SpotOn

APRIL 1, 2025

However, getting more guests in seats through outdoor dining can also come at a cost, both in time and money. Add high tops to vary up seating. Put weatherproof seat cushions on chairs to make them more comfortable for guests.  Patios can be quite lucrative.   Plants. Live music. A handheld POS can help.

Seating 98

Seating Outdoor POS 2024 98

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 1, 2024

Bar and restaurant operators often face tough dilemmas, ranging from the daily question, “Should we be mixing more drinks or turning more tables?” With today’s technology, bar and lounge operators can have the best of both worlds. ” But these questions don't require an either-or answer.

Bar 449

Bar Operations Back of House Front of House 449

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 10, 2020

It’s the perfect slow-down to tweak recipes and menus, do some deep cleaning, or consider fresh ways to change up the customer dining experience. A time to act on resolutions and look ahead with great anticipation to all that is possible in the new year. One thing is for sure—the industry was not prepared for a pandemic.

Outdoor 553

Outdoor Seating Customer Service Small Business 553

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 23, 2020

Restaurant design, kitchens, and the dining customer experience has been changing over the past few years and with the COVID pandemic, it may be changing again. Some trending concepts over the past several years have included more open seating, high ceilings, and exposed structure concepts. Getting Creative with Outdoor Space.

Design 539

Design 2021 Outdoor Brewery 539

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 3, 2024

Survey results indicate diners are seeking distinctive dining experiences, planning ahead with early reservations, and seeking out earlier evening bookings The holiday season is bringing a wave of excitement among diners, with 68 percent of respondents planning to celebrate at restaurants or bars. early bird timeslot.

Reservations 221

Reservations Book Customer Experience Dine-in 221

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

Quick-service and fast-casual concepts are leading this transformation, developing layouts that can seamlessly shift between dine-in, takeout, delivery, and potentially even catering or retail components. Among her design tips: Form Must Follow Function, Go Big in Little Ways and Design to Grow.

Fast Casual 251

Fast Casual 2025 Design Customer Experience 251

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 28, 2020

It’s no secret that the dining scene has changed drastically in the wake of COVID-19. From customizable protective shields and partitions to hand sanitizing stations and tricks for taking an outdoor dining space to the next level (umbrellas and planters, anyone?), Design Your Floor Plan with Social Distancing in Mind.

Outdoor 531

Outdoor Food Safety Social Media Food Truck 531

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 5, 2021

Restaurant and bar employment (as of July 2021) remains down by 1.5 Brick and mortar stores will need to elevate their dining experience to be more appealing and more flexible to the changing attitudes and perceptions of the American public. million since the start of the pandemic. The Store Experience.

Food Truck 539

Food Truck Retail Mobile Ordering Food Safety 539

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 25, 2021

If one thing is clear, it’s that outdoor dining is here to stay. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants have had to rethink their spaces in order to accommodate additional outdoor dining capacity. All over the country, restaurants have gotten creative to reconfigure outdoor spaces into al fresco dining areas.

Outdoor 530

Outdoor Technology Customer Experience Dine-in 530

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 27, 2020

Jon Taffer is scared for restaurants and terrified for bars. He cautioned that when restaurants can reopen for dine-in service, they will have to face the bittersweet reality of less seating capacity and less sales–he estimates as much as 30 percent–due to social distancing practices and guest apprehension. "They

Front of House 438

Front of House Social Media Back of House Seating 438

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 7, 2020

Guests would be seated at every other table or booth so as to maintain a safe distance. Bar seating will be removed and reconfigured to allow six feet between bar stools. Bar servers will take orders and deliver drinks and food but will not linger across from guests. Those measures will continue in the future.”

Food Safety 511

Food Safety Front of House Back of House Seating 511

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 2, 2024

It’s been identified as an emerging dining trend – with a 2020 study by NPD Research Group finding single diners have increased their share of U.S. At our Shannon Rose pubs, in addition to numerous bars available for dining, we have several different dining rooms where we have solo seating tables set up.

Loyalty Program 411

Loyalty Program Catering Seating Customer Experience 411

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 7, 2020

Shifting Delivery and Dine-In Experiences. Today, that means restaurants have transformed their dining rooms into safe, no-touch pickup zones, with some even offering drive thru or curbside pickup for the first time. and abroad. We will also see a rise in use of virtual waitlist and reservation platforms across restaurants.

