Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 3, 2019

Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine reached a milestone this week: the publication of our 2,000th article. To commemorate the occasion, we are offering a list of our most-read articles to give readers an idea of the depth of our resource library. "In What Do Food Delivery Services Cost? Infographic).

Article 287

Article Social Media Leadership Magazine 287

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 13, 2025

The chef may have developed the dish and given it that first charge of life, but that work of art on the plate was the collective effort of great purchasing, solid prep work during the day, and accomplished line cooks who are able to consistently prepare and present superb food while juggling multiple orders at once.

Coaching 432

Coaching Sports Presentation Seasonal Menu 432

ChowNow

MARCH 27, 2025

If youre one of the thousands of restaurants that added online food delivery in recent years, you might be wondering: is it actually helping my business grow? These metrics give you a clear picture of your delivery performancefrom order volume and customer retention to delivery speed and profitability.

Delivery 195

Delivery Online Ordering Loyalty Program Food 195

ChowNow

APRIL 15, 2025

In this article, youll learn: The most important restaurant KPIs for restaurant profitability, efficiency, and growth How to calculate and benchmark major KPIs using simple formulas Practical tips for tracking KPIs without getting overwhelmed Lets start by breaking down what KPIs are, and why they require your attention.

Operations 195

Operations Email Marketing Point of Sale Online Ordering 195

ChowNow

MARCH 21, 2025

Do orders get lost in the shuffle between different platforms? If managing food delivery feels more like a headache than a revenue stream, youre not alone. With 52% of consumers saying that ordering out is essential to their lifestyle, every restaurant that wants to stay competitive must offer delivery.

Delivery 195

Delivery Operations Food Online Ordering 195

ChowNow

MARCH 20, 2025

A single missteplike a delayed order or a system glitchcan throw off an entire shift. Whether theyre grabbing takeout, dining in, or ordering delivery, diners dont have patience for long waits or clunky systems. The easier it is for customers to place orders and receive their food, the smoother operations run. The result?

Operations 195

Operations Online Ordering Customer Service Customer Experience 195

ChowNow

APRIL 11, 2025

From managing reservations at the host stand or firing orders straight to the kitchen from table side, tablets are changing the way restaurants run. Bonus points if the interface is also customer-friendly, especially if you plan to use tablets for self-ordering or digital menus. Its a nightmare. Clean, simple, and way less stressful.

Front of House 195

Front of House Allergens Online Ordering Back of House 195

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

The magnetism of the kitchen dates to those early days of growing up in a home where food played an important role, not as much as some, but enough to leave an indelible mark on my life. At least from my own experience there is comfort and excitement every time I enter a professional kitchen. These are my memories of cooking for the soul.

Food 406

Food Front of House Back of House Point of Sale 406

ChowNow

MARCH 19, 2025

With 52% of diners saying that ordering takeout is essential to their lifestyle, its no longer just an optionits an opportunity. But getting customers to order once isnt enough. When diners order through these platforms, they often associate their experience with the app, not your restaurant.

Loyalty Program 195

Loyalty Program Email Marketing Back of House Customer Experience 195

ChowNow

MARCH 13, 2025

Managing delivery orders shouldnt feel like running an obstacle course, but for many restaurant operators, thats exactly what it is. Juggling multiple food delivery apps means switching between tablets, manually entering orders into the POS, and trying to keep track of ever-changing fees and commissions.

Delivery 195

Delivery Food Food Order Point of Sale 195

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

Are you doing all the right thingsserving amazing food, delivering top-notch service, crafting perfectly balanced drinksbut the tables still arent filling up like they should? The problem isnt your food or serviceits visibility and customer engagementand were going to help you fix that. Upload high-quality photos.

2025 195

2025 Email Marketing Social Media Loyalty Program 195

ChowNow

MARCH 21, 2025

In this article, you will learn: How to define your restaurants target market to guide your business decisions. Climate & Seasonality: Does the weather impact what people order or when they dine out? Ask yourself: Dining Preferences: Do they prioritize health-conscious options, indulgent comfort food, or trendy dishes?

