Food and beverage publications for beginners are essential in an industry in which changes are frequent and competition is fierce. Each year, about 60% of new restaurants fail. Approximately 50% of small retail food businesses fail in their first year, and about 30% of bars fail. Whether you're a novice in the industry or a seasoned professional just learning the benefits of food service publications, there's a plethora of magazines that can increase your odds of success and give you a one up on the competition.

One way to narrow down which food and beverage magazines are suitable for you is to break them down into basic categories. Although there are dozens of possible categories, consider the following:

1. Study beverage industry journals for bartenders and those in the non-alcoholic beverage business.

2. Read food industry publications for those creating and serving food in the restaurant setting.

3. Choose a food industry magazine for those who sell retail food.

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Become an expert by reading beverage trade publications

Maybe you're a bartender seeking the very latest news about drink trends. Or perhaps you work in soft drink mixing or tea or coffee packaging. Or maybe your job is to market alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks to consumers, retailers or others in the food industry. Whatever the case, there are beverage industry publications that are right for you.

I recommend: Bartender Magazine is the premiere beverage trade magazines for bartenders. Beverage Industry Insider is a popular beverage industry magazine with marketing, distribution and technology news for the beverage industry.

Grow with a fantastic food industry journal

You're operating a restaurant and want expert reviews of the latest equipment to make your service faster and more profitable. You're a caterer and need innovative recipes and ideas. You run a food cart and want information on suppliers. In each of these cases, you need a good food industry publication.

I recommend: Food & Beverage International is a stellar food trend publication for culinary experts. Food Arts offers a free subscription with information about trends in the restaurant industry, reviews of equipment, recipes and more.

Establish yourself with food trade publications for retailers

If you run a grocery store or quick mart, restaurant food and beverage magazines won't be of much use to you. You need a publication specifically targeted to those selling food products to consumers.

I recommend: RFF Retailer is a noted publication for food retailers. The Gourmet Retailer is the premiere publication for American retailers of gourmet food.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Joining food industry associations has many benefits, including education and networking. But don't forget that belonging to such organizations also opens you up to another world of food and beverage publications available only to members.

The food and beverage industry is an ever-evolving place to make a career. One of the easiest and most accessible ways to maintain a prominent place in the industry is by regularly reading commercial food trade publications. From food service publications to beverage industry magazines, these periodicals are mandatory reading for those who want a true edge in the industry.

You can use food and beverage publications to find out the latest trends in beverage distribution, check out the latest food supply information or get great tips on how to organize your restaurant or distribution service. When choosing which publications to add to your research arsenal, consider the following:

1. Food and beverage magazines offer blanket industry information in a timely manner on a regular basis throughout the year.
2. The best food industry publications cover important logistics of the sector, including transportation, warehousing and technology.
3. Food and beverage publications can help you learn how to most effectively market your food and beverage products, as well as navigate you through the technologies that will help you do so.

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Subscribe to food and beverage industry publications

Many useful food and beverage industry articles can be found in specialized magazines that also work as great sources of the latest industry news.

I recommend: Look to Food & Beverage International, a food trend publication with tips and tricks for multiple aspects of the food and beverage trades. Food Arts is another sleek food industry magazine that caters to restaurants and hotels.

Look up food trade publications

Publications that specialize in the distribution, marketing and retailing of food can help you work out the important logistics of your business.

I recommend: The food industry magazine Food Logistics covers food warehousing, technology and transportation. Food Quality is a food industry journal that provides invaluable food safety information and tips.

Explore different beverage magazines

There are a number of beverage publications that serve as useful go-to references for important aspects of this sector, such as beverage packaging and mixing technology, distribution and effective marketing.

I recommend: Beverage Industry is one of the best beverage industry publications for distribution, marketing and technology news in the beverage industry. Beverage World is another stellar source for the latest drink business information.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  While the publications listed above are geared exclusively to industry professionals, don't think commercial food and beverage magazines for the everyday chef can't help out. Cooking magazines geared toward everyday foodies can give you excellent insight into what's hot and help you set the standards they'll want to replicate in their own kitchens later.

If you work in the food industry, food and beverage publications pricing and costs are something you need to look at. The food industry is fraught with frequent change and fierce competition. Every year, around 60% of new restaurants fail, 50% of small retail food businesses collapse and about 30% of bars go out of business. Fortunately, there is a myriad of food and beverage magazines offering ample information to help your business succeed.

