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I came across an old quote from Phylicia Rashad (for those my age – the lead actress in the series “Fame” from many years back) that gave me another opportunity to think about the cooks that I know and have known over the past five (nearly six) decades and why I chose to stand in front of a range. Art is the basis of human expression.”
When you dine out at a restaurant, you tip your server. It's the expectation and an essential part of how restaurant workers earn a living. A guest's tip subsidizes wages for most of America's restaurant workers. It's a reality that only exists in North America—the United States and Canada. But tipping did not take off immediately in the U.S.
Consider this – the menu is the most important component of a successful restaurant and once designed it can, and should, impact every other aspect of the business. YES – the menu is that important! The menu comes first and should reflect the philosophy of the owners and chef and how the operators expect to be perceived by the public.
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.
In the back of the house, rampant inflation and ongoing supply chain disruptions are cutting into margins. Simultaneously, staffing is an urgent and ongoing front-of-house concern. It is even more so for independent restaurants, which usually have one manager for all front- and back-of-house duties.
The Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the Department of the Treasury , released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application and detailed instructions for the application. Step-by-step instructions on how to perform the calculations required by the CARES Act to confirm eligibility for loan forgiveness.
– Salad House CEO Joey Cioffi In 2025, restaurant chains will increase their usage of connected equipment to be more responsive, resilient, and ready to meet evolving customer expectations in a data-first, efficiency-focused world. At the same time, technology is poised to play an even bigger role in the coming year.
Start with Your Menu. Assuming your operation was open at all during COVID-19, you probably removed a number of items from your menu. If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that our menus featured too many items, including some we didn’t need. It’s easier for the front-of-the-house to present.
When staff are unable to answer basic questions about your gluten-free menu, or ask inappropriate questions of guests who inquire about gluten-free options, consumers may have doubts about your ability to ensure their safety or prepare a dish that meets their dietary needs. The first step is to clearly identify any gluten-free dishes.
Attentive and Personalized Service Train your team to read guest cuessome diners appreciate detailed menu descriptions, while others prefer a straightforward, efficient experience. High-Quality Food and Presentation Delivering dishes that match or exceed customer expectations is critical.
On the flip side, poor operations can lead to inefficiencies that snowballlike staffing issues that slow down service, supply chain mishaps that throw off the menu, or rising costs that eat into profits. Front-of-house teams need clear expectations, strong training, and a service mindset that ensures guests feel valued.
Partnering with November Five, Le Pain Quotidien launched Alain.AI, a tool that can be called the world's first digital twin of a chef-founder and used to help with menu development, recipe standardization, and culinary innovation. "As We are still in the process of continuously improving it. However, they embraced Alain.AI
Next, create a brand and menu to be hosted locally or on your favorite aggregator. Finally, find a place to cook and start filling orders, often alongside tickets from a traditional front-of-house. New idea, online menu, real food. Welcome to the age of virtual restaurants. The premise for a virtual restaurant is simple.
The modern restaurant ecosystem demands that businesses of all shapes and styles, from full-service fine dining to quick-serve fast-casual, incorporate third-party delivery systems into their business models, strategic planning, Front and Back of House training and physical design.
"The desire for convenience has always been present, coupled with an equally strong desire for delicious food. And communications is front and center, particularly for restaurants that might not be as well known for out of restaurant food. 34 percent of respondents saying they plan to prepare more meals at home. "It's
With their ability to connect various facets of restaurant operations and provide real-time data and insights, networking solutions present a powerful tool for overcoming these challenges and setting a new standard for efficiency and customer service in the industry.
The quick fix may just be a dramatic change in how we plan and present our menus. CHANGE #1: The days of the fixed menu for restaurants should come to a halt. Without a clear understanding of where ingredient costs are going tomorrow and next month restaurants cannot afford to be shackled to a menu that is out of control.
If you doubt my belief – think about this: If a line cook calls out – we simply spread the work out among those who are present. At the very least, we know that the work right in front of us won’t change. The rhythm of the kitchen is closely tied to the work and efficiency that is present in the dish area.
Order mobile app features a list of rooms and tables, orders, items, and modifiers of both the main and quick menu, search through the item list by name, follow up the order status and send them to the kitchen. It represents a compact mobile terminal for quick order taking.
." As we mark the fifth anniversary, MRM magazine surveyed restaurant insiders about the pandemic’s lasting impact on their businesses and the industry. The past five years have reinforced the critical intersection of digital and hospitality in the restaurant industry. Technology continues to transform restaurant operations.
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.
No front of house staff, smaller spaces, and no need for prime real estate that all contribute to the lower costs. While that popularity has generated excitement about the prospect of these dining room-less restaurants, it's important to remember that ghost kitchens aren't an easy thing to pull off. Table of Contents. Kitchen Pods.
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). So what is contribution margin? SP = $43.33.
