Dennis Knows Food
143 episodes - English - Latest episode: 25 days ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsWelcome to THE podcast for independent food service professionals, restaurant operators, and anyone who lives-and-loves the world of food! From fast to fine, casual and convenient Dennis Knows Food serves up industry news, insightful conversations, marketing strategies and more - join host Luke LaBree on a journey to "put the foodie back in foodservice!"
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Episodes
Episode 9 - Coffee Health Benefits, New Products, Investment in Nutrition and Grilled Cheese!
November 08, 2017 20:47It's Wednesday, April 12th, and this is the 9th episode of our Podcast! Here we are on National Grilled Cheese Day, in the middle of National Grilled Cheese Month, and we've got a couple of yummy GC related ideas for you in this episode of Dennis Knows Food! With Easter just a few days away we've got a simple breakfast-special concept that could help you use Sunday's leftover ham. In this episode we also talk about some new non-foods items that were just added to our inventory, there's a h...
Episode 8 - New Products, New England Food News, Maple Goodness, Passwords and UniPro
November 08, 2017 20:47It's Wednesday, April 5th... and it's still snowing?! We are back on our regularly scheduled podcast day! We know that changing that up for a couple weeks was rough on our listeners ;). Thank you to our podcast subscribers, and those using SoundCloud, for listening each week. If there's anything you'd like to hear featured in our future podcasts just drop us a line. This weeks podcast talks about the new items we've added to our inventory, Lobster and Maple Syrup are on the radar in New En...
Episode 7 - New Products, Customer Service Strategies and Something Fresh in Fast Food!
November 08, 2017 20:46Something a little different, a Fast-Foodie-Friday edition of our podcast! Our Podcasts typically go out on Wednesday, although the last two have been an exception. This past Wednesday we were down in Portland, Maine at the Maine Restaurant and Lodging Expo, held in the Cross Insurance Arena. Just being there we were getting pumped for our Food Show on April 25th at the Cross Insurance Center. Don't get those two confused... Arena = Portland, Center = Bangor. We briefly toyed with the idea ...
Episode 6 - Making Time for Tech, 2017 Food Trends, Maine Craft Beer and New Products!
November 08, 2017 20:46It's Thursday, March 23rd and this is the 6th episode of our Podcast! Better late than never, this weeks podcast covers three products recently added to inventory, Maine craft brewing, internationally inspired menu items, and foodie news discussing expected 2017 trends. We also discuss the value of setting aside a small portion of time to improve your business by taking advantage of the great technologies that are available today. Much of this segment is geared toward our Account Execut...
Episode 5 - New Products, Daylight Savings Time Tips & Food News
November 08, 2017 20:45It’s Wednesday, March 15th and this is the 5th episode of our Podcast! We almost had a good hold on Spring… almost. This wacky weather is affecting all of us in different ways. Add in the physical and mental impact from the recent daylight savings time switch, and this is shaping up to be a rough week. Fight through it, below is a link to strategies for help in coping with Daylight Savings! In this weeks new products we have added 30 new items to our inventory! Most of these come from Maj...
Episode 4 - Record Sales for Maine Seafood, New Products, Foodie News
November 08, 2017 20:45It’s Wednesday, March 8th and this is the fourth episode of our Podcast! The weather is making our thermometers swing radically up and down, but the trend is moving towards warmer weather! The rising average daily temperature is a sure sign that Spring will be here soon. As reminder, check with your Dennis Account Executive about what steps you should be taking to get ready for Spring business. In this, our fourth episode of the ‘Dennis Knows Food’ Podcast, we take a look at this weeks t...
Episode 3 - 2017 To-Go Trends and Health Headlines
November 08, 2017 20:44It’s Wednesday, March 1st and this is the third episode of our Podcast! Spring is right around the corner and we are starting to get the hang of this whole Podcast concept, and from the feedback we’re getting it’s a welcome addition, so thank you! In this, our third episode of the ‘Dennis Knows Food’ Podcast, we take a look at this weeks new products, including a Black and White Mousse from Brooklyn Cannoli Company. In headlines this week we talk about 2017’s expectations for trends in to...
