FSR June 2023

Welcome

Growth Starts at Home EVERYONE KNOWS TRAVELING is simply an excuse to eat out at restaurants for every meal, right? A reporting trip recently took me to Dallas, where I had the chance to try some true Texan grub and sip some local spirits. A growing societal norm is to support local businesses as much as possible to keep food and beverage dollars going back into the community, which escalated even more during the pandemic. A great format to sample vari ous local beers, wines, seltzers, and cocktails—without creating extra waste if you dislike a drink—is at restaurants with self-pour walls, like Can Can Wonderland and First Draft in Minneapolis, and West Palm Beach’s Garden District Taproom, which are reaping the bene ts of the self-serve technology ( PAGE 23 ). Consumers also love when a restaurant can highlight how they got their ingredients from local farmers, growers, and shers— and even better if the restaurant happens to own a farm or grow their own produce, like Maui’s Paci c’o on the Beach ( PAGE 51 ), where a bar manager is using farm-fresh ingredients to craft cocktails. Another recent trend is restaurants getting creative with infusing CBD into drinks and dishes ( PAGE 22 ) as more cities decrease regulations on the hemp-derived ingredient (which does not cause a high). But perhaps even more popular is the race to open eatertainment hotspots featuring Amer ica’s fastest-growing sport, pickleball—like Smash Park, Chicken N Pickle, and emerging brands like Camp Pickle ( PAGE 42 ). While the pandemic did damage to restaurants across the country, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Firebirds Wood Fired Grill ramped up innovation and has been blazing a growth path that caught the eye of Garnett Station Partners, which acquired the lodgelike steak-and-seafood chain in late March this year. Elsewhere across our June issue, you’ll nd seven industry experts weighing in on best practices for hiring, retaining, and engaging a modern restaurant workforce, from Black Bear Diner and Front Burner Society to Tupelo Honey and more ( PAGE 36 ). Chef Brad Wise is showcasing his range at his San Diego-based TRUST Restaurant Group, which encompasses concepts running the gamut from ne dining to a butcher shop to an ice cream window, including Trust Restaurant, Rare Society Steakhouse, Cardellino Italian Chophouse, e Wise Ox, Fort Oak, and Mr.Trustee Creamery ( PAGE 15 ). Meanwhile, Joseph Kim is leading Dae Gee Korean BBQ into future growth through franchising with ve stores in Colorado and ve more on the way ( PAGE 56 ). Per usual, there’s no shortage of inspiring stories found across the res taurant industry—so let’s dig in.

cevergreen@wtwhmedia.com FSRmag @FSRmagazine

On the Cover This month’s cover features Firebirds Wood Fired Grill’s Cozy Campfire cocktail , made with Jack Daniels Rye, Fireball, Angostura cocoa bitters, and torched marshmallow. Known for its flame grilled steaks and seafood, Fire birds launched a hot new seasonal cock tail menu in March at its award-winning FIREBAR, which also offers shareable bar bites like crispy fried green tomatoes and chile chicken tostada bites.

Callie Evergreen EDITOR

CALLIE: HOLLY FRITZ / COURTESY OF FIREBIRDS WOOD FIRED GRILL

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FSRMAGAZINE.COM

JUNE 2023