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Restaurant Daily News 6 7 Tuesday, May 23, 2017 INCREASE SALES WITH MENU ENGINEERING Imenutech President Eric Arsenault talks about the "why" and the "how" behind the latest in menu engineering. RDN: Imenutech reports the average increase in sales is 10-15 percent when adopting Menuvative tablets. Can you share some of the science behind that fig- ure? EA: Menu engineering is not new to the industry. For the past 20 years, the do and don't rules have been well documented on menu design. They're all very subtle, related to things like font size and type, not using currency symbols, intentional de-emphasis of price and how you arrange your menu to draw the eye to your most profitable items. It's all con- sumer psychology, similar to the way casinos don't have clocks or windows so it's easier to lose track of how long you're gambling, or the way grocery stores are laid out so that the most com- mon item (milk) lures you to the back corner and you walk by lots of other things you might suddenly realize you want or need. When it comes to a paper menu, you're pretty limited to what you can do in a cost effective way – especially if you're an independent operator. The use of color, food imagery and descrip- tive language is proven to be very effective, but the cost of a professional marketing and design resource to man- age menus like that rele- gates them to the chain restaurants with multi-mil- lion dollar marketing budg- ets. Using Menuvative, even the independent operator with very little design skill can produce a menu that makes a tremendous psychological impact on the guest. We make it easy to incorporate food photos, descriptive language, suggested pairings and promotions and features in ways you never could with paper. In addition, you get something the chains don't have – the ability to make changes any time you want without incurring more cost. While the mere size and scope of their menu revisions limits them to a preset schedule and budget, a Menuvative client can be dynamic and offer new things to his guests every month, week, even every day. RDN: The cost of tablets have fallen drastically the last few years. How does the cost of tablets and Menuvative com- pare to traditional menu print- ing today? EA: In many cases, it is now less expensive to provide every guest with a tablet menu compared to a printed menu. With tablets now under $100 and an average life cycle of three to four years, the restaurant that prints menus frequently is literally throwing money away, and that is without factoring in the impact on sales. For more information, go to www.imenutech.com or stop by booth #6170. CARLA'S PASTA LAUNCHES NEW RETAIL FROZEN PASTA LINE Connecticut-based, family-owned ready- to-eat pasta company, Carla's Pasta, has announced that its new line of frozen, ready-to-eat pastas and pestos are avail- able for consumer purchase at a myriad of retailers, including Costco Wholesale, BJ's Wholesale Club, Hannaford, Fairway Markets, Shaw's and Big Y, with more retailers to follow. "To this day, we make everything the way that Mom always did, just a bit more of it," says Sergio Squatrito, Vice President of Operations. It is all made at the company's facility, which employs over 165 at the state-of-the-art South Windsor, Connecticut production facility. The Carla's Pasta product line includes Cheese Ravioli, Cheese Tortellini, Gluten Free Penne and Six Cheese Sacchettini, which come in a rev- olutionary microwave bag that has been in production for over a decade. The new line also features microwavable steam bag meals, including decadent flavors such as Mac & Cheese, Six Cheese Ravioli with Marinara, Tortellini Alfredo and Buttered Noodles. In addition to the microwavable line, which is ready in minutes, Carla's Pasta has a line of frozen specialty raviolis in clamshell packaging, which include Spinach & Egg Striped Cheese Ravioli, Tomato & Egg Striped Ravioli, Tuscan Style Vegetable Ravioli, Sage & Egg Striped Butternut Squash Ravioli, Spicy Italian Sausage Ravioli, Shrimp Scampi Ravioli, Vegan Ravioli and Gorgonzola Pacchetti. In addition to the eight year-round flavors, Carla's Pasta has a seasonal rotation program of four specialty ravioli flavors. The product line also includes four varieties of pestos: Basil Pesto, Basil Pesto with Pine Nuts, Sundried Tomato Pesto and Wild Mushroom Pesto. In addition to the four current pesto offer- ings, Carla's Pasta is working on intro- ducing Kale Pesto, which will be coming soon. Club store shoppers can find steam bag meal varieties like Braised Beef Ravioli with Wild Mushroom Crème and Six Cheese Sacchettini with Basil Pesto, along with Carla's appetizer item, Crispy Stromboli