Episode 2 - A New Protein, WWII Vet, Fake Food News
November 08, 2017 20:44It’s Wednesday, February 22nd and this is the second episode of our Podcast! We are still learning the ropes, but we’re very excited about Podcasts as a fun and useful resource for our customers and employees. In this second episode we have a ‘protein’ highlight in our new products arrivals, we visit with a WWII veteran, discuss the impact of “fake news” in the food industry. We also dive into some of the great new resources we’re making available, and where to access them. We close the e...
Episode 1 - The inaugural episode of our new “Dennis Knows Food”
November 08, 2017 20:43Our First Podcast! February 15, 2017 We are excited to share the inaugural episode of our new “Dennis Knows Food” Podcast! While podcasting has been around for quite awhile – this is totally new territory for us, so bear with us while we get up and running. In this first episode we share an important update from our purchasing department, highlight a couple new products in the weekly ‘New Items’ list, discuss a few new features on the new Dennis website and more. Subscribe to the Podcast ...
Brainy Blueberries, Independent Coffee & 2018 Restaurant Trends
November 03, 2017 11:56 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MBIn this episode of Dennis Knows Food we've got Maine food news, national coffee news and influences for restaurants in the coming year.Restaurant Business Online just published an article that discusses what restaurants can expect to see as influences in 2018. We're going to discuss some of the insights they've shared, and we've provided a link to the full article below. We're also taking a look at a couple items making headlines recently, wild Maine blueberries and everyone's favorite caffe...
Inside the Mind of the Independent Restaurant Operator
October 13, 2017 02:56 - 9 minutes - 8.28 MBIn this episode of Dennis Knows Food the IFDA is taking us into the minds of independent operators!This week the IFDA released an in-depth 194 page report, prepared by industry research partner Technomic, about independent restaurant operators. It details market trends, challenges, economic outlooks, changing formats and a whole lot more. We're sharing just a few of the many insights from it in this episode. Members of the IFDA can download the report from their website - www.ifdaonline.org....
C-Store Foodservice, Food News and New Products!
October 05, 2017 08:55 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBIn this special unedited episode of Dennis Knows Food we're talking about convenience foodservice and freshness to-go. When it comes to food from "c-stores" - even with convenience foodservice sales exceeding $34 billion dollars a year - negative consumer perceptions still exist around the category. Recent research has shown that there is plenty of room for continued innovation when it comes to foodservice in c-stores, and that putting quality first in certain areas can have a positive impac...
Fall Kitchen Prep and a Wrap Rap
September 29, 2017 02:46 - 8 minutes - 7.85 MBIn this episode of Dennis Knows Food we’re sharing tips to help prepare your kitchen for the fall foodservice season. Foodservice operators take tremendous pride in their kitchens and equipment. Now that we’re through the hectic pace of the summer season now is a good time to clean equipment and ensure everything is in proper working order. And, if you’re looking for some fall-food inspiration we’ve assembled a list on our website featuring some of our favorite fall items. There’s even a s...
"What's new?"
September 22, 2017 08:55 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBIn this episode of Dennis Knows Food, hungry diners want to know "What's new?" For operators, raising the awareness of new items through any available channel -- website, social media, in-house advertising or on the phone with customers -- can have several benefits; including satisfying regulars who want to try something new, add-on sale opportunities, and attracting new customers. If a customer wants to know what's new at your establishment, how available have you made that information for ...
Comfort Food with a Signature Twist & The Soups On!
September 22, 2017 08:55 - 10 minutes - 9.62 MBIn this episode of Dennis Knows Food, we're cozying up to comfort!The foliage will soon start to change, and with that will come consumer cravings for comfort food. Creating signature dishes inspired by comfort food has been gaining momentum in recent years, and with autumn on the horizon it's the perfect time to start thinking about your unique comfort-inspired cuisine. On that same note, if you’re looking to add warmth and rich flavor to your menu, soups are a great way to do it. We're lad...
