Tag: events

There’s Room for Everyone Under the MO+S Umbrella

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We’ve attended the FRLA Marketing + Operations Summit since its inception. In fact, we’ve found this event to be so valuable and important that we’ve been a sponsor for the past three years.

M+OS is more than an opportunity to hear about the latest and greatest trends in the hospitality industry with regard to marketing and operations issues. The Summit helps us stay current with the challenges our customers face and gives us specific topics to discuss with them throughout the year.

We’ve learned countless tips and tricks in our years of attending the Summit, but I will never forget participating in a Breakout Session focusing on how to market to various generations when we had a lightbulb moment. Each year, we gain real-life lessons, and this one convinced us to hire a social media staffer. Thanks to this realization, we’ve seen a significant uptick in our online interactions with existing and, most excitingly, new customers. Incorporating such a simple tactic into our marketing strategy allowed us to reach more people.

The Summit provides us with an opportunity to network with members who could one day be potential customers. Through our networking over the years, we’ve found it crucial to learn what customers are trying to accomplish so we can work with them to support their efforts. For example, we can assist in combining a restaurant’s marketing and operational goals by offering custom logos imprinted on their umbrella canopies. Operationally, their guests receive the comfort of shade and may stay at the table longer, ordering coffee and dessert, thereby increasing the bottom line.

It’s been our experience that the Summit is a great place to learn from industry veterans, find out what innovative, best practices are out there, and how different successful brands have overcome challenges. The quality of the speakers is fantastic – from famous chefs like Robert Irvine, to entrepreneurs and restaurant executives from Firehouse Subs and Tijuana Flats. Both the networking opportunities and the chance to meet with decision makers across the industry are terrific. We are looking forward to what this year has in store!

This week’s blog comes from Jordan Beckner, President of Sales at FiberBuilt Umbrellas & Cushions.

Florida Administrative Rules Govern Temporary Event Food Safety, Licensing

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Temporary events have always been a part of the American culture. Fairs, carnivals, athletic contests, farmers’ markets and local celebrations all have one thing in common – a variety of available foods. Food vendors range from restaurateurs trying to increase revenue and brand exposure to home cooks hoping to develop businesses around family recipes.

Florida Administrative Rules define a temporary event as any event of 30 or fewer consecutive days, advertised and recognized in the community, where food is prepared, served or sold to the general public. The statutes and the rules also specify food safety guidelines and licensure requirements food vendors must follow.

Most events take place outdoors and portable facilities and equipment are permitted. The minimum requirements include:

  • Overhead protection
  • Dustless flooring
  • Potable water for cleaning and hand washing
  • Approved cleaner and sanitizer for food-contact surfaces
  • A hand-wash facility with soap and single-use towels,
  • Equipment to maintain food hot (135°F or above) or cold (41°F or below)
  • A food thermometer
  • The means to protect food from environmental contamination

If warewashing facilities are not available on site, an adequate supply of spare preparation and serving utensils must be present to replace in-use utensils that become soiled or contaminated. All food must be stored and prepared at the temporary event or in a licensed food establishment. Food prepared or stored in private homes is strictly prohibited.

Except for specific statutory exclusions, food vendors must obtain a license prior to operating at temporary events. Event sponsors are required to notify the Division of Hotels and Restaurants at least three days prior to the start of the event. Division staff issue licenses on the event day after conducting a satisfactory inspection.

Fixed and mobile public food-service establishments with a current license from the Division of Hotels and Restaurants, or the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, may operate one unit at an event without obtaining a temporary-event license. Single-event license fees are $91 for one- to three-day events and $105 for four- to 30-day events. A $456 annual license is also available and can be used to participate in multiple events.

Licensing exclusions include:

  • Events held on property regulated by Florida Department of Health, on Native American Indians sovereign land, or on church property
  • Events lasting one to three days and sponsored by a nonprofit organization
  • Food stands operated by a nonprofit organization
  • Vendors offering only ice, popcorn, whole fruits, peanuts in the shell, prepackaged items and beverages without additions or further preparation

Food vendors, including those excluded from licensing, must follow all sanitation and safety requirements to protect public health. A temporary-event brochure and checklist published by the Division of Hotels and Restaurants is available on DBPR’s website at www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/hotels-restaurants.

Read more food safety articles in FR&L Magazine’s Food Safety Edition.

 

This week’s blog is by Carlos Lezcano, Statewide Training Manager, and Lisa Lambert, Training and Research Consultant, at the Division of Hotels and Restaurants, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.