Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 23, 2024

Restaurants and bars are leaning into automation to address staffing shortages, enhance operational efficiency, and meet rising customer expectations for speed and consistency. In 2025, I expect automation to keep expanding beyond back-of-house applications into more guest-facing roles.

2025 346

2025 Hospitality Bar Customer Experience 346

Modern Restaurant Management

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

Whether the business has just staffed up for the holidays or experiences their busy period at a different time of the year, investing in seasonal talent is a crucial part of labor strategy year-round. Perhaps the most important factor in attracting strong seasonal talent is creating a positive employee experience.

Hiring 437

Hiring Recruiting Customer Experience Back of House 437

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 17, 2024

With so many people leaving the industry, restaurants stepped up—raising wages, creating new opportunities, and doubling down on the employee experience. With so many people leaving the industry, restaurants stepped up—raising wages, creating new opportunities, and doubling down on the employee experience.

2025 419

2025 Loyalty Program Customer Experience Online Ordering 419

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 7, 2025

Tipping expectations have skyrocketed, and consumers are pushing back. They have to balance keeping customers happy while making sure their staff gets paid fairly. Restaurants must rethink their approach to tipping to retain staff and keep customers happy. Why it works: Customers benefit equally from great service.

Tip Distribution 251

Tip Distribution Front of House Customer Service Back of House 251

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 31, 2024

From salted egg yolks and chili crunch fusions to mushroom-infused teas and freeze-dried fruit powder garnishes, Kimpton’s in-house experts share the standout ingredients, menu items and techniques that will come to the table in 2025.

2025 450

2025 Beverage Fine Dining Guest Recovery 450

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 5, 2025

Looking back, I was optimistic—perhaps a bit naïve—about what scaling would require. The Turning Point: Expanding into CPG Scaling an artisan food business isn’t just about making more product—it’s about ensuring that growth doesn’t dilute quality, customer experience, or operational efficiency.

Food 322

Food Back of House Consumer Goods Kitchen Safety 322

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 21, 2025

With the rising costs of goods, consumers growing more conscious of spending habits, and private equity-backed brands popping up in communities large and small, mom-and-pops are in danger of adding to the failure statistics. The benefits expand beyond labor and into customer data and efficiency. The result?

Technology 221

Technology Front of House Customer Service Back of House 221

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 27, 2021

Adopting in-house technologies became necessary for restaurants to stay open throughout the pandemic, restart operations after temporary closures, and pivot services to maintain revenue while still following enhanced health and safety protocols. Too Much Tech Is Not a Solution. As such, an industry migration is underway.

Front of House 609

Front of House Back of House Loyalty Program Customer Experience 609

EATER

DECEMBER 4, 2024

In both fine dining establishments and cafes, filtered, sparkling water is increasingly part of the included hospitality experience, not an upsell. If somebody’s made the decision to come here, saved up for it, I don’t want them to come here and feel like they’re not getting the full experience unless they add on something else,” he says.

Fine Dining 331

Fine Dining Customer Experience Compost Recycling 331

ChowNow

MARCH 28, 2025

AI is no longer just a buzzword, its a reality that is reshaping how restaurants operate, interact with customers, and make decisions. From automating routine tasks to enhancing customer experiences, AI is revolutionizing the restaurant industry in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. More than you think.

Front of House 195

Front of House Back of House Online Ordering Email Marketing 195

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 24, 2022

Ensuring guests experience true hospitality is tantamount to running a successful restaurant. Thanks to restaurant technologies, it’s possible to not only deliver a superior customer experience — the crux of hospitality — but also take things to the next level. Hospitality is greater than the sum of its parts.

Technology 558

Technology Front of House Back of House Online Ordering 558

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. Its tough, and cant be done passively. Great restaurant operations dont happen by accident.

Operations 195

Operations Management Management Front of House 195

7 Shifts

NOVEMBER 25, 2024

As a restaurant manager or operator, you are the driving force in productivity – leading your staff and keeping customers happy. This leads to the abnormally high turnover rate most operators experience today. There will always be a customer on the receiving end of that waste of time.

