Culinary Cues

APRIL 7, 2025

The full package of compensation and support will be the price of admission and the key to attracting and retaining the next generation. This model will help to create sense of ownership and establish a significant way of retaining good people.

Kitchen Safety 302

Kitchen Safety Food Supply 2030 Healthcare 302

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

Customers are becoming more discerning about value and anxious about the price of a meal (from quick service to fine dining). Many are once again viewing restaurants as a luxury they can do without versus a necessary part of American culture and a convenience for families with multiple wage earners and impossible schedules.

Fine Dining 242

Fine Dining Food Supply Customer Service Recruiting 242

Culinary Cues

MAY 1, 2025

PLAN BETTER TRAIN HARDER Work Hard and be Kind Dick Cattani Harvest America Ventures, LLC Restaurant Consulting www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG (Over 900 articles about the business and people of food) CAF Talks Podcast [link] More than 90 interviews with the most influential people in food

Innovation 352

Innovation Fine Dining Consumer Goods Customer Service 352

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 27, 2023

A restaurant centric operation relies on analytics, competitor analysis, surveys, budgeting, price comparisons, and knowledge of what the marketplace is comfortable with. They look for consistent, personalized quality commitments, a “yes” attitude when special requests are made, dependability, and a pricing that makes sense.

Hiring 449

Hiring Training Pricing Presentation 449

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Changing how we view our concepts, menus, pricing structure, our staff, marketing, and the list goes on has never been more critical. Every day should be an opportunity for each employee to grow, learn, and improve through teaching and training. Yes, I have been preaching the need for change in restaurants.

Training 442

Training Customer Service Uniforms Leadership 442

Culinary Cues

MAY 8, 2023

It sounded like an appropriate title for an article about life in the kitchen. He or she is a negotiator working with vendors for the best product, delivered when needed, at the most appropriate price and monitoring a system of checks and balances to ensure everyone understands this.

Kitchen Safety 492

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Coaching Training 492

Culinary Cues

APRIL 15, 2023

Here’s the kicker: It cost each restaurant $900 to participate in the week (I guess to cover town wide promotion expenses) and every restaurant must agree to deep discount pricing for guests. There is no cache of money to turn to, and the prices we charge are not based on greed, but necessity. We would love that.

Café 518

Café Seasonal Menu Point of Sale Social Media 518

Culinary Cues

APRIL 30, 2023

Without a CULTURE OF QUALITY, the relationship of price to results is not always clear. When you push those expensive ingredients to the eventual plate what is most important is guest reaction: “Is it worth the price”. Quality and price are not always synonymous. But I wonder – is this true? Is it worth it!

Employee Relations 503

Employee Relations Sports Pricing Hiring 503

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 20, 2024

There’s a reactionary movement that I keep seeing in restaurants; a movement that assumes the answer to the restaurant bottom line is to take more and give less or give too much to justify raising prices. A menu should thus be designed and priced to make those items seem essential.

Fine Dining 449

Fine Dining Back of House Food Truck Pricing 449

Culinary Cues

MAY 13, 2023

Training is paramount to attracting and retaining great employees, so these properties typically invest heavily in teaching and training. [] A NETWORK FOR GROWTH And finally, the next step in a cook’s career might not be at the club where he or she is learning. Know what you want and chart a path.

Hotels 505

Hotels Point of Sale Cash Management Training 505

Culinary Cues

JUNE 9, 2024

There is a deeper price to pay when looming issues like the labor shortage, rising costs of operation, an eroding passion for careers in the kitchen, and diminishing profits haunt our everyday operations. Is our profession becoming a victim of circumstances? Food for thought.

Customer Experience 437

Customer Experience Café Customer Service Training 437

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 4, 2022

The greatest threat is not the labor shortage or supply chain issues, it’s not the pandemic or the price of real estate – yes, all those concerns are troubling and must be dealt with, but they are not what will bring the restaurant industry to its knees. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

Front of House 429

Front of House Back of House Coaching Customer Service 429

Culinary Cues

JULY 31, 2022

We can’t find any employees, people don’t want to work anymore, restaurants treat employees like crap, the pay sucks and the benefits don’t exist, prices are too high, supplies are impossible to find, and profit is so small that it isn’t worth the sweat and tears. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

Food Supply 449

Food Supply Training Supplies Café 449

Culinary Cues

JULY 15, 2022

Most of the articles we read point to the pandemic as the culprit as well as the centralization of processing ownership. All the above factors are beginning to change the price point making it difficult for families to fill their dinner table. All of this is changing rapidly, and it is beyond the consumer’s control.

