Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 29, 2020

You know that every chef has wrestled with this – should the menu reflect a personal philosophy to move the bar or stick with time-tested standards? Restaurants survive and thrive on the “early and late majority” that represents over 60 percent of the dining population. That is in our DNA, we can’t really help ourselves.

Fine Dining 520

Fine Dining Café Customer Experience Menu 520

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 11, 2020

The premiumization of tea is a natural extension to what has been taking place in fine wine, specialty coffee, craft spirits and beer over the past several decades. Really, wherever food and beverage has an intentional focus on quality and customer experience, fine tea has a rightful place – just like wine and craft beverages.

Fine Dining 576

Fine Dining Hotels Consumer Goods Beverage 576

Culinary Cues

APRIL 23, 2023

Fine, that may be the case but let’s just see. Have you experienced the flavors and presentations of the items that may grace your menu? Can you plan a menu focused on total utilization of meat and carcass? Is this the extent of your knowledge of menu planning?

Seasonal Menu 522

Seasonal Menu Leadership Training Fine Dining 522

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 2, 2023

As the world is largely re-opened post-COVID, people are eagerly out and about dining in restaurants and bars to reinvigorate their social routines. According to Morning Consult , 77 percent of all polled adults are comfortable dining out at restaurants or cafes as of June 2022.

Fine Dining 474

Fine Dining Events Customer Experience Seasonal Menu 474

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 26, 2022

"The Menu" hits the screens next month and chefs are already dishing about the black comedy focused on fine-dining. Personally, the end goal for me is to spend more time having “fine dining” experiences and visiting Michelin star restaurants. Here are what some shared with us.

Fine Dining 442

Fine Dining Social Media Dine-in 2000 442

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 24, 2023

We also prepared a formal Schematic Design presentation for approval. This presentation included final floor plans, 3D-sketched renderings, furniture selections and finishes found in the space. Lastly, between the kitchen and the wine rooms sits a luxe private dining room that can sit a party of 12.

Design 419

Design Fine Dining Front of House Seasonal Menu 419

The Restaurant Group

DECEMBER 1, 2024

Introducing new menu items is more than just adding dishes to your offerings—it’s about crafting an experience that captivates your guests and keeps them coming back for more. A well-planned new menu launch not only boosts customer engagement but also reinforces your restaurant’s brand identity.

Menu 88

Menu Social Media Loyalty Program Seasonal Menu 88

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 30, 2020

Safety is the new “trend” that every dining establishment must offer, and it goes far beyond offering paperless QSR code menus and bottles of hand sanitizer at the host stand. Doing everything to ensure your customers feel safe dining with you will remain priority #1. Think Beyond Your Four Walls.

2021 563

2021 Marketing Food Safety Back of House 563

ChowNow

APRIL 25, 2025

Every restaurant concept should be intentional about their branding, from food trucks and cafes to brunch spots and fine dininggreat branding is how your restaurant stands out and stays memorable. Your restaurants brand personality, tone, visualseven your menu itemsshould all be shaped around your ideal target market.

Mobile Ordering 195

Mobile Ordering Social Media Email Marketing Customer Experience 195

Lavu

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

POS systems do more than just process payments they enable restaurants to personalize menus by analyzing customer data. Learn more in our latest post: How POS Systems Enable Menu Personalization. Real-Time Updates : Adjust menus instantly for accuracy and relevance. Improves Operations : Smarter inventory and menu management.

POS 78

POS Menu Dietary Restrictions Loyalty Program 78

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 23, 2021

Simply stated it is what a menu item contributes to the financial success of a restaurant. This can be direct (the menu item itself contributes working funds) or indirect (because the item is present on the menu – other items are more likely to sell). BEAUTIFUL FOOD PRESENTATIONS. So what is contribution margin?

Point of Sale 451

Point of Sale Front of House Back of House Customer Experience 451

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 28, 2022

How the customer prefers to order (for delivery, for pick-up or to dine-in). You need to find the fine line between collecting the information you need and respecting your customers’ privacy. If some menu items are consistently added to orders but never actually ordered it could signal a problem. Optimizing Your Menu.