Mobile Ordering 221

Mobile Ordering Back of House Customer Service Online Ordering 221

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 23, 2024

We like to say waffles “drip with success” for food service operators, and it's because of four key factors: profitability, versatility, consumer experience and operational efficiency. It’s a favorite of ours and pretty straightforward. Versatility: They are essentially a blank canvas. .

Back of House 221

Back of House Seasonal Menu 2024 Customer Experience 221

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 17, 2025

Building a Competitive Menu We’ve seen that with chains building out a competitive menu featuring specialty items and showing off their culinary skills to attract customers. This is another area where produce buying groups have experience and will help food service operators navigate. So let’s take this a step further.

Food Supply 221

Food Supply Customer Service Back of House Small Business 221

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 11, 2025

Digital not only powers seamless experiences but also unlocks guest data that can elevate hospitality across all touchpoints, both digital and in-person. The customer's needs always come first, even though my prices continue to rise. One of the most impactful changes – and the stickiest – is contactless payment.

Front of House 221

Front of House Loyalty Program Recruiting Customer Experience 221

EATER

OCTOBER 15, 2024

Rifrullo Café, a cozy farm-to-table restaurant in Brookline, Massachusetts, hums with customers on a steamy July mid-morning. As a chef, I have a responsibility to do my best to create good environments for people, customers, and the community,” says Marnell-Suhanosky. These restaurants try to tackle them all. Community, environment.

Compost 299

Compost Food Equipment Waste 299

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

Customers expect to browse menus, place orders, and pay for their meals with just a few taps of their phones. For restaurant operators, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge: how to implement an online ordering system that maximizes revenue while maintaining control over their customer relationships. billion in revenue.

Online Ordering 195

Online Ordering Ordering Email Marketing Mobile Ordering 195

ChowNow

MARCH 27, 2025

Menu pricing isnt just about covering costsits about finding that sweet spot where profitability, customer perception, and operational reality meet. Too high, and youll drive customers away. High-end restaurants can charge more for the experience, leaving wiggle room for a higher food cost percentage.

Pricing 195

Pricing Menu Point of Sale Customer Experience 195

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 26, 2022

We'll look at what artificial intelligence is and how it's being used in three different areas of the restaurant industry: back of the house, front of the house, and marketing. Let's start with the back of the house.

Front of House 493

Front of House Back of House Customer Experience Food Order 493

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

Youre delivering a great dining experience, yet foot traffic remains inconsistent, online engagement is low, and new customers arent coming in as often as youd like. The problem isnt your food or serviceits visibility and customer engagementand were going to help you fix that. Optimize your Google Business Profile.

2025 195

2025 Email Marketing Social Media Loyalty Program 195

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 23, 2020

As a new normal emerges, it will be more important than ever to elevate the dining experience with experiences that are personal and delightful. Each of these endpoints is part of the guest journey and are key in delivering a harmonized experience. And this will take some time.

Back of House 568

Back of House Front of House Kitchen Safety Mobile Ordering 568

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 11, 2024

The year 2024 promises a journey of adaptation and fierce competition for the restaurant industry as it manages stronger-than-expected economic data and slowing inflation while dealing with the headwinds of short labor supply, more demanding customers and an uncertain political environment. The key lesson both establishments teach?

2024 473

2024 Customer Experience Compost Loyalty Program 473

ChowNow

MARCH 21, 2025

Understanding your target market is the foundation of making smart decisions for your menu, pricing, and overall guest experience. Key customer factors that influence dining preferences, from demographics to behavior. A restaurant target market is the specific group of customers your restaurant is designed to attract.

Marketing 195

Marketing Social Media Email Marketing Loyalty Program 195

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 9, 2024

A chief reason is due to caution or uncertainty exhibited by conscious consumers, with 48 percent saying they are taking the ‘wait and see’ approach and holding back on spending in 2024. Moving to Multichannel Dining Experiences Dining out is… back? So, what’s the solution?