The Story of Deb the Innovator
September 01, 2017 02:54 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBSometimes all it takes to be an innovator in small business is a willingness to not give up. In this inspirational episode of Dennis Knows Food, we're sharing the story of a country store operator who kept her business running, growing and adapting - one small innovation at a time - despite all of the changes and challenges that were thrown at it. You won't want to miss this one! So, connect your bluetooth devices, plug in your headphones and turn up the volume - it's story time! This week ...
Tips for Marketing Campaigns, Peanut Allergies & AI Cookies
August 25, 2017 02:54 - 10 minutes - 9.8 MBRobots are coming, and they're bringing spatulas! This week saw the celebration of National Peach Pie Day, and our foodie fact for the week is inspired by peaches. We're doing something a little different with this week's fact, tune in to find out! In this episode we're discussing tips for success in your next marketing campaign. We'll explain why focusing on your target audience, using the right language, engaging potential customers at the right time - and in the right place can have an im...
Five Ways to Boost Fall Sales, Calamari, Tarator Sauce and New Products
August 17, 2017 02:54 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBIt's Thursday, August 17th, and today is National Vanilla Custard Day! Our foodie fact is not inspired by vanilla custard, but rather by one of this week's new product additions, calamari. Find out where the word calamari comes from in this episode! In episode 26 of our podcast we'll be discussing five ways to boost fall sales. Autumn is a favorite time of year for many folks, and it's an ideal time to adjust your menu to capture new sales opportunities. We're also going to talk calamari, yo...
Guests & Their Cell Phones, Menu Psychology and New Products
August 04, 2017 02:53 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBIt's Thursday, August 3rd, and today is National Watermelon Day! Our foodie fact is inspired by this Summer favorite. The United States is the world’s 4th largest producer of watermelon. How many pounds of watermelon are grown in the US each year? In this week’s podcast we’re picking up the phone – well, your customers are anyway. We’ll touch on the growing impact of smart phones on foodservice. We’re also taking a closer look at the psychology behind good menu design. There’s actual science...
Consumer Impact on Menu Development, Flat Iron Steaks and New Products
July 28, 2017 02:53 - 12 minutes - 7.09 MBIt's Friday, July 28th, and this is episode 24 of Dennis Knows Food! Our foodie fact is inspired by one of our new products additions this week. This week we have a 2-part question: Jennie-O was founded in what year, and today they produce how many different products? The answers at the end of this episode. Three new products have been added to our inventory this week. We’ve added fresh Tender Browned Turkey Breast from Jennie-O. In beef we’ve added Flat Iron Steaks from South Shore Meats. F...
Creme Brûlée and Tactics for Takeout
July 21, 2017 02:53 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBIt's Friday, July 21st, and today is National Creme Brûlée Day! We're taking the theme for this week's foodie fact from Creme Brûlée - What was the estimated calorie count for the world's largest Creme Brûlée? The answer in this episode! This week we’ve added 6 new items to our inventory. Now in for produce we’ve added a premium Asian style stir fry medley. From the artisan bakery experts at Turano comes a new Brioche Burger Roll. We're adding more options to our line of Burger Maker beef p...
National French Fry Day, Coffee Health Benefits, Cold Brew Profits, and New Products!
July 13, 2017 02:52 - 10 minutes - 10 MBIt's Thursday, July 13th, and today is National French Fry Day! Every July 13th, the nation joins in celebration of an culinary staple, French fries! That means our foodie fact for the week is inspired by French fries! During WWI, which army influenced the coining of the term "French fries" among US soldiers; the Russian, Belgian, or French army? The answer in this episode! This week we’ve added nine new items to our inventory. From the world of pizza comes a new dough option, 16″ presheete...