Food Supply 448

Food Supply Food Truck Consumer Goods 2000 448

Culinary Cues

MARCH 3, 2021

In a recent article about Danny Meyer – NYC restaurateur extraordinaire, he talks about his epiphany over the past year – an opportunity he had to truly assess everything about his restaurants and the accepted approach towards operation. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com – BLOG. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Dine-in 450

Dine-in Small Business Seasonal Menu Café 450

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Surely, I thought, a successful restaurant is built on food quality, efficient service, and fair pricing. Sure, the food at the Blue Gentian was good, and the servers who had been there for years were efficient, and you couldn’t beat the price for the quantity and quality offered, but what Meta was referring to was hospitality.

White Paper 411

White Paper Hospitality Fine Dining Reference 411

Culinary Cues

APRIL 18, 2023

In all cases the expectation is at the very least – acceptable food quality, and in some cases the expectation is extraordinary food (price has much to do with expectations). Plan, equip, train, evaluate, educate, and celebrate each and every employee. Plan better – train harder, takes on new meaning.

Food Truck 386

Food Truck Back of House Education Training 386

Culinary Cues

MAY 3, 2023

Your customers will rave, and you can raise your prices to cover the difference. I remember reading an article about a studio drummer by the name of Bernard Purdy who has played on more records than you can count. Sure, it will cost considerably more than what you are buying off the back of a “one stop” vendor truck, but it’s worth it.

Food Truck 474

Food Truck Customer Experience Take-out Food Supply 474

Culinary Cues

APRIL 29, 2024

Reactionary approaches involve increasing rates of pay, dumbing down menus, reducing hours of operation or levels of service to limit the number of employees needed, raising prices to compensate for higher rates of pay, reducing portion sizes while raising prices, or even looking at automation and technology to “right the ship.”

Front of House 317

Front of House Back of House Training Customer Service 317

Culinary Cues

JUNE 29, 2024

The service staff members have been well-trained and are enthusiastic about the restaurant concept. Great food and service are the price of admission – context is the icing on the cake. So, that should be it. Again, create the context and set yourself apart.

Customer Experience 345

Customer Experience Dine-in Back of House Customer Service 345

Culinary Cues

JULY 23, 2023

As if that weren’t enough, the menu and each morsel of food presented represents the chef’s life of experiences, his or her family history, the cuisine of their forefathers, every chef who contributed to their training, and everything that they believe in – as it pertains to food.

Guest Recovery 419

Guest Recovery Seasonal Menu Presentation Customer Experience 419

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 22, 2022

Maybe pushing for more volume and higher check averages can be replaced by creating incredible value that goes beyond price, that involves experiences and fond memories and charging what will allow the restaurant to flourish and the customer to feel as though it were worth every penny. PLAN BETTER -TRAIN HARDER. CAFÉ Talks podcast.

Seating 474

Seating Front of House Back of House Cash Management 474

Culinary Cues

MAY 20, 2024

How is your kitchen organized, how much time are you willing to invest in training, how do you (the chef and owner) present yourself as a leader and mentor, how serious are you about the right way to cook, how open are you to sharing, and how effective are you at building a team of professionals who look and act the part?

Hotels 341

Hotels Front of House Fine Dining Back of House 341

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Those restaurants and chefs – regardless of menu focus or price tags on the menu, that stem from an unrelenting push towards excellence will always find an audience. To be successful in the food business you must learn to listen, to train, to support, to collaborate, and to lead. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Small Business 445

Small Business Front of House Customer Service Communication 445

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 3, 2022

I turn on the news as background noise (there’s never any good news) and I faintly catch the key points about another mass shooting, climate anomalies, political battles, the lingering pandemic, and the rising price of goods. Stay tuned for the next article – FULL HOUSE -ALL HANDS-ON DECK. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Back of House 435

Back of House Hotels Front of House Book 435

Culinary Cues

JUNE 22, 2020

Every chef has experienced it and as a result he or she will relate to the content of this article. Things get done, but the price to pay is high. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. You can feel it when you walk in the kitchen, you might even feel it in the dining room – it is not a good feeling.

