It is no news that a diet with an emphasis on vegetables is a healthy way to eat. But figuring out how to make vegetables the center of your meal instead of the neglected side dish can be confusing.

Giving your product away for free to build sales may seem like a business oxymoron. But as the old saying goes, you have to spend money to make money. And although there is no such thing as a free lunch, food sampling is the next best thing for operators and for customers.

At a time when budgets are tight, investing in a remodel or upgrade may seem like a risky plan. Operators have to wonder if updating the look or equipment in their restaurant will bring in more customers. How big of a remodel is necessary?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what hangs on an operator’s walls says a lot. Whether it is comprised of pictures, artwork, awards, sports memorabilia or a little bit of everything, a restaurant’s wall décor speaks volumes to customers.

Customers are restaurants’ biggest allies and their harshest critics. They are not shy about expressing their joy, concern or displeasure with an eating establishment. The wilting plant in the corner, the dust on the ceiling fan or the empty paper towel bins in the bathroom are details easily overlooked by operators and staff. But customers notice everything. When they see a dirty restaurant, they lose their appetite — and operators lose business.

Colin McCrate is transforming wannabe gardeners into backyard farmers, one veggie at a time. A 1996 graduate of Carroll High School in Dayton, McCrate is the co-founder of Seattle Urban Farm Co.

With the weather getting progressively warmer, running season is on the move. Whether you are new to running or have been hitting the ground for many seasons, starting on the right foot begins with the right shoes.

Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. This English proverb is never truer than when undertaking a construction project. Whether an operator is expanding an existing location, building one from the ground up or the inside out, any project, big or small, will hit roadblocks that cost money, time and sanity.

At home, it is easy to camouflage spills, messes and mishaps to furniture. Cover a stain on the carpet with a rug Hide a nick in a table with a cloth. Bury the mess on the couch by flipping the cushion over. But in a restaurant, furniture mishaps are harder to camouflage. A rug might cause customers and staff to trip. Tablecloths get messy fast with many diners. And sometimes it is just impossible to flip a booth’s cushion over to hide a mistake. And since customers notice everything, from stains on fabric to tears on upholstery, operators have to be on immediate damage control.

The rules of color were introduced early in life, usually with finger paints or crayons or markers, and the rules seemed simple: yellow and blue make green; red and blue make purple, and mixing all the other colors together makes a gross brown or drab gray. It was fun, easy, creative and definitely messy.

Professional input key to choosing new wine. Playing favorites serves you well most of the time. But when playing favorites turns into a rut, you may be missing out.

What’s wrong with kids today? This refrain can echo any generation of parents when discussing their beloved offspring.

The Food Institute has determined the budget for groceries for a family of four will increase about $4 a week in 2013.