Six Questions For...Dick Cattani
Dick Cattani
 Chief Executive Officer |
Which challenges are primarily affecting your operations and what are your companies doing to meet them?
Our challenges are two-fold, internal and external. Recently, we've been moving forward on making our operations more sustainable within our clients' facilities. After several yeazrs of development by our 'green team,' we now have a five-part program in place in affiliation with the Green Restaurant Association. We have created best practices for sourcing and preparing foods, kitchen operations and service, facility sanitation, equipment and FFE and are introducing these standards at all of Restaurant Associates' accounts. By 2012, we expect to have some 150 operations with some degree of green certification, because this is what our clients and parent company are looking for.
What are your expectations for your foodservice and catering sales during the rest of this year?
I'd say I'm cautiously optimistic. During Q2, we had our first uptick in sales in both foodservice and catering we've seen for two years. We recognize that our clients' budgets remain smaller than they used to be, but many are doing more events to recognize their remaining employees or organizational benefactors. On the other hand, unemployment is still very bad and dragging down our economy as a whole. Fortunately, restaurant associates has a strong presence in New York, on Wall Street, and in Washington, D.C., so I expect will see a 5% sales increase in 2011.
Which world issues keep you up at night?
Food safety is my number one concern. We're seeing too many food producers transgressing regulations and subsequent outbereaks of illness. This requires a contractor like RA to stay in constant communications with clients about the products we're serving, and not serving, and to remain stringent with our suppliers. We've cut the number of vendors RA deals with dramatically over the past 18 months to ensure food quality and safety, and all of our remaining suppliers are regularly vetted for sanitation, safe handling practices, insurance and product availability.
What was the best meal you enjoyed so far this year, and where and with whom did you eat it?
On our wedding anniversary in June, my wife and I went to Ninety Acres at Natirar, in Peapack NJ. It's a 500-acre culinary center and restaurant complex on the former estate of King of Morrocco that Richard Branson is in the process of developing. The restaurant grows its own produce and some fruit and livestock on the grounds, and was constructed with recycled mmaterials. We ate local seafood, enjoyed some wonderful wine and had a great time.
What would you most like to change/improve in the relationships between equipment makers and operators?
It seems to me that innovation in equipment design and function has slowed down with the economy, that manufacturers are introducing fewer really new products. As operators, the types of new equipment we want to see most include rapid cook ovens of different technologies, combi ovens that work better and ventless cookers.
Which parts of the world do you still want to visit and what do you want to do there?
I'm going to China for my first time next spring and I'm very excited about that. I'm eager to learn first-hand about the people, their culture and cuisines.
