ARLINGTON, Texas – Patrice & Associates, the nation’s leading hospitality industry employment search firm with more than 20 years of operations behind it, announced today the recent opening of its office in Arlington, Texas. The new office is located at 4800 Willow Bend Court and will serve the Northeast Texas region.

“I am thrilled to be working with local restaurants, hotels and other area hospitality businesses to fill their open management positions and make a positive impact on their operations,” said John Carlson. “As an entrepreneur, it is extremely exciting to be part of the Patrice & Associates family, utilizing the company’s proven business model and hospitality industry experience to help local businesses find top local management talent to deliver the best service possible to their customers.”

With the number of foodservice managers expected to increase 11 percent from 2005 to 2015, Patrice & Associates’ work in the restaurant industry is a prime example of the strength of the local hospitality segment. On average, three quarters of local residents eat out or order in at least once a week and a quarter at least every two or three days. Thus, restaurants provide a stable ground from which Carlson’s Patrice & Associates office is building its presence across the area. Several well-known brands such as Cracker Barrel, Fox and Hound, and Boudreaux’s Cajun Seafood Kitchen have hired the search firm to find top talent for their management positions, allowing company personnel to focus on operating their stores.

“Unlike other sectors, the sheer volume of the hospitality industry continues to create exciting employment and new business ownership opportunities,” said Carlson. “There are tremendous job advancement possibilities and career options available.”

Before opening his Patrice & Associates office, Carlson spent more than 50 years in the hospitality industry. He began his career working in restaurants in a variety of roles including owner, manager and district manager. Later in life, Carlson worked with the Army Air Force Exchange Service opening restaurants on military bases across the world. Carlson spent six months in Afghanistan where he managed the openings of a Subway, two Dairy Queens and a Pizza Hut. Carlson also traveled to Okinawa, Japan and opened the first Dunkin Donuts and Captain D’s Seafood Restaurant in the country on a Marine base. After building these brands overseas, Carlson retired early and spent six months hiking the Appalachian trail. During his hike, he decided he wanted to come out of retirement to help the next generation of restaurant managers.

Carlson’s new office in Arlington is part of the Patrice & Associates national growth plan. Since launching the company’s franchise program less than a year ago, the company has opened more than 30 offices nationwide.

Patrice Rice, founder of Patrice & Associates and the acclaimed author of How to Interview, started Patrice & Associates two decades ago following her success with Chesapeake Cruising, a charter boat company she launched and grew to a fleet of 26 vessels. “Our clients trust us to present them with the best candidates possible for their openings,” said Rice. “It’s tough out there right now for businesses and for professionals. The job search process can be a stressful, daunting task. We ease the burden for everyone involved.”

Patrice & Associates provides extensive support for its franchisees, who are referred to as Regional Recruiting Managers. The company sources new clients and conducts all billing and collections efforts on behalf of its franchise system. As a result, the Regional Recruiting Managers are better able to provide the right guidance to their clients and to place the best possible candidates for each opening. The franchise opportunity is ideal for first-time business owners, given the existing client base, low ramp-up time and extensive training.

Here’s an article that validates our allegiance to Career Builder.

Monster officially acquired HotJobs from Yahoo last week, paying $225 million for the third largest U.S. job board, and setting in motion what may be a new chapter in the race for market share with Careerbuilder.

Even with the acquisition, Careerbuilder is still larger in terms of traffic and exposure to newspapers and other media outlets (1600 partners vs 1000 for Monster/HotJobs). But, as part of the acquisition of HotJobs, Monster negotiated a high profile spot on Yahoo’s navigation bar, which they speculate will even the playing field.

Should be interesting to watch. Clients of both Monster and Careerbuilder seem to prefer one or the other…kind of like Coke and Pepsi.

So who’s bigger now?

Well, depends on who you ask and in what area.

In terms of Traffic…

Careerbuilder has been the traffic leader for several years. They claim 21 million unique visitors monthly. According to Compete.com, for the past 3 months, Careerbuilder has shown roughly 13-14 million unique visitors, while Monster has had about 10 million unique visitors. In any case, Careerbuilder has been consistently 30-40% stronger in traffic than Monster.

Monster will add potentially another 5 million uniques from HotJobs. So, depending on who you ask, Careerbuilder’s traffic advantage could be reduced – but to what degree?

In terms of Revenue…

CareerBuilder’s North American revenue in 2009 was $542 million, including both US and Canadian revenue. Monster tracks U.S. revenue separately at $407 million for 2009, and includes Canada in the category of “International.”

Internationally, Monster shows $905 million in revenue for 2009.
Estimates of HotJobs revenue are in the $80 to $100 million range. That would certainly bring Monster in a lot closer to Careerbuilder’s North American revenue – especially considering the Canadian factor.

Careerbuilder doesn’t disclose international sales.

So basically, you can make a few assessments from that but at the end of the day, this looks like a good old American competition that may continue to ebb and flow – kind of like Coke and Pepsi!