Marketing 195

Marketing Social Media Email Marketing Loyalty Program 195

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

Each system has its own tablet, order flow, and set of requirements, making it difficult to keep up with operations smoothly. Each platformUber Eats, GrubHub, DoorDashrequires its own tablet, login, and order management system. Order management issues. Fortunately, theres an easy solution. Consumers report that 24.4%

Delivery 195

Delivery Online Ordering Customer Service POS 195

ChowNow

MARCH 27, 2025

Somewhere in between is the number that makes sense for your food costs, your market, and your restaurants unique position. Food Costs: How to calculate the cost of each dish Lets start with the basics: how much does it actually cost you to make each item on your menu? Set prices too low, and youre leaving money on the table.

Pricing 195

Pricing Menu Point of Sale Customer Experience 195

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 7, 2024

In almost every conversation I have with other industry professionals, someone will say “before COVID… ” or “since COVID… ” As a matter of fact, in many of my articles I make the same comparison. Controlling food waste is a hot topic in the industry as well. This is a trend I hope will go away.

2025 474

2025 Loyalty Program Waste Compost 474

ChowNow

APRIL 15, 2025

One of operators most difficult challenges is balancing restaurant operating costs without compromising the food, service, and customer experience that makes your restaurant unique. If youre pushing out more orders, getting more ingredients, and staffing more servers, these costs will reflect that.

Operations 195

Operations Online Ordering Customer Service Customer Experience 195

ChowNow

APRIL 11, 2025

Its not just about good food anymoreits about trust, reputation, and visibility. Whether someones deciding where to make a reservation or who gets their lunch order, what others say about you online carries real weight. Local media outlets, food bloggers, and influencers often use review platforms to scout out new places to feature.

Online Ordering 195

Online Ordering Social Media Customer Service Customer Experience 195

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

Is online ordering inefficient? Do you lose money due to food waste? Experiencing over-ordering or last-minute shortages? It is the central nervous system of your restaurants operations, and most of the tools we cover in this article will need to integrate with your POS (point-of-sale) system. Are labor costs too high?

2025 195

2025 Technology Loyalty Program Mobile Ordering 195

ChowNow

APRIL 4, 2025

Whether you like it or not, your restaurants online reputation is shaping first impressions long before a guest walks through your doors or even places an order. It should be the go-to source for things like hours, your latest menu, and how to place an order. Equally important is interaction.

Management 195

Management Management Social Media Online Ordering 195

ChowNow

MARCH 28, 2025

With rapid advances happening across various industries, including the food industry, you might be wondering: What does AI have to do with running my restaurant? It allows AI to understand and respond to human language, which is how virtual assistants can answer customer questions or take online orders. The short answer?

Front of House 195

Front of House Back of House Online Ordering Email Marketing 195

The Rail

JANUARY 21, 2025

By Bailey Ramsey, Contributor Food waste is a critical issue in the restaurant industry. To put this in perspective, restaurants waste anywhere between 4% to 10% of the food they purchase. Predicting Customer Demand Accurately One of the leading causes of food waste in restaurants is overproduction.

Waste 182

Waste Compost Recycling Food 182

ChowNow

MARCH 20, 2025

Keeping menus updated across various online ordering systems and third-party delivery apps can feel like a never-ending game of catch-up. Manually updating menus across multiple online ordering channels is tedious, time-consuming, and prone to mistakes. The growing popularity of online ordering has only made this challenge more urgent.

Menu 195

Menu Management Management Online Ordering 195

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Nowadays, running a successful restaurant takes more than great food and good service. Another way to get local backlinks is from local news articles, food bloggers, or restaurant directories to boost your visibility in search results. Make sure to add high-quality photos of your food, interior, and staff.

Book 195

Book Marketing Email Marketing Social Media 195

The Rail

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Have you noticed how food delivery apps are becoming essential in attracting and retaining diners? In this article, we’ll show you exactly how to create a food delivery app tailored to your restaurant’s needs, while staying competitive in a booming industry. The global online food delivery market size was valued at USD 221.65

Delivery 147

Delivery Food Loyalty Program Food Order 147

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

By the time you finish this article, youll know how to approach restaurant marketing the right way and not waste time doing guesswork, crossing your fingers, and then hoping you see new customers walking through the door. Everything from food to labor is getting more expensive, which means restaurant margins are tighter than ever.

