When a company creates a website, they have several options. They can have a company code the site and then take care of all updates or they can have their design company use what is called a content management system (CMS). Content management systems have built in administrative backend that allows users to log in and make updates as needs thus saving time and money to smaller companies.
Content Management systems are great because, one, they can save the design/developer a lot of time in getting a site up and running thus saving you money. They can be built, and with the use of plugins, be search engine friendly, meaning when you publish information, you can put more page into the search index, and more freedom in trying to get higher organic search engine rankings.
Types of Content Management Systems
There are many different content management systems out there, some are proprietary, and some open-source. Open-source meaning , the CMS is free and you can get free of pay for template designs. There is also a large development community that supports the system to constantly improve it. Propriety, on the other hand, means there is using not a lot of upfront cost, but you pay huge monthly fees for hosting. One would usually find these in specific industries. So for example, if you just opened a CPA firm, you could go with a provider for already has all the bells and whistles expected in a CPA site, such as calculators, forms, etc. This is a great way to get a polished web presence up and running quickly. The catch is that, it’s their software. You have little flexibility in changing the site, meaning access to the code if you were so included, and sometimes limited SEO capabilities. The biggest problem as stated above, is if you wanted to move to a new hosting provider, you can’t take the site with you, as it is propriety software.
Some of the more popular open source content management systems include
- drupal (full website cms)
- Joomla (full website cms)
- wordpress (blog cms)
- zencart (shopping cart cms)
- Blogger (blog CMS)
- phpBB (forum cms)
Benefits and Drawbacks of Open Source CMS
Sometimes they can be hard to set up, but all of the top hosting providers out there will automatically install it for you and the CMS walks you through the process of seeting up the site. Second, is the support factor, there are forums of users that will answers any questions you might have.
Some of the drawbacks of open-source systems are some out of the box have a bit of a learning curve but then they offer more customization.
Bearnaise Sauce
Print recipe
| Serves | 1 quart |
| Prep time | 30 minutes |
| Meal type | Condiment |
| Region | French |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbs Shallots, chopped Shallots, chopped
- 3/4 tsp Black peppercorns, cracked
- 3 each Dried tarragon
- 1 1/2 ounces Dry white wine
- 3 fluid ounces Water
- 6 fluid ounces Egg yolks (about 9 each), fresh or pasteurized
- 3 Tbs Tarragon, chopped
- 1 1/2 tbs Chervil, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Salt Salt Salt
Directions
| 1. | Combine the shallots, peppercorns, dried tarragon, tarragon stems, and vinegar. Reduce until nearly dry. |
| 2. | Add the wine and water to the reduction and strain into a stainless-steel bowl. |
| 3. | Whip the egg yolks together with the reduction and place over simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the eggs are thickened and form ribbons when they fall from the whisk. |
| 4. | Gradually add the butter in a thin stream, whipping constantly, until all of the butter is added and the sauce is thickened. |
| 5. | Add the chopped tarragon and chervil and adjust the seasoning to taste with salt. The sauce is ready to serve now. It may be held warm for up to 2 hours. |
Note
After production leave in a warm place before service.
Recipe- Tuscan Style Veal Stew
| Serves | 6-8 |
| Prep time | 45 minutes |
| Cook time | 1 hour |
| Total time | 1 hour, 45 minutes |
| Meal type | Main Dish, Soup |
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Boned veal shoulder, sliced 2 inches thick and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 3 Tbs Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 each Medium-sized onion, cut into small dice
- 1/2 cup Tomato puree
- 1 cup Dry white wine
- 2 cups Veal or beef stock
- 2 each Cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 each Bay leaf
- 1 tsp Fresh thyme leaves
- 1 sprig Sage
- 1 sprig Rosemary
- 1 sprig Marjoram
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 12 each Small white boiling onions or cipollini onions peeled
- 1/2 pound Fresh assorted mushrooms (cremini, portobello and oyster)
- 1 bulb Fresh fennel, trimmed and cut into medium-size dice
- 1/4 cup Chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup Dry porcini mushrooms reconstituted in 1 cup of hot boiling water can be added in step 3 of this recipe, if desired (see below).
Directions
| 1. | Preheat oven to 325°. Heat oil in heavy sauté pan or casserole with a cover that fits. Add the pieces of veal and cook until lightly brown. Add veal in small batches and when all the veal is cooked, add diced onion to veal and cook for 5 minutes, lower heat. |
| 2. | Stir in tomato puree and mix thoroughly. Gradually pour in white wine, stock, reconstituted porcini mushrooms and its liquid (see optional ingredient, above). |
| 3. | Add garlic, bay leaf, and thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover skillet or casserole and transfer to oven for 30 minutes. |
| 4. | Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until very hot, and cook onions until lightly brown and tender. |
| 5. | Remove onions and repeat process with fennel and then mushrooms. Add onions, fennel and mushrooms to veal casserole and cook, covered, for an additional 30 minutes or until veal is fork tender. The length of time will depend upon quality of the veal. |
| 6. | Just before serving, add fresh chopped parsley and stir. Serve over soft polenta or mashed potatoes. |
02.13.2012
If you’re looking for different ways to spice up your soups, salads and vegetable dishes try Daikon. Also known as a Japanese or Oriental radish, Daikon resembles a white carrot and is slightly hotter than a traditional radish. Daikon is found almost year-round from California and weighs between one-half and two pounds and averages a foot long.
There are four main varieties: The Mino Early, Early 40 Days, Miyashige Green Neck Stump and Hybrid Minowase Summer Cross. Fresh daikon should be firm, smooth and shiny. Daikon loses moisture quickly and can become soft and lose their flavor so keep them cold at all times.
Daikon can be diced, sliced, slivered or grated and added to relishes, salads, vegetables and poultry and seafood dishes. Daikon contains vitamin C and has about 10 calories per half cup. Spice up you food and spice up your life.
Let’s take out poor cash management, poor location, poor lease negotiations, etc. from the picture for a minute. We have worked with many restaurants helping with operations and marketing. I am always amazed how many restaurants think they can make it if they if they have good food and service. Marketing is just something that is an afterthought. I do not mean marketing in the traditional sense, but actually being a marketing-centric company as opposed to a sales-centric company. Not sure of the difference?
Marketing-centric companies understand that marketing involves every facet of their business. From the second a customer pulls into the parking lot. How they are greeted, staff training, pricing, sales, PR product development, packaging, and customer service.
We all know the old 80/20 rule. 80 % of sales usually comes from 20% of your customers. So why do some restaurants try so hard to get new customers. The reason is they have failed at satisfying their existing customers’ needs. It is so much easier to increase customer loyally (and cheaper) than having to promote your establishment for new clients. Problem is, this escapes so many business owners.
Think about if you could just increase volume from your existing clients from say, 15, to 50%. These clients are the one you want to target and keep happy. This is why having a well-trained staff that are happy to be there will serve you well.
Bottom line, train your staff, take care of every client as if they are your only client, keep them up to date on what’s happening at your establishment, create loyalty programs for them, and I guarantee, you won’t spend a ton of money trying to find new customers.
