Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/679179
R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s Tu e s d a y, M a y 2 4 , 2 0 1 6 8 2 MR. BOJACK'S HOT SAUCE SLAPS ON DELICIOUSNESS There aren't many condiments you'd carry with you for emergencies, but if it's Mr. Bojack's Hot Sauce, then you'd bet- ter make room. Lynn Holmes, Co-Owner of Mr. Bojack's, exclaims, "Yeah I carry a bottle in my purse! It's one of those hot sauces that gives a twang of flavor to whatever I end up putting it on." Mr. Bojack's line of hot, barbecue and wing sauces started out in Florida as a local favorite during Citrus Bowls and monster truck rallies, but has quickly become a staple for restaurants, gourmet food retailers and small specialty shops throughout the region. "We manufacture and produce [our] sauces for retail. No retailer or wholesaler is having problems moving the product," explains Holmes. Mr. Bojack's is an Orlando-based company that opened right at the begin- ning of the year in 2010, but its origins came much, much earlier. Founder and President, B.W. Blunt Sr., has had a pas- sion for cooking since he was a young man, "It all started with my father grow- ing up when I first learned to cook, but when I was stationed in Germany, I would grill up my sauces and people kept asking for more," he recalls. It wasn't until after Blunt returned stateside that he considered bottling his locally popular sauces for retailers – and even that was only because of a dare. "This is how it all started; Lynn said I should bot- tle it, and I said, 'Okay, find a way to bot- tle it and I will.' She was on it the next day; it was one of the best things she could have done," says Blunt with a laugh. After finding support from an Ocala, Florida, bottling company, Prima Foods International, and establishing retail con- nections from Jacksonville to South Beach, Mr. Bojack's started seeing rising popularity, not just smaller gourmet stores such as Hopkin's Meat Distributors and Clemmons Produce, but as a must-have condiment in the state's Fresh Market food stores and at restau- rants like High Tide Harry's. "They had to take it off their tables and lock it up with their merchandise because people kept walking off with them," says Blunt. Mr. Bojack's provides a line of seven different sauces that go well with to all types of foods – both traditional barbecue fare and vegetable options. "What makes our sauces different than other sauces is that we put the seasoning in the bottle. All customers have to do is bring the food," says Holmes. Mr. Bojack's Spicy Garlic wing sauce is the company's best seller, and, while made for hot wings, Blunt says that it mar- ries perfectly with all types of seafood such as crab and shrimp as well as pota- toes and any fowl from turkeys on down. Mr. Bojack's Slappin Sauce is at home on ribs as much as it is on cucum- bers. "What you do is drizzle it over veg- etables, or meats, or anything and once you put it on, you don't need anything else," says Blunt. Mr. Bojack's Hot Sauce, the compa- ny's flagship product, is the sauce that put Mr. Bojack's on the map. With its twangy taste and "right amount of heat that won't burn your seat" heat index, the company's hot sauce has become famous in central Florida. Excellent for breakfast, lunch or dinner, Mr. BoJack's Hot Sauce livens up any dull dish – or is great on its own. "We gave retired-NFL Washington Redskin, Tye Dye, a bottle and he called me up later to tell me that he couldn't bring it home because he drank the whole bottle while he was driving," recounts Blunt. MOVE INTO EMV SEAMLESSLY Restaurants, VARs and integrators face many challenges today with the introduc- tion of EMV, a ton of mobile payment options, and the time and money spent on keeping up with PCI. The cost and time spent on dealing with EMV certifications can be cumber- some on any restaurant, VAR or integra- tor. The way to avoid this problem is to not get anywhere close to the sensitive data. Most POS/ECR systems use a sim- ple card reader, and the POS/ECR is still responsible for the payment processing, consequently requiring users to see the card data and other sensitive information. This draws these systems into the scope of PCI. Integrating to PAX's semi-integra- tion solution allows restaurants to seam- lessly move to EMV while still keeping the same POS system they have always used. The POS system simply sends an amount and an invoice number to the PAX payment terminal, and PAX takes over all the heavy lifting of the payment to the credit card processor. This also allows restaurants to lever- age secure and streamlined electronic security of not having their credit cards or mobile phones leave their hands by paying at the table. It's hard to be fully aware of what is changing in this industry with PCI and EMV. Knowledge and expe- rience are the best qualities you can have in a good payment partner. Make sure you are working with a part- ner like PAX who knows and under- stands the complicated changes so you don't have to be consumed with them. For more information, visit ww.pax.us, call 877.859.0099 or stop by booth #6278. payment processing without pay- ing an arm and a leg. With PAX's full line of payment terminals and