Culinary Cues

AUGUST 9, 2021

The goal of every restaurant and every chef is to create memorable experiences for the guest. Chefs, managers, and owners should live by a simple rule – “If you are not serving the guest directly then it is your job to serve those who are.” It is, and must be, a team effort. Does this seem farfetched?

Front of House 473

Front of House Customer Experience Workshop Dine-in 473

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Do you remember when you first discovered how to snap your fingers or whistle? As a cook it may have been learning how to hold a French knife properly, getting that perfect caramelization on scallops, successfully combining clarified butter and egg yolks into a hollandaise, or pulling a perfect artisan bread from the oven hearth.

Training 367

Training Seasonal Menu Back of House Leadership 367

7 Shifts

JUNE 3, 2022

We don't have to tell you that the restaurant industry has a turnover problem. Restaurants are a transitional industry for many—but many of the reasons that workers quit are entirely preventable. 8 Reasons Why Restaurant Workers Quit — And How To Prevent It. 7shifts Tip Pooling and Distribution Software for Restaurants.

Tip Distribution 397

Tip Distribution Email Marketing Communication Coaching 397

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 23, 2023

It sounds nice to espouse the cliche: “It’s not whether you win or lose that matters, it’s how you play the game”, but if how you play the game leads to losing – there is little inspiration in the noble approach. Okay, so maybe how we define winning needs to evolve. But then we need to more clearly define the word “satisfied”.

Coaching 374

Coaching Sports Point of Sale Take-out 374

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 28, 2023

After absorbing all the negative press and glamorized abusive behavior it’s no wonder restaurants are having a tough time recruiting employees. Abusive behavior rarely centers on the standards but on how those standards are messaged to staff. The same is true in restaurants.

Entertainment 363

Entertainment Back of House Consumer Goods Recruiting 363

Culinary Cues

APRIL 1, 2024

How clear is our memory and how often do we tend to embellish on the positive and diminish the negative? We do know that there were countless days when we thought we wouldn’t pull it off, when being in the weeds was all too common, and at any moment everything was doomed to collapse – yet we managed to soldier through.

Back of House 318

Back of House Kitchen Safety Hotels Front of House 318

Culinary Cues

JULY 31, 2022

This is meant to be a chat with all the stakeholders: cooks, chefs, servers, bartenders, managers, owners, dishwashers, and customers. The end IS NOT near, in fact, restaurants have never been more important than they are right now. Are you willing to take a hard look at your pricing model and how you approach profitability?

Food Supply 392

Food Supply Training Supplies Café 392

Culinary Cues

JUNE 7, 2023

Time to evaluate your life and find a way to either minimize that stress or learn how to manage it. What you really need to do is find a way to push some of that stress aside, look at the cause differently, and rather than manage it superficially, look at some lifestyle adjustments. What’s wrong with me?

Training 326

Training Article Café Take-out 326

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 19, 2022

Those days in restaurants that were once recognized as a time to close and let traditions thrive are now some of the busiest business days of the year. Those days in restaurants that were once recognized as a time to close and let traditions thrive are now some of the busiest business days of the year. Why aren’t they open?

Hospitality 375

Hospitality Café 2022 Specials 375

Culinary Cues

MAY 28, 2022

Restaurants are very much like families, sometimes dysfunctional, but still family. The dining room staff face some different marks in time that establish them as “prepared”. In both cases, there is a high level of stress in restaurant work. How important is the staff meal to the success of a restaurant?

Front of House 319

Front of House Back of House Employee Relations Small Business 319

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

Push it out, how many covers, lock, and load, finish strong, over the hump, wrap it up: this the language of the kitchen during service, these are the timestamps like the number of quarters in a football game or innings in baseball. How do you feel about that plate?” When we compromise with quality in a restaurant where is the win?

Customer Service 344

Customer Service Customer Experience Uniforms Point of Sale 344

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 21, 2021

Working in a restaurant, bar, coffee shop, or any place that serves food & drink is a fast-paced, always-on career. On the 7shifts blog and social media, we seek to provide actionable and informative content to help restaurant people learn about every corner of the industry. Daily Management Course. You'll learn: ??

Management 195

Management Management Website Management Social Media 195

7 Shifts

JULY 24, 2020

While you must follow the strict guidelines to ensure the safety of your staff and customers, that’s not to say you can’t take advantage of an empty restaurant to improve your knowledge of restaurant management, running a business, and creating a recipe for success when you eventually get back to business as usual.