Food 474

Food Presentation Café Leadership 474

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 19, 2023

Despite a steep decline in food prices, many families did without milk or meat.” -The “To save money, families neglected medical and dental care. Many families sought to cope by planting gardens, canning food, buying used bread, and using cardboard and cotton for shoe soles.

Hotels 416

Hotels Influencer Compost Recycling 416

Culinary Cues

APRIL 22, 2024

Shrinkflation” is a descriptor for reducing the size of packaged goods while either keeping selling prices where they were or raising prices while portions are being reduced. Grocery stores try to eliminate cashier positions (yes, I know how hard it is to find help) and opt for self-check-out but do so without lowering prices.

Consumer Goods 344

Consumer Goods Pricing Hospitality Customer Experience 344

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER Harvest America Ventures, LLC Restaurant Consulting www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG (Over 800 articles about the business and people of food) CAFÉ Talks Podcast [link] More than 70 interviews with the most influential people in food

Fine Dining 409

Fine Dining Dine-in Front of House Design 409

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

This needs to change through a different approach to menu planning and pricing and tighter controls on waste and portioning. When we depend on people who are dependable and well trained then the kitchen is like a fine-tuned orchestra and the expeditor is the conductor. TEAM DEPENDANT I know, this is listed as a “pro” as well.

Employee Relations 449

Employee Relations Training Fine Dining Communication 449

Culinary Cues

JUNE 14, 2022

What they are less interested are pretentious environments, stuffy service, gimmicks, and absurd pricing. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Over 700 articles). They expect excellence in product, friendly and sincere service, and the ability to have fun while enjoying a spectacular meal.

Fine Dining 474

Fine Dining Food Supply Customer Service Presentation 474

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 2, 2020

MenuDrive allows restaurants to add their own delivery services, or utilize Lavu’s national partner for fixed-price, commission-free deliveries. The customer can then see the menu on offer, the prices and can place an order by adding an item to their shopping basket. restaurants.

Employee Relations 516

Employee Relations Healthcare Online Ordering Customer Service 516

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 24, 2022

Know that based on your concept there will always be a pricing ceiling that you should avoid. No matter how well the item is prepared and how exceptional it might be, if you exceed that price ceiling people will shy away from buying it. [] PREP, TASTE, SEASON, TASTE. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Restaurant Consulting.

Seasonal Menu 346

Seasonal Menu Front of House Presentation Menu 346

7 Shifts

JUNE 16, 2024

You can give your customers 1 point for every $10 they spend at your restaurant (the price point depends on how much you're selling your food and beverages; just make sure to set an achievable price). This doesn't mean, however, that you have to increase the price of your menu in-store.

Marketing 195

Marketing 2024 Email Marketing Social Media 195

Restaurant Engine

MAY 28, 2025

In this article, we look at nine marketing tips to get your dining guests excited for your new menu. Add high-resolution photos, clear descriptions, and pricing. Tell your stories through blog posts, social captions, and videos on your website and social media pages. Are you expanding your menu at your restaurant?

Menu 52

Menu Marketing Email Marketing Social Media 52

Restaurant Engine

JANUARY 27, 2021

In this article, we look at how daily lunch specials can drive new patrons at your restaurant. Offer a Fixed Price Lunch Special. You can bring in new patrons (think office workers) with a fixed price lunch special. For example, create a three-course, fixed price daily lunch special with a couple of choices for your new patrons.

Specials 116

Specials Mobile Ordering Catering Social Media 116

Restaurant Engine

DECEMBER 9, 2020

In this article, we look at how to tell if you should start catering. How about your catering pricing structure? Train your staff specifically for catering. Ready to take the plunge and create a website with an online menu, blog, and beautiful photos? Yet, there are some things to consider before taking the plunge.

Catering 113

Catering Website Management Seasonal Menu Food Supply 113