certifications to all the major credit card processors, the PAX semi-integrated solution is quick and easy to implement. Mobile wallets are becoming more and more available, not only offering easier payment transactions but easier value added services. Restaurants can also benefit by bringing the payment devices to the table with PAX's pay at the table solution as well as built-in contactless/NFC readers for mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Android Pay. Consumers appreciate the TCS INTRODUCES ELLIPSISPRO COMPRESSION SOCKS "I'll never work another shift without them," said Melanie J. from San Francisco. Total Compression Solutions offers the perfect solution for tired and achy feet, and legs! These stylish com- pression socks present a variety of options to highlight your unique person- ality, while providing your feet and legs with the ultimate support. Don't let tired, achy legs stop you from providing great service. Introducing the EllipsisPro com- pression socks: knee-high compression socks that are the perfect answer for food industry and hospitality professionals. The EllipsisPro compression socks are made from an antimicrobial material to help wick away moisture and odor, as well as provide stunning support with 20- 30mmHg of graduated compression. TCS compression socks are clinically proven to help eliminate tired and achy legs. Additionally, several other benefits include: preventing and managing pain associated with varicose veins, prevent- ing deep vein thrombosis during travel and promoting healthy legs. Who doesn't love style, function and comfort? When you spend a lot of time on your feet, it can put extra strain on your circu- latory system, which can result in swollen, achy legs, leaving you feeling drained and unable to perform at your very best. The TCS EllipsisPro compression socks and hosiery are perfect circula- tory support to prevent aches, swelling and painful legs when you are a professional on your feet for long periods of time. With its wide range of styles and fun colors, you can easily coordinate your look into fashionable options for any occasion. Over 100,000 professionals are already wearing and rocking its socks. With hundreds of satisfied customers, it also invites you to browse through its customer testimonials on its Facebook page. For example, Amy M. from Maddisonville, Kentucky, writes: "I have worn my TCS stockings for two months now, and I love them…. they help the pain in my heel feel better when I'm on my feet at work… Thank you, TCS, for making a long shift tolerable." The vast variety of TCS Socks are ideal for profession- als on their feet all day. Stop by booth #8854 to get perfectly measured by one of its TCS specialists, and a special NRA deal will be included just for stopping by. TCS will be happy to get you into your new pair of EllipsisPro compression socks. Make your feet and legs healthy and happy. Use promo code: NRASOCKS to receive 20 percent of your entire online order. For more information, visit www.total compressionsolutions.com or stop by booth #8854. TRACE-TO-SOURCE FOR RICHER TASTE AND EXTRA VIRGIN FLAVOR Bellucci Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil presents an opportunity for home chefs to begin using EVOO as a healthy finish and seasoning for dishes. Bellucci arrives fresh to grocery shelves, with flavor and health-giving antioxidant properties at their peak. Each bottle's harvest date is indicated prominently on the front label. New technology developed by Bellucci – accessible to U.S. consumers through Rootie, the app – keeps track of every drop in every bottle produced by the company. Rootie allows consumers to trace the contents of every Bellucci bottle back to the source of origin. Detailed information about location and harvest provides the opportunity to taste the range of flavors that are correlated with place and climate. With source informa- tion readily available and known, the dis- tinctive flavors of Italian EVOO are evi- dent upon tasting. Information about origin also revo- lutionizes the olive oil industry by pin- pointing the contribution of mills where locally grown olives were pressed within hours of harvest. Consumers enjoy the confidence that comes from ease of infor- mation access, truthfulness in labeling and in knowing the precise location where a food product originates. Bellucci growers are the proud, majority owners of the Bellucci brand. In the 1950s and 1960s they joined together in cooperatives before launching the brand last year. The Italian countryside has benefit- ed dramatically from the efforts of Bellucci growers. The land they culti- vate is considered among the most pris- tine and well-preserved agricultural regions in the world. The recognition of individual family groves through the traceability program also ensures the distribution of income along the entire value chain. Bellucci enables small- scale growers in earning a livelihood while contributing to the health of the planet. More information about Bellucci's traditional cultivation practices and EVOO production is available at www.belluccipremium.com, along with facts about Italian EVOO history and a guide to tasting EVOO. For more information, visit www .belluccipremium.com.