Book 370

Book Management Management Restaurant Law 370

Culinary Cues

MARCH 26, 2022

Are you thinking about owning a restaurant? You are not alone if the thought of putting your name on a restaurant awning has crossed your mind. One of the most tempting forays into entrepreneurship is the restaurant business. How hard can it be – right? Spoiler alert – nothing could be further from the truth.

Cash Management 366

Cash Management Social Media Restaurant Law Communication 366

Culinary Cues

MAY 15, 2021

The restaurant industry continues to be devastated – not just as a result of the pandemic but because the pandemic brought underlying issues to the surface. The glory days of the restaurant industry have been laid to rest and they may never return to any semblance of normalcy. How will we react?” What if……happens?

Customer Experience 387

Customer Experience Cash Management Customer Service Front of House 387

Culinary Cues

APRIL 23, 2022

The margins are very tight, in fact they are so tight that most business savvy people would wonder why anyone would ever want to own a restaurant. From the dishwasher to the prep cook, line cook to sous chef, and server to restaurant manager – food cost percentages must be something that everyone takes on as a job requirement.

Food 381

Food Seasonal Menu Waste Point of Sale 381

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 21, 2023

We are where we are because of the great people who stood beside us in the heat, on damaged knees and swollen feet, with the relentless ticking of the printer spitting out dupes, the barking of expeditors, sous chefs, and service staff, and because of the skills that we developed through time and repetition. For that I am eternally grateful.

Kitchen Safety 416

Kitchen Safety Food Safety 2024 Inventory 416

Culinary Cues

JULY 8, 2021

If there is stability in the restaurant business – I’m not quite sure where it is. With a real need to try and make-up for a lost year and an overnight demand for dining out – restaurants are faced with a new pressing issue: where do we find the staff and how do we keep them?

Sports 473

Sports Take-out Café Training 473

7 Shifts

APRIL 20, 2020

This comes at a time where restaurants everywhere are struggling to make ends meet as dining areas are closed and social distancing efforts are in full-swing—leaving restaurateurs to pivot to delivery or takeout, or temporarily close their doors. What does my restaurant get? Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). Who qualifies?

Website Management 376

Website Management Government Article 2020 376

7 Shifts

FEBRUARY 15, 2022

We started the Restaurant Growth Podcast in 2021 to provide a platform for the best and brightest minds in the restaurant and hospitality industry. From big, important ideas to use-today tactics, here are the best takeaways we heard on Season One of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. Restaurant owners do so much.

Social Media 448

Social Media Hiring Website Management Hospitality 448

Culinary Cues

JULY 23, 2023

Most restaurant owners, managers, family members of cooks, friends of cooks and chefs, those in other professions, service staff, and restaurant patrons, don’t get it. It is a juxtaposition that is nearly impossible to manage. Most people don’t get it. Chefs put their name on every dish that leaves the kitchen.

Guest Recovery 404

Guest Recovery Seasonal Menu Presentation Customer Experience 404

Culinary Cues

JULY 14, 2023

It’s a simple directive – no matter what you do, what task you are required to perform, how much you get paid to do it, or who you do it for – approach every task with the same level of commitment to doing it the best you can. So, the mantra sets the stage for the drive to constantly improve. Why would you want to strive for anything less?

Cash Management 299

Cash Management Uniforms Food Supply Café 299

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 18, 2022

We tend to believe that “mise” is all about the right amount of prep and how it is organized, but in terms of controlled hustle, it is so much more. This is what I saw that day, and this is what I sought to emulate throughout my career and what I hoped to teach staff members to model their work after. It was amazing!

Customer Experience 411

Customer Experience Food Order Hiring Café 411

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 8, 2021

We all knew that the restaurant industry was in need of a structural overhaul, we (those of us affiliated with the business) were well aware of the cogs in the chain, and the years of rust that had accumulated on systems and organization, but it took the pandemic of 2020/21 to shout out: THE TIME IS NOW! Such is the case in 2021.

2021 462

2021 Social Media Kitchen Safety Restaurant Law 462

Culinary Cues

MAY 21, 2023

Part One: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY It is an underlying question for the ages: “Is technology good or bad?” The answer is a resounding “yes” to both. So, the question we should be asking is: “Are we controlling technology or is it controlling us?” It was enlightening even though much of what he pointed to is well-known.

