplematter.com/stats. For more information, visit booth #6672, go to www.peoplematter.com or call 877.300.6222. Kitchen USA. In addition, Malaysian cuisine is listed in top five trending fla- vors in the USA for two years in a row (2014 and 2015), according to the survey by the National Restaurant Association. The Malaysia Kitchen USA pro- gram, which started in 2010, has created the new wave of exciting and flavorful range of food and beverages in the American market. The first phase of the program (2010-2012) has successfully achieved the objective to create a buzz on Malaysian cuisine, capitalizing the pres- ence of 80 Malaysian restaurants in the USA. While the second phase of the cam- paign (2013-2015) with the theme "Bringing Malaysian Food to Every American Homes" aims to push more Malaysian-made food products as well as beverages into the American market. Continuing our efforts from 2014, this year Malaysia aims to promote more products to the U.S. market, especially targeting institutional buyers, main- stream supermarkets, restaurateurs, food- service and hospitality industry. Our products will be tailored towards meeting the needs of these buyers/users, particu- larly in terms of product quality, quantity, consistent supply and packaging, meet- ing the industry standards. There are nearly 500 Malaysian products sold all over the USA, compris- ing of instant paste, sauces, seasonings and marinades, instant noodles, frozen food, pastries and flat breads, ready-to-eat meals, snacks, biscuits and confectioner- ies, flour mixes and beverages. Currently Malaysia Kitchen USA (Cont'd. from p. 1) most of them are sold in ethnic supermar- kets and Asian groceries in major cities. Through various strategies, projects and campaigns under the Malaysia Kitchen USA program, the ultimate goal is to dou- ble this number and reach 1,000 products lines in the market by 2016. Malaysian participation in NRA 2015 will be one of the strategies to showcase more new products in the mar- ket, especially for American consumers in Mid West region. MATRADE is bring- ing a total of 150 products lines at Malaysia Kitchen Pavilion (booth #8536), which is higher than 65 product lines showcased in NRA 2014. We are excited to share the great taste of Malaysian food and cordially invite all readers of Restaurant Daily News to visit Malaysia Kitchen Pavilion at NRA 2015! About Malaysia Kitchen USA Malaysia Kitchen USA is a promotional campaign undertaken by Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) with the underlying theme "Bringing Malaysian into Every Homes." We are promoting the uniqueness of Malaysian cuisine, attracting the American consumers to experience the great taste and flavor through easy-to-make dishes using wide range of food products to create delicious cuisines. For more information about the Malaysia Kitchen USA, visit our website at http://malaysiakitchen.us. For more information, visit www.malaysia kitchen.us, call 212.682.0232, email newyork@matrade.gov.my or stop by booth #8536.