Food Safety 480

Food Safety Mobile Ordering Front of House Seating 480

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 13, 2020

Rakuten Ready surveyed more than 100 customers to measure how behaviors around dining have, or are anticipated to change around the perceptions and impact of COVID-19 on restaurants, food delivery and order for pickup. Among the findings: Most diners are not overly fearful, with 57 percent making no change to their dining behaviors.

Front of House 499

Front of House Back of House Restaurant Law Food Safety 499

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 2, 2024

Nowhere is this more evident than in the consideration of generational differences, which play a large role in shaping dining experiences. From cozy nooks to bustling social hubs, microclimates offer a spectrum of dining experiences aimed at resonating with various demographics.

Dine-in 221

Dine-in Social Media Catering Design 221

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 8, 2020

Just because dine-in business is on hold doesn’t mean your restaurant’s future has to be. ” However, we expect the initial reduction in seating capacity to be closer to 25-30 percent, not 50 percent. Original Seating Capacity. Seating Capacity 25% Reduction. Seating Capacity 50% Reduction.

White Paper 531

White Paper Seating Employee Relations Back of House 531

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 5, 2022

I don’t have one client who has all the servers necessary to run their operations, which results in a lot of complaints about long waiting times once the guest is seated. For a few minutes, the guest feels better because they are in a seat, but the big problem is on the horizon. Quality Service Above All.

Seating 468

Seating Training Customer Service Point of Sale 468

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 19, 2020

New design solutions we’re considering include temporary enclosures around existing seating groups, devising clever touchless delivery systems inside existing and new restaurants, rethinking the curbside pickup landscape for our mixed-use projects as a starting point. Redefining that experience will be important.

Front of House 386

Front of House Back of House Seating Design 386

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 18, 2022

That’s not necessarily a bad thing—when you have enough staff to handle the crowd and an efficient plan to get those waiting customers seated and served in a reasonable amount of time, you can call it a successful day. However, waiting isn’t always a good experience for customers. Boosting Efficiency.

Seating 507

Seating Customer Experience Customer Service Take-out 507

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 16, 2021

With many restaurants closed for in-person dining on and off throughout the pandemic, the food service industry shifted to delivery and takeout as a business imperative. According to SEC filings, food delivery apps experienced tremendous growth in 2020 earning a combined $5.5 billion from the same period in 2019. Alcohol To-Go Will Expand.

Food Safety 558

Food Safety Recycling Restaurant Law Front of House 558

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 6, 2022

During the pandemic, restaurants were forced to shut down or limit their indoor dining areas to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Most restaurants took advantage of al fresco dining or turned to alternative pick-up and delivery service methods to regenerate revenue. This is especially true for the hotel bar.

Hotels 450

Hotels Customer Service Customer Experience Beverage 450

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 18, 2021

In 2020, the pandemic forced over 111,000 bars and restaurants in the United States to close permanently, severely impacting the drinking and dining scene abandoned last winter. Bars—and bartenders—create artistry the people at home cannot duplicate.

Design 450

Design 2021 Bar Entertainment 450

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants everywhere are working to safely serve customers, while also creating an atmosphere that leaves patrons with a positive and memorable dining experience. As restaurants continue to navigate limited indoor dining capacity and customers wary to dine indoors, some are expanding into outdoor spaces.

Outdoor 474

Outdoor Customer Experience Dine-in Seating 474

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 25, 2020

With outdoor dining occupying the foreground, and bars and indoor dining taking a back seat to consumer preferences, it begs the question: what happens when it gets cold? Outdoor dining works great during the warmer weather, and for facilitating additional curbside/delivery.

Seasonal Menu 493

Seasonal Menu Outdoor Customer Service Catering 493

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 19, 2020

In this edition of MRM News Bites, we feature a webinar that looks into the future of restaurants, face pay, delivery robots, drone delivery and a new venture for MRM. The Main Course. "We always viewed a podcast as a natural extension of the MRM brand," said Executive Editor Barbara Castiglia. "When Creating a Face-Pay Network.

