7 Shifts

JANUARY 26, 2021

2020 was a year that the restaurant industry won’t soon forget. From a projected record growth at the top of the year to a decline of nearly $240 billion in sales and 2.5 million out of work, it was nothing short of devastating. Through it all, we emerge from the year as an industry in evolution—and our restaurants need to evolve with it. We’re not talking about just surviving the pandemic—but thriving through 2021 and beyond, and setting new standards.

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2021 Front of House Social Media Back of House 370

Embrace the Suck

JANUARY 19, 2021

Gather ‘round and allow me to tell you a tale. The names have been changed to protect those not so innocent. Let this tale be a precautionary lesson for you to not go down the same path lest you suffer the same fate as this restaurant did. You’ve been warned—stop reading now if you’re happy with the status quo. In an average town, there was an average restaurant.

Small Business 396

Small Business Take-out Marketing Training 396

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 8, 2021

It is always safe to say: “things change”. Change is an inevitable part of life and as we all know if we fail to recognize that and adapt – we can become obsolete. Throughout history there are countless examples of those who ignore or seem paralyzed by the need to change as their industries or specific job descriptions evolve. This is reality, a reality that is quite predictable although the pace of change is now much more rapid than in the past.

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2021 Social Media Kitchen Safety Restaurant Law 463

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 27, 2021

COVID-19 has forced restaurants to rely on takeout and delivery sales to drive the majority of their sales. For some, off-premise already constituted a large percentage of their revenue, and they had the systems in place to pivot when dining rooms closed. Many others, however, had to build their off-premise operations from scratch to combat sudden dine-in closures.

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Ordering Online Ordering Social Media Delivery 215

Advertiser: Paycor

There’s a new overtime salary threshold that will impact employers across the country. If you have an employee making less than $43,888 on July 1 or less than $58,656 on January 1, you’re going to have to start paying overtime. Download Paycor’s guide to learn: Which groups of employees are affected? How should you classify employees? Best ways to mitigate risk.

Download

ChowNow

JANUARY 27, 2021

If your restaurant isn’t using email marketing, now is the ideal time to start. It may seem like a big undertaking—especially given everything else you’re probably managing—but it’ll be worth your while. Restaurant email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ideas to stay top of mind, engage with your customers, and increase sales. . Online ordering has become extremely popular, so much so that digital sales will account for more than half of limited-service and quick-service sales b

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Email Marketing Marketing Online Ordering Front of House 148

7 Shifts

JANUARY 8, 2021

After more than half a year of deliberation and inaction, the United States Congress passed a stimulus bill that was signed into law by outgoing President Donald Trump on December 27th, 2020. The $900 billion dollar deal—named the HEROES Act—comes at the end of a devastating year for the restaurant industry, and at a time when many restaurants are choosing to hibernate or outright close their doors.

Restaurant Law 370

Restaurant Law Employee Relations Small Business 2021 370

Embrace the Suck

JANUARY 20, 2021

The bad news : Here we are, waiting for the world to end. I know I wrote a post a little while back saying that there would be a restaurant apocalypse in 2020. I did not see this curveball coming. The good news : The world is not going to end! However, it is going to change, and to deal with that you need to get ready now. In fact, this market adjustment is needed.

Social Media 416

Social Media 2001 Online Ordering Cash Management 416

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 23, 2021

In the restaurant business there are really only two ways to view profit: a very small amount of profit balanced by very significant volume, or a significant amount of profit on far less volume. How you approach the design of your restaurant in this regard will determine nearly everything else. How you approach profit will determine what your physical plant will look like, the scope of sophistication in your kitchen, who your vendors will be, how many employees you will hire and the depth of the

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Point of Sale Front of House Back of House Fine Dining 450

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 20, 2021

While times are difficult right now, it could be the perfect opportunity to consider making some changes to your business model, including shifting to a more sustainable approach for the future. Not only is sustainability a hot topic in the restaurant industry, but certain sustainable practices can actually help you to manage risk and keep your business going if another disaster should strike.

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Sustainability Food Supply Front of House Waste 215

Advertiser: Paycor

There’s a new overtime salary threshold that will impact employers across the country. If you have an employee making less than $43,888 on July 1 or less than $58,656 on January 1, you’re going to have to start paying overtime. Download Paycor’s guide to learn: Which groups of employees are affected? How should you classify employees? Best ways to mitigate risk.

Download

ChowNow

JANUARY 22, 2021

Now that you’ve invested in your own restaurant app for online ordering , your next question is likely, “How do I encourage my customers to use it?”. Incentivizing app downloads is important because it gives you a boost in visibility and customer loyalty. In fact, diners who download restaurant apps order twice as often as diners who don’t, according to ChowNow internal data.