2024 508

2024 Mobile Ordering Front of House Fast Casual 508

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

What was once a gradual process turned into a rapid transformation, permanently reshaping how restaurants operate and interact with customers. Customers have now fully embraced the benefits of using restaurant technology, and to keep up with guests evolving expectations, the tech industry is growing at an incredible rate.

2025 195

2025 Technology Loyalty Program Mobile Ordering 195

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 30, 2021

This will enable operators to establish non-traditional gratuity pools that can now be used to create higher wages for back-house staff such as line cooks, dishwashers and janitorial without increasing their operational labor spend. .” An answer lies in the world of workforce optimization. However, a fairer option exists.

Tip Distribution 520

Tip Distribution Front of House Technology Back of House 520

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

We hope you enjoy your dining experience with us. For now, restaurants are using AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) to streamline operations and improve customer service in a much less tech-savvy environment. You are sitting in your favorite restaurant and have placed an order on a tablet at your table.

Front of House 528

Front of House Mobile Ordering Loyalty Program Back of House 528

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 1, 2021

Front-of-House. We’ve seen restaurants pivot to contactless methods for a safer customer experience. Outside of off-premise options, contactless technologies can keep customers safe as they return to dine-in at restaurants. Customers enter the restaurant and approach the host stand. Contactless Technology.

Technology 508

Technology Front of House Back of House Point of Sale 508

ChowNow

JANUARY 23, 2025

Does the energy feel flat, and the customers look bored. Get some fresh customers through the door and start the neighborhood talking about whats happening in your restaurant again. You need ideas that will wow new customers and get the regulars excited to come back in.

Events 195

Events Seasonal Menu Social Media Customer Experience 195

ChowNow

JANUARY 23, 2025

Regular customers make up the backbone of any restaurants sales , but if you put a group of restaurant owners around a table, the conversation inevitably focuses on growth through new customer acquisition. You love seeing them come in, and you say hello, but is that enough to keep them coming back for years down the line?

2025 195

2025 Loyalty Program Operations Email Marketing 195

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Hospitality operators are rapidly turning to contactless ordering and payment solutions to help navigate the long road back to normal from COVID-19’s impacts. While it’s a smart innovation that some say is long overdue, the reality is operators are responding to customer demand. Yes, ordering and payment is important.

Hospitality 576

Hospitality Ordering Front of House Customer Experience 576

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 29, 2022

Guest experience is more important than ever as a likely recession increases competition for business. Labor will not go back to pre-pandemic levels and controlling labor costs will be crucial to maintaining profitability. Operators will continue incentivizing in-house delivery and in-app purchases.

2023 531

2023 Technology Back of House Customer Experience 531

ChowNow

MARCH 19, 2025

But getting customers to order once isnt enough. Repeat business is what drives real growth, yet many restaurants struggle to keep takeout diners coming back. With competition increasing and third-party apps controlling customer relationships, building loyalty requires a smarter approach. In a recent survey by ChowNow, 54.6%

Loyalty Program 195

Loyalty Program Email Marketing Back of House Customer Experience 195

EATER

MARCH 25, 2025

A former MMA fighter who now commands more than 17 million followers on TikTok, Lee is known for his laid-back restaurant reviews, generally delivered from the front seat of his car, in which he evaluates the food from mom-and-pop restaurants of all kinds. Keith Lee: I live a very simple life. But its a blessing.

Social Media 265

Social Media Small Business Front of House Point of Sale 265

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 2, 2022

But some, such as the popularity of technology enabled dining experiences, are staying strong. The same survey showed no correlation between app popularity and an excellent mobile experience – implying that mobile ordering apps only need to be “good enough” to satisfy the demand for this kind of service. Set the Bar.

Mobile Ordering 473

Mobile Ordering Front of House Back of House Consumer Goods 473

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Dozens of new restaurants are opening worldwide every day, so it is important that your establishment attracts customer’s attention. It takes a memorable aesthetic that will pull customers in and keep them returning. Eliminate televisions from the walls so your guests can have a better experience with their friends and family.

Design 531

Design 2022 Front of House Back of House 531