Other News Feeds Nations Restaurant News - Operational Spotlight News Feeds   Operational Spotlight Operational Spotlight Games servers play Peter Pierce’s servers didn’t have to tell him last year that his preshift lineups had grown stale. The manager of Slightly North of Broad — or SNOB — said their blank expressions told the whole story. Chef goes ‘whole hog’ over sanitation The standard tools of food safety — thermometers and bleach buckets — are always within reach in the Charleston, S.C., kitchen of High Cotton, a sister concept of SNOB. But executive chef Anthony Gray says proper sanitation begins at the farms where he procures whole animals for his Low Country cuisine. Small plates = ops changes for Au Bon Pain Early sales results from Au Bon Pain’s Portions menu rollout have the chain believing small tastes can make a big impact on sales. Smaller Portions, big safety steps When Au Bon Pain introduced its Portions menu in March, it believed part of its popularity would center on the items’ portability. All 14 Portions choices are sold from self-serve refrigerated cases for immediate consumption or takeaway. Striving to make food safety fun Clyde’s Restaurant Group likes to make it fun for employees to learn about food safety. Clyde’s Rx for tough times: Steak, more efficient operations Let them eat steak. That’s the rallying cry at Clyde’s Restaurant Group here as it tries to keep its seats filled — and its accountants happy — amid waves of bad news about the economy. Qdoba aims to serve in a New York minute There’s a reason the song says, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere,” as the management of Qdoba Mexican Grill was all too aware when it opened the Denver-based chain’s first company-operated store in New York City two months ago. Stepping up the safety Qdoba Mexican Grill’s New York prototype may mark a departure for the chain, but not when it comes to food safety. Operating in NYC’s Port Authority brings challenges by the busload Port Authority Bus Terminal, one of the city’s most highly trafficked but notorious spots, has long been considered a culinary wasteland. But that may start to change as restaurateurs see opportunity in the area’s improvement, just as the cleanup of nearby Times Square eventually turned that once-seedy landmark into a restaurant destination of sorts. Making sure food safety drives the bus It doesn’t pay to be cheap. That’s a small lesson from the kitchen at Metro Marché, a full-service restaurant combined with a takeout shop in New York City’s Port Authority Bus Terminal.