Email Marketing 148

Email Marketing Mobile Ordering Social Media Download 148

Xtra Chef

JANUARY 6, 2021

Building your restaurant’s tech stack for 2021. If you’re an xtraCHEF client, you’re already taking control of food costs, managing your inventory, improving productivity & increasing profit. Entering 2021, there are a wide range of restaurant technologies that you should consider adding to your tech stack to superpower your business.

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Delivery 2021 Management Management 146

7 Shifts

JANUARY 11, 2021

"Winter is coming".said every restaurateur in existence. 2020 was a tough year, and you made a ton of sacrifices and difficult decisions already. But 2021 is the year to evolve your restaurant for whatever comes next. Even with positive movements towards a Coronavirus vaccine, the pandemic is still very much a part of our lives. As is the cold weather, giving way to new restrictions and challenges that make it harder for restaurants to do business.

Guest Recovery 358

Guest Recovery Online Ordering Outdoor Front of House 358

Embrace the Suck

JANUARY 20, 2021

If you’re like the majority of restaurants and bars in your market, you’ve been struggling to find staff. Many operators are struggling to find any staff! Are they breathing? Can they form a coherent sentence? Yes? Hired! The new hires stay for a few weeks but end up leaving, and the cycle of anxiety begins again. If you feel like you’re desperate to find people, if you feel like staff treats your business like a revolving door, you need a new plan to put an end to your state o

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Recruiting Coaching Hiring Take-out 377

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Leadership

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 4, 2021

I have been thinking quite a bit lately about a comment made by Chef Jeremiah Tower during our recent podcast conversation. He stated: “The restaurant industry needs an Einstein Moment.” There are numerous ways that we categorize these occurrences: Eureka moments, aha moments, or light bulb moments; but what we are referencing are those points in time when we suddenly understand the solution to a problem or the need for something that no one has pondered before.

Customer Service 448

Customer Service Customer Experience Hotels Small Business 448

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 19, 2021

Temporary pop-ups have long been a way to test a new concept without building out a full location. Creating an entire restaurant, after all, is a massive undertaking, even when not in the middle of an industry-wrecking pandemic. But, along the boulevard of online ordering, new locations are built with a handful of pixels, not a truckload of bricks. Welcome to the age of virtual restaurants.

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Front of House Online Ordering Food Order Customer Experience 212

ChowNow

JANUARY 6, 2021

To say that 2020 changed the restaurant industry would be an understatement. More than 110,000 restaurants have closed permanently or long term, according to the National Restaurant Association. And as an owner or employee of a restaurant, no one is more uniquely aware of the challenges faced than you. In this blog, we’ve compiled tactics for restaurant success that will help you start 2021 on the right foot.

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2021 Mobile Ordering Online Ordering Download 148

Deliverect

JANUARY 18, 2021

2020 was a huge year for off-premise dining. Restaurants had to do whatever they could to survive. For some that meant stepping up their already hot delivery game using the latest tech. But for many full-service restaurants, bars, and other venues that are all about the in-house experience, that meant getting more creative. We saw restaurants delivering groceries, meal kits, and multi-course dinners to assemble at home, and bars offering takeout drinks packages and cocktail kits, among other new

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Delivery Back of House Fine Dining Customer Experience 145

Speaker: James Kahler, COO of Full Course

Ever wondered where to splurge and where to safely conserve when it comes to operating and growing your restaurant? 🤔 Join James Kahler, COO of Full Course and industry visionary, in this new webinar where he'll talk all about best practices to invest in your restaurant's success! Whether you're a new business or an established restaurant, a seasoned pro or a rookie, you'll learn the keys to sustainable success in this competitive industry.

Food

Future Food

JANUARY 19, 2021

Harbord Diggers Image Via Covered Hub. Melbourne vs Sydney What makes a ‘Sydney’ restaurant? In the course of our work, we have noticed that there are some venues that just say ‘Sydney’. We also know that over the years, Sydney restaurateurs haven’t lit up the world in Melbourne (and vice versa, we might add). All of which got us thinking about why this is so: What is it about the market that creates a ‘Sydney’ venue?

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Food Supply Influencer Entertainment Dine-in 158

Embrace the Suck

JANUARY 13, 2021

Author’s Note: This is an excerpt from my new book title Your Restaurant Culture Sucks! Coming out in late February 2021. You’ve heard it said to you by every consultant out there.You need to work ON your restaurant and not IN your restaurant. Yet, here you are still slugging it out every single day doing battle on the front line. While working ON your business sounds great, it appears to you to be more like a mythical creature that you will never catch.