Bites, at their local club stores. Carla Squatrito founded Carla's Pasta, an industry leader in frozen pasta, in 1978 when she produced handmade pastas in a 1,800 square-foot retail store. The Carla's Pasta story is a unique American success story. Carla came to this country in 1968 from Italy and became renowned for outstand- ing pastas and pestos. This was no small feat in 1978. "It was about love," said Carla, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Carla's Pasta. "Love of family and love of food." It still is, as made evident by the employees and the amazing array of pastas and products – each one still made with only the best all natural ingredients. Today, Carla is rec- ognized for being an outstanding busi- nesswoman and is a part of the National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC). For more information, visit www.carlas pasta.com, call 860.436.4042, email abiel@carlaspasta.com or stop by booth #707. DISTINCTIVE FLAVORS FROM XOCHITL Xochitl is a family owned and operated business committed to providing the best quality products for its customers and their families. The company's vision is to become the leading natural snack food provider in the country. These goals are supported through ongoing research and testing of its products as well as a staff that is committed to the advancement and growth of the brand. Xochitl's recipes are derived from ancient Mayan and Aztec methods, which have been passed down from gen- eration to generation. These are the same products that its customers have contin- ued to purchase over the years knowing and trusting they can expect quality and consistency from the Xochitl brand. Xochitl brings a variety of tradition- al corn tortilla chips, as well as distinct flavors such as Picositos con Limon (spicy with lime), Cajun and Garlic, to name a few. Its Premium White and Blue Corn Tortilla Chips bring a fresh sensa- tion to the palate, especially the Premium Blue Corn Tortilla Chips, which possess a sweeter taste. It also has an unsalted version for the sodium-conscious con- sumer. The company's salsas range from very mild fla- vors to habanero salsa with exceptional flavor and incredible spice. It also has a festive selection of seasonal items to impress your guests during the holidays. Xochitl is constantly bringing new flavors and products of various sizes and options to the market. All of its products obtain a world of flavors and textures, which are sure to be a great addition to a variety of dishes. Xochitl's Totopos de Maíz (corn chips) are oven-baked and quickly fried to perfection with non- hydrogenated oils to create deliciously thin and crispy chips. Most of its products are naturally cholesterol free with 0 grams trans-fat, certified gluten-free and Non-GMO Verified, as well as kosher cer- tified. Try its delicious Totopos de Maíz (corn chips) with any of its gourmet sal- sas or just by themselves – you will be transported to the old world of the Aztecs. The product line is currently available in specialty, natural and major retailers throughout the United States, Canada and the U.K. AGAINST THE GRAIN OFFERS PLANT-BASED, GLUTEN-FREE, GRAIN-FREE COOKIES Against The Grain, a premier gluten-free brand known for its high-quality, farm-fresh ingredients and clean label, recently intro- duced its first plant-based products to the market. Like its other products, Against The Grain intends to transform the plant-based food space with its new cookies that contain simple, non-industrialized ingredients. For 10 years, Against The Grain has been going against the trend towards food industrialization. Now that it is entering the plant-based space, it is taking the same approach: combining the highest quality, whole ingredients in unique ways to produce naturally gluten- and grain- free, minimally-processed products. Against The Grain Gourmet is a celi- ac family-owned wholesale manufacturer of frozen gluten-free bread, pizza and cookie products located in Brattleboro, Vermont. It is also the only national gluten- free and grain-free bakery. For 10 years, the company has been making products with a minimal number of ingredients and no preservatives or additives in its dedicat- ed gluten-free and nut-free facility. It prides itself on paying its production staff the highest wages and offering the best benefits package in the industry. Always going Against The Grain, the company created the super premium pizza category with its best-selling Three Cheese Pizza. The company also was the first to offer a 12-inch, family-sized gluten-free pizza and the first to offer a gluten-free baguette. Its new cookie products are also a first: gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free and vegan cookies.