A Shout-Out for Cheese Makers, Engaging Millennial Diners, and the How America BBQs Contest
July 06, 2017 02:52 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBIt's Thursday, July 6th, and today is National Fried Chicken Day!That means our foodie fact for the week is inspired by chickens! What is the greatest height an unprotected egg has been dropped to earth without breaking? The answer in this episode! Three new items have been brought in to our inventory this week. We’re adding to our impressive selection of beef products with two of them. First up are mouth-watering steak tenders from South Shore Meats. We’ve also added a fresh 7oz Angus beef...
Seasonal Business Tips and Fresh Lobster Meat with Two Special Guests
June 29, 2017 02:52 - 12 minutes - 6.97 MBIt's Thursday, June 29th, and this is Episode 20 of the Dennis Knows Food Podcast! Today is National Almond Buttercrunch Day! This week's almond-inspired foodie fact asks "What conditions do almond trees need to produce almonds?" The answer in this episode! This is a rare week where we do not have any recently added inventory products to discuss, we'll explain more about what that means in this episode. Instead, we're taking the opportunity to discuss how the strong relationships between our...
Glaze can Amaze, Tomato Butter, Claim your Business, and Beefy Opportunities!
June 22, 2017 02:51 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBIt's Thursday, June 22nd, and this is Episode 19 of the Dennis Knows Food Podcast! Today is National Onion Ring day! This week's onion-inspired foodie fact asks "What was the fastest recorded time to peel 50 pounds of onions?" The answer in this episode! We've added 9 items to our inventory this week covering new products as well as some seasonal favorites that are now back in stock! This week's additions include a new specialty Mandarin Orange Sesame Ginger dressing. Frozen chicken leg quar...
New England Produce News, Veggie Perceptions, There's Coffee in the Cocktails, and More!
June 15, 2017 02:51 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBIt's Thursday, June 15th, and this is Episode 18 of the Dennis Knows Food Podcast! In this weeks episode of Dennis Knows Food we focus some of the spotlight on New England, with 3 of our 12 latest inventory additions coming from right here in Maine. We're also putting some emphasis on produce, with Chris Webster, one of our Dennis Account Executives joining us for a discussion on "veggie perceptions." This week we’ve added a dozen new items to our inventory. In for the season we have fresh c...
Routines, Marrow as a Condiment, It's Test-Kitchen Time, New Products and More!
June 08, 2017 02:50 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBIt's Thursday, June 8th, and this is Episode 17 of the Dennis Knows Food Podcast! Here we are with another Thursday edition of our Podcast; the last few episodes have been recorded on Thursdays rather than our usual Wednesday schedule. This made me reflect on how, even with schedules and planning, the unexpected can cause a hiccup in our regular routines. In this episode I've got some advice to help you overcome unforeseen changes and challenges to your routines. This week we have 8 new ite...
Signature Burgers and the Popularity of Pork!
June 01, 2017 02:50 - 8 minutes - 8.1 MBIt's Thursday, June 1st, and this is Episode 16 of the Dennis Knows Food Podcast! Our podcast is protein packed this week as we put the spotlight on creating new opportunities and dishes for your menu. Burgers are big and getting bigger, we discuss the customer-keeping-power of crafting unique signature burgers. The record breaking popularity of bacon means customers are hungry for more pork menu options. And, we share the 8 new products that were added to our inventory this week; one of the...
Maine Seafood, Beef Products, Custom Labeling and More!
May 25, 2017 02:49 - 9 minutes - 8.4 MBIt's Thursday, May 25th, and this is Episode 15 of the Dennis Knows Food Podcast! In this weeks episode we share 10 new products that were just added to our inventory; including a larger size of our extremely popular Arcadian Harvest lettuce mix. We talk about the return of a fresh seafood favorite, and cover some recent Maine-seafood headlines. We're big on beef, and we're setting up a future "all beef" episode of Dennis Knows Food. We've also got a great device for kitchens that you're goi...
