Restaurant industry publications are essential for new restaurant owners who learn quickly just how overwhelming the demands of running a business can be. They're so busy it's hard to find time to take in all the issues confronting the industry as a whole and to find out how their colleagues are dealing with the very same issues.

Making the most of restaurant and foodservice publications means knowing which sources you can turn to for advice and industry news. For example, you may want to know how your competitors handle a decline in customer interest. You may also want to access informed commentary from foodservice professionals on how to maximize profits with a new beverage. You'll find these and many other topics by accessing restaurant and foodservice publications:

1. Review a restaurant trade publication that publishes news about food trends.

2. Access foodservice publications for practical advice on running your restaurant.

3. Use restaurant and foodservice publications that provide in-depth industry analyses.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find information on the latest food trends in restaurant trade magazines

Online restaurant periodicals help you understand how other business owners are meeting their customers' demands.

I recommend: The Nation's Restaurant News is a leading restaurant trade magazine that keeps you informed of events business owners are sponsoring to arouse consumer interest. Find out about trends driving the foodservice industry at Packaged Facts. Articles available on El Restaurante Mexicano's website explain how to maximize profits with certain foods and beverages.

Use restaurant trade publications to get professional recipes and other practical advice

Editors of restaurant magazines know that business owners don't have time to pore through cookbooks. Yet finding a recipe that worked well at another restaurant, or finding out how to maintain your customer base if you run a high school cafeteria where the students can leave the school at lunch and look for fast food restaurants.

I recommend: Restaurant News of the Rockies publishes tested recipes that are scaled to professional proportions. Food Service Consultants Studio offers up to date articles with practical advice on topics like arousing customer interest. Restaurants & Institutions Magazine offers newsletters where you can learn about new menu ideas.

Use leading restaurant publications to access timely industry research

Restaurant publications are excellent resources of industry news and research for those entrepreneurs who are curious about regulations, compensation, reported sales and who seek professional commentary on issues affecting the industry.

I recommend: Check out in-depth reports from the National Restaurant Association which address reported sales, industry news and compensation surveys in the foodservice business. Sign up at QSR Magazine for copies of the restaurant industry reports they commission. Subscribe to the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association to learn about legislation, food safety regulations and other issues affecting restaurateurs in Pennsylvania.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ask to receive at least one or two issues of any foodservice publication free of charge just to make sure it offers the kind of news and advice you're looking for.

The restaurant industry is a fast-paced competitive business that requires its players to possess a true edge to be successful. One of the easiest and most accessible ways to get that edge is by regularly reading restaurant industry publications. From restaurant periodicals to restaurant trade magazines, these periodicals are mandatory reading for the industry's elite.

You can use foodservice publications to find the best restaurant equipment, look up the latest restaurant design trends and research the most up-to-date industry news. When choosing which publications to add to your research arsenal, consider the following:

1. Restaurant magazines offer blanket industry information in a timely manner on a regular basis throughout the year.
2. Regularly updated newsletters are one of the best go-to sources for up-to-the-minute industry information.
3. Sector-specific restaurant industry publications can give you targeted information about restaurant equipment, management strategies, food ideas and more.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Check out daily restaurant trade publications

A number of restaurant trade publications are available on a daily basis, so staying on top of restaurant trade news is a snap. These compact newsletters are easy reads that you can integrate into your daily routine.

I recommend: NRA SmartBrief is the National Restaurant Association's daily briefing publication on the latest restaurant industry news. Restaurant Trend Mapper is your source for breaking news and trends in the restaurant industry.

Research monthly food service publications

Monthly restaurant trade magazines serve up blanket news and resources for the restaurant industry, from meal ideas to restaurant lighting schemes. Some even feature sustainable restaurant management practices to help the environment.

I recommend: Restaurant Hospitality is a monthly restaurant trade magazine that features ideas, trends and news for full-service restaurants. Slammed is a dynamic monthly publication for the restaurant industry that features ideas for different meal courses in addition to industry news.

Research restaurant publications specific to industry sectors

Instead of taking a broad snapshot of the restaurant industry, some restaurant and foodservice publications choose to focus on specific sectors, such as management, equipment, design trends and more. These restaurant publications are invaluable to those who specialize in the industry.

I recommend: Food Service Equipment and Supplies is a restaurant trade magazine that targets those who deal specifically with restaurant equipment. Hospitality Design marries food and decor by offering tips and tricks for how to decorate and arrange your restaurant.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  In addition to tips on how to make your foodservice business run smoother, restaurant industry publications can also offer up advice on how to properly manage restaurant employees, who often make less than minimum wage due to tips. Look to restaurant and foodservice publications for coverage of issues specific to the restaurant labor force.

Reading periodicals is an important way for you to keep up on the latest trends, services and equipment for your restaurant, but if you buy subscriptions to more than one or two restaurant magazines, you'll quickly find you want to consider saving money on restaurant and foodservice publications. Why pay hundreds of dollars for restaurant trade magazines when you can get the same information for much, much less?
It doesn't take much time or extra effort to save on foodservice publications, either. In fact, everything you need to start saving money now is at your fingertips. The first step is to decide what type of restaurant publications are useful to you. An easy way to do this is to browse magazines at the bookstore or spend some time at foodservice websites. Then, once you know what sort of restaurant trade publication you want or need, consider the following:
1. Many restaurant trade publications are available online at no cost.
2. A number of print restaurant industry publications are available free to qualified readers.
3. Restaurant periodicals are available at discount prices from online vendors.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Read restaurant and foodservice publications online

Nearly every restaurant trade magazine has a website, and most of those websites feature content from the print publication. Some magazines feature all their content on their websites, but the majority offer most or some of the information from their print publication online. The best news is that you can search, read and contribute to these online magazines at no cost.

I recommend: Nation's Restaurant News publishes an online edition about food trends, new dishes, exciting chefs and more. Restaurant Hospitality, published by Penton Media, offers lots of free information on their website, including food safety articles, recipes and similar information.

Find freebie restaurant trade publications

A number of quality restaurant newsletter and magazine products are available in print form at absolutely no cost--if you're a qualified reader. That means you must work in the restaurant industry--and sometimes a specific area of that industry.

I recommend: Restaurants & Institutions is a popular foodservice publication for learning about industry trends; a subscription is free to those in the restaurant industry. Food Arts also offers free subscriptions to their magazine about trends, gear and wines.

Shop around for the best price on food and restaurant publications

Magazine publishers make most of their money selling ads, and the more subscribers they have, the more they can charge for those ads. That's why you can get some amazing deals (up to 95% off the cover price) on magazine subscriptions if you're willing to do a little online research. A great place to look for these subscriptions is eBay, but there are also stand-alone websites offering great deals.

I recommend: MagsDirect.com offers a variety of food-related magazines at discounted rates, including Culinary Trends, Chocolatier and Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine. CheapMagazineSite.com allows you to compare subscription rates for many magazines and many subscription sources.