Kitchen Safety 515

Kitchen Safety Loyalty Program Delivery Customer Service 515

EATER

OCTOBER 15, 2020

But what was for some an opportunity to celebrate the early arrival of changing leaves and everything plaid was a harbinger of bad times to come for restaurateurs now reliant on outdoor seating and the warm weather that allows it to survive. are figuring out how to adapt to a season that’s traditionally brutal for the industry.

Outdoor 364

Outdoor Seating Small Business Customer Service 364

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 21, 2021

Having been deprived of these types of social gatherings – and similarly a romantic candlelit dinner for two – even allowing for the requisite Covid restrictions, returning to restaurant dining holds huge appeal for many. The communal table and bar eating might need a slight rethink, or at least some gaps between groups.

Design 474

Design Customer Experience Dine-in Innovation 474

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

Vetting dining room, bar, and kitchen staff over the next decade will require probing more during job interviews, seeking candidates with more responsible lifestyles, advanced educational aspirations, and other evidence of a disciplined, drug-free work ethic will become even more of an HR imperative.

Mobile Ordering 539

Mobile Ordering Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 539

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 30, 2020

After reopening in May and June, the CDC and state governments provided guidance for inside dining, but even with reduced seating, 73 percent of people are uncomfortable dining indoors at a restaurant. As a result, the industry is seeing a tenfold increase in outdoor seating compared to this time last year.

Outdoor 526

Outdoor Audits Dine-in Seating 526

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 5, 2020

Allowing restaurants to utilize outdoor parking space is a way for municipalities to offer additional relief to local restaurants and help consumers feel safe and more comfortable when dining out. Therefore, maximizing the ability to utilize outdoor space to increase seating capacity will be critical for restaurants during this period.

Outdoor 420

Outdoor Seating Government Employee Relations 420

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 28, 2022

cities have implemented requirements for patrons to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to dine indoors at restaurants. Since the late summer of 2021, many major U.S. At a time when over one-third of U.S adults remained unvaccinated, the launch of this unprecedented policy was met with concern by many in the restaurant industry.

Employee Relations 507

Employee Relations Dine-in Customer Experience Customer Service 507

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 29, 2020

As more restaurants in the United States receive the go-ahead to open their doors for indoor dining, Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine reached out to industry experts on ways to calm employee anxiety. Do be patient with people as they adapt to a new environment and a new set of rules for dining out. Even though they have ?less

FOH 539

FOH Kitchen Safety BOH Food Safety 539

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

Restaurant Group, which owns and operates 24 restaurants throughout California, Idaho, Nevada, Texas, and Washington, said it would be the first in the nation to introduce a completely contactless dining experience, while maintaining a guest-forward approach to hospitality. Late in 2020, Eureka! Guests can contact Eureka!

Mobile Ordering 477

Mobile Ordering Online Ordering Airlines Customer Service 477

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 18, 2020

The guide encourages operators to view their establishment as distinct zones to drive diner comfort and safety at various steps of the dining out journey and provides helpful solutions for approaching each zone. Interviews were also conducted with operators and diners in China to understand what learnings might be applicable for U.S.

Front of House 520

Front of House Back of House Online Ordering Kitchen Safety 520

7 Shifts

MARCH 18, 2021

How restaurant sales were impacted Shortly after lockdowns were initiated, restaurant sales across the board—from full-service dining to coffee shops—took a nosedive. Bars and nightclubs were hit the hardest—an 89% drop in sales. Outdoor dining, warm weather, and a decline in virus cases helped the industry.

Point of Sale 370

Point of Sale Back of House Front of House Outdoor 370

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 15, 2020

Robert Earl is Founder of Earl Enterprises (Buca di Beppo, Earl of Sandwich, Bertucci’s, Mixology Grill & Lounge), Founder of Virtual Dining Concepts (Wing Squad), Co-Founder of Chicken Guy! Paul Wahlberg is Chef/Co-Owner of Wahlburgers, a casual dining restaurant and bar founded by the chef and his brothers Mark and Donnie.

Food Safety 515

Food Safety Social Media Loyalty Program Consumer Goods 515

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 28, 2021

We walked into a restaurant and there was a sign at the host stand: “Please wait to be seated.” Greet the guest, acknowledge that they may have to wait and send them to the bar. We were seated right away, but the server did not get to the table for almost 15 minutes. A totally avoidable disaster. Everyone walked out.

Customer Service 465

Customer Service Reservations Specials Training 465