A Fish Story, New Products, Social Media, UniPro Soups and More
May 18, 2017 02:49 - 11 minutes - 6.63 MBIt's Thursday, May 18th, and this is Episode 14 of the Dennis Knows Food Podcast! We hope you had an opportunity to get outside for at least a few minutes today and enjoy a taste of this early Summeresque weather. I was able to spend all weekend outside while fishing in Northern Maine. In this episode of Dennis Knows Food I've got a fishing/cooking story to share with you. Also in this episode we talk about the latest items added to our inventory, discuss new soups from UniPro, spend a few m...
Safety Programs, Foodservice Headlines and More
May 11, 2017 02:49 - 7 minutes - 7.12 MBIt's Thursday, May 11th, and this is Episode 13 of the Dennis Knows Food Podcast! It's been an interesting couple of days trying to record audio for our Podcast, you'll hear why in the episode. This week we've added 14 new items to our inventory spanning several delicious categories. We’ve added liquid coffee concentrate, cereal, almond milk, yogurt, soups, a 4.5oz beef and bean burrito and more. Keith Durrah our Director of Risk Management drops in to talk safety. We cover some of this week...
Independent Operators #Winning, James Beard Awards, New Products and a Podcast Guest!
May 03, 2017 02:48 - 16 minutes - 14.7 MBIt's Wednesday, May 3rd, and this is Episode 12 of our Podcast!This week's podcast is a little longer than our previous, and that's because we had a guest join us today! Travis Estes, or Frozen Category Manager talks about new products, several of which are perfect for summertime business. In this episode we also share 9 new items that were just added to our inventory, we talk about this weeks James Beard Awards, and share a new study that independent owner-operators are sure to appreciate! ...
Food Show Recap, New Products, Frozen Veggies and Big Brother is... Fishing?
April 27, 2017 02:48 - 9 minutes - 8.62 MBIt's Thursday, April 27th, and this is Episode 11 of our Podcast!It been a busy week! We're doing our Podcast a day later than normal to allow for a little catch-up after our Food Show on Tuesday. A big "thank you" to all of our vendors, customers and attendees! This week we've got 5 new items to share with you which were just added to our inventory, we revisit the discussion on sports drinks from last weeks podcast, and we highlight a new study on frozen vegetables that is set to be release...
Health News, Food Reformulation and Avocados!
April 19, 2017 02:47 - 10 minutes - 6.94 MBIt's Wednesday, April 19th, and this is Episode 10 of our Podcast!Ten weeks have gone by since we shared our first podcast, but it really only feels like 10 days. Thank you to our listeners for the great feedback; your thoughts, ideas and support have helped us improve our podcasting efforts. This weeks podcast covers some of the 13 new items that were just added to our inventory, health news for anyone who likes to exercise and an interesting trend in food manufacturing. There's a reminder ...
Coffee Health Benefits, New Products, Investment in Nutrition and Grilled Cheese!
April 12, 2017 02:47 - 8 minutes - 7.71 MBIt's Wednesday, April 12th, and this is the 9th episode of our Podcast! Here we are on National Grilled Cheese Day, in the middle of National Grilled Cheese Month, and we've got a couple of yummy GC related ideas for you in this episode of Dennis Knows Food! With Easter just a few days away we've got a simple breakfast-special concept that could help you use Sunday's leftover ham. In this episode we also talk about some new non-foods items that were just added to our inventory, there's a hea...
New England Food News, Maple Goodness, Passwords and UniPro
April 05, 2017 02:47 - 8 minutes - 7.47 MBIt's Wednesday, April 5th... and it's still snowing?! We are back on our regularly scheduled podcast day! We know that changing that up for a couple weeks was rough on our listeners ;). Thank you to our podcast subscribers, and those using SoundCloud, for listening each week. If there's anything you'd like to hear featured in our future podcasts just drop us a line. This weeks podcast talks about the new items we've added to our inventory, Lobster and Maple Syrup are on the radar in New Engl...