Good Deal or Fixer-upper?

Yahoo acquired HotJobs in 2002 for roughly $445 million in cash and stock. Now, 8 years later, Monster is buying HotJobs for nearly half of that at $225 million.

Monster will also be spending an extra $20 to $30 million a year for three years for great exposure on Yahoo as their official job board and a redirect from the Yahoo navigation bar.

Multiples for Job board acquisitions typically run 4 to 5 times sales. So, if HotJobs was doing $80 to $100 million in sales, an acquisition price of $340 to as high as $500 million may have once been realistic. But considering the recession, the current economic climate, and the additional revenue Yahoo will get from Monster’s three year advertising deal, it seems like a win win for both Monster and Yahoo.

Will it be enough to catch Careerbuilder traffic?

Maybe not, but it buys Monster some time to come up with something more interesting…like…say…integrating with social media?

Hmmmm. Wonder how that might work…

This video shows a really “far out” restaurant concept which is located in a prison for the crimnally insane.  You actually dine in a jail cell, eat strange foods out of stranger serving dishes! It’s hugely popular with lines of customers wrapped around the building waiting for a “cell” in which to eat. Somehow I cannot picture this being successful in Washington DC!

Number of dishes labeled as “healthy” jumped 65% from last year

Data released Wednesday by the Chicago-based market research firm found the number of menu items that restaurants labeled as “healthy” increased 65 percent from the second quarter of 2009 through the second quarter of 2010.

The study also found the number of menu items featuring fruits or vegetables increased 10 percent between the second quarter of 2007 and the second quarter of 2010. Menu items labeled as vegetarian increased 12 percent during that same three-year period.

Mintel said it monitored 350 of the largest chain restaurants, 200 independent restaurants and 25 beverage-centric restaurants for the study.

In another study that polled 2,000 adults online, respondents told Mintel they were eating more healthfully when dining out, and ordering more fruits and vegetables when choosing their menu items.

“Healthy menu development opportunity exists in providing vegetable and seafood appetizers, soups, salads and entrées,” said Eric Giandelone, director of food research at Mintel. “An added bonus in offering these ingredients is if [they are] prepared thoughtfully, they will naturally cut down on the fat and calories of a menu item, making it a more favorable choice for their patrons.”

Giandelone also said operators should follow guidelines recommended last month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which urged restaurants to pay more attention to creating healthful kids’ menus in order to fight the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic.

“Restaurants should start considering how they’re going to make kids’ menus healthier,” Giandelone said. “It’s important to get feedback from both parents and kids to provide a healthy balance on the menu that kids will want to eat and parents will approve of.”

Last week we received over 160 new job openings. If we don’t have the job for you right, we might have it tomorrow. Get to know a recruiter. Create a Job Alert so you will be notified every time a new job opens in you area.

We specialize ONLY in the hospitality and restaurant job market and are trained career coaches ready to help you.

“First, let me just start by saying THANK YOU.

I started the new year with great expectations and enthusiasm. One day I received a phone call from my mother telling me she was diagnosed with cancer, it floored me and all I could think of is that I had to be near her and see her through this ordeal. I took a leave of absence which turned into me leaving a job that I loved permanently.

Well, 2 months later my mom is cancer free and doing great!!!! Now it’s time to look for employment, so I started posting my resume online to different job sites to no avail. I started getting emails from Insurance Companies for employment in sales, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with working for insurance companies but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

I started to receive phone calls from various recruiters, I won’t name names, but at least 3. Here it is June and my fiance and I are expecting a little one in July and she’s the only one working 50 hrs a week to pay the bills. I had become so stressed out that I started breaking out in a rash on my face and was a little down in spirit.

About 2 weeks ago I got a phone call from Tim Cordrey of Patrice and Associates inquiring if I was yet employed, to which I replied “No”, now mind you, the thought was running through my head that this guy is going to be just like the rest of the sorry recruiters who have contacted me and literally did nothing but gave lip service. He told me about a company that was looking for managers and explained a little about the company. We talked for about maybe 15 minutes and he set up an interview with me. Upon arriving I was so nervous yet anxious and after seeing Tim I thought to myself, Lord, what am I going to say to this man, it’s been years since I had to do an interview, he instantly put me at ease. He explained the company a little more in detail and we went over my resume in depth. He asked me various questions and after answering he coached me on the proper way to address the question. He was passionate about his job in helping me find employment. Never have I seen anyone so determined to help me in my quest to find a career, not just a job.

Tim Told me that the District Manager had interviewed previous applicants that worked where I use to and none of them had any luck and that the DM really didn’t want to interview because he had no luck with applicants from the company that I was previously employed. After talking to me, he told the DM that there was something different about me and that if he would only give me a chance to be interviewed he could see for himself. 2 interviews later and I am now employed as a manager for a very well known company making $11k more than I was at my last job. I am so ecstatic that I’m dancing all over my house. No longer am I stressed about finding a JOB.