Loyalty Program 520

Loyalty Program Mobile Ordering Email Marketing Online Ordering 520

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 11, 2024

In pursuit of these objectives, restaurants must reimagine dining experiences through enhanced restaurant technology, deepen their commitment to sustainability, and fine-tune their core offerings. Finding the balance between innovation and tradition is the secret recipe for enduring success in the evolving dining industry.

2024 473

2024 Customer Experience Compost Loyalty Program 473

EATER

JULY 21, 2022

It’s a familiar scene: After sitting down at a table, the waiter brings you a sheet of fancy paper with the day’s menu printed in pretty fonts. There are around a dozen dishes, which can be ordered as a tasting menu or a la carte. “We But just as that information once did, the minimalist menu is disappearing.

Menu 261

Menu White Paper Dietary Restrictions Seasonal Menu 261

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 20, 2022

Present Staffing Issues at Restaurants. The machine presents a comprehensive menu with the ability to partially customize what customers order. This issue falls under orders from your mobile via a QR-scanned menu. This is what we discuss in this article. Staffing problems can arise in several forms.

Mobile Ordering 537

Mobile Ordering Food Order Employee Relations Customer Service 537

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 31, 2025

Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) say they plan to increase their number of locations in 2025, and 74 percent plan to expand their menu offerings, leaning into new experiences and experimentation to power their growth. 3 For those who leave things to the last minute, searching by date and time on OpenTable will save dining heartache.

Marketing 221

Marketing Loyalty Program 2024 2025 221

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

Outdoor dining is still top of mind as owners want to keep employees and customers safe and have questions about maintaining outdoor spaces in inclement weather. That's fine for sidewalks but not very conducive to outdoor dining, including keeping tables leveled. Thankfully, outdoor dining is less expensive to build out.

Outdoor 508

Outdoor Fine Dining Dine-in FOH 508

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

This is a topic I have presented numerous times and it seems as though whenever I travel it rises to the top of my thinking. Unfortunately, dining out and finding the right place to work is oftentimes a wishful roll of the dice. Excellence is not reserved for fine dining. [] KNOW HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS.

Fine Dining 450

Fine Dining Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 450

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Running a successful, finely-tuned takeout operation is a complex and challenging endeavor no longer relegated to businesses basing their models primarily on delivery sales. 86-ing ingredients and all of the communication that comes with that process should also be managed as quickly as possible.

Delivery 492

Delivery Front of House Back of House Fine Dining 492

Squirrel Systems

MARCH 5, 2025

Here’s an overview of what’s shaping the future of dining: Plant-Based Innovations Plant-based dining has evolved from a niche market to a mainstream movement. bhg.com Immersive Dining Experiences Dining is becoming more about the overall experience. Expect dishes incorporating adaptogens (e.g.,

2025 80

2025 Menu Food Fine Dining 80

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 28, 2021

The aroma of a simmering veal stock, pans of bacon being pulled from the oven, fresh coffee brewing and pastries hot from the bake shop meld together like a cacophony of sound produced by a finely tuned orchestra. Cooks are busy at work with their own preparations as breakfast orders from the dining room arrive at a harrowing pace.

Front of House 475

Front of House Kitchen Safety Fine Dining Back of House 475

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. Ignoring compliance can lead to fines, bad press, or even shutdownsso having clear protocols in place is mandatory.

Operations 195

Operations Management Management Front of House 195

Culinary Cues

MARCH 9, 2021

This is where cold appetizers, salads, terrines, pates, cheese plates, and likely desserts are presented with a high level of artistic expression and where, in many cases, the profit in restaurants reside. The garde manger must be conservative with portion sizes while affording the greatest impact on the dining experience.

Presentation 450

Presentation Fine Dining Seasonal Menu Design 450

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

The normalcy of customers coming in the doors for a night of dining or even a casual lunch feels like a vision of the distant past. As much as complete closures and stay-at-home orders have harmed the restaurant industry, reopening has come with fits and starts, presenting a new litany of obstacles for dining establishments to overcome.

Fine Dining 502

Fine Dining Restaurant Law Food Truck Outdoor 502

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 19, 2020

Gen Z and millennials are likely to return to in-restaurant dining before older guests; and each group will have different concerns. It is important to communicate what you are doing for safety, but don’t forget to highlight the amazing dining experience you have to offer. Anticipation. Which ones need to be single use?

