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As corporate foodservice operators work harder to emulate commercial restaurants, professional chefs are becoming more valuable to contract feeders Scott Stromer epitomizes that value at Restaura; he oversees quality assurance, evaluates new products, conducts research, works to enhance recipes, trains chefs and cooks, opens new foodservice accounts and helps design new foodservice concepts for the company's 200 accounts.
Stromer's keys to success in corporate foodservice as we enter the next millennium are more attention to detail, a greater focus on customer service and keeping menus, serveries and dining rooms fresh, vibrant and exciting places to visit.
Title: Vice president and corporate executive chef, Restaura Inc., Phoenix.
Birthdate: Jan. 16, 1960.
Hometown: Royal Oak, Mich.
Formal education: 1980 graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y. Career highlights: Earning his first gold medal in culinary competition at his alma mater in 1988 and working for four vears with the Hyatt Hotel chain in five different cities, which he said was "a great way for a single guy to get to visit several cities and learn the business."
Over the past few years, Restaura has placed a professional chef in each of its more than 200 foodservice operations. What message is the company sending to your accounts and to the industry as a whole?
Our message is that Restaura has become a culinary-focused, market-driven foodservice company. The No. 1 thing on our minds is to be tops in customer service.
Have you reached that goal? That's a hard question to answer because we are continually re-evaluating the scale, every 18 to 24 months. We strive for a 10 on a scale of one to 10, and when we achieve that, we readjust the scale. What causes you to readjust the scale? Changes...