Customer Service Strategies and Something Fresh in Fast Food!
March 31, 2017 02:46 - 6 minutes - 6.27 MBSomething a little different, a Fast-Foodie-Friday edition of our podcast!Our Podcasts typically go out on Wednesday, although the last two have been an exception. This past Wednesday we were down in Portland, Maine at the Maine Restaurant and Lodging Expo, held in the Cross Insurance Arena. Just being there we were getting pumped for our Food Show on April 25th at the Cross Insurance Center. Don't get those two confused... Arena = Portland, Center = Bangor. We briefly toyed with the idea of...
Making Time for Tech, 2017 Food Trends, Maine Craft Beer and New Products!
March 23, 2017 02:46 - 13 minutes - 11.9 MBIt's Thursday, March 23rd and this is the 6th episode of our Podcast! Better late than never, this weeks podcast covers three products recently added to inventory, Maine craft brewing, internationally inspired menu items, and foodie news discussing expected 2017 trends. We also discuss the value of setting aside a small portion of time to improve your business by taking advantage of the great technologies that are available today. Much of this segment is geared toward our Account Executive...
Daylight Savings Time Tips & Food News
March 15, 2017 02:45 - 9 minutes - 8.33 MBIt’s Wednesday, March 15th and this is the 5th episode of our Podcast!We almost had a good hold on Spring… almost. This wacky weather is affecting all of us in different ways. Add in the physical and mental impact from the recent daylight savings time switch, and this is shaping up to be a rough week. Fight through it, below is a link to strategies for help in coping with Daylight Savings! In this weeks new products we have added 30 new items to our inventory! Most of these come from Major B...
Record Sales for Maine Seafood, New Products, Foodie News
March 08, 2017 02:45 - 5 minutes - 4.59 MBIt’s Wednesday, March 8th and this is the fourth episode of our Podcast!The weather is making our thermometers swing radically up and down, but the trend is moving towards warmer weather! The rising average daily temperature is a sure sign that Spring will be here soon. As reminder, check with your Dennis Account Executive about what steps you should be taking to get ready for Spring business. In this, our fourth episode of the ‘Dennis Knows Food’ Podcast, we take a look at this weeks three ...
2017 To-Go Trends and Health Headlines
March 01, 2017 02:44 - 7 minutes - 7.01 MBIt’s Wednesday, March 1st and this is the third episode of our Podcast!Spring is right around the corner and we are starting to get the hang of this whole Podcast concept, and from the feedback we’re getting it’s a welcome addition, so thank you! In this, our third episode of the ‘Dennis Knows Food’ Podcast, we take a look at this weeks new products, including a Black and White Mousse from Brooklyn Cannoli Company. In headlines this week we talk about 2017’s expectations for trends in to-go ...
A New Protein, WWII Vet, Fake Food News
February 22, 2017 02:44 - 7 minutes - 7.24 MBIt’s Wednesday, February 22nd and this is the second episode of our Podcast!We are still learning the ropes, but we’re very excited about Podcasts as a fun and useful resource for our customers and employees. In this second episode we have a ‘protein’ highlight in our new products arrivals, we visit with a WWII veteran, discuss the impact of “fake news” in the food industry. We also dive into some of the great new resources we’re making available, and where to access them. We close the episo...
The inaugural episode of our new “Dennis Knows Food”
February 15, 2017 02:43 - 5 minutes - 5.42 MBOur First Podcast! February 15, 2017We are excited to share the inaugural episode of our new “Dennis Knows Food” Podcast! While podcasting has been around for quite awhile – this is totally new territory for us, so bear with us while we get up and running. In this first episode we share an important update from our purchasing department, highlight a couple new products in the weekly ‘New Items’ list, discuss a few new features on the new Dennis website and more. Subscribe to the Podcast - S...