Guest Recovery 474

Guest Recovery Kitchen Safety Food Safety Email Marketing 474

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

This isn’t the French Laundry” so why even invest the time in plate presentation and cooking it properly – WRONG. Take a simple hamburger – the second most popular item on American menus (a close second to pizza). “It’s only a plate of spaghetti” – so excellence is a pipe dream – WRONG. It is your job to SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF.

Uniforms 451

Uniforms Fine Dining Small Business Customer Service 451

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 30, 2023

Keeping brand integtrity, the interior featured a walk-up counter, digital menu boards and condensed seating/waiting areas with TVs. Burying this information in fine print at the bottom of the menu or not putting it anywhere at all can quickly drive customers away and become a social media nightmare in an instant.

Operations 449

Operations Mobile Ordering Customer Experience Online Ordering 449

EATER

DECEMBER 21, 2022

By presenting cuisine that has not traditionally been championed in a fine dining, wine-tasting setting, Mistry hopes to challenge people’s expectations about cuisine — and the people who make it. Over the past few years, one-off guest chef appearances and chef-in-residence programs have proliferated in the fine dining industry.

Fine Dining 358

Fine Dining Front of House Vineyard Seasonal Menu 358

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

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. Since 2014, online ordering has grown 300% faster than dine-in and now accounts for roughly 40% of restaurant sales.

Online Ordering 195

Online Ordering Ordering Email Marketing Mobile Ordering 195

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 21, 2021

Get it wrong—with a menu that doesn't fit the ambiance or pricey dishes not suited for the clientele—and would-be regulars will at best feel confused and at worst never return. Restaurant concepts define the overall theme or idea behind a restaurant, including cuisine, service style, music, and menu design. Menu design.

Fast Casual 370

Fast Casual Food Truck Casual Customer Service 370

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

How powerful is a complete dining experience and what exactly is it? An owner for whom I worked years ago referred to it as the Total Dining Experience and I have held on to this concept ever since. Is your ventilation system designed to push positive kitchen odors to the dining room or outside the entrance?

Fine Dining 408

Fine Dining Dine-in Front of House Design 408

EATER

JANUARY 28, 2021

With indoor dining still not an option in much of the country, hotel restaurants are using empty rooms as private dining suites There are few restaurants Hector Tamez frequents more than Uni , the izakaya located in Boston’s boutique Eliot Hotel. Consider the presentation, he says, or how the staff feels like family.

Hotels 343

Hotels Fine Dining Dine-in Front of House 343

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 12, 2020

Chef Marc Meneau was such a chef – a powerful personality who elevated the dining experience – a chef who lived excellence every day in his restaurant L’Esperance in Vezelay, France. The dining room was perfectly appointed with fresh flowers, the finest tabletop details, and magnificent views of the L’Esperance gardens.

Fine Dining 366

Fine Dining Back of House Dine-in Presentation 366

Culinary Cues

APRIL 26, 2020

Having your chef walk through the dining room and connect with guests is a way to make customers feel special and provides an opportunity for them to ask serious questions about the menu. This may not be the time to try and show how uniquely creative you can be with your menu. Everything helps. What will be your experience?

Guest Recovery 408

Guest Recovery Kitchen Safety Customer Service Customer Experience 408

7 Shifts

JANUARY 23, 2020

As you plan out your concept, location, menu, staffing, and marketing, take a read through the advice left by hundreds of restaurateurs to ensure you’re set up for success in 2020. Live-work-dine neighborhoods do not generate enough outside traffic to sustain a business if it is not designed correctly” — Daniel Reed Hospitality 2.

2020 335

2020 Hiring Cash Management Education 335

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 19, 2022

And, you don’t have to run a cocktail bar or fine dining location to play with these combinations. For this reason, and the goal to have more time to provide great service, we saw a much broader use of partial or full batching of core cocktails on the menu pre-portioned in aesthetically pleasing bottles.

Bar 474

Bar 2023 Back of House Coaching 474

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 16, 2020

To help ensure the survival of these restaurants, many of which are family owned, the PR industry has banded together to create a campaign called "Dining Bonds." The dining bonds are being offered by participating restaurants across the country at a suggested savings of 25 percent when purchased. . "We're

Food Safety 585

Food Safety Kitchen Safety Small Business Employee Relations 585