Coaching 352

Coaching Back of House Front of House Training 352

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 18, 2021

There are a handful of very significant decisions that we make in life – decisions that involve tremendous commitments of time, effort, focus, and yes – money. Starting a relationship, a decision to marry, buying a house or an expensive car, opening a business, and enrolling in college are all decisions that would be considered “monumental”. The right decision can lead you to self-awareness, long-term gratification, rewarding careers, and the foundations of family.

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Customer Experience Blog Café Education 435

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 4, 2021

2020 was difficult for everyone, and the restaurant industry wasn’t spared. With millions out of work and nearly 100,000 restaurants closing, the industry took a hard hit. $165 billion in revenue was lost just from March to July, and it’s estimated to be $240 billion by the end of the year, according to the National Restaurant Association.

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Advertising 2021 Small Business Customer Service 208

Speaker: Lauren Barash, Vice President, Brand Marketing

In an ever-evolving industry, building and retaining loyal customers is critical to the success of any restaurant business. Join Lauren Barash, VP of Brand Marketing at Full Course, as she delves into the world of restaurant loyalty programs, and reveals the top five essential strategies to optimize your approach! This webinar will explore: Loyalty trends and what you should be focusing on 📊 Actionable insights and ideas to help you develop the most powerful and effective loyalty program

Loyalty Program

The Eat Restaurant

JANUARY 3, 2021

The Food & Beverage industry is a constantly evolving playing field. Practices that were acceptable just a few years ago are quickly becoming phased out in favor of faster and more efficient methods of operation. One aspect of restaurant operation that has seen the most change is that of restaurant management software. Every day new systems pop-up that are able to do certain tasks in a fraction of the time and with more precision than what was previously achievable.

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Management Management 2021 Beverage 158

Indoor Media

JANUARY 22, 2021

If you want to get ahead in this world, you’ll need to get busy. If you’re a small business, you need to be advertising locally, effectively, and immediately. Depending on your business, it may feel difficult to design a new campaign from scratch. If you have a previous idea to build off of or a template you’re dying to repurpose, the path will be even easier.

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Coupons Advertising Small Business Back of House 157

Goliath Consulting

JANUARY 11, 2021

Now that 2021 is finally here, it’s out with the old and in with the new. And in the business side of beverages, no topic is more trendy right now than “functional beverages.” Functional drinks are just what it sounds like. They’re beverages that serve a “function,” or basically, products that claim to benefit health, wellness or performance (1). And according to The Hartman Group’s Functional Food & Beverage and Supplements 2020 report, 29 percent of consumers have been consuming more funct

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Beverage 2021 Consumer Goods Sports 139

Embrace the Suck

JANUARY 19, 2021

What’s going on with you? Seriously—why haven’t you started taking action on your big goals for this year yet? Still, waiting for a couple of key elements to fall into place? The position of the moon not favorable for this grand venture? Do you need to hire that one person who will allow you the time? Here are three words to write down: b t, b t, and b t.

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Back of House Take-out Reference Hiring 340

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How do you stay on top of what your customers are expecting when they step through your doors? Do you know what’s on their mind? How are you going to account for what they’re planning on doing months from now? As we head into 2024, price-related issues are still top-of-mind for restaurant customers after the inflation boom earlier this year. In this new report, we give you the latest insights on consumer spending trends, attitudes on tipping, and how you can respond.

2024

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 12, 2021

Our industry recently lost a giant of the professional kitchen. Chef Phil Learned stood tall in the kitchen of The Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch, NH. In its day, the Balsams was one of the finest destination resorts in the country – a place of elegant relaxation, beautiful surroundings, and most notably – exceptional food. This place tucked away in the hills of the northeast represented the epitome of culinary arts in their American Plan dining room.

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Seasonal Menu 2005 Hotels Customer Service 471

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 11, 2021

With health and safety on the forefront of everyone’s minds, restaurants need to build their strategies upon a foundation of trust and safety. To learn how you can adapt your strategy to account for difficulties and uncertainties in the current environment, read the tips below: Maximizing Safety with Covid-19 Testing. From beginning to end, the dining experience is filled with close in-person interactions.

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Restaurant Law Recruiting Customer Experience Dine-in 204

Deliverect

JANUARY 7, 2021

With the rise of contactless ordering in the hospitality industry, the use of QR code menus has been on the rise. But we’ve increasingly found that QR code menus benefit businesses beyond minimizing contact – and so we think they’re here to stay for the long run. Below, we’ll discuss how to use QR code menus as a part of your restaurant software , and what advantages they offer that might make them the best choice for you, even when the era of social distancing is over.

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Online Ordering Customer Experience Point of Sale Food Order 137