There are many reasons why I am so grateful for the decades I spent in front of a range. And, I have witnessed the apologies and hugs between front and back of the house that said: “Sorry I may have been abrupt, it was the heat of the moment, and you know I truly care about you.”
Well show you how to leverage: Your local restaurant scene Your restaurants brand Your digital assets The community around you Then, reveal how to measure your marketing efforts so you can continuously refine your strategy and strengthen your connection with customers. Thats why a strong marketing strategy is the key to staying ahead.
How do you see menus and loyalty evolving? After two years of mobile ordering by consumers, menus are becoming more and more interactive both inside and outside. Down the line, menus will become practically customized to the individual consumer. How is QSR ownership changing? Every minute! Great question. David Vance.
What if the chef, manager, and owner were required to do the same, in essence proclaiming they approve of the work as presented to the guest? Are you proud to present this to your teammates, manager, or guest?” Why not list your employees on the menu or on your website and their role in the organization.
This approach required fewer front-of-the-house staff to maintain a dining room, complied with government orders, and kept many brands from closing. Just as one issue seemed fixed, another presents itself. The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a lot of chaos and accelerated several trends within the restaurant industry.
In a people-powered industry dependent on sophisticated coordination, management strategies prioritizing mutual respect and enabling communication between the Front and Back of House can cultivate inclusive environments where relationships matter and memories are made.
Menus represent the changing values of the restaurant industry. 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
As a chef you are able to plan menus knowing how the dishes will look, smell, and taste before they are even made. When you sit down with the sommelier with your first menu as chef you can offer reasonable comments on the selection of wines to accompany each item. This is magical. For you, the process is even more amazing.
There’s little doubt that ghost kitchens present attractive possibilities to existing and future restaurants and brands. Without the need for front-of-house staff, a restaurant can put money into paying for chefs, cooks, and food preparation. The Sizzling-Hot Benefits of the Burgeoning Ghost Kitchen Concept.
For example, the host stand was custom-built to allow for multiple people to operate the front of house simultaneously and the 3,000-bottle wine cellar rises two stories high and serves as the backdrop for the school’s wine appreciation class. We also prepared a formal Schematic Design presentation for approval.
From creating a welcoming ambiance to offering unique menu items, let’s explore the ways you can refine your restaurant's customer experience in 2024. Presentation also matters. Menu and food choices Your restaurant’s menu and food choices can entice or put off customers.
When thinking about the future of the dining experience post COVID, it is easy to get caught focusing on things like digital only self-service, sci-fi-like drone food delivery and taking pills or shakes instead of food. Almost more than any other sector, we’ve seen this in the restaurant and hospitality industry. The Shift to Co-Pilot Mode.
It can be done without tasting food or even seeing a single plate presented in the pass and it is visible without asking a guest for comments on a meal. So, here’s the thing – when mise en place permeates everything you do, how you work, act, and present yourself, then competence finds a home and confidence leads the charge.
The landscape of digital marketing is constantly evolving, presenting both challenges and opportunities for restaurant operators. The landscape of digital marketing is constantly evolving, presenting both challenges and opportunities for restaurant operators. They want engaging content that keeps them entertained.
Menu knowledge : Learn the entire menu and how to upsell and cross-sell items on that menu. Table setting and presentation : How to set a table and elicit a wow response from guests. This ever-changing nature makes training your staff that much more important, as your success hinges on the performance of your team.
What those technologies are completely depends on the role, but here are a few of the more popular examples: Servers and front-of-house roles tend to familiarize themselves with point-of-sale (POS) technology, scheduling software , online ordering integrations, and perhaps even reservation software. Table of Contents. Undercooking.
Those who are proponents of systemic thinking know that even the smallest decision, especially one made in a vacuum, will domino and cause havoc on numerous fronts. It is never as simple as just changing the menu. It happens in business, it happens in education, and it happens most often in government. A short while back the U.S.
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. Ironically, there is always room to be great and there is plenty of room to be mediocre. The choice to be great or not so great is in the hands of the restaurateur and the folks who make a living with food.
More than anything else, when I was in restaurant kitchens I looked forward to planning and testing the next set of menu changes. A stale menu is not cost effective, ignorant of quality issues with ingredients, uninspiring for employees, and just plain boring. Winter is, by far my favorite season to plan menus. Are you up to it?
Have a cocktail or menu competition The next time you are changing up your menu, open up a slot for an item that will be created by a member of your kitchen or front of house staff. Engaged employees are also less likely to turnover. This article will arm you with ideas for restaurant employee contests.
For a restaurant to run smoothly and efficiently, you should divide activities into two parts: front of house (FOH)/back of house (BOH). What Is Front Of House (FOH)? The difference between FOH (front of house)/BOH (back of house) is one of appearance and presentability. Floor plan.
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