I was watching America’s Next Great Restaurant over the weekend. It’s a reality TV series wherein the contestants are trying to pitch their restaurant ideas to a panel of investors. The prize is to open three restaurant locations across the country, so the key is grabbing the interest of the investors (who serve as the judges) and showing them that your restaurant concept is viable, profitable, and sustainable.

The challenge on this most recent episode was to create a food truck with a menu that would work on the streets of Los Angeles. The food truck should also be profitable. One of the contestants, however, was at a loss for words when asked about the food cost for each individual portion. One of the judges then asked how he could possibly know how to price his plate when he does not know how much it costs to put that food on that plate.

In the context of running a restaurant, food costs are usually about 20-30% of the final menu price. In the context of other kinds of businesses, the equivalent costs can be different. Either way, though, it is of paramount importance to have a firm grasp on your operating costs, your business expenses, and the other related costs that go into making a product or service available to your customer.

Yes, keep an eye on your bottom line. Yes, be mindful of how you price your products and how you increase revenue. But, you have to realize that the bottom line consists of both revenue and expenses. Without a firm understanding of the latter, it is impossible to run a successful business over the long haul.

On the one hand, you see the rising popularity of tablet devices. From the iPad to the Motorola Xoom, tablets are exploding onto the scene. On the other hand, you have the consistent popularity of notebook computers. People are still accustomed to that form factor when they want to get some real work done on the road. Fitting in between the two is the Acer Iconia TouchBook Tablet.

The model shown here is the Acer Iconia-6886 Dual-Screen Touchbook and it is said to offer a “truly unique notebook experience.” Instead of having a regular keyboard on the lower portion of the notebook, the Acer Iconia has a full touchscreen display. The top display is also a touchscreen, combining to provide a pair of 14-inch LED backlit touchscreen LCDs with Gorilla Glass for extra toughness.

This is a very innovative way to approach computing, as it marries the benefits of the tablet with the benefits of a notebook. The lower half can display a virtual keyboard as needed, but it can also show app-specific controls, a secondary video, or all sorts of other kinds of content. You really can experience virtually limitless possibilities.

Beyond the dual touchscreens, key features include an Intel Core i5-480M processor, 4GB DDR3 dual-channel memory, 640GB hard drive, WiFi-N, Dolby Advanced Audio v3, 1.3MP webcam, and Windows 7 Home Premium. The Acer Iconia Touchbook is available for preorder now on Amazon.ca.

It sounds like a lot of fun to host a party (and it is), but it also comes with a lot of stress and responsibility. Take a load off your shoulders and leave the hard work to the professionals at Party Planners Inc.

The Vancouver-based company is well experienced in planning events and parties, working on the right decorations, the right setup, and other intimate details to make your party the talk of the town. They work with staging, sound, multimedia, catering, and more too.

On the website (Flash), you can learn more about their designs to go, the custom designs, services that they offer, and more. There is also a page of accolades that give you a better sense of what you can expect if you hire the “designers of celebration” to help plan your event. They are “in the business of creating wow!”

Do you use BlueFur to host your websites? Let us know and we can feature you in a future blog post. Send an email message to blogfeature@bluefur.com with your name, website URL, and a brief description of what you’d like to see highlighted.

WordPress can be used for many different types of sites beyond just regular blogs. One such example is a photo gallery and the MyPhoto theme is one of the many options that you can consider.

It’s designed to be as minimal and elegant as possible. You get a basic 3×3 grid of image thumbnails that the user can then click through to see larger versions. It is powerful enough to handle a large portfolio and is currently available with a black background.

You’ll also notice the easy to use navigational links in the top-right corner, along with social media integration by way of the easily recognizable icons there too. You can also see the arrows to browse through photos in the same category, as well as threaded comment support.

Check out the demo and download link at WP Explorer, which is also where you can see a screenshot of the MyPhoto Theme Panel.

What’s going on with the blogs this week? Let’s have a look.

Raul Pacheco is getting ready to celebrate his five year blogiversary. It’s hard to believe that Hummingbird604.com is coming up on half a decade. There are tons of great posts to read there as Raul always updates his blog multiple times a day. Will you join him for the party on April 22?

Kimm Mitchell has taken a big step and finally gotten herself some business cards. This comes after years of going to blogger events and tweetups, not having a card to share. This year, she’s ready for Comment for a Cause!

Trent Hamm reminds us of a very simple distinction. Leisure time is not the same as idle time. In fact, Trent was able to build up The Simple Dollar in his leisure time over the course of a two year period. Pursue your passions and don’t let life pass you by.

Mike Ellero has a guest post up on Derek Semmler’s site, describing the virtues of a breakation. This is longer than a coffee break, but shorter than a real vacation. He says you should take a breakation at least once a week.

Scott Young has a startling revelation for you. Success in life may have more to do with luck than it has to do with effort. Does this mean that your efforts are pointless? Not at all. Just like in poker, where luck plays a big role, it’s your skill and your effort that really propel you to the top.

Keeping a customer is a lot easier and less expensive than acquiring a new one. This is very common knowledge among the business community, which is why it is oftentimes worthwhile to lose some money up front if it means you’ll be earning it back later on.

This kind of philosophy and approach has been applied to a number of different industries and niches. Take diabetic testing supplies as a prime example. Many of these companies offer the testing meters for free, because the real money is in the constant supply of testing strips.

The mobile phone industry has long since recognized this phenomenon too. They’ll more than gladly sell you a brand new cell phone at a discounted price, because you are signing a two or three year contract to get it. Over the course of that service contract, the profits from your monthly bill easily cover that initial subsidy on the new phone.

Are these “gateway drug” sales tactics deceiving? Possibly, but they serve as very powerful marketing strategies for acquiring new customers. Then, you just have to work to keep them.