Technology 335

Technology Social Media Back of House Front of House 335

7 Shifts

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

In the restaurant industry, every bit counts. In this blog post, we will discuss suggestive selling and how it can improve your restaurant's bottom line. In this blog post, we will discuss suggestive selling and how it can improve your restaurant's bottom line. What is suggestive selling?

Loyalty Program 369

Loyalty Program Customer Experience Customer Service Point of Sale 369

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 21, 2023

The once restaurateur-centric restaurant was about to become chef-centric. It was interesting, somewhat absurd, but life changing for those in the profession and for the way people viewed the restaurant experience. Suddenly the chef-owned restaurant not only made sense – it was the approach with the greatest traction.

Back of House 390

Back of House Food Supply Government Dine-in 390

7 Shifts

AUGUST 10, 2020

This is the restaurant back office in its natural state – but not at all at its finest. Even though the practice of restaurant management continues to move digital, the physical space of your restaurant back office still needs to be organized.

Document 351

Document Restaurant Law Book Point of Sale 351

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

So, I began to think about patterns and habits of this type and how my exercise goal might serve as a model for restaurants seeking to find a formula for success. How powerful is a complete dining experience and what exactly is it? How much time and effort are placed on this?

Fine Dining 315

Fine Dining Dine-in Front of House Design 315

Culinary Cues

MARCH 10, 2022

I’m not sure who decided that this declaration be made, but for those of us in the restaurant business – it is so appropriate. How frustrating would it be if that stacked china ready for plating was spotted or chipped? How frustrated would a line cook be if he or she had to clean their own sauté pans after every use?

Front of House 447

Front of House Back of House Uniforms Hiring 447

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 17, 2020

TEN THINGS YOU DIDN”T KNOW ABOUT A RESTAURANT. There is a long history of how kitchens and restaurants are structured. Although executed at different levels – this structure is something that all those whom work in restaurants can depend and lean on. An organizational structure that attempts to keep things under control.

Seasonal Menu 517

Seasonal Menu Back of House Customer Service Front of House 517

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 31, 2020

Rest assured, at some point restaurants will rise up again, clubs and hotels will measure success based on occupancy and food service activity, and the position of “chef” will be center stage in driving sales and measuring profitability. Now is the time to self-assess and realign priorities.

Leadership 398

Leadership Point of Sale Training Coaching 398

7 Shifts

AUGUST 18, 2021

You may serve the best food on the block, but if your restaurant doesn't match its dishes with plausible customer service, your customers may never come back. That's why it's important to provide an outstanding dining experience from the second your customer's enter your restaurant, till the moment they leave. So, how can you do this?

Customer Service 369

Customer Service Customer Experience Online Ordering Loyalty Program 369

Restaurant365

DECEMBER 6, 2019

A mobile POS can help any restaurant looking to improve server productivity, increase revenue, and overall streamline their front of house operations. In addition to the convenience factor, a mobile POS also has the ability to increase revenue in your restaurant in a number of ways. What is a Mobile POS?

POS 117

POS Blog Mobile Ordering Front of House 117

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

With more than one million restaurants in the US we can flip a coin and hope for the great, will likely step through the doors of good, and far too often settle into the mediocre. So, just in case the information is not well known to some – here is the BEST OF Restaurant 101, a good start. [] START WITH KNOWING THE MARKET.

Fine Dining 392

Fine Dining Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 392

Culinary Cues

MARCH 3, 2021

The hope was that by doing more, working harder and longer, making more complicated menus, and pushing the envelope of creativity the restaurant industry would rise up to new levels of success. These small restaurant operators opened and closed their doors at an alarming rate simply because they couldn’t afford the space. BLIND FAITH.

Dine-in 416

Dine-in Small Business Seasonal Menu Café 416

7 Shifts

AUGUST 15, 2022

Are you a restaurant owner looking for question to ask potential candidates? Check out this blog and video on the top 9 interview questions to ask as an owner. There are a lot of jobs available in the restaurant industry. Restaurant Interview Questions and Answers [PDF]. How to Answer. Table of Contents.

Customer Experience 397

Customer Experience Website Management Hiring Back of House 397