2025 195

2025 Marketing Email Marketing Operations 195

ChowNow

MARCH 7, 2025

With a few key optimizations, your restaurant can rank higher on Google, get noticed by people searching for places to eat, and ultimately drive more foot traffic and online orders. In this article, you will learn: How to optimize your Google Business Profile to boost visibility and credibility. Leave us a review on Google!

SEO 195

SEO Online Ordering Mobile Ordering Website Management 195

ChowNow

MARCH 14, 2025

Every day, youre juggling staff, food quality, inventory, customer service, purchasing, and moreall while trying to cultivate a dining experience that wows your customers enough to keep them coming back. Customer Service and Experience Great food and drink is only truly enjoyed when its coupled with a great service experience.

Operations 195

Operations Management Management Front of House 195

ChowNow

JANUARY 23, 2025

In this article, youre going to learn five restaurant customer retention strategies that will not only keep your current regulars happy but will also help you grow your repeat customer base. Its significantly more cost-effective to keep your regulars walking through the door than it is to get a new customer every time you take an order.

2025 195

2025 Loyalty Program Operations Email Marketing 195

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 20, 2022

The ancestors of the first semi-automatic machines to serve food and drink are still in use today, though instead of restaurants and bars, we see them in public spaces, perhaps small shops. This is what we discuss in this article. Order-Only Automats: Pros and Cons. What Are the Pitfalls of Order-Only Machines?

Mobile Ordering 537

Mobile Ordering Food Order Employee Relations Customer Service 537

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 11, 2022

Increased Emphasis on Online Ordering. This combination of pressures has brands doubling down on digital ordering – effectively reducing the labor cost of this process. Among mobile gamers, more than a third (35 percent) of them eat fast food at least once a week, and nearly a quarter (22 percent) eat it more frequently.

2022 520

2022 Marketing Fast Casual Mobile Ordering 520

ChowNow

MARCH 7, 2025

Every online order, email sign up, and reward program interaction generates valuable insightsbut if that data just sits there, youre missing a major opportunity. Think about it: What if you could automatically send a special offer to a customer who hasnt ordered in a while? Or adjust your staffing schedule based on peak ordering times?

Loyalty Program 195

Loyalty Program Email Marketing Online Ordering Point of Sale 195

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

77% of diners look at a restaurants website before going out to eat or ordering takeout or delivery. If you dont have a website, that means over three-quarters of the people near your restaurantyour potential customerswill never come in or place an order because they have no way to find you when theyre looking for a place to eat.

Social Media 195

Social Media Online Ordering SEO Email Marketing 195

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 23, 2022

Consumers visit a fast food or quick serve restaurant (QSR) with a goal in mind: secure a tasty meal incredibly quickly. Once upon a time, a frontline employee at a fast food restaurant did not necessarily need technological skills to apply for the job. Who makes the magic happen? Cashiers, cooks, and other QSR crew members.

Food 474

Food Food Safety Front of House Fast Casual 474

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 15, 2021

The ingrained customer behavior over the past year, delivery, mobile orders, curbside pick-up, will likely continue. Digitize Your Ordering Function and Enhance Your Presence. Just prior to the pandemic, off-premises orders accounted for 60 percent of restaurant engagements, according to a National Restaurant Association report.

Technology 508

Technology Loyalty Program Front of House Online Ordering 508

Culinary Cues

APRIL 10, 2025

I often reflect back on that first job at 15 years old as a dishwasher in a Buffalo, New York diner and shake my head when I contemplate the opportunities that came my way, the people I have met and with whom I have worked, the places I have been, all that I continue to learn, and the life that a career in food has offered.

Travel 331

Travel 2025 Blog Food Order 331

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 13, 2020

Rising food costs, nearing 10 percent. Most restaurants have a server based POS system that does not allow for easy access to a customer’s past orders. Worse, paper menus don’t give you the ability to change things on the fly when food items run out. Food drink combinations. Weather based food recommendations.

Customer Experience 596

Customer Experience Food Safety Food Supply Technology 596

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 8, 2023

Cooks are now bouncing from foot-to-foot waiting for the chime of the printer as orders in the dining room are being taken by servers who put on a show face that projects calm. Then the printer begins to talk to cooks as the first orders arrive. Order fire – four pasta, two rib – rare, and a strip – medium.” “Yes,

Fine Dining 517

Fine Dining Back of House Front of House Food Order 517