Magazines and trade journals can cut into your budget, so it makes sense to first decide what sort of food trade publications you really need. Once you've determined whether you want to read a food trend publication, food service publications, beverage industry journals or something similar, research which publications are available. Most magazines and journals allow you to read much of their content online; read through a few articles before subscribing to make sure the publication offers information that's useful to you. Some food trade publications you might look at include:

1. Beverage industry magazines for bartenders and those involved in the production and distribution of drinks,
2. Food trade publications for restaurants, hotels and caterers,
3. And food industry publications for retailers.

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Buy beverage trade publications

There are several top beverage industry publications, and they cost anywhere from free to about $35 a year. Most magazines for those involved in the distribution and marketing of beverages are free. Bartending magazines, on the other hand, tend to require paid subscriptions.

I recommend: Bartender Magazine is the top bartending magazine in the world. Beverage World and Beverage Industry are both ideal for those involved in the distribution and marketing of beverages.

Find a fabulous food industry magazine

For restaurants, caterers, hotels and others involved in the servicing end of the food industry, there are also many free publications. Among those magazines that charge a fee for a subscription, yearly costs are about $30 to $50.

I recommend: Food Arts covers the restaurant and hotel industry. Food Logistics carries articles about transportation and warehousing. Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Business are ideal for those in the restaurant industry.

Choose a food and beverage industry publications for retailers

Whether you run a quick mart, an independent grocery store or a chain supermarket, there's a magazine or trade publication that's right for you. Most are free, but expect to pay up to about $50 a year for those requiring a paid print subscription.

I recommend: The only nationally circulated weekly magazine for food distributors is Supermarket Weekly; this magazine has premium online, print, and print and premium online editions to choose from. For those focusing on organic products, Natural Foods Merchandiser is a good choice. For top management at supermarkets, take a look at Progressive Grocer.

The food and beverage industry is fraught with frequent change and fierce competition. Every year, around 60% of new restaurants fail, 50% of small retail food businesses collapse and about 30% of bars go out of business. Fortunately, there are food and beverage magazines offering ample information to help your business succeed. However, sometimes too many offerings can prove confusing. In the food and beverage industry, there are many types of publications to choose from. But before you spend money on them, you need to understand some of the lingo describing exactly what you are purchasing. With this in mind, here are some terms commonly used to describe industry publications.

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Food and beverage trade publication

In the food and beverage industry, a trade publication is any magazine or newspaper written for food and beverage professionals. Often trade publications offer free subscriptions to those who are working in the field.

I recommend: Beverage Industry an example of a trade magazine for the food and beverage industry. You can browse its website to review current issues or to subscribe.

Food industry white papers

White papers are magazine-like brochures, booklets, ebooks, reports or similar publications designed to give in-depth and authoritative information. In the food and beverage industry, they help those in the business make educated decisions about services or products.

I recommend: "Deposited Fruit Snacks" by Baker Perkins Group is an example of a white paper for the food and beverage industry.

Qualified professionals

Qualified professionals is a term commonly seen on trade publication subscription forms. It means the subscription is available, usually free of charge, to anyone who is a professional in that particular industry. For example, for a baker's trade publication, a qualified professional is a working baker.

I recommend: RBC Bank gives examples of restaurant industry publications and information on free subscriptions for qualified professionals.

Decision makers

Decision maker is another term commonly used by trade publications to indicate who is qualified for a subscription. A decision maker is anyone who has purchasing power, or the power to tell other employees what to purchase. Sometimes the acronym BDM represents the business decision maker for a company.

I recommend: Decision News Media, an international company, offers news for decision makers in the food industry. You can learn more about its publications at its website.

Digital magazine

A digital magazine, also sometimes called a webzine, is the online version of a traditional print magazine. In some cases, food and beverage digital magazines may be available only in a digital format.

I recommend: BNP describes its digital magazine for the beverage industry.

Online access

Online access refers to material that is available on the Internet. Sometimes online access is free or free with a subscription, but sometimes it requires its own paid subscription. Some publications available in print also allow online access to the material, often for an additional fee.

I recommend: Plunkett Research describes its online access program for research materials for the food and beverage industry.