To Tim and the staff at Patrice and Associates, I and my family THANK YOU, not only did Tim accomplish what he set out to do but he gained my TRUST and FRIENDSHIP and that’s hard to do. I will personally and without reservation recommend all of my friends or colleagues who are looking for employment to call Tim @ Patrice and Associates first before they look anywhere. God bless you Tim and may he continue to rain blessings on you and yours.”

Sincerely,

Wayne Calloway
Midlothian, VA

McDonald’s Corp. cited new products and value offerings for a 4.8-percent increase in global same-store sales for the month of May.

In the United States, where same-store sales rose 3.4 percent in May, McDonald’s pointed to the success of a $1 beverage program in some markets and the Frappe, the newest addition to the McCafe line now in most U.S. stores. The operator or franchisor of more than 14,000 restaurants in the United States also cited its ongoing efforts to reimage several hundred units this year.

In addition, McDonald’s touted a promotion tied to “Shrek Forever After” that was selling Chicken McNuggets and Happy Meals, though the effect of a recall of “Shrek”-theme promotional glassware won’t be known for some weeks.

“May marks another month of sustained sales growth, demonstrating the ongoing appeal of McDonald’s unique combination of convenience, value and variety,” said chief executive Jim Skinner. “Our focus on enhancing the McDonald’s experience through affordable food choices, modernized restaurants and relevant marketing is giving customers even more reasons to visit McDonald’s.”

Same-store sales rose 5.7 percent in McDonald’s European division and 3.8 percent in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa, or APMEA, division.

France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom continue to drive strong sales in Europe, where McDonald’s has focused on daypart expansion with four-tier menus and new products like Germany’s McWrap, the company said. McDonald’s added that Australia and China helped boost sales in the APMEA region.

The 4.8-percent rise in global same-store sales beat financial analysts’ expectations of an increase between 3.5 percent and 4 percent, though the U.S. result, while still among its strongest of 2010, fell below Wall Street’s prediction of 4 percent and slightly lagged McDonald’s 3.8-percent increase in April same-store sales.

Skinner and McDonald’s president and chief operating officer, Don Thompson, recently told analysts gathered at an investor conference that the chain would continue to pursue growing market share with new products like the forthcoming Real Fruit Smoothies, the Angus Snack Wrap and oatmeal, which is planned for a 2011 rollout. McDonald’s also will continue to promote the McCafe coffee line, which has increased coffee sales 38 percent through April of this year, the executives said.

Restaurant industry analysts have noted that McDonald’s has fared better in the economic downturn of the past few years — even as high unemployment in the United States has wreaked havoc on the core quick-service customer – because of its menu diversity that appeals across regions, ages and income levels.

According to a report from securities analyst Jeff Farmer at Jeffries & Co. in Boston, McDonald’s same-store sales have the lowest correlation to the national unemployment rate, which inched downward slightly to 9.7 percent in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, competitors like Burger King, Sonic and Jack in the Box have shown a much higher negative correlation, meaning those brands’ same-store sales have fallen more drastically as the unemployment rate has risen during the past 10 years, the report found.

McDonald’s also said Tuesday that it expects foreign-currency translation, especially for the euro, which accounts for 25 percent of its global sales, to have a negative impact on net earnings per share for the year. The company does not expect such an impact, however, for second-quarter earnings, which McDonald’s tentatively plans to report July 23.

Arby’s, which has struggled to drive sales in its restaurants, may extend its reach by offering branded products in grocery stores.

The 3,700-unit chain said Friday that it had signed a deal with Nancy Bailey & Associates Inc., an Atlanta licensing firm, to begin fielding offers to sell packaged Arby’s items on supermarket shelves.

Arby’s spokeswoman Kathy Seifert confirmed the chain would seek to sell its products in retail settings, but she declined to offer details on what would be sold. She noted that the brand previously had licensed its sauces for retail.

The leveraging of restaurant brands in the retail market can be lucrative for chains, earning millions of dollars and creating additional revenue streams, said Bill Cross, a vice president at Broad Street Licensing Group, which is not involved in the Arby’s deal.

Several restaurant concepts have entered the retail market or increased their grocery offerings as sales slowed in their dining room, including P.F. Chang’s, Burger King, California Pizza Kitchen, T.G.I. Friday’s, Jamba Juice and Starbucks.

Arby’s has had difficulty reversing falling sales, with parent company Arby’s/Wendy’s Group reporting an 11.5-percent dive in same-store sales at the roast beef chain for the April 4-ended first quarter.

In May, Wendy’s/Arby’s Group tapped industry veteran Hala Moddelmog as Arby’s new chief executive and charged her with executing a turnaround at the chain.

Separately last week, Wendy’s/Arby’s Group chairman Nelson Peltz disclosed that he had received an inquiry expressing interest in the acquisition of the fast-food company, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Peltz, whose Trian Fund Management LP owns 23.5 percent of the company, said he is considering the offer, which was made by an unnamed third party.